Banyan Tree Research Essay Example for Free

Banyan Tree Research Essay 1. Growth and development of Banyan Tree. Banyan Tree Holdings Limited is a leading, international hospitality brand that manages and develops premium resorts, hotels and spas. From a single boutique resort in Phuket in 1994, Banyan Tree has grown into a multi-business operator globally. Listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange since 2006, the group currently consists of 30 hotels and resorts, over 60 spas 80 retail galleries and two golf courses in 27 countries, with aggressive expansion plans for the future. Below shows the milestone of Banyan Tree Resort: Banyan Tree Group garnered some 117 international awards and accolades in 2010, bringing the total number of awards it has received close to 640 since the first Banyan Tree property opened in Phuket in 1994. In 2010, Banyan Tree Phuket and its Spa continue to be recognised by industry experts, having won 14 prestigious awards and accolades The Banyan Tree organization has seen very dynamic and expansive growth in the last few years. Banyan Tree attributes is success as a company to their strong brand recognition, command pricing, and superb management. Revenues increased from $187.3 (million) in 2005 to 335.3 (million) in 2006, which is an increase of 79%. In 2007, Revenue increased another 26% to $429, 859 (million). 2. Success factors of Banyan Tree Banyan Tree Capital has its own dedicated construction, project management and cost management capabilities, enabling it to fulfill the role of a developer and assume full ownership of any projects. * Brand Building Branding has started right from the locations of the Banyan Tree resorts and has been consistent through the designs, the facilities offered, and the ambience created in each of the resorts. In line with the â€Å"romantic escape for couples† theme, Banyan Tree has placed a strong emphasis on the locations as a key element of the brand identity. The company has chosen exotic locations with exclusive access to sun-bathed beaches, exciting environment around and a good transportation infrastructure to connect the resorts to the main destination highlights. * Company Growth and Health The Banyan Tree is a rapidly growing company with lots of investment all across the globe. Their expanding nature, coupled with a positive stock price, solid financial earnings, and continual success at all resort locations, is exceptional in the competitive hotel and resort industry. Not many hotel companies can brag about recent success like the Banyan Tree. * Good Brand communications Banyan Tree promotes their product through mass international media. They invite travel editors and writers who could potentially increase editorial coverage on Banyan Tree to use the service. This can make â€Å"Banyan Tree Experiences† distribute to people by word of mouth and it is more effective. It is also make brand awareness and brand value that generated largely through public relations and global marketing programs. * Being a socially responsible and environmentally sensitive organization Banyan Tree Exercise caution with respect to the environmental impacts of their operations, and taking an active role in the protection and remediation of our global ecosystem. * Creating a good culture By combining the Asian culture and heritage with world-class service and luxury, Banyan Tree has been able to build a brand that has appealed to people across countries in Asia and beyond, and successfully been capitalizing on the pan-Asian sentiment. 3. Marketing Strategies * Collaboration with marketing agencies Banyan Tree Holdings appointed a few key wholesalers in each targeted market and worked closely with them to promote sales. Rather than selling through wholesale and retail agents that catered to the general market, they chose to work only with agents specializing in exclusive luxury holidays targeted at wealthy customers. Global exposure was also achieved through Banyan Tree’s membership in the Small Luxury Hotels and Leading Hotels of the World. Targeting high-end consumers, they represent various independent exclusive hotels and have sales offices in major cities around the world. * Winning awards Banyan Tree resort management believe that to publicize their properties, word of mouth is more important than advertisement. Therefore, one of the marketing strategies they adopting is to win awards. Banyan Tree sought recognition in service, innovation and, more importantly, its environmental efforts. To date, it has won more than 570 awards, with two given last week for its excellence in social and environmental responsibility. * Expanding Brand portfolio Banyan Tree to come out with a brand extension in the form of Angsana Resorts (launched in 2000), targeted towards young families and at different price points – typically 20-30% lower than Banyan Tree resorts themselves. It also operates stand-alone Angsana Spas. These measures not only allow Banyan Tree to increase its awareness in new markets and gain international momentum, but also create a strong platform for a portfolio of sub-brands that can be a source of long-term revenue generation. * Online marketing Banyan Tree sets up company website to conveniently update latest information and offers for customers. In additional, the online website allows customers to do bookings for their holidays. Online bookings rapidly increase over the year and it definitely generated more revenue. 4. Future Challenges * Competition There is only one other resort that is comparable to the Banyan Tree: Amanpulo. Amanpulo is situated on a private island in Palawan. The island boasts white sand, crystal clear water and tropical vegetation. They, too, respond to a leisurely lifestyle for the affluent and rich worldwide. In addition, Amanpulo is just as concerned as we are in building environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing resorts. * Copycats The market is crowded with many entrants running similar branded resorts in the upper-end. Particularly in Asia Pacific, where Banyan Tree has its stronghold and traditional base, new entrants are facing only small barriers-of-entry other than huge capital requirements and availability of good locations. A new entrant can always try to copy the â€Å"romance-intimacy-rejuvenation† theme and replicate the serene locations with beautiful villas providing it at lower prices to gain foothold in the market. * Natural Hazards The Philippines sits astride the typhoon belt, which means it’s prone to be struck by dangerous storms. In addition, the country is known to be home of active volcanoes. Other natural hazards known to occur are landslides, earthquakes and tsunamis. * Environmental Issues Existing issues that the Philippines are dealing with, and trying to combat, are uncontrolled deforestation, soil erosion, air and water pollution, coral reef degradation and increasing pollution of coastal mangrove swamps.

