Discrimination in Labor

In the case of Sarah Crone vs. United Parcel Service, Inc. , decided by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, the court decided against the complainant, and held that there was lack of evidence to show that the employer was discriminatory in not considering her for the promotion. In said case Crone, a dispatcher of the employer corporation wanted to be promoted to the dispatcher supervisor position, when the said position became available.However, she was not promoted because the Department Manager and the Division Manager feared she might not be able to deal with confrontations, which are necessarily attached to the supervisory position. For Crone, this ground was discriminatory on account of sex. According to the court, Crone was unable to show that the company’s reason was a mere pretext to cover up its discriminatory purpose. (Crone v. UPS, Inc. , 2002).The issue of discrimination can indeed be raised in this case, considering that it initially appears that Crone was not considered for promotion merely because of some trait that the managers ascribed to her on account of her being a woman. It should be noted that discrimination exists where distinctions are made, â€Å"in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit. (Dictionary. com). Federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Laws prohibit all sorts of discriminatory practices of employers, which include making â€Å"employment decisions based on stereotypes or assumptions about the abilities, traits, or performance of individuals of a certain sex, race, age, religion, or ethnic group, or individuals with disabilities. † (Federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Laws).These EEO laws, which have been passed in most states, enjoin companies to provide equal employment opportunity to all their employees, without regard to irrelevant characteristics such as age, religion and sex. EEO laws, having been based on the fundamental principle of fairness, urges companies to allow equal opportunity for employees to succeed. (Fair Measures). Following these laws, therefore, the company’s decision to choose another person over Crone falls within the category of employment decisions that should not be tainted with discriminatory considerations.However, it cannot be said that the court’s decision in this case in dismissing the complaint could lead to unlawful excuses for discrimination in other settings, because the ruling was not a statement of a policy favoring the creation of biases against women. The ruling was based on facts. The company was able to substantiate its defense that it was justified in finding Crone unqualified for the position because of her lack of necessary skills to deal with confrontations, which evaluation was supported by an occasion where Crone came close to tears while a driver became confrontational with her.Thus, the court upheld the ruling in Kiel v. Select Artificials, Inc. , 169 F. 3d 1131, 1136 (8th Cir. ) (en banc), cert. denied, 528 U. S. 818 (1999), which said, â€Å"In the absence of any evidence of discriminatory intent, however, it is not the prerogative of the courts or jury to sit in judgment of employers’ management decisions. † (Crone v. UPS, Inc. , 2002). Thus, it would be premature to conclude that this decision veers away from the policy against discrimination, as it is clear that the company’s decision was based on cold facts.This writer believes that the above case does not require elaborate changes in the present EEO structure, as there is no danger of discrimination, provided that the law’s nuances and policy are carefully followed. The law provides for instances that could be considered discrimination. In the absence of sufficient proof of such discrimination, the law is correct in providing equal protection to employers who have the right to man age their business in accordance with their preferences.

Municipal Solid Waste Management In China Environmental Sciences Essay

The universe is now enduring from an exigency crisis of municipal solid waste ( MSW ) . The entire sum of planetary MSW is lifting aggressively, particularly in some development states, such as China. The one-year sum of MSW production in China increased from 0.0313 billion dozenss to 0.14 billion dozenss during an 18 old ages period from 1980 to 1998 ( Suocheng, 2001, P7-11 ) . And the accrued volume of MSW in China experienced a rapid addition during a 5 old ages period from about 6 billion dozenss in 1998 to more than 6.5 billion dozenss in 2002 ( Zhiqiang, 2006, P1193-1197 ) . With the economic system go oning to turn aggressively, it is clear that MSW direction may be one of the heaviest loads for the China authorities. As a consequence, taking a suited method for MSW intervention in China is going much more necessary and exigency.MSW direction system in ChinaIn the early People Republic of China, under the background of the planned economic system system, MSW direction was defi ned as a public service by the authorities ( Suocheng, 2001, P7-11 ) , which made MSW direction isolated from the market. As a consequence, used an inordinate public financess for disposing MSW became one of the factors leaded to financial shortage. By the terminal of 1970s, the Chinese authorities put frontward the reform and opening-up policy. Profit from this policy, although the market mechanisms were still uncomplete, it began to play an progressively decisive function in MSW direction in China. After about 50 old ages of development, there were three chief methods used to dispose the MSW: Incineration, Landfill and composted. By the terminal of 2000, more than 70 % of MSW was managed by landfill ( largely by simple landfill ) and about 20 % by composted, merely less than 10 % was disposed by incineration ( Zhiqiang, 2006, P1193-1197 ) . During the past decennary, the authorities began to pay much more attending in incineration, which changed the per centum of the composing of MSW direction system. However, it did non intend that a most suited system had already formed, due to this ground, an analysis about dispose methods should still be taken.Waste Landfill SystemLandfill engineering is utilizing a landfill site for MSW disposal by compression and entombment. Through the decomposition of anaerobiotic bug, organic affairs will be converted into inorganic substances and will finally be absorbed by the dirt. Landfill engineering has been the most often used method in MSW dire ction, particularly in China. Landfill is the cheapest MSW disposal option, the costs of waste transit is being reduced because of the short distance from urban country to landfill site. It means that, local wastes can be disposed in situ alternatively of transported to another country. Another advantage of landfill is the comprehensive ability in MSW intervention. Compare with other waste disposal methods, landfill engineering can dispose many different types of wastes which have non been classified. Furthermore, vast of methane, which was discharged from the landfill site, can be collected by a gas assemblage system and used as a cleaner-burning fuel. However, as have mentioned above, most of the MSW in China was disposed by simple landfill, which have already caused many jobs. One of the most common influences is surface H2O pollution ; rivers may be polluted because of toxins seep. For illustration, the prostration of the Xiaping landfill in Shenzhen metropolis, China, finally caused a terrible pollution in Shenzhen River, which made 1/3 of the imbibing H2O supplies disrupted for over a hebdomad and it besides posed a serious menace to the natural environment. Furthermore, in instance of improper operation, methane may leak from the gas assemblage system, which may do air pollution, and doubtless, will lend to planetary heating. In add-on, landfill may besides influent the local dirt. Owing to a slow decomposition rate of the anaerobiotic bug, one time a site has been filled, the high concentration of contaminations in it will be at least 200 old ages. Therefore, a land which has of all time been used as a landfill site can non be redeveloped in a short period.Waste Incineration Systemâ€Å" Incineration is a waste intervention procedure that involves the burning of organic substances contained in waste stuffs ( The Wikipedia, 2010 ) † . Waste stuffs will be converted into ash, fluke gas, and heat thought the waste incineration system. MSW incineration engineering was foremost used at the terminal of 1980 ‘s and experienced a dramatic advancement in 1990 ‘s ( Xiaodong, 2002 ) . Compare with landfill engineering, waste incineration merely necessitate a lower limit of land and the sum of waste can be reduced to about 10 % of the initial value. Besides, ashes from the incinerator can be used as building stuffs and these stuffs could be much cheaper than traditional stuffs. Furthermore, the modern incineration system could bring forth electricity and collect heat energy while MSW is firing, which were considered as green energy. Although incineration systems can do many benefits, without uncertainties, there still much disadvantages of utilizing incinerator for MSW disposing and it could even present a much more serious menace to the environment. In order to forestall environmental jobs, particularly air pollution, the operation of incineration system must establish on high engineerings ; it means that, a high cost should be wage for MSW intervention. Furthermore, as the Torahs is updating, more advanced equipments possibly required in the hereafter and it may besides be vast of money. Undoubtedly, all of these costs will be shifted on to consumers. Furthermore, even though all incineration systems are utilizing the most advanced engineering, taints may still be discharged. These sorts of taints could be much more unsafe than that produced during landfill procedure, because some high carcinogenicity affairs like dioxin will be discharged to the atmospheric environment during burning. As a consequence, more a nd more people realize that incineration system is harmful for wellness. For illustration, although the authorities promises that it would non be any unsafe, people in Guangzhou City, China are still contending to avoid an incineration to be built in their metropolis.Waste Composting Systemâ€Å" Compost is composed of organic stuffs derived from works and carnal affair that has been decomposed mostly through aerophilic decomposition ( The Wikipedia, 2010 ) † . The development of MSW composting in China can be divided into three stages ( Yuan, 2000 ) : The primary phase was from 1950s-1960s. In this phase, people began to analyze the operation mechanism of composting. As a consequence, composting became a new engineering for MSW direction. The development phase was from 1970s-1980s. Composting experienced a comfortable period in this phase, for illustration, the China authorities chosen 11 types of composting engineerings as distributing engineerings ( Nei, 1992 ) . The distributing application phase was from 1990s boulder clay presents. The authorities found that composting was a most eco-friendly method in MSW direction, so big sums of money were put into the publicity of composting. Composting is a about harmless MSW disposing engineering. Compare with landfill and incineration, composting could be carried out in a simple manner, it is suited for little metropoliss, particularly some agricultural countries. Furthermore, wastes will go agricultural fertiliser after a composting procedure, which can organize a good material circulation system. However, limited by treating efficiency, composting site could merely be built in a smaller graduated table. Furthermore, merely some simple affair such as refuse or animate being and works remains can be disposed by composting. Due to this fact, a successful composting system is base on a well waste categorization system. On the other manus, because of the difference in microbic vegetations, each composting system has a particular operating environment. Temperature, aeration, composing of waste can all go factors which may impact composting.Choosing a suited method for MSWAs the sum of MSW in China is still lifting aggressively, the contemporary MSW direction system will no longer be utile to work out the job efficaciously. For this ground, to set up a new MSW disposing system is necessary. First of wholly, as consequences of many environmental jobs were caused by landfill, landfill system should be discontinued bit by bit. Although incineration system may do some serious environmen tal jobs, compared with landfill engineering, it can still be an effectual manner in MSW disposing. On the other manus, composting engineerings should be promoted smartly. However, the constitution of incineration and composting system is under the conditions of good waste categorization. In order to accomplish this end, on the one manus, the authorities should increased promotion and instruction attempts on waste categorization. On the other manus, public installations such as classificatory rubbish bins should be heightening significantly. Furthermore, In order to set up a long-run mechanism, the bonus-penalty mechanism and the market economic system mechanism should be introduced into MSW direction system. By this manner, MSW direction system will associate up with the market economic system, which will do the MSW direction system much more comprehensive.DecisionAs a fact that the volume of municipal solid waste in China is increasing aggressively, the presents waste direction sy stem may neglect to run into the processing demands. Landfill engineering, which is busying a dominant place in MSW dispose, should non be promoted any longer because of the monolithic land business and the high-risk in bring forthing environmental pollution jobs. On the other manus, Incineration and composting engineering, which are the freshly development and eco-friendly engineerings, should go major picks. However, merely trusting on the development of new engineerings are non plenty, the alteration of people ‘s attitudes towards waste intervention is the cardinal manner to work out the MSW direction job. To accomplish this intent, the constitution of a market direction mechanism, which can do the MSW direction control by the regulations of market economic system, become a major premiss. To reason, utilizing Incineration and composting engineering as the chief processing system and landfill as an aide is the most suited manner to work out the job of MSW.

