Mountain Man Brewing Company (MMBC)

1. What is Mountain Man Brewing Company’s positioning relative to its competitors? Mountain Man Brewing Company (MMBC) is a 2nd tier domestic beer manufacturer based out of West Virginia. MMBC is positioned as a leader among local brewers in the East Central region, being one of the four regional breweries still operational in West Virginia. MMBC brews only one type of beer – the Mountain Man Lager, a dark bitter tasting beer. Target market for the product is middle aged men from the blue collared working class. Branding includes an image of coal miners on the bottle suggesting a strong taste and reinforcing target market segments to a niche.The beer sells mainly in off-premise locations. There is no variant of Mountain Man Lager available. Although MMBC is a local brewer it really competes against national brands such as Anheuser Busch and Coors. Priced at the same level as national brands, MMBC’s product is a legacy brew and enjoys high brand awareness in the r egions it sells the beer. The brand also enjoys high brand loyalty in its target market segment against national brands. MMBC has been able to achieve this brand equity without significant spending on traditional advertising but rather pursuing on grass-roots advertising.The company however is losing market share and revenues in line with the lager market. Since MMBC does not manufacture a light variant of its lager product the company has not been able to maintain its profits over the past few years. All its competitors are invested in the light beer segment given this scenario. MMBC has also seen shifting market segments due to an aging initial target market segment. The company is also at the risk of losing distributor loyalty thanks to increasing pressure on distributor margins.Summing it up, MMBC is losing market share due to changes in market dynamics while still seeing significant brand loyalty and awareness in its home turf. 2. What factors have contributed to making MMBC a strong brand? Factors contributing to MMBC’s strong brand image are as follows a. Brand awareness and loyalty Mountain Man lager has a high level of awareness among consumers in its target segments. Being positioned as a strong, bitter tasting beer it resonates with the values of hard working blue collar workers. The brand has seen high consumer loyalty over several years. b. Pin point target marketMMBC has been able to target the Mountain Man Lager brand towards specific market segments and been successful at it. Targeted towards middle aged, low to medium income working men, the brand has been able to deliver value to its consumers. c. Grass-roots marketing MMBC has been able to achieve the brand awareness without spending less than 3% of its revenues on advertising. The sales team has been able to create grass root level awareness by positioning the beer as an off-premises brand and by word of mouth advertising as opposed to traditional advertising. This has enabled MMBC t o reap greater brand commitment from its consumers. . What factors have contributed to the decline of MMBC? Although successful, MMBC has seen a decline in sales in the recent years. The main factors contributing to this decline in sales are a. Shifting market segment Mountain Man Lager’s market segment has started to age and new market segments are beginning to form, especially a younger market segment. This has allowed other brands to target the new younger population with â€Å"light† variants of beers which MMBC has not. Mountain Man Lager does not resonate with the younger population’s tastes as it is a strong, dark beer. . Emerging product segmentation The lager segment has been on the decline for a few years, mostly losing to the â€Å"light beer† segment. Given the rapid growth of the light segment of beer the lager market has been steadily losing market share. The light beer segment has grown 4% annually at the cost of the lager market’s s hare. MMBC has not been able to capitalize on this trend as it does not currently offer a light beer. c. Ineffective advertising Given the younger market segment’s preference to consume beer on-premises, MMBC has been unable to promote its products effectively.National beer brands have been able to splurge on advertising and use lifestyle based advertising apart from on-premises advertising to attract new customers. Given MMBC’s small advertising budget it is an uphill task to promote their brand to newer consumer segments. 4. Assuming the company introduces Mountain Man light. Conduct a 1 year and 2 year analysis for the Mountain Man Light brand? Calculation of Break Even Volumes Required – First Year Breakeven|   | Year 1| Current Revenues of MM Beer| 50,440,000. 00| Projected Revenues of MM Beer Next Year| 49,431,200. 00|Projected Contribution from MM Beer| 15,323,672. 00| Projected Loss of Sales from Introduction of MM Light| 2,471,560. 00| Projected Loss of Contribution from Launch of MM Light| 766,183. 60| # Barrels of MM Light Needed to recover Loss of Contribution | 30,188. 48| Cost of Advertising MM Light| 750,000. 00| Incremental SG&A cost| 900,000. 00| # Barrels of MM Light Needed to recover new Advertising Costs + SG&A| 65,011. 82|   |   | # Barrels of MM Light Needed to Break-Even in First Year| 95,200. 30|   |   | Compared to forecast sales in the first year of | 48,735. 19|   |   |Calculation of Year 2 Volumes (Needed to Calculate the 2-year Breakeven|   |   | Year 2| |   | Projected Revenues of MM Beer Next Year| 48,442,576. 00| Projected Contribution from MM Beer| 15,017,198. 56| Projected Loss of Sales from Introduction of MM Light| 2,422,128. 80| Projected Loss of Contribution from Launch of MM Light| 750,859. 93| # Barrels of MM Light Needed to recover Loss of Contribution | 29,584. 71| Cost of Advertising MM Light| 0. 00| Incremental SG&A cost| 900,000. 00| # Barrels of MM Light Needed to recover ne w Advertising Costs + SG&A| 35,460. 99|   |   | Forecast Sales in Year 2| 101,369. 19|   | Calculation of Break Even Volumes Required – Two Year Breakeven|   |   | Two Years of Lost Contribution | 1,517,043. 53| Initial Advertising Costs (One Time only)| 750,000. 00| Two Years of Incremental SG&A| 1,800,000. 00| Contribution per Barrel of MM Light| 25. 38| # Barrels of MM Light Needed to Break-Even in Two Years| 160,246. 00|   |   | Compared to forecast sales over the first two years of | 150,104. 38|   |   | | | 5. Should MMBC introduce Mountain Man Light? Options Grid| | Option 1| Option 2| Description of Option| Launch Mountain Man Light| Do not launch Mountain Man Light| Benefits of Option| a.Tap into a growing market b. Introduce brand to new market segments c. Retain current distribution network| a. Maintain brand image of Mountain Man Lager b. Risk losing market share further c. Lose out on shelf space in distributor network| Strategic Fit| a. Better long term strategic fit b. Ability to turn things around for the brand c. Will help brand position itself among younger consumer segments d. May induce lower brand alienation in the short term| a. No changes to current fit b. Slowing revenues from product segment c.High brand loyalty| Financial Attractive ness| a. Break even in just over 2 years b. High contribution margins (51%) over the long term compared to main brand c. Exposure to new product segments will ensure continues revenues| a. Falling market share (falling by 2% per annum) b. Long term losses imminent c. Long term advertising budget has to be increased drastically| Noteworthy Risks| a. Revenues fall at 2% per annum for the Mountain Man Lager brand b. No significant changes in market dynamics b. Cannibalization is at 5% c. Growth in market share is at 0. 25% for light brand a. Fall in market share not higher than 4% per annum b. Investment in advertising not increased beyond current levels| Final summary MMBC has to int roduce Mountain Man Light to capture market share in the light segment. Without doing that the company runs the risk of losing market share almost in a guaranteed manner over a period of time if not in an accelerated fashion. MMBC has to capture market share by using traditional advertising although it will lose money over 2 years. However since the contribution margins are larger for the Light brand the losses can be made up from year 3.

