Friday, November 29, 2019

U.S. Foreign Policy Choices in the Cases of Syria and Libya

Introduction and the identification of the problem The interaction of countries in the international system is often determined by several factors. As opined in theories of international relations like realism, nations often seek to secure their interests when interacting or advancing a number of courses in the international system.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on U.S. Foreign Policy Choices in the Cases of Syria and Libya specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The question that is asked and which forms the basis of argument by most commentators of the international political economy is the reason why countries uses different approaches when formulating and pursuing foreign policy goals in different regions. This is one of the most debated issues in the assessment of the foreign policy goals and approaches in relation to the developments in Libya and the contemporary political developments in Syria. A differen ce has been noted in the United States policy approaches to Libya and the kind of approach that the United States is taking in addressing the developments in Syria. A critical question that comes out here concerns the factors that drive the United State to pursue a given course in a given country or region. A number of commentators point to the fact that both internal (country-derived) factors, as well as external factors (the forces that emerge on the international stage) determine the approaches of foreign policy by the United States and can be applied to the case of foreign policy response in Libya and Syria by the United States. The two cases present a similar situation; Libyans were fighting to remove a dictator from power, which is the same thing that is happening in Syria. It is expected that the United States could have taken a more similar approach due to the similarity of the cases. The response of the United States to the political development in Libya was quite fast. The United States responded directly by offering direct support to the opposition that was amounting against the late Moammar Gadhafi. On the other hand, the United States seems to be quite careful in as far as its direct actions in Syria are concerned. The United States has often been at the forefront in pressing for democracy in the Middle East reason.Advertising Looking for research paper on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, it is questionable whether the United States really seeks to promote democracy in the world or whether it just makes use of democracy as a tool for pursuing its deeper seated interest in the region. Therefore, what makes the United States quite inactive when it comes to the issue of autocracy in Syria? Why is it that the United States finds it easier to pursue its course in other countries while it becomes quite daunting for the country to advance its interests in other coun tries? This is what the research seeks to bring out. The research seeks to borrow from the theories of international relations in explaining the relations between the United States and other countries. Of greater relevance in the research is the exploration of the foreign policy of the United States in relation to the developments in Libya and Syria and the reasons why there is a variation in the approach in both countries that present a situation that is alike. The United States has often been seen taking an active role in a number of countries in the Middle East region, which has ended up changing the course of political events in those countries. Can similar approaches be applied in the Syria and what reasons are making the United States not to deploy the similar active strategies such as the ones it applied to Libya in Syria? This is a broad question that can only be responded to by the virtue of studying the models of pursuing foreign policy goals and the guiding factors in eac h approach that are taken by the United States in pursuing its foreign policy in diverse regions in the world. How do the domestic and international factors play out in the formulation and execution of the foreign policies by the United States and how have they played out differently in Libya and Syria. Are the strategies of the United States in Syria impeded more by the internal factors and interest of the United States or are they affected by other players in the international scene. Topic Description (Literature) Duncan, Jancar-Webster, and Switky (2008) observed that there are several theories that were advanced to help in explaining the nature of events in the international political economy. The relation between states can no longer be avoided, especially in the globalized world where there is a lot of cross-national and cross regional transactions across the world.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on U.S. Foreign Policy Choices in the Cases of Syri a and Libya specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, of greater interest to political economists is the observation and analysis of the manner in which states relate to each other in the international system. States advances their relations with other states through their foreign policies. Foreign policy goals are developed according to the kind of development on the international stage and the interest of a given country in the matter that prevails on the international stage. It is important to echo the systems theory, which attributes the world to a system in which countries are parts or rather the sub-systems of the larger system. According to the theory of realism that was developed by Hans Morgenthau, countries are the main actors in the international system. Morgenthau opined that nation states are the main actors when it comes to the affairs in the international system and that there is no greater actor than nation states in t he international system. The pessimism in this theory, which is perhaps the true definition of relations between states in the international system is that states often act to protect, pursue and advance their interests in all developments that take place in the international system. Therefore, the development of the foreign policy goals and strategies of states is guided by the interests of that state. This finds justification in most of the actions that have been advanced by states in as far as the interaction between states in the international system. It should be noted that realism centers on the issue of power and its accolades as a driving force for the interest of states in the international system. Power is founded in a number of activities among them the pursuance of economic development that acts as one of the main derivatives of power in the international system (Jackson Sà ¸rensen, 2007). Whether this applies to the United States is a question that can only be answere d by looking at the nature of foreign policy goals and strategies that have been pursued by the United States in the world. The United States is considered as the super power, having taken charge due to the collapse of the bipolar system during the cold war period.Advertising Looking for research paper on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The weakening and disintegration of the Soviet Union resulted in the Emergence of the United States as the most powerful nation state in the world, in what is referred to as the unipolar global order. Therefore, as a superpower the United States is seen as the epicenter of most of the developments that take place in different regions of the world (Jackson Sà ¸rensen, 2007). As a superpower, the main challenge of the United States is the maintenance of its dominance by ensuring that the unipolar system is protected. This is the reason as to why the United States is termed as the world police because it keeps looking into any issue or development that takes place anywhere in the world with the objective of protecting, safeguarding and advancing interests in the place where the developments take place. However, in doing so the United States comes in contact with other countries in the international scene that are also determined to safeguard their interests. Therefore, what comes out in such situations is referred to as the conflict of interests, where each country has to act in a certain way so as not to cause friction with other players in a similar matter (Jackson Sà ¸rensen, 2007). The issue of the response of the United States to the situation in Syria can be termed as an example of a situation where there are multiple interests, where different players are also interested in the development. Payne (2007) observed that for more than two decades now, the theory of international relations has been overtaken by the argument between the neorealists and the opponents of neorealism. Most of the arguments revolve around the organization of the international system and its impacts on the patterns of outcomes in the international system such as peace and war. Thus scholars have been divided over the real essence of a multipolar and the bipolar system in as far as the maintenance of order on the international system is concerned. Neorealism attempts to explain the results of the interactions that prevail between and among states in the international system. It is one of the most vocal theories of international politics that attempts to explain the nature of relations between states in the international system and how politics plays out in the interaction between states in the international system (Palmer Morgan, 2011). According to Palmer and Morgan (2011), the interaction of states in the international system is an eminent thing, thence, neorealists make an attempt to explain the factors that play out in the interaction between states and the results of such interactions. The action and motivations of individual countries in the international political arena is what is explored by the neorealists. However, neorealism does not seem to bring out fully the behaviors, actions and motivation of individual countries in international politics. This is the reason as to why foreign policy theories are used to fill the vacuum that is left by the the ories of international politics like neorealism. In the theories of foreign policy, the behavior of individual states is often taken as a dependent variable in the explanation of the outcomes of the relations between states in the international system (Palmer Morgan, 2011) Theories of foreign policy attempt to explain what states seek to achieve with the transnational system and how they try to achieve it. It is argued that the foreign policy goals of countries are based on internal, as well as the external factors, all of which are critical in the pursuance of foreign policy goals by countries in the international system. However, a balance often lacks in the interplay of the external and internal factors in determining the foreign policy goals and actions of states in international affairs. The extent to which the internal or external factors play out strongly is dependent on the strategic issues that stand in the external, as well as the internal environment. The strategic issue s in the external environment are most commonly determined by other players and their interest and position in the same matter. Foreign policy goals, interests and strategies can only be understood though the exploration of the real foreign policy choices that is arrived at and upheld by individual states in international affairs (Bandyopadhyaya, 2004). The rationale behind this observation above is that foreign policy is an active process that is molded upon the prevailing situation in the international system and the position and interests of the individual state at that point in time. This implies that countries can shift their foreign policy goals and strategies depending on the prevailing development and the nature of actors that are actively involved in that given situation in international politics. Therefore, goals and interest can shift depending on the situation and the possible outcomes of the nature of intervention in that situation. What should be noted when talking abo ut international politics and the development of foreign policy goals and strategies by individual states is that interests may prevail in any situation; however, the external situation may necessitate the individual state to act in a given manner. This is because the international political arena has a lot of actors and the strategies of an individual country are often affected by the strategies and interest of other actors in the same matter (Bandyopadhyaya, 2004). Several schools of thought have been advanced in order to explain the interplay of domestic and external factors in foreign policy. One such school of thought is the innenpolitik theories. These theories advance more on the role of internal factors in the development of foreign policy. The formulation of foreign policy goals by states is dependent on the domestic policies and goals of states. The domestic goals portray the internal needs of states that guide the interests of the state in the international system. Whethe r this is the order of foreign policy choices by states remains to be rhetoric, especially when the issue of power in the international system is concerned. According to moralists, power often corrupts the minds of states, making them to act irrationally in order to secure interest in the international system (Brown, 2000). It sometimes becomes difficult to measure the level of irrationality or rationality in the issues of foreign policy on a particular issue when there is a diverse locus of interests. Defensive realism opines that the behaviors of states in the international system are driven by systemic factors. However, not all patterns of behavior by states in the international system are dictated by the systemic factors. This paves way for the advancement of other schools of thought like neoclassical realism, which attempt to incorporate internal and external factors in the formulation and execution of foreign policy by states (Dunne, 2007). Neoclassical realism is advanced fro m classical realism and broadens the scope of the arguments that were presented by classical realists concerning the adherents of states in formulating foreign policy. The proponents of the neorealist class of thought argue that the scope of an individual country’s foreign policy is determined by the position of the country in the international system. Power capabilities are among the key driving forces in as far as the determination of the position of a country and its influence and position in the international system is concerned. However, the impact of power capabilities of individual states in the international system is quite complex. The complexity resonates from the fact that there are a lot of intervening variables that affect the pursuance of power by an individual state in the international system (Lobell, Ripsman Taliaferro, 2009). The relative material power determines the level of assertion of a country in international politics through foreign policy. Power gi ves a country the strength to pursue its course in as far as order and interests in the international system are concerned. However, there is no constancy in the linkage between power and the pursuance of foreign policy (Payne, 2007). According to Flibbert (2006), foreign policy goals come from the political process that is shaped by the politics of a country. The political set up of a country play a substantive role in shaping the foreign policy of a country. For instance, the issue of the political regime and leadership, played a resounding role in pursuing a foreign policy that saw the United States invade Iraq. The United States political regime under the leadership of the then president George Bush was so much determined to go ahead with the plans of invasion, in spite of the sentiments from other players in the global scene like the United Nations that were against such a move. Therefore, what really pushed the United States government to activate such a move (Schmidt William s, 2008)? The possibility of the stopping the United States at that point in time was put in jeopardy by the mere fact that the United States sought to exercise its absolute power. The support from other players on the international stage is said to have backed the United States, thence, enabling it to go ahead with its strategy of invading Iraq and removing Saddam Hussein from power. The issue of interest in the case was justified by the fact that the claims that were made by the United States came out negative. There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, yet the United States government solidly stood behind that point and used it as a key point for advancing its invasion of Iraq. However, it can be said that there was an international push for the political regime in the country to advance actions to show that it was responding to the growing global insecurity and the threat of terrorism in the country (Schmidt Williams, 2008). There is a belief by moralists that the compr ehension of power and its linkage with policy needs a comprehensive inner look into the context within which states formulate and implement foreign policy goals. This leads to the assumption that the process of formulating and implementing foreign policy by states in the international system is complex and that states have to assess the issues of power balance in the international system prior to implementing several foreign policy strategies. Power is relative and cannot be the main basis on which a country makes decisions in the international system (Payne, 2007). A country has to consider a ray of other factors, considering the fact that the contemporary international system is quite dynamic and that the interests of states keep changing with time. There is also what is referred to as the balancing of risks while referring to the actions of the powerful states in removing rogue regimes in the developing countries. States often act with caution while advancing