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The Spanish language has its own set of grammatical rules and culture that has d ...

The Spanish language has its own set of grammatical rules and culture that has derived from Latin. It has been around for centuries and will continue to do so with the popularity of the bilingual person. Spanish has many similarities to English, one of the main spoken languages in the world, because the languages have branched off from the same origin. It is considered to be one of the Romance languages of the world because of its suave words and complexes. While it may be a smooth language, it is not a language that is less complex than the next one.

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Spanish verbs are the heart and subject of any sentence, much similar to that of English verbs. Spanish verb endings are what express “’person’ and ‘number’ and which, optionally, may express ‘mood’, ‘tense’, and ‘aspect’…features may be realized by a single morpheme” (Garcia, 198). It is only a simple verb ending that “realizes several semantic of the main verb, such as ‘third person singular’…’past tense’, and ‘perfect aspect’” (Garcia, 199). Morphemes play a significant role in Spanish, since its clitics “are a closed class of representations intermediate between independent words and bound morphemes…(me, nos, te, os, le, lo, los, la, las, and se)” (Garcia, 205). The conjugations of the sentence are either male or female, which this is depending on what the whole subject is referring too. This would call for the speaker of the sentence to either use lo or los for a masculine subject and la or las for a feminine subject.

The English language has a variety of word compounds that English speakers are highly familiar with. It is a simple equation of two verbs put together to make a noun. An example of this would be breakfast. The word break and fast are put together to make a word meaning the first meal of the day, usually consumed in the morning, that breaks the fast of not eating while one was asleep overnight. Spanish, however, has compound words as well but because of the differences in the languages the compounds and the making up of tend to be more complex. Spanish compounds tend to use a verb and a noun to create a compound word. According to Buenafuentes, “Spanish compounds reflect the syntactic structure of the language and, therefore, no compounds go against this structure” (2). An example of this would be, in English, to sharpen and knives, or a knife grinder. In Spanish, this would take the noun and the verb and the Spanish term would be afilacuchillos. Compounds usually show the noun in its plural form while “the whole compound is singular” (Buenafuentes, 4). To explain further, the Spanish term lavavaplatos is the verb to clean and the noun dishes added together, but would be the proper term for a dishwasher. Anne McCabe explains the Spanish compounds as they “combine nouns and verbs, often using variations of the verb inflection…word for corkscrew is sacacorchos, from the verb sacar (to remove) in the third person singular indicative form, along with corchos, plural for cork” (241).

Spanish derives from the language of Latin, the motherland of all languages. Latin and Spanish “use inflection to signal grammatical categories such as gender, number, case, tense, mood, etc” (Pharies, 101). Spanish is Indo-European and from there “Proto-Indo-European gradually transformed into Castillian around the 13th century” (Pharies, 28). Spanish and English have many similarities but Spanish is considered to have a shallow orthography and “requires a richer conjugation for each subject noun-pronoun” (Ramirez, 339). A family tree of linguistics is in play when most of the languages derive from one main root. From there, “languages are capable of dividing themselves into two or more different varieties” (Pharies, 20). Pharies has also concluded that “Genetic material of languages-their sounds, grammatical structures, and words-remains completely intact, apart from minor changes, from one moment to the next” (19).

The increase of the English language learner dramatically increases by the decade since “Spanish speakers are by far the largest group of language minority speakers…” (Dressler). Even though Spanish and English derive off of the same branch, many centuries ago, cognate awareness is not popular among bilingual speakers. One would think it would be simple from being fluent in Spanish and its complexity of verbs and inflections as well as morphological structures; it would be easy to learn the same in the English language. The conclusion would be simple since “Spanish words that are cognates to academic English words may provide information directly useful in English literacy acquisition” (Dressler). Some English suffixes, such as “-ity, -ing, and –ly are equivalent to the Spanish suffixes –idad, -a/endo and –mente, respectively” (Dressler).

In conclusion, the linguistics of Spanish is no less more complex than English. The verbs in Spanish vary more although, but cover more ground in the language when making compound words or creating syntactic sentences. The two languages derive from the same branch; a branch that has formed many centuries ago but since then has broken off and created new branches of their own. Spanish is a language that is very focused on inflection rather than grammatical correctness in that cultured world of native speaking. Spanish language and its inflection is what make the language what it is today in references to tense, mood, person, and number. It is the history and the growing culture around it of the Spanish language that makes it the widely spoken language it is today.


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Sovereign states all over the world are governed by a constitution, which underp ...

Sovereign states all over the world are governed by a constitution, which underpins the laws of the country. Most countries have a written constitution such as USA, Canada and France while the UK, Israel and New Zealand distinctly possess an unwritten constitution. A written constitution is characterized by a complete codification of all the constitutional laws and principles. On the other hand, the unwritten constitution tends to have a bulk of the principles not codified, highly characteristic of the UK constitution. '[1]

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The reason the English constitution takes this unusual unwritten nature is simple. It is because of England's historical development. Written constitutions do not happened by accident. A country acquires a written constitution deliberately, and in direct consequence of a political event...' More often than not, the unwritten nature of the UK constitution has been termed as advantageous. British constitution has more political values than legal values. Citizens and the Parliament of the United Kingdom respects the rule of law and the constitutionalism and it is clearly explaining by two words of [2]Geoffrey Marshall, he argues that ''the most obvious and undisputed convention of the British constitutional system is that the Parliament does not use its unlimited sovereign power of legislation in an oppressive or tyrannical way. That is a vague but clearly accepted constitutional rule resting on the principle of constitutionalism and the rule of law.

As an unwritten constitution, the UK constitution is highly flexible and can easily evolve and adapt to changing times. Modern times necessitate the changing of law in order to accommodate news trends, perceptions, and beliefs. All that is required for the parliament to acknowledge the need for changes and thus continue to make amendments. Consequently, it is observed that traditional laws in the UK constitution do not inhibit progress but are instead subject to change in order to align with changing situations. For example, greater separation of powers as a result of the [3]Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and a reduction in manipulation of General Election outcomes following the Fixed Term [4]Parliaments Act 2011.

Perhaps the most significant modernising changes have been in the area of human rights, with the [5]Humans Rights Act 1998 and the [6]Freedom of Information Act 2000 This characteristic is an entrenchment and considering that there are democratic procedures put in place and that both the judiciary and parliament are there to safeguard the constitution, then it is the best suited to reflect a constantly changing world. The promotion of transparency, accountability, democracy and mandate are distinct advantages of the UK constitution. All of the matters regarding the constitution are addressed by parliament, which is compose of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The government is subject to being dissolved and therefore has to accountable to parliament. [7]Constitutional behaviour is quidded by this unwritten constitution through conventions, which have led to acts of parliament that mandate the government to resign if it loses after a 'no confidence' vote in parliament. The most written constitutions power is given to judges who are not elected and making them highly superior and likely to be swayed by subjective factors. Thus, parliament acts, as a tool for quality control and with constant regulations and monitoring of the government it is able to ensure democratic legitimacy.

Despite the advantages of the unwritten constitution, there are limits to its supremacy. The unwritten characteristic of the constitution may foster likelihood for its politicization. The fact that parliamentary supremacy is considered as the ultimate law and that judicial courts only act to regulate parliament establishes a political reality. This reality underpins the defenceless nature of judicial courts due to the lack of a codified constitution. Furthermore, there are risks to flexible nature of the unwritten constitution. All laws are exposed to whimsical changes by parliament or the government as there is no specified legal status. In addition, it makes it easy for individual human rights to be eroded due to the lack of a strictly enforceable legal system.

It has also been arguing that the unwritten constitution lacks clarity. This is contrary to a written constitution, which is detailed and explicitly addresses limitations of parliament and the government. This makes it easy accessible to ordinary citizens and at the same time promotes transparency in judicial rulings. And we come to a point when we have to argue where is a codified constitution is the best option for a constitutional reform in the United Kingdom. The case for a written constitution is that it would enable everyone to know what the rules and institutions were that governed and directed ministers, civil servants and parliamentarians in performing their public duties. [8]The sprawling mass of common law, Acts of Parliament, and European treaty obligations, surrounded by a number of important but sometimes uncertain unwritten conventions, is impenetrable to most people, and needs to be replaced by a single document of basic law dictating the working and operation of government in the United Kingdom easily accessible for all. Furthermore, it has become too easy for governments to implement political and constitutional reforms to suit their own political convenience, and entrenched procedures to ensure popular and parliamentary consent are required that necessitate a written constitution.