Deconstruction of an Advertisement Essay Example for Free

Deconstruction of an Advertisement Essay Each day we are inundated with thousands of advertisements which contribute to shaping and defining our world views. As a capitalist society ads are crucial to attract the attention of the consumer. They are everywhere, whether it be a billboard, a commercial or a radio announcement, advertising reaches out and touches almost everyone living in our modern world. The effectiveness of an advertisement campaign has a huge influence on the purchaser. Ads are carefully constructed to appeal to the consumer in order to sell a product and to make a profit. An effective ad appeals to the emotion of the consumer as â€Å"80% of decisions are influenced by dormant emotions in the subconscious. †( ) through the ingenious construction of ad campaigns a consumers purchases are greatly influenced. The CK one ad campaign for the Calvin Klein brand is an excellent of the example of the thought and assembly needed in order to create an effective advertisement. Through the deconstruction of the CK one ad found in the April 2011 issue of Elle Canada it will be shown why the ad was created, how it’s used to grab the attention of its target audiences, and the use of hidden messages and social issues that are being expressed. The target audience of the CK One ad is clearly directed towards women as it appears in a magazine called Elle! Elle Canada has a 90% female readership ( ) whose ages generally range from a younger segment to a middle segment (18 to 34 and 35 to 54). Elle Canada has a large age demographic due to the fact that their articles encompass a broad audience and the magazine contains ads that focus on the younger market as well as advertisements focusing on middle aged women. Although Elle Canada has a large readership age range, the CK One ad seems to be targeting more directly the 18-24 and 24-35 age range. The advertisement incorporates a focus on social media and a ‘rebellious’ look which is often directed towards the younger market. Young people who are still questioning authority and who are still defining themselves will see the dark eye makeup and lassiez-fair ‘detached’ attitude of the model and feel attracted to the ad. Furthermore the ads target audience is aimed towards 18-34 year olds because it uses ‘technology’ to capture the audiences attention. The model is ‘trapped’ in the CK One box and in order to get in the box, the bottom left hand corner of the ad tells you that you can â€Å"Download the App at CKONE. COM†. The ad is definitely towards the 18-34 age group because ‘getting in the CK box’ with a rebellious young woman is ridiculous notion unless you’re a young person with very little responsibility. Finally, although the spending power of the older age groups is greater (Diversity: Targeting the Ever-Changing Marketplace, p35) it is trendy to market to and advertisers remain youth obsessed. The targeted income level for this advertisement seems to be for those from the middle-middle, or upper-middle class. Calvin Klein is an iconic American brand that is moderately expensive and is featured in respected magazines. The median income of and Elle Canada reader is around $70 000 ( ) therefore is it logical to assume that Calvin Kline is directing its ads at those who are willing to spend a little more. This advertisement would also be directed towards the Emulator-Achiever or Emulator groups. Emulators are young and impressionable people who will buy products to help them fit in (Duncan, p75). Emulators would be attracted to this ad because it offers the chance to fit in and join the CK One box; all you have to do is download the app! On another note, this ad would also be directed towards Emulator-Achievers because this group feels more comfortable with uptown brands such as Tiffany, Gucci or Stella Mcarthy and Calvin Klein is a very well known and respected American Brand. This brand offers prestige and it fits in with typical ideas of American wealth. Finally it appears that this advertisement is slightly more targeted for Caucasian’s. The model is Caucasian and there isn’t a single background model or object indicating the inclusion of any other racial groups. Although minorities represent a huge market and are predicted to exceed 1. 5 trillion in buying power, ( Diversity: targeting the ever changing market) Calvin Klein still uses mainly Caucasian models. Despite the fact that the ad features a white woman it could still be directed to a variety of racial groups because the model doesn’t necessarily represent a stereotypical white american girl; almost anyone can be a rebellious youth regardless of your ethnicity. Although her beauty and figure represent the social ideal her ebellious look is not necessarily the ‘norm’ and therefore enables more people to relate to it. Determining the target audience enables us to better interpret and understand the construction of an advertisement. Based on a target market, advertisers use eight main elements to create an ad that speaks to the heart. Ads that create emotional appeal are based on these eight elements; models, setting, copy, sound, color, point of view and details (Dun can, p77). In terms of the CK One ad, the model that was chosen was a young white attractive looking female. The model is in black lingerie and she is in a sexual pose. There is a hyper-sexualization of the model as her cleavage is very prominent and being pushed up against her bra. The models hair and makeup are messy with a ‘bed head’ look which suggest rebelliousness and late night