such steps because o f the presumed pressures that emanate from the other peripheries of power in the international system. A country has to moderate its approach to such an issue in cases where there seems to be an interplay of several actors that can result in conflict between actors if cautions steps are not taken by a given actor. This has a close relation to the perceived continued war for the balance of power in the international system and the issue of proxy wars. Therefore, the application of containment strategies depicts a situation where the major players in the international system make attempts to exercise their scales of power and influence in the international system. Therefore, each power has to pay attention to other main players in as far as the application of containment strategies in a given country is concerned (Taliaferro, 2004). Research Question Hypothesis (Methodology) This paper seeks to bring out the issue that guide the formulation and implementation of foreign policy goals and strategies by countries while responding to the issues in the international system. This is a secondary research paper that is based on literature to explain the foreign policy choices and the theoretical underpinnings in the foreign policy choices. The paper seeks to bring out a comprehensive and concise argument about the nature of foreign policy choices of the United States in relation to its response to the political situation that occurred in Libya and the political situation in Syria. Hypothesis: The United States’ foreign policy choices are highly motivated by the domestic interests and shaped by the domestic forces. Alternative Hypothesis: The foreign policy choices of the United States on the situation in Syria have been greatly affected by the external situation; the interests of other countries like Iran, Russia and China in Syria. Research questions This research seeks to answer two main questions: To what level do domestic and external interests in impact on the response of the United States to the political situation in Libya and Syria? What justifies the variation between the foreign policy choices of the United States to the political developments in Libya and Syria? Detailed outcome description The paper carries out a comparative analysis of the foreign policy of the United States in two countries that present a similar internal political situation. These are Syria and Libya. What is sought for in this paper is a comparison between the factors that influences the nature of foreign policy goals and strategies in response to the two situations that present in Libya and Syria. Of great importance in this research is the incorporation of the theories of international relations in explaining the interplay of issues as is presented on the nature of responses by the United States in both countries. The two countries that are presented in this research come from the same region of the Middle East region. However, there is a total variatio n in the manner in the way the United States develops and implements foreign policy choices in Libya and the way it is approaching the situation in Syria. Therefore, the outcome of this research seeks to explain how domestic and external forces play out in shaping the actions of the United States in Libya and the actions of the United States in Syria. The direct action of the United States in Libya was facilitated by the high interest of the United States in the country and the support of other international players like the Arab league. Both the internal and external factors steered the direct response of the United States and its actions that resulted in the ousting of the authoritative political regimes in the country. This will be expounded in the discussion. In the case of Syria, there seems to be less motivation for the United States to act. This is caused by the factor that there is a stronger interplay of external factors in the country. It is argued that Syria and its posit ion in the region attracts several other competitors of the United States like Iran, Russia and China, which bars the United States from taking a direct approach in responding to the situation in the country. This will also be explored in the discussion. Thus, it can be said that the foreign policy choices of states among them the United States is determined by domestic forces and shaped by the prevailing factor in the external environment; international system. This is evident in the comparative exploration of the US Foreign policy choices in Libya and Syria. However, it should be noted that the political situation in Syria is still active and there is a possibility of a shift in the foreign policy goals and strategies. The shift is dependent on the change in the interest of the countries that have an interest in Syria and the actions of the international players like the Arab League and its intervention in the situation. Comparative Analysis and Discussions As observed in the lite rature, the exploration of the political developments and actions of states in international relations is founded on the theories of international relations. Among the theories are the theories of realism and its resultant theories like neo liberalism that seek to justify the issue of power and interest in the international system and how they affect the choices and responses of states to the political events in the international system. There is also the theory of foreign policy that seeks to explain the basis on which foreign policy choices are arrived at by the states. According to the literature, both internal factors and external situations influence the choice of strategies by states when they are pursuing their interests in the international system. Therefore, these theories can be aptly applied in explaining the variation of the United States foreign policy strategies in Libya and Syria. The difference between Syria and Libya Syria presents a political situation where the ci vilians have been increasingly subjected to the brutality of the political regime in the country under the leadership of president Bashar al-Assad. The atrocities against the civilians have been caused by the rising opposition against the political regime in the country by the civilians. While the talks on how to intervene and rescue the citizens from the humanitarian situation that prevails in the country, a lot of political commentators ask questions about the reason as to why the political developments in Syria have not attracted the kind of intervention by Arab allies and NATO as was witnessed in Libya. The international response to the political situation in Syria has been quite limited, even amidst the increased scale of violence and calls for intervention in the political situation in the country. Diplomatic censures of the foreign ambassadors and the withdrawal of a number of Syrian envoys in a substantial number of countries in the Arab region and the Western States have be en witnessed (Liste, 2012). A number of countries in the Arab region have expelled the Syrian ambassadors as a sign of showing resentment against the political developments in the country. However, this has not presented any challenge to the Syrian political regime (Sharp Blanchard, 2013). It has been observed Syria does not heavily engage in foreign trade, thus it is not greatly affected by the sanctions that are imposed on it. This is one aspect of power that depicts the internal strength of Syria. However, Libya had a stronger internal economy resonating from the availability of large deposits of oil, but there was a direct intervention in the country by the United States when the political regime seemed to escalate its power on the country. What makes the difference between the political response that was witnessed in Libya in the year 2011 and the seemingly sluggish response by the United States and the international community in as far as the response to the political situati on in Libya is concerned. There was a resounding response by the international community led by the United States to the political situation in Libya, which saw the prevention of the bloodshed that loomed in the country (Chossudovsky, 2013). According to the political commentators, the foreign policy of the United States and its backing of the local forces were highly motivated by the prevalence of an open environment in the country. The open environment was presented by the fact that there was a lot of periphery support against the Libyan Regime from the Arab world. The ousted Libyan leader, Gadhafi has accumulated power to an extent that he posed a threat to the balance of power in the Arab League. The Arab League, therefore, has a reason to fully support the United States, making it easy for the United States to directly intervene in the political situation in Libya (Liste, 2012). United States is often associated with places that are rich in oil and the interest of the United St ates in a far as the case of Libya is concerned is quite elaborate. This can be likened to the case of neorealism that reiterates that power does not only rely on the military superiority, but also the ability of the state to advance growth in other realms like the economic growth and expansion. Oil is one of the major steering forces in economic growth and development of states, which in turn enhances the power of the state. The Libyan economy has often depended on oil mining and processing. The massive presence of oil in the country attracts a lot of attention of the external players in the country. Therefore, the United States had a quite aggressive policy when it came to the political situation in the country, which was guided by the personal interests rather than the interest of eliminating the political threats to the citizenry of Libya. The pursuance of its interests was highly supported by the favorable external support of a substantial number of players that were against th e political regime in Libya. The case that is presented in Libya is, however, different. There is less attention of the United States in Syria. Moreover, the country seems to be one of the protectorates of Russia and China and is strategic in as far as the advancement of the interest of Russia and China in the region is concerned (Sharp Blanchard, 2013). The enforcement of a no-fly-zone in Libya was one of the extensive strategies that enabled the NATO forces to pin down the forces of the late Gadhafi in the case of Libya. However, for the case of Libya the NATO has come out openly and claimed that it cannot use such a strategy in Syria without the backing by the Unite Nations. Russia and China, which are the greatest countries that pose a threat to the superiority and power of the United States in the region, have come out strongly to support the political regime in Syria. Russia and China are both worried about the possible intervention and the ousting of the authoritarian regime in the country are concerned. This justified the realist school of thought in international relations and the formulation of foreign policy (Sharp Blanchard, 2013). The theory opines that countries are merely guided by their interests when it comes to the advancement of relations with other states and the crafting of foreign policy goals. Syria was one of the main allies of the Soviet Union in the Middle East region. The same development has been taken up by Russia, which still considers Syria to be one of its key allies in the Middle East. Russia still directly engages with Syria. Russia supplies Syria with weapons, which is the reason why it supports the political regime of Syria. The continued existence of the current political regime is, therefore, paramount to the interests of Russia in the country. The removal of the regime in power could come with a substantial number of political changes, some of which may result in the weakening of the political tie between Russia and Syr ia. A close comparison can, therefore, be made between the prevailing political situation in Syria and the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where atrocities were being committed against the civilians in the country at the mere watch of the international community. Issues of power and interests played out strongly in determining the course of events in the cases of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the prevailing case of the political situation in Syria. A similar case was also witnessed in what turned out to be genocide in Rwanda (Liste, 2012). Liste (2012) observed that there are also other factors that determine the prevailing nature of response by the United States to the prevailing political situation in Syria. The issue of the nuclear developments in Iran has put the United States and Iran at loggerheads. The presence and participation of Iran in the political developments in Syria is, therefore, a strategic move that forces the United States to act with caution when advancing a milita ry course in the region. Iran allies with Russia and China to form a complex political bond in Syria, which poses a challenge to the pursuance of a political course by the United States in the region. There are other factors that are also coming out as the influences of the actions the United States in a far as the developments in Syria is concerned. One such issue is the geography of Syria compared to the geography of Libya. It is argued that most of the target regions in Libya lied along the Mediterranean coast, making it easy for the NATO forces to attack the regions from the sea. On the other hand, it is argued that the Syrian armies are well equipped and more coordinated, having received a lot of support and military equipment from Russia. This poses a challenge to the NATO forces that were used to intervene in Libya. Most of the countries that surround Syria also seem not to support the United States, unlike the case that was with Libya where most of the neighboring countries offered support to the United States. Iraq and Lebanon, which seem to be the strategic places where the United States can stage its military base are unstable and to a larger extent do not back the United States (Liste, 2012). Conclusion This research focuses on bringing out the factors that dictate the variation in the nature of political response of the United States in the political situation in Syria and the response to the 2011 political situation in Libya. The research has been founded on the application of theoretical developments, especially the theories of international relations in explaining the factors that dictate the foreign policy choices of the United States in the two political situations occurring in the same region. From the description and analysis of the issues that surround the foreign policy choices and responses of the United States in the two cases, several deductions can be made. It can be said that foreign policy goals and strategies are strongly shaped by the external environment rather than the internal or domestic forces. This is justified by the variation in the response of the United States in Syria and Libya. In the Case of Libya, the United States was highly supported by a supportive atmosphere in the external environment. The Arab League and most other countries neighboring Libya supported the United States course of action. The US was also supported by the strategic position of the Libyans, which made it easy to advance its military course. On the other hand, Syria presents a different situation altogether. There is no massive international support for the United States. There are also other equally strong players in the region, which necessitates a passive action by the United States. The second important deduction is that the interest of a state plays out strongly in setting the pace of determination in pursuing a course in the international system. The presence of massive deposits of oil is argued to be the main triggerin g factor in the response of the United States in the region. On the other hand, Syria does not present an economic attraction to the United States which is why the United States takes a cold approach to the political situation in the country. References Bandyopadhyaya, J. (2004). A general theory of foreign policy. New Delhi: Allied Publishers. Brown, M. E. (2000). America’s strategic choices. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Chossudovsky, M. (2013). â€Å"Operation Libya† and the battle for oil: Redrawing the map of Africa. Web. Duncan, W. R., Jancar-Webster, B., Switky, B. (2008). World politics in the 21st century: Student choice edition. Boston, MA: Mifflin Haecourt Publishing Company. Dunne, T. (2007). International relations theories: Discipline and diversity. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Flibbert, A. (2006). The road to Baghdad: Ideas and intellectuals in explanations of the Iraq War. Security Studies, 15(2), 310-52. Jackson, R. H., Sà ¸rensen, G. (2007). Introd uction to international relations: Theories and approaches. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Liste, T. (2012). How Syria differs from Libya. Web. Lobell, S. E., Ripsman, N. M., Taliaferro, J. W. (2009). Neoclassical realism, the state, and foreign policy. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Palmer, G., Morgan, T. C. (2011). A theory of foreign policy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Payne, R. A. (2007). Neorealists as critical theorists: The purpose of foreign policy debate. Perspectives on Politics, 5(3), 503-514. Schmidt, B C., Williams, M. C. (2008). The Bush doctrine and the Iraq War: Neoconservatives versus realists. Security Studies, 17(2), 191-220. Sharp, J. M., Blanchard, C. M. (2013). Armed conflict in Syria: U.S. and international response. Congressional Research Service. Web. Taliaferro, J. W. (2004). Balancing risks: Great power intervention in the periphery. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. This research paper on U.S. Foreign Policy Choices in the Cases of Syria and Libya was written and submitted by user Cuck00 to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Monday, November 25, 2019

