How Obtaining My Degree Essay Example for Free

How Obtaining My Degree Essay Deciding to go continue my education and further learning is one of the best decisions I’ve made only because it’s what will benefit my future living, financially and mentally as well. We all have an idea of what we want in life, but we end up doing the opposite and resulting in being miserable. A person like me, a black man, is pretty lucky to have come this far 39 years without going to prison. With a degree, I would be more knowledgeable and socially accepted. I haven’t always chosen the right friends. Luckily, I haven’t been in any trouble. Although college is a privilege but I see it more as a necessity in life in order to expand my horizons and life’s possibilities. Attending school will teach me useful tips I’ll use for the rest of my life, whether its time management, not procrastinating with anything and pushing myself to the highest possible limit. Earning a degree will change my life, and my child’s life in many ways. A degree would help us in this economic downturn. I have been working as a hairdresser for over 10 years now, and while it pays the bills, there is no room to go on vacation. There are no emergency funds set aside. Our economy may be getting better; however I do not believe I can get a head. I will continue skating by, or worse, an emergency may happen and I will not have the funds to cover it. A degree would give me pride in myself. I’ve always wanted to go to college, however I could never find the right time. A degree would help me accomplish a better life for myself, and my daughter. It will also set a huge example for my child. You never want your children to experience your downfalls. People want the best for their children. I believe my daughter will be more inclined to go to college if I were to graduate and earn my degree. She has seen the jobs I’ve had in the past, the trials, tribulations, financial hardships, stress, the many times we’ve had to move, and she can compare it to how stable we can live once I’ve earned a successful living because of Higher Education. I would like to study Business Administration with an emphasis on human resources management I love the training aspects and seeing people up to win at there job with proper training and instruction My profession in business would make my daughter and immediate family so proud of me. Not one person in my immediate family went to college. I would love to make new history, and set a new trend within my family. At the end of the day college is not something to not take seriously; it requires dedication, patience, social skills, etc. College is something provided for adults of all ages that offer the opportunity to become a more advanced educated citizen. It’s something with great value and credibility in the real world when it comes to seeking for a salary paid job, with any college experience comes an automatic gain especially if completed and exited with a degree. At the end of the day college is not for everyone to attend is what I have always been told, but I now know that it is for me!

The problem with determinism Essay Example for Free

The problem with determinism Essay The traditional view is that of the compatibilists which states that freedom is the ability to act, or not to act, according to the determinations of the will. It is so defined to make it compatible with the theory of determinism, which essentially states that all actions have a causal explanation due to the state of the world in the moment previous. However, the definition is clearly inadequate due to the fundamental flaws of determinism and its failure to account for deliberation or personal choice. A superior alternative is offered by what Taylor calls the theory of agency, but is more commonly known as libertarianism. In discussing a theory one must start with some data in order to prove the validity of the theory, and in discussing determinism this is no different. Two suitable criteria dealing with the decision making process are: firstly that we at times deliberate with the view of making a decision , and secondly regardless of whether I deliberate I sometimes have a personal choice in the decision making process. These criteria are ideal because they are both things that we as individuals are fairly certain of so any acceptable theory must account for them in some way. For common sense, a virtue in argumentation, suggests that it is easier to accept the veracity of partial self-determination in the decision making process than an abstract philosophical theory. To asses the applicability of the data to determinism a more in depth examination of determinism is needed, which Taylor defines as having three tenets: Firstly, that the theory of determinism is true. Secondly, that voluntary behaviour is free unless constrained, and finally that causes of voluntary behaviour are certain states, condition, decisions, and desires. The principle problem of determinism is precisely this last tenet, for what are the causes of the inner states that cause my actions? Where do they come from? Are they under my control? If determinism is true then the problem of infinite causality arises for the causes of the actions must themselves have causes. When applied to the two original data the infinite causality of determinism renders these data false. Take deliberation as an example. I can deliberate only about future actions, but there are always causes to everything I do making the outcome of the deliberation inevitable and the process itself irrelevant. The incompatibility of determinism and deliberation does not bode well for the second datum, as if I am to have a personal choice in an action then I must be able to concretely execute any of the options associated with the action. But if determinism is true there can again only be one option due to the chain of causes thus negating the option of personal choice. A better theory, one that incorporates these two essential data is what Taylor calls the theory of agency, but is more commonly known as libertarianism, which postulates that human beings are frequently, but not always, self-determining beings. To further understand the theory of agency and thus its advantages it is first necessary to examine how it deals with the causation of actions. If an individual is relatively free in his decision making it follows that the individual agent can be considered a cause for the resulting action. For example, if I move my hand then the obvious cause of the motion is me and not some infinite series of causes. The lack of such a sequence of causes, unlike the one put forward by determinism, is an advantage for it allows the theory of agency to be rid of the problems of determinism discussed above. Moreover this allows libertarianism to incorporate the two criteria originally put forth. Under libertarianism deliberation becomes not just possible, but quite logical as it makes sense to ponder a matter over which I have control of the outcome. Then obviously, if I am at least a partially self-determining entity then I have a fair amount of personal choice in what course of action I should pursue. Aside from avoiding the problems of determinism, perhaps libertarianisms greatest advantage is its common sense appeal. For example, if I am considering whether to order a Big Mac for lunch or a McChicken, it makes much more sense to me that through deliberation I can choose which sandwich I would like to eat, rather than the existence of some infinite chain of events that pre-determines that I will eat a Big Mac. It is of course necessary to acknowledge that common sense and simplicity are not absolute truths, but as Bertrand Russell wrote, in support of common sense, in The Problems of Philosophy, Since this belief [in the existence of physical objects] does not lead to any difficulties, but on the contrary tends to simplify and systemize our account of our experiences, there seems no good reason for rejecting it. (Russell, 24) While Russell was addressing another problem the logic of common sense he applied most definitely applies to the case at hand as well. As a concluding argument in favour of libertarianism consider, the very fact of reading and grading this essay. If determinism were true then this essays grade would have long been pre-determined by a series of causes stretching back to before its very creation thus rendering useless the whole process. Texts Cited Russell, B. Problems of Philosophy. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1997. Taylor, R. Metaphysics. Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice Hall, 1993.