Food Culture Difference

? ? ? ? ? ? Differences Between Chinese and Western Food Culture ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Abstract Food plays an irreplaceable role in the development of society and the progress of human civilization. It is an essential prerequisite for human existence. However, different nations have different food and food habits. That is because they have different culture, especially food culture. Only within the context of each individual culture can food and food habits be best understood.This thesis expounds the important function of food culture between different countries’ cultural communication by analyzing Chinese and Western food culture. By examining these differences, we can improve our ability in cultural communication. Food culture is a special cultural phenomenon. By the process of people’s studies, people know food culture from one side to the study of different culture backgrounds, customs and historical environments.This thesis endeavors to analyze the cultural differenc es and their root causes in Chinese and Western food cultures from the perspective of concept, etiquette and content, and points out that with the development of cross-cultural communication, more communication and interaction will arise between Chinese and western food cultures and they will develop together. Key words: value conception; feature; etiquette; Chinese food culture; western food culture ( : 3-5? , , ; , ; , , ) ? ? , , , , , , , , , : ; ; ; ; ( , 3-5? , , ; , , ) Contents Abstracti ? ? ii 1. Introduction1 2. Different Values in Chinese and Western Food Culture1 . 1 Collectivism in Chinese food culture1 2. 1. 1 Collective orientation1 2. 1. 2 Collective orientation in Chinese food culture2 2. 2 Individualism in western food culture2 2. 2. 1 Individualistic orientation2 2. 2. 2 Individualistic orientation in western food culture3 3. Different Features in Chinese and Western Food Culture3 3. 1 Extravagance in Chinese3 3. 2 Simplicity in western food culture3 4. Differ ent Etiquette in Chinese and Western Food Culture4 4. 1 Different time-conceptions in Chinese and western food culture4 4. 1. 1 â€Å"M-time† and â€Å"P-time†4 4. 1. 2 Lateness in Chinese food culture4 . 1. 3 Punctuality in western food culture5 4. 2 Different seating arrangement5 4. 2. 1 The south and north seating arrangement in Chinese food culture5 4. 2. 2 The right and left seating arrangement in western food culture6 5. Different Consents in Chinese and Western Food Culture6 5. 1 Different drink in Chinese and western food culture6 5. 1. 1 Liquor and tea in Chinese food culture6 5. 1. 2 The wine and beer in western countries7 5. 2 Different main food in Chinese and western food culture7 5. 3 Different banquet course in Chinese and western food culture8 5. . 1 Banquet course in China8 5. 3. 2 Banquet course in western food culture8 5. 4 Different tableware in Chinese and western food culture9 5. 4. 1 Chopsticks in Chinese food culture9 5. 4. 2 Fork and knife in w estern food culture9 5. 5 Different cuisine naming10 5. 5. 1 Cuisine naming in China10 5. 5. 2 Cuisine naming in western food culture11 5. 6 Different healthy conceptions in Chinese and western food culture11 5. 6. 1 Healthy conception in Chinese food culture11 5. 6. 2 Healthy Conception in western food cultures12 6. Conclusion13 Bibliography14 Acknowledgements15 : , ;1. 5 ? : ( ) , , , ; ? , ; ? 1. Introduction Culture is a historical phenomenon. It is the summation of civilization and a mental picture which can be created in the progress of a nation’s development. This thesis expounds the important function of food culture between different cultures by analyzing Chinese food and Western food. By examining these differences, we can improve our ability in cultural communication.The contact between different countries becomes much tighter through the incorporation of a global economy. At the same time, the cultural communications become more important in the big distance between these two cultures. The distinction between cultural communications become more and more evident and the study of Chinese and Western food culture is an important part of it. Food is a special phenomenon, people having knowledge of food from one side of the study of different cultural backgrounds, customs and historical environment by study. We all know that different nations have different cultures.This thesis focuses on the different food cultures in Chinese and western countries. Chinese food culture in this thesis mainly refers to the one in the Han nationality. As we know, China is a nation with 56 ethnic groups, each of which has its own unique food and food habits. The Han nationality and its culture are the mainstream in China due to historical, political and economic reasons. Western food culture in this thesis is mainly concerned with the British one due to the fact that its cultural pattern and influence have become dominant in the west, which is generally recogni zed by the world. 2.Different Values in Chinese and Western Food Culture 2. 1 Collectivism in Chinese food culture 2. 1. 1 Collective orientation In China, collective orientation with deep roots can be traced back to ancient time. Confucius points out, â€Å"If one wants to establish himself, he should help others to establish themselves at first. † in which collectivism is appreciated. â€Å"Even the dog swaggers when its master wins favor† shows the fact that everything in China is branded with collectivism. In such collectivistic culture, a â€Å"we† consciousness prevails, and people are expected to be interdependent and show conformity to the group’s norms and values.Group goals usually take precedent over individual goals, and the primary value is to seek harmony with others. Actually, group harmony is so highly valued that obedience to, and compliance with, in groups pressures is routine. (Neuliep, 2000:33) 2. 1. 2 Collective orientation in Chinese food culture This collectivistic orientation also plays an important role in Chinese food culture. Normally, Chinese people would like to take the style of â€Å"sharing† when they have a dinner together, whether at home with family members or outside with friends. As Vera Y. N. Hsu describes, â€Å"The typical Chinese dining table is round or square.The ts’ai dishes are laid in the center, and each participant in the meal is equipped with a bowl of â€Å"fan†, a pair of chopsticks, a saucer, and a spoon. All at a table take from the ts’ai dishes as they proceed with the meal. Good eating manners require each participant take equally from the different ts’ai dishes, so that all will have an equal chance at all the dishes. † (Chang, 1977:304) When the dinner starts, the host usually shows a menu to guests asking them to order the dish they like before making the final decision. When a dinner comes to an end, participants always strive to pay the bill unless someone has claimed it in advance.The â€Å"truth of sharing† reflects almost everywhere from the dinner start to the end. 2. 2 Individualism in western food culture 2. 2. 1 Individualistic orientation It is well known that Great Britain tends toward individualism. Individualism refers to the doctrine, spelled out in detail by the seventeenth-century English philosopher John Locke, that each individual is unique, special, completely different from all other individuals, and â€Å"the basic unit of nature†. (Samovar 2000:62) Therefore, in individualistic culture, an â€Å"I† consciousness prevails, and emphasis is placed on an individual goal over group goals.This value orientation stresses individual initiative and achievement, and individual decision-making is highly appreciated. 2. 2. 2 Individualistic orientation in western food culture Western food culture is characterized by the â€Å"separated’ style because of the great influence of the individualistic orientation. It is contrary to the â€Å"sharing† style in Chinese food culture in many ways. For example, westerners do not take the ts’ai dishes from the public plate, but have separate individual plates. The way of â€Å"going Dutch† is widely taken when the bill is to be paid, which means everyone pays his own share.The role of individualism in Western food culture is obvious and its influence is self-evident. 3. Different Features in Chinese and Western Food Culture 3. 1 Extravagance in Chinese Chinese food culture is probably much older than any other kind of food cultures. Few cultures are as food oriented as Chinese culture. The most common example is the greeting used among Chinese people when they encounter: â€Å"Have you eaten? † food plays so important a role in people’s daily life that it inevitably becomes an ostentatious way because of face (or â€Å"mianzi† in China).So the extravagance and exquisitene ss become the main features of Chinese food. Face in China involves a claim for respect and dignity from others. Losing one’s face is one of the worst ways to injure one’s self-esteem. The banquet is also influenced by the â€Å"face† system. They are no longer a social occasion just for meeting or eating, but to some extent, a good chance for the host to show off his power and earn his face. The more expensive or precious the food is, the more dignity the host has, the more the quantity of dishes in a banquet, the warmer hospitality can be shown, and the more â€Å"face† he can earn.In this sense, formal banquets in China have one thing in common: there should be more than enough food on the table. Otherwise the host will lose face. That leads directly to the extravagant food culture. 3. 2 Simplicity in western food culture Compared with extravagant banquets in China, the scale of banquets in western countries is much smaller. That is because the belief in food in western countries is mainly focused on function as necessity for human beings survival or a way of communication.For example, in a party, the host usually does not prepare food and drinks and serves some simple food only like cheese, sandwiches, fruits etc. For most Westerners, this is a good opportunity for communication and reunion, or a great occasion where they can strengthen relationships and make new friends. What they actually care about is the casual, harmonious and joyous atmosphere, the maximum freedom and relaxation they can enjoy at the banquet. 4. Different Etiquette in Chinese and Western Food Culture 4. 1 Different time-conceptions in Chinese and western food culture 4. 1. â€Å"M-time† and â€Å"P-time† Edward T. Hall, who is well known for his discussion of time across cultures, proposes that cultures organize time in one of two ways: either monochronic (M-time) or polychronic (P-time) (Hall, 1989:46). He also points out that M-time is the c haracteristic of people from western countries, while P-time is the characteristic of people from Asia, Africa and Latin America ( ,1999:93). The two conceptions are incompatible. We can see the sharp contrast between P-time and M-time from the lateness in Chinese food culture and the punctuality in western food culture. . 1. 2 Lateness in Chinese food culture People in the P-time cultures do not emphasize scheduling by separating time into fixed segments. They treat time as a less tangible medium so that they can interact with more than one person or do more than one thing at a time. Therefore, in these cultures, personal interaction and relationship developments are far more important than making appointments or meeting deadline. China is a country with P-time. Chinese people are usually a little later than what is scheduled when participating in some activities like banquets.Normally, they would be half an hour late. The host will arrange some entertainments, such as playing card s or chatting. Tea and various desserts like candy, cakes etc. are served for the guests who have arrived on time to kill time. Both the host and guest get used to that and would not interpret this kind of lateness as an impolite behavior. However, this conception changes sometimes. With the development of cross-cultural communication, more and more Chinese people, especially the young, are gradually influenced by the M-time in western countries. 4. 1. 3 Punctuality in western food cultureUnlike Chinese people, people in M-time cultures tend to follow precise scheduling. Once the time is set, it is rarely changed, and people should take it seriously. Usually, everyone is supposed to arrive on time when attending a formal meeting or banquet. It is also acceptable that people can be a little late sometimes, but no more than 10 minutes, otherwise this behavior will be regarded as inappropriate by both the host and other guests, and one will have to give a proper explanation. The one wh o violates the rule of punctuality shall be punished seriously in M-time culture. 4. Different seating arrangement Samovar pointed out that â€Å"Culture influences even the manner and meaning in seating arrangement†. So seating arrangement is an important means of giving different explanations on social status or interpersonal relations. With regard to seating arrangement in a banquet, there exist some major distinctive disparities between Chinese and Western food culture. 4. 2. 1 The South and north seating arrangement in Chinese food culture In China, the seat facing south in a banquet is usually regarded as the most important, while the seat facing north is comparatively less important.It is because of traditional Chinese culture. China is an old country with a long history of more than five thousand years. There used to be many dynasties. Whatever the dynasty, the emperor always sat with facing south during the ceremony of the royal inauguration or in the process of disc ussing governmental affairs with ministers. On the other hand, the ministers were all facing north when they met the emperor. Gradually, the word â€Å"south† has been elevated into a position relatively high in Chinese people’s minds, and it symbolizes the supreme authority, power and position.By contrast, the position of the word â€Å"north† is much lower. Therefore, in a formal banquet, the seats that face south undoubtedly will be reserved for those who are respectable or powerful. 4. 2. 2 The right and left seating arrangement in western food culture In Western countries, the seating arrangement is quite different. In the past, the most distinguished guest was seated on the left side of the host. The reason is that in ancient times there were many assassinations for political and social reasons, and assassins held daggers in their right hands to attack.It was convenient and easier for the host to protect the guest who was on his left hand when the assassin attacked. However, with the development of civilization, this old style of assassination has been extinct for a long time and the seating arrangement also changed. Nowadays, what Westerners are most concerned about is the perspective of psychological need instead of physical security when they arrange seats in a banquet. The result is that the seat at the right side of the host is more honorable than the one on the left side in the widely recognized rule. 5. Different Consents in Chinese and Western Food Culture . 1 Different drink in Chinese and western food culture 5. 1. 1 Liquor and tea in Chinese food culture Liquor and tea are two kinds of main drinks in Han nationality. It is known to all that China is the hometown of tea, and one of the countries which invented the earliest brew technology in the world. Wine culture and tea culture have long history in China and they have become an essential part of Han national food culture in the past thousands of years. They greatly influ ence other countries all over the world. There are many kinds of tea and liquor in China.Different kinds of tea and liquor have different functions, so people drink different tea and liquor in different seasons to keep healthy. Normally, people drink three kinds of tea in four seasons. In spring and autumn, people drink tea, which was made of various flowers to make them more beautiful and active. In summer, green tea is the best choice. It is a special kind of healthy drink and has many unique functions, such as refreshing oneself, removing strain, preventing heatstroke, cooling, caring for eyes etc. Most people choose black tea in winter because it is fermenting and not belonging to cold.It can not only foster your stomach, promote digestion and your appetite but also help to strengthen the cardiac muscles. Chinese people always drink beer in hot summer and liquor in winter. Liquor has thousands of year’s history in China and it creates a unique style in the world. It is fr agrantly pure and has flavors. Drinking a small cup of liquor everyday could promote digestion, whet appetite and keeps one warm. 5. 