How To Write One Of The Most Important Essays At College

How To Write One Of The Most Important Essays At College Helpful Tips on Writing a College Application Essay One of the most important college assignments is the college application essay. And this type of essays is absolutely different from all those you used to write throughout high school. It is not like a persuasive or argumentative essay, a college application essay allows you to be more creative and show yourself through writing. In this case, you will have to create not just a good essay but a really excellent one. But don’t be scared at once, everything is not that complicated. Thanks to the following guide, we are sure you will be able to master those skills as soon as possible. The Definition of a College Application Essay Sometimes, a college application essay is called an admissions essay, personal statement (statement), application essay, or purpose. The applicants are frequently asked to write several such essays, though some institutions might ask you to write just one. As a rule, you will be asked to complete just one question selected, though it’s possible to choose from several ones, too. The topics can be really specific or vice versa, very wide to write on. Most often, the essay statements are connected with three topics – talents of the applicant, the significance of the chosen area of expertise, and mutual benefits. If you are assigned a college application essay about the applicant’s talents, you should write about your life experience and why you are a serious candidate. You will have to share your dedication to art or sports, overcoming various obstacles, etc. If you are assigned a college application essay on the importance of the chosen field, you will have to share your academic pursuits and goals to show how ambitious you are. Mutual benefit questions should show why you would benefit from admission and why the college would benefit from such a student as you. Your main task is to give a unique answer to question and show your best sides. Format of a College Application Essay As a rule, college applications are being written online, so you will have to create your essay in a text box. At first, it is necessary to type it in Microsoft Word (or other compatible programs) and paste it to the text box. Make sure to check if everything is spaced properly to avoid various cutoffs. There is no certain structure set for formatting a college application essay. Some teachers insist that it’s necessary to follow the five-paragraph structure; however, it is not mandatory at all. Your essay has to be well-written and unique. And writing it in a five-paragraph structure won’t help you be accepted to college. Your essay should have an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, it might consist of four, five, or even six paragraphs in total. All you need is not to forget about the word limit. How to Write a College Application Online Read the task and write down your ideas on paper. Here there is no need to restrict yourself, just let your ideas flow from your imagination and answer the question the best way possible. You might write your best answer from the very first idea, and it might take some time to think and choose the best answer. Keep in mind that the most unique, honest, and the attention-capturing answer will be the best one. Create a hook, which is the first sentence that will grab the reader’s attention and will be relevant to the prompt. Your essay doesn’t have to be one of the thousands of those essays the members of the admission committee read every day. It has to stand out from them all! For that reason, it is the most important sentence of your entire essay, while it promises your reader that the rest of the writing is really smart, interesting, and worth his or her time. Do not reply as hundreds of other applicants, but write something unpredictable, something vivid and something that will make your reader keep reading your writing. Once you have finished with the hook, it’s time to write an introductory paragraph, which will make the reader acquainted with the subject. The last sentence contains an overall thesis. You won’t have to prove the thesis here like when writing other types of essays. But a single point orbiting around is mandatory for a college application essay. If you are asked why the college will help you reach your goals, you will have to address this question in your introductory paragraph final sentence writing something like: In my opinion, this college will help me reach my top dream helping people by becoming a great dentist. However, it is not too unique and interesting. Instead, it’s better to write something like: I have always been concerned about human suffering, so I believe educating studying to become a dentist at such a great university is the best way to help people cope with their pain. Each body paragraph has to start from a very strong topic sentence and contain good examples to support your unique or life perspective. And your final paragraph has to link the reader to why you exactly need to study at that school. Create your first draft. Once you have your opening sentence, good outline, and an overall imagination of what you want to say in your body paragraphs, start to write. It would be perfect if you could take a one-hour or even more break and after that, read it again. When rereading your draft, you should underline everything that seems too weak to you, eliminate the repetitions and misspellings. The draft should flow very smoothly and sound engaging, so can rewrite it as many times as necessary. Now you can ask your family member, friend, or any other trusted person to read it and give their feedback. Ask for honest feedback from them, so they could tell you exactly what part is weak or boring. If necessary, make revisions. Now you can even put it away for a couple of days and only then reread it. once you feel comfortable with it, you can submit it online. Topics for Your College Application Online As a rule, students are being assigned a particular topic, but sometimes they may ask you to choose from five or seven topics. There are even cases when the college asks you to write on your own topic you feel comfortable with. Below, there are some topics to choose from and make them your own: Describe the biggest challenge you’ve overcome. What was your biggest failure and what lesson you took from it? Have you ever disappointed someone you love or care for and what lesson you took from it? What profession do you consider to be the noblest and why? They say every family is weird. What about yours? How the weirdness of your family made you grow into a better person? Who of the public figures you would like to interview and why? What lesson did you take from one of your flaws? What childhood memory embodies the best who you are today? What social issue is the most compelling for you and why? Is there any law you would like to change? Why? Conclusion The college application essay is one of the most challenging and important assignments for any student. And an average student often finds it very complicated and scary. And it happens for some good reasons, while a great essay will open lots of doors for you. If you are not sure about having good skills to write your best college application essay, you can use our tips and make them yours, as well as read some of the college application essay examples to get a better idea of how it’s better to create the essay of your life. Remember that your future might depend on your college application essay, so it’s necessary to put some efforts and get some special skills to show your best self to the commission!