Western Style Fast Food In China

Western Style Fast Food In China In this section, we first apply Five Forces model to investigate all kinds of competition facing western fast food industry in China which contains competition between western fast food enterprises and Chinese fast food enterprises. The markets of tableware and beverage are both competitive, and the purchasing rate of raw materials is relatively low compared with other materials, therefore these suppliers are poor at capability of pricing. As for other raw materials like chicken and potatoes and so on, since that the prices of agricultural products have been rising in recent years, suppliers of these materials gain more power on pricing. (2)Competitors: the other western fast food brands in China are McDonalds and so on. All these brands enjoy their own reputation, and are operated in chain. The food and service they offer are of high quality. Particularly, they all expect huge potentials in fast food industry in China, so they are willing to invest larger amount money opening more restaurants in China. Therefore the competition between them tends to be more intensive in the future. (3)Consumers: at present, if one Chinese consumer is willing to buy western fast food it means that he (or she) has already accepted the price. Generally, the bargaining power of one single consumer in western fast food industry is weak. But it does not hold for those group consumers. For now, most western fast food enterprises focus on discrete consumer, and if they want to occupy a fraction of group consumers market, They should also apply flexible pricing strategies and enhance their bargaining power with consumers. (4)Substitution: in recent years, more and more Chinese begin to pay attention on diet health, which promotes the development of Chinese fast food. The reasonable price and rich varieties of Chinese fast food has press the expansion of western fast food in China. (5)Potential entrants: relatively speaking, the entry barriers of western fast food are high. Because these western fast food requires large funds input, great brands reputation, economies of scale and so on. But we should also predict that with capability of investing strengthened and management improved for Chinese enterprises, they probably enter western fast food market and enjoy great success in it. Through Five Forces mode we can find that western fast food industry in China is still of great profitable potential, and the competition between western fast food enterprises and Chinese fast food enterprises will intensify, which implies that both of western fast food enterprises and Chinese fast food enterprises should cultivate their own competitiveness 4.2Brief introduction about KFC in China As one of the most popular western style fast food brands, KFC(Kentucky Fried Chicken) belongs to the worlds largest food group -Yum food group . This largest food group includes about 30,000 KFC Dining-room, pizza hut and TacoBell restaurants which are distributed in more than 100 countries and regions of the world. On November12, 1987, KFC entered into Beijing, which is the capital city of China. After that, more KFC chain restaurants have been established in more cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Xiamen etc. And even people who live in those small towns can also have the access to western style fast food. Until now, there are about two thousand one hundred KFC chain stores distributed around almost hour hundred and fifty cities except Tibet. KFC has been the largest fast food chain restaurant in China at the greatest speed of expansion(www.kfc.com.cn). 4.3 Core competitiveness of KFC in China During over twenty years development in China, KFC has been always and constantly integrated and taken advantage of limited resources and capability in China, and have gradually cultivated its unique abilities during the business operation, which are not easily imitated by its rivals but also could bring it extra profits. Abilities like that are named core competitiveness of KFC by our researchers. This kind of competitiveness can make one or several business operations are of first rate in the world or of greater advantages over its competitors(Aaker,1989). (1) Standardization of management. The research by KFC on their standardization management is amazing. In order to ensure that people around the whole world can enjoy the food of exactly same taste, KFC investigated in detail into every single processing program to obtain corresponding quantitative standard. There is no doubt that standardization is KFCs core knowledge competitive ability(Stephen,1992). (2). Localization. KFCs franchise mode is quite special, with unique Chinese characteristics. Its not starting from zero joining way is acceptable by those Chinese investors. In addition, KFC applied material resources integration into its management. From the very day when it entered into China, KFC has been determined to provide food which is right for Chinese taste. For now, KFC purchase the raw material fully from local providers. (3). Great brand power. These days, the internet is highly developed and information is commonly shared by people around the world, which makes it a good way to publicize KFCs brand more easily and efficiently. Based on parent companys terrific and strong brand reputation, KFC in China are as well known by almost each household, even for those who have not been to KFC. (4). Reasonable Location of restaurant. Same as McDonalds location, every time, KFC restaurants location is successful. No wonder that these two famous and popular western style fast food restaurants are usually located besides each other. 4.4 Competitive strategy of KFC in China Enterprises usually choose those strategies which can bring them competitive advantages. According to Potter theory(Porte,1997), ones competitive advantage is either from less cost than competitors or from obvious differentiations from its rivals. So competitive strategies include the following three types: cost leadership strategy, the differentiation strategy and centralization strategy. If enterprises through their innovative design, technical potential ability or outstanding brand image and so on seek to provide different products, unique services, this strategy is called differentiation strategy which is based on a broader market comparing with centralization strategy (Prahalad, Hamel,1990). Here, we highlight the differentiation strategy as it is the major and most important strategy not only for KFC but also for other successful western style fast food restaurants such as McDonalds. By its definition, it means that according to their own product positioning, one develops its o wn new products and establishes its competitive strategies in terms of supplier management strategy, brand strategy, talent strategy and so on. (1) Product strategy: product localization. On KFCs menu, there are some main varieties which not only in China, and even around the world are standardized and unified. But, in aspect of product innovation and uniqueness, KFC spares no effort to meet the different needs of customers in China. Since the mid 1990s, it was determined to build KFC as an influent brand which fulfills Chinese demands. To ensure the execution of this thinking and working direction, In 2000, KFC sincerely invited 40 national food nutrition experts to establish the Chinese KFC health consulting committee(www.kfc.com.cn). In 2004, due to KFC products innovation and localization strategy, it broke the boundaries between the western style fast food and traditional Chinese fast food, resulting in more new consumer market. At present, of more than 30 new products in Chinas regional market launched by KFC, at least half of them are of the Chinese characteristic. Some varieties even hit the consumer market since they learned from eight famous Chinese cuisines . For those products aiming at Chinese people , such as fresh vegetarian soup, cold rice, corn salad, old Beijing chicken and etc enjoy a wide popularity among people for its deep Chinese flavor. On summer of 2004, Guangdong province, the traditional old cool tea named WangLaoji, which is a traditional drink brand originated from Guangdong province, formally appeared on KFCs counter. This is the first time for KFC to introduce completely and directly traditional Chinese product into its food menu rather than indirectly improve these traditional food. Besides the deepening of localization strategies, KFC is now studying on consumers preferences within a region, in order to promote the regional localization strategy in the future. It has been over 20 years since KFC entered China. Now, KFC ranks first in fast food industry in China, largely owing to its localization strategy. In the Chinese market, KFC launches 1.5 new products per month averagely, and the turnover from KFC in China a lready is the powerful and main support for the headquarters profits. (2)Target strategies: focusing on families For fast food industry, the most commonly used method for target market positioning is to divide the consumer market based on demographic factors. Other factors such as region factors, customer psychological factors and customer consumption behavior factors are less taken into account(Emerson,1990). Of demographic factors, western fast food industry mainly considers age as market positioning variables. KFCs target markets are families, which mainly include consumption of young people and young parents with their children(Gould,2002). Dining environment aims at providing family reunion, warm dinner atmosphere. And because of its product diversification and the localization of taste, KFC managed to attract more people of all ages, particularly, with elders included. A few years ago, KFC launched the family meal, which is quite enough for a whole family to eat. In addition, being different from McDonalds publicity and dynamic advertising, or