Carib Notes

TOPIC Dancehall music STATEMENT OF PROBLEM An investigation into the impact of dancehall music on the values and attitudes of teenagers between the ages 14-18years at Manchester High School. RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1. What is dancehall music? 2. What effects does dancehall music have on the attitudes and values of youth at Manchester High School? 3. Where dancehall music has a negative effect on the attitudes and values of teenagers, what measures can be implemented to alleviate this problem? 1) Male Female 2) Age: 13- 15 16- 18 19- 21 22- 24 25- 27 28- 30 3) Do you listen to dancehall music?YES NO 4) Which of the following options best describes your reason for listening to dancehall I enjoy it The music speaks about reality I don’t know I grew up hearing it Other ________________________________________†¦ 5) How often do you listen to dancehall music? ________________________________________†¦Ã‚   6) Who is your favourite dancehall artist _______________________________ _________†¦ 7) What is your favourite dancehall song ________________________________________†¦ 8) Do you have a job? YES NO 9) How would you describe your performance in school?Excellent Good Average Fair Satisfactory Unsatisfactory 10) Are you sexually active? YES NO 11) Do you believe that sexual content of some dancehall songs influence your sexuality   Agree Strongly agree Disagree Strongly Disagree 12) What do you think about homosexuality ________________________________________†¦ 13) Do you think that Dancehall music perpetuates crime and violence within the Jamaican society? YES NO   14) Do you believe that most dancehall songs degrade women? YES NO   15) Do you believe that dancehall music strongly impacts your view of gender roles within the society? YES NO 16)

Air Asia Marketing Essay

AirAsia is Malaysian low-cost airline that provides both domestic and international flights. AirAsia started operating on 18 November 1996, it pioneered low cost travelling in Asia. In 2001, the airline which was heavily indebted was purchased by Tony Fernandes’s company Tune Air Sdn Bhd. Under his charge, AirAsia has become one of the biggest low cost airlines operating in Asia today. Its main hub is based in the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). As such, AirAsia consumers tend to be from the lower to middle income population. Thai AirAsia and Indonesia AirAsia are subsidiaries of AirAsia and are based in Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand and Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Indonesia, respectively. Company Analysis I. Segmentation AirAsia target market segment consist of three different but overlapping segments that were segmented according to Geographic Segmentation, Demographic Segmentation and Psychographic Segmentation. AirAsia is targets mainly the Asian market, hence the name AirAsia. As such, they do geographic segmentation by focusing their services primarily in Asia. Being a low cost airline, they are targeting the low to middle income group (demographic) and the cost-conscious travellers (psychographic). II. TOWS In order to find the current marketing challenges faced by AirAsia and to determine what are the possible solutions that they can implement, taking into consideration their opportunities and take advantage of their strengths, the TOWS analysis model (Threats, opportunities, weaknesses and strengths) will be used. Threats | Opportunities | * Intense competition (i.e. Tiger Airlines, Singapore Airlines) | * Asia’s middle class growth * ASEAN Open Skies * Increasing oil price| Weaknesses | Strengths | * Fair availability | * Well established brand name * Low cost leader in Asia | Threats What was once a relatively small market of low-cost airlines when AirAsia was first established, AirAsia not only has to face indirect competitors such as non-budget airlines (i.e. Singapore Airlines), ferries (i.e. Kuala Perlis Langkawi Ferry Service Sdn Bhd) and buses (i.e. Aeroline, now they are also threaten with intense direct competitors such as Tiger Airways and Jetstar Asia Airways. Opportunities Countries in Asia, such as China and India, are up-and-coming huge potential markets in the future. In China, there were already 130, 000, 000 consumers just in the middle class range in 2006. It is estimated to increase to 340, 000, 000 in 2016, a 162% growth from 2006 as shown in the graph below. This is beneficial for AirAsia as it means that their targeted consumers (low to middle income) will grow exponentially in the near future. ASEAN Open Skies is an agreement, targeted for 2015, to allow unlimited flights between all the ASEAN’s regional air carriers, both full services and low-cost airlines. The rationale for the Open Sky agreement is to promote competition in the airline industry. Due to its strong brand name and â€Å"low-cost† culture among its workforce, AirAsia is more likely to gain from this agreement. The increasing oil prices may seem like a threat to AirAsia, however being the low cost leader in Asia, this can actually be seen as an opportunity for them instead. This is because high oil prices would affect all the airlines and not just AirAsia. Thus, AirAsia will still be the lowest costing among all the different airlines. This could result in an increase in market share for AirAsia as customers from the different airlines would relocate to AirAsia. Weaknesses The availability of AirAsia flights is not good as full services airline. While fair availability may seem like a huge weakness that would need to be tackled and solved, it would be difficult for AirAsia to remain cost leader if it offered comprehensive support as it would result in increased operational cost. Strengths AirAsia’s brand name is well established in the Asian region. This was not only due to the fact that AirAsia the pioneered low cost travelling in Asia, but also because of the extensive advertising & promotions they have done. Indonesia AirAsia and Thai AirAsia have successfully helped AirAsia to spread the brand throughout the regional beyond just Malaysia. Due to AirAsia Academy, which AirAsia’s regional training academy located in Malaysia, it has helped to create a low-cost airline mentality among their workforce. It is because of this workforce that AirAsia has become the low-cost airline leader in Asia in terms of overall cost. In the table on the following page, it details the difference in terms of cost per available seat kilometres (ASK, which is the total number of seats available on scheduled flights multiplied by the number of kilometres these seats were flown), between AirAsia and the other competitors. Its shows that AirAsia  has a large advantage over t he competitors in this area. Source: http://sandygarink.tripod.com/papers/AA_IA.pdf Marketing Challenge Looking through the company analysis, the biggest marketing challenge currently faced by AirAsia is to remain competitive and protect their market share in the increasingly competitive market of low-cost airline. Recommendations I. Tap into the growing Asian Market For AirAsia to remain competitive and not only protect their market share but expand it as well, it is vital that AirAsia taps into and take advantage of the growing Asian Market. They can do this by adopting the following strategies. Market Challenger Strategies The market challenger strategies are a set of strategies that a company can employ to gain market share and becoming the leader eventually (Kotler and Armstrong, Principles of Marketing, latest 2010, 13th edition). AirAsia can use these strategies, specifically, frontal, flank, bypass and guerrilla attack, to make itself standout from the rest of the competitors and hopefully gain a larger market share of the growing Asia middle income population. Attacker Defender (3) Encirclement attack (4) Bypass attack (2) Flank attack (5) Guerrilla attack Frontal attack Source: Frontal Attack: Frontal attack refers to when you attack the weakness of another company’s product. In the case of AirAsia, they should attack their competitors through their prices. Due to the reasons listed above, AirAsia has become the low cost leader in Asia. It is unlikely for their rivals to be able to complete in terms of price alone in the long run. Thus, AirAsia should use their comparative low prices to challenge their competitors directly. The limitation to this form of attack is that AirAsia has to maintain that low cost advantage that they have. This means that they have to invest a large portion of their capital into their research and development section to ensure that they are flying at the lowest cost possible. One way AirAsia can further reduce their operational cost is by standardizing their aircraft. As shown in the table in the following page, AirAsia has currently 5 different types of