partying which is considered both fun and exciting. Finally the facial expression of the model suggests a sexual and confident attitude. More over the model is very slim and her skin is flawless, her face is clear and her hair is blonde. The ‘perfection’ of the models skin and face reflect the ideals of society. Despite the models dark makeup and ‘bed head’ look she is our societies ideal with her blonde hair and beautiful figure. These ideals that the ad is promoting are completely unrealistic for the average female and it creates body image issues and warps both female and males idea about what an average person should look like. Furthermore through the continual use of impossibly beautiful models our society becomes body obsessed and through this many women and men experience body image issues. The CK One ad has been specifically and ingeniously positioned to promote the preferred reading. Most notable is the is the models physical position within the ad; her body, more specifically her cleavage, is framed between her hands which are pressed against the screen. The positioning of the models hands also frames the word, fuck, which has been discreetly positioned within the ad. The F is seen by the table which is cut off by the models buttocks, the U is seen in the models cleavage and the CK is to the right of the model, at chest level. Furthermore, through the technical code of camera angles the model is close-up with a slight low angle. These technical codes suggest power and intimacy with the model. The Ck One ad could be promoting their products by relating the suggested feelings of power and sexuality with the purchase of the product. The oppositional reading who be through a critical point of view that it is impossible to obtain any type of lasting feeling with a purchase of a material item. As for the captions, they are the only thing that has any coloring which draws attention to them. The most noticeable caption in big bold lettering that says CK One _Jeans_Underwear_Fragrance_ which is right next to the models cleavage. This caption is necessary to inform the reader what is being advertised because the model is only wearing plain black underwear it would be likely to assume that it was the only product. On the bottom left-hand corner of the Ad is says â€Å"Get in the CKONE box Download the app at CKONE. com† this caption really allows us to tie in the key concepts of the ad. The Calvin Klein ad also employs a font that ads to the incorporation of digital media. Lastly the fifth line of writing on the bottom left-hand corner says â€Å"Scan Ad to Reveal More† which could be referring to the hidden message (the word fuck) within the ad. Through the captions is it’s very clear that this Calvin Klein ad is trying to incorporate digital media and sex with the purchase of there products. In terms of the coloring of the advertisement, it is very unique because it supposed to represent screen to a computer or gaming device. The coloring is mostly black and white apart from the bright green which is used to draw attention to the captions. The color green is generally a calming color which represents wealth and well-being however it can also be used to symbolize envy or jealousy. The use of green indicates that Calvin Klein is a desired brand. Furthermore the green coloring is also placed just above the models forehead, this use of specific placement of the color could indicate 1st level cropping in which a models forehead is removed. By covering the top part of the models head with a different color advertisers objectify the model and remove any signs of her intelligence. On another note, the lighting that is used is artificial however it ties in with the setting. The setting is white relatively bare room, which is the ‘Ck One box’. The only furnishings are a stool, a table, two wooden boxes and game console. There is also a door with a visible knob; this indicates that the model is trapped in the ‘box’, however it is an exclusive place that you can get into- if you purchase the product and download the app. However this is where the oppositional reading come in; through the download of an ‘app‘ you will not enter the Ck one box you will not become a gorgeous model. The Ck One ad is trying to promote digital media therefore the bare setting could be used to represent whats behind your screen when you download the app. The limited settings also enable us to focus more closely on the model and the attitude she is giving. Gender representation also plays a key role the preferred reading of this Ad. Although the model is selling lingerie there is an irrelevant sexualization of the model ( Duncan, p. 46) The bra and panties that are being advertised are relatively plain and not the focal point of the ad; instead the ad is marketing the models body. The models cleavage is pouring out of her bra which actually distracts the audience from the bra itself, instead readers are led to believe that this lingerie will help them have the ‘perfect’ body. Furthermore, as mentioned previously, the ad also includes dismemberment. The presence of the green color above the models forehead which suggests objectification. Also the models legs are cut off below the knee which causes the reader to mostly focus on the core body of the model. This greatly objectives the model and females as a whole in advertising. Furthermore, there is also a bit of clowning present because majority of people do not stand in such a contorted position as the stance of the model. Although the model isn’t necessarily in a foolish or silly position her stance certainly