The present 'unwritten constitution' is an anachronism riddled with references to our ancient past, unsuited to the social and political democracy of the 21st century and future aspirations of its people. It fails to give primacy to the sovereignty of the people and discourages popular participation in the political process. A written constitution would circumscribe the boundaries of the British state and its relationship with Europe and the world. It would become a symbol and expression of national identity today and a source of national pride. The case against a written constitution is that it is unnecessary, undesirable and un-British. The fact that the UK system of government has never been reduced to a single document is an indication of the success of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy and the stability it has brought to the country. This is in contrast to most other countries whose written constitutions were the product of revolution or independence.

The unwritten nature of the constitution is something distinctively British, it reminds us of a great history, and is a source of national pride. Contrary to claims that it is out of date, it is evolutionary and flexible in nature, more easily enabling practical problems to be resolved as they arise and individual reforms made, than would be the case under an entrenched constitutional document. While some are concerned about the supposed existence of an "elective dictatorship" and inadequate checks and balances in the political system, there is in fact a wide range of considerable pressures exerted upon ministers seeking to make controversial changes. A written constitution would create more litigation in the courts, and politicise the judiciary, requiring them to pass judgement on the constitutionality of government legislation, when the final word on legal matters should lie with elected politicians in Parliament, not unelected judges.

There are so many practical problems inherent in preparing and enacting a written constitution, there is little point in considering the matter. As a public policy proposal, it lacks any depth of genuine popular support and, especially given the massive amount of time such a reform would entail, it is a very low priority even for those who support the idea. An attempt to introduce one would be a distraction and might well have a destabilising effect on the country.

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Taking all the facts and the statements in to account my point of view is that the openness of the current constitution protect the UK from each and every angle and its strengthen the constitutional values and constitutionalism but it depends on the hand of the parliament to protect them and the judiciary to check and balance whether the parliament use this openness properly.

Bibliography

  1. Lisa Webley & Harriet Samuels, Public Law, 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press
  2. Martin Lougnlin (2013), The British Constitution: A Very Short Introduction, Kindle Ed
  3. Geoffrey Marshall (1981), Constitutional Theory (Clarendon Law) (Clarendon Series)
  4. Constitutional Reform Act 2005
  5. Parliaments Act 2011
  6. Humans Rights Act 1998
  7. Freedom of Information Act 2000

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Table of contentsIntroductionEconomic FactorsLegal FactorsEnvironmental FactorsO ...

Table of contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Economic Factors
  3. Legal Factors
  4. Environmental Factors
  5. Other Factors
  6. Conclusion
  7. References

Introduction

Ever since the concept of globalization took over the business world by storm, food industry has been one of the most sought after area for expansion across borders. No matter how tempting the idea of global expansion may sound, one cannot just simply jump into the deep waters of international expansion. Analysing and forecasting the cultural, national, environmental, legal and socio-economic factors is one of the first steps towards expansion. After having a closer look into these factors, South Korea pops up as a promising target to pluck our slice of profit from this multi-billion industry.

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Economic Factors

The economy of South Korea is ranked 11th largest in the world and 4th largest in Asia. South Korean economy has witnessed the weakest growth rate since 2009 owing to the sharp squeeze in manufacturing and construction sectors (Trading Economics, 2019). However, the brighter side of the picture shows a growth of 3.1% year-on-year in the last quarter of 2018, showing a rise from a 2.0% growth in the previous quarter. Since 2017, it has been the fastest growth rate mainly owing to the services, agriculture, fishing and forestry sectors (Trading Economics, 2019). In fiscal year 2019, government spending has provided a cushion to the GDP of South Korea following a reduction of 0.4% in the last quarter till June (Kim. S, 2019). Consumer spending has significantly increased in South Korea over the years. In the second quarter of 2019, it touched the highest amount of 221901.20 KRW Billion from 220417.20 KRW Billion recorded in the previous quarter. Registering to all these economic trends, South Koreans are inclined towards low-priced eating out options. Fast-food industry has seen a splurge in demand due to its competitive prices, set menus and on-going promotional offers whole year around. South Koreans, keeping in mind their busy work schedules and convenience associated with ordering fast-food through home delivery/online, prefer to spend money on this segment of food service.

Legal Factors

A number of rules and regulations need to be taken care of before expanding business wings into this territory. Korean Commission for Corporate Partnership (KCCP) limits the expansion plans of multinational companies to specific geographical areas and certain number of branches. KCCP pays important role in the growth of local small and medium enterprises, hence imposes regulations on international subsidiaries (Korea Franchising, 2019). An authority letter needs to be obtained from Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) before making an investment. Thereafter a registration letter from the Tax Office is obtained. Annual audited financial statements need to be submitted to local tax authorities along with income tax returns. In August 2003, South Korean government developed a Free Trade Zone to attract foreign investment in the region. Various tax support incentives are also available to the foreign investors along with comfortable means of money transfer to the parent company (Hayes. S, 2017). The legal structure of South Korea, with its pros and cons, welcomes foreign investment in the country by offering simpler set up procedures.

Environmental Factors

A ripple effect could be created in the revenue stream of fast-food industry due to the environmental factors of South Korea. Seoul launched alarming measures to control the deteriorating condition of air and water pollution in the region (McCurry. J, 2019). Keeping these circumstances in mind, our fast-food chain must promote Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) actions to attract the target market. Many South Korean companies have taken up measures to start welfare programs for children and youth of South Korea. In 2013, the “The Happy Burger” campaign was launched by Mc Donald’s Korea to provide 800 meals to child welfare institutes in different cities. CSR will help build a strong emotional attachment between the consumer and the brand name. Furthermore, efficient use of energy resources should be used by the company to keep the environmental damage to its minimum. Reusable packaging should be used along with easy recycling options. Efficient means of water consumption must be adopted to minimize water and soil pollution.

Other Factors

A recent trend is seen in the South Korean population towards western food products. Just recently a tariff has been uplifted from the import of processed food giving new opportunities to the fast-food industry to firm its ground in the region.

South Korea, whose population is so far estimated as more than 50 million in 2019 (the Korean Bureau of Statistics 2019), is experiencing its food service market on a rapid growth, as the nation’s socio-economic changes continues to impact spending more on dining out.

Overall revenue in the foodservice sector in South Korea grew at a CAGR (Compound annual growth rate) of 3.5% between 2014 and 2016, and it is forecast to increase at a CAGR of 3.6% to 2021, according to data published in 2017 by Global Data.

This has encouraged a number of international food chains to establish themselves in the market. This includes the international giant fast-food chains, such as Mc Donalds, Pizza Hut, but also some medium-sized foreign restaurants, like Shake Shake Burger, which is introduced from the U.S and soon hit the South Korea food market with its average number of customers were reported as 3,000 per day for the first month of its opening.

Along with the successful expansion of international restaurant chains in South Korea, people living in the nation also show tendency of dining out on an increasing rate. According to Monthly Household Expenditure Survey, organised and practised by Korea National Statistical Service in 2017, people’s households’ monthly per capita spending on dining out in Korea has continued a solid growth for several consecutive years, reaching approximately $123 million in 2017. Per capita, Korean households spent 47.6 % of F&B expenditures (or 13.3% of total consumption expenditures) on dining out.

In consideration of all the factors, it can be assumed that the Korean consumers are eagerly spending on dining out, looking for international tastes, and if it is a budget choice with convenience to be followed, it can surely boost their tendency to dine out.

Yang-What et al. (2001) have found that the dietary behaviour of Koreans shifts toward more westernized and convenient foods and Koreans become increasingly dependent on dining out. Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey 2001 (KNHNS 2001) also shows the number of people that eat out more than once a day increased from 20.5% in 1998 to 33.2% in 2001.

Along with the cultural trend shown among Korean citizens – eating out more frequently, there has been a recent change in dining culture that is worth examining. There were very few people who dine alone in South Korea, as it is common for all family members to have meals together at home, and even children have their lunch with their classmates at school. However, as the society is becoming more competitive and the growth of individualism is found, it encourages more people to accept a rather new idea of dining alone.

Therefore, if people are provided with decent options to choose from, either with their friends, family, or with no one else, they would welcome trying new food – in particular those to be quickly prepared in places, such as food courts, as well as those based on familiar ingredient like rice, as commonly found in Mexican or Thai cuisine.