It's Only Marijuana Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

It's Only Marijuana - Case Study Example According to the government, over 20 million Americans smoked Marijuana in 2012 alone, and there are approximately 11 million Americans smoking Marijuana habitually. This is happening despite the fact that the government has outlawed the use of Marijuana. Cannabis, popularly known as Marijuana is a drug that people use either for recreational or medicinal reasons. Since its discovery in 1920’s, people had been using it majorly for recreational purposes until 1970’s when they started using it as a medicinal drug. Various scientists have suggested that Marijuana can play a significant role in healing glaucoma, hypertension, or depression (Gerdes, 2002). Additionally, people living with Hiv/Aids can take Dronabinol, which has cannabis, and cannabis can treat anorexia that emanates when a patient of this kind undergoes chemotherapy. Clearly, there is little doubt that Marijuana is a useful substance that can treat some diseases. Across the world, people use Marijuana for recreational or medicinal reasons. However, some have gone ahead to use it for their own pleasure. This is the reason why all over the world, there is a talk on the legalization of Marijuana. The topic of Marijuana legalization is one of the ethical concerns that various stakeholders continue to discuss on various platforms across the globe. In this paper, I focus on ethics of Marijuana. The paper will dwell on the how people use this drug and whether it have advantages or otherwise. Through the concept of utilitarianism, the paper will explain the concept of ethics, and through ethical egoism, the paper will highlight some of the ethical issues surrounding the legalization of Marijuana (Fuller, 2010). The primary ethical dilemma about marijuana has always been its legalization. However, before we discuss the issue in lengthy, we need to understand the effects of Marijuana in order to make the figure out the short-term and

Assisted Suicide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assisted Suicide - Essay Example Kevin is in the hospital suffering from mouth cancer and has been told by many doctors that he will not survive for many days. He is suffering from extreme pain which is unbearable without medications. He urges his family members to help him get relieved of the pain. Moreover it is also learned that his cancer is untreatable and he would die soon or late even if the medications are continued. It is in this situation that the possibility of assisted suicide is taken into consideration by the family members and John. Now it is for them to decide as to if to carry out the process or not. John wants the process to go ahead so that he can die easily. In my belief this situation can only be handled by assisted suicide so that his pain can be relieved. In my belief assisted suicide should be made legal for those people who are mentally sound to make decisions. It is the last moments of life which put people in a terrible condition that they are forced to take decisions which would take thei r life. In these conditions it should be analyzed as to if these individuals have a normal state of mind or not. As time passes by it is seen that individual rights have been understood and in my belief it is the right of an individual to decide as to if he has to choose between death and life. It is entirely the decision of the person involved because he feels all the pain and agony. When a person cannot bear this pain he can opt for assisted suicide in my belief. Assisted suicide is the best option for these kinds of patients because they can help in other ways too. The hospital in which these patients are admitted may be on life support for many days before dying naturally. It is better to put them through this phase of life as it would make way for other patients in better conditions to get the quality care. Hence the resources would not be wasted if assisted suicide is opted for in these situations (Quaghebeur et al 2009). However on the other hand I also argue that the patient s who do not have a normal state of mind should not be allowed to undergo this process. The state of mind of the patients can be checked by seeing if the person responds to other things normally too. The critics of Euthanasia have other concerns as they believe that following this practice may divert the professionals from their original line of work. The doctors and physicians were supposedly the ones who saved the lives of people and provided them the hope of living their lives and providing them with the best possible forms of treatment. Their function is not to kill them out of mercy. So if a doctor or physician carries out such a practice then he is disobeying the rules set out for him in this field (Mengal et al 2002). I agree with Wolf’s view after she is considering her views on assisted suicide. She saw her own father’s death and realized the suffering of death. She is right in considering about her opinions on assisted suicide. However if the other point of v iew regarding assisted suicide is taken into consideration it can be concluded that Susan Wolf is wrong in her plea. In many cases it is seen that people after suffering from immense agony and pain do recover. This can be the case for many people and assisted suicide should be discouraged if this view is kept in mind. On the other hand considering the views about civil liberties one can conclude that assisted suicide should be made legal and everyone should be allowed to seek the option if they want to. Susan Wolf has the right to consider her views about assisted suicide as

Production Possibility Frontier Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Production Possibility Frontier - Essay Example As indicated on the chart above, points A, B, and C represent the points at which production of Good A and Good B is most efficient. Point X demonstrates the point at which resources are not being used efficiently in the production of both goods, and point Y demonstrates an output that is not attainable with the given inputs (Investopedia, 2000) Production Possibility Frontier assumes that all possibilities are fixed, however over time it may shift in or out depending on the economic situation. Economic growth pertaining to discovery of new resources, improvement of technology, and capital accumulation results to outward shift. On the other hand, inward shift may occur when there is a decrease in supplies and production possibility or deficient technology and resources. Inward shift indicates that the economy is shrinking. In that sense, any burden in the economy such as unemployment, destruction of capital goods, and disturbance in people's lives may lead to such shift. For example, the 1973 oil crisis shocked the Japanese economy which was heavily depended on oil, thereby shifting Japan's PPF inward (Post war). Post war has caused great deal of damage, human and physical capital wise, of which had decreased the production possibility. A PPF is normally drawn as concave to the origin because the extra output resulting from allocating more resources to one particular good

Clinical laboratory science Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Clinical laboratory science - Scholarship Essay Example King’s’ mission of preparing graduates intellectually, morally and spiritually for a satisfying future life particularly interests me. My interest in the field of Clinical Laboratory Science started way back in my childhood and is significantly inspired by the family background with parents in the medical field. As a small child I began admiring the work done by my parents of assisting patients and ensuring they lead a quality life. This made me to work hard in school so to attain grades that would enable get a college opportunity to further my studies in the area. The nationwide deficiency of professionals in the area of Clinical Laboratory Science has also contributed significantly as I feel by graduating in the field I will be able to positively impact by helping in the process of saving lives which will give me great satisfaction. I therefore want to be part of the solution and not the problem thus believes as a professional CLS will be better placed to serve and positively influence humanity. I strongly believe in the power of knowledge in transforming society and hence participate actively in extracurricular activities such as club clubs, academic forums and games in which I believe lies opportunity for information exchange. I also participate with the intention of growing holistically and maintaining personal health both physically, mentally and psychologically which I believe is very important to my life especially as a student. I will therefore utilize all available facilities on the campus to enrich my graduate experience and emerge as a responsible person in the

Internet Information Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Internet Information - Essay Example This individual can select any type of content, from news, stock information, documents, applications, music and movies, among others. That is why a good number of Internet users believe that the Web should remain free and open information space equally accessible to all both retrieving and publishing information. However, as the Internet evolves, it is now increasingly being regulated by authorities because it started to hurt industries and publishers in the dissemination of the digitized products that they sell. The music, film and software industries were the hardest hit, for instance. The term Internet piracy was coined to describe the unauthorized use – sale, trade, lease, distribution, uploading for transmission, transmission or public performance of a copyrighted material. (Lieberman & Esgate 2002, p. 306) Copyright violations led a huge multi-pronged anti-piracy effort with intellectual property interests successfully lobbying governments to change laws to enhance protection and to shut down troublesome sites. Napster, a popular web application that features free file-sharing of digitized media, was forced to cease operations by these efforts. Unbridled freedom in the internet is dangerous. I underscore this due to the significance of the web technology which allows rapid and inexpensive duplication of information. Intellectual property has never been vulnerable. In Europe alone, software piracy cost businesses a whooping $3 billion due to illegal duplication and distribution. Untold number of businesses, employees, publishers, artists and writers are suffering economic losses because of this piracy. However, I have reservation whether controlling or regulating the information in the internet is the solution to the problem. This is of course besides the traditional intellectual property statutes across countries which might cover specific scenarios. I believe the answer lies

Wine Festival Event Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Wine Festival Event - Essay Example Media coverage would be very important to making this event work, as appropriate advertising must be done to ensure that the wine loving public is aware of this event. Wine lovers will be the main attendees of this event, as it will give them an opportunity to sample many different wines from around the region. In addition, wines that are new to the marketplace will be encouraged to participate in order to raise public interest on their specific product. This is an excellent opportunity for restaurant and bar owners to advertise themselves to the demographic that they need to reach. For sponsorship, we can look to bars and restaurants that sell wines and brandys because this could be used as an advertising expenditure for them. The Australian government is another possible sponsor, as this event will be used to help local businesses grow. The goal of this event is to familiarize the public with the various types of wines that are available in the region, with a special emphasis being placed on local wines. This is done in order to promote local businesses and products, which will hopefully benefit the local economy. Once the event grows in popularity, it could also become a popular tourist destination for wine lovers who wish to experience a multitude of wines in a short people of time. Other goals would be to increase Australian wines sales by 20% and to allow for new Australian wines to have an opportunity to reach the public. This event, which would take place at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, would have a very unique format, due to the amount of wines that would be present. The main concept is to create a venue for winemakers, restaurants, and bars to get their products into the public eye in a relaxed and hospitable environment. Winemakers, bars, and restaurants would bring their products to the event and allow for those attending to sample them for a low price. Each of these participants would bring some featured