1. 2 The wine and beer in western countries The grape wine and beer are common drink in western countries. People in some cold area even drink sherry everyday to keep themselves warm.In Britain, bars meet your eyes everywhere on the streets and become second living rooms. The British are experts in drinking and beer is their favorite drink. Normally, there are three kinds of beer which are divided by flavor: Bitter, Lager and Cider. In recent years, it has come into vogue to drink wine and the wine consumption in Britain is the greatest in the world. Simultaneously, juice is also a very popular drink in western countries. Usually people drink juice at breakfast. Juice gets unique welcome in Britain, the annual average consumption amounts to 19. 1 liters in Britain. 5. Different main food in Chinese and western food culture Rice and cooked wheaten food are two main staple foods in the Han nationality. The southern and northern regions cultivate rice, and rice has become the main nourishment in these areas. The northeast and northwest regions cultivate wheat and give first place to cooked wheaten food. Also, other kinds of cereals like maize, Kaoliang, grain, tuber crop have become staple food, in different areas as well as coarse cereals. The Han nationality’s staple foods have colorful and various cooking methods and has hundreds of kinds of rice and wheat products.Nowadays, the northeast regions in China still give first place to cooked wheaten food. Meat, milk and bread are the staple food in western countries. A common meal usually consists of soup, bread and butter. There are also various roasted foods besides the brown bread. Another staple food in Western countries is the potato. To westerners, potato is as important as rice to Chinese. You can often see that the British move packages of potatoes in shopping carts in the supermarket just like Chinese people buying rice. 5. 3 Different banquet course in Chinese and western food culture 5. 3. Banquet course in China Generally speaking, a formal banquet in China consists of six major courses served in turn, including a hand plate, cold dish, hot dish, staple food, soup and dessert. A hand plate is for the guests who come early. Traditionally, it usually consists of candied fruit, traditional cake, but now, tea and melon seeds. I have mentioned that lateness is the traditional time conception in China. The hand plate is made ready for the guests and host when they chat or play cards to wait for other guests. Cold dishes are often served as the beginning of a banquet, which usually consists of a ariety of small dishes and snacks. Actually, a cold dish is not for food but for beauty. Then, come the hot dishes, which are the most weighty and richest part of the whole. Staple food is also an indispensable component, which is rice or noodle in most case s. Soup is another important course. Unlike a western banquet, Chinese soup comes as a later course but not at first. Finally, comes dessert, which is composed of various finely made cakes, nuts, pastry, fruits etc. Only after the six courses are served will a formal Chinese banquet have come to an end.It is also interesting to note that different from Chinese banquets which tend to break up immediately after the last course is served, Westerners may linger for hours after the completed meal in elevated and animated discussions. 5. 3. 2 Banquet course in Western food culture A formal banquet in western countries usually comprises four major courses, including soup, a subsidiary dish, a main dish and dessert. Soup is the first course, probably because westerners want to refresh themselves with some soup before the meal, and taking soup will help to whet their appetites. The subsidiary dish is the second course.It is usually composed of various types of fish for fish is easy to digest . The main dish is a heavy weight in a Western banquet, and it is often composed of meat, especially beef sticks or fish together with vegetables. Salad, which is composed of lettuce, tomato, cucumber and asparagus etc. dessert come lastly. Western dessert includes all food after the main dish, such as cakes, biscuits, cheese, pies, pudding, fruits, ice cream etc. Sometimes, people drink coffee or tea with sugar and milk while they have dessert. 5. 4 Different tableware in Chinese and western food culture 5. 4. Chopsticks in Chinese food culture In China it is usually thought that people are an inherent part of nature. Many scholars pointed out that the traditional attitude of Chinese people toward universe or nature is â€Å"Oneness between Man and Nature. ( )† ( , 1997:59) Under the influence of this orientation, Chinese people attempt a balanced act with nature and try to live in harmony with it. China is also a traditionally agricultural country. Since Chinese people main ly live on rice and wheat as their staple food by cultivating the farmland, the harvest of the crops depends on nature.Therefore, in such cultural context and natural environment, people tend to live and work in peace. The application of chopsticks as the chief tableware can be traced back as early as the Shang and Chou periods, although hands were probably used more often than chopsticks (Chang, 1977:35). When Chinese people use chopsticks, they usually appear to be cultivated and their attitudes toward food are gentle and kind. Roland Barthes, a famous French literary critic, once talked about the usage of chopsticks, and he remarked that unlike fork and knife, chopsticks were not used to cut, poke or stab food.Therefore, â€Å"food was no longer the prey suffering the human beings’ violence but turned out to be the substance passed harmoniously through them. † ( , 2002:74) In this sense, chopsticks are the gentle medium between man and food, and they reflect the har monious relationship between man and nature. 5. 4. 2 Fork and knife in western food culture Many Westerners think that people are dominant over nature. Quite different from China, the ancestors of many western countries lived by hunting due to some ecological and historical factors. Of course, meat was their basic food source and gradually took the place of staple food.In order to survive in severe and harsh environments, they tried their best to be good at hunting, such as the use of some weapons like knives, forks and arrows etc to fight with or kill animals. That resulted in the aggressiveness and the adventurous sense in their temperaments. Compared with chopsticks, it is not exaggerating at all to say that knife and fork represent the violence and cruelty to food without any concealment. The way of eating in western countries actually reflects human’s conquest over nature. 5. 5 Different cuisine naming 5. 5. 1 Cuisine naming in China Cuisine naming in China differs from place to place.Generally speaking, there are three kinds of cuisine naming in China. The first cuisine naming method is, according to Professor Wang Fengxin’s research, the name of an ordinary Chinese dish usually contains four parts: main ingredients, subsidiary ingredients, way of cutting and way of cooking. They constitute the primary motivation of Chinese cuisine naming. (Wang, 1999:220) He also believes that the naming of Chinese home-style cuisine is based on the primary motivation. Take the Chinese cuisine â€Å" , Stir-fried Shredded Pork with Green Pepper† for example, its main raw material is â€Å"? ,pork†; its subsidiary raw material is â€Å" green pepper†; the result of cutting is â€Å"? , shred†, and its way of cooking is â€Å"? , stir-fried†. Certainly, not every Chinese cuisine naming should follow the pattern of â€Å"main ingredients—subsidiary ingredients— cutting method — cooking method†. Fo r example, â€Å" , Fried Scrambled Eggs with Tomato† is the pattern of â€Å"main ingredients—subsidiary ingredients— cooking method†. The second cuisine naming method is: usually, Chinese people eat for not only consumption but also many other purposes. In such a situation, they would like to have more refined and graceful names than the plain names for the food served.The secondary naming method consists of the initiator’s name, the animal’s name and the plant’s name. As a matter of fact, Chinese cuisine naming after initiator’s name usually involves much Chinese culture or historical information and the cuisine naming after the animal’s name or plant’s name may give rise to cultural implications. For example, Chinese people will naturally associate â€Å" , Dongpo Meat† with Su Dongpo, the initiator of this dish, who was a famous poet in Song Dynasty. It is said that Su Dongpo created this dish when he was relegated to a local government.He did many good things for the local people, so they decided to give the dish a name after him as a kind of commemoration. The cuisine â€Å" , Lotus Soup†, will remind Chinese people of lotus, which has been taken as a noble plant for its purity and freedom from dirt. Actually, it is a kind of soup which is made with eggs. In Chinese cuisine naming, â€Å" † stands for egg-white because of its shape and color. The third cuisine naming method is: in order to attract more customers, some restaurants or hotels give some common dishes very fantastic names, which originate from some Chinese legends or allusions.For example, the cuisine name â€Å" , Turtle and Chicken Meat† originates from a famous historical allusion in ancient times that a famous general was surrounded by his enemy and had to bid an emotional farewell to his beloved concubine. Although the name is really attractive, the content is nothing new at all. 5. 5. 2 Cu isine naming in western food culture The feature of cuisine naming in Western countries is straightforward, which is similar to the first cuisine naming method in China. Time is money in Western people’s eyes, and they think people should not waste too much time on trivial things like eating and dining.Therefore, from this point of view, the first and foremost requirement for the cuisine naming should be straightforward and simple. For example, â€Å"Black Pepper Steak, † , â€Å"Stewed Seafood Combination with Lobster Sauce, † etc. You can easily perceive the meaning of the cuisine and know what it is. Sometimes, even the name of some restaurants, such as â€Å"KFC† (Kentucky Fried Chicken) will reveal the information about the cuisine they serve. Undoubtedly, straightforwardness is much more suitable to the Westerners for their fast pace of cooking and living. 5. Different healthy conceptions in Chinese and western food culture 5. 6. 1 Healthy concepti on in Chinese food culture Chinese food and drink usually contains little sugar, which will not lead to getting fat. But there are more and more fat people in China while our living standard has improved. China enjoys a good reputation for its plentiful and splendid cuisine. Chinese people have many complex cooking methods, such as braising, boiling, braising with soy sauce, roasting, baking, grilling, scalding, deep-frying, steaming, drying, salt-preserving etc. (? ,? , ,? ,? ,? ,? ,? ,? ,? , and the Chinese cuisine is always exquisite and tastes excellent. But much nutrition is destroyed because of such complex cooking methods. Simultaneously, Chinese people share dishes when they have a meal. Everyone’s chopsticks touch the same dish and that highly increases the probability of hepatitis. 5. 6. 2 Healthy Conception in western food cultures Nutrition and balance are greatly cared for by westerners when they have a meal. An interesting phenomenon in western countries is the nutritional information on the food label, by which people’s concern about nutrition is clearly reflected.A look at information like the number of calories per serving, grams of fat, sodium, fiber and sugar content will make you more knowledgeable in selecting foods to reduce your nutritional health risk. In addition, the balance in diet structure is also essential to Westerners. Nowadays, more and more westerners are starting to worry about their weight for their diet containing too many calories. This is evident in menus in many restaurants offering â€Å"low calorie† or â€Å"weight watchers† meal. The vegetable and fruit salad served to westerners all year around because they have low calories and high vitamin.In conclusion, it is by the influence of pragmatism that westerners are inclined to take the food into consideration basically from the nutritional perspective. In their eyes, food or eating is just a way to keep health and thus what the westerners car e about most is the nutrition contained in food and the balance of the whole structure. When they have a meal, they use separate plates for each other, which usefully guard against the probability infection. 6. Conclusion By comparison and analysis we have made so far, one conclusion may be drawn that Chinese and Western food culture reflect each other’s cultures with their own unique features.They are neither superior nor inferior to the other and should deserve the same respect from each other. Certainly, for the process of globalization, Chinese and Western food cultures do not exist in isolation. It is well known that globalization has been becoming an inevitable trend around the world and an inexorable force to influence people’s life in almost every aspect. In other words, the wheel of human history has moved as inexorably forward from isolation to integration. Due to the open policy, Chinese people and Chinese culture have more and more chances of contact with f oreigners and foreign cultures.People of different cultures can learn from each other. When Chinese culture is learning or adopting something new or different from foreign cultures, we should remember that Chinese culture is also being learnt and adopted by them at the same time. A good case in point is that, nowadays, more and more people , especially the young people, have been fond of the typical western fast food like KFC or Macdonald’s, while on the other hand, more and more Chinese foods have been welcomed by foreigners, and it is said that where there are people, there are Chinese restaurants.In a word, Chinese and Western food culture will develop together by the cross-cultural communication. Bibliography [1] Chang, K. C. Food in Chinese Culture: Anthropological and Historical Perspective [M]. USA: The Vail-Ballou Press Inc. , 1977:35~304 [2] Chen, G. M. & Starosta, W. J. Foundations of Intercultural Communication [M]. USA: Allyn & Bacon Press, 1998: 3 [3] Hall, E. T. Beyond Culture [M]. New York: Anchor Books, 1989: 46 [4] Neuliep, J. W. Intercultural Communication: A Context Approach [M]. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000: 33 [5] Samovar, L. A. & Porter R. E.Intercultural Communication: A Reader [M]. USA: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 2000: 62 [6] Samovar, L. A. , Porter R. E. & Stefani L. A. Communication Between Cultures [M]. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching & Research Press, 2000:165 [7] Wang Fengxin. The Cultural Implication of the Chinese Cuisine Naming [M]. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching & Research Press, 1999: 220~222 [8] . [M]. : ,1999: 93 [9] . [M]. : , 1995: 59 [10] . [M]. : 2006: 203 [11] . —— [M]. : , 2002: 74 [12] . [M]. ,2004: 16 [13] , . [M]. : ,2006: 8 [14] . [OL]. http://www. wfcyw. com/cywh/yswh/ 200608/22. html, 2007-04-16/2007-05-4. [15] . [OL]. http://www. ilib. cn/A-bflc 2003 02028. html, 2007-03-16/2007-04-08. Acknowledgements The thesis has been completed. I want to express my g ratitude to my tutor *******. I received Mr. Zhang’s instruction in the writing of the thesis many times. I appreciate the tutor’s concentrated guidance and help not only in the selection of my title, required materials of the thesis, but also in the research writing.I can say that it is very difficult to have completed the thesis without his guidance. I wish to take this opportunity to express the hearty thanks to his advice. I want to express sincere gratitude to teachers and friends who cared about and supported my thesis. Here, I appreciate my classmates who helped out with my thesis. Finally, I wish to express my gratitude to Mr. Zhang again for his careful instruction of my thesis. ———————– Times New Roman? , , Times New Roman 1. 5 4-5 Times New Roman , Times New Roman â€Å"Key words:† , 1. 5 â€Å" :† , Times New Roman Times New Roman Times New Roman Times New Roman Tim es New Roman ( ); Times New Roman 1. 5 4~5 ( ) Times New Roman Times New Roman ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )? : , , ( ) Times New Roman 1. 5 Times New Roman Times New Roman 1. 5 4~5 Times New Roman