Since South Korea and the U.S implemented the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement in 2012, the Agreement (FTA) led South Korea to activate more agreements with other major nations, including countries in South America – Chile, Colombia, Peru etc – as well as Asian countries such as Singapore, India, etc, with other countries – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the E.U, and so on.

As a result, a number of corporations based in such nations successfully launched in the South Korean market, including international food chains, with its tax rates reduced when operating its Korean branches, as well as its tariff for imported raw materials from such countries to be cut down.

Meanwhile, Labour productivity in the South Korean service sector is just 56% of that in manufacturing, far below OECD’s average of 93%, according to United States International Trade Commission 2007, which can reduce the burden of paying labour cost in establishing and operating international-themed food court restaurants in South Korea.

Conclusion

Given all the aspects, the restaurant market in South Korea seems to have so much potential in growth. South Korean citizens seem to have little emotional barrier in trying out international food, as long as it is a budget choice and is quickly cooked. Moreover, people are familiarised with a new concept of dining-out ‘alone’, which is why it seems reasonable to establish international-themed food courts, such as Mexican or Thai, whose cuisine shows rice-based meals using hot spices, similar to that of Korean.

In addition, the tax rate is reduced for international corporations whose main branches are located in countries with FTA – therefore, it seems appropriate to set up the restaurant as wholly owned subsidiary, with all the management-related skills for its structure, labour, products, and customers. As the parent company can still take a whole control over those newly-opened in South Korea, it can provide significant advice on the new business operation.

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In conclusion, as all the factors seriously considered, it should be profitable to open a new food chain – Mexican or Thai-themed – in South Korea, but not as a big restaurant, but in part of food courts.

References

  1. Companyformationkorea, 2018, ‘Open a Subsidiary in Korea’, viewed on 12th October 2019
  2. Hayes. S, 2019, ‘The Korean Law Blog’, viewed on 13th October 2019 < https://www.thekoreanlawblog.com/korean-tax-law>
  3. Kim. S, 2019, ‘South Korea’s Falling Prices Flash Red Light for Global Growth’, viewed on 13th October 2019 < https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-30/south-korea-s-prices-fall-for-first-time-as-export-woes-persist>
  4. Kim. Y, Kang. Y & Lim. M, 2017, ‘Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility Actions on South Korean Adolescents’ Perceptions in the Food Industry’, Sustainability Journal.
  5. Korean Bureau of Statistics 2019, ‘Estimate Population in Korea 2019’
  6. Global data 2017, ‘South Korea – The Future of Foodservice to 2021’, published in 2017,
  7. The Salt – the food magazine, ‘What’s Behind South Korea’s Shake Shake Fever?’, published on 6, September 2016,
  8. Korea National Statistical Service, ‘Monthly Household Expenditure Survey In Household expenditures-consumption expenditures’, published in May 2019,
  9. Marriot. J, 2019, ‘Changing Trends in South Korean Food Market’, viewed on 13th October 2019
  10. McCurry. J, 2019, ‘Social disaster': South Korea brings in emergency laws to tackle dust pollution’, viewed on 14th October 2019 < https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/mar/13/social-disaster-south-korea-brings-in-emergency-laws-to-tackle-dust-pollution>
  11. MordorIntelligence.com, 2019, ‘SOUTH KOREA FOODSERVICE MARKET - GROWTH, TRENDS, AND FORECAST (2019 - 2024)’, VIEWED ON 12TH OCTOBER 2019 < https://mordorintelligence.com:81/industry-reports/south-korea-foodservice-market>
  12. Yang-Wha K, Kyung-Eui H, Hyeon-Jeong C, Hyojee J 2001, ‘Dining-out behaviors of residents in Chuncheon city, Korea, in comparison to the Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey 2001’, Seoul National University, Seoul
  13. Sanghui K. Yuna K. Myoung-jin J. Yonjung K. Kirang K. Sunhye C. Chaemin C. Young-Ho K, Kyungwon O 2001, ‘Data Resource Profile; The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNS)’, Division of Health and Nutrition Survey, Cheongwon-gun
  14. Gwanghyun P 2019, ‘Table For One? : How Dining Culture Is Changing In South Korea’, Korea Economic Institute of America, Washington DC. < http://keia.org/table-one-how-dining-culture-changing-south-korea>
  15. International Trade Administration, ‘Korea-Trade Agreements 2019’, < https://www.export.gov/article?id=Korea-Trade-Agreements>
  16. Tradingeconomics.com, 2019, ‘South Korea GDP Growth Rate’, viewed on 12th October 2019 < https://tradingeconomics.com/south-korea/gdp-growth>
  17. United States International Trade Commission 2007, ‘U.S. – Korea Free Trade Agreement; Potential Economy-wide and Selected Sectoral Effects, < https://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/pub3949.pdf>

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Table of contentsAbstractIntroductionMeaningTypes of Cyber CrimeAvoiding Cyber C ...

Table of contents

  1. Abstract
  2. Introduction
  3. MeaningTypes of Cyber CrimeAvoiding Cyber CrimeAnti-Virus SoftwareFirewallAvoiding harassmentBackups
  4. Cyber Law
  5. Conclusion
  6. References

Abstract

As we are all aware that in todays world most of things, whether it be online education or online transactions, are done using internet. This internet technology has also been used by few people for carring out criminal activities. Criminals that indulge in cyber crimes used their knowledge to gain benefits quickly. They used their expertise to steal, deceive and exploit people as they find it easy to earn money without having to do an honest day’s work. Though, various measures have been provided including cyber law, for avoiding cyber crimes, there is no warranty that following these measures will prevent one from being victim of cyber crime. To discuss the notion of cyber crime, this essay analyzes the meaning, types, and ways to avoid cyber crime.

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Introduction

Cyber crime evolved since 1990 when computers and networks came in to being. The types of attacks gradually grew from “Morris code worm” in 1997 to “Torjan” in 2004 and to “Ransom ware “ attack in 2013.

When computers and networks came into being in the 1990s, hacking was done basically to get more information about the systems. Initially, these hacking attempts were brushed off as mere nuisance as they did not pose a long-term threat. However, with malicious software becoming ubiquitous during the same period, hacking started making networks and systems slow. As hackers became more skillful, they started using their knowledge and expertise to gain benefit by exploiting and victimizing others. Wherever the rate of return on investment is high and the risk is low, you are bound to find people willing to take advantage of the situation. This is exactly what happens in cyber crime. Accessing sensitive information and data and using it means a rich harvest of returns. Catching such criminals is also very difficult. Hence, this has led to a rise in cyber crime across the world. Today, criminals that indulge in cyber crimes are not driven by ego or expertise. Instead, they want to use their knowledge to gain benefits quickly. They are using their expertise to steal, deceive and exploit people as they find it easy to earn money without having to do an honest day’s work.

Meaning

The World Wide Web sounds like a vast phenomenon but surprisingly one of its qualities is bringing the world closer making it a smaller place to live in for its users. However, it has also managed to create another problem for people who spend long hours browsing the Cyber World – which is cyber crimes. When any crime is committed over the Internet it is referred to as a cyber crime. Cyber crimes have become a real threat today and are quite different from old-school crimes, such as robbing, mugging or stealing. Unlike these crimes, cyber crimes can be committed single handedly and does not require the physical presence of the criminals. The crimes can be committed from a remote location and the criminals need not worry about the law enforcement agencies in the country where they are committing crimes.

Types of Cyber Crime

People all over the world use the Internet to commit a host of crimes, some of which the public doesn't even know are capable of being done electronically. The most common Internet crimes are as follows:

  1. Phising/Spoofing: Unlawfully accessing a computer without authorization and sending multiple e-mails; resending multiple commercial email messages with the intent to deceive recipients; or falsifying header information in multiple email messages.
  2. Blackmail/Extortion: Using the Internet to threaten to cause damage with the intent to extort from any person any money or other thing of value.
  3. Accessing Stored Communications: Intentionally accessing, without authorization, a facility through which an electronic communication service is provided.
  4. Sports Betting: Engaging in the business of betting or wagering on any sporting event or contest over the Internet.
  5. Non-Delivery of Merchandise: Devising any scheme to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, or promises, and using the Internet for the purpose of executing the scheme.
  6. Electronic Harassment: Anonymously using the Internet to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass the person who receives the communication.
  7. Child Pornography: Using the Internet to transmit child pornography.
  8. Prostitution: Persuading, inducing, enticing, or coercing any individual to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution.
  9. Drug Trafficking: Delivering, distributing, or dispensing a controlled substance by means of the Internet.
  10. Criminal Copyright Infringement: Infringing a copyright for financial gain...or by distributing a work being prepared for commercial distribution on a computer network.