Friday, November 22, 2019

Inflation, Unemployment and Growth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Inflation, Unemployment and Growth - Essay Example One disadvantage is the distortion in weighted averages. It may produce wrongful information on inflation. 3. The current inflation rate is at o.6%. The core rate of inflation is the annual rise in consumer expenditure. This rate was at 3.3%. The inflation rate for health care services was measured at 1.7%. This is with the gradual increase in the consumer price index of urban consumers. 4. A fall in price levels of a commodity over time is termed as deflation. One noteworthy thing brought on by deflation is a consumer’s purchasing power. More goods and services may be bought with little capital. It usually benefits people earning fixed income and consumers with less debt consumption. Japan’s experience with deflation started in the 1990’s. The creation of policies to end it did not assist. It did not create an increase in broad money which presented a problem. This led to an increase in deflation. There are more reasons to worry about deflation than inflation. One is the failure to repay debts. 5. Inflation is caused by the dependency of money-supply growth rate, and its relativity to the growth of the economy. To assist in reducing inflation, prices and wages need adjusting. This is to make other factors have a minimal effect on a trend line. 7. Internal method of valuing money involves the reverse value of prices. Increases in price levels mean that, the amount of goods purchased by a single unit also decrease. The external method of valuing money involves calculating the amount of foreign currency, which is bought from a domestic money unit. 8. The producer price index measures average changes in prices. These are prices expected by resident manufacturers for the total output produced. The use of the PPI is to measure the force being put on manufacturers by the costs of their raw resources. 12. Difference among the measures of unemployment, for example, U1 involves people who

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Report on CAN Bus Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Report on CAN Bus Technologies - Essay Example In the wake of which Intel delivered the first CAN chip, the 82526. Shortly thereafter, Philips Semiconductors introduced the 82C200 CAN controller On the academic front where larger universities and research labs obtained more computers during the late 1960s, experiments were started to meet the demand of setting up communication links between these computers so that the data could be shared swiftly with least interruptions and without other undesirable delays. Hence the development of Ethernet at XEROX PARC 1973-75[4], and its subsequent deployment followed by the seminal paper - "Ethernet Distributed Packet Switching For Local Computer Networks" in 1976 by Metcalfe and Boggs. By early 80s, the flux of Dos based computers in the Industry, where resources such as Disk space and Laser printers were dear, triggered the need to share them along with the data over the channel that could be easily adjusted. In other words these were the early attempts made to provide a solution to meet the demand of sharing resources and smart delivery system and transferring data over affordable physical wiring. Of which only Novel Netware could provide a relatively feasible solution with an operating system that could put 40 computers in a network sharing data and the resources over the same wiring network. By 1992, when many vendors used their technologies, only compatible to their own equipments, to produce solutions by setting up communication links between two or more devices, no one could convince the other to form an open system that was compatible in general, the need to found a user's group to standardize the different solutions forced Holger Zeltwanger to bring together users and manufacturers to establish the 'CAN in Automation' (CiA) international users and manufacturers association. Since no standard protocols existed to transfer or receive data at either end of the communication channel provided by various vendors, the foremost job of CiA was to set up the specifications of the CAN Application Layer (CAL). And by 1993, Bosch led a European consortium to design a test project with communication protocols- a step towards setting up a compatible system for internal working of productions cells: the CANopen. The system aimed at providing a framework for programmable systems, devices to suit the systems, interfacing between various components and the application profiles. This facility enabled the industry to exploit it in the printing devices, medicals devices and many more. By early 1990s efforts were made to develop a communication profile to address the layers that dealt with the applications at communicating ends. 'DeviceNet' and 'Smart Distributed System' (SDS) were developed. These were the higher layers and the focus of these

Monday, November 18, 2019

Mythology in Contemporary Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mythology in Contemporary Culture - Essay Example Perhaps the most famous of mythologies in the world is the one that Ancient Greece created. While most mythologies in other parts of the globe dealt with the macabre, the mythology of Greece lavished in stories of love and honor. Unlike other gods, the Greek gods were like humans; with good and bad qualities. They often fell in love and sometimes felt jealousy and hatred. Roman mythology is not far from the Greek one since they derived their stories from them. They merely changed the names of the deities but the stories remained the same. Popol Vuh, on the other hand is a book that contains the records of the mythological narratives and lineage of the rulers of the Quich Maya kingdom of highland Guatemala. This paper deals with contemporary things that echoes the influence of mythology from past times. In writing this paper, we can learn some of the things that are still rooted to common mythology and its impact to society's everyday lives. One of the most enduring of all human practices that has to do with mythology is our use of them in naming heavenly bodies. Let's start off with the planets. The first planet from the sun is Mercury. In Roman mythology, Mercury (Hermes in Greek) is one of the twelve primary gods (Dodekatheon) that reside in Olympus. As messenger of the gods, he is known to be the swiftest of them. It is no wonder that the fastest planet would be named from the fleet-footed Mercury. Another of these planets is Venus, known as the morning star for its brightness. As the goddess of beauty, it is quite explicit that the most brilliant star would be named after her. Our very own planet Earth is personified as Gaea (mother earth). Long before the emergence of the gods, t he earth was inhabited by the Titans. Gaea was one of them and she is married to Uranus (the heaven). Uranus in turn is where the name of the seventh planet is derived. One of Gaea and Uranus' children is Saturn, often identified with the Greek deity Cronus (time). Saturn is also known as the god of agriculture. After it was foretold that one of his children will vanquish him, Cronus devoured each of them after they are delivered. His sixth child, Zeus (Jupiter) was saved by his mother. When Jupiter was strong enough, he saved his siblings from the dreaded body of Cronus and became the leader of the Gods. As the king of heaven and earth and the strongest of them all, it is just obvious for people of modern times to name after him the largest of the planets in our solar system. The fourth planet from the sun, known as Mars, is named after the Roman god of war. It is part of the mythology that Venus fell in love with Mars; thus popularizing the symbols and , which are the symbols of Venus and Mars respectively. It is not hidden knowledge that these are the symbols for the feminine and the masculine; and commonly these symbols complement each other, the way the two deities complement their selves. The eight planet is named after Neptune, the Roman god of the sea and he is the brother of Jupiter. The last planet in our solar system is the Pluto. A small, cold, dark, rocky planet, it's identity is still a mystery to most scientists. However, it is not a mystery to us that the planet is just aptly named since Pluto

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Behavior Towards Fast Food Mcdonalds In Malaysia