inviting stars to join the advertisement, the feature of the image of KFC is its simplicity and implicative style, the warmth and love. (3)Brand image strategy: localization With more attention is paid to brand image individuation by the enterprises, KFC in China have paid more attention to Chinese consumers psychology. Not only the information into life they would like to spread, but also the concept change for China to make a new fast food. In each brand image details, KFC is characterized by obvious Chinese culture features. KFC restaurants in China use a new mark and adornment concept. Not only a very smart appearance, all visual elements like dining-room design, advertising, food packaging, staff uniforms, public goods have been armed with new visual marks. Even the KFC grandpa also changed into traditional Chinese costumes on Chinese traditional festivals. By doing this, KFC publicized its brand and marketing. Since people like to focus on changes or fresh things, while invariable things easily cause visual fatigue, failing stimulating people sensory and becoming the focusing centre naturally. Hence, from the strategic height, KFC sent signals of c hanging to the media as well as consumers. KFC successfully made itself the social attention centre by gathering the public attentions, eventually smoothly spread its brand strategy and tactics to the public. SuJingShi, China regional President of Yum KFC once said: Since the entry into China in 1987, KFC has always been able to insist on the concept of Chinese brand building, and devote every effort to make it. Under this localization concept, the distance between KFC and Chinese customers is continuously getting closer. Building Chinese brand means putting Chinese flavour into its brand building. In this way, it will definitely leave a more obvious trace of localization. (4)Talent strategy: localization. KFCs talent localization, not only embodies in grass-roots employees, but more importantly, in the high-level management. From the first store in China until now, KFCs talent localization strategy have never been changed and even enhanced. KFC cultivate and promote and use local talents, giving full play to their comparative advantages due to their more familiarity with policy environment and local market features. At present, KFC has employed eight general managers from Mainland Chinas total managers who are responsible sixteen markets in China respectively. Those senior management personnel who are directly responsible for the operation of restaurant such as operation manager, regional manager and Hall manager are recruited locally. Those local management personnel can better understand the local demand, master the local consumer psychology and consumption habits, quickly discover local market growth point, more accurately grasp the market pulse and timely make strategic adjustment (Caudron,1991), which helps KFC to win out competing against others. In order to better implement talent localization strategy, KFC creatively put forward the framework with great Chinese characteristics of double departments: the operation department, HR and training department. This framework has a nickname two HR departments. ChenYaqing, the operating training senior manager of Yum China introduced: the case that a special independent department is established from human resource training operations department is not common in the world. The importance of the Chinese market determines the necessity to do so. We can see from this the great determination of talent strategy of KFC. (5)Supplier management strategy: humanization KFCs raw materials are all provided by local enterprises, so KFCs rapid development also stimulates the development of various related raw material supply industries in China. Currently, about 95% of food and packing materials are provided by suppliers in China. Based on principle of common interests, KFC introduces local suppliers brand new management concepts and advanced technologies, and offers them active training programs and generous help especially for those suppliers who are sometimes in difficulty. Through this, KFC has formed strategic partners with local suppliers in China. Firstly, expanding the scale of the domestic suppliers. KFC took active measures to make its twenty five domestic suppliers who are distributed in the twenty seven cities and regions are now the most outstanding in industry. For example, Zhucheng Foreign Trade Corporation in Shandong province, being in relationship with KFC for more than five years has become the largest county foreign trade corporatio n. Secondly, localization of overseas suppliers. KFC has been actively encouraging foreign suppliers to enter into China to establish local factories. For the past few years, KFC have succeed in promoting seventeen products localization which originally have to be imported from overseas suppliers. KFC Continuously integrated suppliers around itself, and established a strategic cooperation partnership with them. The attitude KFC treated with suppliers reflected the humanistic concern and Chinese characters. 5. S.W.O.T analysis of Chinese fast food enterprises Taking KFC as a typical example of western style fast food enterprises, we have showed the competitiveness and competitive strategies they adopt. To compete successfully against with them, what strategies should our Chinese fast food enterprise adopt? To answer this question, an S.W.O.T analysis may be effective. And when it comes to analysis on external opportunities and threatens, we could also apply PEST analysis. 5.1 External Opportunities (O) 5.1.1 Economical factors: (1) Economy of China grows at high rate. Since the policy of Reform and Opening-up in 1978, Chinas government has constantly taken economic development as the center, persisting in Reform and Opening up. For a recent decade, Chinas economy increased at an average rate over 10%.(www.stats.gov.cn) Even during the Southeast Asian Financial Crisis in 1998 and financial crisis recently, under the impact of world economic shock , Chinas economic performance is the best among the world. (1)Industry has a huge potential for development. Although with peoples living standards improving, the proportion of the third industrys output to GDP is increasing, but compared with the western developed countries, China is still low in proportion of the third industry to GDP. While the third industry is a good way to increase employment, social wealth as well as peoples effective living standard, so there must be a huge potential for development of third industry in China. As part of the third industry, the output of the fast food industry in China has increased at average rate of 16%, even during bad times like the Southeast Asian Financial Crisis, it enjoyed the rate over 16% (www.stats.gov.cn). In fact, the national bureau of statistics in China considered the fast food industry as one of the industries with the greatest economic growth, which revealed that the fast food in China would become a promising industry in the future. 5.1.2 Political factors: (1)Great policy support. In order to support Chinas fast growth, in march of 1997, Foreign Trade Department in China issued à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  the Chain Stores Operating Normsà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹, later à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  Development Program of Fast Food Industry in Chinaà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹in September of 1997, and à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  The Commercial Franchising Management Measuresà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹(for trial implementation) in November of 1997. All these documents pointed out the guiding principles, development target, the main task, organization in the implementation and measures. (2) Political stability The good investment environment, huge market and abundant tourism resources, attracted a large number of investors and tourists, thus making fast food become a indispensable need for businessman, tourists and other people who are occupied by outdoors activities. (4)Chinas entering into WTO promotes development of fast food industry. Firstly, the fast food industrys raw material costs would decline and the quality would be improved. According to the agreements between China and American, China would open part of its grain market after entering into WTO. China would import 30million tons grain with high-quality, accounting for about 6% of Chinas whole grain market. These imported grain included One thousand tons of wheat, seven hundred tons corn six hundreds tons of rice, five hundred tons of soybean meal, four hundred tons of soybean and three hundred and thirty tons of soybean oil, meanwhile some special breeds of certain fruit and meat .Because of the low price and good quality of import products, this will push domestic enterprises to reduce costs and improve quality. Secondly, it is helpful to expand the use of foreign capital and improve manufacturing processing equipments technological level. According the principle of national treatment, foreign investors will be treated as same as Chinese domestic enterprises. Further more, the Chinas legal policies are becoming more transparent, it is easier for foreign investors to well predict market risk and profit condition. We have great confidence that foreign investors will invest in fast food industry. This can solve domestic capital insufficient contradiction, also can improve food Industry processing technology and management level, to produce scientific and modern Chinese food. Thirdly, it is advantageous for Chinas fast food enterprises to compete in the international market. Under the framework of WTO, each members of WTO reduce tariff rate and eliminate barriers, and open services trade market. Our domestic fast food enterprises can enjoy national treatment, which helps to create opportunities for them to walk towards the world. Chinese food, especially the various cuisines, enjoy high reputation and consumers big welcome. If the traditional crafts with modern scientific technology can be perfectly combined, with good quality and reasonable price, Chinese fast food will be bound to succeed In the international market. Fourthly, it is helpful to accelerate the strategic reorganization of Chinese fast food enterprises. The large restaurant brand enterprise groups, with the establishment of fair market competition system, the competition among domestic fast food enterprises and between domestic fast food enterprises and foreign ones will tend to be more intense. After that, however, some large restaurant brand enterprise group, with the appropriate scale and regional across, will be formed. 