aircraft, ranging from the Airbus A320-200 to the Airbus A350-900. However, if AirAsia was to reduce this to just two to three different types of aircraft it would lead to a drastic drop in cost, as economies of scale comes into effect when they buy and maintain the same type of aircraft Staff cost also reduce, as they only need to know how to handle a few types of aircraft, this leads to training time being reduced and eventually reducing operational cost. Flank Attack: Flank attack refers to attacking competitors at their weak points or blind spots. One of the things lacking in the low-cost airlines in Asia today is the ability to travel long distance at the same low price offered for the short duration trips. AirAsia already has AirAsia X, which provides this long haul flight services, however, their destinations are limited as they only go to the more popular countries such as London or Sydney. For that reason, one of the strategies AirAsia could implement is to form an alliance with low-cost airlines outside of Asia like Virgin Blue. This strategy will be further explained later in the report. Bypass Attack: This form of attack refers to diversifying into unrelated products or markets neglected by the other competitors. One of the ways AirAsia could diversify is by offering affordable accommodations at their destinations. These accommodations can be provided by Tune Hotels which is an associated company own by Tony Fernandes, who is also the CEO of AirAsia. Travellers will see this as a value added service as not only would they be able to get a cheap form of transportation but a place to stay as well. The limitation of providing accommodations is that it is financially infeasible to set up a hotel at all of their current flight destinations. As such, it would be better to start off by offering this service only at location where it would be difficult to get cheap lodging, for examples in the city areas of Japan. And as the company grow further, it can start to expand on the location where these hotels will be provided. Guerrilla Attack: AirAsia can apply guerrilla attacks by launching small, intermittent hit-and-run attacks to harass and destabilize the leader. AirAsia can use promotions for short periods of time to try and steal customers from their competitors. One such example is when AirAsia had a 48 hours promotion between 28 Sept – 29 Sept 2009, where they offered a 20% discount on all seats, flights and destinations. This is a very useful type of attack for AirAsia because of their low cost advantage, as they are able to maintain promotions, especially discounted price promotion, longer than their competitors with a lower lost in profit. The limitation of offering promotions is the reduction in the profit margin when they give discounted prices. However, this negative impact can be minimized by placing the promotions at strategically moments, such as only when competitors are offering promotions. Alliance with Virgin Blue and America As mentioned under the flank attack section, one of the ways AirAsia can attack their competitors is by offering a more extensive flight network outside of Asia. While AirAsia X is currently filling in this market of long haul flights for AirAsia, it is still not comprehensive enough and should be developed further. Virgin Blue and Virgin America are low cost airlines operating in Australia and America respectively. By partnering with them, AirAsia would be able to extend their destinations into Australia and America. For example, if a Malaysian traveller wanted to visit Los Angeles, he would first take an AirAsia route to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Washington, DC, and then take a Virgin America flight to Los Angeles. The rationale for choosing Virgin America is because America is one of the top destinations in terms of international tourist arrivals as seen in the table below, which will only increase with the growing Asian economy. By joining together with Virgin America, AirAsia can capitalize on this existing high human traffic flow going to America. While Australia does not fall under the top 10 international tourist arrivals countries, AirAsia should still focus on the Asia to Australia route. This is because as China and India develop there will be a huge increase in the number of international travellers, a majority of which would be made up of people who have never travelled outside the Asia region or even their countries. Thus, these people, wanting to taste a culture different from Asia but do not want to travel to a far off location such as America or Europe on their first trip, would choose to go to Australia. The advantage of this strategy is that it will not only  target the Asian market segment who wants to travel to locales outside of Asia but also cater to the market segment outside of Asia that wants to travel to Asia. The limitation of this strategy is that AirAsia would have to first form an alliance with low cost airliners in those regions, which could be a difficult process as proven by the already long list of failed airline alliance such as Air Canada/ Continental Airlines and Saberna/Air France (Nigel Evans, David Campbell, George Stonehouse, Strategic management for travel and tourism, 2003) Take advantage of the ASEAN Open Skies agreement As mentioned above, one of the things AirAsia can do to remain competitive in the future is to prepare for the ASEAN Open Skies agreement. With open skies in the ASEAN region, it would be mean that more routes are available for the airlines. For AirAsia, this means that they would be able to fly to more destinations while taking shorter routes as they would no longer be faced with restriction from the countries in the ASEAN region from flying over them. The shorter routes means that flights will take a shorter time to complete, frills such as providing meals may no longer be needed and the frequency of AirAsia flights could be increase as the turnover rate is higher. Thus, they would be able to reduce operational cost, which translates to lower prices, hence making AirAsia more attractive to the consumers. The limitation to this strategy is that the Open Skies agreement applies to all airlines in the ASEAN region, meaning that AirAsia would face even tougher competitions when the agreement starts in 2015. However, because of the strong brand image and low cost leader advantage AirAsia has, if they were one of the â€Å"early movers†, they could grab a huge portion of this market. II. Capitalize on the corporate business AirAsia have seen a recent increase in the numbers of companies (almost double the last 3 years, as seen in the following page table) trading down to low cost airlines, this could be due to the global economic downturn. As such, AirAsia should also be focusing on increasing their share in this corporate business market as this market tends have a more consistent source of demand unlike tourism which is seasonal and easily affected by external factors, such as in the case of the swine flu. AirAsia’s seats sold to corporate clients: 2006 to 1Q09 Source: AirAsia Loyalty programme To capture this market AirAsia could start offering a rewards program. AirAsia could offer perks that are earned according to the amount of business a company does with them. For example discounted pricing or with the more frequently fliers, a point system whereby the companies could earn free flights if they accumulated enough mileage. The limitation of this strategy is that AirAsia would have to incur a lower profit margin as they would now be selling at lower discounted prices. However, the pros far overweight the cons in the case of AirAsia. Once again due to being the low cost leader in Asia, the rewards program offered by AirAsia would likely be the most attractive compared to the other competitors as they can offer better perks, hence they could easily become the market leader in the corporate flying market, making up for the lower profit margin per seat by pure volume. Conclusion To recap, the main marketing challenge facing AirAsia at the moment is the intense competition that exist in the low cost airline industry. The strategies that AirAsia can implement to remain competitive are two pronged, to tap into the Asian middle income class and focus on the corporate businesses. They can capitalize on the Asian market by using market challenge strategies, standing out from the rest by attacking their competitors. Finally, they can take advantage of the corporate businesses by offering a form of loyalty programme that would make it more attractive for companies to use AirAsia. Ultimately, the reason why the above strategies would work is because of the low cost leader advantage that AirAsia has. In order to survive in this market, AirAsia has to ensure that they maintain their low cost altitude.