is unnecessarily contorted in order to appear more sexual. These gender representations lead to the final conclusion that women are sexual objects to be looked at and played with (Duncan p. 48) All the elements used to construct the ad lead us to the general meaning of the ad: Sex. The meaning is so clear that it is even explicitly written within the ad. The models ‘look’ establishes the preferred reading. The preferred interpretation is that through the purchase of the CK One clothing line you will gain confidence and become sexually appealing while being fun and rebellious. Advertisers use body obsession and female insecurities to help sell products because through the preferred reading consumers believe that will look like the model through the purchase of the product (Duncan p14-15). This leads to us the oppositional reading, it is completely impossible and unrealistic to think that through the purchase of a product you will automatically you will automatically become beautiful and sexualy appealing. The reality is that most photographs of models have been retouched and realistically even the models dont look as good in real life. Calvin Klein has always used a variety of controversial ads ranging from pictures of a half-naked Kate Moss to an ad featuring young children wearing only Calvin Klein underwear. Shock advertising is used in order to generate more press and more profits. The Ck One is not an exception with its use of the subliminal message featuring the word fuck it is a clear example of shock advertising. Ultimately the theme of the ad comes down to rebellious sex. The CK One ad uses a variety of different elements in order to sell its products. First it employs the use of stereotypical gender representations. Although the model is in a ‘powerful’ position as she is staring directly at the camera and looking slightly downwards, she still in an overly sexual stance with very little clothes on. The models brain has been covered with a different color giving off the impression that she is laking intelligence. The model is beautiful and has a ‘perfect’ body. The advertisers played upon female insecurities and there desire for perfection in order to attract customers and make a profit. Another aspect that the advertisers used to attract attention to the ad was the rebellious look and the incorporation of digital media. The ad gives false promises that through the purchase of Calvin Klein clothing you will be a sexy, young rebel who fits in to the CK One box. Consumers should alway be aware of the image a brand is trying to portray and the affect it has on its target audience. Advertisers are trying to sell a message and our consumer society should be aware of how the advertisements shape and impact our everyday lives.

Naval Helicopter Landing Gear Engineering Essay

Naval Helicopter Landing Gear Engineering Essay The landing gear, is a structure (or mechanism) attached to the fuselage (or the body) of the aircraft, helps the aircraft during landing, take-off and ground handling operations. The landing gear plays important role absorbing the crush (or thrust) while landing and thus ensure lower crush related injuries and material damages. For achieving this crush worthiness require optimum design of the springs of the landing gears. I have started the process of the optimum design of the landing gear mechanism through theoretical hand calculations. After I established a base design through hand calculation; I shifted to the ADAMS tool. The ADAMS tool seemed to be very powerful for achieving the optimum mechanism design solution through number of iterations. For the sake of simplicity, I have considered non-retractable type of landing gear for this study. Also, I have considered using only helical compression spring and no torsion spring for this design study. Research on Naval Helicopter Landing Gear The naval helicopters operate in much severe landing conditions compared to the commercial helicopters. Hence, while designing the naval helicopter landing gear all the necessary landing conditions should be taken care. In this section I am going to discuss about the types of landing gear and few practical examples about the usage of the landing gears. History and evolution: The first wheeled landing gear appeared in Santos-Dumonts No.14 bis on 1906 soon after the Wright brothers famous flight. Initially, the landing gear used to have bungee as shock absorbing elements. The Ford trimotor landing gear, which used rubber discs and rebound cables, was the predecessor of the modern days shock absorbing landing gear. During World War-II, the shock absorbing landing gear had developed further. Use of the spring and lever came into the landing gear system design. After the world war, the landing gear design matured further to give modern days sophisticated landing gear system. Types of Landing Gears: All of the landing gear used in helicopters can be broadly classified in three categories: Tail dragger Landing Gear: Two main gears are placed under the mid of the fuselage and one tail gear is placed under the tail of the helicopter for the tail dragger landing gear arrangement. This type of landing gears are used in older helicopters (e.g. Seahawk) Tri Cycle Landing Gear: In this configuration, there are one nose wheel and two main gears at the mid of the fuselage. Most of the modern helicopter has this landing gear configuration. Tandem Landing Gear: Large aircrafts use multiple wheels in line for each of the landing gears and this configuration is known as Tandem. Examples about the usage of the landing gears in naval helicopters: Landing Gear for Seahawk S70B: The Seahawk is an US naval aircraft manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, Connecticut. Fig.1: Showing a Seahawk in operation (Image source: http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/seahawk/seahawk2.html) The chopper has energy absorbing two-wheel tail dragger type of landing gear arrangements. The landing gear design is much simpler compared to the other naval helicopters. Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight: Sea Knight is a marine transport helicopter, manufactured by Boeing Vertol. Fig.2: Showing a Sea Knight (Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USMC_CH-46.jpg) The Sea knight has tricycle type of landing gear system. Each of the landing gear has twin wheels. Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King: The Sea King is an anti-submarine amphibian helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky. It is fitted with retractable type trail dragger landing gear arrangement. MH-53E Sea Dragon: This is a three engine powered large navy helicopter designed for heavy lifting and Airborne Mine Countermeasures (AMCM). It is fitted with twin-wheel tricycle configuration of landing gear system. Development of the Landing Gear Mechanism The landing gear mechanism should be strong enough to withstand the specified stringent landing conditions of this assignment. I am planning to develop a landing gear mechanism using two double rear landing gears and a nose landing gear. All the landing gear will use helical compression springs only. Fig.3: Top view of the landing gear arrangements for the concept As the above figure shows, the concept will have the centre of gravity somewhere in between the front and the rear landing gears. Selection of the proper compression spring is the key to the success of the mechanism. Hence I have started with the hand calculation to arrive at the preliminary spring design parameters. Hand Calculation Total mass = 5126 kg Hence, Sprung mass on each spring = 1025.2 kg For zero initial velocity: Say, max. Deformation of spring =35 mm So, spring rate K = 292.9142857 N/mm For normal landing: Initial velocity of helicopter = 0.5 m/sec Spring rate k = 292.9142857 N/mm Now, using the formulae: 0.5*m*v^2=0.5*k*x^2 Max deformation of the springs =0.935414347 mm For hard landing: Initial velocity of helicopter = 3 m/sec Initial velocity of deck = 3 m/sec So, Relative velocity between the helicopter and the deck = 6 m/sec Spring rate k =292.9142857 N/mm So, Max deformation of the springs = 11.22 mm For crush landing: Initial velocity of helicopter = 15 m/sec Spring rate k = 292.9142857 N/mm So, Max deformation of the springs =28.06 mm Since, the deformation values from the hand calculation are well below 30 mm with the spring rate of 292 N/mm. So, I think it is good to go ahead with these values and check the acceleration results and vibration results by creating the ADAMS model. Developing ADAMS Model The ADAMS models of the landing gear mechanism are created by the ADAMS/View. I have come out with two ADAMS design based on the already discussed mechanism concept. The following steps are followed to create each of the ADAMS models: Unit Setting: I choose to use the units as: Length Millimeters, Mass Kg, Force Newton, Time Second, Angle Degree, and Frequency Hertz. Following consistent units are important for getting accurate results. Gravity Setting: I activated the gravity. Points: Points are the basic building block of the whole mechanism. Box: This option was used for creating the deck. Torus: All the wheels were created using the torus option. Link: The structure and the axels were created using the link options. Translational Spring Damper: This option was utilized for creating all the helical compression springs of the designs. Contact: The contact option was used for simulating the contacts between the deck and the wheels. Revolute Joint: The joints between the wheels and the axels were created using the revolute joint option of ADAMS. Translational Joint: For simulating the vertical descent speed of the helicopter and vertical speed of the deck it was required to create transitional joints between the structure and space and between deck and space. ADAMS Mechanism Design-1: Fig.4: ADAMS model of the design option-1. Fig.5: ADAMS point table for the design option-1. ADAMS Mechanism Design-2: Fig.6: ADAMS model of the design option-2 Fig.7: ADAMS point table for the design option-2 The basic difference between the design opton-1 and the design option-2 is in the height of the design. After reviewing the initial displacement results (which I will present in the next section) of the option-1, I have decided to increase the height, as for the specified test condition the structure is hitting the deck for design option-1. Result Comparison for Option-1 and Option-2: Fig.8: Deflection plot of the structure for crush landing condition The above plot is showing the comparison of the deflection of the top frame (structure connected to the fuselage), it shows that the option-1 has much higher deflection. The deflection value for the option-1 is even higher than the clearance between the structure and the deck. Means, for option-1, the structure will hit the ground for extreme condition. So, Option-2 is a better design. Testing ADAMS model in Various Landing Conditions Different landing conditions specified for this assignment is simulated in ADAMS for the design option-2. Normal landing: Here the vertical descent speed of 0.5 m/sec is applied at the translational joint