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Standardization and Customizing of International Marketing Plans

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Standardization and Customizing of International Marketing Plans

The majority of the basic principles employed in effective marketing equally apply to global and domestic marketing activity. However, globalization presents numerous challenges unique to operating simultaneously in international markets and different countries. According to Theodore Levitt, a Harvard marketing professor, a new reality has been triggered partly by technological developments. This text discusses the differences between standardization and customizing a marketing plan for countries and all it entails.

There are numerous attractive reasons for companies to standardize products and branding across the global markets. The first reason is that it enables businesses to globalize and leverage economies of scale. Standardization also enables customers to see videos, images, and product descriptions no matter where they are. Additionally, standardization eases content management and creation efforts through ensuring same content gets delivered across channels. Customization of brands and products for countries is beneficial as the marketing efforts tend to naturally satisfy the needs of various customers in various markets (Gremyr, Aku, and Lars, 27). Furthermore, customization helps make a customer more comfortable as they have expectations. Customization also generates positive credibility within the market hence boosting conversion rates. Customization and standardization have unique positive outcomes for growing business. While the one size fits all standardized approach for global marketing is efficient, local customers might not resonate with it. In contrast, customization greatly enhances customer engagement and experiences through meeting the tastes of local customers, but can be difficult to scale. This is the main difference when it comes to standardizing and customizing a marketing plan for other countries. Historically, businesses used standardized products and similar brand messaging in all global markets in an effort to benefit from economies and scale and similar brand efforts. However the downside of the standardizing products is that businesses were not able to capitalize on local market trends. Some organizations changed to decentralized operations to compensate. In such scenarios, local teams lose efficiency and scalability but manage to separate content libraries.

The four Ps of marketing, including product, place, price, and promotion are the key factors in marketing service and product. Customization and standardization have everything to do with these four factors, as these are taken into consideration in the development of key strategies for advertising, marketing, positioning, and promoting your product or brand.

The best circumstance to standardize a marketing plan is when there is minimal competition. Global standardization works best for companies that have services and products that are barely facing competitions within local markets. When there is no rivalry from competing local brands, companies are in a position to tailor-make services and products to suit the needs of their customers (Tien, 44). The best time to customize a marketing strategy is once the company understands the target market. Figuring out the demographics of the target audience is important in creating a persona which is the biggest secret weapon employed by successful marketing companies. The client’s persona includes information such as gender, income, and age and understanding these factors helps in reaching them.

‘Think Global, Act Local’ is a mindset that numerous international brands adopt when planning for both national and international marketing strategies. It is the way that companies customize their brands to meet the individual needs for audiences. For instance, the Coca-Cola Company is an example of an international company that employs this slogan by incorporating the right mix of global and local operations. Although Coca-Cola is an international brand, it ensures it stays locally relevant to every individual market it serves.

Works Cited

Gremyr, Ida, Aku Valtakoski, and Lars Witell. “Two routes of service modularization: advancing standardization and customization.” Journal of Services Marketing (2019).

Tien, Nguyen Hoang. “Customization and Standardization of the Business Strategy of Foreign Enterprises in Vietnam–the McDonald’s Case and the Fast Food Sector.“.” International journal of research in marketing management and sales 1.2 (2019): 44-50.

Cultural Perspectives in Teaching

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Journal 1.1

Teachers are at times faced with questions that prompt them to establish an understanding of their faith. The answers that the teachers usually give depend on their own cultural understandings as far as their beliefs and values are concerned. A competent teacher will not only give an answer based on his or her own belief but will also integrate it with a research-based theory. To develop a Christian mind that will avoid giving superficial answers, the teacher should have grounding of the various cultural perspectives that people do have. Before answering, the teacher should ask himself questions such as ‘what might have led to the situation’ or ‘what is trying to be achieved’. It is mostly based on the fact that schools have students coming from different cultures with different perspectives on faith.

Journal 1.2

Teachers rarely try to figure out what the true purpose and meaning of schooling is. Most people will view the purpose of schooling based on their cultural backgrounds or understanding. Being an Asian, education and schooling in general plays a very vital role in establishing one’s character in the society. Education has been held with such high esteem since its inception, and it has been viewed as one of the most guaranteed way of succeeding in life. All of the subjects introduced in the curriculum are keenly considered if they will serve the purpose that it is intended to serve. In reflection, my cultural background has made me realize that education is not a matter of just gaining understanding of one’s cultural background and factual knowledge, but also molding ones character into such that is acceptable by the society.

Journal 1.3

The approach that has been given to education, as far as the students are concerned, is that it was not an entitlement, until recently. The students whose parents can be able to afford education or were interested in their children learning were the only ones who had the luxury of going to school. The others whose parents could not afford it were subjected to receiving low-quality education. The students are, however, expected to achieve nothing but excellence regardless of the quality of the education they have received. They sit for the same examinations and eventually compete for the same jobs available.

The teachers, on the other hand, are given the task of instilling education and knowledge into the students regardless of the conditions that they operate. The parents and the teachers are expected to work together in bringing up the children into respectable individuals in the society. However, the blame is mostly directed towards the teachers if the students do not become successful in their quest for education. The teachers take the students through the entire curriculum.

The purpose of education, according to Grandgrind, is very different from how other people view it. He was only interested in a profitable enterprise and aimed at ramming facts into the brains of the students. He viewed the purpose of schools should be distanced from cultural backgrounds and other fancies and should only deal with facts which have been documented in the curriculum.

Nowadays, we have gone almost 180 degrees away from that.  We emphasize thinking over learning facts.  I sometimes think we have gone too far away from facts (especially in math and science) but I certainly do not think we should do like Gradgrind.