Avoiding Cyber Crime

Anti-Virus Software

In the 1980s, computer viruses were generally passed from one user to another user via floppy disks. Hence, users in the 1980s did not need anti-virus software if they both (1) only purchased software from reputable sources and (2) never copied programs from floppy disks provided by their friends and colleagues.

Three developments in the 1990s made anti-virus software essential for all computer users:

  1. It became common to distribute software and updates via downloads from the Internet,
  2. Hackers developed viruses that were delivered inside macros for Microsoft Word, which malicious macros could be hidden inside a document sent by e-mail, and
  3. Hackers developed malicious computer programs that were commonly distributed as attachments to e-mail: clicking on the attachment executed the malicious computer program and infected the victim's computer.

Since everyone uses e-mail and nearly everyone will download executable software from the Internet, everyone should have a good anti-virus program running on their machine.

As a virus, worm, or other malicious program can be transmitted via an attachment to e-mail, one should rigorously follow three rules:

  1. Never open an executable attachment.
  2. Never open any attachment from an unknown source.
  3. Be cautious of any attachment that has a double file extension, especially when the rightmost file extension is an executable file type.

Firewall

It is good practice to erect a 'firewall' between parts of a computer system that an external user can access (e.g., via modem or Internet or voice mail) and parts that are supposedly accessible only by a local user. Many hackers run programs that randomly search the Internet and probe ports on computers that are connected to the Internet. If the hacker finds a port that is 'open', the hacker might be able to access that computer and view/alter/delete files on that computer. Worse, hackers may also hijack the victim's computer and use it to launch their illegal attacks on other computers.

Avoiding harassment

For casual on-line activities, you can establish a free e-mail account at Yahoo, HotMail, or some other provider, and use an alias for that account. If someone harasses or stalks you, then you simply close that account and chose another alias. In other words, you adopt a disposable identity for your life in cyberspace.

Never give out your real name, address, city, telephone number, or other identifying information to a stranger in a chat room, computer bulletin board, or other public place.

The only connection between phishing and computers is that modern phishing uses e-mail and a bogus website to get a gullible person to disclose personal financial information to criminals. That having been said, it is worthwhile to alert people to the existence of phishing. People first encounter phishing when they receive a fraudulent e-mail that typically purports to be from a bank, credit card company, or other financial institution. The e-mail might mention something about your account is suspended until you 'verify', 'update', or 'validate' some information. The e-mail invites you to click on a link in the e-mail. The link typically takes you to a webserver located in a foreign country and operated by criminals, who display webpages with the logo and trademarks of a bank, credit card company, or government agency, which makes the webpage appear legitimate. The bogus webpage asks you to supply your account numbers, passwords, and other personal information (e.g., Social Security number, date of birth, mother's maiden name) that can be used to fraudulently access your financial accounts and perpetrate identity theft crimes.

Backups

If a computer virus or an invading hacker deletes your files, or either one corrupts your files, the easiest way to restore your computer may be to reformat the hard drive(s) and then copy files from a recent backup. Backups also offer protection from more common (and less exotic) threats such as accidental deletion of a file by an authorized user or failure of a hard disk drive.

Cyber Law

Cyber Law took birth in order to take control over the crimes committed through the internet or the cyberspace or through the uses of computer resources.

According to Wikipedia “The Information Technology Act, 2000 (also known as ITA-2000, or the IT Act) is an act of the Indian Parliament (no 21 of 2000), it was notified on 17th October 2000. It is the most important law in India that deals with the digital crimes or cyber crimes and electronic commerce. It is based on the United Nations Model Law on Electronic Commerce 1996 (UNCITRAL Model) recommended by the General Assembly of United Nations by a resolution dated 30 January 1997”.

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Conclusion

To conclude the essay, cyber crime has become great threat to mankind. Protection against cybercrime is a vital part for social, cultural and security aspect of a country. The Government of India has enacted IT Act, 2000 to deal with cybercrimes. Any part of the world cyber crime could be originated passing national boundaries over the internet creating both technical and legal complexities of investigating and prosecuting these crimes. The international harmonizing efforts, coordination and co-operation among various nations are required to take action towards the cyber crimes. There is no warranty that following these suggestions will prevent one from being a victim of computer crime, but at least one can make it a little harder for a criminal, and maybe the criminal will find an easier target.

References

  • https://www.slideshare.net/bharadwajchetan/an-introduction-to-cyber-law-it-act-2000-india
  • https://cybercrime.org.za/definition
  • http://www.cyberlawsindia.net/cyber-india.html
  • Dorothy E. Denning, Information Warfare and Security, Addison- Wesley Publishing Co., 1998.
  • Dorothy E. Denning and Peter J. Denning, Internet Besieged, Addison- Wesley Publishing Co., 1997.
  • Peter J. Denning (editor), Computers Under Attack, Addison- Wesley Publishing Co., 1990.
  • Peter G. Neumann, Computer –Related Risks, Addison – Wesley Publishing Co., 1995.

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President’s State of the Union MessagePresident Obama starts with talking abou ...

President’s State of the Union Message

President Obama starts with talking about how he has plans for the future; he wants to focus on the future. He mentions how this world is changing very rapidly; it can give more opportunities to people or even widen the inequality gap. Furthermore, it the change of this world will accelerate. Obama also says that we succeeded by adapting to changes and not focusing on how we were great in the past. Our spirit and optimism were important to our success in the changing world. The president then presents four questions to answer for the future.

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  1. In the new economy, how do we give everyone a fair shot at opportunity and security?
  2. How can we make technology work for us, for example like with climate change?
  3. How do we keep America safe and lead the world without being the world police

How can we make politics reflect what is best in us? He talks about how we have improved on many things such as high school graduation rates, unemployment rates, etc.

However, one important thing he mentions is that in order to have a peaceful and sustainable planet, we have to have constructive and rational debates. For that to happen, we will have to fix our politics. We will have to have a better democracy, where citizens trust each other. However, people do not trust each other, because many average people feel that their voices do not matter.

However, this means that the average people have to start speaking up and putting out their demands. This way, our system can improve based on feedback I think that Obama has stated some very good points. We have improved a lot over the past few years, but we can always still improve and create better systems. This will, however, of course need the voices of the people. If everyone demands something, then politics will change.


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Table of contentsSummaryPart 1Part 2Part 3Part 4AnalysisConclusionWorks CitedThe ...

Table of contents

  1. Summary
  2. Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4
  3. Analysis
  4. Conclusion
  5. Works Cited

The book I had chosen for this very intense assignment was “Guns, Germs, and Steel – The Fates of Human Societies”, which was published in 2005 by “Norton” in New York. It has, including the index, 494 pages. The assignment stated to pick any 6 chapters to read as long as I had picked 1 from every section of the book. The chapters I chose were the Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 4, Chapter 11, Chapter 16, and Chapter 17. In this book, Jared Diamond explains how some places in the world are more advanced than others due to the way they use steel, their immunity to germs, food production, and animal domestication.

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Diamond presented questions important to the education of human beings. “ Why did property and force become distributed as they today exist, rather than in other way? “” Why did human process go in much various rates on different continents? “” Why were Europeans, rather than Africans or Native Americans, The people to be up with guns, that nastiest germs, and metal?” In his award-winning novel, Diamond posited the “unified synthesis” — a unified set concept of history. Drawing from his wide-ranging knowledge of drugs, evolutionary life, biology, science, and anthropology, too, too as geography, he surveyed this past of this last 13,000 ages and identified plausible answers to the questions he had posed. He published what I believe to be one of the most informative novels on the history of human beings.

The prologue was like a summary of the book, it describes how the people from Eurasia conquered as much of the world as they did, due not to their genetic features, but their geographic ones. He had become interested in human societies in July 1972, the time he was studying the evolution of birds in New Guinea. After I had read the 6 chapters I had stated before, I went back into the book to see what else could help me with this essay, and I saw a few good points outside of the 6 chapters that helped me to expand on what I thought was the full summary. He talks about life thousands of years ago, and how people used to live compared to how we live now.