5.1.3 Social factors: Although more young people love to enjoy western style fast food, most of adults still prefer Chinese fast food. It is no doubt that in the future, people will definitely pay more attention on diet health. And since Chinese people are rooted on their profound diet culture, it is not easy for them to shift away from tradition. Moreover, this advantages over western style fast food can be enhanced as long as Chinese fast food enterprises develop suitable strategies to assure the quality, tastes, service as well as to improve the management. 5.1.4 Technological factors: In fact, a great of the success of western style fast food should attributed to technological progress which also do good to Chinese fast food enterprises. Owing to more advanced and sophisticated cooking equipments, it costs less time to provide and offer Chinese food. Additionally, the cooking process can be divided into small pieces and each piece can be controlled, which ensures the finest quality of food and make standardization feasible. 5.2 External Threatens (T) (1) Fast expansion of western style fast food in China. In 1987 on November 12, the first KFC restaurant was established in Beijing .about 20years later in 2007, the chain stores of Yum KFC group in China has amounted about two thousand and one hundred. During the period of time , McDonalds, pizza hut, Japanese, Italian pizza all entered into China In succession, in order to share the huge Chinese consumption .not only did these western style fast food occupied consumption market, they also changed gradually the diet concept of Chinese people. (2) The competitive advantages of western style fast food enterprises are strengthened. Based on competition principles of fairness, openness, justification, the foreign enterprises in China usually implement localization strategy to reduce the cost. In China, however, there are many and serious defects in talent incentive mechanism and income distribution system, so the foreign enterprises with good training mechanism, and competitive compensation And scientific personnel management mode, will attract large quantities of outstanding management and professional talents. Until the end of 2000, the total KFC staff in China is 2.4 million, of them, More than 5,000 members are restaurants managers or function managers. During the early period time after KFCs entering in to China, the raw materials were fully imported abroad. But nowadays, being fully provided locally, resulting in KFCs operating costs further reduced, the competitive advantages further strengthen. (3) Competition between industries is intense. In the past, hotels and restaurants confined their consumption market to people with median or high income level. Because this market has been saturated, now the restaurants shift their attentions to a broader need of the public. Usually, in order to attract more consumers, the restaurants nowadays provide the food at a very reasonable price. Further more, to satisfy different tastes of different kinds of consumers, more varieties and flavors of food have been developed. More and more restaurants begin to operate their business in a chain and systematic way, which lowers the operation costs quite a lot. (4) A large number of potential entrants From the perspective of investment capital, the general financing volume is not very high. According to the à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  Chinese Fast Food Industry Research Reportà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹, to invest one fast food store, the minimum investment capital requires 100 thousand Yuan, and the maximum investment capital is 1million Yuan. Usually, the former which need a smaller volume money are Chinese fast food chain enterprises, while the latter which need a larger volume of money tend to be western fast food chain enterprises. Investment above includes training fee and decoration expenses and so on. From the view of technology, the technologic barriers of fast food industry are not very high neither. From the view of the market situation, diet is an important competent of social activities for people and also serves as a main way for intercourse among people. Especially, the long history of thousands of years of the diet culture determines that the consumption market of fast food industry is huge. Factors like high return on investment, stable consumption market make fast food industry the investing hot, with a large number of investors in. (5) Diet culture changing. Over the world, it is impossible that the food demand structure of one country keep invariant, without being influenced by foreign food culture. This even applies to countries like China, France and Italy which all have a proud diet culture. It is inevitable that new varieties of food and cooking methods from other countries or regions will affect another nation food demand structure(Shone, Nobuhiro, Kaiser, 2000). The more open of one nation, the easier the food demand structure of itself tends to be affected by foreign food culture. Not only have Western fast Food culture promoted the development of Chinese fast food, but also have cultivated a certain group who have a preference for western fast food(Jussaume,2001). Since the youth are the target consumption market for KFC, the youth are mostly affected by western fast food culture. They think of eating western style fast food as a new and fashionable life style rather than simply satisfying their appetites. 5.3 Internal Strength (S) (1) A large number of varieties There are a large number of Chinese fast food varieties such as rice, noodles, dumplings, pancakes and so on, which are characterized by traditional national characteristics. It is rather difficulty for western fast food restaurants to offer such rich varieties of food. The diet culture with the history of five thousand years impresses every Chinese profound influence, which is the greatest advantage over western style fast food. (2) Flavours of diversification Due to Chinas vast territory and 56 ethnic groups in different regions, consumers in different regions have different diet habits. Even within the same region, the tastes vary across individuals. Although Western style fast food restaurants make some adjustment on tastes in different countries to satisfy the local taste, generally, the tastes of their food have not changed a lot for their slogan tastes the same over the world. (3) Moderate price China is still a developing country, in 2001, disposable income of urban residents per capita is 6860 Yuan. Price is still the major considering factor when they are planning to consume. The cost of western-style food consumption per capita each time is between 20yuan to 50yuan, which is still on the high side for general consumers. According to the statistical analysis, the average cost of Chinese fast food per capita each time is about 10yuan which is the consumption level that most Chinese people can reach. As a matter of fact, these people are the main consumption of fast food industry. (4) Loyal customers It is the cultural features of food consumption that assures the Chinese fast food enterprises stable and loyal customers. Food consumption is not only a mean which satisfies people the most basic physiological needs, but also cultural features by which a nation is distinguished from other nations. Whether you are one of the elders who are deeply rooted by prominent feature and traditional culture or of new trend-spotting generation, and whether you are one of the rich who pursuit life quality or of the low-income receivers who are mainly contented with physiological needs. As long as you are born in China, the diet culture is rather hard to change. Although other cultural features, such as the consumption idea, clothing, lifestyle is actually changing with the further development of Globalization, modernization. The Local feature makes the entry of the foreign enterprise into Chinese market more difficult than the entry into markets like financial market, insurance market, Consultin g and other services industry market. Compared with the enterprises into China, Chinese fast food enterprises have a objective advantage namely customer loyalty. 