His way of learning is not good for our modern society.  Things change so fast nowadays that people need to be able to think if they are going to get ahead economically.

Journal 1.4

There have been a number of changes that have taken place in the Australian education system in the 19th century. It has developed to what is nowadays referred to as normalized schooling. Some of the changes that have taken place include the abolishment of punishing students because they have failed to learn facts by heart. It has been argued to be an inappropriate method as far as education is concerned. The education system has, in fact, adapted other subjects that tend to nurture the students’ creative capabilities. Another characteristic that can be identified in the modern education is the appreciation of the students’ rights. Students are no longer subjected to one curriculum since they come from different cultural backgrounds. The students also have the right not to be interrupted by other students while learning. The third and final characteristic is the increasing involvement of parents into the matters of their children’s education. Well, they might not have a very professional view regarding the progress of their children’s academic affairs but they are expected to work together with the teachers to achieve much more wholesome objective.

In Australia, the three public purposes of education include community development, social justice and student’s love for learning. These are purposes that were introduced by the government. One private purpose of education includes sorting for employment and the economy.

Journal 1.5

The teaching profession is slowly becoming very complex. This is because the requirements and the workload for the teachers have been increasing. Their work in class greatly influences their private life. As they deal with students from different ethnic backgrounds and separate ideological views, he or she becomes accustomed to dealing with different kind of people in his private life. How a teacher conducts his private life also affects their professional life. If the teacher has certain negative beliefs about certain kind of people from the onset, he will find it very difficult when dealing with such students and having to go through the process of accepting them.

Journal 2.1

A vocational curriculum is that which prepares students for various crafts, trade or different professional levels. One characteristic of a vocational program is that it is grouped into teaching procedural knowledge. The students are first introduced to the basics, and they progress into more complex issues regarding their specialty. Another characteristic is that a vocational curriculum is specific in nature. The participants aim at specializing in one field hence its specificity. Thirdly, a vocational curriculum is can be in the pre-secondary, secondary or at the tertiary level of education. It depends with the governments’ directive and objective that is intended to be achieved from education.

People have different views on the purposes of schooling. These purposes can conflict in the long run. For example, one of the public purposes of schooling is community development. The government having put this objective in place will work towards achieving it. However, the students might not have the desire or motivation for developing their community or maybe might not even have the love for learning. Hence, without some purposes being achieved, other purposes might as well crumble.

Journal 2.2

 The Public Instruction Act, 1880 came into force on 1 May 1880. The Act both extended the educational provision made under the 1866 Act and introduced significant changes. The more important of these changes were the withdrawal of State aid to denominational schools as from the beginning of 1883, the introduction of compulsory education, the entry of the State into the field of secondary education and the replacement of the Council of Education by the Department of Public Instruction on 1 May 1880. In broadening educational provision the 1880 Act modified some of the existing schools and created three new types of schools – Superior Public, High, and Evening Public Schools.

Journal 2.3

According to Smart, the four worldview questions includes who am I, where am I, what is wrong and how can it be fixed.

The Christian worldview is based on the aforementioned questions. A Christian views him or herself as being created by God and is put on earth to serve specific purposes. He recognizes that he is on earth, also created by God in such perfection, in order to sustain life. The problem a Christian has with the world is that it is riddled with sin. After sin entered the world, the relationship between man and God got interfered with negatively and the main objective is to restore the relationship. This can be fixed through accepting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, who is believed to be the son of God.

Journal 2.4

According to Postman, the similarity of American education to that of Australia are the different views that people have regarding education. There is very little room that is left for one to interpret the purpose of education at a personal level hence it is dictated through what has been previously decided upon. Both countries would hold onto previous policies and make very few changes to them. The trends that have coupled the current society make some of these policies to become very ineffective. Another similarity is the idea of deteriorating value of education. Most students go to school having no personal objective but just to do what is required or expected of them.

Journal 2.5

A modernist views himself as an individual with a great mind and has immense potential. He recognizes that he is on earth that is the residence of the human beings. The main problem with the world is that it is coupled with very many myths and beliefs that are misleading and are not realistic. The only way this can be fixed is through the rational use of science to administer facts and have a greater understanding of the universe as a whole.

It can be argued that postmodernism has been based on three major features. They include the existence of power of reason over ignorance, science supersedes superstition and there is power of order over disorder. The issues of modernism have created an impact on the Australian education system.

Students have subconsciously adapted the reasoning of modernism given the premise that the education system itself mostly deals with facts that belief. It is a trend that has affected students thinking and the way they handle their education. Such has also affected their personalities and the way they view right from wrong.

Journal 3.1

As far as children and young adults come from different cultures, at times they have common interests in some certain upcoming cultures. These cultures are considered to be popular and most teenagers would like to associate themselves with it. That is the reason ‘Loser Television’ is very popular among the children and young adults.

Journal 3.2

Currently students are very much engrossed in fashion trends and technology. They have gone to the extent of attaching these ideologies to their importance of life, in that, they cannot live without them. The meaning of life to them has surpassed the basic necessities of food, shelter and clothing. They find happiness in fashion and technology and define their lives from such fronts. It has impacted the education setting in a way that it has to warm up to the trends that appear relevant to the young generation in order to appeal to them.

Journal 3.3

During their early years and before joining school, children are brought up according to some certain beliefs and cultures. It is usually done in a family setting. When they finally start going to school, they meet other children from different cultures. From the onset, they will always look at the other children’s beliefs and scale it relative to their own beliefs.

Journal 3.3

One of Niebuhr’s models of Christ to culture that I can relate to is the separatist approach. People tend to stay away from matters that are considered worldly. One example is the some of the Christian songs in which the singer declares letting go of ungodly things. Damita sang the popular song known as ‘No looking back’ as a good example of a separatist approach.