Behavior Towards Fast Food Mcdonalds In Malaysia Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction 1.1.1 The Nature of Fast Food From French fries to Big Mac burger, fast food can consider as one of the food types that growing in a fast mode (Goyal et al, 2007). According to Bender and Bender (1995), fast food meant food that has limited choices in the menu which being created under production line technique. Besides, fast food also defined as food likes hamburgers, sandwiches, or pizza which are food that supplier be likely to specialize (Davies et al, 2004). In simple words, fast food also being defined as food purchased by self-service in counter and then take the food to own dining table without any services by waiter (Association NR, 2003). The rise of fast food can be traced back to the early 1900s when Automat opened the first ever fast food restaurant which sell foods and drinks by using machines. Then white castle introduced hamburgers to fast food outlets and this brings the culture until today. After some years, the concept of fast food is so attractive and successful and this attracted many companies such as McDonalds, KFC, Wendys and Burger King joined the fast food industry (Chavadi et al, 2008). Since the early stage of 1970s in US, fast food has become part and partial of Americans and the frequency of eating fast food has rapidly increased (French et al, 2000). Fast food outlets imbued almost every corner in the world, different fast food restaurants is in your eyesight (Jayna et al, 2009). National Restaurant Association claimed that there are three out of ten customers said that eating fast food is their own way of life and it is important for their daily life (National Restaurant Association, 2008). Moreover, fast food successfully dominates away-from-home food expenses during the last few decades (Sharkey et al, 2011). To add more on this, the trend of eating away from home is more and more common and the frequency of visits to fast food outlets even increase rapidly. In 1970, there is about 25% of total spending for away-from-home foods and the spending rocketed up to 53% for the total spending for away-from-home foods (Clauson A, 2000). This showed that more consumers prefer to eat fast food rather than home cook foods. In addition, there are decelerating for the path of the industry when the economy crisis hits the world with a low point of 3.1% two years ago. Nevertheless, there are sign of recovery for the industry when there is expected accelerating of growth rates showed in the forecast period. The fast food market had $201.1billion of total revenue in 2009 which correspond to 4.8% of compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the year 2005 to 2009. In Europe, the markets raised about 4.7% of (CAGR) while Asias market grew about 6.1% of (CAGR) in 2009. The fast food market of Europe and Asia respectively values about $34.2 billion and $71.6 billion. Furthermore, the market consumption volume is expected to increase to $248.7 billion at the end of 2014. The most profitable in the industry is QSR segment where it earned about $142.6 billion or 70.9% of the markets overall value (Data Monitor, 2010). 1.1.2 History of McDonalds The history of McDonalds began in 1940 when Dick and Mac McDonald started their business by opening McDonalds Bar-B-Que restaurant in California which offered large menu to customers. After that, they closed down the restaurant and reopen another restaurant which is a self service dive in restaurant. This time, they only provide limited choices of foods for customers such as burger, coffee, soft drinks, potato chips and milk. In 1949, the world well-known French fries were introduced and replaced potato chips on the menu. After a year, a salesperson called Ray Kroc met up with McDonald brothers and purchased the franchising right from them and planed to operate the restaurant. Few months later, Kroc opened his first ever McDonalds restaurant in Illinois and the world famous Golden Arches also started to use as the symbol of McDonalds. History was made and new records to be created from time to time since McDonalds started its operation. Today, McDonalds is the world largest organizat ion in the world with more than 32000 fast food outlets in 117 countries which serves more than 60 million customers everyday (About McDonalds.com, 2011; McDonalds Malaysia.com, 2011). McDonalds also the largest buyer of materials such as potatoes and beef (Steyn NP, 2010). The brands mission is to be McDonalds customers favourite place and way to eat. Besides, the company promises to supply Simple Easy Enjoyment to every customer when they visit to the restaurant and let customers enjoy the feel of having meal there as well as like having meal in own sweet home. The company hold tied to the value of serving quality food, giving superior service and cleanliness of environment to delight every customer and hope customers were treated like VIP (McDonalds.com.my, 2011). Furthermore, the annual report of McDonalds for the year of 2010 reported that the company earned about $24,075 million in 2010 which higher 6% of the sales compared to the previous year which earned about $22,745 million. The revenues of the company in US for year 2009 and 2010 are positively increased because of the high achievement in new products, iconic core products and good focus on everyday value of the company. Additionally, the continually increasing of currency exchange in Europe, sales increased in UK, Russia and French, as well as the good expansion achieved in Russia had driven the revenues raised (Annual report, 2010). 1.1.3 McDonalds in Malaysia In December 1980, McDonalds Corporation, USA approved and gave license to Golden Arches Restaurants Sdn Bhd to run McDonalds restaurants in Malaysia. The first ever McDonalds Malaysia restaurants was opened at Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur which is in the heart of the big city on 29 April 1982. Now, there are 204 restaurants situated nationwide and currently there are about 20 to 25 restaurants will be opened annually as it is expanding steadily. Moreover, McDonalds employed almost 10,000 local citizens in different states to success the restaurants and 120 support staffs at its head office to handle day-to-day operation of the McDonalds business (McDonalds, 2011). So, it is obvious that McDonalds is very successful company and leader in the fast food industry in Malaysia which attracts million of customers visits to the restaurants everyday. Thus, this research is basically about the consumer behavior towards fast food especially McDonalds. Objective of the research: To discover the factors that influence consumer behavior to choose fast food as their meal. Research Question: What are the factors that influence consumers to choose fast food as their meal? Hypothesis 1: There is a relation between service qualities towards consumer behavior. Hypothesis 2: Place factor has relationship towards consumer behavior. Hypothesis 3: Price factor has relationship towards consumer behavior. Chapter 2: Literature Review According the report of Technomic about the status and future of fast food, the perceptions of consumers towards fast food have been changed. Now, consumers think that fast food is no longer limited to quick service, fast food restaurants, or drive-thru restaurants. Instead, there are risen of dual concept which formed the traditional fast food concept and the new concept of food fast which food can be served quickly with a superior quality, flavor, taste and ambiance. The report also claimed that consumers are seeking for faster, convenient, better and quality foods and services from all type of food service organization (Restaurant News Resource, 2010). Moreover, the report findings showed that about 49% among 2000 consumers have visit to fast food restaurant at least once in a week (Technomic, 2010). The new concept of perceptions totally will affect the consumer behavior towards fast food including McDonalds. In addition, Kara and Kucukemiroglu have studied about the consumer perceptions and favorites for fast food restaurants in USA and Canada. The research showed that the young consumers between the age of 12 to 24 hunt for different type of foods, better delivery service, lower price and good location in USA while Canadian teenagers look for novelties and price. Then, for the middle age group of consumers who are 25 to 45 years old, Americans looked for better service and better speed of serving food while Canadian considered quality, service and speed. More to the point, consumers above 46 years old to 55 years old, American preferred taste, cleanliness, quality and nutritional value whereas Canadian adults wanted better services, food quality and speed. Furthermore, young consumers have to be concerned and to be taught of the nutritional awareness and fast food preferences during the teenager years (Brown et al, 2000). In London, Davies and Smith have listed down the importance for t he nutritional value for fast food and fast food companies also printed the information of the value in its restaurants. 2.1 Consumer Behavior Analysis According to Solomon, consumer behavior can be defined as a study of selected consumers either in individuals or groups in buying, using or disposing of products, ideas, services or experience to satisfy own desires and needs. The satisfaction of desires and needs are closely related to hunger, personal status and thirst to love as well as spiritual fulfillment (Solomon, 2007). Consumer behavior has been defined as the the dynamic interaction of affect and cognition, environment, and the behavior from human beings conduct the exchange aspects of their lives (Peter et al, 2008). More on this point, during the consumption processes, the action performed, feeling and thought of own experience by consumers will affect the consumer behavior. Everything that surrounds the consumers and environmental factors such as advertising, product appearance, comments from friends, price information and packaging totally will influence the consumer behavior (Peter et al, 2008). There is for sure that consumer will buy something after they have a good expectation and satisfy towards the product. Nevertheless, researcher has to go deeper and questioning consumer in which circumstances and what reason for buying a product (Blackwell et al, 2001). According to Peter, the consumer behavior consider as dynamic because the changes of perception, feelings and activities of individual purchaser or a group of consumers. There are various type of marketing strategies is the answer to the question of consumers response. This doubt is always being answer by using the stimulus-respond model (Refer to Appendix 1). Furthermore, researchers have to find out from the buyers black box which is the essential point that other actors and companies in the market wants to know (Kotler, 2007). Determinants of Consumer Behavior Analysis Consumers have to analyzed by focusing to three objects which is behavior, environment, affect and cognition and then about their relations between each other. Every single aspect can affect other aspects and all of the aspects must be considered when planning for the marketing strategy (Peter et al, 2008). Consumer affect and cognition represent different type of the mental responses from consumers demonstrate toward particular stimulus and event around them. Affect refers to the feeling of consumers whether they like or hate a product. For example, affect includes strong personal emotion of anger or love, moods of happy or sad and feelings of frustration or satisfaction. As a result, marketers should build up suitable strategies to create positive affect among consumers about their brands and products to become consumer first choice to purchase. On the other hand, cognition is about the thinking of consumers or their belief towards a product. It involved consumers perception, understanding and interpreting the events and stimuli. Consumers gain their knowledge, beliefs and experience from their daily life and this will help them to be more sensitive and alert when buying a product so that it will be a good buying decision (Peter et al, 2008). 2.1.2 Consumer Motivation Solomon claimed that motivation is the processes that bring people to behave themselves when there is a need generated that they hope to satisfy. Consumers will find their way to attempt to decrease or to remove the needs. Once consumers successfully end the desire, then consumers goal is achieved. Consumer behavior is started up by motivation and directs to achieve goals. Normally, a motivated person will be involved more to an activity compared to unmotivated person (Solomon, 2007). 2.1.2.1 Maslow Hierarchy of Needs Moreover, during the last few decades, psychologists have studied about the motivation and its essential towards consumer behavior in different ways. The most famous and familiar ideas is propounded by Abraham Maslow in year 1943 (Kotler, 2007). Maslow initially created this approach is to know about people personal growth and the accomplishment of some difficult tasks. After some time, marketers adapted this theory to understand the consumer motivation. Then, Maslow developed a hierarchy which is the combination of psychogenic and biogenic needs which specifies on different level of needs by people (Solomon, 2007). In the pyramid of needs, there are at least five sets of basic needs which are physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization needs. The order of needs in the pyramid structure is fixed and certain level must be obtained before go for the next. Maslow believed that people is aspire to become self-actualization (Stephens, 2000). The hierarchy is started from physiological drives which are the basic needs of human such as water, food, air or sleep. For instance, a person who is hungry definitely will craving for food much stronger than anything else (Stephens, 2000). After the physiological was fulfilled, the safety needs will be demanded by people. People needs a place that is safe and security for them to have meal, rest or enjoy. When both of the physiological and safety needs are perfectly gratified, the third needs which are social needs to be considered. Social needs are included love, friendship, parents or acceptance by public. Human have to build up their own relationship with others so that their life will be better and successful (Stephens, 2000). Furthermore, everyone hope to have respect and high evaluation from others toward self-esteem. People may seek for self satisfaction when they are promoted higher position in their company, attaining the educational distinction, or being honored by govern ment. This level of needs basically is about people feeling of self-confidence and satisfactoriness. The last needs is self-actualization which is about to know ones potential and this level of need will never be satisfied because there are new challenge and opportunities to come across when people growing up (Stephens, 2000). In addition, physiologist Sigmund Freund claimed that people will not aware of their buying behavior which is formed by own physiology. Everyone have different dream and wishes which are hope to be fulfilled, however, some of the wishes are cause of incited which brought to negative effect. For example, a person said that he enjoy the wind when driving is the main reason that he buys a sport car. On the other hand, in psychological level, he might just want to show off or want to let others respect him (Kotler, 2007). 