Fluoride in tea samples Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fluoride in tea samples - Essay Example A laboratory experiment was conducted that used plastic labware bottles instead of glassware because the fluoride ions have a tendency to interact with the glass especially when at lower concentrations. Its main objective was to determine the fluoride levels in various tea samples that were obtained at random. For this experiment, a stock solution of fluoride containing 2000 mg F-/L was used and prepared using a reagent grade of sodium fluoride (NaF), then diluted in a volumetric flask and stored in a clean plastic bottle. A silver chloride (Ag-AgCL) electrode was then combined with the fluoride electrode into a single unit. Both electrodes were rinsed properly and dried for use. Next step was preparation of six (6) 50-mL fluoride standards containing the 5.0 mL of TISAB concentrate and 0.1, 0.316, 1.0, 3.16 and 100.0 mg F-/L and diluted with distilled water up to 50 mL total and stored in plastic bottles. Readings were taken and recorded by immersing electrodes in each solution with re-calibration each day for the temperature. Data obtained was plotted and shown in a graph in the method and results section of this report. The tea bags sampled were boiled in 100 mL of RODI water and then cooled to room temperature and analyzed. Sampling procedure was to mix 10.0 mL of tea sample with 10.0 mL of distilled water together with an additional 5.0 mL of TISB for a total volume of 25.0 mL per sample. The last step was adding a 0.50 mL of the standard F- solution in four increments to each mixture for a total of 2.0 mL of the solution and readings were taken at each incremental addition. The sample tea bags used in the experiment were of different brands and bought at random from a supermarket. This is in line with the objective of determining the level of fluoride in tea available from commercial sources as fluoride today is a growing serious health concern. The method used is

Its a case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

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The Worlds Most Ethical Companies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

The Worlds Most Ethical Companies - Essay Example It also merged with the Quaker Oats Company in 2001. Currently, the company is distributing and providing food and beverages in more than 200 countries in the World. The PepsiCo Company produces several products that gain a large market share in the market compared to other products. Their main product categories include soft drinks, snacks, side dishes, rice snacks, cereals, energy drinks, coffee drinks and breakfast bars. PepsiCo’s business success is as a result of their moral responsibility and treatment to customers, employees and the environment. The company has appropriate and perfect treatment strategies to customers and employees. In addition, it is sensitive to environmental conservation and prevention of environmental pollution (PepsiCo, 2014). First, PepsiCo Company relates well with its customers. This enhances increased sales and improved relations with the customers. The company is socially responsible and sustainable and has a sound advertising strategy with more than forty slogans and songs. These slogans and songs are keys advertising strategy that the company incorporates. Secondly, the company offers promotion to its customers. This is a good strategy of improving customer relations. Late in 2003, Pepsi joined hands with Apple computers and announced promotion that would give one hundred million songs to Pepsi consumers. These free songs were from Apple’s iTunes music store which is a digital music download provider. The promotion initiative places specific codes in one litre bottles of Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, and Sierra Mist. The winning codes get free songs in the iTunes music store. The promotion is an example of PepsiCo’s strategy of capturing young customers. PepsiCo has three Pepsi zone lounge in California, Florida and Illinois. These lounges feature plasma TVs screens, couches, video games and computer stations. Everything in the lounge is free except the Pepsi vending machine which carries a variety of Pepsi

Hydropower in Portugal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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The Governance of Globalisation; Is it time for an alternative Essay

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How wearable technology affect developer of web content Essay

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Conjunctiva Pathology and Treatment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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Comparative Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comparative Government - Essay Example With more than 400 years since they founded their government, they came at only number 17. Uncle Sam’s other brothers in faith, the United Kingdom and France—both of which have also been established for centuries as Democracies—were only 23 and 24 respectively (Kekic 2). To understand this, one has to take into consideration the reality that â€Å"there are a thousand ways to skin a cat†. Liberal Democracy as a concept has always been debated upon. Even more complicated is the question on how it is to be measured. For the particular study in question, we have to know that it considered five determinants: electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, the functioning of government, political participation and political culture (Kekic 2). According to the study, â€Å"America falls down on some aspects of Governance and Civil Liberties† (Kekic 6). Problems on lack of Universal Healthcare, the mismanagement of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the rise in the unemployment and deficit are domestic problems that the United States currently faces. In terms of respect of Civil Liberties, there has been growing concern on unauthorized wiretapping and torture among prisoners of Guantanamo Bay, in the Government’s War on Terror (â€Å"Renewing America†). The United Kingdom also came at the near bottom of the list given its poor scores on Political Participation, given that it has the lowest voter turn-out in the whole of the developed world. France, on the other hand, tested low for the functioning of government, political participation and political culture (Kekic 6). The problem of political culture has always been present in France given their differences in the differences in values of the people brought about by aspects of religion, geography, class and education 9 (â€Å"French Political Culture†). The case of the United States as well as that of France and the United Kingdom

The Cuban Missile Crisis Essay Example for Free

The Cuban Missile Crisis Essay Historians describe the 1962 crisis as a tripartite affair between Cuba, Soviet Union and America. Each country had the power or the probability of affecting the outcome of the crisis in any way it deemed fit. However, contrary to numerous beliefs on the crisis, Cuba was alone as it could not count on the support of the Soviet Union for long. Worse still, Cuba was continually threatened by America; thus, Cuba’s approach was to support radical movements across Africa, Asia, and Latin America to progress a league of like-minded nations. To Cubans the 1962 crisis dates back in 1959 when the Cuban uprising occurred without any Soviet aid. During the Bays of Pigs incursion in 1961, Fidel Castro termed the revolution socialist since the country believed that America was intent on obliterating the uprising. This led to the fear of a U.S. incursion; thus, Cuba looked for ways to defend itself. Cubans attest that the countries did not resolve the crisis amongst themselves since America’s aim of destroying the Cuban rebellion continued even after the October crisis wherein the Soviet Union agreed to America’s demand. The crisis, fought from three main fronts may have instigated a nuclear war. However, several actions and counter-actions ensured that the crisis did not blow to a full blown war. In this regards, Cuba played an important role during the entire crisis. The Cubans saw the Cuban Rebellion as the main cause of the crisis although the Soviet and America thought otherwise. The evaluation of the crisis provides alternative and comprehensive outlook of the causes, impacts, and issues surrounding the crisis from the Cuban standpoint. This led to the fear of a U.S. incursion; thus, Cuba looked for ways to defend itself. Cubans attest that the countries did not resolve the crisis amongst themselves since America’s aim of destroying the Cuban rebellion continued even after the October crisis wherein the Soviet Union agreed to America’s demand. The crisis, fought from three main fronts may have instigated a nuclear war. However, several actions and counter-actions ensured that the crisis did not blow to a full blown war. In this regards, Cuba played an important role during the entire crisis. The Cubans saw the Cuban Rebellion as the main cause of the crisis although the Soviet and America thought otherwise. The evaluation of the crisis provides alternative and comprehensive outlook of the causes, impacts, and issues surrounding the crisis from the Cuban standpoint. Background               The Cuban Crisis of 1962 was the most significant incident of the Cold War.  