Journal 3.4

To some extent, the claim that Christian schools are “hothouses” has some truth in it. The students are expected to strictly abide by the rules as far as Christianity is concerned. They end up with a strong irrational belief on the religion.

The role of Christian schools in the Australian society is to lace the education system with religion and not only bring up individuals who have basic knowledge but are also morally upright.

Journal 3.5

Education defines who we are at the end because it helps shape our future religiously and professionally.

Education generates meaning as it is based on the acceptance and alignment of various beliefs.

Education brings together the diverse communities in the society through which they learn about each other.

Education is very important in our current society since it helps remove ignorance and assumptions that have led to a lot of problem in the past.

References

Matthews, J. (2014). Cultural Perspectives In Teaching. Drummoyne: Wesley Institute

Sleep Paralysis in Dead Awake (2017)

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Sleep Paralysis in Dead Awake (2017)

I selected Dead Awake over other movies as I resonate with what happens in the film. After watching this movie, I felt that I could relate to the experiences of the characters because sleep paralysis is something that I have experienced myself. At first, I never knew that sleep paralysis is a severe condition but upon watching the film, I related to the occurrences. I also selected this film as it does a great job of dramatizing what sleep paralysis is by making it feel like a reality. I understand that the film is a pure work of fiction, but I could not help but feel goosebumps while watching it. I found it interesting that at the birthday party, one of Kate’s friends mentions that she has been experiencing a dream where she is nearly falling into an endless pit and that everybody has experienced the dream, which is profound because I have had that dream severally.

One scene where altered consciousness is vivid is when the doctor is watching over Kate as she sleeps. When the monster attacks Kate, the doctor’s adrenaline pump refuses to function and because he cannot do anything to revive Kate, he puts himself to sleep to draw the attention of the monster from Kate. This strategy works for a while and Kate has another dream while still asleep where she sees her dead sister Beth.

The people in Dead Awake are experiencing sleep paralysis, a sense of consciousness and immobility that happens simultaneously during sleep. Sleep paralysis takes place in between the stages of sleep and wakefulness. The characters in the film, including Beth, Kate, and the Doctor, experience phases of sleep paralysis at some point. My overall impression of the movie is that it does a good job of dramatizing how sleep paralysis occurs. The movie is one of the scariest movies I have ever watched, but I enjoyed watching it.

Cultural orientation questions

Question 1

My cultural orientation is similar to that commonly found in the United States. According to my cultural orientation, I believe in a mixture of good and evil and with the dynamic world, people can not be trusted as much as they used to be in the past. My nature is that I believe in giving people an opportunity to express themselves and learn new things. My relationship with the external environment is that the environment should be altered to fit people’s needs. My primary mode is to better manage my time performing duties without interruptions and working towards a future goal.

Question 2

Working for an international company requires that one is sent in other countries for work related purposes. This enhances the working in the organization to ensure that there is harmony among employees from different cultural backgrounds. In the Middle East, the cultural orientation is completely different from that of the United States. People there are not as hard working as in the United States. Most of them report to work late and leave early before time. During the lunch break, you find people idling in cafeterias even after completion of their meals. The work ethics there are not very strict probably because not so many people are well educated to compete for white collar jobs. Competing for jobs is also a challenge because most business there are family businesses and ownership is passed to the heirs. They are also not keen on invention and they believe that the environment should not be altered to fit anyone’s preferences.

My values differ with theirs especially where all people are not given equal opportunities to compete for white collar jobs. People from this cultural background also mismanage their time spending more time idling and less time working. This could be a point of conflict between their culture and my cultural orientation.

However, the people there are very friendly and welcoming. Unlike in the United States where people are not concerned with their neighbours, it is a different story there. The most impressive thing is that people in this area are very trusting. They leave their valuable items out in the open without worrying that someone would steal from them. These are things that I appreciate from these people and I could use them to my advantage.

Question 3

Culture is an element that is instilled in an individual from the date of birth. Growing up in a specific culture, it is inevitable to adopt the values, behaviours and attitudes acceptable by that specific culture. While growing up, we strive to live according to the norms of our societies doing what is right in right according to our culture. My culture has influenced my values, attitude, thinking and behaviour. In my culture, it is a requirement to uphold moral values and work hard for personal benefit and for the benefit of the community. Living harmoniously as a group is a value that is highly emphasized in my culture allowing all to live in peace.

My cultural orientation makes it easier for me to work with people from different cultures. Besides being a hard worker, living harmoniously is a value that has been instilled in me since childhood. Though working from people from different cultures can be quite challenging, it is important to have an open mind and give everyone the opportunity to express themselves.

Should the US Pay Reparations to Descendants of SlavesBlack Americans

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Should the US Pay Reparations to Descendants of Slaves/Black Americans?

It is impossible to rewrite history, but can it be redressed? Reparations are restitution payments remitted to the descendants of the enslaved people for atrocities done to them. In theory, reparations would be paid by parties/entities that took part in slavery, such as local governments, federal governments, universities, and corporations. Although slavery in the United States ended over a century ago, the effects of the vice still linger. The main question is whether the United States needs to make up for the atrocities and, if so, whether reparations are the answer. While proponents support the idea of paying reparations to descendants of slaves, opposers are against paying reparations. From my standpoint, the United States should pay descendants of slavery reparations as slavery caused giant disparities in wealth, left black communities at the pity of health deficits and a precedent for paying reparations is already in place.

Supporting Arguments

Slavery Caused Giant Wealth Disparities that should be Addressed Using Reparations.