Historical Example of Labor Supply and Demand Essay Example for Free

Historical Example of Labor Supply and Demand Essay The Luddite Revolt was a part of history that was relatively unknown to me. As such I decided to read it in great length. What I discovered was that at the dawn of the industrial revolution there became massive unemployment. This is because traditional craftsman were obsolete to some of the new manufacturing processes of the day. The industrial revolution made handmade crafts a thing of the past. The luddites were not adapted to handle the situation. These craftsmen felt so threatened by the new technology that they resorted to breaking the means of production associated with it. In 1816 there was a violent revolt of a Luddites which resulted in the breakage of 53 frames at Heathcote and Boden mills in Loughsboro UK. The cost of this revolt was significant. With automated machines now able to produce goods at a faster and cheaper rate than individual merchants these people found themselves without economic viability. They were reduced to being unskilled factory workers instead of the skilled craftsmen they had been before. Consequentially their wages suffered. Work that would have gained someone financial stability or independence was now paid at a substantially less price. In addition these folks didn’t have the ability to sell their own goods any longer. As they were now working in someone else’s factory they had little or no control over what was the asking price of the end product. The frustration these people felt led to the Luddite Revolts.

Analysis of Japans Economic Structure

Analysis of Japans Economic Structure The Japanese economic structure has always been perceived to be both stable and reliable. Despite periods of difficulty, the rules and regulation surrounding the Japanese banking industry have always attempted to deal with any potential problems and to manage them both on an international and national level. However, there is an argument that the stringent nature of the regulation in itself has caused some problems for the sector, with many banks finding themselves in distressed positions having followed the approaches advocated by the central Ministry of Finance. Prior to the difficulties faced in the 1980s, which will be discussed in greater detail later, the Japanese banks largely followed the guidance of the Ministry and felt safe in the knowledge that there was a safety net in place should they fall into financial difficulties. Japanese banking, as a whole, was not particularly profitable and instead operated a cautious, yet extremely stable service. Despite this approach, the Japanese banking sector hit a substantial crisis in the 1980s, shocking not only those within the Japanese banking system, but also those involved in banking arond the globe. By studying the events that caused this period of difficulty and looking more specifically at the activities of one banking group, in particular, it is hoped that lessons can be drawn from the scenario that will prevent similar events happening again. Background to Japanese Banking The bursting of the bubble in the 1980s did not just come from nowhere; in fact, when the banking system within Japan is studied, for many decades before the bubble burst, it is clear to see that the foundations for this difficult time had been laid some considerable time in advance of the events themselves. Post war Japan took a very segmented and internal approach to banking. Very few transactions were conducted internationally, with almost all financing products being offered to Japanese corporations. This worked in the main due to the mentality of the Japanese people; they were keen savers, therefore, the banks in Japan had a steady flow of funds available to offer financing to Japanese corporations. As a general rule, city banks offered financing to larger corporations, whereas regional banks offered financing to smaller and more local businesses. In fact, international trading was so low down on the agenda that the government used the Bank of Tokyo in the 1950s and 1960s to deal with the foreign exchange needs of the country and to act as the main foreign representative. Banks within Japan worked together, with the long term credit banks offering completely different services to the commercial banks. The banks were very customer orientated, offering financing at incredibly cheap rates to stimulate the economy, often at the expense of the banks’ profitability. All elements of the banking sector were managed closely by the Ministry of Finance which was largely responsible for all rate setting and banking relationships. Mergers between banks rarely happened and when they did they were often unsuccessful due to the segregated nature of the different banks, thus making it difficult for companies to merge successfully in terms of culture, administration and ethos. Stability and low costs were the cornerstones of the Japanese banking sector and in this context Japan slowly became recognised on the international capital market radar due to the low cost of borrowing and the large amount of funds available. For example, when RJR Nabisco was taken over with a financing package of $25 billion, Japanese banks were central to providing the necessary funds. Increasing global involvement led to six out of the ten top banks in the world based on asset size being Japanese, in the early 1990s. Bursting of the Bubble Despite what seemed to be an extremely solid and stable banking system, the Japanese banking system suffered a terrible shock in the 1980s and 1990s, which resulted in a widespread financial crisis[1]. Prior to the 1980s, the banking system in Japan was relatively insular with little international exposure. As the Japanese banks began to deal more and more with other countries, they became increasingly attracted to different financial innovations and instruments, many of which were higher risk than previously undertaken. Not only did the influx of international finance encourage new innovations, but it also led to the Ministry of Finance having to loosen its grip on the regulation of the Japanese banking sector. Deregulation became necessary so that foreign banks were able to enter the Japanese market. There was a large amount of pressure placed on the Japanese government to ensure that deregulation took place, as it had a substantial trade surplus with other countries (i.e. it was exporting more goods than it was importing, meaning that it relied on good relations with these countries to maintain its trade position). The European banking system was also undergoing radical change and, as such, there was a growing need for other countries such as Japan to offer EU institutions equal treatment. The combination of these factors led to the Ministry of Finance finally accepting that both domestic and international banks had to undergo a period of deregulation[2]. A combination of a loose financial policy and deregulation led to the increase in the supply of money and the decrease in the interest rate. Cheap lending rates and greater availability of credit led to many individuals and institutions taking speculative positions and making much riskier investment than had previously been undertaken. Japan also found that property became a major issue, during the economic downturn. As Japan is a particularly mountainous country, land is at a premium and has always maintained a reasonably high value. For this reason, land was often used as collateral on debts and as a seemingly solid investment. Land and equity prices continued to escalate; however, in 1989, the Japanese government decided to try and control these spiralling prices by raising interest rates[3]. These increases in the interest rates led to a massive financial crisis with huge falls in the stock market and many of the previously entered into debts turning bad. Many banks began to flounder and a series of governmental bail-outs and mergers took place as the country struggled to regain control over the economy. Credit became difficult to obtain which, in turn, brought capital investment to an abrupt halt, further slowing down the economic performance of the country[4]. Zaitech Financing One of the main innovations in terms of investing opportunities that entered the Japanese banking arena, during the 1980s period of deregulation, was that of the Zaitech. Quite simply a Zaitech is a form of financial engineering which allows the banking institution to invest its surplus funds for a return. At the safest end of the scale, the Zaitech involves taking any corporate excesses and investing them in bank deposits. At the other end of the scale, a Zaitech could involve borrowing in the Eurobond market and using the finance to conduct speculative investments in bonds or property. It is this latter approach that many of the Japanese banks took during the period immediately after deregulation. The combination of low interest rates and high values of land encouraged the banks to borrow at the low interest rate and invest in property, bringing in a healthy return. Furthermore, many Japanese companies recognised that they could easily raise funds by issuing convertible bonds to the public. Between the years of 1984 and 1989, it was estimated that Japanese corporations issued a total of $720 million in securities, of which it was thought that around 80% were equities[5]. Japan also had the principle that corporations were not required to state how they invested liquid assets. This made it difficult for analysts to make sensible judgments in relation to the risks that a certain company was undertaking in the form of financial investments. This led to greater speculations and difficulties and caused the stock market values to plummet further still when interest rates were increased and the value of property began to slide. Background to the Sakura and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Case All of the turmoil above led to the eventual merger of Sakura with Sumitomo, in April 2002. Sakura bank really suffered, during the early 1990s, largely due to increasing costs, rising interests rates and falling profit margins. Its risk asset ratios, as required by the international body BASEL, were also substantially lower than is considered desirable and it continued to find it difficult to meet the capital adequacy rules. As much of the difficulty was perceived to be down to higher costs, Sakura set about reducing its costs by integrating staff function and information system technology, where possible. Although this had a positive impact on the company, ultimately the main problem came from the increasing number of bad debts that the company had in its portfolio. The Ministry of Finance had traditionally been unwilling to allow banks to write off bad debt as this would not have given a positive view of the banking sector. Companies such as Sakura were not concerned about this as they simply followed the guidance of the Ministry of Finance, safe in the knowledge that it was protected by the government. However, as the financial climate worsened, there was growing concern that these bad debts would have to be written off. This took time, and during the early 1990s, the bad debt simply mounted as institutions (Sakura included) were reluctant to admit to the failings within their debt profile[6]. Sakura’s segment in the banking sector was very much focussed on the retail banking end of things, with high numbers of mortgages being given to domestic lenders. As property prices fell and interest rates rose, this factor also led to a substantial increase in the amount of loans that were