Ã‚  Ã‚  For 13 days, the America and the Soviet went at each other’s stand on superiority in a period crisis that almost created a nuclear war.  Ã‚  Inexorably, chronological assessments of the Crisis center on the power struggle between the Soviet and America.  Ã‚  Infrequently, people do not consider it indispensable or essential to regard Cuba as a main actor of the crisis. Therefore, to entirely appreciate and comprehend the lessons of the Crisis,  it is essential to value Cubas role in the predicament.  Ã‚  More significantly, though, as the Cold War fades and the world takes shape of a new order, the significance of comprehending the events of the crisis and the main antagonists of the crisis to construct upon the current view of the world and prepare for future crisis becomes more imperative.  Ã‚  Abiding amid those actors, subsequently,  is Cuba.  Ã‚  Ev en though now obviously missing Soviet martial services and financial support, Cuba, today remains a region of significant to America general defense interests.  Ã‚  In this regards, providing an imperative foundation of literary information on the crisis, a link between Cuba and America relations, and the military oppression or missiles predicaments following the crisis may offer future intuition on America’s intent during the crisis. More significantly, though, as the Cold War fades and the world takes shape of a new order, the significance of comprehending the events of the crisis and the main antagonists of the crisis to construct upon the current view of the world and prepare for future crisis becomes more imperative.  Ã‚  Abiding amid those actors, subsequently,  is Cuba.  Ã‚  Even though now obviously missing Soviet martial services and financial support, Cuba, today remains a region of significant to America general defense interests.  Ã‚  In this regards, providing an imperative foundation of literary information on the crisis, a link between Cuba and America relations, and the military oppression or missiles predicaments following the crisis may offer future intuition on America’s intent during the crisis. Discussion             The crisis involved three main countries i.e. America, Cuba, and the Soviet Union. However other countries such as Turkey and Germany were indirectly involved in the crisis. At the occurrence of the predicament, America and the Soviet were the most significant and deterministic countries. The Soviet sough to help Cuba fight off an impending invasion by America as a result of Cuba’s stand in socialists views. Later, Khrushchev termed the missiles as protective precautions against any invasion. Kennedy administration’s disinclination to admit to the status quo in Cuba may have caused the crisis. Unwaveringly disparate to Castro, Kennedy’s administration ordered an ill-fated incursion of Cuba by anti-Castro expatriates in 1961 April. Following the â€Å"Bay of Pigs† debacle, the CIA sought to murder Castro and backed clandestine operations against Cuba. In addition, America’s Department of State ordered a monetary and opinionated em bargo of the country while the Pentagon prepared a full-blown incursion of Cuba. On the other hand, the Soviet Union had become intensely engaged to the Castro regime since 1960, and it was pleased with Cuba’s call for socialism. In fact, Khrushchev viewed Castro as modern Lenin; thus, he knew he was doing something important to liberate Cuba. Cuba knew that Operation Mongoose was meant to destabilize the country and overturn the gains that the country had made over the years; thus, the country was prepared to fight any America’s invasion tactics. In fact, Cuba guessed correctly that the preparations of Pentagon, CIA, and Department of State were preparations for Kennedy administration’s disinclination to admit to the status quo in Cuba may have caused the crisis. Unwaveringly disparate to Castro, Kennedy’s administration ordered an ill-fated incursion of Cuba by anti-Castro expatriates in 1961 April. Following the â€Å"Bay of Pigs† debacle, the CIA sought to murder Castro and backed clandestine operations against Cuba. In addition, America’s Department of State ordered a monetary and opinionated embargo of the country while the Pentagon prepared a full-blown incursion of Cuba. On the other hand, the Soviet Union had become intensely engaged to the Castro regime since 1960, and it was pleased with Cuba’s call for socialism. In fact, Khrushchev viewed Castro as modern Lenin; thus, he knew he was doing something important to liberate Cuba. Cuba knew that Operation Mongoose was meant to destabilize the country and overturn the gains that the country had made over the years; thus, the country was prepared to fi ght any America’s invasion tactics. In fact, Cuba guessed correctly that the preparations of Pentagon, CIA, and Department of State were preparations for On the other hand, the Soviet Union had become intensely engaged to the Castro regime since 1960, and it was pleased with Cuba’s call for socialism. In fact, Khrushchev viewed Castro as modern Lenin; thus, he knew he was doing something important to liberate Cuba. Cuba knew that Operation Mongoose was meant to destabilize the country and overturn the gains that the country had made over the years; thus, the country was prepared to fight any America’s invasion tactics. In fact, Cuba guessed correctly that the preparations of Pentagon, CIA, and Department of State were preparations for future assault on the Cuban soil. In this regards, Cuba acknowledged the Soviet strategy to mount missiles in May of 1962 to prevent any America assault. Furthermore, the installation of the missiles meant that Cuba would become a de facto partner of the Soviet Union. Since America’s estimation of armed Cuban was 100,000, Cuba planed to stage a surprise; thus, had about 270,000 armed Cubans by October 22, 1962. Cuba knew that Kennedy’s administration would not honor its pledge of not invading Cuba; thus, called on the Soviet Union not to withdraw its bombers from Cuba. However, Khrushchev agreed to Kennedy’s terms, which persuaded Cuba that it could not rely on the Soviet Union any longer. In this regards, Cubans saw the crisis as lasting for 6 years during which tension existed between the country and America. In fact, Castro’s administration asserted that the crisis was never resolved amicably. Although the countries realized peace, the aim of the crisis continued to dissipate i.e. America’s aim to destroy the Cuban rebellion continued; thus, according to Cubans, the crisis never ended. Since America’s estimation of armed Cuban was 100,000, Cuba planed to stage a surprise; thus, had about 270,000 armed Cubans by October 22, 1962. Cuba knew that Kennedy’s administration would not honor its pledge of not invading Cuba; thus, called on the Soviet Union not to withdraw its bombers from Cuba. However, Khrushchev agreed to Kennedy’s terms, which persuaded Cuba that it could not rely on the Soviet Union any longer. In this regards, Cubans saw the crisis as lasting for 6 years during which tension existed between the country and America. In fact, Castro’s administration asserted that the crisis was never resolved amicably. Although the countries realized peace, the aim of the crisis continued to dissipate i.e. America’s aim to destroy the Cuban rebellion continued; thus, according to Cubans, the crisis never ended.             Historians have accorded Cuba little regard concerning the crisis even if though they were the main antagonists to the crisis. In fact, were it not for the Cuban Rebellion, America would not have shown an outstanding interest to invade Cuba. Analysts should give credibility to the assertion that both Cuba and the Soviet Union observed the missiles as a restraint against America’s incursion. Although Cuba did not have a missiles; thus, its negligible powers to affect the outcome of the crisis, analysts fail to address the Cuban Rebellion as a key deterrent to any invasion. In fact, the fact that an amicable resolution did not emanate reveals Cuba’s significant to the crisis. More often, historians see Cuba as a colony of the Soviet Union in the crisis; hence, it only acted on the Soviet Union’s powers. However, the Soviet’s agreement to America’s terms after the crisis 13 days demonstrates that Cuba was not an outpost of any count ry. In fact, Cuba was an antagonist of both the Soviet and America. Cuba affected the history the crisis through many aspects of its socialist ideas and the rebellion, and although the countries did not resolve the crisis amicably, facts show that Cuba’s motives, actions, insights, and behaviors during the three stages of the crisis i.e. October 22, October 22 to 28, and October 28 to November 20. More often, historians see Cuba as a colony of the Soviet Union in the crisis; hence, it only acted on the Soviet Union’s powers. However, the Soviet’s agreement to America’s terms after the crisis 13 days demonstrates that Cuba was not an outpost of any country. In fact, Cuba was an antagonist of both the Soviet and America. Cuba affected the history the crisis through many aspects of its socialist ideas and the rebellion, and although the countries did not resolve the crisis amicably, facts show that Cuba’s motives, actions, insights, and behaviors during the three stages of the crisis i.e. October 22, October 22 to 28, and October 28 to November 20.          