5.4 Internal Weakness (W) (1)The poor sanitary conditions in restaurants and instability of food quality The sanitary conditions of fast food industry is directly related to the health of customers. They are reflected in three aspects: sanitary conditions of the production of food processing, sanitary conditions of tableware and dinnerware and sanitary conditions of dining restaurant environment. The sanitary situation of most fast food enterprises in our country health situation is worrying, even if Equipped with the disinfection equipment according relevant regulations, the procedure of disinfection is often omitted when there are not enough dish plates. Chef and Staff are very in cleanliness, especially during summer. Such terrible sanitary conditions discouraged many customers from dining. KFC especially emphasis on internal cleansing, the company set rules about how to check the stores cleanliness. Items like food quality, cooking, cooking time and temperature and so on have to be evaluated by the following assessment: quality, service, health and value .the scores of the four asse ssments would decide whether you are eligible to join to apply for new stores. Chinese fast food restaurants are lack of quantitative criteria, because the chef cooks by his or her experience. It is difficult to guarantee quality of uniform standards, and food quality is not showing a great deal of stability, which has a negative effect on the inheritance of the traditional cooking and Chinese fast food track of modernization. Western-style fast food enterprises use advanced production equipment and technology, and strictly control the food-processing time, temperature, taste, which can prevent the food from the impact of human factors to ensure the quality stability. (3)Being Slow to provide food Summary of the main features of fast food is to provide catering services in the shortest possible time(Jekanowski, Binkley ,2001), thereby saving consumers time. For fast food enterprises, if they can not increase the service speed, it means that they are probably to lose their customers and market. It is estimated that the waiting time of Chinese fast food enterprises customers is a period of 15 minutes for 10, while KFCs is less than two minutes. (4) Marketing concepts left behind Food products include three parts: a core product to meet the appetite; the form of products of a delicious food, excellent environment, clean utensils; extension product of a satisfactory service. Chinese fast food enterprises are in the pursuit of foods colour, Smell and taste too much, and ignore the image of the restaurant, service norms, the waiting time, cleanliness of environment and extension of the form of products(Liu,2003). Therefore the overall product does not meet consumers expectations, resulting in failure in competition with Western-style fast food. The Chinese fast food enterprises are poor at brand awareness, people are more familiar with KFC an

Russia and Its Decision to Enter World War I Essay -- History, Geopoli

Did Russia’s diplomatic issues influence their decision in entering World War One? A. Plan of Investigation This investigation assesses how Russia’s Government and people influenced their country’s decision in entering World War One. On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sophie Ferdinand were assassinated by alleged Serbian Black Hand Terrorists. The assassination caused world turmoil. People and Countries saw Ferdinand’s death as an opportunity to invade and overcome new territories to claim as their own. Russia’s involvement was greatly influenced by the previous and occurring problems with the Czars, its people and its economic ties. Two sources used in this essay: The First World War, compiled by John Keegan and History of Russia: a Brilliant Chronicle of Russian History from its Ancient Beginning to Present Day by John Lawrence are then evaluated for their origins, purpose, values and limitations. B. Summary of Evidence Prior to World War One, Russia lost their naval port, Vladivostok, to the Japanese during the Russian Japanese war; putting a huge strain on the already struggling government. During this time, Nicholas II ruled as a Czar of Russia. During his reign, Russia’s rich prevailed greatly, while the poor starved and went to war. The rich believed â€Å"The people have the need for potatoes but not for the least of the constitution† they stood strong in the belief that the illiterate agriculturalists should have no say in their government, but also strongly considered that â€Å"Russia could not be ruled effectively unless the tsar took at least a part of the nation into partnership.† In 1904, the prices of basic good increased, while the real wages declined a little over twenty percent. Within the... ...wed that even though the Czar was in control, he needed the people in order to rule and to keep the Russian economy thriving. It proved he was just one very corrupt man. And furthermore, it set new laws protecting the people from the Czar himself. Without this, Nicholas may not have thought he needed to spread and show his people the power they possessed; Russia itself may not have entered World War One. Works Cited Keegan, John. The First World War. New York, Simon & Schuster, 1992. Lawrence, John. A History of Russia: A Brilliant Chronicles of Russian History from its Ancient Beginning to the Present Day. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. â€Å"The Ottoman Empire enters WWI on the side of the Central Powers 1914† thenagain.info (April 21,1997) Westwood, J.N. Endurance and Endeavor Russian History 1812-1986. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. Russia and Its Decision to Enter World War I Essay -- History, Geopoli Did Russia’s diplomatic issues influence their decision in entering World War One? A. Plan of Investigation This investigation assesses how Russia’s Government and people influenced their country’s decision in entering World War One. On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sophie Ferdinand were assassinated by alleged Serbian Black Hand Terrorists. The assassination caused world turmoil. People and Countries saw Ferdinand’s death as an opportunity to invade and overcome new territories to claim as their own. Russia’s involvement was greatly influenced by the previous and occurring problems with the Czars, its people and its economic ties. Two sources used in this essay: The First World War, compiled by John Keegan and History of Russia: a Brilliant Chronicle of Russian History from its Ancient Beginning to Present Day by John Lawrence are then evaluated for their origins, purpose, values and limitations. B. Summary of Evidence Prior to World War One, Russia lost their naval port, Vladivostok, to the Japanese during the Russian Japanese war; putting a huge strain on the already struggling government. During this time, Nicholas II ruled as a Czar of Russia. During his reign, Russia’s rich prevailed greatly, while the poor starved and went to war. The rich believed â€Å"The people have the need for potatoes but not for the least of the constitution† they stood strong in the belief that the illiterate agriculturalists should have no say in their government, but also strongly considered that â€Å"Russia could not be ruled effectively unless the tsar took at least a part of the nation into partnership.† In 1904, the prices of basic good increased, while the real wages declined a little over twenty percent. Within the... ...wed that even though the Czar was in control, he needed the people in order to rule and to keep the Russian economy thriving. It proved he was just one very corrupt man. And furthermore, it set new laws protecting the people from the Czar himself. Without this, Nicholas may not have thought he needed to spread and show his people the power they possessed; Russia itself may not have entered World War One. Works Cited Keegan, John. The First World War. New York, Simon & Schuster, 1992. Lawrence, John. A History of Russia: A Brilliant Chronicles of Russian History from its Ancient Beginning to the Present Day. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. â€Å"The Ottoman Empire enters WWI on the side of the Central Powers 1914† thenagain.info (April 21,1997) Westwood, J.N. Endurance and Endeavor Russian History 1812-1986. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.

Search for Identity in It’s Hard Enough Being Me :: Synthesis Essays

Search for Identity in It’s Hard Enough Being Me  Ã‚     Ã‚   In the essay "It’s Hard Enough Being Me," Anna Lisa Raya relates her experiences as a multicultural American at Columbia University in New York and the confusion she felt about her identity. She grew up in L.A. and mostly identified with her Mexican background, but occasionally with her Puerto Rican background as well. Upon arriving to New York however, she discovered that to everyone else, she was considered "Latina." She points out that a typical "Latina" must salsa dance, know Mexican history, and most importantly, speak Spanish. Raya argues that she doesn’t know any of these things, so how could this label apply to her? She’s caught between being a "sell-out" to her heritage, and at the same time a "spic" to Americans. She adds that trying to cope with college life and the confusion of searching for an identity is a burden. Anna Raya closes her essay by presenting a piece of advice she was given on how to deal with her identity. She was told that she should try to satisfy herself and not worry about other people’s opinions. Anna Lisa Raya’s essay is an informative account of life for a multicultural American as well as an important insight into how people of multicultural backgrounds handle the labels that are placed upon them, and the confusion it leads to in the attempt to find an identity. Searching for an identity in a society that seeks to place a label on each individual is a difficult task, especially for people of multicultural ancestry. Raya’s essay is an informative account of life for a multicultural American, because it is told from an actual multicultural author’s viewpoint. It gives the reader a sense that the information is accurate. It would be harder to accept the viewpoint if the author were for example, a white male writing about how a Mexican, Puerto Rican woman feels. As Connie Young Yu points out, information retold by someone who didn’t live the experiences is most often falsely perceived. Yu uses the example of white American historians writing about the lives of Chinese immigrants. Yu says that there is no accurate account for the lives of the immigrants, because they didn’t document their lives themselves. The little information that there is in history books only tells about their obvious accomplishments. There is no official understanding of their personal lives or feelings (Yu 30).