defaulted on and yet more bad debt was accumulated[7]. Worse still, Sakura was competing largely against the Japanese Post Office with its retail banking offerings; the Post Office had the advantage of being hugely subsidised, of having certain tax relief advantages and not having to seek approval to make changes such as opening branches. These advantages have made it particularly difficult for Sakura to offer customers competitive options. Recognising the difficulties facing the banks, the Japanese government offered a substantial bail-out to several banks, Sakura included, which helped to raise the amount of capital available to these banks which, although it was successful, did little to assist the economy, as a whole, as banks were still reluctant to lend any funds to consumers, causing yet further economical difficulties[8]. The Merger Despite the difficult times, Sakura did have some positive movements during the 1990s. One of its most successful ventures was the 50% involvement in the consortium Japan Net Bank which successfully opened an internet and ATM based banking offering. Sakura realised that it needed to form a strategic alliance with another bank, if it was to be able to compete with the other mega-bank structures that were being developed across Japan. It also needed to ensure that it had sufficient capital strength within the market. Discussions were entered into with several large banks and in April 2001 (a whole year ahead of schedule), an agreement was reached between Sakura and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group[9]. This merger was interesting for several reasons. Firstly, the two companies did largely different things; Sakura was a commercial bank and Sumitomo was a money centre bank. Although Sumitomo was highly regarded amongst its peers, all money centre banks were generally underperforming. Prior to the merger, Sumitomo had established itself (through a joint venture with Daiwa Securities) as a bank that would substantially increase its offerings in relation to investment banking. In contrast to this, Sakura had particular power in relation to retail banking, particularly with the new area of internet banking that it had recently entered into. Unlike other mergers, the one between Sakura and Sumitomo was done through traditional avenues with Sumitomo effectively taking over Sakura and renaming as Sumitomo Mitsui. In doing so, the merged company was then managed by a unified board of 30 directors. Operations were largely merged, which resulted in a large amount of cost saving and economies of scale were enjoyed across the whole company. In completing the merger, the newly formed Sumitomo Mitsui became the third largest bank in the world. The merger was not all plain sailing and many staff left the company, some voluntarily and some through redundancy. There were also cultural clashes as two rival firms merged and had to accept external interference in their work, which had traditionally been kept very segmented[10]. Over time, the merger has allowed the bank to become much more stable and to meet the Basel requirements, partly through diversification and partly through cost saving. Current Financial Crisis The situation facing Japanese banks in the 1990s is not entirely different from that currently facing the US, the UK and much of the rest of the world. The similarities are stark; the US, in particular, has been mounting up bad debts, backed on overpriced property in exactly the same way as Japan did in the 1980s and early 1990s. Despite the seemingly similar issues that have led to the crisis in the US, as happened in Japan, there have been some differences which may allow the countries affected by the widespread credit crunch to avoid such a prolonged period of recession as the one that was experienced in Japan[11]. There are several reasons for this belief. Firstly, the US government reacted much more quickly and decisively when the emerging problems were first identified. In Japan, the Ministry of Finance attempted to maintain an approach of perceived stability for some time after a crisis became evident, allowing banks to store up bad debt for a considerable period of time. Also, other countries (and in particular the US) have much higher consumer spending, traditionally. One of the main reasons that the Japanese economy took so long to recover was due to the reluctance of individuals to spend any money that they had; this is not likely to be such a large factor in the current crisis. However; the health of the Japanese economy prior to its crisis should not be ignored. When Japan entered the period of decline in the 1980s, it was in a much more robust economic position than those countries being affected by the current credit crunch. It had a trade surplus, no borrowing and cash reserves. The US, on the other hand, had debts of around 190% of the gross domestic product when it entered the credit crunch period. Japanese individuals were also keen savers and could, therefore, reduce their saving ratio to mitigate the impact of the recession. This approach is not as readily available in the US and UK. Conclusions There are stark lessons to be learned from the situation that Japan faced in the 1980s and 1990s. Whilst, on the face of it, the parallels drawn between the current financial crisis and that faced by Japan are worryingly similar, it should be noted that a large part of Japan’s problem came from a reluctance to accept that there ever was a problem. With quick reactions from the government and strategic mergers, such as the one discussed above, the lessons learned from the Japanese crisis can truly be put to good use. Bibliography Allen, Roy E., Financial Crises and Recession in the Global Economy, Edward Elgar, 2000. Amyx, Jennifer Ann, Japans Financial Crisis: Institutional Rigidity and Reluctant Change, Princeton University Press, 2004. Ardrey, William J. IV, Pecotich, Anthony J., Ungar, Esta, Structure, commitment and strategic action for Asian transitional nations’ financial systems in crisis, International Journal of Bank Marketing, 19, 1, 2001. Arestis, Philip, Baddeley, Michelle, Mccombie, John, What Global Economic Crisis? Palgrave, 2001. Brewer, Iii Elijah, Genay, Hesna, Kaufman, George G., Banking Relationships during Financial Distress: The Evidence from Japan, Economic Perspectives, 27, 2003. Browne, Lynn Elaine, Does Japan Offer Any Lessons for the United States, New England Economic Review, 2001. Fiedler, Robert, Brown, Karl, Moloney, James, Liquidity risk: what lessons can be learnt from the crisis in Japan’s banking system? Balance Sheet, 10, 1, 2002. Friedland, John H., The Law and Structure of the International Financial System: Regulation in the United States, EEC, and Japan, Quorum Books, 1994. Hall, Maximilian J.B., Supervisory reform in Japan, Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, 7, 3, 1999. Hall, Maximilian J.B., The sub-prime crisis, the credit squeeze and Northern Rock: the lessons to be learned, Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, 16. 1, 2008 Herbig, Paul A., Palumbo, Fred, A Brief Examination of the Japanese Innovative Process, Marketing Intelligence Planning, 12, 1, 1994. Hickson, Charles R., Turner, John D., Banking instability in South East Asia: causes and cures, European Business Review, 99, 3, 1999. Howe, Christopher, China and Japan: History, Trends, and Prospects, Oxford University Press, 1996. Ichimura, Shinichi, Economic Growth, Savings and Housing Finance in Japan, Journal of Economic Studies, 8, 3, 1981. Kang, Myung-Koo, Japans Financial Crisis: Institutional Rigidity and Reluctant Change, Pacific Affairs, 79, 2006. Kashyap, Anil K., Sorting out Japans Financial Crisis, Economic Perspectives, 26, 2002. Katada, Saori N., Banking on Stability: Japan and the Cross-Pacific Dynamics of International Financial Crisis Management, University of Michigan Press, 2001. Kelly, Dominic, Japan and the Reconstruction of East Asia Book, Palgrave, 2002. Khoury, Sarkis J., The Deregulation of the World Financial Markets: Myths, Realities, and Impact, Quorum Books, 1990. Lindgren, Carl-Johan, Financial Sector Crisis and Restructuring: Lessons from Asia, International Monetary Fund, 1999. Liou, Kuotsai Tom, Managing Economic Development in Asia: From Economic Miracle to Financial Crisis, Praeger, 2002. Llewellyn, David T., Lessons from recent banking crises, Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, 6, 3, 1998. Mera, KÃ…Â ichi, Renaud, Bertrand, Asias Financial Crisis and the Role of Real Estate,  M.E. Sharpe, 2000. Mikitani, RyÃ…Â ichi, Posen, Adam Simon, Japans Financial Crisis and Its Parallels to U.S. Experience, Peterson Institute, 2000. Miller, Marcus, Luangaram, Pongsak, Financial Crisis in East Asia: Bank Runs, Asset Bubbles and Antidotes, National Institute Economic Review, 1998. Nakajima, Chizu, Japan: Recent Failures in the Japanese Banking Sector, Journal of Financial Crime, 3, 1995. Picard, Robert R., Groth, John C., Japan’s journey to the future, Management Decision, 39, 4, 2001. Rugina, Anghel N., A country and/or international organisation faced with a big disequilibrium: The case of the crisis in Southeast Asian area during 1997-1999, International Journal of Social Economics, 28, 1/2, 2001. Schroeck, Gerhard., Risk Management and Value Creation in Financial Institutions  By Gerhard, John Wiley and Sons, 2002. Sawabe, Norio, Accounting for the public interest: a Japanese perspective, Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal, 18, 5, 2005. Sharma, Shalendra D., The Asian Financial Crisis: Crisis, Reform, and Recovery, Manchester University Press, 2003. The International Financial Crisis, Challenge, 42, 1999. Valentine, Tom., Ford, Guy., Readings in Financial Institution Management: Modern Techniques for a Global Industry, Allen Unwin, 1999. Wolfson, Martin H., Financial Crises: Understanding the Postwar U.S. Experience, M.E. Sharpe, 1994. Wolgast, Michael, MAs in the financial industry: A matter of concern for bank supervisors? Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, 9, 3, 2001. Yamazaki, Shozo, A Japanese Way for 2000 Beyond the Bubble Crash, Pacific Accounting Review, 11, 1/2, 1999. Footnotes [1] Khoury, Sarkis J., The Deregulation of the World Financial Markets: Myths, Realities, and Impact, Quorum Books, 1990. [2] Allen, Roy E., Financial Crises and Recession in the Global Economy, Edward Elgar, 2000. [3] Miller, Marcus, Luangaram, Pongsak, Financial Crisis in East Asia: Bank Runs, Asset Bubbles and Antidotes, National Institute Economic Review, 1998. [4] Nakajima, Chizu, Japan: Recent Failures in the Japanese Banking Sector, Journal of Financial Crime, 3, 1995. [5] Amyx, Jennifer Ann, Japans Financial Crisis: Institutional Rigidity and Reluctant Change, Princeton University Press, 2004. [6] Hall, Maximilian J.B., Supervisory reform in Japan, Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, 7, 3, 1999. [7] Mera, KÃ…Â ichi, Renaud, Bertrand, Asias Financial Crisis and the Role of Real Estate,  M.E. Sharpe, 2000. [8] Valentine, Tom., Ford, Guy., Readings in Financial Institution Management: Modern Techniques for a Global Industry, Allen Unwin, 1999. [9] Ardrey, William J. IV, Pecotich, Anthony J., Ungar, Esta, Structure, commitment and strategic action for Asian transitional nations’ financial systems in crisis, International Journal of Bank Marketing, 19, 1, 2001. [10] Kang, Myung-Koo, Japans Financial Crisis: Institutional Rigidity and Reluctant Change, Pacific Affairs, 79, 2006. [11] Mikitani, RyÃ…Â ichi, Posen, Adam Simon, Japans Financial Crisis and Its Parallels to U.S. Experience, Peterson Institute, 2000.