To start from the beginning, when Diamond was in New Guinea, his friend, Yali, asked, “Why is it that you white people developed so much cargo … but we black people had little cargo of our own?”. The cargo had been referred to as technology. He thought about how even after 2 centuries, New Guineas were still using stone tools, and that’s what sparked his interest in the gaps of advancement between societies. Diamond then extends said question by also asking, “Why did wealth and power become distributed as they now are, rather than in some other way?” He then said that when he had begun the answer this question, the archaeological evidence proposes that all continents were around the same technological standpoint.

Summary

Part 1

The first chapter explains what the great leap was, it happened around 50,000 years ago. It’s called “The Great Leap” because of the revolutionary tools made in the era, for example, one was a fishing hook from bone and needles. He refers to Early Europeans as “Cro-Magnons” and describes how they came to Europe and how they are the ones who made the advancements I have listed above. Around 40,000 years ago, the Cro-Magnons had come to Europe, and at around that same time, Australia and New Guinea were populated, showing proof of the first use of watercraft.

Part 2

Chapter 4 starts with an anecdote about Diamond’s experience as a teenager running on a western farm. He explains how the Blackfoot farmhand, Matthew, once went furious with the work owner, the Swiss immigrant, and shouted, “; damn you Fred Hirschy, and damn the ship that brought you from Switzerland! ” Diamond uses this anecdote to investigate how the growing people, e.g., the Swiss, or Europeans at large, would continue to have the land of the Blackfeet, the fierce and nomadic group of Great Plains hunter-gatherers. Domesticated complex food industry is the foundation on which the rest of his statement rests, and Diamond takes why some people developed farming and others did not. Land permits people to create food surpluses and thus to dramatically increase their populations. Larger populations mean higher numerical power for battle.

Part 3

In Chapter 11 Diamond has discussed how environmental factors in the production of food have led to changes, spreading at specific rates across the world. Diamond remembers meeting a farmer who had attempted to have coitus with a sheep and had a horrible disease from the animal. While there are few people who try to imitate the farmer, the truth remains that people live close livestock and catch diseases from their livestock.

Part 4

For part 4, I had chosen 2 chapters, chapter 16 and 17. Chapter 16 was based on how China stayed as culturally active as it has been for centuries. There are eight big languages, all commonly associated to Mandarin, spoken in China. But there are also hundreds of small languages, spoken by thousands of individuals, or tens of thousands. He then goes on to talk about how the climate of China was about the needed climate for farming. Thanks to China’s particular organization of large rivers, different areas of China could connect, and allow for an easier way of transportation. This collection of large rivers also helped sustain large areas used for farming and other agricultural activities.

Chapter 17 is the part of the book in which Diamond talks about the Austronesian expansion. Approximately six thousand years ago, the expansion of Austronesia was called a demographic shift. Austronesia ‘ is concerned with Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and many of the Pacific Islands. In China and Southeast Asia, ancient people shifted further south to explore Java, New Guinea, and Indonesia today.

And that’s about it for the summaries of the 6 chapters I had read for this book. I didn’t cover all of the bases of this book because I had only read 6 chapters of it. This was an amazing read, and I am surprised at how in depth he went on some of the topics he discussed. He went to the roots of every society and explained how all of them advanced in their own way. This must have taken a lot of research to complete, and it was an honor reading it.

Analysis

What was the author’s objective?- The author wanted to inform the reader about how different societies developed over time. The Prologue introduced how he sparked the interest of different societies developing over time. Chapter 1 describes what each society advanced in during “The Great Leap.” Chapter 4 explains why agriculture was a big deal and how it contributed to the future. It also explains that agriculture was discovered around 11,000 years ago and how it is one of the most efficient ways of the production of food. The rest of the chapters just explain how each society grew throughout the centuries of mankind.

The only universal lesson I took away from this incredible book is that all groups of people, no matter race, ethnicity, or any group people can be classified as are equal to each other. They have the same level of intelligence to start off with. What really matters about the progression of different societies is the geographic features of where they are. “History followed different courses for different people because of differences among peoples’ environments, not because of biological differences among people themselves.”

There was the only universal lesson I got from this book because it was the only thing Jared talked about. He brought up interesting points throughout the entire book, but it kept coming back to the fact that everyone starts off equally smart and the environment has everything to do with the growth of societies.

The packet instructed to say whether I liked the book or not, and I kind of liked it. There were some parts of the book that I wished I could fast-forward through, but there were also a few interesting parts in it as well. Chapter 16 and 17 were probably my favorite chapters of the 6 I had read. Chapter 16 was incredibly informative and really helped me understand why China progressed so much faster than other societies. Chapter 17 went on the explain how the Austronesian expansion came to be.

Many people who read this book would probably say that there is nothing missing from this masterpiece of a book, but I would have to disagree. Diamond talks about how agriculture and geographic features contributed to the advancement of populations, but he should also include the people involved with the change. If it weren’t for Qin Shi Huang, China would never have a centralized government. If he were to have included these important figures, I wouldn’t have to search up facts like the sentence before. It would give people a better understanding of the points he tries to cover. I understand that he is trying to make a point, that it’s all about the geographic features, but it would help to at least say which people took most advantage of said features. Other than that, there really is nothing else missing from the book.

As far as I could tell, there were 3 out of the 5 themes of geography, place (Relative), perception, and human-environment interaction. I would hope that every book based on any type of geography would be relative place for a theme. The book gave an idea of where everything was taking place, but it never went into specifices, such as longitude and latitude. In Chapter 16, Diamond explains how the Chineese follow the same system as way back when, “From the beginnings of literacy in China, it has had only a single writing system, whereas modern Europe uses dozens of modified alphabets.” This whole book is about how humans utilize the environment, so it’s self explanatory on how human-environment interaction is one of the themes used in this book.

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Conclusion

Jared Diamond’s “Guns, Germs, and Steel” was an amazing, informative book that showed how societies got to where they are today. He had an incredible take on how populations were shaped through the environment. Because of this book, I am now able to understand the past a little more than what I could before the summer. 

Works Cited

  1. Diamond, J. M. (2005). Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. W.W. Norton & Company.
  2. Dixon, J. (2006). Review of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 129(3), 589-590.
  3. Foley, R. A. (2003). Review of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. Population and Development Review, 29(2), 366-367.
  4. Harrison, G. (2006). Review of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. Ethnohistory, 53(1), 202-203.
  5. Hinde, R. A. (2004). Review of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 17(4), 325-327.
  6. Kelley, D. R. (2004). Review of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. The Canadian Journal of Native Studies, 24(2), 487-489.
  7. McNeill, J. R. (2005). Review of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. The Journal of World History, 16(2), 221-224.
  8. Piantadosi, S. (2003). Review of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. BioScience, 53(10), 985-986.
  9. Steward, J. H. (2005). Review of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. Journal of Anthropological Research, 61(2), 219-221.
  10. Thomas, J. (2004). Review of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. Journal of Historical Geography, 30(2), 380-381.

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Table of contentsIntroductionLegally Blonde movie review (essay)Personal Opinion ...

Table of contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Legally Blonde movie review (essay)
  3. Personal Opinion
  4. Conclusion
  5. Works Cited

Introduction

As the saying goes, “Beauty is only skin deep.” Elle Woods, in the film Legally Blonde, fulfills the proverb beautifully. The film debuted in 2001 during a time when feminism was not as notable as it is today; the early 2000s embodied a time of regression to classical gender roles in media and popular culture. Reese Witherspoon, the start of Legally Blonde, gained worldwide recognition for playing a role that required more than sitting poolside in a bikini. Witherspoon became a popular staple in American culture for her role as the ultra girly, yet driven Elle Woods in her journey to a prosperous lawyer. Legally Blonde is recognized for its inspiration plot that transcended into an American classic, defying blonde stereotypes forever. This Legally Blonde movie review essay will explore the film’s plot and characters, as well as its lasting impact on American culture.