People view the Missile predicament as the pinnacle of the Cold War albeit it was only 13-days long to America and the Soviet Union. Cuba sought out support from the Soviet Union as a result of the imminent America’s invasion of Cuba, and the Soviets installed missiles all over Cuba. America viewed this as an intimidation from the Soviet Union wherein she prepared for the invasion with economic embargoes on Cuba and plans to assassinate Castro. However, after 13 days of plans and predicaments, America and the Soviet came to an agreement that saw the Soviet withdraw its missiles from Cuba. This left Cuba at a crossroad on the permanence of the crisis since its standoff with America remained. On the other hand, following the agreement America and the Soviet were cautious of using missiles during the entire period to the end of the Cold War. Cubans do not relate the crisis to the Cold war; thus, the difference in thinking between the primary viewpoint on the crisis and Cubans’ viewpoint. Before 1962 October 22          Between 1898 and 1959 America and Cuba were allies. However, after Castro took authority from Fulgencio Batista America cultivated enmity with Cuba that saw several embargoes against Cuba. After Castro took over the authority of the country he called for socialism, which angered the Americans. Further, following the swearing-in of Castro, Cuba experienced the Cuban Rebellion, which Cubans see as the cause of the crisis. The rebellion forced America to think of ways of ending the revolution and the calls for a socialist society; hence, America’s ideas of obliterating the rebellion caused the Cuban Crisis. Economic embargoes and institutions of seditious forces against Cuba, and the Bay of Pigs incursion demonstrated America’s intent to invade Cuba. This caused Castro means of defending Cuba; thus, he turned to the Soviet for help who were more than willing to help Cuba. In fact, Cubans were afraid of any direct incursion by America since they had witnessed the horrors committed in Dominican Republic and Vietnam. Leaders from Cuba believed that America reacted to the 1961 Bay of Pigs fiasco by organizing for much superior invasion of Cuba. Actually, the leaders believed that Americans were intent on overthrowing Cuba’s leadership with the help of America’s military forces. The Soviets shared Cuba’s sentiment; hence, offered to help with the installation of several missiles across Cuba. Cubans’ interpretation of America’s hostility led inescapably to the conclusion of an impending America invasion. This caused Castro means of defending Cuba; thus, he turned to the Soviet for help who were more than willing to help Cuba. In fact, Cubans were afraid of any direct incursion by America since they had witnessed the horrors committed in Dominican Republic and Vietnam. Leaders from Cuba believed that America reacted to the 1961 Bay of Pigs fiasco by organizing for much superior invasion of Cuba. Actually, the leaders believed that Americans were intent on overthrowing Cuba’s leadership with the help of America’s military forces. The Soviets shared Cuba’s sentiment; hence, offered to help with the installation of several missiles across Cuba. Cubans’ interpretation of America’s hostility led inescapably to the conclusion of an impending America invasion.            In 1962, Cuba was suspended from OAS (Organization of American States), which stimulated. Cuba’s reservations of an impending incursion. In June  1962,  however,  Kennedy concluded strategies to contain Cubas political separation by speaking to the forum of OAS symposium at Punta del Este, Uruguay.  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the proposals of America, the OAS affirmed Castros administration irreconcilable with the inter-American organization and, closing that Cuba should be debarred from the OAS, corresponded with America suggestions to enforce an arms ban. With hindsight, then, both America and Cub held each other responsible for their shared animosity and the twisting of trepidation and resentment leading Crisis. For Castro, this resentment was entrenched in his obligation to break Cubas reliance on America and make Cuba a socialist nation.  Ã‚  Castro was persuaded that American regalism had caused Cubas tribulations and that only the eradication of Cubas relia nce on America could overturn the tribulations.  Ã‚  In spite of untimely America’s endeavors to work with the Castro’s administration, Castro had no intent of joining forces America.  Ã‚  To a certain extent, Castro looked for any excuse to break the two countries’ ties. With hindsight, then, both America and Cub held each other responsible for their shared animosity and the twisting of trepidation and resentment leading Crisis. For Castro, this resentment was entrenched in his obligation to break Cubas reliance on America and make Cuba a socialist nation.  Ã‚  Castro was persuaded that American regalism had caused Cubas tribulations and that only the eradication of Cubas reliance on America could overturn the tribulations.  Ã‚  In spite of untimely America’s endeavors to work with the Castro’s administration, Castro had no intent of joining forces America.  Ã‚  To a certain extent, Castro looked for any excuse to break the two countries’ ties.               Cuba saw the suspension as a preparation tactic or diplomatic action taken prior to an invasion. Several reports of an impending invasion followed the action with Miro Cardona indicating that John Kennedy planned on invading Cuba. Following the reports, America threatened to extend its economic restrictions to countries that traded with Cuba. In fact, America tried hard to frustrate Cuba’s trade negotiations with countries such as Japan, Israel, Jordan, Iran, and Greece. Cuban leaders interpreted the America’s orchestrated activities as part of a well schemed strategy to destabilize and destroy Cuba. Furthermore, the Cubans saw the Operation Mongoose as an orchestrated plan meant to bring about a rebellion of the Cubans. America wanted a revolt that would overthrow Castro’s government. The operation was a vast strategy that included blowing up bridges, cutting communication, destruction of sugar mills, and oil facilities, and sabotage of m achines. The CIA and secret radio broadcasts infiltrated numerous teams to support guerrilla forces in Cuba. Cubans saw the guerrilla warfare as an integral strategy aimed at assassinating Castro. In fact, America did not want to replace Castro’s administration with Che Guevara, and they organized for a military invasion that would see major invasions after the death of Castro. Conversely, Cub believed that the exiles would not overthrow the government, a fact best demonstrated by Castro’s interview with Prada. Reports indicate that Cuba was aware of the operation Mongoose since Cuban agents penetrated the Mongoose team. Events preceding the operation and America’s impending invasion may have stimulated Cuba’s decision to accept Soviet’s missile operation. Furthermore, the Cubans saw the Operation Mongoose as an orchestrated plan meant to bring about a rebellion of the Cubans. America wanted a revolt that would overthrow Castro’s government. The operation was a vast strategy that included blowing up bridges, cutting communication, destruction of sugar mills, and oil facilities, and sabotage of machines. The CIA and secret radio broadcasts infiltrated numerous teams to support guerrilla forces in Cuba. Cubans saw the guerrilla warfare as an integral strategy aimed at assassinating Castro. In fact, America did not want to replace Castro’s administration with Che Guevara, and they organized for a military invasion that would see major invasions after the death of Castro. Conversely, Cub believed that the exiles would not overthrow the government, a fact best demonstrated by Castro’s interview with Prada. Reports indicate that Cuba was aware of the operation Mongoose since Cuban agents penetrated the Mongoose team. Eve nts preceding the operation and America’s impending invasion may have stimulated Cuba’s decision to accept Soviet’s missile operation. In fact, America did not want to replace Castro’s administration with Che Guevara, and they organized for a military invasion that would see major invasions after the death of Castro. Conversely, Cub believed that the exiles would not overthrow the government, a fact best demonstrated by Castro’s interview with Prada. Reports indicate that Cuba was aware of the operation Mongoose since Cuban agents penetrated the Mongoose team. Events preceding the operation and America’s impending invasion may have stimulated Cuba’s decision to accept Soviet’s missile operation.            