Consumer Behaviour On Decline Of Sales Marketing Essay

Consumer Behaviour On Decline Of Sales Marketing Essay Introduction This report is prepared to analyse how consumer behaviour changes has led to the decline in sales volume of Xclusive perfume brands across the UK market. For the last two years sales has declined consistently across the target market of upper class consumers in UK. Xclusive is an premium perfume brand from Premium Products Ltd, a company based out of UK. Company launched this premium brand for men and women in UK market in 2006. By 2007, they had a 1.2% market share, reporting a total sales turnover of 7.96 million GBP (Esprit Magazine, 2007) In 2008 and 2009, the sales declined by 5% and 6.2% respectively. Preliminary reports show a decline in popularity of this brand and lesser movement in stores among the upper class customers. This report is intended to analyse the reasons which led to the sales decline over the last two years. Report will test the hypothesis that consumer behaviour variations led to the decline in sales. Other key objective of this report is to come up with suggestions to reverse this declining sales trend and influence a positive change in consumer behaviour to increase the sales. Current Product and Marketing Strategy Xclusive brand of premium perfume for men and women was launched by Premium Product Ltd in 2006. There were four lines within this Xclusive brand herbal, musky, woody and spicy. Musky was the popular most brands followed by Herbal. They were packaged in exclusive golden bottles, which gave exquisiteness to the whole product package. Health consciousness was on the rise among the UK consumers in 2006. That made the company launch this exclusive herbal perfume to the upper class consumers. This was launched as part of their market differentiation strategy compared to other premium brands. Main target was upper class men and women in UK with social grade A and B. (Businessballs, 2008). This market size constituted 25% of the total UK population. Premium Products Ltd used a premium pricing for all products including this Xclusive product line, with herbal being the most expensive as it was made from healthy ingredients. The company adopted a selective distribution strategy targeting only luxury zones and concentrated on boutiques and big malls like Wesfield and Metrocenter. Distribution strategy was centred around premium malls and online shops like Perfume shop. (Suite101, 2007) Company did the promotion mainly through celebrity ads in mass media like TV and upper class magazines like Glamour and Cosmopolitan. Promotion was around healthy sports men and women using this exclusive perfume. (National Readership Survey, 2007) Problem Analysis Problem: In the last two years there has been a drastic decrease in the sales of fragrance products (perfumes). Study was conducted on market and consumer buying process to understand the reasons behind this decline in sales. In the market study, objective was to test whether external market conditions were favourable to perfume business. Market study was done using the PEST method. While doing sales analysis, it was found that decline in sales actually came from women segment. Hence market and consumer behaviour study was mostly attributed to the social class A and B women segments. Buyer responses Choices of product brand dealer timing price Buy more, less, stay loyal etc buyers black box Needs wants, stimuli Product, price, place, promotion etc Environmental (PEST) factors Buying Process Analysis We looked at the typical buying process of premium perfumes by women in UK. Looking at the major players involved in a typical purchase decision. Initiator Influencer Decider Buyer User Usually, women themselves are the initiators to buy perfumes for following reasons: Long lasting scent Makes feel attractive One that others comment on Makes feel sexy Changes or enhances mood Initiators can be men also who buy gifts for women. It basically depends on the age group of women. But generally speaking, the influencers can be: Peer group Celebrities Referred by magazine (foil pouch samples preferred) Advertisements in media Women themselves and men also. Both men (as gifts) and women. Women, her friends, relatives etc. Since women play the major role of initiator and decider in this buying process, we need to understand internal and external factors which can impact the consumer behaviour of women belonging to social class A and B. Consumer behaviour characteristics Consumer behaviour refers to the selection, purchase and consumption of goods and services for the satisfaction of their wants. (Ezinearticles, 2007) There are multiple factors which can influence the consumers behaviour over a period of time, which includes both internal and external. Broadly the internal factors could be personal traits like age, income, occupation, personality, lifestyle etc and psychological factors like motivation, perception, learning, beliefs and attitudes. External factors can be social ones like reference groups, social status and influence of family. It could be cultural factors too like culture and sub-culture and social class. This is very much relevant to the premium perfume product segment too. External Factors affecting consumer behaviour Among the external factors, the key ones which directly impact consumer behaviour are demographics and social class. Next comes the influence of reference groups like celebrities, friends and family. But since the target segment is mainly upper class and upper middle, culture/sub-culture seems to be the least important variable. Demographics It is more an internal factor, which is of course shaped by external influence. Teenagers: They are more interested in citrus scents. Usually they prefer a fragrance that makes them attractive to others. They dont have any affinity towards a brand, but they like to try out different fragrances and brands. Adults: They are most likely to buy fragrances for most likely to wear a perfume to feel sexy. Older women are more likely to switch fragrances within their collection once a week or more. As they are more health conscious, they are more likely to consider Home Fragrances, Eau de Perfume, and Essential Oils as part of the Fragrance category. They are much more branding savvy. They prefer fruity and flowery fragrances and follow celebrities to a large extent. (Fragrancefoundation, 2007) In the UK, every woman between the ages 25 and 34, on an average carry  £ 71 worth of cosmetics in their handbag. (China cosmetic packing, 2010) Three out of five women were more likely to buy a fragrance samples in a magazine (foil pouch samples preferred). Now women prefer having a wardrobe or collection of fragrances too. (Fragrancefoundation, 2007) They still follow celebrity endorsements while choosing the fragrance. This is evident from the popularity of M brand introduced under the brand of Mariah Carey (Entrepreneur, 2007)). Consumers have revisited classic fragrances as the shift in buying behaviour moves towards quality, authenticity or value. (Academic Mintell, 2007) Social Class Similarly, differences in social class can create customer groups. In fact, the official six social classes in the UK are widely used to profile and predict different customer behaviour. In the UKs socioeconomic classification scheme, social class is not just determined by income. It is measured as a combination of occupation, income, education, wealth and other variables. (Tutor2U, 2007) Relevant social class segments for our premium perfume segment: Upper upper   old, established, socially prominent families Lower upper   new rich   Upper middle   professional people   Lower middle   white collar, salaried workers (Emailcommerce, 2007) Now the characteristics of each of these social classes vary as they are bound by different cultural and sub cultural elements. In the current marketing strategy the product was positioned just for upper class women and we didnt have a differentiated positioning for each sub cultural or social class groups within this broad definition of upper class women. Needs and buying process of upper middle class woman is completely different to a upper upper class woman. For example upper and lower middle can get influenced by friends and co-workers more and women tend to be mostly decision makers and purchasers. However in the upper upper and Lower upper, influence of family may be higher. Reference groups like social clubs, charity organisations, and social get together could be more relevant to influence the upper class women. Hence a segmented marketing approach is needed. However the 2009 downturn has frequency the purchase of perfumes among women. Women on average buy 4 fragrances a year. (Fragrencefoundation), due to the downturn there this has decreased to 2-3 fragrance a year. Still women spend enough on cosmetics. Among the higher social classes, penetration of social media has increased. Online purchases using cards has become common. Internet as an outlet has increased its penetration by 4% in the UK market. (Fragrancefoundation, 2007) Reference Groups Reference groups could also potentially influence the buying of premium perfume product. Reference groups can be aspirational or associative. Celebrities and socially respected ladies form aspirational reference groups for high class UK women. Associative reference groups could be members of a social club or co-workers or even members of church and some organisation. Friend circle is another major influential reference group as they could be sharing same interests and preferences. Family could be another reference group, this is however dealt separately. (Consumerpsychologist, 2007) In the target segment of Xclusive premium perfume product, reference groups are quite relevant. For example, Celebrity brands  are driving market growth among younger fragrance users. Over 30 new celebrity fragrances were launched in 2007. One in five 16-24 year olds claim to own at least one, compared with one in twenty over-45s. Celebrity fragrances provide the entry point for young people into the whole luxury sector.  (Fragrancefoundation, 2007) (As internet is becoming a key social media, reference groups like forums and fragrance review sites is also becoming key influencers in the decision making process. Sites like http://www.bestperfumeforwomen.co.uk/ provide reviews and give a ranking on best perfumes. You can no longer launch hundreds of fragrances, as the customer is more selective and wants something unique. Its not only the downturn that has forced this change in consumer behaviour. Thanks in large part to the internet, shoppers are much more knowledgeable about fragrances-more than many brands think. A look at some of the fragrance blogs or websites, such as Sniffapalooza (once derided, but now courted by fragrance brands) shows that consumers are having educated discussion and debate about fragrance, comparing different products and asking why they are all alike. Fragrance expert Michael Edwards calls this consumer the connoisseur, and compares such behavior to the foodie trend that emerged several years ago. Influence of Family In our target segment of upper and higher middle class women in UK, influence of family members is vital in making purchase decisions. Individual members of families often serve different roles in decision making process. Some individuals are  information gatherers/holders, who seek out information about products of relevance. These individuals often have a great deal of power because they may selectively pass on information that favours their chosen alternatives.  