One of the reasons why the United States should consider paying descendants of slaves reparation is slavery caused huge disparities in wealth. Majority of the wealth in the United States was created on the backs of black slaves. Ta-Nehisi Coates, a correspondent and author for the Atlantic explained that by 1836, nearly half (over $600 million) of United States economic activity was derived indirectly or directly from cotton produced by millions of slaves. By the time slaves became emancipated, they were the single largest single asset in the US valued at 3 billion dollars in 1860 dollars. This was more than all other assets of the time combined. People of color were not paid for their contribution to the economy leading to years of financial struggle. Most recent data available indicates that people of color had about 2.6% of the wealth in the United States while accounting for 13% of the population. The data also indicates that the net worth of white households was $80 000 more than that of black households. William Darit Jr., an economist at Duke University and Kristen Mullen posited that the origins of the gulf in Black and White originated from immediate repercussions of slavery when a promise that had been made to give former slaves 40 acres of land were unmet (Goldy, 42). While all this happened, in the meantime, many White Americans were given substantial acres of land of about 160 acres in the West. Mullen and Darity conclude that public policy has caused a rift between Black and White and will need public policy to get rid of it and that reparations is one of the public policy.

Slavery Left Black Communities at the Sympathy of Slave Health Deficit

Another reason why the United States should pay reparations to descendants of slaves is it left their communities at the pity of the slave health deficit. Brittney Butler, a Health Policy Research Scholar posited that the health effects of racism or slavery in the United States transcended generations and set foundation for poor health among black families in the United States. The connection between racism and disparities goes back to the slavery days. The Slave trade brought with it diseases to indigenous and African populations. Additionally, before arriving to the shores of North America, the horrible ship conditions and the long journey increased risk of mortality and disease with dysentery being the leading cause of death (Anyaegbunam, 2). Even if the slaves managed to survive the treacherous journey, they were forced to work and live under inhumane working conditions that further increased their risk of respiratory and chronic diseases. Additionally, during slavery, white physicians exploited, experimented on and enslaved black people under the guise of advanced medicine. Also, once the slaves were free, they had reduced access to basic necessities and access to healthcare. Even after slavery ended, the health disparities were felt in the differences in access to care in healthcare facilities and other higher levels of disease because of increased exposure and different life opportunities. People of color are most likely to be uninsured or underinsured and less likely to access a primary care professional. Worth noting, diseases such as asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, diabetes, and cancer are more prevalent among black people than white people. According to Oliver Brooks, the President of the National Medical Association noted that the social determinants of health (SDoH) play a significant role in one’s health such as medical treatment and genetics. The six broad categories of the social determinants of health include physical environment, economic stability, food community and social content, education, and healthcare systems. People of color are adversely affected in these aspects. With regard to the pandemic, Brooks noted that because of poor housing, people of color are not able to isolate themselves as, in some instances, a two-bedroom apartment can host up to six people. Brooks also added that people of color work in environments that do not allow them to work from home. Their work requires them to be physically them hence going out places them at even higher risk of infection. Additionally, most of these jobs do not offer health coverage and as such reparations would go a long way in boosting African American healthcare and other underlying social conditions that have caused health disparity.

A Precedent of Paying the Reparations is Already in Place

The third reason why the United States should consider paying descendants of slaves reparations is that a precedent by the US State, federal government, international organizations, and local governments is already in place. Between 1948 and 1965, the United States federal government paid the victims of Japanese internment camps reparations through the Japanese-American Claims Act of 1948. Additionally, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 made it possible for each survivor to receive an additional $20, 000 payment by 1998 at, a total of 1.6 billion dollars. Worth noting, victims of a Tuskegee Study that left 399 black men infected with syphilis untreated received $10 million in reparations alongside lifelong medical care for their families by the US government. The US has not only paid reparations to victimized groups but also slaveholders. Around 900 slaveholders in Washington D.C received about $23 million in 2020 dollars in order to let go of 2,981 slaves in April 1862 in line with the Compensated Emancipation Act which Lincoln had attempted to institute in various states but acts failed.

Additionally, North Caroline, set aside $10 million in reparations program for an estimated 7600 individuals in the state that were forcefully sterilized between 1929 and 1974. Virginia also paid every living survivor of about 8000 individuals sterilized by force about 250, 000. Florida also paid $2 million reparations to victims of the Racewood race riot of 1923. Chicago also approved an ordinance to pay victims of police brutality between 1972 and 1991 under police commander John Burge reign a minimum of $20 million. Additionally, the German government had paid $89 billion to Nazi victims as of 2012 in a reparation program that had started in 1952 (Favreau, 24).It still pays the reparations to date. South African paid 19,000 victims of apartheid atrocities up to $85 million in 2003. Also, in Georgetown University, students voted to increase fees by $27.50 to raise the sum of $400, 000 needed annually for a reparations fund. The institution paid reparations to descendants of the 272 slaves that Jesuits sold in 1838. Other institutions, such as the Princeton Theological Seminary and the Virginia Theological Seminary have followed suit paying $27.6 million and $1.7 million in reparations. At least 56 universities and colleges have joined universities that study slavery in exploring the legacy of the vice in the institutions. In 2018, an organization of nuns known as the Society of the Sacred Heart paid reparations to the descendants of individuals that had been enslaved by the organization. Additionally, Siemens, a German electronics company set aside $11.9 million fund in 1998 for slave labor that went into World War II. The move followed a similar announcement made by Volkswagen a German automaker. In essence, if reparations can be paid out to groups of other descendants by the U.S government, then they can also be paid by the federal government.