Accordingly, the Kennedy’s government seemed to straighten out  on a strategy of pestering and ambassadorial segregation in order to restrain Castro and keep him uneven.  Ã‚  Ã‚  The aggravation incorporated the use of operations such as Operation Mongoose, and clandestine operations between Cuba and Florida, demolishing factories, and performing hit-and-run assaults alongside the Cuban coast. America formerly intended to storm the Bay of Pigs another time, but then, the humiliation the country underwent forced it forego the plans. America feared Cuba’s relationship with the Soviet. The operations and America’s harassment strategies point to the fact that America intended to wholly disintegrate Castro’s government. The crisis               President Kennedy, in his October 22nd report to the American people, he referred to the existence of standard and long-range ballistic  artillery  in  Cuba.  Prior to the address, the CIA had indicated the existence of two IRBM and four MRBM instigation sites in diverse stages of manufacture and structured into a minimum of three regiments.  Ã‚  Of these sites, two contingents of eight missile launcher each were supposed to be portable and structured to instigate the MRBMs while people believed the one contingent of eight permanent launchers to be designed for the IRBMs. This evaluation shows or clarifies the true threat that faced America at the time of the crisis. The missiles and rocket launchers showed Soviet’s intent to help Cuba fight off any invasion that America planned to carry out in an objective to end the Castro’s uprising. During the crisis, Cuba harbored about 42,000 Soviet military personnel. In addition, Cuba had about 270,000 armed people, which meant that America would have suffered enormous losses coming after the Vietnam War. An air assault would not have shattered all the missiles installed across Cuba, which meant America would have at the end of the assault forced to open war. This would have provided Cuba and the Soviet with a chance to crush America’s army. However, the war would have meant that Cuba suffer the greatest loss since the war was supposed to be in its soil. Besides, with Cuba and the Soviets prepared to battle to the very last man, a lengthy, prolonged war could well have been anticipated.  Ã‚  Accordingly, Castro,  faced with just an alternative to fight agreed  to  the  employment  of  missiles  in  Cuba. The missiles and rocket launchers showed Soviet’s intent to help Cuba fight off any invasion that America planned to carry out in an objective to end the Castro’s uprising. During the crisis, Cuba harbored about 42,000 Soviet military personnel. In addition, Cuba had about 270,000 armed people, which meant that America would have suffered enormous losses coming after the Vietnam War. An air assault would not have shattered all the missiles installed across Cuba, which meant America would have at the end of the assault forced to open war. This would have provided Cuba and the Soviet with a chance to crush America’s army. However, the war would have meant that Cuba suffer the greatest loss since the war was supposed to be in its soil. Besides, with Cuba and the Soviets prepared to battle to the very last man, a lengthy, prolonged war could well have been anticipated.  Ã‚  Accordingly, Castro,  faced with just an alternative to fight agreed  to  the  emplo yment  of  missiles  in  Cuba. The missiles and rocket launchers showed Soviet’s intent to help Cuba fight off any invasion that America planned to carry out in an objective to end the Castro’s uprising. During the crisis, Cuba harbored about 42,000 Soviet military personnel. In addition, Cuba had about 270,000 armed people, which meant that America would have suffered enormous losses coming after the Vietnam War. An air assault would not have shattered all the missiles installed across Cuba, which meant America would have at the end of the assault forced to open war. This would have provided Cuba and the Soviet with a chance to crush America’s army. However, the war would have meant that Cuba suffer the greatest loss since the war was supposed to be in its soil. Besides, with Cuba and the Soviets prepared to battle to the very last man, a lengthy, prolonged war could well have been anticipated.  Ã‚  Accordingly, Castro,  faced with just an alternative to fight agreed  to  the  emplo yment  of  missiles  in  Cuba. The missiles and rocket launchers showed Soviet’s intent to help Cuba fight off any invasion that America planned to carry out in an objective to end the Castro’s uprising. During the crisis, Cuba harbored about 42,000 Soviet military personnel. In addition, Cuba had about 270,000 armed people, which meant that America would have suffered enormous losses coming after the Vietnam War. An air assault would not have shattered all the missiles installed across Cuba, which meant America would have at the end of the assault forced to open war. This would have provided Cuba and the Soviet with a chance to crush America’s army. However, the war would have meant that Cuba suffer the greatest loss since the war was supposed to be in its soil. Besides, with Cuba and the Soviets prepared to battle to the very last man, a lengthy, prolonged war could well have been anticipated.  Ã‚  Accordingly, Castro,  faced with just an alternative to fight agreed  to  the  emplo yment  of  missiles  in  Cuba. This evaluation shows or clarifies the true threat that faced America at the time of the crisis. The missiles and rocket launchers showed Soviet’s intent to help Cuba fight off any invasion that America planned to carry out in an objective to end the Castro’s uprising. During the crisis, Cuba harbored about 42,000 Soviet military personnel. In addition, Cuba had about 270,000 armed people, which meant that America would have suffered enormous losses coming after the Vietnam War. An air assault would not have shattered all the missiles installed across Cuba, which meant America would have at the end of the assault forced to open war. This would have provided Cuba and the Soviet with a chance to crush America’s army. However, the war would have meant that Cuba suffer the greatest loss since the war was supposed to be in its soil. Besides, with Cuba and the Soviets prepared to battle to the very last man, a lengthy, prolonged war could well have been anticipated.  Ã‚  Accordingly, Castro,  faced with just an alternative to fight agreed  to  the  employment  of  missiles  in  Cuba. Cuba’s Involvement               Cuba was involved in the crisis as much as the Soviet and America were involved. In fact, some people point out that Cuba remained the main antagonist during the entire crisis since America wanted to invade it and the Soviet provided missiles to the country. In addition, since the crisis was tied to the invasion of the Bay of Pigs, Cubans understood that the invasion was between America and Cuba. The Soviet plans to support Cuba were always in ambiguity. On one hand, the Soviet claimed that its aim was to support Cuba from America while Cuba saw it as a support to its interests. The agreement between Cuba and the Soviet saw the Soviet place the missiles to support Cuba. However, the aim of the Soviet to resolve the issue remained ambiguous even to Cubans. The decision to remove the missiles after 13 days demonstrated Soviet’s unwillingness to support â€Å"Little Cuba† as it claimed. This shows that the animosity that existed between America and Cuba continued. Cubans, therefore, saw the Soviets help as more than support against America. In fact, the Soviet sought to repay America’s unkindness for surrounding the Soviet Confederation with missiles and military base. Since Cuba is strategically located near America, the Soviet saw the crisis as a major chance to demonstrate to America its happiness. Khrushchev also intended to use the missiles as bargaining whittles during the U.N. forums and to further its ideals during the Cold War. In this regards, Cuba understood its stand during the crisis, and after the Soviet agreed to America’s terms it was not left with any chance, but to resort to socialism calls. Castro understood all along that America was intent on invading Cuba no because of the crisis, but mainly because of the Cuban Rebellion.               