2.2 Factors that affecting Consumer Behavior 2.2.1 Service Quality In 1984, Gronroos defined service quality as the judgement from consumers evaluation of the service they received. He also proposed that service quality can be divided into technical quality or what is done and functional quality or how it is done. Then, the service quality also being further explained as two dependent variables which are perceived service and expected service. Expect service is referred to the consumers previous experience with a service which might influence the consumer behavior while the perceptions of consumer towards the service itself is called perceived service. In fast food industry, good service quality is very essential for every fast food company because it is one of the fundamental determinants of consumer satisfaction which directly influence the success of the company in the industry (Huam et al, 2011). At the present time, every fast food company has pay more focus on their service quality by different ways in order to boost up the satisfaction level of consumers and then raise the intention of purchasing as well as loyalty towards the fast food restaurant (Qin et al, 2008; Gillbert et al, 2004). Organizations that provide superior services to consumers also achieve the greater level of consumer satisfaction and favorable word-of-mouth (Gillbert et al, 2004). Once the restaurants successfully attain or go beyond the anticipation and expectation of consumers, definitely consumers will be satisfy with the services that provided (Huam et al, 2011). For instance, Fast food giant likes McDonalds, Burger King and KFC are attempting to pres ent exclusive, unique and special services to attract and to keep their consumers. As for many well operating companies, great service quality is a cornerstone to gain competitive advantage in the industry to increase sales. From times to times, the fast food industry had been forced to change from product-centric approach to customer-centric approach due to the high expectation from consumers and competition from other companies (Huam et al, 2011). For example, the fast food companies in Malaysia also experiencing the transformations and challenging from competition (Yap et al. 2007). 2.2.1.1 Measurement of Service Quality (SERVPERF Model) Since the service quality is very crucial for the fast food business, then the service quality measurement has to be done frequently and in a timely manner to obtain an accurate current level of service quality provided by the fast food industry in order to increase the customer satisfaction as well as to encourage the customer purchase intentions towards the restaurants (Gilbert et al, 2004). Besides, Zeithaml and Bitner recommended that consumers judge the service quality based on their own perceptions towards the provided technical outcome, the process of delivering the outcome and the quality of environment by delivering the service. Before this, there are researchers believe that quality is naturally hard to be determined and measure, so there will be better if there is a yardstick for consumer to measure their own service quality for certain things. Then, a standardized and better model called SERVPERF model was developed. Nonetheless, this model is a very wide-ranging concept and its modification is recommended to capture the framework in certain study (Olorunniwo et al, 2006; Andaleeb et al, 2006). Audrey stated that this model is created to give a substitute method to measure the perceived service quality and the important relationship between the service quality, purchase intentions and consumer satisfactions. This instrument contained five dimensions which are: Tangibility The condition of physical parts of the fast food restaurants, the equipments and utensils that serve the consumers as well as the physical environment of the restaurants (Yuksel, 2001). Moreover, it also expressed the arrangement and decoration of the restaurants layout which included the cleanliness of environment, nice design of the facilities, and the convenience offered to consumers (Subhash et al, 2000). Responsiveness According to Fetus et al, responsiveness is meant that willingness and readiness showed by employees to help consumers when there are problems occurred and offer prompt service directly to consumers (Festus et al, 2000). . Reliability The capability and attitude of performing the promises service truthfully and sincerely which can motivate consumer and gain confidence to the fast food restaurant. Furthermore, this also referred to the trustworthiness in business process, trustable, and the efficiency as well as the ability to fix or improve anything that goes the opposite way (Yuksel, 2001). Empathy This dimension is about consumers being cared and individualized attention by employees. This dimension consists of few components which are: (a) Access approachability or friendliness and ease of contact. (b) Communication communicate with customers with languages that they can understand and comfortable with and patiently listen to what consumers express. (c) Understanding Customers: put effort to know, understand and sensitive towards what consumers needs and expectations (Huam et al, 2011). (V) Assurance Defined as the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their skill to convey trust and gain confidence from consumers. Assurance consists of three main components which are: (a) Courtesy kindness, consideration, respect, and friendliness of every employee towards every customer. (b) Credibility Employees show that they are honest, trustable and believable towards every customer. (c) Security Customers feel safe when having meal without any risk of danger or doubt (Festus et al, 2000). Consumer Behavior Satisfaction Service Quality 2.2.2 Product Quality Product quality is a means of advancing peoples life expectancy and cut down the jejunity and mortality rate of society (Iwarere, 2011). As high competition and environmental influences rise internationally, obviously there are a lot of hard work of fast food companies on quality improvement and cost saving in order to satisfy consumers and protecting consumer behavior as well as increasing the organization profit and value (Iwarere, 2010). According to Iwarere, quality management is being judged as competitive weapon which can show the competitive advantages to consumers to attract more business. Product quality totally will influence the company profit since the quality of product mirrored out the reputation of the company (Dominici, 2009). The relationship between product quality and profit of company is that product quality that being enhanced will increase the reliability and production of certain product. Besides, the increasing in product reliability causes the price of the pr oduct being boosted up (Iwarere, 2011). Product quality is very important to a company and this can be showed from a study on brand preference of soft drinks in rural place to determine the factor influencing the rural consumers towards the soft drink. From the study, they found out that the product quality was ranked at the first place and then followed by price (Nandagopal, 2003). There is a group of quality assurance team in the restaurants and at suppliers for every stage of production which in charge in observing and examines the quality of McDonalds products. There is a specific process set by McDonalds to check and make sure every ingredient that they use is high quality and safe. The team will have a tight observation towards supplier manufactures and will take some samples of stock from distribution centers to undergo the quality checking. Every McDonalds outlets will only receive the delivery of materials and ingredients after quality and safety checking by the outlets employees. Every employee will be given complete training in hygiene, quality assurance, food safety, and procedures of food preparation (Vignali, 2001). In McDonalds, they intends to create the standardized the food items which still the same taste in most of the country likes Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, and most of the Europe country. Although they know that there are considerable cost saving by undergoing the standardization, being able to adapt to the environment and market will ensures success of the company in the country. Obviously, McDonalds has successfully adopted the concept of think globally and act locally into its marketing strategies to (Vignali, 2001). Moreover, there are a lot of reasons for necessity of adaptation such as the taste or preference of local people, local culture and laws as well as local traditions. There are many cases happened in different country where McDonalds change their menu to adopt for the local preferences and laws (Vignali, 2001). For instance, the famous Big Mac was served without cheese in few of their restaurants in Israel and in some of the kosher restaurants, the meat products and dairy products is separately placed. Plus, recently, McDonalds Israel launched a new hamburger which to improve the nutrition and taste of its famous product. The Big Mac in Israel is 30% fewer calories compare to Big Mac in US (Ron Friedman, 2010). In addition, in India, McDonalds serve vegetable McNuggets and a mutton-based Big Mac which called Maharaja Mac. Additionally, in Malaysia and Singapore, McDonalds also put effort on their product which is free of pork products and the outlets must apply for the halal certifica te to run the restaurants, which means is totally out of pork products and acceptable for Muslims consumers. In addition, good product quality also includes the taste of the foods. Every consumers want to eat tasty foods is consider as a general motive to satisfy their needs towards food and increase their appetite. Furthermore, the taste of foods also has to localize to suit the local taste and fulfill the needs of consumers (Gordan Chu, 2009). For instance, the taste and flavor of McDonalds French fries is magnificent and marvelous for a lot of consumers (Schlosser, 2001). There are various other examples of the successful of McDonalds adopted in different countries which has unique and special perspective and culture as well as local taste in order to satisfy the needs and preferences of consumers. For example, beer was sold in Germany as McCroissants, espresso coffee and pasta is on the menu in Italy and there are chilled yogurt drinks in McDonalds Turkey as well as in tropical countries, guava juice was the favorite items in the menu. There are vegetarian hamburgers sold in Netherlands while teriyaki burgers were the famous hamburger in Japan. In Thailand, the most well-known burger in McDonalds was called Samurai Pork Burger which serves with sweet sauce. Moreover, in Norway, grilled salmon sandwich which called McLaks are sold while hamburger with poached egg are top of the menu in Uruguay (Vignali, 2001). So, there are different products being introduced by McDonalds to adopt in the international food market. Some of the products already became the symbolic food of McDonalds for the local people. 2.2.3 Promotion Promotions normally are created by marketers to tell information about their products or service in order to attract consumers to buy them. The promotion strategies normally experienced by consumers which might influence consumer behavior due to the social and physical aspects from the environment factor. Every products and brands become famous and successful because of promotion strategies that developed to generate competitive advantage against competitors while show out the unique of the products and brands. There are four types of promotions which are advertising, publicity, personal selling and sales promotions (Peter et al, 2008; Ivy, 2008). McDonalds always put more effort to promote them as a global image and they concern about the people from the market they are entering. McDonalds has different types of advertising campaigns in different countries and globally to suit the culture and society of people from different background. For example, UK McDonalds appointed England legendary footballer Alan Shearer to promote their products while in French they used French world cup winner goalkeeper Fabien Barthez (Vignali, 2001). Besides, McDonalds also concern about the public relationship with customers which can know and understand more about consumers. For instance, Beijing McDonalds relies greatly on individual interaction with consumers in restaurants. There are at least one public relations employee works in every outlet to help and answer customers questions. Moreover, there are five to ten female staffs being assigned to every outlet to take care of consumers children and to communicate with parents (Vignali, 2001). This can help to improve the service level and to advance the management of customer portfolio (Fjerstad et al, 2003; O Learly et al, 2004). Another example is in 1997, McDonalds had broadcasted that they will corporate with Walt Disney which allowed them to share special marketing rights from food to films for the following ten years. This is the beginning of the producing toys which include in their happy meals for films likes Toy Story, Madagascar, Alvin and the Chipmunks and the lates t is the young justice series of superhero from Marvels. Furthermore, McDonalds, UNESCO and Walt Disney corporate together to launch a program called Millennium Dreamers Global Childrens recognition program which allowed young people from the whole world have the chance to express their dreams, ideas, and plans as well as hopes in the future (Vignali, 2001). 2.2.4 Place According to Kotler, place defined as the location where products and services being distributed for purchase by consumers. It can contain every physical stores and virtual stores on the internet. The choice of place has always an important factor to be considered when operating a store. For instance, fast food restaurants mostly being set up in place where there is a significant in number of moving people (Hossain, 2003). Normally, company location decision depends on few factors such as total cost, supplier, proximity of customers, and infrastructure (Chase, 2004). Currently, there are more than 32000 McDonalds restaurants in 117 countries all over the world. The company effectively manages its capital expends by strategic expansion in every country. Every year, McDonalds operate hundreds of new restaurants globally to undergo strategies that create a gap between its competitors in term of accessibility and convenience to consumers (Jekanowski et al, 2001). In the annual report of the company in year 1994, McDonalds had launched a strategy called in-your-face strategy. In the report stated that McDonalds wants to have a site wherever people live, work, play, or gather. Our Convenience Strategy is to monitor the changing lifestyles of consumers and intercept them at every turn. As we expand customer convenience, we gain market share. (McDonalds USA annual report, 1994). This is because McDonalds understand that consumers prefer to go nearby to buy food for saving time and cost. So, McDonalds wants that there are their outlets everywhere in the w orld which can bring convenience to consumers to buy foods. Moreover, most of the McDonalds outlets operate 24 hours everyday to serve their consumers and people may taste the foods of McDonalds whenever they want to (Jager, 2007). In addition, McDonalds also provide delivery service to consumers home which bring convenience to consumers who do not like to queue up in the crowed restaurants but prefer to eat in home while doing their works (Church et al, 2000). Drive-thru system also being introduced by McDonalds in most of the outlet to serve consumers who plans to take away the food (Fitzgerald, 2004).