Opposing Arguments

No Body Currently Living is Responsible for Righting the Past Wrongs

The thirteenth amendment was ratified on 6th December 1865, which is over 150 years ago, putting an end to slavery across the United States. The first African to be enslaved arrived in 1619, which is more than 400 years ago. The last living survivor of trade, Matilda McCrear, had arrived in Alabama in 1860, died in January 1940. As at April 2020, millennials comprised the biggest living adult group in the United States. The 72.1 million millennials born in 1981 or after would have to go back at six generations to get a slave owner or slave in their lineage, and that depends on if there was any in the first. According to Mitch McConnell, a Republican U.S. Senator, reparations for something that took place 150 years ago for people who are currently living were responsible would not be a good idea (Craemer and D’Andra, 163). McConnell further opined that the States had tried to address the origin of slavery by fighting civil war through enacting landmark civil rights legislation and even electing an African American president. McConnell further added that as a country, the United States is a work in progress and with no one currently alive took part in the atrocity, we should not be trying to work out a compensation plan. Additionally, a Western Region Director for R Street Institute named Steven Greenhut noted that white people whose families came after the segregation era would wonder why they should have to pay for the mistakes of the ancestors of other people. Greenhut added that rather than resolving the problem, people would begin to fight other money. He insisted that it would end up being about only the money and that is not the way to help the nation deal with its past. A reporter named Scott Reader concluded that he does not believe in collective guilt and that not all Muslims should be blamed for the 9-11 attack and or gun owners are responsible for gun violence across cities. Similarly, not all Americans should be held responsible for the injustice of slavery that took place many years ago. While all the above-discussed viewpoints of McConnell, Reader and Greenhut hold true, there is no denying that there is need to do something to right these past wrongs. The truth of the matter remains that despite having the strongest economy in the world, the United States is still plagued by racism and systemic discrimination and injustice against people of color. While steps have been taken to address past mistakes, this inequality remains commonplace. As such, it is time to give reparations because we might never know if they would make a difference unless we give it a trial.

In closing, the United States should consider giving reparations to descendants of slaves as slavery caused giant disparities in wealth, left black communities at the pity of health deficits and a precedent for paying reparations is already in place. If descendants of other groups can be compensated, then so can the descendants of slavery. While opposers argue that propagators of the atrocity are no longer alive, this does not take away from the fact that some policy action should take place.

Works Cited

Anyaegbunam, Nkiru. “The Problem of Blackness in America: Becoming When the Being Never Comes to Be.” (2022).

Craemer, Thomas, and D’Andra Orey. “Implicit Black identification and stereotype threat among African American students.” Social science research 65 (2017): 163-180.

Favreau, Marc, ed. Remembering slavery: African Americans talk about their personal experiences of slavery and emancipation. New Press, the, 2021.

Goldy-Brown, Sarah. Reparations for Slavery: The Fight for Compensation. Greenhaven Publishing LLC, 2017.

Should Cell phones be allowed in the Classroom

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Should Cell phones be allowed in the Classroom?

Introduction

A 2010 research conducted by the Pew Research Center reported that 65% of teenagers carry cell phones to school despite any bans that the school might have in place. Most schools now permit their students to carry cell phones but require them to be off during class time because they tend to be distracting and disruptive. Some people are of the opinion that learners should be allowed to bring their cell phones to school, while opponents hold that cell phones should be banned in schools. In my viewpoint, I believe that cell phones should be allowed in classrooms. This text argues why allowing learners to have cell phones in the classroom is better than restricting them.

Supporting Arguments

Cell phones are Good for Emergency Uses

One of the reasons learners should be allowed to bring their cell phones with them to class is that they help students reach out to their families in the event of a tragedy. We live in an unprecedented world where families need to be able to speak to their children. Current generations are growing up in environments dominated by mass and public shootings. Such news has become a daily headline today. Additionally, we live in a pandemic world where there are heightened cases of anxiety and health and safety concerns in schools and across families. Children should know that they can reach their parents and loved ones in a heartbeat and cell phones are a huge part of that. Right now, it is important that everybody should feel safer than ever. As such, students should be allowed to bring their cell phones with them to class.

Staying in Touch and Tracking Location

Another reason why cell phones should be allowed in the classroom is that it enables their parents to track their whereabouts. Research conducted by Pew study in 2010 found that 48% of parents use their cell phones to track their children’s location. They are able to tell if their child attended school or if they are missing classes. Additionally, cell phones make it easy for parents to stay in touch with them.

Cell Phones Are Used as Research Tools

Another reason why schools should allow learners to bring cell phones to the classroom is that they can be employed as a research tool. Cell phones grant students with instant access when they want to acquire new information (Mendoza, Mendoza, Benjamin, Seungyeon, Minsung, and Ian, 52). If they need to find the meaning of a specific word, or subject, they can access the information in a second by typing it on Google. Essentially, students do not necessarily have to interrupt the rest of the class to seek clarification, especially if they are shy and hate embarrassment.

Opposing Arguments.

Distractions

Some people are of the opinion that learners should not bring cell phones to class because they are often a source of distractions. We live in a modernized world where almost everything relies on technology. The cell phone does a lot more than make a call and text. People can download thousands of applications for social interactions, dating, and gaming that all translate into a layer of distraction (Papadakis, Michail, Eirini, and Nikolas, 378). If a student feels the urge to use their phone while the teacher is teaching, it negates the learning experience. If students get addicted to their phones, they will not attain good grades. While this argument is true, I maintain that cell phones should be allowed in the classroom because if students are asked to turn them off and keep them from their sight, the problem of addiction can be addressed. Alternatively, if schools can come up with a rule where learners hand in their books to a selected custodian, either a teacher or student, then the issue of distraction would be a non-factor.