Cubans understood their importance during the crisis; thus, Castro’s administration planned well throughout the crisis. The administration understood that the crisis emanated as a result of Cuba’s calls for socialism and not because of the missiles. In this regards, the government understood that even after agreeing to the terms of the deal between the Soviets and America, it remained free of both countries. However, the administration knew that the crisis still existed since the main issues surrounding the crisis were never resolved. In this regards, Cuba played the most significant role in the progress of the crisis and the conclusion of the crisis six years later. Although most people think that the crisis ended after 13 days, it continued with animosity between America and Cuba rising continually each day. Although Castro denied the claims that he instigated an appeal to place the missiles, he stated during a speech in 1963 that the installat ion of the missiles was a mutual accord between Cuba and the Soviet. However, data shows that Castro instigated a plan that would compel the Soviet to provide the missiles to Cuba. In fact, Castro influenced the activities and actions that led to the Soviets agreement to deploy the missiles to Cuba. The missiles provided Cuba to deter any America’s invasion and reduce the country’s reliance to America. By possessing the missiles, Castro knew that he would retaliate to any America’s oppression especially the oppression that Cuba had suffered for more than 200 years under the hands of America. The lack of any battle during the crisis helped deter any warfare that would have emerged. In addition, had America invaded Cuba, Cuba would have realized guerrilla warfare across the whole nation; thus, the withdrawal of the missiles may have offered a chance for the countries to remain at peace with each other. Conclusion            During the period of the Crisis, people believed that America had attained an enormous triumph. In addition, Cubans believed that there was no resolution in regards to the crisis; thus, they remained the main losers to the crisis. After the agreement between the Soviets and America, the Soviets removed the missiles from Cuba, which left Cuba with no support. This shows that Cuba was solitary in its endeavors during the crisis, and the crisis was nothing but America’s intent to crush socialism in Cuba.   Furthermore, the agreement between the Soviet and America forced Cuba to agree to the requisites of the deal; thus, Castros reputation inside Latin America suffered significantly. However, Cubans understood that America did not win during the crisis since Kennedy did not achieve his goal of overthrowing Castro. Although the Soviet removed the missiles, Castro remained the president. In fact, today, America enforces an economic embargo against Cuba, which sh ows that there was no resolution on the crisis. America still enforces a restriction on Cuba while Castro persists to be a nuisance to U.S aims in the Caribbean. Accordingly, even though Cuba does not enjoy Russia’s economic subventions and military aid, the struggle between America’s egalitarian principles and Castros socialism continues.  Ã‚  While America’s efforts concerning Cuba have realized little victory, it is noticeable that Castro still holds Cuba’s administration, and that communism and an intrinsic mistrust of America remains.               The crisis demonstrates the antagonism and repressions that existed between the three countries. Although people see the war as a supreme battle between America and the Soviet, Cuba’s involvement in the crisis demonstrates that the crisis was between America and Cuba with the help of the Soviet for some times. However, after the agreement to withdraw the missiles the crisis remained a contention between America and Cuba. Indeed, the countries did not resolve the crisis since the animosity between America and Cuba remains to date. Conclusively, the crisis offers a chance for historians to rethink the roles of the country during the crisis. References Chrisp, Peter.  The Cuban Missile Crisis. Milwaukee, WI: World Almanac Library, 2002. Haas, Mark L.. Prospect Theory And The Cuban Missile Crisis.  International Studies Quarterly  45, no. 2 (2001): 241-270. Immell, Myra.  The Cuban Missile Crisis. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Laffey, Mark, and Jutta Weldes. Decolonizing The Cuban Missile Crisis.International Studies Quarterly  52, no. 3 (2008): 555-577. Renshon, Jonathan. Mirroring Risk: The Cuban Missile Estimation.  Intelligence and National Security  24, no. 3 (2009): 315-338. Source document

Howard Becker Studies in the Sociology of Deviance

Howard Becker Studies in the Sociology of Deviance Although there had been prior research into deviant labels, Howard Becker is hailed as the found of the modern labelling theory. Founded in Outsiders: Studies in the Sociology of Deviance, it is this labelling theory that is perhaps his most important influential contribution to sociological and criminological knowledge. Beckers influences came from Cooleys looking-glass self  [ii]  , Meads theories on the internalisation of the self  [iii]  , and Lemerts social constructionism  [iv]  . Becker suggests that deviance is based on reactions and responses of others labelling an individual as such. He states that no particular act is inherently deviant unless until a group with socially powerful statuses or positions label it as such.  [v]   This approach to labelling deviance has become manifest in criminological and sociological research, and the development of the labelling theory. Becker opens Outsiders writing: social groups create deviance by making rules whose infraction creates deviance, and by applying those roles to particular people and labelling them as outsiders. From this point of view, deviance is  not  a quality of the act the person commits, but rather a consequence of the application by others of rules and sanctions to an offender. The deviant is one to whom that label has been successfully applied; deviant behaviour is behaviour that people so label  [vi]  . Just as society uses the stigma of the deviant label to justify its disapproval, the individual labelled uses it to justify their actions. Becker attempts to put a complex argument in a few words: instead of the deviant motives leading to the deviant behaviour, it is the other way around, the deviant behaviour in time produces the deviant motivation.  [vii]   In Outsiders, Becker views deviance as the creation of social groups by persons in positions of power rather than the quality of some act or behaviour. Becker disagrees with other theories of deviance, which accept the existence of deviance, and by doing so, simply accept the values and of the majority within a particular social group. According to Becker, studying the act of the individual is unimportant as it is merely breaking the rules made by those in power the rule breaking behaviour is constant and it is the labelling of such behaviour that changes. He describes rules as the reflection of certain social norms held by the majority of a society, whether formal or informal  [viii]  . Clearly, in a society where criminal activity is the norm, the one who chooses not to conform, should not be labelled as deviant for not committing crimes. Nevertheless, it could be said that they are deviant as they are not acting as expected and are deviating from the norm. Beckers approach, however, focuses on enforced rules. He views those who are likely to engage in rule-breaking behaviour as essentially different from those of the rule-making or rule-abiding society. He believes that those persons who are prone to rule-breaking behaviour see themselves morally at odds with those members of the rule-abiding society  [ix]  . Becker uses the term outsider to describe a rule-breaker who accepts the label of deviant and therefore view themselves as outside mainstream society. Becker also focuses on those in positions of power that have the authority to deem what rules society should abide by and who enforce those rules. According to Becker, the creation and enforcement of these rules is an enterprising act  [x]  . He hints at disagreeing with the morals and reasoning behind those who make and enforce these rules, realising that while some may have a moral crusade to prevent crime, most engage in the process strictly because it is a requirement of their vocation. Becker wrote Rule enforcers use the process of formal enforcement to satisfy two major interests, the justification of their occupation and the winning of respect from the people he/she patrols  [xi]  . He recognises that individuals who would not normally be prone to rule-breaking may become so by the misuse of labelling powers as a result of the enforcer abusing the great deal of discretion they are armed with. Becker concludes Outsiders by calling for empirical research of his approach to the labelling theory. As a result, there has been a vast amount of response from social scientists. Some research has directly reflected Beckers approach, whilst others have used his labelling theory as a foundation on which they furthered the theory. Gideon Fishman, for example, tested his theory by studying a sample of juvenile delinquents in mid-western America. Fishmans study  [xii]  looked at negative self-perception and whether this self-perception affects future misbehaviour. His results indicated that, although some accept the label of deviance and further