Ethics In Education Essay

Abstract Education has ever been considered as one of the strongest foundations for any civilized society. The success of any Nation is largely attributed the way in which education system is built up. There is growing importance the world over these days to incorporate importance of ethical standards in education. Ethical standards in education contain basic principles, procedures and behavior patterns based on commitment to core values that are deeply rooted in education. An ethical education will pave a way to uplift educational standards which in turn will instill right values among students who will certainly create landmark in their career as well as life. ETHICS IN EDUCATION The Concept Of Ethics The definition of ethics is shaped by personal, societal and professional values, all of which are difficult to specify. Some stress the importance of society’s interests and others stress the interests of the individual. These conflicting viewpoints have dominated the discussion of ethics for a long time and may remain in the future as well. Thus, the term ‘ethics’ will have to be defined in this context. The word ‘ethics’ is derived from the Greek word ‘ethos’ (character) and Latin word ‘moras’ (customs). Taken together these two words define how individuals choose to interact with one another. Thus, ethics is about choices. It signifies how people act in order to make the ‘right’ choice and produce ‘good’ behavior. It encompasses the examination of principles, values and norms, the consideration of available choices to make the right decision and the strength of character to act in accordance with the decision. Hence, ethics, as a practical discipline, demands the acquisition of moral knowledge and the skills to properly apply such knowledge to the problems of daily life. Philosophical Theories of Ethics Decision making based on intuition or personal feeling does not always lead to the right course of action. Therefore, ethical decision making requires a criterion to ensure good judgment. The philosophical theories of ethics provide different and distinct criteria for good, right or moral judgment. Three prominent philosophical theories of ethics are utilitarianism, rights and justice. They are normative theories of ethics, which provide a principle or standard on how a person ought to behave towards others by considering the right and wrong of an action. These normative theories are divided into two broad classifications, consequential and non-consequential. Consequential theories define ‘good’ in terms of its consequences, and a best known example is theory of utilitarianism. In contrast, non-consequential theories define ‘good’ not by its consequences but by its intrinsic value and the best known examples are the rights and justice theories. These theories are described below. (a) The theory of utilitarianism According to this theory, the ethical alternative is the one that maximises good consequences over bad consequences. Jeremy Bentham, who is considered as the father of utilitarian ethics, defines utilitarianism as the greatest happiness principle (the principle of utility), which measures good and bad consequences in terms of happiness and pain. He wrote as follows in his book ‘An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation’: â€Å"Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do. On the one hand the standard of right and wrong, chain of causes and effects, are fastened to their throne. They govern us in all we do, in all we say, in all we think.† The terms ‘happiness’ and ‘pain’ have broad meaning and encompass all aspects of human welfare, including pleasure and sadness, health and sickness, satisfaction and disappointment, positive and negative emotions, achievement and failure and knowledge and ignorance. Applying the utilitarian principle is a procedural process involving five steps: (1) Define the problem; (2) Identify the stakeholders affected by the problem; (3) List the alternative courses of action for resolving the problem; (4) Identify and calculate the short- and long- term costs and benefits (pain and happiness) for each alternative course of action and (5) Select the course of action that yields greatest sum of benefits over costs for the greatest number of people. Thus, ethical conduct by accountants based on this theory leads to consideration of all possible consequences of a decision for all parties affected by it. This theory takes a pragmatic and common sense approach to ethics. Actions are right to the extent that they benefit people (i.e. actions, which produce more benefit than harm are right and those that do not are wrong). Thus, the cognitive process required for utilitarian decision making appears similar to the cost-benefit analysis that is normally applied in business decisions. However, there are important distinctions between the two concepts in relation to the nature of consequences, the measurability of the consequences and stakeholder analysis. (b) The theory of rights The theory of rights stems from the belief that people have an inherent worth as human beings that must be respected. Therefore, according to this theory, a good decision is one that respects the rights of others. Conversely, a decision is wrong to the extent that it violates another person’s rights. In general, the rights can be divided into two categories: (1) natural rights (rights that exist independently of any legal structure) and (2) Legal rights and contractual rights (rights that are created by social agreement). The natural rights are commonly known as human rights or constitutional rights. Among many natural rights, the right to the truth is important to the function of accounting. The users of financial statements have the right to truthful and accurate financial information when making choices on alternative investment strategies. This right imposes a moral obligation on the accountant and the reporting entity to prepare and issue, true and fair financial statements. On the other hand, legal and contractual rights are important in the accountant-employer and the accountant-client relationships. These contractual relationships mean that employers and clients have a legal right to expect professional and competent service from the accountants. In turn, the accountants have a corresponding legal duty to perform their tasks to the best of their ability within the constraints of their expertise. (c) The theory of justice Understanding this theory requires understanding various notions of justice. Generally, justice is described as fairness, which refers to the correlation between contribution and reward. However, fairness alone cannot define the term justice. There are also other forms of justice, which include equality (assumes that all people have equal worth), procedural justice (concerns with due process) and compensatory justice (addressed the loss from a wrongful act). However, a comprehensive theory incorporating these various domains of justice has yet to be developed. Thus, the focus of this paper is on the theory of justice, which is based on the principle of distributive justice. It focuses on how fairly one’s decisions distribute benefits and burdens among members of the group. Unjust distribution of benefits and burdens is an unjust act and an unjust act is a morally wrong act. Hence, under this theory, an ethical decision is one that produces the fairest overall distribution of b enefits and burdens. Ethics In Education Basically there are three parties involved in ethical education system namely students, teachers and administrators. Teacher, being the most important facet of ethical education, is the torch bearer to the change the whole scenario of education system. He is the one who could exemplify his ethical behavior in front of students. Students most of the time learn their behavior from their teachers. Right approach of teacher to teach the students inside the class room will make ever lasting impact on the minds of students. It goes without saying that the principle of ethical conduct lie at the core of teaching profession. The whole society can be remolded by administering ethical practices. Secondly, the responsibility for promoting ethics in higher education lies with the leadership of colleges and universities. Like most efforts at organizational change, the energy, financing, and inspiration must start at the top and must anticipate and verbalize a long term commitment to ethical goals . â€Å"Bottom-up† schemes for change are seldom successful since they lack the organizational influence to create a sustained, well supported plan of action. Ethics issues permeate every aspect of university life from admissions to the classroom, from hiring to curriculum development and from research to the athletic field. To alter the ethics culture in an institution of higher education (or any organization) requires the highest level of commitment and realistic consequences for deviations. (a) Verbal and written commitment