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Legally Blonde movie review (essay)

The film, Legally Blonde, follows the natural blonde Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) who seems to arguably have the world at her fingertips. Woods is the president of her Delta Nu sorority, a scholar as well, and is dating an aspiring senator in her fraternity boyfriend Warner Washington. In the beginning of the film, it is clear that Elle lives a lifestyle of ease, luxury, and indulges in social approval. Expecting a proposal, Warner breaks up with Elle at dinner saying if he wants to be a senator by thirty then he needs to wed “a Jackie, not a Marilyn.” It is evident that he does not see a future with Elle implying she is not practical partner generally and “too blonde.” A heartbroken and insulted Elle devises a plan to not only win back her ex-boyfriend, but prove him wrong in the process. Impulsively, she is accepted and follows Warner to Harvard Law School planning to humiliate him with her intelligence. Different from her usual tendencies of shopping and poolside activities, Elle for once is socially disapproved due to her unsophistication and naivate. Later, she finds out that Warner has rekindled an old flame with the brainy, law student named Vivian Kensington. Throughout the course of the film, circumstances turn into Elle’s favor as she finds a genuine passion for law and becomes a top student at the college. A vital supporting character in the film is Professor Callahan; Woods studies hard and wins and internship for Callahan. The perfect opportunity presents itself to showcase her knowledge and adoration for the field in a court case. Collaborating with Callahan and an attorney Emmett Richmond, they work together to bail out a prominent fitness instructor charged with murder. In the end Elle helps win the case, earns respect from her peers, and discovers a fitting career for herself in law. Warner attempts to rekindle the flame with Woods and is of course, rejected. Two years later, Elle Woods graduates with high honors and is the elected speaker at the ceremony. The film concludes with Elle being invited to one of the most prestigious law firms in Boston and settles down with Emmett.

Prior to watching the film, I noticed that the Legally Blonde (2001) movie poster sports the slogan: “Boldly going where no blonde has gone.” It is evident that the film already sparks controversy and degradation towards blondes firsthand. In the first few minutes of the film, we are immediately introduced to the main protagonist, Elle Woods, who is an upscale college scholar with a near perfect life. It is known that she is the President of her sorority and we catch a glimpse of her sisters; they all are practically blonde clones of Elle, partaking in the same activities mindlessly, and are painted to be painfully simple-minded. Thus, abiding by the “dumb blonde” stereotype. Elle and her sorority sisters are seen mainly in pink, overcommunicating the idea that they are females; while everyone else is wearing darker, subtle colors. By the time we are introduced to the main antagonist in Woods’ boyfriend, Warner Washington, he is portrayed as the typical alpha male. Washington is a tall, privileged white man with a hunger for a successful career in being a senator. In turn, Warner breaks up with Elle because of the fact that she is “too blonde” making her not wife material. Elle was expecting him to propose; instead, she was slapped in the face with a sudden breakup. Like most women, she breaks down loudly and sobs uncontrollably to the extent where it almost becomes unrealistic. An exaggerated use of paralanguage is one of Elle’s tendencies throughout the film. Due to Elle’s upbringing as a rich, white girl it touches base with the standpoint theory discussed in our textbook. Wood & Fixmer-Oraiz (2019) state: “Standpoint theory focuses on how membership in groups, such as those designated by gender, race, class, ability, and gender identity, shapes what individuals experience”. With that being said, it is clear that Elle Woods does not have much experience with adversity, considering her lavish lifestyle, and her tendency to bask in approval from others. She even asks Warner, “You don’t like me? Everybody likes me.” In short, Elle is a socialite; she places her looks at a high importance. “Girls and women are more likely than boys and men to feel pressure to look good not just for special occasions, but all the time”. From finish to end, Elle is firm on an elegant presentation wherever she goes and here she questions if it is her looks that turned Warner off. On the other hand, Warner’s pursuit of status and prestige can be connected to the statement, “As adults, men are expected to compete to achieve status in their professions, ‘to make it’”. Biologically, men are portrayed to be the providers as a main precondition for manhood and often seek prominence in the workforce to do so.

As stated previously, Warner Washington is a man who flexes his dominance by showing no emotion or vulnerability. He does so in the scene following their breakup, as Elle flees the restaurant, when he persuades her to ride in his car saying: “You’re going to get your shoes dirty.” Such a statement undermines the value of a woman by basically saying that her shoes are of higher importance than her emotional wellbeing. “Masculine speech [consists] of ways to accomplish concrete goals, exert control, preserve independence, entertain, and enhance status”. Warner takes pleasure in not feeling like he is the perpetrator in the film, does not empathize, but simply puts women (Elle) in their place of a lesser value as emotionally fragile and dependent beings. Stubborn to put his pride aside, he shows no remorse or emotion to justify to Elle that he is not missing out on anything without her.

A common theme in the film is the traditionalist view of gender roles being upheld. Later on, when Elle is conversing with her mother about applying to law school the mother makes an incredibly sexist comment regarding gender roles. Boggled by her daughter’s newfound interest, she says: “Honey, you were First Runner-Up at the ‘Miss Hawaiian Tropics’ contest. Why are you going to throw that all away?” Although it is clear that Elle does well in school, even her parents cannot look past a pretty face; it makes it seem that college girls solely care about their image and maintaining an appearance. Of course, the film incorporates many instances of a patriarchy “…reflecting the perspectives and priorities of men more than those of women”. In the U.S. western culture is very apparent and it comes as no surprise when it is referenced in Legally Blonde. When Elle wins the internship from Professor Callahan, she is designated to complete mindless and tedious tasks not pertaining to the field of law itself. Along with the other female interns, they are doing personal tasks to please the man. It seems as though they only were granted the internship for their supporting and nurturing services.

Similarly, women are sexualized in the film at times wearing exposing or hardly any clothing. In their article, Jaimee Swift and Hannah Gould speak out on the exploitation of women and girls in popular media. “A report by the American Psychological Association (APA) on the sexualization of girls in the media found that girls are depicted in a sexual manner more often than boys; dressed in revealing clothing, and with bodily postures or facial expressions that imply sexual readiness”. Within the first five minutes of the film, the Delta Nu sorority are mingling with fraternity members wearing bikinis while engaging in activities. Swift and Gould (2019) also mention that the media is hugely responsible for the promotion of female sexualization. The females in these films wearing little to no clothing entice males and give off the impression that they are willing to give themselves up for sexual pleasure. Furthermore, it leads audience members that when women are wearing bikinis or exposing articles of clothing, it is okay to take it as a sign to make immediate sexual advances on them. Likewise, another instance of an unmistakable element of patriarchy is Elle’s admissions video to Harvard. As a mandatory guideline to be considered for admission to Harvard, she does so in a naive way and one that only she would devise. The video has her dressed in a bikini boasting her finest “assets” and “qualities.” In the video, we see a poolside Elle in a bikini for most of it as a montage plays with her talking nonsense. Immediately afterwards, the admissions board is deeply infatuated with the video solely based on her looks and ultimately accepts her. This speaks volumes on how a man thinks and their perception of women as property.

Correspondingly, Legally Blonde encourages heteronormativity with both heterosexual and the few homosexual characters. As a reminder, “…heteronormativity is the assumption that heterosexuality is normal and all other sexual orientations are abnormal”. It is presumed that Elle’s family and close companions are all deemed heterosexual. The LGBTQ characters are all portrayed in cliché supporting roles. When Elle’s friends discover that Warner broke up with her they say: “We thought she’d be the first one married and now she’s totally adrift.” A cold statement like this signifies that anything but a straight sexual orientation is frowned upon; it almost makes it seem like that women can’t be single and should be in a relationship always. When Elle is the head lawyer of the court case, she befriends a gay pool boy named Enrique. She blatantly states: “Gay men know designers, straight men don’t.” When in actuality, there are plenty of heterosexual men who are more than aware of fashion designers. While on the topic of Enrique, someone shouts: “I should have known; he did leave a Cher CD in the pool house.” Identically, Enid is a lesbian that Elle also meets and is depicted as a radical feminist. In fact, makes it clear that she would never associate herself with the girly-girl that is Elle; it comes as no surprise as she is impolite and egotistical. The movie stigmatizes the LGBTQ community in the most stereotypical fashion by making the characters one-dimensional: gay men are dainty and lesbians are hostile.