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

A Feminist Reading of the Tempest Essay -- Literary Analysis, Shakespe

William Shakespeare’s The Tempest provides dialogue that portrays the social expectations and stereotypes imposed upon women in Elizabethan times. Even though the play has only one primary female character, Miranda, the play also includes another women; Sycorax, although she does not play as large a roll. During many scenes, the play illustrates the characteristics that represent the ideal woman within Elizabethan society. These characteristics support the fact that men considered women as a mere object that they had the luxury of owning and were nowhere near equal to them. Feminists can interpret the play as a depiction of the sexist treatment of women and would disagree with many of the characteristics and expectations that make Miranda the ideal woman. From this perspective, The Tempest can be used to objectify the common expectations and treatment of women within the 16th and 17th Centuries and compare and contrast to those of today. This play portrays the women as fragile and pathetic beings. When Miranda is speaking to Ferdinand she is allowing him to see her as quite vulnerable, which will allow him to view here exactly as that.â€Å"At mind unworthiness, that dare not offer/What I desire to give, and much less take†(3.2.77-78). She goes on to say, â€Å"If not, I’ll die your maid. To be your fellow/You may deny me, but I’ll be your servant/Whether you will or no†(3.2.83-86). This play is portraying Miranda as a pathetic woman who would rather be a servant to a man that won’t marry her; she would rather be his maid than live without him. Miranda’s character in the play represents the ideal woman of Elizabethan era. She is portrayed as a goddess among the men. â€Å"Most sure, the goddess/Oh whom these airs attend!†(1.2.425-426). Fer... ...n her mind is more important than his words. It is an example of the patriarchal society that they live in; although he is her father and has the parental power over her he would most likely not speak to a son in such a demeaning tone. He makes her seem to be slow, as if she cannot carry on a conversation or listen to him, which is quite demeaning. The Tempest portrays women as beings that accept the ideal role that they are expected to take on by the request of the men. The way Miranda is portrayed; as a goddess, maid, or virgin, is what she makes herself to be. The play does not give women the voice that they deserve, it makes them out to be prized possessions for men to brag about and share. From a feminist prospective, The Tempest portrays an Elizabethan society that doesn’t give women a voice, but rather ways on how to be the ideal woman for men to possess. A Feminist Reading of the Tempest Essay -- Literary Analysis, Shakespe William Shakespeare’s The Tempest provides dialogue that portrays the social expectations and stereotypes imposed upon women in Elizabethan times. Even though the play has only one primary female character, Miranda, the play also includes another women; Sycorax, although she does not play as large a roll. During many scenes, the play illustrates the characteristics that represent the ideal woman within Elizabethan society. These characteristics support the fact that men considered women as a mere object that they had the luxury of owning and were nowhere near equal to them. Feminists can interpret the play as a depiction of the sexist treatment of women and would disagree with many of the characteristics and expectations that make Miranda the ideal woman. From this perspective, The Tempest can be used to objectify the common expectations and treatment of women within the 16th and 17th Centuries and compare and contrast to those of today. This play portrays the women as fragile and pathetic beings. When Miranda is speaking to Ferdinand she is allowing him to see her as quite vulnerable, which will allow him to view here exactly as that.â€Å"At mind unworthiness, that dare not offer/What I desire to give, and much less take†(3.2.77-78). She goes on to say, â€Å"If not, I’ll die your maid. To be your fellow/You may deny me, but I’ll be your servant/Whether you will or no†(3.2.83-86). This play is portraying Miranda as a pathetic woman who would rather be a servant to a man that won’t marry her; she would rather be his maid than live without him. Miranda’s character in the play represents the ideal woman of Elizabethan era. She is portrayed as a goddess among the men. â€Å"Most sure, the goddess/Oh whom these airs attend!†(1.2.425-426). Fer... ...n her mind is more important than his words. It is an example of the patriarchal society that they live in; although he is her father and has the parental power over her he would most likely not speak to a son in such a demeaning tone. He makes her seem to be slow, as if she cannot carry on a conversation or listen to him, which is quite demeaning. The Tempest portrays women as beings that accept the ideal role that they are expected to take on by the request of the men. The way Miranda is portrayed; as a goddess, maid, or virgin, is what she makes herself to be. The play does not give women the voice that they deserve, it makes them out to be prized possessions for men to brag about and share. From a feminist prospective, The Tempest portrays an Elizabethan society that doesn’t give women a voice, but rather ways on how to be the ideal woman for men to possess.