Explaining Childrens Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Explaining Childrens Development - Essay Example His definition of this approach was highly practical. Thus, Watson believed psychology should be a purely objective field of knowledge used to accurately predict and control human behaviour and development. Introspection and self-analysis are useless if applied to psychology and there is no difference between humans and animals. In fact, Watson neglected the concept of the conscious and unconscious as such (Littleton, Toates, & Braisby, 2002). Formulating his views Watson relied primarily on the Ivan Pavlov's discovery of the mechanism of classical conditioning. Pavlov's studies of dog's digestion transformed the common understanding of learning and development. The scientist carried out a series of experiments in order to test his initial conclusions. He provided a sound or light signal that was immediately followed by some food placed in the dog's moth. The dog started to perceive the signal in conjunction with the food and after several repetitions the dog salivated immediately after the signal even without any food. This fact made Pavlov introduce a new psycho-physiological concept of a conditional stimulus in distinction to an unconditioned stimulus (Littleton, Toates, & Braisby, 2002: 170-171). Although Pavlov revealed the phenomenon of classical conditioning during experimental studies, which involved animals, the key principle of this process proved valid in human behaviour too. Watson described an example of the classical conditioning in human beings. Albert, an infant with a pet rat, was not afraid of it until once Watson banged a metal plate while the boy was reaching for his pet. Subsequently, Albert started to demonstrate fear of the rat (Littleton, Toates, & Braisby, 2002: 172). Another good example of the classical conditioning in human behaviour is the bell-and-pad technique that is often used to cope with bed-wetting in children. Two perforated metal sheets connected to a low-tension battery are placed under the bed sheet. When a child moistens the bed urine short-circuits the sheets, and the battery produces a laud alarm making the child wake up. After several alarms the child is able to wake up without the alarm: the sensation of a full bladder is finally conne cted to the necessity of waking up (Lattal & Chase, 2003). Skinner further elaborated on the behaviourist conception of behaviour by paying attention not only to stimuli resulting in certain patterns of behaviour, but also exploring the stimuli affecting the actor after performance. In a series of experiments involving rats and pigeons that were rewarded with food for pressing a lever in the Skinner box, the scientist observed that positive stimuli led to more frequent repetition of the act that caused them; he called such stimuli "reinforcers" (Littleton, Toates, & Braisby, 2002: 175-176). Skinner recognised situational influences as predominant factors that cause different reactions of children. The reactions largely depend upon the previous experience and genetic code of individual. Skinner also believed that analysis of specific mental states, which had been so popular in psychoanalytic

Specific Dimension of Language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Specific Dimension of Language - Essay Example It is the aim of the current discourse to compare and contrast samples of newspaper articles from that which was written in the 1920s, as to one which was written in contemporary times (2012). The points of comparison would be on characteristics of style and approach of the paper. Based on the comparison, the current essay would hereby address the following concerns, to wit: (1) how are journalistic standards declining, improving, or otherwise changing? The newspaper to the used as a source of the articles and the format of journalistic presentation is The New York Times. Cover Page, The New York Times, Monday, October 28, 1929 From the cover page of The New York Times of the issue dated October 28, 1929 (shown on the next page), it could be viewed that the presentation and outlay of articles are straightforward news reporting with all contents in text and in black font. Only the sizes of the fonts are being differentiated to emphasize headings and sub-headings. One of the featured a rticles entitled â€Å"Stock Prices Slump $14,000,000,000 in Nation-Wide Stampede to Unload; Bankers to Support Market Today† (The New York Times 1) share the same focal point and importance as with the other featured articles in the cover page. Source: The New York Times, 1929 Source: Yardley & Harris, 2012 The message content of this particular article was very comprehensive containing 2,006 words and presented equitably in eight sub-headings. The reporting style was highly structured, formal, and professional. This was corroborated by the statements written by Broersma (n.d.), who averred that â€Å"in the United States, objectivity was firmly established as a leading norm in the 1920s. Journalism affiliated itself with the rising public demand for facts as a basis for rational choices and actions† (p. xvii). As such, one would observe that the target audience for the information contained in newspapers, such as The New York Times in the 1920s were businessmen and p rofessionals who need to keep track of their stock investments or of the status of the economy and current issues pervading the political sphere. Cover Page, The New York Times, August 1, 2012 The cover page of The New York Times in contemporary period, particularly the front page for the issue dated August 1, 2012 reveals that the focus of the publication is the news feature entitled â€Å"2nd Day of Power Failures Cripples Wide Swath of India† written by Yardley & Harris (2012). It was likewise extensively written containing 1,278 words. As an article featured in the front page, it was accompanied by three (3) photos: the first one shows â€Å"passengers waited for electricity to be restored at a railway station in New Delhi on Tuesday† (Yardley and Harris); the second photo showed people in trains; and the third photo was a barber trying desparately to continue working by candlelight in Kolkata (Yardley and Harris). The style of writing manifested conformity to the use of rhetorical appeals and is significantly assisted by technological applications such as visual presentations (photos, charts, or graphs), greater options to use different fonts and sizes, colors, and even advertisements, as required. Broersma (n.d.) emphasized that in contemporary journalism, â€Å"while the content of an article is unique and incidental, its form is more universal and refers to broader cultural discourses, and accepted and widely-used news conventions and routines. The content of news items is bound to their national context, while forms and styles tend to travel internationally†

INDIAN NEGOTIATION STYLES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

INDIAN NEGOTIATION STYLES - Essay Example Its significance in business negotiations is however more important because it not only establishes understanding, but it derives advantages to the negotiating parties and the better a party can negotiate, the more benefits are derivable from the process. The research topic that explores negotiation strategies in the Indian culture is therefore important to stakeholders to international business involving the country, and its exploration promises a base for understanding communication strategies within the country’s culture. The research topic is further important, and therefore worth exploration, because of the Indian expanding economy that has become a center for international trade. International business entities have consequently shifted their attention to the country for either market for their products or for resources for production, and negotiation for better contracts is essential (Misra, 2009). Existence of diversified players from different countries with different culture further identifies the significance of culture on business negotiation in the country. Bowie’s exploration of the relationship between culture and business relations identifies awareness of communication styles across different nations as a factor to successful business relationships in the cultures. The author explains that such cultures are different across countries to indicate that a business negotiation between parties from different countries requires the parties understanding of each other’s culture (Bowie, 2007). An expression’s meaning in one culture may be different from its perceived meaning in another culture as has been noted in business negotiations between American managers and their counterparts from Asia and Middle East (Hooker, 2008). A study of negotiation strategies and traits in Indonesia has also identified the significance of understanding the country’s culture in order to benefit from business negotiations (Gray, 2010). Similar observations have

Commercialism And Advertising On The Internet Essay

Commercialism And Advertising On The Internet - Essay Example The bombardment of advertisement makes the users lose focus of their real intention of work on the internet and annoys them by frequent reinforcement messages. The younger internet users get awareness regarding inappropriate merchandizes and services, such as alcohol, adult bars etc. Online commercialism is aggravating the concepts related to materialistic ideas since these advertisements cannot be ignored by internet users. The Internet has made the whole world come onto a single platform where businesses have the opportunity to access their local, as well as international clients with ease. The attraction of reaching a greater segment of customers on a global scale attracts the companies to prefer the online medium of advertising. According to an article in Business Wire by Goldberg and Silber, the first half of the year 2011 saw an increase of 23.2% in the internet ad revenues which amounted to approximately $15 billion. This figure identifies the inclination of companies towards the online commercialism and the degree to which it is increasing. The cheapness of online advertisements has given way to extensive forms of commercialism on the web. Such instances may result in making the user lose focus from his work and may simply waste his precious time. The problem does not end at the point of being annoyed by the frequent emergence of advertisements; it becomes a data storage issue for some users sinc e they receive hefty emails regarding ad campaigns and promotional messages on their personal email addresses. It is due to such constant spam that people may not receive important emails since their inbox might reach maximum storage capacity.