Aside from the flak found throughout the film, it does promote the notion of women can do anything men can do, often times better. There are quite a few uplifting and optimistic lights of feminism that aid in Elle’s triumphant towards the conclusion of the film. In spite of the petty female rivalries and drama, Elle is surrounded by many loyal companions that want the best for her. For example, Elle’s is clearly well-respected and adored by all of her sorority sisters and it is indisputable that they are proud to call her their President. In the beginning of the movie, we see that the sisters of Delta Nu are all supportive of her impending proposal. Another instance is when she begins her journey to the east coast applying for Harvard; Serena and Margot, her two closest friends, emboldened her that she had what it takes to be accepted. When it came down to the court case, with Elle as head lawyer, her friends would be protective when she was doubted or disrespected. Feminine friendships make the best camaraderie for these reasons because “…communication between women friends tend to be empathetic, expressive, and supportive”. Arguably, men tend to be more uptight when socializing and tend to not have permeable boundaries with friends; whereas women are more unified and share a higher sense of togetherness. Although Elle may have had a better future than some of her friends, her friends remained emotionally supportive and caring from start to finish.

Personal Opinion

Overall, the film did take me by surprise given how basic-looking and simplistic the Elle Woods character was made out to be. However, this was my initial thought in the first ¼ of the movie as I did not believe that Elle was actually a genius underneath all the glitter and wealth. I think the most important lesson to take from the film is to never form an opinion until you truly become close with the person. If Elle Woods was a real person then I would presume that she was another stuck-up blonde that has never experienced struggle because of her socioeconomic status. But, I was gravely mistaken and by the end of the film it was clear that Ms. Elle Woods truly had it all: the looks, brains, and taste. Woods’ plan of sabotaging her ex transformed into an admirable and successful legal career for herself! The LGBTQ characters were poorly represented and would not match to how they are characterized in the contemporary society. The film made the gays and lesbians out to be very narrow in personality and almost annoying at how predictable their role was. I think that Enrique would have been a great supporting role to Elle and could have been someone she could also disclose to like her girlfriends. Our textbook mentions that the relationship between a straight woman and a homosexual man are very intimate, due to their shared sexual preferences. The whole film centered around Elle attempting to prove her ex-boyfriend wrong and I think a gay character like Enrique could have been an insider to be of great assistance to Elle.

It is noteworthy to mention that because the film debuted in 2001, almost twenty years ago, it makes young adults like me think at how cliché and cheesy the characters are at times. I definitely do not believe that the film coincides with my own perceptions of gender and communication for a few reasons. One of them being is that I would never think of viewing a woman as a sex object or think to sexualize them regardless of the circumstances. We live in a day and age where women are still underpaid and undervalued for what they do for society. Without women, who is going to have our kids? Exactly. This world would crumble without women; a world with only men would be one without balance and chaotic. I think women are beings of love, affection, and empathy that help stabilize society to a state of equilibrium. In essence, I am a firm believer that females are almost like a large pair of opening arms that are understanding and can help heal people through physical and emotional trauma.

As for men, the roles in the film were supporters of a patriarchal world and that is a society that people have been advocating for generations. Most of them were brainless oaths who wanted to use women for their own sexual desires or use them so that they would make a fool out of themselves. An example of this would be when the professor was trying to make sexual advances towards Elle and she quickly rejected him. He then had the nerve to ask her if she wantd to be involved in law, implying that she would sleep with the professor to do anything it takes to be successful in the field. For me, I am very androgynous but I regard myself as straight. If I was in the film, I would be ridiculed for possessing both female and male traits. Naturally, I never conformed to the full biological male gender role or stereotype. I, personally, am fond of being androgynous because it makes me, me. For example, people assume I am gay because I keep a clean-shaven look and I have a skincare routine. People are so judgemental and quick to assume one’s sexuality all because of gender schemas, stereotypes, and roles. All in all, I learned I saw how misogynistic the male characters were and it made me even more grateful that I am the complete opposite; I respect everyone regardless of sexuality, gender, looks, or social class.

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Conclusion

Legally Blonde blends gender conformity and defiance elegantly. It ends like a fairy tale, with the lovely Elle Woods finding herself a lifelong passion in a law firm. The film includes alludes to female sexualization, stereotypes, misogyny, and the significance of feminine friendships. Woods transforms herself from an ordinary blonde to a gender-defying scholar with the looks, intelligence, and taste. Viewers can learn quite a bit from the film as it speaks volumes on the topic of gender and communication.

Works Cited

  1. Gardner, A. (2002). Movie Review: Legally Blonde.
  2. Legally Blonde. (2001). Directed by Robert Luketic [Film]. United States: MGM.
  3. Legally Blonde. (n.d.). In IMDb. Retrieved April 17, 2023, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250494/
  4. Legally Blonde: Blonde stereotypes. (2016, June 6). Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beauty-sick/201606/legally-blonde-blonde-stereotypes
  5. Legally Blonde. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 17, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legally_Blonde
  6. Loh, J. (2016, June 7). The 15 Best Quotes from Legally Blonde.
  7. Mahoney, C. (2015, July 13). Everything You Never Knew About ‘Legally Blonde.’
  8. Mukherjee, S. (2016, August 4). Why Legally Blonde is the ultimate feminist movie.
  9. Standpoint Theory. (n.d.). In SAGE Research Methods.
  10. Wood, J. T., & Fixmer-Oraiz, B. (2019). Gendered lives: Communication, gender, and culture. Cengage Learning.

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Southwest Airlines has been prospering in the airline industry since 1971 (Whart ...

Southwest Airlines has been prospering in the airline industry since 1971 (Wharton, 2008). Despite rising fuel costs and the sluggish economy, Southwest has been able to stay profitable with their genius business model since 1973. Coming a long way from its humble beginnings, Southwest has grown to 34,000 employees that fly to sixty four different cities using more than five hundred different planes (CBS News, 2007).

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Southwest vs. Competitors

For Southwest, the secret to success lies within the employees and their genius business model. These advantages allow them to compete with their three main competitors: Delta Airlines, American Airlines, and Jet Blue Airways (Hoover's Inc.). Unlike their competitors who place the most value on the customer, Southwest places the importance on the employee. As far as Southwest Airlines is concerned, if you treat the employee with pro-active customer service then the employees will reciprocate that service to customers. Once happy customers are created, they become repeat customers, which create happy shareholders (Wharton, 2008). To Southwest, this business model is the sure formula to infinite success. Since opening their doors in 1971, Southwest has never had a layoff, nor has it ever cut salaries. In fact, “it's one of the best-paid, most highly-unionized airlines in the industry” (CBS News, 2007). As CEO Gary Kelly says the difference is, “People working together, people lovin' each other, people respecting each other” (CBS News, 2007).

Their genius business model and employee appreciation is not the only thing keeping Southwest above the rest, however. Southwest Airlines also has an unbeatable turnaround time of just an average twenty three minutes (CBS News, 2007). The caring attitudes of the flight attendants and pilots has also allowed Southwest to omit reserved seating. This allows for a more social, friendly environment that gives customers yet another reason to choose Southwest Airlines over any other competitor.

Southwest Airlines is a company of great magnitude so it is essential that organizational control is established all throughout the enterprise. The first method of organizational control that Southwest uses is a functional organizational structure. This allows the top levels of management to make all of the important decisions and stay in control (Liu, 2012).

The second method Southwest implement is a sense of community (Wharton, 2008). Colleen Barrett, President of Southwest Airlines, is known for always telling of Southwest’s reputation for being a loving family type of environment; this allows freedom to the employees. If the employees feel well respected and taken care of, they are more likely to respect authority and obey guidelines within the company.

The third method of organizational control Southwest Airline’s demonstrates is exceptional employee training (Wharton, 2008). Employee training is an old, yet effective form of organizational control. Employees are eased into the training experience and leave knowing they can complete their duties to the expectations of the company. This method takes the pressure off of both employees and management. Once training is done, management is positive that employees know their duties and will perform them well without managers hovering.

It may not be apparent to everyone, but organizing and controlling do tend to go hand-in-hand even if they are not the same thing. Organizing is the process of establishing good uses for all resources within a management system (Dutton). In short, management must organize a company to be sure that all resources are used in a way that generates some sort of good for the company. Control is exerted to allow management to compare performance of employees throughout the company (Dutton). Without control, there is no organization. If management does not have absolute control over their employees then organization is pretty much as impossible; the entire company will consist of disorder and chaos. Once a corporation has control over the company, organization of resources and employees can follow; this makes running any form of business a lot simpler.

Southwest Airlines uses a variety of methods to monitor the performance of their employees. Some of the methods are quirky, and some are a bit more traditional. To see just how unique their monitoring process is, I conducted a brief interview with three individuals in regards to how their workplace managers monitor their employee performance.