Academic Cheating

Another reason why cell phones should not be allowed in classrooms is that they encourage students to cheat. We live in a fast-paced world where information is just a Google search away. Information is now at people’s fingertips with the dawn of technology and the internet. While this is a good thing, it is also dangerous and a threat to the provision of quality education. Cell phones tend to encourage students to cheat. They do this by sneaking cell phones into the exam rooms where they can Google answers. This is all in a bid to pass exams and graduate college. However, this is a problem that can be addressed with ease. Teachers can collect all cell phones, return them after exams, and impose hefty punishments such as academic disqualification on cheating students.

Conclusion

In closing, students should be allowed to bring their cell phones to school as they can be used as a research tool, help parents keep track of their children’s location, and be used during emergencies. Opposers say that cell phones should be banned from school because they are a source of distractions and can be used to facilitate cheating. All in all, I hold that learners should be allowed to bring their cell phones to school.

Works Cited

Mendoza, Jessica S., Mendoza, Jessica S., Benjamin C. Pody, Seungyeon Lee, Minsung Kim, and Ian M. McDonough. “The effect of cellphones on attention and learning: The influences of time, distraction, and nomophobia.” Computers in Human Behavior 86 (2018): 52-60.

Papadakis, Stamatios, Michail Kalogiannakis, Eirini Sifaki, and Nikolas Vidakis. “Access moodle using smart mobile phones. A case study in a Greek University.” Interactivity, game creation, design, learning, and innovation. Springer, Cham, 2017. 376-385.

Sharing a Life Lesson with Others

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Sharing a Life Lesson with Others

The life lesson that I have learned in life that I would like to share with others is to never give up. I think this statement carries a lot of weight for such a piece of simple advice. Confucius, a Chinese philosopher, came up with this quote. He tells us that no matter what happens we should not stop going. We have to keep pushing regardless of how difficult a situation might be. I would advise the same to people. The truth is that no matter how slowly we move, we must keep pushing as long as we do not stop. There are many times in life when we are faced with challenging life choices, and the first instinct might be to give up. I would encourage people not to give up because there is a high chance that they will emerge triumphant in their doings. As long as a person continues putting up a fighting spirit, I believe that they can achieve any goal they have set for themselves in life. More often than not, when a person thinks of giving up, they are usually on the brink of being successful and attaining their goals. I have seen situations in my life where people regret giving up too soon and I have also seen other people rejoice for not giving up. It all depends on how bad a person wants to attain success. I would urge people to exercise patience and have hope that things will turn out as expected. This is because when a man loses hope, they lose everything else in life. That said, I urge people to listen to the advice of the great Confucius to not give up.

I wish to call Villanova my new home and become a part of its community because it offers me the opportunity that I need to succeed in life. Villanova has impeccable academic support and career services, and I hope to use this to my advantage. Joining Villanova sets me on the right path for success because it has world-class instructors, who will I believe will support me and push me towards my goal. Worth noting, I wish to call Villanova my new home because of the extracurricular and athletic activities that the institution offers. I have interests in sports particularly, basketball. I have played basketball in all my previous schools and it is my hope to get a chance to do the same at Villanova. I like to play sports as it is a chance to exploit my old passion as well as explore new passions. I believe that both academics and extracurricular activities are equally important and it is upon students to find a balance between the two. That said, I hope that you will consider my request to join Villanova.

Rhetorical Analysis of Two Texts

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Rhetorical Analysis of Two Texts

Danticat’s main claim in Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work” is that artists who have immigrated to other countries are at liberty to witness the tragedy, poverty, violence, and oppression back in their country. In the deeply rooted book, Edwidge Danticat reflects on exile and art. She examines what it truly means to be an immigrant artist that is in crisis. Danticat uses various rhetorical analyses in the text regarding rhetorical elements, including pathos and ethos. Pathos is evidenced in the ways she uses various characters to appeal to the audience to feel sympathy for her. She does this by talking about her undocumented aunt who died of Aids while staying in Miami. Ethos speaks to the authority and credibility. Danticat mentions various statistics by saying that Louis and Numa were two of the thirteen who returned to Haiti from the United States to fight the guerilla war. As regards her writing style, Danticat’s writing is clear and crisp. It is reminiscent of what good essay writers should desire to be. This is not just another writer writing a book for its sake, but rather, it details the suffering of immigrant artists. As regards structure, Danticat writes marvelously and is a blend of history, anecdotes, and significant reflections without converting the writer to a victim or misunderstanding them. The text represents the immigrant voice in that Danticat writes from inside Haiti. The way the recollections show, her aim is not to remake an actual Haiti but rather recreate it. Factors including age, color, race, gender and economic status impact Haiti immigrants in the United States. They face barriers ranging from communication barriers, to violence, lack of jobs, and exclusion. As an immigrant, Danticat grapples with embraced Haiti culture once she came to the United States. Although she left Haiti, she is defined by the pace and she does not want to keep that part of her life forgotten. As a writer, she has a strong desire to break the barriers of most writers and write about what most people are afraid to write about- the torture of Haiti people. The main themes in Danticat’s essay include poverty, violence, tragedy, and oppression.

Danticat’s short story “Without inspection” follows the love story of two undocumented Haitian immigrants that are travelling via boat to Miami. The story defines the sense of loss and vulnerability that people face in an attempt to escape the sea and start a new life. The text showcases immigrant voice by showing how writers of color never seem to excel in New York than back in their homecountry, Haiti. Immigrants are impacted by socioeconomic status and gender because, just like Danticat, they are not financially stable and have to work twice as hard to prove they are excellent writers because of their race and origin.