between the structure and space. Result is shown below: Fig.9: Normal landing acceleration plot The result for the normal landing test for the design option-2 is showing that: the maximum acceleration is 6.8 m/sec2. Hard Landing: For the hard landing test, I applied vertical descent speed of 3m/sec at the joint between the structure and space and vertical deck speed of 3m/sec at the joint between the deck and space. Here is the result: Fig.10: Hard landing acceleration plot The above plot is showing that the maximum acceleration value for the hard landing test of the design option-2 is 19.3 m/sec2 . Crush Landing: In order to simulate the crush landing condition, I applied the vertical approach speed of 15 m/sec at the joint between the structure and space, keeping the deck stationary. The result of the crush landing test is shown below: Fig.11: Acceleration plot for the crush landing test The above plot is showing that the maximum acceleration value for the crush landing test is 206.6m/sec2. Running Vibration Analysis in ADAMS The naval helicopter will be kept in landed condition over the aircraft carrier. The aircraft carrier will be oscillating continuously under the influence of the sea waves. The purpose of the vibration analysis is to find out the resonating frequency of the landing gear mechanism under the sea oscillation. For simulating the sea wave oscillation, I created five kinetic actuators placed at the centre of each of the axels and placed one output channel at the centre of gravity of the top structure. Frequency response analysis: The frequency response analysis (FRA) shows the amplification of acceleration for each frequency values. The FRA plot for the design option-2 is shown below: Fig.12: Frequency response plot for the design option-2 The FRA plot above is showing a pick at 2.5 Hz. The pick is the resonating frequency of the landing gear mechanism. Results of the Different ADAMS Analysis Maximum acceleration for normal landing = 6.8 m/sec2. Maximum acceleration for hard landing = 19.3 m/sec2. Maximum acceleration for crush landing = 206.6 m/sec2. Resonating frequency of the mechanism = 2.5 Hz. Conclusion The conceptual design of the naval landing gear is simulated using ADAMS for the specified landing conditions. The results from the simulation are showing that the maximum acceleration values are well below the specified maximum limit for this assignment. The ADAMS vibration simulation is showing the resonating frequency for the mechanism as 2.5 Hz.

Planning Retirement Essay -- essays research papers

People of all ages should begin planning for retirement and managing their money well so they are ensured enough income when they do retire. Retirees estimate that people will need 71% of their pre-retirement income to maintain their current lifestyles. Stocks and 401(k) plans are recommended.FactsNonretired Americans with household incomes that average more than $50,000 assumes they won't be able to retire until age 59.More than a third of affluent retirees with children and grandchildren are helping to support them financially, as are 29% of all retirees. Also, nearly a quarter of all retirees whose parents are alive are helping them financially.Fully 48% of the affluent who aren't retired as well as of all people surveyed who aren't retired believe they have to work part time in retirement. Only 23% of well-off retirees and 16% of all retirees polled are working today.Affluent nonretirees estimate they'll need only 53% of their pre-retirement income to support their retirement lifestyles. But well-off retirees say they actually require fully 71%. Fully 25% of affluent nonretirees think it's likely they will run out of money before they die vs. only 12% of well-off retirees.Affluent retirees single biggest regret is failing to put more money in tax-deferred retirees said they invested the maximum the law permits, compared with only 48% of the affluent nonretirees polled.Strategies1. Figure out how much income you'll need in retirement. Retirees told us that to support ... Planning Retirement Essay -- essays research papers People of all ages should begin planning for retirement and managing their money well so they are ensured enough income when they do retire. Retirees estimate that people will need 71% of their pre-retirement income to maintain their current lifestyles. Stocks and 401(k) plans are recommended.FactsNonretired Americans with household incomes that average more than $50,000 assumes they won't be able to retire until age 59.More than a third of affluent retirees with children and grandchildren are helping to support them financially, as are 29% of all retirees. Also, nearly a quarter of all retirees whose parents are alive are helping them financially.Fully 48% of the affluent who aren't retired as well as of all people surveyed who aren't retired believe they have to work part time in retirement. Only 23% of well-off retirees and 16% of all retirees polled are working today.Affluent nonretirees estimate they'll need only 53% of their pre-retirement income to support their retirement lifestyles. But well-off retirees say they actually require fully 71%. Fully 25% of affluent nonretirees think it's likely they will run out of money before they die vs. only 12% of well-off retirees.Affluent retirees single biggest regret is failing to put more money in tax-deferred retirees said they invested the maximum the law permits, compared with only 48% of the affluent nonretirees polled.Strategies1. Figure out how much income you'll need in retirement. Retirees told us that to support ...