Preliminary Outline and Draft Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Preliminary Outline and Draft - Assignment Example In 10 years to come, approximately 25% of American vehicles will be running on biodiesel. Public health institutions attribute increase in cancer and respiratory complications to pollution from fossil fuels. Undeniably, any alternative fuel that causes less or no pollution would be adopted as a solution to the health impacts of fossil fuels. Recent increase in biodiesel campaigns and consumption is attributed to potential benefits of the fuel. Unlike gasoline, biodiesel is non toxic. Gasoline releases unpleasant fumes upon combustion. On the contrary, biodiesel emit fumes with a pleasant smell, no greenhouse gases and absolute absence of carcinogenic hydrocarbon compounds. Occasionally, air pollutants like carbon dioxide are directly associated with gasoline and other fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide, together with other greenhouse gases causes global warming. Scientific research indicates that global warming will lead to increased desertification, climate change, increased acidity of fresh water and rise in sea levels. Among the identified mitigating factors of global warming include use of less polluting and renewable energy sources like biodiesel. Since biodiesel burns cleanly, it releases negligible amounts of greenhouse gases compared to gasoline. Therefore, biodiesel features as a viable solution to the global warming monster together with other complications related to air pollution. A scientific research exercise will be appropriate in substantiating claims relating to the benefits of biodiesel in addressing issues of air pollution. The research hypothesis asserts that increased use of biodiesel reduces emission of carbon dioxide and air pollution. This hypothesis contains both the dependent and independent variables. A null hypothesis, which contradicts the earlier statement, will be introduced to test the validity and reliability of the alternative hypothesis. Undeniably, biodiesel reduces pollution. However, other sources of pollutants

Life essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Life - Essay Example Right from a young age I have been taught these values and constantly reminded to follow them in my day to day life. As I have learnt the importance of these values early on it has been easy to emulate them and ever since I truly understood these moral values and culture I have been striving to adhere to them. This life is a god given gift and we ought to spend it wisely and earnestly. Through my life experiences I have learnt that leading a principled life has a lot of positive effect on the mental and physical well-being of the individual. In addition it also helps to cope with difficult situations in life. I have also faced several setbacks in life but the moral values and principles that I believe in have given me the strength and courage to face them with a positive spirit and overcome them with right reasoning and tact. Youngsters of the present generation are being lured into all kinds of addictive habits that have damaging effects on their lives and career. It would be very tempting to tread the negative path initially; the actual effects would only be felt later on in life but then it would be too late. Leading a principled life would teach us self-control which would help to refrain from such activities. There is no doubt that the modern world is becoming more unsafe and ruthless due to the dwindling beliefs in family values, culture, tradition and ethics. Violence and criminal activities have also reached a peak. When closely observed the people behind these activities would be those who have lived their lives without any set values or principles which are largely imbibed from family. The increasing divorce rates resulting in broken families can also be attributed to similar factors and children hailing from broken homes by and large resort to deviant activities. Life has become more materialistic and people are ready to go to any extent to achieve materialistic comforts in life. In the process people forget that apart

Dyslexia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Dyslexia - Research Paper Example Experts however are having difficulty to agree on a common scientific definition of dyslexia. The British Dyslexia Association defined it as ‘a specific learning difficulty which mainly affects the development of literacy and language related skills.’ The International Dyslexia has it as a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin.’ (International Dyslexia Association). Rose defined dyslexia as a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling’ (Smythe 40). However experts may defined dyslexia, the disability is present when the â€Å"the automatization1 of word identification (reading) and/or spelling does not develop or does so very incompletely or with great difficulty† (Smythe 39) and the theories on the etiology of dyslexia is an ever evolving process due to the continuous research made about it. Research also showed that the origin of dyslexia is generally heredit ary with some genes that were identified to be generally predisposed to having dyslexia. The specific genes that research has identified to be more predisposed to acquiring dyslexia were brain based. Recent research showed that there are nine chromosomes that are directly linked to the learning difficulty. ... Four of the genes –DYX1C1 (DYX1), KIAA0319 (DYX2), DCDC2 (DYX2) and ROBO1 (DYX5) – have been implicated in neuronal migration and guidance, suggesting the importance of early neurodevelopmental processes in reading development†(41). Four more additional possible areas (PCNT, DIP2A, S100B and PRMT2) in the chromosome region 21q22.3 have been identified to be linked with dyslexia. This genetic heritability of dyslexia was also confirmed by the Colorado Longitudinal Twin Study of Reading Disability whose study suggests that the shared genetic influence accounted for â€Å"86% and 49% of the phenotypic correlations between the two assessments for twin pairs with and without reading difficulties respectively (Wadsworth et al 150) With regard to who gets this disability among the population, Lowenstein reported that the difficulty learning as caused by dyslexia is a condition that affects one in five people3. Some of the obvious symptoms that is correlated with dyslexi a include letter reversals in hand writing4, delays in speech and being easily distracted by noise (webmd). Symptoms can also include very poor spelling of words and blending of rhyming of sounds to make words. The classic example to illustrate this spelling difficulty is the paper written by Lowenstein where it was titled â€Å"Pediatrician: Dyslexia affects one if five people†. Due to difficulty in reading, students who has dyslexia were also were also found to have difficulty summarizing stories. Learning a foreign language was also found to be a challenge among dyslexics and so is memorizing words and concepts. In extreme cases, a very small population of dyslexics was known to rotate letters when reading reverse words when they write. In the study of Morton and Frith,

Case Analysis Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case Analysis - Article Example I think public administration is an integrating science which means it consists of a number of several disciplines working as one, and as such, public administrators should be concerned mainly with theory and practice (Hamel & Breen, 2007). Therefore, I see public administration as a science because knowledge is generated and evaluated according to the scientific principles as evident in the case. Public administration is also concerned with human resource management which is an in-house structure that mainly functions to ensure that public service staffing is done in an unbiased, ethical and values-based manner without favoritism. The basic functions of the HR system will include employee benefits and training of employees. Further, organizational theory in Public administration which is the study of the structure of governmental entities and the many particulars put into them. Administrative ethics in public administration serves as an approach to decision making. Additionally, policy analysis serves as a guide to decision making. More so, public budgeting is the activity within a government that allocates scarce resources among unlimited and varied demands. In this case, the main administrative principles such as openness and transparency, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness reliability and predictability are missing because of biasness (Kumar & Sharma, 2000). I think, without public administration, the government cannot operate and manage own activities effectively and efficiently as required. The administration plays a vital and crucial role for delivering and distributing the public services to all corners of the country. Administration spreads all over the country for supplying the governmental and public goods and services up to the countryside from the urban centers and to rural areas. Public administration is very significant