The main similarities between Danticat’s works “Without Inspection” and “Create Dangerously; The Immigrant Writer at Work” is that they both talk about the struggles of black people, particularly Haiti people in diaspora. Without Inspection is about the story of two undocumented people that are travelling by boat, in the former text, Danticat talks about her undocumented aunt that succumbed to Aids while living in Miami. Together both texts by Danticat emphasize the immigrant voice by bringing to light jaw-breaking actions side by side. She tells the stories in both texts from the gut.

After studying Danticat’s works, I would describe her voice as fierce and piercing because she does not mince or waste works. Danticat rarely cloaks her ideas in layers of metaphor, yet every system she writes has a persuasive and lyrical quality. After reading this text, the question that lingers in my voice is that immigrant workers think about the issues they left in their homeland or forget about them once they get an opportunity to relocate. While many people will have many conflicting viewpoints concerning their immigrant writers, one thing is for sure; they need all the support they can get.

Review of the Article, New York City FC Announces Eleven Sports Media as New Academy Kit Partner

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Review of the Article, New York City FC Announces Eleven Sports Media as New Academy Kit Partner.

Published November 3rd by PR Newsire, the article New York City FC Announces Eleven Sports Media as New Academy Kit Partner details a partnership that is set to attain new innovative growth platform for local business in New York City. New York Football Club (NYCFC) has collaborated with Eleven Sports Media, a UK-based sports-partnerships pioneer. Together, they aim at launching a new and comprehensive platform for brand growth and exposure for small businesses. The partnership is set to position the partnership pioneer as the official jersey partners for the football club’s academy teams.

Among other reasons, Eleven Sports Media’s objective in partnering with NYCFC is to support local talent in line with their goal of supporting over dozen similar investments that are youth-centered. The partnership will be beneficial as they will build upon the successes of Joe Scally, James Sands, Tayvon Grat, Justin Haak, Christain McFarlane, and Andress Jasson who are all home grown stars, born and bred in Tri-State Area of New York(PR Newsire, 1) . This is the first investment that Eleven Sports Media is making outside the United Kingdom where it mainly sponsors youth teams, academies, women’s teams and B-teams in various areas of the British Isles. As such, they are looking to make a name for themselves as they enter new grounds with the aim to establish their dominance in the sports sponsorship sector in the United States.

NYCFC’s objective is to offer small and medium-size businesses in all five boroughs unprecedented opportunities to market and expose their services and products to fans to games played at home and across broadcasts as well as social media. Worth noting, this move is also part of combined efforts by the club to offer meaningful support to local business in the wake of their recovery from the adverse effects of the global pandemic. The football Club’s COO and Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Matt Goodman noted that the as the soccer team in the five boroughs, it is their responsibility connect with the communities that they represent and use power to impact better lives.

Seeing that the partnership was established towards the end of last year, New York City Football Club activated the partnership by developing a full portfolio for accessible branding opportunities and partnership at the games that took place at Yankee Stadium. Additionally, they also activated the partnerships through networking activities as well as managed events in a bid to push for more recognition of the brands of both parties involved.

Undoubtedly, I think that the NYCFC’s sponsorship by Eleven Sports Media is slowly but surely attaining its goal. It is one year since the partnership took effect, and positive results are already visible. Small and medium-sized businesses are already reaping the benefits of the exposure from events which the football club’s organize. Big football club like NYCFC find it hard to divert their resources to such initiatives due to sponsor investments and control. But currently, I believe the small business are already reaping the benefits from this partnership with Elite Sports Media as their services and products and reaching new audiences.

In my viewpoint, there is a need to make changes that can enhance the value of sponsorship for Elite Sports Media. One of the changes I would recommend is to extend their hand to provide mentorship to young athletes that are still in training at the New York Sports Academy. This way, will be adding value to the future of the football club as young players tend to be absorbed in the football club in future.

Works Cited

FC, New York City. “New York City FC Announces Eleven Sports Media as New Academy Kit Partner.” New York City FC Announces Eleven Sports Media as New Academy Kit Partner, 3 Nov. 2021, www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-york-city-fc-announces-eleven-sports-media-as-new-academy-kit-partner-301415055.html

Cultural Materialism

Cultural Materialism stems from anthropology which is the study of human beings. Culture, a broad concept that encompasses cultural materialism refers to socially conditioned activities and thoughts associated with social groups and populations. Materialism on the other hand refers to technological and economic factors that play a significant role in the molding of society. It exists as dialectical, historical and cultural (Rogers 10).

Cultural materialism is a school of thought which emphasizes on understanding human culture by examining visible material conditions such as food supply, climatic and geographic variation. It is fundamental in expounding a clear understanding of the causes of differences and similarities among cultures and societies (Milner 8). The main premise of this theory is that human social life is a response to practical problems of earthly existence. It opposes strategies that deny the legitimacy of the feasibility of scientific accounts of human behavior. This approach backs Marx’s original strategy by breaking away from the Hegelian notion of all systems evolving through a dialect of contradictory negations and adding reproductive pressure and ecological variables.

Culture Materialism can also be classified into three levels that is, infrastructure, structure and the superstructure. The infrastructure is composed of the production modes that is, technology and practices initiated to expand, maintain and limit population, the structure entails domestic and political environments while the superstructure is the recreational and aesthetic products and services (Milner 14).

Cultural materialism tends to be at odds with idealism which as idealists believe in the transcend ability of ideas while materialists believe that culture does not and should not transcend its material trappings. It therefore plays a vital role in bridging the gap between Marxism and Post- Modernism.

This approach despite providing sufficient limelight on the integration of culture and materialism faces criticism due to various reasons. First of all, Marxists argue that this concept fails to address the influence of structure on infrastructure, for example, the influence of organizational patterns such as governments on resources which is currently not the case as structure to some extent influences the infrastructure (Gelinas 45).