american immigration Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Here is not merely a nation, but a teeming nation of nations†. These famous words, which were spoken, by the famed author and poet Walt Whitman is a perfect way to describe our ever changing melting pot society, which we call America. Immigration has effected and changed our country in many ways, many of which being economic reasons from 1820-1860. There have been many reasons for people migrating to America. Among the top of these reasons are those of Political Freedom, and Economic opportunities, which include people wanting more money and better jobs. A large amount of immigrants from this time period came by way of Slavery. From the 1820s until 1860 Immigration to America has affected the national economy in many positive and negative ways.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Around 1830 in America there was an abundance of land at a cheap cost, jobs were found with little difficulty because of the decreased birth rate and high urbanization and industry that was greatly increasing. The attraction that America had towards the Immigrants was mainly the large amounts of land for farms, which the people greatly desired. Many of the early arrivals to America were followed with reports to the people’s homeland countries that the streets of America were â€Å"paved with gold†. This saying was to refer to the prosperity that the American economy had during the early19th century. Many countries outside of America during this time were in great despair.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When there is no land left for farming of a crop, which is heavily relied on throughout your country, people tend to leave. One main source of immigration to America was the Irish. During the mid 1800s Ireland’s population grew rapidly and many of the people lived on small farms that produced very little, because of their poverty the people depended mainly on the potato crop. However around 1845 a plant disease killed the majority of the crop. Around three quarters of a million people died and thousands more left the country in search of a better life. Many of the emigrants to America from Irish were under the age of thirty-five and men. Families sent their strong sons to the New World in order to make money to afford the trip of the other family members. Even though there was a low birth rate and plentiful jobs in America many of the Irish found that the fast pa... ...is crop into fabric that was sold and distributed throughout the world. The African-Americans were the most influential immigrant group to come to America during this time. They were used as slave labor mainly to harvest the enormous cotton crops in the south. This group even though were not allowed to take part in any form of public education did however harvest many notable writers, poets and politicians.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As shown, the immigration of different ethnic groups greatly attributed to America's flourishing economy. Without them this country would have fallen and collapsed soon after it's creation. Bibliography 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Http://www.bergen.org. American Immigration. 2001 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The American Pageant. David M. Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen, Thomas A. Bailey. Copyright 2002. Houghton Mifflin Company 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  World Book Encyclopedia. Volumes A&I. William H. Nault, Frank D. Drake. Copyright 1989. World Book Inc. Chicago, Illinois. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Immigration: Opposing Viewpoints. David L. Bender, Bruno Leone. Copyright1992. Greenhaven Press, Inc., San Diego, California.

Buchi Emechetas Ona :: essays papers

Buchi Emechetas Ona "Ona" is as Much a Love Story as it is a Tale of Ritualized Beliefs and Cultural Behavior Patterns often stories in a particular culture take into account, and capitalize on symbols of that particular culture for thematic effectiveness. Many indigenous stories thus contain generalized patterns of beliefs that serve as the backdrop which enables readers to relate to the stories and the content thereof. Buchi Emecheta's "Ona" is a powerful love story that centers around ritualized beliefs and cultural behavior patterns of one African tribe. The story is legendary in nature, alluding to its cultural import. It is about Abagdi, a very wealthy local chief, who is love with Ona, one of his mistresses. Agbadi is head over heals for Ona despite the fact that he has many wives. Agbadi is particularly crazy about Ona because, unlike the other women, she is not submissive as she was the daughter chief Obi Umunna. The cultural theme in the story is that man enjoys hunting, taming and conque ring even in matters of love; Agbadi finds a special thrill in trying to win the unconquerable love of Ona. Ona is a woman ahead of her time, unwilling to be controlled, even by the strong and powerful Agbadi, not only because of her individual desires, but because of her respect for the cultural norms of her society. From the onset of the story we learn that Agbadi proposes marriage to Ona. Since Ona's father, Chief Obi Umunna, had no sons, he raised Ona to be very assertive and assume what is considered boylike traits. Thus, like a man, her father raised her never "to stoop to any man". Does this mean that women and men are not considered equals in this society? Evidently, it seems the only reason Ona was thought not to stoop to any man was because she was raised essentially to behave like a man. Men and women are therefore not considered as equals in this culture. Nevertheless, Chief Umunna maintains that Ona "was free to have men, however, and if she bore a son, he would take her father's name thereby rectifying the omission that nature had made". Two important deductions can be made here: first that men are free to be promiscuous (she is free to have men) and that having a boy child asserts a man's manhood.