Typically husbands play the role of influencers; they let their wives know their wishes and suggestions. Husbands usually travel and get to know from social gatherings and even from online or internet means. In the case of premium perfume, the role of each individual in the family is critical be it that of gatherers who may be typically younger lot or social buffs, or that of influencers like husbands or decision makers or even purchasers. This makes marketing more tough as the messages need to reach a wider cross sec tion of UK society. Point of sales marketing can help to convince purchasers, but broad marketing conveying the features of Xclusive premium perfume should reach others like older ladies, socially respected relatives, and husbands. (Consumerpsychologist, 2007) Three out of four women say that when they find a fragrance they really like, they tell their friends about it. Every 2 in three women give perfumes as gift to partners, friends and family. Impact of culture/sub-culture elements Each culture contains sub-cultures groups of people with share values. Sub-cultures can include nationalities, religions, racial groups, or groups of people sharing the same geographical location. Sometimes a sub-culture will create a substantial and distinctive market segment of its own. OgAAAPeyJpurr1ryoFWlKXRdQZJVSyMAct7AfdHZmI-zSL4J5aoWNgxDAjv20AMfd_XlBjE5RI8O3Ge8wNG63V0VYoUA15jOjGI8ihdsXtJS1SOoJjWTF231BFIw (Source: From the Module presentation) For example, the youth culture or club culture has quite distinct values and buying characteristics from the much older gray generation. Similarly sub-cultural groups like immigrants from other countries and resident nationals belonging to other regions will show different characteristics to the UK culture. For example in the case of Asians, family relationships are much stronger and gifting is usually informal and ritual. However in UK, relationships are more loose, but gifting is done formally. Packaging is more relevant to the UK upper class when compared to other nationals. European communities give lot of importance to quality and elegance. Just like nationality as the above diagram shows, there are many more factors which shape up the cultural trait of an individual. Suggestions to influence consumer behaviour Fine grained social class segmentation: Have more targeted segments by age, by social class and by age. This is important as messages may have to be different and different fragrance products needs to be marketed to different social class and age groups Celebrity references: Continue to use references from celebrities, but widen your celebrity base to influence different segments. Musicians, film stars, entrepreneurs, sports personality and so on. For example younger lot get influenced with entrepreneurs as they look for confidence image to get associated with the perfumes they use. Older may prefer music stars and film personalities. Educational Promotions across wide cross section: Sales staff needs to be trained to improve their selling support and skills in order to advise customers correctly. Fragrances sold in self-selection should carry information on the outer box to provide consumer with the key ingredients of the product. Leaflets in boxes could also contain information for the consumer on the fragrance, on how to wear and tips on fragrance layering, and its ingredients which is a standard for many prestige skincare brands. In addition samples can be used to explain fragrance notes. Furthermore online sampling has been successfully carried out by luxury brands. Promotional messages should be targeted at initiators, influencers and decision makers. POS marketing is critical for purchases like free samples. Increasing the reach:Target to increase the number of outlets to reach a wider segmented base of upper and higher middle class women. Use internet as a channel to target convenience shoppers. Online purchase and spending is increasing in the upper class UK consumer segments. More over place reviews and customer testimonials especially of reference groups in social marketing sites to influence the prospective buyers. Differentiated products and channels for multiple segments: Thus there is a need to address the Teenage customers and Adult customers with different products according to their preferences. There are basically different types of shoppers which are Convenience Shoppers Value Shoppers Image Shoppers Experience Shoppers Luxury perfumes for women come under Image Shoppers and Experience Shoppers were, Teenagers belong to Image Shoppers and Adults belong to Experience shoppers. Understanding customers, their preferences, their needs led to the conclusion that our firm should go for two product lines, one addressing the teenagers and the other addressing the adults. The perfumes should have a variety of flavors i.e., a variety of citrus flavors for teenagers and flowers and fruity flavors for adults. Also advertising and promotional activities should be based on this segmentation. Recommended Positioning Strategy for Xclusive Premium Perfume Brand Introduction This report is prepared to suggest a positioning strategy for Xclusive brand of premium perfume for defined market segments. The objective of this new positioning strategy will be to have a positive influence on various factors which impact consumer behaviour and purchase decision of this premium product. However this report is limited to the positioning of the products for one of the target segments, which is upper class and higher middle class women. We assume that positioning strategy for the segment of men is working fine as sales has shown positive upward trend so far. Key Gaps with the Current Positioning Strategy Broad and inappropriate target segmentation: As per the current marketing strategy the target segment was defined as upper class men and women. Positioning message or current tagline Exclusive fragrance for just you was used to attract upper class men and women to feel that they own it and join a elite group of premium perfume owners. The target segment of upper class women was broader as consumer behaviour characteristics tend to differ with in the target segment of upper class women by age and social class. Hence the marketing messages failed to impress all the prospective buyers among the target segment of upper class women. Earlier, the segmentation was based on just income and status as quite evident from the positioning message. But it failed to impress all the cross sections of the prospective buyers. Lack of differentiated products and positioning: Tagline and positioning creates a perception map in the minds of consumers. Exclusive fragrance just for you suggests following characteristics it is expensive, it is exclusively for upper class only, it is unique from other products. However in real sense product was not differentiated from the competitor products. Hence there was a different between customer perception and experience which led to customer dissatisfaction and decline in repeat purchase. Teenagers Vs Adults with in the upper class target women Pure herbal Adults how to gain their credibility retain customer the core segment to be targeted.. Quality Personal body chemistry Brand image Teenagers Low price(relatively) Stress more on ambience Increase of celebrities Increase of social media usage especially in teenage networking sites Personal body chemistry Brand image As you can see above, teenagers are showing more affinity towards synthetic fragrance while adults are interested in herbal products. This itself calls for a rift in preferences and perception about the same fragrance product. Marketer need to address this with a differentiated product strategy. This kind of differences in perception mapping of the same product by two sections of the target segment was not considered while deciding the product and positioning strategy. Lack of proper celebrity references: Celebrities used for promoting Xclusive brand were mostly contemporary stars from the field of sports and films. But this is again not in line with the tagline, the company had. Ideally the company should have tried to bring in an image of a classic brand and they could have chosen somebody from old classic films like Lawrence of Arabia or actresses like Julie Andrews (Classic Movies, 2008) UK Consumers, especially the women in the age group of 30 to 60 were revisiting the classic brands and this could have been a better strategy. Couldnt reach all influencers: In the case of upper class women, a typical purchase process is influenced by friends, family members like husband, social clubs, social marketing forums and then ofcourse the aspirational groups like successful businesswomen or celebrities. Xclusive as a brand didnt have any such associations with these influencers. They were mostly targeting the decision makers and purchases with ads being targeted in magazines like Glamour. Redefine the target segments among the Women Xlusive brand has suffered a decline in sales over the last two years among the women target segment. From the market analysis and consumer behaviour study we can find that current marketing strategy was not good enough to attract all prospective consumers among the target segment of upper class women. Initial market strategy was just built around the income class, but it was not taking into account the consumer behaviour changes as per different factors like social class, age, cultural difference and so on. Shift in target segmentation from Upper class women to multiple target segments of segment 1: upper upper class and upper middle class (employed) woman segment 2: teenage women in upper middle class and upper class (with a high disposable income) Differentiated Products and Positioning Me too products or generic product line with one positioning message will not work in this changed environment. UK consumers are more going towards value shopping and they are likely to make more informed decisions rather than going by quick stimuli. Segment Product Positioning Upper class and upper middle class women Xclusive Classic range of fragrance in herbal mix Health and Class Exclusively Teenage upper class and upper middle class Xclusive Style Synthetic perfumes with citrus flavours Style and Confidence Suggesting following the Key Brand method to look at what factors would influence women in the above target segments choose a fragrance in the premium segment. (Brandkeys, 2010) Hence the differentiated products and positioning should be made around the following attributes selected from the above matrix Product Image Scent Ingredients Reactions Classic range of fragrance in herbal mix Classic Sexy Sociable Traditional Floral Spicy Natural Ingredients Fresh Original Sensual Powerful Inspired Strong Hence positioning messages are created around these product attributes for the two product lines. Packaging is also made consistent with these attributes to create that whole product image. Classic product line needs to be packaged in premium glass bottles with a golden plating. Style product line for teenagers will be in colourful glass bottles which are cut on sides to give it a style and powerful cuvy shape.   Creative Campaigns around Positioning Messages One of the problems with fragrance is that the penetration rates are not that high. However, a lot could be done to bring more consumers into the fragrance market. Critics say that marketers focus too much on youth, and that the scents and sometimes racy advertising campaigns aimed at this group have turned off older consumers. Appealing to women in their 30s, 40s and 50s and those who have lost touch with fragrance with an appropriate offer and marketing campaign could bring in much additional revenue. So having nostalgic and retro campaigns would be a good way to target the segment of middle aged upper class and upper middle class women. Celebrities can be actresses like Elizabeth Taylor and Julia Andrews. They can promote the Xclusive Classic brand around creating images of classic and vintage stuff never ceases or use everlasting films like Lawrence of Arabia. Moving away from contemprory stars to more stars from the classical age would be good to convince and influence changing UK consumers especially among the aged upper class segments. (The Freelibrary, 2007) Avertisement targeted at adult women Use of gold plated bottle cover and golden color font in a classic written style Xclusive *Julie Andres, an actress from yester years still a living legend to be a brand ambassador of the Classic product line Similarly for the teenage segment, celebrities from field like politics, business, sports could be chosen who can give an image of style and confidence. A study conducted among young UK women chose a set of role models like Margaret Thatcher, Marilyn Monroe, Kylie Minogue, Jamie Ogata (Confident Japanese UN official). (Cranfield University, 2009) We can probably use them as celebrities to push our style and confidence image in the mind of teenagers. Unlike adults, teenagers are more image shoppers. They can be triggered for an instant purchase by a sudden stimuli. (Telegraph, 2008) Advertisement targeting teenagers: Bold confident young women, curvy bottle shape with bold red font usage Xclusive Re-inventing Shopping Experience Shopping for fragrances needs to be made easier, and stores better adapted to how consumers browse and buy. Research by Paris-based JMG Research shows that the consumer is looking for new retail formats. She is looking for a new experience and is very reactive to new propositions. When something is out of the ordinary she will buy, says JMG Research managing director Jà ©rà ´me Goldberg. New retail store formats have to be tried out like eliminating counters in department stores, merchandising by fragrance family or creating areas for replenishment for the consumer who is only looking for that service. In a recent survey, majority of those questioned did want to see fragrances organized by brand, but 40% also said that they would like to see fragrances organized by the way they smell. Many UK women middle aged consumers now go in for a fragrance collection. This basically tends them to be more brand loyal. Fragrance is emotional and the industry needs to pay more attention to this rather talking about technical information. There needs to be beauty assistants who are helpful and knowledgeable and not just push the latest launch, says John Ayres, director of UK-based fragrance consultancy Pandora. Sales people should be doing a lot more educational selling rather than aggressive as consumers have more options to choose from. (Articles base, 2007) Leaflets in boxes should also contain information for the consumer on the fragrance, on how to wear and tips on fragrance layering and its ingredients. This is standard for many prestige skincare brands. Also samples can be used to explain fragrance notes. http://www.bglam.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/discount-3.JPG (Sample online perfume catalogue) Another trend is the moving away from class to mass channels for purchase. UK consumers now prefer Tesco to specialised classes like department stores.