of the university president/chancellor, board of trustees, alumni association, faculty and staff to the implementation of an ethics plan of action; (b) Verbal and written commitment of departments heads overseeing student recruiting and admissions policy to an ethics plan of action for their areas of concern. Some possible action items might include advertising that the student body is governed by a â€Å"honor code†, the violation of which could lead to disenrollment. The hallmark of the admissions policy would focus on the ethical selection of students to include cultural difference, gender and racial equalities, socio-economic factors, as well as, academic excellence. (c) Faculty hiring guidelines that would include a thorough â€Å"vetting† of the applicant’s qualifications and background as well as a written commitment by the applicant to fully support the ethics initiative; (d) Faculty members to commit to and undertake curriculum revisions that would include the ethical aspects of their particular discipline; (e) Students to commit to a dormitory, fraternity/sorority, off-campus life-style code ethics; (f) Faculty members to commit to ethical guidelines for the research into the publication of scholarly materials; (g) Faculty members to commit to a faculty-faculty, faculty-student ethical relationships guideline. Lastly, students are also expected to contribute maximally by behaving honestly to their work, duties and responsibilities. They should never restore to any malpractices during examination or any class work. Conclusion The writer has reviewed just a fraction of the literature available on the subject of ethics in the workplace. The literature for the most part, supports the notion that the ethical behavior is good, that ethical behavior is needed in the workplace, and that progress is possible in raising men and women above their more prurient interests. Based on the writer’s experience and discussions with university leaders, however, the notion of total commitment by all stakeholders as outlined in the sample plan is probably unlikely. Cries of academic freedom, unreasonable restraints and loss of flexibility would be echoed from the â€Å"bell towers† of academia in spite of the intrinsic â€Å"good† intentions of the plan. All this does not augur well for the â€Å"fast track† implementation of ethics at the university level or in the workplace. Instead, progress in changing individuals towards a more ethical vision of their personal and professional life will be a p lodding effort, characterized by small successes and small failures for a long time into the future. References American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (2010). The Code of Professional Conduct. Retrievedfromhttp://www.aicpa.org/research/standards/codeofconduct/downloadabledocuments/2010june1codeofprofessionalconduct.pdf Audi, R. (2007). Can utilitarianism be distributive? Maximization and distribution as criteria in managerial decisions. Business Ethics Quarterly, 17(4), 593-611. Baiman, S. & Lewis, B. (1989). An experiment testing the behavioral equivalence ofstrategically equivalent employment contracts. Journal of Accounting Research, (27)1, 1-20. Bazerman, M.H. & Banaji, M.R. (2004). The social psychology of ordinary ethical failures. Social Justice Research, 17, 111-15. Bentham, J. (1843). The works of Jeremy Bentham. Edinburgh, Scotland: John Bowring. Bird, F.B. & Walters, J.A. (1989). Moral muteness. Californian Management Review, 73-88. Brenkert, G.G. (2010). The limits and prospects of business ethics. Business Ethics Quarterly, 20(4), 703-9. Burton, B.K. & Goldsby, M.G. (2 009). The moral floor: A philosophical examination of the connection between ethics and business. Journal of Business Ethics, 91, 145-54. Caldwell, C. & Clapham, S. (2003). Organizational trustworthiness: An internationalperspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 47(4), 349-64. Caldwell, C., Hayes, L.A., & Long, D.T. (2010). Leadership, trustworthiness, and ethical stewardship. Journal of Business Ethics, 96(4), 497-512. ETHICS IN ACCOUNTING 30 Caldwell, C. & Karri, R. (2005). Organizational governance and ethical systems: A covenantal approach to building trust. Journal of Business Ethics, 58(1), 249-59. Calhoun, C. (1995). Standing for something. The Journal of Philosophy, 92(5), 235-60. Carlopio, J. (2002). The best articles about leadership from the last ten years. BOSS Financial Review, 71-4.

History 202, United States History from 1865 to the Present

The Building of a New Nation Following the Civil War, the United States was a country that had experienced great loss and had gone to great lengths to either maintain or abolish slavery. As a nation, they were given the difficult task of repairing the damaged country as a whole, but especially the south and its economy. Their job was to not only to restore the country, but to modernize it and make it stronger compared to other nations. The task presented to the United States, its president, and its government as a whole was one that probably seemed impossible, but it would only prove to be difficult, not so much impossible.The United States faced many challenges after the end of the Civil War. Few of which include the assassination of Lincoln, rebuilding the destroyed southern economy, the federal government’s role in helping the 4 million freed African Americans, how to treat the former states of the Confederacy, and conflict over which branch of government should decide on h ow to reconstruct the south. Reconstruction is the process of readmitting Confederate states to the Union, rebuilding the south, and granting or protecting the citizenship rights of African Americans.Before Lincoln was assassinated, his plan for reconstruction was to make it simple for the south. He believed the southern states did not technically secede because no state could leave the Union, and also that secession was the fault of a disloyal minority in the South. President Johnson clashed with Republicans over reconstructing the Union and liberating African American slaves. With the disfranchisement of all former Confederate leaders, office holders, and Confederates with over $20,000 in taxable property, Johnson kept Lincoln’s plan’s power to grant individual pardons to southerners.By the summer of 1865 all seven of the remaining Confederate states met Johnson’s reconstruction requirements, but none of the constitutions extended voting rights to African Amer icans. By the fall of 1865 Johnson had granted 13,000 pardons to many former Confederate leaders. Many debates arose due to southern governments under presidential reconstruction limiting the rights of African Americans. Southern state legislatures passed â€Å"black codes† to limit the rights of African Americans, which prohibited blacks from testifying in court, renting land, or borrowing money to buy land.Work contracts also forced freedmen to work cotton fields under conditions similar to slavery. Black codes combined with Johnson’s reconstruction plan widened the rift between Johnson and Republicans in Congress. What resulted from this and the fact that Republicans were unhappy with Johnson’s â€Å"soft† treatment of the south, was Congressional Reconstruction. Congressional Reconstruction was meant to be harsher on southern states and more protective of African American rights. In 1867, the south was under military rule, and each state had to write a new constitution fulfilling Congressional requirements and elect new state governments.The Freedmen’s Bureau was created by Congress in March 1865. It was the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, and it acted as a type of early welfare agency providing food, shelter, and medical aid for blacks and whites in need after the Civil War. Originally it had the authority to resettle freedmen on confiscated Confederate land, but the resettlement power was removed when President Johnson pardoned Confederate land owners and the courts restored the lands to their original owners.The Freedmen’s Bureau’s greatest success was in education. It established 3,000 schools for African Americans, established black colleges, and taught an estimated 200,000 African Americans to read. The Amnesty Act of 1872 removed restrictions on ex-confederates and allowed Democrats to retake control of state legislatures. By 1876 Congress had removed federal troops from all but thr ee states: South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana, and Democrats returned to power in all southern states but those three.Republican governments in the south made many adjustments during reconstruction such as universal male suffrage, property rights for women, internal improvements, and state supported public school systems, hospitals, and asylums for the care of the handicapped. The end of Reconstruction meant the beginning of intense discrimination against African Americans in the south. The Gilded Age was a time of dramatic transformation in the nation, and African Americans were seen