Religious Discrimination Essay Example for Free

Religious Discrimination Essay Religious discrimination under Title VII as defined by the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) involves treating a person unfavorably because of his or her religious beliefs. The law protects not only people who belong to traditional, organized religions but also others who have sincerely held religious, ethical or moral beliefs. The law forbids discrimination on the basis of religion in any and all aspects of employment. This includes hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoff, training, and benefits. Title VII also prohibits workplace segregation based on religion, such as assigning an employee to a non-customer contact position because of actual or presumed customer preference. Title VII also addresses reasonable accommodation in relation to religion. The law requires that the employer must reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs or practices, unless doing so would cause more than a minimal burden on the employers business. For example, if an employee needs to be off work on Sunday mornings to regularly attend church services it would be the responsibility of the employer to reasonably attempt to accommodate this need. An accommodation for this could include paying another employee to cover the Sunday morning shift, even if it requires paying overtime. Or the employer could hire an additional employee to be able to cover the shift. Since Title 7 of the United States Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 there have been several judicial decisions that have molded the way this law in interpreted and applied. The first such court case that I came across was the case of Welsh V. United States which brought into question what types of beliefs can be used to obtain conscientious objector status when being selected to go to war. In this case the prosecutor was convicted of refusing to accept induction into the armed forces; he did claim conscientious objector status but did not base this decision off religion. He did not claim to believe in a deity that would morally keep him from fighting in a war, he instead asserted his own personal moral opposition to any conflict in which people are being killed. He alleged that the sincerity of his belief should qualify him for exemption from military duty under the Universal Military Training and Service Act. The Act allowed only those people whose opposition to the war was based on religious beliefs to be declared conscientious objectors. However in a 5-3 decision the court allowed Welsh to be declared a conscientious objector even though his opposition was not based on religious convictions. The implication this case has on Human Resources Management is that HR personnel must be aware of the broad scope of beliefs that will be protected under Title 7. Whereas before this case only majorly defined religions such as Judaism and Catholicism would be protected you now see religions such as scientology seeking protection under the law. Another relevant case would be Seshadri v. Kasraian which established that an employee bringing a religious discrimination claim does not need to belong to an established church. Another case that has shaped this law and impacted human resource management was Campos v. City of Blue Springs. In April 1996 Campos was hired as a crisis counselor for the Blue Springs Police Department’s Youth Outreach Program (YOU). At the time she did not have the advanced degree as required by the written job description, but her supervisor told her that she would have until February 1997 to obtain her degree and guarantee her position. She was also guaranteed via verbal contract that she would be paid an extra $10,000 per year for support group work, she would be a team leader within three months, and she would be an assistant director within six months of starting her full-time employment. She began working in October 1996, enjoying her job until she disclosed to her supervisor that she observes tenets of Native American Spirituality, not Christianity. Campos claimed that immediately her supervisor’s behavior towards her changed; she was unfriendly and critical, excluded her from employee meetings, and told her that she may not have been a good fit for the job. After failing to show up to work due to attending a mandatory meeting to obtain her dissertation, which was required by her employer, Campos received so much scrutiny from her supervisor that she resigned. After her resignation, Campos filed suit against the City, alleging that she suffered from employment discrimination based upon her religion, sex, and national origin. The charges of sex and national origin discrimination were eliminated, and the case was submitted to the jury on the theory that Campos was constructively discharged because of her religion. On April 13, 2001, the jury awarded Campos $79,200 for back pay and compensatory damages. The district court denied the Citys Motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law, or in the Alternative, for a New Trial, and awarded Camposs attorneys 90,556. 20 in fees and $11,825. 41 in expenses. This case has implications on Human Resources Management today because it establishes that employment decisions cannot be made based on whether or not an employee or potential employee agrees or disagrees with the employers religious views. One relevant business that comes to mind is Chik Fil A and their openly Christian beliefs. Even though they include Christian values in the core content of their mission statement and business plan they know that they cannot make any employment decisions based on religious affiliation. In Eatman V.  United Parcel Service in 2002 the company’s policy of requiring its drivers that had unconventional hairstyles to wear hats was called into question. The plaintiff was required by the company to wear a hat while on the clock because his hairstyle of choice was dreadlocks, a hairstyle where sections of hair are hand-rolled together in tight, interwoven spirals. After putting a lot of thought into the decision, Eatman, who is black, began wearing locks in February 1995 as an outward expression of an internal commitment to his Protestant faith as well as his Nubian belief system. At this same time he also became enlightened about locked hair and its connection to African identity and heritage. The position that his supervisor at UPS took on his hair was that the company uses common sense to determine which hairstyles are not businesslike; he finds ponytails, Mohawks, green hair, carved shapes, and locked hair—short or long—unacceptable. And there were currently 19 other drivers at this particular UPS that were required to wear hats to cover their unconventional hairstyles, including others that had dreadlocks. Even though Eatman claimed that the policy was discriminatory the jury did not rule in his favor. It was ruled that Eatman’s hairstyle was dictated by a personal choice. Nowhere in his religious texts did it dictate in any way that followers of the faith must wear their hair uncovered in dreadlocks. The implications of this case are actually pro employer and pro Human Resource Manager. It shows that not every claim that an employee makes based off of religious need has to be immediately catered to. There are cases where the request can be frivolous and off topic of religion, in which case the employer does not need to go out of their way to make accommodations. Another very interesting court case that I came across was EEOC v. Union Independiete De La Autoridad De Acueductos y Alcantarillados De Puerto Rico. I found this case to be very interesting because it stipulates that employees cannot pick and choose which parts of their religion they wish to follow and which ones they do not. In this case the issue was whether or not a Seventh day Adventist’s objection to union membership was the product of a sincerely held belief. Although the religious foundation of the Seventh day Adventist faith’s opposition to union membership has long been recognized, there was evidence that this employee often acted in a manner inconsistent with his professed religious beliefs. He was divorced, took an oath before a notary upon becoming a public employee, worked five days a week (instead of the six days required by his faith), and there was some evidence that the alleged conflict between his beliefs and union membership was a moving target. This case seemed important because is forces the employee to prove that religion is vital part of their life. It keeps them from claiming that they are Christian for the sole purpose of being off on Christmas, or from claiming that they are Catholic only to be off on Easter. It not only keeps people from faking being religious but it also helps to ensure the sanctity of those who actually are as religious as they claim to be. And the final court case that I found addresses sincerely held beliefs that have not always been there but can conceivably come about. In the case of E. E. O. C. v. Ilona of Hungary, Inc. an employee sincerely believed that she should refrain from working on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur even though she had not frequently celebrated Jewish holidays in the past. Her rise in faith was brought on by recent family events such as the passing of her mother-in-law and father, the birth of her son, and her husband’s rising faith. The court decided that these were significant enough to have caused a change in lifestyle and that she did believably have a real change of faith. After reviewing all of the cases mentioned above, along with numerous others, I have found that the topic of religion isn’t nearly as â€Å"black and white† as most would assume. There are many grey areas: What constitutes religion, how do you know if someone legitimately believes in their religion, and what aspects of someone’s lifestyle are pertinent to their claimed religion are just a few examples of where courts have to make a decision that will affect the way this topic is viewed for years to come. With the world become more and more diversified every day the topic of religion and all others under title 7 will continue to be tested and pushed to their limits. It is the job of the Human Resources Management team to be on high alert of potential discrimination cases and have all employees properly trained on these matters to ensure it does not happen at their company.

Pragmatism and the Environment Essay Example for Free

Pragmatism and the Environment Essay The environment is at stake. The world we live in is a state of slow death—that the world is dying everyday just as the human body loses body cells every minute. Every natural resource of the world is continually abused without thought of the consequences. In a way, human beings are that of a virus, a systemic biological specie that consumes an abundant and relatively beneficial part, destroys it, moves on to another area, and leaves the consumed, worthless, and decimated. However, human experience teaches us that we cannot always deny the natural law because as intelligible beings capable of understanding, we have the natural ability to adapt to any environment given and finding ways and means to survive. As such, the development of the human race is not possible if not for our natural inclination of adaptability, protection of species, and survival. In the essay Pragmatism and Environmental Thought by Kelly Parker (1996), she mentions â€Å"what we must not try to do is not to master the natural world, but to cultivate meaningful lives within various environments. † This coincides with the natural law of adaptability, in which human beings need not defy standards as defined by nature but to harness it and provide necessary means of survival. Pragmatic Knowledge and Environmental Issues Pragmatism heavily relies on factual understanding rather than the complete belief in the innate ideas of the human mind. William James, John Dewey, Charles Pierce, among other founders of American pragmatism during the start of the century, argued that there are no innate beliefs in which knowledge is based. This means that knowledge is not innately transposed upon the human mind. Rather, experience confirms this â€Å"baseless† knowledge through factual and concrete understanding—that an ideology is only accepted as true if it is to be found practical in application. Human experience is then the basis of such practicality and its truthfulness is defined through practical solutions. The environment is not detached from the pragmatist or any other being. The environment is part of the experience, that there is a symbiotic relationship between the two biological systems as well as other life systems. Parker (1996) emphasized this point in her essay: â€Å"environment, in the most basic sense, is the field where experience occurs, where my life and the lives of others arise and take place† (p. 29). Every circle must have definite bounds in which it interacts and from that interaction is where experience revolves. Through these experiences, there have been developments in the field concerning the environment, especially on ethics. The development of environmental ethics is based on the pragmatic movement. More specifically, the interaction between the two different world views of nature leads to the eventual development of these ethics. These ethics later become moral standards for people until they become a â€Å"norm† of living for most. Based from these practical experiences, these social norms transform into methods of newer forms of social responsibility and enhance environmental awareness such as new laws and legislations concerning the environment, grassroots activism, among others. The Ethical/Global Problem As inferred by the pragmatic view, pragmatism’s role with the environment is more on application rather than theorization. In a more general perspective, human beings have the natural tendency to abuse their surrounding and not to take into account their own actions against different ecological systems around them. This coincides with the debate on moral pluralism and anthropocentrism. Moral pluralism specifies â€Å"no single moral principle or over-arching theory of what is right can be appropriately applied in all ethically problematic solutions† (Parker, 1996, p. 31). There is no ultimate and essential set of moral laws governing every scenario of moral problems. Because of the subjectivity of experience, it cannot be applied to any moral problem because of the lack of objectivity. In relation to environmental cases, there are different moral standards (i. e. , culture, geographical location) that must be taken into account in order for a set of moral/environmental laws to be applied. These different subjective inquiries on what should be protected, allowed, or banned come into a moral dilemma—whether it would be practical or not. Moral pluralism is also related to the problem of anthropocentrism—the prioritization of values for human beings. Human life is placed on greater importance rather than other outside factors. In her article, Parker (1996) further explains this line of reasoning: Again, this is not to say that human whim is the measure of all things, only that humans are in fact the measurers. This must be a factor in all our deliberation in all environmental issues. We can and should speak on others behalf when appropriate, but we cannot speak from their experience (p. 2). The essay proposes that we create standards and laws by speaking for ourselves and for the things that we want to protect based on our own experiences and judgment. For instance, the advocates of endangered species or an ecological subsystem represent their â€Å"party† to other human being. It is through the advocates that these creatures are represented in the debate over human need. The Global Challenge With the looming threat of global warming, greenhouse gas, and other ecological concerns, what we should do is concentrate more on proper action and proper representation of all the numerous aspects of the environment. We have already identified several problems that cause environmental distress recently and from these problems, there should be a formulation of steps to quickly counteract these issues. If left ignored or continually debated upon without any concrete formulas of implementation, these problems will continue to grow until they become uncontrollable. The proper need of identifying these problems will help in creating different strategies as well as formulating legal actions that will help protect and preserve environmental issues. The factual and general perspective is the world is dying and it continues to deteriorate as the number of human population increases. The matter of proper action comes into play through the environmental advocacies all around the world that supports of revitalizing planet earth. However, there remains the fact that human beings generally view the environment as something that can be planted, created, destroyed, and recreated again. This cycle implies that even with human intervention, the natural law of nature will still take its place. Society, especially today, should learn to adapt and live harmoniously with the environment in order to create a symbiotic relationship between the two. We also have to address the apathy of humans towards its environment. We should remove from the human mindset that the ecological system that we live in is not infinite and it will soon vanish if we are to let our actions not reflected upon. By examining our actions, we may come to a realization that everything that we do may affect the environment in ways that we might not even know. Removing this unconscious reinforcement may well be one of the keys in solving our environmental problem. The depletion of our natural resources, the unnatural effects of greenhouses gases and the growing number of human population are just a few of many environmental issues that should be given importance. Although these problems are already experiencing drastic developments for the last six years, we already have the initiative and the technology to somehow lessen its steady increase and may eventually, although not essentially eradicate, balance the gap between human state of living and the environment. Living with an ecological system, we must learn how to balance our actions and lifestyles in order to build a beneficial relationship. In this way, everybody wins. Reference Parker, K. (1996) Pragmatism and Environmental Thought. In A. Light E. Katz (Eds. ) Environmental Pragmatism. London and New York: Routledge (21-37).