Secondly from Gelinas’ view, post modernists believe that relying on ‘etic’ which is mostly behavioral is inappropriate in the study of culture (45). Idealists on the other hand criticize cultural materialists for ignoring belief and genetics and base their foundation on the level of significance of the ‘emic’ which should be more than the cultural materialists allow. It is essential to note therefore that both Marxists and Post modernists allow for extreme use of either one of the two, that is, thought and behavior while they fail to balance the appropriate application of both components for better conceptualization.

Thirdly, Cultural materialism is seen as too simplistic and fails to consider spiritual and intellectual influences on society which are intangible in nature thus cannot be adequately accounted for only materially (Milner 28).

Two writers known to have significantly contributed to the documentation and elaboration of cultural Materialism from different perspectives are;

Raymond Williams.

Marvin Harris.

Raymond Williams backed this theory by integrating structures of feeling which are values that change and are formed as humans live and interact with the material world. These values challenge dominant ideological forms and create an implication that values are organic and dynamic. Thus cultural materialism embraces change while giving variations in perspective based on our choice to suppress or reveal readings of past actions (Rogers 42).

Williams further extrapolated the understanding of the relationship between culture and society through his essay ‘Culture is Ordinary’. In order to clarify this, he borrowed Marxist’s tenet of culture being interpreted in relation to its underlying production system and glossed it with culture being a way of life and that arts, are a part of a social structure which economic change radically affects. Culture is political as the social process addressed through political analysis is embedded in culture (Rogers 56).

William’s explains that political analysis acts as a specialized framework used to understand culture as a whole way of life. The aspects of radical criticism, politics being cultural, political struggle that takes the shape of cultural forms are expressed largely by Williams in his work. The solutions to these lie in the recognition of limited but available space for viable alternatives, the need for national identity as well as incorporation of new technology such as the internet as useful media for communication necessary to drive the change.

Cultural materialism has also been discussed at length by Marvin Harris who defines culture as composing of religion, politics, art, science, superstition, language, the social structure among others, and materialism encompassing materiality which is fundamental to reality (Gelinas 68). His concept of cultural materialism is basically borrowed from anthropological teachings especially Marxist’s materialism. According to him, cultural materialism aims to explain the cultural organization, symbolism and ideology within the materialistic framework of infrastructure, structure and superstructure as earlier defined.

In addition, the infrastructure which consists of fundamental human survival elements is further divided into two subcomponents; the production and reproduction modes. The structure consists of the domestic and political economy while the superstructure consists of shared cognitive and ideological patterns and societal behaviors. The development of a synergy amongst these components is strengthened by the Principle of Infrastructural Determinism. It takes into consideration the role of the infrastructure as the basis of the socio-cultural life as well as the foundation for the structure. The structure then asserts a strong influence on the superstructure. The knock on effects of these relationships could operate backwards but with less frequency and significance (Milner 50).

The basis of Harris’ Cultural materialism is on the belief that anthropology exists as a science which is governed by law hence infrastructures should subsequently be governed by rules and regulations ( Milner 54).

Several sociological terms can be related to Cultural Materialism. These include;

Anthropology, a social science which covers the study of traditional cultures as well as the evolution of species.

Infrastructural determinism, a major principle introduced by Harris who explains the relationship between the infrastructure, structure and super structure and their respective order in the overall structure (Gelinas 73).

Marxism, a modern social theory that derives its main components from Marx’s ideologists. This theory greatly as envisioned by Rodgers 63, emphasizes class struggle and material causation.

Society which is a group of people living in a distinct territory is subjected to a common system of political governance, and share a common culture.

Class, refers to socioeconomic differentiations between groups of individuals which create variations in their life opportunities and power.

The theoretical framework refers to a collection of interrelated concepts. A theoretical framework incorporates concepts and explains the relation of one concept to another. A sociological theoretical framework takes into consideration social aspects or concepts in theories and interrelates them (Gramberge 22). These concepts or variables are then subjects to hypothesis testing to determine their dependability.

Culture and materialism are basic concepts considered in the social sphere. Cultural Materialism takes into consideration the external environment composed of the physical/ biological environment, the political and technological environment which influences cultural changes (Gramberge 43). Culture is molded by factors such as customs, beliefs, taboos, geographical locations among others. These make up the subset of the cultural concept that forms the dependent variable. Materialism on the other hand focuses on the conditions that humans are exposed to such as economic and technological changes which are independent and hence act as driving forces for cultural dynamicity.

The sociological theoretical framework also incorporates the infrastructure, structure and superstructure as basic social variables. These are then hypothetically tested to prove the relationship amongst them to come up with a well founded theory.

Culture, materialism, infrastructure, structure and superstructure are concepts that relate to cultural materialism.

Cultural Materialism is a theory that has been developed recently and still faces challenges from idealists and post- modernists. However, cultural materialism sheds light on the perception of the need to incorporate rules and regulations in scientific explorations. In addition, the interrelationship between the infrastructure, structure and superstructure gives an appreciation of the importance of interactions and mutual dependence of life’s spheres both emic and etic (Gelinas 88).

From Raymond William’s perspective, the need to embrace change is essential to pave way for personal growth. This however is left to humans to choose. Making the right choices offers future opportunities for development. Criticism should also be embraced wholesomely for specific changes to take place.

Works Cited

Gelinas, Grace. The Encyclopedia of Socio-cultural Anthropology. London; New York: Routledge.1997.

Rogers, Danny. Cultural Materialism: the science of culture. Iowa: University of Iowa.

1999.

Milner, Andrew. The Essence of Cultural Materialism.UK: Sage.2000.

Gramberge, Krisberg. Theoretical Framework: sociology in perspective. Melbourne: Harcourt Brace.2001.