American Geopolitical Interest Essay -- Politics International United

A Game of Strategy Mark Twain once defined the term, sphere of influence to be, â€Å"A courteous modern phrase which means robbing your neighbor—for your neighbor's benefit.† Like Twain, many claim that economic interests have caused America to rob its Southern neighbors and act in a self-seeking manner. Others claim that the ideological conviction that America altruistically acts according to its neighbor’s benefit has strongly influenced America’s international behavior. However, America, possessing a huge GDP at its disposal, a strong government, and a patriotic society realized that these assets alone could not guarantee the nation’s survival. It must be able to ensure national security as well as protect its interests abroad. Although it is true that ideology, economic welfare, as well as domestic politics all have played a significant role in U.S. foreign policy, the fundamental factor that has governed American foreign policy has been geopolitical objectives. The Monroe Doctrine, contrived by President Monroe in 1823, is a lucid example of America’s pursuit of geopolitical interests in the Pan-American region. The Doctrine was an audacious declaration to the powerful European nations to abstain from the region. It followed the spirit of â€Å"Manifest Destiny†, the rousing conviction that Americans had the right to seize the territory surrounding them. According to Coerver and Hall, the essential principle that this Doctrine was based upon was the â€Å"conviction that the United States was destined to expand†(13). The authors proceed to remark of the State Department’s concern that Spain’s loss of its empire may yield to other European powers taking over various areas of Latin America, especially the prospect of Br... ...icy in the region. Through the analysis of the Monroe Doctrine, the Roosevelt Corollary, the importance of the Panama Canal, and a host of other examples, one can perceive the great importance America imposes on its national security interests. Even to this day, geopolitical concerns dominate American foreign policy. This time, however, Latin America goes unobserved as the United States proceeds to pursue its new strategic interests in the Middle East. Works Cited 1. Coerver, David and Linda Hall. T a ngled Destinies . Albuquerque: U of New Mexico P, 1999. 2. LaRosa, Michael and Frank O. Mora eds. N e ighborly Adversaries: Readings in U.S. - Latin American Relations . Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 1999. 3. Brockett, Charles. â€Å"An Illusion of Omnipotence: U.S. Policy Toward Guatemala 1954- 1960.† Latin American Politics and Society, 2002.

Karl Marx and His Work Essay -- Karl Marx Communist Manifesto Essays

Karl Marx and His Work German Economic/Political Philosopher 1818 - 1883 This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx and his partner Friedrich Engels. The document first appeared in 1848 and has been a manuelfor the following political parties: Socialist, Social Democratic, Labor, and Communist. In the time of its existence it has created disagreement all over the world. Friedrich Engels said these words in 1888 to summarize the Communist Manifesto. "In every historical epoch, the prevailing mode of economic production and exchange, and the social organization necessarily following from it, form the basis upon which is built-up, and from which alone can be explained, the political and intellectual history of that epoch;†¦consequently the whole history of mankind (since the dissolution of primitive tribal society, holding land in common ownership) has been a history of class struggles, contests between exploiting and exploited, ruling and oppressed classes;†¦the history of these class struggles has been reached where the exploited and oppressed class (the proletariat) cannot obtain its emancipation from the sway of the exploiting and ruling class (the bourgeoisie) with out, at the same time, and once and for all, emancipating society at large from all exploitation, oppression, class distinctions and class struggles. This proposition†¦is distined to do for history what Darwin’s thory has done for biology†¦1". Engels quote is explained by saying the pattern developed is the class that is being ran by the higher class will soon grow angry and revolt by starting a revolution to take over the ruling class. It is only natural that a group of people being pushed around by another grou... ...th the possibilities of new ideas on how to govern our world. Although, many people object to these propositions, they are supported by some. This concept has been responsible for shaping other forms of government, such as the Socialist, Social Democratic, Labor, and Communist parties for 150 years. It will continue to add reference to governments that wish to practice parts of it and may one day be used solely as a form of government. Bibliographies 1. Gilman, Antonio. "The Communist Manifesto, 150 years Later." Aniquity. Dec 1998. Pp. 910-913. 2. Kessler, Gary E. Voice of Wisdom. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company. 1998. 3. McGoven, Arthur F. "World Christianity and Marxism." Theological Studies, INC. Dec 1998. Pp. 796-770. 4. Tyler, Gus. "150 Years Later: Marx’ Manifesto revisited." The New Leader. Oct 5- Oct 19. Pp. 11-14.

Obamacare Current Event Essay

The article talks about â€Å"What was sold to the American people as the greatest reform of the U.S. healthcare system in our history is turning out to be the biggest contributing factor destroying the greatest economy in the history of the planet.† In addition the article is talking about how employers are being forced to cut full time people and make them part time. Also it talks about how that it is not the employers fault it is just that some corporations just have to many employees to where they cannot afford to insure everyone so that being said many employers are cutting people from full time to part time which is better than laying people off and keeping less employees and provide them with health insurance. Personally I dislike this entire Obamacare idea it is narrowing the amount of jobs that teens are able to have even smaller. Also I am currently working at Meijer in Portage and I have been trying to keep up with the news and about a few weeks ago after Obamacare started to take effect in businesses I realized that they had starting cutting everyone’s hours at my place of employment. After I noticed that I started to spread the word to my fellow employees because some of them have families and have to support them with their job, so after I told them many of the workers searched for different jobs. Also I have been hearing a lot of talk about how that there will be no middle class and that there will be only an upper and lower class. People don’t realize that the Obamacare plan is increasing that gap tremendously because it is causing people with good jobs to make less because their employer cannot afford to insure them with the Obamacare. In addition while people are being part time it is cause people to go out and get jobs that they are way over qualified for just to support their families. Since Obamacare is a national government order that has taken place the promotion and marketing of it is phenomenal. Even though I consider it to be pretty terrible, the way that it has been marketed that it was going to be this great plan that would help people that didn’t have health care was great. It got people excited but them not knowing what it would cost them in the long run.

Ojibwe aboriginals in Cass Lake/Leech Lake Minnesota Including their History Treaties Essay