Effects Conflicts On Growth And Development Of Businesses Politics Essay

Effects Conflicts On Growth And Development Of Businesses Politics Essay Conflict is an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals). Conflict is actual or perceived opposition of needs, values and interests, Conflict has serious implications for development in countries affected by it, not only in terms of the difficulty of implementing development policies, but also because it leads to more poverty and lower growth, which are very serious root causes of conflict. Conflict between the Mamprusi and Kusasi ethnic groups is long-standing over some decades and has resulted in sporadic and recurrent outbreaks of serious violence resulting in destruction of property and death on many occasions. Indeed the Bawku conflict brought into play a complex matrix of structural and contingent factors that makes the disaggregating of the events particularly difficult. Hostilities between the Kusasi and Mamprusi is probably as old as the state of Mamprugu itself, since the town of Pusiga, less than ten miles distant from Bawku, was one of the first stopping places for the band of invaders who established the Mamprusi Kingdom. Most recently, in December 2001, violence broke out following a dispute between a Kusasi and a Mamprusi at a lotto kiosk in the Sabongari section of the town. Subsequent tit-for-tat attacks led to at least 29 deaths and 36 serious injuries in the month of December alone. The area in which the conflict occurred is ethnically heterogeneous and has one of the lowest income (80% living in extreme poverty) and literacy (26.3% of adults functionally literate) rates in the country. It is a relatively densely populated area with over 100 residents per kilometer. There is relatively strong religious (66%) and ethnic (64%) attachment by the populace. Voter consciousness is high and party affiliation (NDC, NPP and PNC) strong with 2000 voter registration figures of 95 per cent. (Source:2000 population and housing reports) Additionally simmering disputes over the Bawku skin have persisted for years. A number of the protagonists have been brought before the courts, but to date no credible insights have been gained into the motivation for and execution of the attacks. A frequently cited study by Christian Lund provides further information concerning the history of conflict in recent decades, including overlapping issues of land ownership, ethnicity, chieftaincy an d others, including the unresolved issue of the Bawku skin (signifying entitlement to the throne); The skin is the symbol of chiefly authority in northern Ghana, equivalent to the stool in the south. It symbolizes the chieftaincy and the throne. When a chief is enskinned, he is seated on the skin of an ox sacrificed for the occasion. In normal parlance, chiefs who are forced to abdicate are de-stooled, not de-skinned. Bawku has a long history as a flashpoint town in Ghana. In 2001, at least 28 people were killed there when factions clashed in another battle apparently sparked by a relatively small crime, the destruction of a small shop. The international human rights group Amnesty International has expressed concern about the lack of political will to solve the crisis. The group said in a statement that the failure to resolve the conflict stems from a game of hurt no one in order to win all votes. An interview with the business community in Bawku revealed that some businessmen and women from Bawku have re-located their businesses to other parts of the region notably Bolgatanga and Zebilla. While some traders felt secure doing business in Bawku, others said they did not, citing the general insecurity and the decline in commercial activities as their reasons. The decline in business is further reflected in the assemblys revenue mobilization.   It collected 507.2 million cedis as against an estimated revenue target of 749.3 million cedis at the end of December 2001. The District Co-ordinating Director, Mr. Ibrahim Alhassan attributed the assemblys plight to looting of its coffers by revenue collectors in the wake of the conflict last December. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) seeking to bring peace to the area have been organising seminars, dialogues and brokered peace accords endorsed by the two main factions, the Kusasis and Mamprusis. This years United Nations (UN) day for peace and reconciliation was specially dedicated to Bawku to get the people to appreciate the need for peace the area. Advocates for peace in the area have suggested the combination of extensive military tactics to retrieve arms and diplomacy and education to bringing lasting peace to the area. 1.2 STUDY AREA INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF THE MUNICIPALITY LOCATION AND SIZE Bawku Municipality is one of the nine districts and municipalities in the Upper East Region of Ghana. It is located approximately between latitudes 11o 111 and 10o 401North and longitude 0o 181W and 0o 61E in the north-eastern corner of the region. The municipality has a total land area of about 1215.05 sq km. It shares boundaries with Burkina Faso, the Republic of Togo, Bawku West District and Garu Tempane District to the north, east, west and south respectively. The Bawku Municipal Assembly was established by LI 1738, 2004. LEADERSHIP OF THE ASSEMBLY Hon. A. A. Awuni Presiding Member Hon. MusahAbdulai Municipal Chief Executive Mr. P. K. Kuupol Municipal Coordinating Director LOCAL ENVIRONMENT LAND COVERAGE AREA The Municipality has a total land area of about 1215.05 sq km. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS As with the whole of the Upper East Region, Bawku Municipality is part of the interior continental climatic zone of the country characterized by pronounced dry and wet seasons. The two seasons are influenced by two oscillating air masses. First is the warm, dusty and dry harmattan air mass which blows from the north easterly direction across the whole municipality from the Sahara Desert. During the period of its influence (late November early March) rainfall is entirely absent, vapour pressure is very low (less than 10 mm) and relative humidity rarely exceeds 20% during the day but may rise to 60% during the nights and early mornings. Temperatures are usually modest at this time of the year by tropical standards (26 0c 28 0c). May to October marks the wet season. During this period, the whole of the West African sub-region including Bawku Municipality is under the influence of a deep tropical maritime air mass. This air mass together with rising conviction currents, provide the Municipality with rains. The total rainfall amounts to averagely 800m per annum. A striking characteristic of the rainfall worth noting is the extreme variability and reliability both between and within seasons. Another striking characteristic is the large quantity of rain water normally lost through evapo-transpiration from open water surfaces. An estimate of the volume of rain water loss varies from 1.55mm to 1.65mm per annum. POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS The estimated total population of Bawku Municipality is 205,849. Its population density is 169 persons per square kilometer. The population of the Municipality constitutes about twenty percent of the Upper East Regions population and 0.99 percent of the Nations population. The population is 20 percent urban and 80 percent rural. The dependency ratio is 1:1:25. About 55 percent of the population is outside the working group which constitutes a stress on the working population. Household sizes in the Municipality are fairly large like it pertains in most parts of the country. According to the 2000 population census report, on the average there are seven persons per household. Though these large households could mean availability of labour, it has some financial implication in terms of feeding, healthcare, education, clothing etc.The large number of household therefore constitute economic burden. POPULATION GROWTH RATE The population growth rate of the Municipality is 1.1. ETHNIC GROUPINGS The predominant tribes in the Municipality are Kusasis, Mamprusis, Bissas and Moshies with Kusasis forming the majority followed by Mamprusis. However, there are quite a number of migrants from other parts of the country, especially the south (most of whom are civil servants) and the neighbouring countries like Togo and Burkina Faso. Ethnic heterogeneity has had implications for harmony in the Municipality. In the very recent past, there have been sporadic violent ethnic clashes between the Kusasis and Mamprusis. It is expected however, that inter-marriages among the diverse ethnic groupings will provide the impetus for peaceful co-existence. The predominant languages spoken in the municipality are Kusal, Mampruli, Bissa and Moli. There are however quite a number of other languages spoken in the Municipality including Hausa, Ga, Gurune, and Twi. EDUCATION Education and literacy provide the opportunity for individuals to participate in a wider job market. In the Municipality, the standard of education is generally low as compared to that of the nation as a whole. Though the Municipality has seen a lot of interventions in the construct ion of new school buildings, many schools are still accommodated in dilapidated structures with some children still receiving lessons under tress and unclouded pavilions. Senior High School (SHS):- The Municipality has two (2) SHS, one Technical Institute, a Vocational Institute, Teacher Training College and a Nurses Training College. These institutions are opened to not only the Bawku Municipality but to the whole of Upper East Region and beyond. HEALTH The Municipal Health Management Team (MHMT) is headed by the Municipal Director of Health Services, assisted by Medical Assistants, Senior Nurses and Technical staff. Health care in the Municipality is provided through hospitals, health Centres, CHPS Centres and private clinics. 1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Conflicts are seen as a serious problem in our Ghanaian community and the world at large. The predominant types of conflicts in Ghana are so-called Chieftaincy Conflicts, which are centred on the chieftaincy institution. Relatively, the institution has survived the impositions of both the colonial and the post-colonial regimes that have included them within the boundaries of the modern states (see Nukunya (1992, 77-78). A country that has experienced many major developmental programmes undoubtedly is contingent on peace and stability. However, regardless of all this serious conflict-free campaigns, the bawku municipality in the upper east region of Ghana is still saddled with series of conflicts which posses so many threats on life and properties. People have ascertained that the root cause of the conflict lies on the fact that dubious and unscrupulous people in the area want to use the unsecured nature of the area to intentionally cause fear and panic in other to rob people off their properties. Secondly others are Also of the view that the conflicts dwells largely on chieftaincy. Notwithstanding, others still ascertain that their differences in political ideologies, farmlands, celebration of festivals, the unable ness on the part of the Mamprusis to have their damba festival celebrated and as well perform the funeral of the late Naba Calipha among others are the cause of the conflict in the municipality which leaves in its wake hunger and poverty. Generally, Chieftaincy disputes erupt when there are two or more rival claimants to a vacant à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾stoolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾skinà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸, the symbols of kingship or chieftaincy in the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾traditionalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ state. The rival claimants to such traditional authority may either belong to different ethnic groups or to different lineages of the founding family. These are exacerbated by direct as well as discreet political interventions in chieftaincy affairs. For instance, when governments support loyal claimants to chieftaincy positions against less amenable ones has led to tensions between traditional rulers and government officials on the one hand, and between rival claimants to chieftaincy positions on the other hand. So too have attempts by wealthy pretenders to gain the position on the basis of wealth and influence in society. Currently, it is estimated that there are over 100 chieftaincy conflicts in Ghana, centred on ethnicity, succ ession to traditional political office and the struggle over land (Tsikata and Seini, 2004; 25). In Ghana, the struggle to become a Chief may turn violent: when the historical, political, economic and social circumstances around the establishment of the chieftaincy institution in a traditional state become contested; when the rules of succession become unclear; when successive national governments and political parties support one group against the other in a bid to serve their own parochial political interest; and when there are small and light weapons available to the factions in the dispute. However, though chieftaincy conflicts are largely localized (as the disputes occur within the boundaries of the traditional state), and the associated violence hardly spills over into neighbouring traditional states, the conflicts social, political and economic ripples become felt beyond the conflict zone. Conflict has serious implications on development in countries affected by it, not only in terms of the difficulty of implementing development policies, but also because it leads to more poverty and lower growth, loss of lives, damage to properties, displacement of families, slows down development, among others. The puzzling question remains as to the effects, consequences, and what should be done to eliminate or mitigate the impact of it in our societies these days. It is against this background that the researcher seeks to determine the root cause and its effects on life, property and suggest ways of bringing peaceful resolution and settlement in the conflict prone areas in the Bawku municipality. 