My first participant is a 20 year old male who works as a designer at an international gas company. When asked how he was monitored by his employer he responded with, “We have an employee performance management system where I have to create goals aligned with the company and my departments overall goals. I also have to include how I want to grow as an employee. Then I do a one-on-one review of goals and performance with my boss twice a year.” He was happy to do the interview. It seemed as though he had a liberal workplace. As long as he got his work done on time and it was done well, his boss is pleased.

My second participant was an 18-year old female who works at a local gas station. When she was asked how her bosses monitored her performance she replied, “Both of my managers are always on top of our performance. They work the same hard work that we do so if they’re not on us, they have to pick up the slack and they do not enjoy that. At the end of every shift the manager gives an informal evaluation. Basically she tells us if we did great that day or if we need to improve on something.” She was off-put when I asked her to conduct the interview. It seemed to me that she did not frequently talk about work with most of her friends.

My third participant was a twenty two year old male who works as a cook at a local restaurant. When asked of how his boss monitored his performance he laughed and replied, “They (owner and managers) are literally on us all day. If he (owner) is not on the line working with us, he is sitting in his office watching us from the cameras. It’s really uncomfortable. We have time cards too that are watched closely. They look for any excuse to dock your pay.” The interview seemed comfortable for him. He honestly appeared kind of happy to be able to vent about the situation.

It seems to me that employees enjoy it when their managers are more hands-off and expect them to be self-reliant. This series of interviews allowed me to see how a friendlier, quirky environment can relieve stress from employees and overall create a better business. Employees want trust from their managers and appreciate a bit of independence.


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Who is Learning a Lesson?When first starting to read the novel, A Lesson Before ...

Who is Learning a Lesson?

When first starting to read the novel, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, the reader can predict that the person who is going to be learning a lesson before dying is going to be Jefferson because he is the one convicted for a robbery and murder he did not commit, and is set for the death penalty. Jefferson is referred to as a hog, by his attorney, and really takes this to heart. The reader can see how this has affected Jefferson from the first few visits from Grant, and Jefferson starts eating on all fours like an animal. Also, Jefferson’s lawyer’s defense is that Jefferson is too dumb and naive to commit a murder like this.

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Tante Lou and Miss Emma want Grant to start visiting Jefferson to try and help teach that Jefferson that he is a man, and that he must die with dignity, not as a hog. As continuing to read the novel the reader can also infer that it is going to be Jefferson who learns a lesson because of the numerous visits from Grant. These visits from Grant takes a huge role in this novel as the plot and the themes revolve around these visits. Although Grant is the one who is trying to teach Jefferson a valuable lesson, I believe it is Grant who learns lessons about his attitude and emotions.

First of all, Grant is a very self-absorbed person; everyone in his community believes in religion and a god, while Grant does not. He is very disturbed by his surroundings and the white people that make his community the way it is. At the beginning of the novel, Grant is very stubborn and hesitant about visiting Jefferson in jail. When Tante Lou and Miss Emma ask him to start visiting Jefferson, he is not at all amused by the idea, and does not want to be the one who has to go visit Jefferson in jail.

Grant didn't even go to the court case because he knew what the result was going to be, and he has a funky feeling about going to visit Jefferson. I believe that Grant does not want to visit Jefferson because he does not want to have to face his own fears, his fear of guilt and his fear of failure. The reader can see Grant’s fear of guilt after his first visit to Jefferson; Grant tells Miss Emma and Tante Lou that he no longer wants to visit Jefferson because Jefferson is trying to make Grant feel guilty.

Grants fear of failure can stem from after his first couple visits to Jefferson as well. When Grants sees the mental state that Jefferson is in, and how hard society hit him, Grant can fear that there is no hope for Jefferson. After reading that Jefferson was on the floor eating food like a hog, I wouldn't think that there is any hope for this man either. As the novel continues, and Grant visits Jefferson more and more, the reader can see how Grant is changed after each visit.

Grant finally touches the inner feeling of Jefferson when Grant tells him that it would make his godmother really happy if he ate her food. Jefferson eats a little, and by the time of Grant’s next visit, he had seen an improvement in Jefferson. He is touched in how he is impacting Jefferson, but Grant is still struggling to get the feelings out of Jefferson; so Grant buys Jefferson a radio and a notebook, and tells Jefferson to write down whatever he feels.

In one scene of the novel, the reader can see how Grant has been changing, when he starts to cry in front of his students. Earlier in the novel, Grant is seen yelling at his students and mirrors how the white people in his community treat the black people in the community. Also in the beginning of the novel, the reader can see how Grant is an angry man, and does not like to help his students, even though he is a teacher, which is odd. The reader can see how Grant has changed because he always keeps stuff to himself and does not want to share his emotions. Now, later in the novel when he cries to his students, the reader can see how Grant has changed because he is now expressing his emotions and not keeping his feelings to himself.

Conclusion

From the beginning of the novel, to the end, I believe that Grant had changed the most, and learned something before Jefferson dies. Jefferson did die a man and with dignity, but Grant changed more by helping Jefferson, and Jefferson helped Grant learn about himself. In the beginning of the novel, Grant was hesitant to help Jefferson, but then when Grant has completed what he was set to do, both Jefferson and Grant become men. Also by the end of the novel, Grants has learned to accept the responsibility of his life and his actions and his role as an educated teacher in his black community.


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Immanuel Kant's moral theory essay focuses on the concept of the categorical imp ...

Immanuel Kant's moral theory essay focuses on the concept of the categorical imperative, which states that moral actions must be done for the sake of duty and not for personal gain. Here we will analyse a moral dilemma story through the perspective of Kant's concept. 

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You have been in a trip in the ship for around two days when accident occurred. You all abandon the ship due to the severity of the damage. One boat is also damaged and water is coming through the hole trying to fill the boat. When you are ten on the boat, the boat can remain afloat as long as nine people are scooping out water with their hands while the remaining one person is resting for 10 minutes before replacing one person who will take turn to rest too before getting back to the job too. Doing this so long as 5 hours does not elapse, will keep the boat from sinking until rescue operation commenced. You are going to 10-minute rest when you realize there is a sound boat close by with 9 people onboard and one of them is your best friend. He calls you out to join them so that you don’t have to struggle in bailing out water. If you go and leave behind the rest of the people in damaged board, they will only sustain their effort to maximum of two hours which will in turn minimize their chances of survival before the rescue team arrive and in turn securing yours. This beg the question what will you do in this moral dilemma situation?

Kant asserts that the supreme principle of morality is an ideal of rationality which he referred to as “Categorical Imperative” (CI). Kant branded the CI as an unbiased, rationally essential and absolute principle therefore there is no option of not following CI even if there are natural desires which act in contrary to it. He characterizing it as All explicit moral necessities, in regards to Kant, are acceptable by this principle, which means that all immoral deeds are illogical because they go against the CI. Other theorists, such as Hobbes, Locke and Aquinas, had also claimed that moral desires are centered on standards of rationality. Although, these ideals were either helpful principles of reasonableness for gratifying one’s needs or external rational principles that are discoverable by reason, as in Locke and Aquinas. Kant found out that analysis of practical reason shows the necessity that rational agents should be in conformity with instrumental principles. Yet he also argued that conformity to the CI (a non-instrumental principle), and hence to moral requirements themselves, can nevertheless be shown to be essential to rational agency. This argument was based on his striking doctrine that a rational will must be regarded as autonomous, or free, in the sense of being the author of the law that binds it. The CI is majorly based on the law of autonomous will. Thus, what mainly holds Kant’s moral philosophy is the idea of reason which is shown practically by the fact that human should not be bound “slavery” but be led by passion. Additionally, the existence of this reason that Kant found out that people are all equally and everyone deserve respect. He further argues that there are no resulting consequences that have fundamental moral worth because good will is the only good thing. Good will does its moral duty by choice freely which is dictated mainly by reason. Therefore, Good will when free will of a person which is purely as a result of reason. Formulations of Kant’s moral principle:

  • The Formula of the Law of Nature. states that your action should only be maxim by which you can at the same time hope that it results as a universal law.
  • The Formula of the End in itself. states that your action should be in such a way that it treats humanity well or in the person of any other, not just as means, but should be to the end.

 

In conclusion, Kant in his theory argues that you must help those in need. In this situation, for every member to survive, there should be at 10 people to allow on to rest. Should I choose to leave the board, the rest of the 9 members will suffer from fatigue and they will drown before the recue help arrive. Using Kant’s theory, I will have to stay hoping for help to come.


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