Life as a Female Slave Under the Code of Hammurabi Essay

I am a female slave, given into slavery for 4 years by my father, he owed a debt that he could not pay. A debt for grain that he was to pay back 3 fold. The debt collector would have taken what little we had and perhaps would have made father pay with his life if Hammurabi had not made a way for my family to cancel our debt in this way. It is only for 4 years, such a long time for so little a debt, but we are fortunate to have this option. I will be provided with the basic necessities for survival. I am counted as nothing more than property, or currency, for my Master. I am not considered human. I was formerly a member of the middle class, paupers that can farm. There are only three classes in our society, the wealthy, the poor, and the slaves. Now, I am a slave for the next four years. It is very common practice, so much so that even the poor have slaves. Our most common forms of currency are grain, silver, slaves, cattle, and livestock. As you can imagine, I am not alone in my experience in slavery. Many of my peers are or have been enslaved at least once in their lives. Both my mother and father were slaves at some point. Many female slaves usually end up with their Master for many more years than the 4 required by law. After 4 years, they are no longer slaves and are often in the same class as the man they have lived with. In our society many children are products of those relationships. Until the time of slavery is up, I must work off a debt. I am not permitted to deny my Master, or I could be punished. One such punishment could involve having my ears cut off. This is not very common. Many of us understand we are here to work and that we must be submissive to avoid conflict. As I mentioned we will be allowed the basic necessities, food and water, and protection from the environment if the weather is harsh. The laws of how I live as a female and as a slave are outlined in Hammurabi’s Code. Hammurabi is a fair and just man. I feel his laws are fair and just given my position and given the alternatives that could have taken place if my father’s debt went unpaid. And to lose an ear and not a life for disobedience is more than fair. Hammurabi has provided us with options which has been beneficial for us at this time. We all know the laws. We can all read and understand them. Our officials rule by the law and laws pertain to everyone. For example, I am safe with my Master, should anyone take me from my Master- he could be put to death.. Everyone in the city knows this law and should someone see another take me from my Master, they will notify officials. The officials will investigate the matter. The person who takes me could be put to death. Few people risk this. Also, should my Master lend me out to another man and that man harm me, he would have to pay my Master fines for the damage he caused. It is very difficult for the common man to pay fines, so little harm is ever done to a slave that is on loan. Slavery here is not a social stigma. I am of the same class as the majority and speak the same language. Business and practicality are more important here than ideology, thus it is more beneficial for a Master to have strong, healthy slaves for commercial purposes. The law is clear and written out and encourages this kind of a society. Physical abuse is not very common among our people, but it is used in extreme cases. I was very surprised when studying this to discover that laws regarding slavery in the United States, while similar in many ways, were more harsh than the laws for the slaves in a more primitive environment. For example, the Code of Hammurabi stipulates that if a slave is given in trade for a debt it is for a period of 4 years. In the Unites States, the slave codes suggested that slavery was a life long event. There was no limit to the length of time a person could be a slave. I could not find many similarities, with the exception that it was not uncommon for female slaves to bear children with their Masters. In further research I found evidence that slaves in Babylonian captivity not too long after the Code of Hammurabi was implemented, owned property and were allowed to trade. Some even made more money than their Masters. So, I could not really compare and contrast the Code of Hammurabi with the Slave Codes of the Southern States, which was not only disappointing but deeply troubling. The one thing that does stand out as the most obvious similarity to something we are familiar with today is the epilogue to the Code of Hammurabi and the Preamble of the US Constitution. Both introduced a set of laws that were created to protect the people, provide a basis for justice, promote the welfare, ensure prosperity. Actually, I believe Hammurabi said it best, â€Å"That the strong might not injure the weak†.