1.4 Objectives and Aims This study is about how chieftaincy conflicts can impact on the peace and socio-economic development and growth of businesses, Individuals, localities and countries. GENERAL OBJECTIVE The main objective is to examine the effects of conflicts on the growth and development of businesses in the Bawku Municipality as well as to make recommendations to policy makers on the way forward. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of the chieftaincy conflict on economic activities (commerce, agriculture and industry). To examine the effects of the violence on livelihoods of people: seen in terms of the household poverty and employment opportunities. Governance in terms of revenue collection and expenditure on security. To determine the effects of the conflicts on health and education. To make recommendations on how the conflict can be resolved/managed peacefully on a permanent basis. 1.5 RESEARCH QUESTION Is chieftaincy a possible cause of the conflict in the bawku municipality? Does ownership of farmlands form part of the causes of the conflict in the municipality? 1.6 Significance of the Study My research on the effects of the Bawku chieftaincy conflict seeks to present empirical evidence that communal violence negatively affects the socio-economic development of local communities where they take place. This research will investigate the effects of the perennial violence in Bawku on the ability of the Municipal Assembly, the Local Council and the people of the area as a whole to mobilize resources to improve their well being. Apart from contributing to the knowledge base on effects of conflict, this research will provide a basis for policy making towards resolving and managing communal (ethnic and chieftaincy) conflicts 1.7 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY: This research is expected to cover a period of one year and the associated limitations will be: Financial constraints/difficulties to be able to cover the required people and place. Inadequate and not straightforward answers or response from respondents is eminent or likely. Risky to venture into homes of respondents who were/are badly affected as it reminds them of their unfortunate and unplanned past memories. Answers/response will not be objective as respondents are/will be giving responses to favour their faction at the expense of the other faction. LITERATURE REVIEW 2. 0 Conflict has serious implications for development in countries affected by it, not Only in terms of the difficulty of implementing development policies, but also because it Leads to more poverty and lower growth, which are very serious root causes of conflict. Chronic conflicts continue to exist and to devastate the lives and economies of the People in the affected countries (and, to a lesser extent, on non-conflict-affected Countries). Naturally, this has created a precarious and unpredictable Environment that has not been conducive to fostering economic activities. Ongoing incidents of violence since 2008 seem to indicate similarly localised and minor disputes can become the basis for inter-group conflict on a larger scale. There are quite a few published works on the effects of conflicts on development in Ghana in general, but none on the effects of the Bawku chieftaincy conflict on the growth and development of businesses in the bawku Municipality. Recent literature on conflicts in Ghana has concentrated on the inter-ethnic and intra ethnic conflicts, since these are the dominant causes of conflicts in the country. A governance deficiencyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ has been cited by some of these works as the cause of the recurring ethnic and communal violence in many parts of Ghana. (Akwetey, 1996: Lund, 2003: Jonsoon, 2007). Akwetey for instance argues that the absence of adequate democratic institutions is to blame for the recurring violence. Avenues for expressing interest and demands are non-existent. Christian Lund (2003), in an analysis of the longstanding ethno-political conflict between the Kusasi and the Mamprusi in Bawku, has argued that the politicisation of the Bawku conflict has affected government efforts to resolve the conflict. He asserts that a wide range of political- including party-political- and economic competition over chieftaincy, land, markets, names of places and other issues are cut to fit the ethnic distinction as conflicts over rights and prerogatives are rekindled accounting for the perennial violence. According to Julia Jonsson (2007), in a crises working on Traditional leadership and ethnic conflicts in Northern Ghana, asserts that the link between development and conflict in the region, exist on different practical levels: In the actors discourse in the socio-economic grievances they perceive as important in the causation of the conflict, through the effects of the fighting. She concludes that conflicts have disrupted the development of the region: destroyed its resources and development projects. Moreover, according to Kusimi, et al. (2006), in a paper on conflicts in Northern Ghana, have expressed the view that violent clashes in that part of the country affect economic development (destruction of farms and produce; prevents cultivation of lands; disrupt economic activities; discourage investment, labour flow and tourism) (see also Brukum, 2007). They also assert that conflicts in the region affect educational levels and divert governments attention from tackling pressing national issues relating to development, to restoring peace and order. In an article on the Guinea Fowl War of 1994 in the Northern Region, Emmy Toonen (1999) asserts that the conflict affected inter-ethnic co-operation in the region. Though the situation has improved, she claims that the Konkomba are still too afraid to enter Tamale, the regional capital where the Dagomba are the majority. She also claims that medical and educational facilities in the region were also affected. Security has a direct impact on the levels of investment. The violence associated with the chieftaincy conflict in the Bawku municipality affects investments in the different sectors of the municipal economy. I present the data on the effects, sector by sector. Agriculture: The violence resulting from the chieftaincy conflict adversely affects production, marketing and investment in agriculture, the dominant economic activity in the Bawku municipality. During outbreak of violence in the Municipality, farmers, especially those engaged in the cultivation of perishable foodstuffs such as watermelons and onions suffer heavy losses. Watermelons and onions are cultivated by irrigation and need constant tendering. When violence breaks out, most farmers are forced to abandon their crops because they fear being either attacked or because of the curfew instituted by the government/security apparatus. Furthermore, the transportation networks are also disrupted during violent clashes and farmers are unable to transport their foodstuff to the market places. These results in the foodstuffs getting rotten on the farms, the markets are deprived of these produce, scarcity sets in while their prices soar in the Municipality and the country as a whole. Commerce: Commerce, the second most important economic activity in the Bawku municipality, has also been negatively affected by the chieftaincy conflict. The officials from the Municipal Assembly asserted that, commercial activities as a whole is negatively affected by the perennial violence in the Municipality. The Assembly finds it very difficult to attract potential investors. Such activities as looting, robbery and the general lawlessness, which bring businesses to a standstill during violent clashes, scare away potential investors. The officials also cited the out migration of business people to other parts of the country as a direct effect of the perennial violence in the Municipality. Restricted movement, disruptions in businesses, the loss of capital through burning of houses and shops, and limited and selective business transactions (this means that people will normally not do business with members of the other side, this limits the market available to each trader) were all cited by various respondents as effects of the violence which are disincentives to business in the Municipality. Amidst these chaos and confusions and the general instability in the municipality pragmatic efforts have been put in place to take of the problem of which a few of those as have been kept in place by the central government and the leadership of the municipality are as seen below; A number of security measures have been put in place to respond to the perennial violence from the chieftaincy conflict and to reassure people to go about their normal daily lives without fear. Some of these measures include the stationing of a rapid response Air-Borne Force and a significantly larger police force in the Municipality. These measures mean that central government and the municipal authorities have had to channel more resources into maintaining the military and police presence. The Municipal Assembly spends GH ¢25037 every month on the Air-Borne Forces (source; municipal chief executive). In addition, the municipal assembly pays their communication, health, and fuel bills. Some other steps towards mitigating this conflict and its influence in our society, businesses and the world at as suggested by (source; Emmanuel bombande-executive member of wanepb) are as follows; (a) the need for effective dialogue by the various stakeholders; (b) the equal distribution of farmlands and other resources; (c) the rightful à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ownersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ should be allowed to occupy the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Skinà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸; (d) political parties should stop interfering in the chieftaincy conflict; (e) the Regional House of Chiefs or the National House of Chiefs are the appropriate authorities to resolve the conflict; and (f) the need for education and understanding. Some pessimists who enjoy pleasure in war argue that the conflict cannot be resolved and suggested that the two sides should be allowed to fight until one faction emerges victorious and asserts dominance 3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY INTRODUCTION The researcher will base his methodology on the following: Population of the area Sampling design Sampling techniques Data collection techniques Population of the area The estimated total population of Bawku Municipality is 205,849. Its population density is 169 persons per square kilometer. The population of the Municipality constitutes about twenty percent of the Upper East Regions population and 0.99 percent of the Nations population. The population is 20 percent urban and 80 percent rural. The dependency ratio is 1:1:25. About 55 percent of the population is outside the working group which constitutes a stress on the working population. Household sizes in the Municipality are fairly large like it pertains in most parts of the country. According to the 2000 population census report, on the average there are seven persons per household. Though these large households could mean availability of labour, it has some financial implication in terms of feeding, healthcare, education, clothing etc.The large number of household therefore constitute economic burden. POPULATION GROWTH RATE The population growth rate of the Municipality is 1.1. Sampling design The researcher will use an interview process and personal observation in gathering the information. Interview is a personal or one on one interaction between an interviewer and his targeted respondents on an issue where the interviewer has a predetermined motive whereas observation is the personal foresight of how things will go like. Sampling techniques The researcher will use simple random sampling where respondents from both factions will have equal chance of being selected for questioning. Data collection techniques The researcher will use the primary data in gathering his information. With the primary data, the researcher gathers his information through personal encounter and observation of the situation.