Monday, November 11, 2019

An Inspector Calls, Social Responsibility Essay

An Inspector Calls was written by J. B. Priestley after the Second World War. It is set in the spring of 1912 at the Brumley home of the Birlings, a prosperous industrial family in the North Midlands. When the Inspector Goole first enters the scene, Mr. Birling is giving some ‘good advice’, as he calls it, â€Å"A man has to make his own way – has to look after himself†¦The way some of these cranks talk and write now, you’d think everybody has look after everybody else, as if we’re all mixed up together†. Collectively, the Birlings had been celebrating, rather decadently, a celebration of Gerald and Sheila’s engagement and Mr. Birling had also been talking about there being a good chance that he will be in the next honours list. There is also an interesting point when Mr. Birling talks openly of Gerald and Sheila’s social divide, â€Å"Your mother†¦feels you might have done better for yourself socially [than Sheila]†. This shows that the Birlings and the Crofts, both rich families, opinion that social class is everything and cannot be overlooked. Overall, the evening is almost entirely focused on society itself and how to ‘properly’ act in it. When the Inspector comes in, his manner is completely different and, as we find out later in the play, his opinion of society too. He is reserved, inquisitive and not afraid to ask impertinent questions to those who may be of higher social ‘standing’ than himself. Even more significance is shown later on in the play when the characters of Mr. Birling and that of the Inspector are found to be polar opposites. The set for â€Å"An Inspector Calls† Source: Wiki Commons Whenever you refer to text in the book, remember to put in the page number so that the examiner knows you are not â€Å"making it up. † It also shows you have more confidence in the points you are writing about. In his notes J. B. Priestley describes Inspector Goole as â€Å"a big man† but â€Å"creates an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness. † (p. 11). The stage directions repeatedly show him â€Å"cutting through, massively† (p. 12), â€Å"massively taking charge† (p. 28), â€Å"with authority† (p. 34), â€Å"cutting in, sharply† (p. 45). The director should take advantage of these stage directions and use them to make him seem larger than life and in full control of the situation in order to mimic the â€Å"character† of Inspector Goole, Goole behaves like a police inspector in that he remains in control, he dominates the other characters including Mr. and Mrs. Birling, who are used to dominating others and being obeyed: â€Å"(As Birling tries to protest, turns on him) Don’t stammer and yammer at me again, man. I’m losing all my patience with you people† He has no respect for them and this comes as a shock to the Birlings who are very highly respected throughout society, Mr.  Birlings only reply being, â€Å"what did he say? †, after this outburst Mrs. Birling is â€Å"rather cowed. † Aside from a few uncontrolled outbursts, Goole is constantly calm and unruffled and speaks â€Å"firmly† (p. 51) and â€Å"imperturbably† (p. 31). Goole is unusual and intriguing, however, in that he makes his close, personal feelings known to the Birlings. He represents Priestley’s moral view, the moral dimension of allowing others to see they can find forgiveness though future good behavior makes him different from a normal police inspector because he is more concerned with morality rather than legality. Furthermore he is outraged and disgusted about what has been done to Eva Smith and he lets the Birlings know this throughout the play, â€Å"She died in misery and agony hating life† (p28). His language is sometimes blunt, deliberately harsh and he defies Birlings attempts to rebuke him. Goole reminds Mr. Birling that he has responsibilities, â€Å"Public men, Mr. Birling, have responsibilities as well as privileges† (p. 41), this shows Goole’s feelings towards the upper class which we learn a lot more about further on in the play. Goole is also unintimidated when Mr. Birling tries to worry him by telling him that Colonel Roberts is â€Å"an old friend of mine. † (p. 16). The inspector, however, is unaffected and continues determinedly, refusing to be misled or diverted form his aim: to get each person to admit their part in Eva’s death, â€Å"it’s the way I like to work, â€Å"One person and one line of enquiry at a time. † (p. 12). It is because of his unusual qualities that the audience is led to suspect that Goole is not a normal police inspector. The Birlings also come to a similar conclusion and Mr. Birling and Gerald believe the whole affair to be a hoax. The audience is not so sure and we are left to reconsider when the phone call at the end of the play suggests the real inspector is about to arrive. This leaves us with the question that if the inspector isn’t real, then who is he? J. B. Priestley was very clever in the way he created the character of the inspector, he used Goole as a â€Å"tool† to represent his strong moral view of society and the way people think and do things. Priestley had strong socialistic views, and firmly believed that â€Å"we are all members of one body,† he saw the world as a community where everyone should be helping each other. An Inspector Calls is an informative play with a clear moral and political message which Priestley wanted the audience to accept. He effectively used Goole to voice the views he had. Mr. Birling says the inspector was â€Å"probably a socialist or some sort of crank- he talked like one† (p. 60) This tells us a lot about what message Priestley was trying to give to the audience as he himself was a socialist. Before the inspector tells us we are all links in the chain and we should look out for each other, the audience sees enacted before us exactly what might happen if we choose to ignore this view of society. Each of the Birlings is a link in the chain of events that lead to Eva Smiths suicide, even Gerald who has only just recently been engaged to Sheila. When Priestley, quite suddenly, reveals exactly how all the Birlings and Gerald are interconnected in Eva Smith’s suicide, he communicates immediately his message that: â€Å"We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. † This sudden revelation is very effective because it makes the audience themselves aware that even they could have brought about similar tragedies without even knowing it, or at least become aware that there are â€Å"Millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left†, meaning that there are a multitude of people in the world to whom similar circumstances have transpired, people that are so often forgotten in modern society, the audience suddenly becomes aware of these people, a revelation no doubt infinitely given weight and significance by the sudden manner that the Birling’s involvement with Eva Smith is made clear. Furthermore, this rather socialist concept and the fact that if it is ignored, â€Å"the time will soon come when, if men do not learn this lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. † is very relevant since An Inspector Calls was released in 1945, the end of the Second World War, therefore much of the original audience might have been able to identify with the â€Å"fire and blood and anguish† because of the rather turbulent past six years. As can be seen, Priestley uses Eva Smith as a representative character type for the forgotten of society, the millions of individuals who are ignored and shunned through a series of misfortunes, disdain from others and more likely a lack of capital or means of support, generally ‘down and outs’. The fact that a World War had just ended also emphasises the pain and anguish these ‘Smiths’ suffered and are still suffering. Additionally, the fact that this could happen to anyone, even the very fact that it did happen, gives weight to Priestley’s views about looking out for each other, since a series of arguably negligible things lead the horrific suicide of a young girl. The Inspector as the questioner is a device used by Priestley to both convey his ideas about society and to build up dramatic tension, to make the play intriguing to the audience. One way in which he does this is the way in which he contrasts with Mr. Birling. Mr.  Birling is extremely confident and, some would say, arrogant at the beginning of the play, dismissing the possibility of a war based on his belief in progress an, ultimately, greed: â€Å"Nobody wants war except for some half-civilized folks in the Balkans†, â€Å"The world’s developing so fast that it’ll make war impossible† which, as the audience discovers later, contrasts strongly with the Inspector’s own views. Also, the Inspector arrives just after Mr. Birling had finished giving his ‘good advice’ to Gerald and Eric, that â€Å"A man has to mind his own business and look after himself and his own†. The dramatic timing here is obvious, and the two characters continue to contrast throughout the play. The Inspector’s character gains weight, charisma and power, and therefore tension is built, throughout the play. The Inspector belittles and erodes the confidence of Mr. Birling, a man that is supposedly a powerful figure, and he is brought first to self-justification in defense of his actions, then eventually to anxiety, and this too builds tension by making the audience realise the Inspector as a formidable character, his power is such that they wonder what he will do next, what his next line of enquiry will be. One other obvious way tension is built is the way in which gradually the characters are all found to have played a part in the alleged murder of Eva Smith, though the separate showing of the photograph to each character. Obviously, if all the characters had been shown the photograph there would have been little if any dramatic tension and not much of a plot either. Finally, dramatic tension is built up through the use of dramatic irony. The audience instantly knows that Mr. Birling is wrong and his awe misguided when he talks of the Titanic: â€Å"TheTitanic†¦ orty six thousand eight hundred tones – New York in five days†¦and unsinkable†. We also know he is fatally inaccurate when talking of war: â€Å"Just because the Kaiser makes a speech or two, or a few German officers have too much to drink and begin talking nonsense†¦you’ll hear some people say that war is inevitable†. This gives the audience and advantage over the characters and espec ially Mr. Birling, which also builds tension because it makes the audience more involved by them being in possession of knowledge that the characters are not. Priestley’s decision to set his play in 1912 when it was written in 1944 is an interesting one. He does this for a number of reasons. For example, in Act 1, the beginning of the play, talks about how war is impossible â€Å"The world’s developing so fast it’ll make war impossible†. Before the arrival of the Inspector, Mr. Birling also states: â€Å"In twenty or thirty years time†¦in 1940†¦you may be giving a party like this†¦by that time you’ll be living in a world that’ll have forgotten all these Capital versus Labour agitations and all these silly little war scares. There’ll be peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere† The audience, of course, knows this to be untrue. In 1940 the Second World War was raging and after the war there most certainly was not â€Å"progress everywhere† and â€Å"Capital versus Labour agitations† were rife, especially in Eastern Europe where Labour (Communism) was taking hold and there would be the long lasting stand off known as the Cold War between Capitalism and Communism for many years to come. This quote, and many other extraordinary pearls of ignorance on the part of Mr. Birling, makes the audience again more involved in the play because they know more than the characters. This also gives the Inspector more credibility because he contrasts so much with Mr. Birling. The setting of the play also allows for the Inspector to better deliver his message. Priestley uses the Inspector to communicate his ideas of socialism and social equality, and when near the end of the play he states: â€Å"We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other†¦And the time will soon come when, if men will not learn that lesson, then they taught it in fire and blood and anguish† The timing is crucial. Priestley communicates his message very well by setting the play in 1912 because two years later, The Great War, or World War One, occurred, and in 1939 a Second World War occurred. The â€Å"Fire and blood and anguish† almost certainly refer to these wars, in which millions of lives were lost because, arguably, nations were acting like Mr. Birling, with greed, and ignorance to the â€Å"Eva and John Smiths† of the world. I believe An Inspector Calls to be a very effective play indeed. JB Priestley communicates his ideas and beliefs of social equality and collective responsibility through his character, Inspector Goole, who with the help of other characters in the play, shows the audience just what can happen if one chooses to ignore others and deny responsibility for one’s own actions and their consequences. In my opinion, the showing of the photograph of Eva Smith to only one character at a time is an extremely effective way of progressing the play, ensuring smooth continuity, because it is subtle. It is probable that the audience does not, and did not, notice the possibility that the characters were being shown different photographs. So in this way, JB Priestley makes the characters believe, makes them know, that they are each implicated in the suicide of a young girl. Subsequently, when the characters realise that the murder of the girl was not, in fact, their fault, the fact that Mr. Birling, after saying he â€Å"would give thousands, yes thousands† for Eva Smith to be alive again, celebrates again along with Mrs. Birling and Gerald Croft cements Priestley’s ideas of socialism by making clear the spinelessness of the upper class, and making clear the social divide that exists. The very fact that the characters can brush off the responsibility if the murder and ignoring that each of them actually had treated the ‘Eva Smiths’ badly is meant to shock the audience and in my opinion, this has, is and will work in JB Priestley’s An Inspector Calls.