I. Introduction The Ojibwe (Plural: Ojibweg) are people who belong to the First Nation and of a big Native American language group. They are on top in terms of prevalence among the North American native language tribes. Scholars and Elders of Ojibwe perceive that the group has historical relations with several other bands that share some language points. The Ojibwe oral tradition gives light to such speculations as it indicates the Ojibwe to be part of the â€Å"Three Fires of Anishinabe,† along with the Ottawa and the Potawatomi (Turtle Island Productions, 2003). In the Ojibwe language, â€Å"Anishinabe† pertains to â€Å"original people,† â€Å"original man,† or â€Å"one of the people.† This is how the Ojibwe people prefer to be called. The word â€Å"Ojibwe† is spelled in many forms, owing to how the Euroepans of early times heard and spelled it. Some of the forms include â€Å"Ojibewa,† â€Å"Ojibwe,† â€Å"Otchipwe,† â€Å"Chippewa,† or â€Å"Chippeway† (Turtle Island Productions, 2003). For the purposes of this paper, the term â€Å"Ojibwe† will be used. The Gaa-zagaskwaajimekaag, or the Leech Lake Indian Reservation, houses the Ojibwe people in the north-central parts of Minnesota. According to the census of 2000, it is the largest Indian reservation in the state, with its population amounting to 10,205 in that year (â€Å"Leech Lake Indian Reservation†, 2007). The most dominant community within it is the Cass Lake. Ten other communities within the reservation include Bena, Pennington, Sugar Point, Ball Club, Onigum, Smokey Point, Inger, Squaw Lake, Mission and Oak Point (Indian Affairs Council, 2007). How the Ojibwe people came to live in this area of Minnesota and how their settlement was established throughout histories of treaties will be the subject of this paper. Contemporary issues that face the Ojibwe people of Leech Lake will also be discussed. II. The Leech Lake Ojibwe and their History According to history shared through oral tradition, the Ojibwe people originally lived along the bays of North America, speculated to be either in Hudson Bay or in St. Lawrence gulf. By the 1400s, the climate in the North America became way cold so that in effect, the first Ojibwe bands decided to move towards Lake Huron, and later further north to occupy the shores of Michigan. Their movement continued westward until they reached Lake Superior in the 1500s (Sultzman, 2000). Pushed by war and fur trade, the Ojibwe people made an expansion towards the west, east and south until they had control over a vast portion of southern Ontario and lower Michigan in 1701, and won over the northern portions of Wisconsin and Minnesota in 1737. Movements continued until the Ojibwe people had settlements in so many areas by the 1800s, Minnesota to include. However, eventual takeover of the whites forced the Ojibwe onto reservation (Sultzman, 2000). Another way to view the Ojibwe migration is to take after what their oral tradition discusses: that one of their â€Å"miigis† or â€Å"radiant beings† related a prophesy that the Ojibwe people should move further west if they desire to maintain their traditions amidst the arrival of European immigrants. Thus the Ojibwe people made the movements discussed above, some of them finally settling in Minnesota (â€Å"Ojibwa†, 2007). It was on the small islands of Leech Lake where the Ojibwe in Minnesota first settled in the 1700s. The area became home to the Pillager Ojibwe and Mississippi bands, but southwest portions of it were taken by 1847 treaties to be allotted for the tribes that were moved from Wisconsin. (â€Å"Ojibwa†, 2007). The rest of the Leech Lake Ojibwe lands were relinquished to the United States government by the treaty of 1885, leaving the Ojibwe with the establishment of the 670,000-acre Leech Lake Indian Reservation (Oakes, February, 2005). The first treaties that were set in place were usually termed as â€Å"Peace and Friendship Treaties.† The aim of such treaties is to build healthy ties among the Ojibwe people and the Europeans. Such treaties provided the foundation for resource sharing to be made possible between the aborigines and the settlers (â€Å"Ojibwa†, 2007). The treaties that followed, however, entailed cessions of lands. These were perceived to serve as advantageous for the territorial interests of the U.S. However, such cessions were not accompanied by clear terms that were understood entirely by the Ojibwe people. The reason behind this is the disparate cultural perspectives of the Ojibwe and the government regarding the land. The government sees the land as a commodity, and something of worth at that. Thus, for them, land could be purchased, entitled for exclusion, and traded without restraint (â€Å"Ojibwa†, 2007). The Ojibwe people, on the other hand, perceive land to be non-exclusive. For them, land should be shared completely to everyone, in the same way that water, air and sunlight should be treated. During the period of treaty conferences, the Ojibwe did not know anything about exclusive land ownership or entitlement, moreover of selling land. Thus, modern time legal debates on treaties and of interpreting them usually expound on the disparity among cultural understanding of terms in such treaties. Only with cultural sensitivity and comprehension could obligations and rights based on such treaties could be understood (â€Å"Ojibwa†, 2007). One such treaty where cultural sensitivity could be applied would be that of 1864. With the intention of transferring other Ojibwe bands in Minnesota to Leech Lake, the 1864 Treaty was made to expand and fortify the reservation. Changes in plans were made however so that in 1967, the White Earth Reservation was established to house all of the Ojibwe. 1873 and 1874 executive orders reduced the lands of the Leech Lake Reservation (Indian Affairs Council, 2007). Tax forfeitures, allotments, and seizures for government forests and parks later reduced the remaining land until only approximately five to six percent of the original area was left to the Ojibwe people (Giese, 1997). The severe reduction of Ojibwe lands was the gravest that any tribe in Minnesota has experienced. This was made worse by the increasing valuation for the lakes and forests of the reservation as whites increasingly settled in Minnesota. It was only in recent years that the pattern of land loss was inverted (Oakes, February, 2005). III. Further Treaties and Relevant Events in Leech Lake Ojibwe History In 1881, the United States Army Corps of Engineers began to build dams at lake outlets including that of Cass and Leech Lake to provide a stable water power for Minneapolis. In the course of such activities, water levels rose seven feet such that Ojibwe homes, rice beds, food and burial grounds were destroyed (Oakes, February, 2005). Meanwhile, the Dawes Act of 1887, along with the Nelson Act of 1889, made it possible for individual Ojibweg to be allotted and sell parts of reservations lands to settlers, railroads, and timber companies. Because of land sales, fraud, and tax forfeitures, more Ojibweg lost their lands through these Acts (Oakes, February, 2005). By 1898, the Leech Lake Ojibwe’s anger over their loss of land and reckless logging activities in the area reached boiling point, resulting in gunfire exchange that lasted for three days and seven deaths among federal soldiers. The battle was recorded as the last between American soldiers and American-Indian natives. In gratitude to the stoppage of what could be a full-blast Ojibwe revolt, the government forgave the involved Ojibweg. In 1908, the concern of aggressive logging activities in the region pushed the United States government to form the Chippewa National Forest (Oakes, February, 2005). It was in 1912 when a white family started the pioneer fishing resort on Cass Lake. From there, several people followed suit until tourism became the reservation’s second major industry, though it was not the natives who drew much of the profit. On the other hand, 1925 saw to the decline of timber supply in Cass Lake and the fall of the great logging boom (Oakes, February, 2005). In 1933, the outpour of white settlers in the reservation ended as the US Government Land Office in the area closed. Yet to date, white settlers in the area remain to be more than half (Oakes, February, 2005). 1937 saw to the Leech Lake Ojibwe adopting its first ever constitution. Legal activities of the tribe developed as 1972 saw to the Ojibwe band settling a lawsuit for the reaffirmation of their right to hunt, fish, and gather within the bounds of the reservation beyond what is regulated by the state. This was the first of its kind and affirms the drive of the Ojibwe people to keep their traditions alive, beyond the restrictions of the government (Oakes, February, 2005). The year 1975 was witness to the growing determination of the Ojibwe people to fight for their rights as a people when 75 Ojibwe students walked out of their classes in protest against racism, cultural insensitivity, and discrimination in Cass Lake Junior-Senior High School. In response to this, the Ojibwe people started the culture-based school, Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig, for their youth (Oakes, February, 2005). To date, the school is showing great progress. Meanwhile, the Ojibwe started operating casinos in 1983 after the rule of the federal courts stated that Indian tribes must be given the liberty to gamble, as respect to their culture. In 1998, the Ojibwe created its own police force through a federal grant, by which it started to administer its own civil rules (Oakes, February, 2005). It was in 2002, however, that a major breakthrough in the political arena happened when Elaine Fleming became the first Ojibwe to be elected as mayor by the residents of Cass Lake (Oakes, February, 2005). IV. The Leech Lake Ojibwe Today Today, the Leech lake Ojibwe culture remains vibrant and developing. The Ojibwe in the reservation continue attending â€Å"jiingotamog† gatherings for their spiritual customs, and the â€Å"niimi’idimaa† for their social customs. Traditional methods of hunting, harvesting, and making medicines and sugar are still being maintained. Ojibwe people still participate in sun dance ceremonies. Even the sacred scrolls of old are being kept hidden for future interpretation (â€Å"Ojibwa†, 2007). Ojibwe people also maintain their traditional burial methods of erecting â€Å"Spirit houses† over burial mounds and markers made of wood with the dead’s doodem written on it. These special burial grounds have been viewed with much value that they have become endangered to thieves. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act was made to respond to such issues and have benefited the preservation of the Ojibwe’s burial traditions (â€Å"Ojibwa†, 2007). The Leech Lake Ojibwe band has also been pioneering in securing their rights to fish, hunt, and plant wild rice — practices which are embedded in their culture as a people (Indian Affairs Council, 2007). Another aspect that determines the maintenance of the Leech Lake Ojibwe’s cultural integrity is its continuation of its traditional extraction of medicine and food from plants, as well as other such activities bound by tradition (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2007). Meanwhile, the Leech Lake Ojibwe had organized community councils with the intent of airing their political concerns. They have also seen to it that they have their own means to health services, education, fire protection, and such community necessities. The band even started a burial insurance program in 1995 (Indian Affairs Council, 2007). As for the State, it pays the Leech lake Ojibwe tribe for controlling its use of resources within the reservation. Furthermore, the Ojibwe also deputizes the conservation officers of the State so that their own tribal natural resource codes will be enforced (Indian Affairs Council, 2007). Because the Ojibwe band was permitted to operate casinos, such casinos have made the band Cass County’s biggest employer (Indian Affairs Council, 2007). Through an Ojibwe currently residing in Oregon, the Leech Lake Ojibwe also markets their very own products of wild rice and locally-made craft baskets internationally (Giese, 1997). Today, the Leech Lake Ojibwe tribe decided that the reservation must keep its existence in line with the treaties and executive orders upon which it was founded. This is because even with the said treaties and orders at place, they could still exist as a people within the bounds of their cultures, traditions, and beliefs (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2007). For one, the tribe still holds its constitutional and natural sovereign power over the reservation and its people. Further, the tribe also holds power over the activities of outsiders in the reservation, for as long as such activities affect or threaten to affect the welfare, political integrity, heath, and economic security of the Leech Lake Ojibwe (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2007). The Ojibwe people, with the treaties in place, are also able to maintain regulatory authority over the water resources of the reservation. This is because having the inherent rights to the reservation’s waters, their intent is to ascertain that their water resources would remain viable for generations to come, the reservation being their permanent home. The Ojibwe people of Leech Lake also serve for the protection and preservation of its waters since with this comes the promotion of the tribe’s historic and religious values. By doing so, they are also able to maintain a suitable environment for the reservation’s wildlife, something which has been embedded in the values of the Ojibwe as a people (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2007). However, though the Ojibwe people of Leech Lake have been perceived to have maintained their culture and traditions, a sad fact looms over the band. The number of youths in the reservation who have been involved in drugs, alcohol, violence, and imprisonment is appalling. Murders have been common in the area. Statistics indicate that the Leech Lake Reservation is one of the worst places for children in all of Minnesota (Oakes, April, 2004). A 1999 government research found Cass County to be the poorest in terms of children’s safety and health. It was also determined in 2002 to have the most children who live in foster and care homes. Majority of these cases entail Ojibwe children who were abandoned by their parents or taken forcibly away from them on grounds of neglect, delinquency, or even abuse. The main thrust behind this seems to be alcoholism, which plague the Ojibwe people of whatever age and gender. Parents leave their children behind on accounts of being drunk, or imprisoned because of some crime they did while drunk (Oakes, April, 2004). Thus, death looms eight years earlier over the lives of the Ojibwe in the Leech Lake reservation (Oakes, April, 2004). And this fact is something to be bothered about, especially when considering the current status and welfare of the Leech Lake Ojibwe people. It is a threat that must be dealt with, if the centuries of battling with treaties, fighting for their rights, and maintaining their cultures and traditions will not be put into waste. The Ojibwe of Leech Lake are a beautiful people who have a great history behind them, and a great culture and tradition with them. It thus matters, more than the treaties, to make efforts to keep their welfare and their people alive, because if not, we know that something great will die.