as an inferior race during the Gilded Age. The only active organization for the blacks was the NAACP founded by W. E. B.Du Bois and others in 1910. It wasn't until the 1950s that the civil rights movement started in earnest to bring the rights of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments to the U. S. Constitution passed shortly after the Civil War during Reconstruction that said blacks w ere free, made citizens, and given the right to vote. Some people would say that although American society was advancing after the Civil War, many problems were not resolved beneath the surface. It’s true, the overall level of richness and power of the country was increasing for example, but so was the level of poverty.Not to mention the struggle to find legal rights to defend the individual was often made difficult. Big companies and powerful writers and politicians were able to defend the ‘American dream' even while others were suffering, losing their rights, or being exploited in the workplace. The political history of the Gilded Age is usually reduced to a tale of corruption and scandal, and indeed there were plenty of both to go around at all levels of public life. This was the age where income inequality was an increasingly pressing issue in the Unites States and around the world.The United States was experiencing a widespread of economic growth, due to the expans ion of railroads, factories, and mines, which lead the nation in industrialization. Most big businesses supported the Republican Party and they favored monopolies, trusts, and the spoils system. Farmers created a movement called Populism, and supported increased money supply using silver. The population of post-Civil War America boomed with a new tide of immigration. This made The U. S. the third most populous nation in the Western world after Russia and France.While farmers struggled and barely maintained their numbers, business and industry boomed with America’s increasing demand for goods and services. The Gilded Age saw the United States shift from an agricultural to an urban, industrial society, as millions of Americans flocked to cities in the post–Civil War era. Even though there was much corruption people were supposed to believe that with enough willpower and determination, anyone could be a success, even become wealthy, if they just tried to fit in. However, this was not really possible.It is crazy how someone could believe that they could become successful just by trying to ‘fit in,’ yet everyone was expected to ‘buy’ the story of the golden American dream anyway. Concern with gold was certainly heightened by U. S. money being minted in scarce gold coins. In addition, gilding, in the sense of gold plating, is often done to make objects beautiful that must also be strong and durable, because gold itself is a soft metal. This might reflect an American sentiment of that era that their efforts toward culture and refinement were just a veneer over a strong but coarse base.In the 1800s America was a second-rate power. Most Americans who looked overseas were interested in expanded trade, not territorial possessions. In 1893, the depression that heightened the belief that a more aggressive foreign policy was necessary to stimulate American exports began. At the time, Cuba had been fighting for independence since 1868, and the United States intervened and went to war with Spain to gain Cuba’s liberty and freedom. This resulted in The Splendid Little War. The most highly publicized land battle of the war took place at San Juan Hill, outside Cuba.This is where Teddy Roosevelt charged up the hill with his fleet known as the Rough Riders, only to find a black regiment had already preceded them. In the treaty with Spain ending the war, the United States acquired the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and the Pacific island of Guam. America’s interest in its new possessions had more to do with trade than gaining wealth from natural resources or large-scale American settlement. Many believed that American participation in the destruction of Spanish rule would lead to social reform and political self-government.The American rule of more territory also brought with it American racial attitudes. America’s triumphant entry into the ranks of imperial powers sparked an intense debate over the rela tionship among political democracy, race, and American citizenship. The Foraker Act of 1900 declared Puerto Rico an â€Å"insular territory,† different from previous territories in the West. Americans spread racial views to new colonial possessions and embraced the idea of the white man’s burden paternalism while other nations influenced by U. S. attitudes and policies The cost of the Spanish American War was 6. billion, but the growing economy gained also, a permanent lease on naval stations in Cuba, including what is now Guantanamo Bay. America’s interest in its new possessions had more to do with trade than from gaining wealth from natural resources or large scale American settlement. The Philippine War cost the lives of well more than 100,000 Filipino’s and 4,200 Americans. The aftermath allowed for the expansion of railroads, harbors, brought in school teachers, public health officials, and sought to modernize agriculture. The Progressive Era in Amer ican history was a time of great change and reform in the United States.It was marked by a series of political and social reforms aimed at problems that arose as a consequence of urban growth and the Industrial Revolution. Activism, new federal laws, and a series of constitutional amendments marked this era of change. There were many problems during the Progressive Era. They included poverty and unsanitary slums in American cities, poor working conditions including child labor in factories, corporate trusts that eliminated competition and raised prices with impunity, discrimination against women and ethnic minorities, and corruption in the so-called urban political machines.During the Progressive Era, women and African-Americans were effectively barred from political participation. In addition, African-Americans in the South were subjected to mandatory segregation and â€Å"Jim Crow† laws. Susan B. Anthony led the movement for women's suffrage, which resulted in the 1920 rati fication of the nineteenth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, which extended voting rights to women. Labor unions grew in opposition to unfair labor practices and dangerous working conditions in American factories. Journalists began writing stories about unsanitary meat packing facilities.In result, â€Å"The Jungle,† an expose of America's meat-packing factories written by Upton Sinclair, intended to generate public sympathy for America's working class; instead, the attention focused on the safety of meat. Congress later passed food-and-drug safety legislation. In addition to the various reform laws passed by Congress during the Progressive Era, this period of history saw the ratification of four constitutional amendments: the sixteenth, the seventeenth, the eighteenth, and the nineteenth. The sixteenth authorized a graduated income tax to fund government operations, and the seventeenth provided for direct election of Senators.The eighteenth amendment banned the sale and i mportation of alcohol, and the nineteenth amendment extended voting rights to women. The eighteenth amendment failed because prohibition fueled the rise of organized crime and had little public support as time passed. It was repealed in 1933. The Progressive Era included other reforms as well. The U. S. government exercised greater control over the banking system through the creation of the Federal Reserve System. After multiple wars, conflicts, and controversies, the United States is well on its way to becoming and advanced and industrialized new world.The Progressive Movement was an effort to cure many of the ills of American society that had developed during the great spurt of industrial growth in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Although not all individuals were equal, it is still not even that way today, but what mattered was that there were improvements being made. African Americans were no longer enslaved, and were free to start their own business, open their own s chools and churches, and educate themselves; something that would have been unheard of just forty years ago.The nation had also grown tremendously in the aspect of modernization and industrialization. New factories were popping up along with coal mines, and railroads were being built all across the country to transport goods and create national brands. A downfall to this was that the rich were becoming richer, and the poor were becoming poorer. The nation was also making itself stronger by acquiring more territory such as, Guam, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Not to mention gaining permanent naval stations in Cuba. As a whole, the United States grew quickly and prospered tremendously, regardless of their rocky start.