entrench themselves in deviant behaviour, it is by no means universal; individuals react to the label in different ways. A popular application of Beckers labelling theory is in the research into mental health. Thomas Scheff adopts Beckers views on labelling theory and explains how people are labelled mentally ill in order to explain certain rule-breaking behaviour that society cant categorise  [xiii]  . Wright  [xiv]  and Pfohl  [xv]  recognise that Scheff is not concerned with occasional acts of deviance, but the lasting and sporadic deviance that is often considered under mental illness. People who are subsequently labelled as mentally ill often adopt the behaviour they would personally expect of a stereotypical mental health patient as portrayed through the media. Scheff identifies that we will all display symptoms of mental illness at some point in our lives, and labels are attached to those without power  [xvi]  . Scheff argues individuals who become stereotypically mentally ill, or at least behave as such, are rewarded by enterprising psychology professionals  [xvii]  . Empiri cal evidence of this can be found in several studies by Scheff into the process of mental hospital commitment. In carrying out his own research into the labelling theory, Edwin Schur modifies Beckers approach in Labelling Deviant Behaviour  [xviii]  , by shifting some of the focus to the deviant individual. He claims that, if people who are labelled deviant can organize and gain power within the society, they will be able to change societal views on what is or what is not considered deviant  [xix]  .  Ã‚  Schur says that this change in power may come in the form of uprisings, social movements, and even civil strife, which could ultimately result in the formation of a strong political group.  [xx]   Howard Becker has been criticised on much of his work on many levels, and these criticisms must be explored before any evaluation of his contribution to criminological knowledge can be made. Becker himself examines some of the criticisms made of the theory in his book Labelling Theory Reconsidered  [xxi]  . Firstly, he addresses those who have said it is not a true theory. He points out that rather than being an all-encompassing theory of deviance, labelling theory was established as a way of looking at a general area of human activity  [xxii]  , and not, he claims, a theory, with all the achievements and obligations that go with the title, nor focused so exclusively on the act of labelling as some have thought  [xxiii]  . He points out that the concept of morality can be problematic in its research and interpretation. He contemplates on where the researchers sympathies should lie and considers whether one should side with the outsider or simply ascertain criminal activity as intrinsically wrong? He stresses the difficulties of the sociologist of this decision, recognising that the researcher, whether taking either side, will be accused of taking a one-sided and distorted view. So we then ask how is it possible to see the situation from both sides simultaneously  [xxiv]  ? I agree that Becker is right in raising this criticism, as it is somewhat impossible to be completely un-bias on the basis that no researcher is capable of not carrying any sort of pre-conformed opinion or view on society and will, without doubt, have moral values, right or wrongly. In Whose Side Are We On  [xxv]  , Becker goes as far as to say that the labelling theorist must side with the deviator, as it is up to the sociol ogists to remedy unfair situations  [xxvi]  . Becker also points out there is problems with secrecy. The deviant individual, in many cases, will commit deviant acts in secrecy and will not what their actions to become universally known, especially when those acts are criminal. This poses difficulty in gaining a true insight into the world of the deviant individual and therefore jeopardises the validity of the labelling theory. Beckers claim was found to be correct by Humphrey in his study Tearoom Trade  [xxvii]  . In many cases, the individuals participating in homosexual behaviour in the tearooms were married with children, and consequently, when later asked in a questionnaire about their views on homosexuality, very few admitted their own visits to the tearooms. This notion of secrecy among deviants will undoubtedly cause problems for researchers and their research. It is also very difficult for researchers to observe the day-to-day lives of deviant individuals, in what are perhaps highly dangerous places, as there are problems of infiltration and gaining the trust of what may be violent and dangerous people. If the researcher is able to gain such access, they then face the tasks of remaining impartial in their observations, to continue to observe without becoming involved in criminal activity themselves, and even trying to prevent crimes being committed. This can be seen in Parkers View from the Boys  [xxviii]  , where he studied boys in an area of Liverpool. Parker was only able to gain insight as he had previously met the boys he was studying at a centre for Liverpools deprived children. He says, however, If I had not been young, hairy, boozy, willing to keep long hours, accept permissive standards, the liaison would never have worked  [xxix]  . He also admits that his presence affected the behaviour and actions of the boys. On occasi ons he prevented them from committing crimes and even went as far as to help them if they were caught. In his research and development of the labelling theory, Becker doesnt address how factors such as biology, genetic effects and personal responsibility can influence, if at all, deviant individuals behaviour. After this met a barrage of criticism, he answered his critics in his 1973 edition of his work. He wrote that while sociological researchers are dedicated to finding an understanding about society, they are often too careful to look too closely. Becker noted I prefer to think of what we study as  collective action.  People act, as Mead and Blumer have made clearest,  together. They do what they do with an eye on what others have done, are doing now, and may do in the future. One tries to fit his own line of action into the actions of others, just as each of them likewise adjusts his own developing actions to what he sees and expects others to do  [xxx]  . Francis Cullen believed Becker was overly generous with his critics. He recognised that after 20 years, far from be ing supplanted, have been corrected and absorbed into an expanded structuring perspective  [xxxi]  . Beckers suggesting that rather than simply criticise him for not including these factors in his research, these sociologists should use those factors to help develop the labelling theory themselves. What I believe to be the greatest flaw in the labelling theory is the notion that no acts are inherently criminal  [xxxii]  , they only become criminal when society has deemed them as such. This seems to be suggesting that without the persons in power trying to satisfy two major interests: the justification of their occupation and the winning of respect from the people  [xxxiii]  by implementing laws, there would be no deviant. So does this mean that simply because it couldnt be labelled as such, it wouldnt exist? Just because something cant be specifically labelled as such does not mean that it ceases to occur. I agree with Beckers argument that people become deviant if they are expected to become so by society, but I fail be of the same mind that this is the reason behind the majority of deviant behaviour. In my opinion, the labelling of deviance comes after the deviant act occurs. The theory also claims that for a criminal to be successfully labelled, an audience must be present to provide a reaction to the crimes committed. So does this mean that if a murder is committed and the killer avoids suspicion or being caught, they are not a criminal and will not think of themselves in such a way? It is probable that the killer will have some idea of morals and what is conceived to be inherently right and wrong as a result of their own socialisation, and so could initialise self-labelling, but the theory clearly states the labelling must come from a third party. In attempting to evaluate the contribution of Becker to the study of criminology and more specifically the sociology of deviance, it is important to note that it depends on how the theory is viewed. If the theory is considered as a theory, with all the achievement and obligations that go with the title  [xxxiv]  then its flaws are many. Yet, if we consider the theory, as Becker suggests we do, as a mere way of looking at deviance, then the contribution could be said to be significant. Becker, unlike previous theorists, did not only look at the after-effects of a deviant act but considered the way one begins to fall deviant. In his study of marijuana users, for example, he considers how one begins to smoke. Whether one agrees or disagrees with Beckers approach to the labelling theory, the majority, if not all, will use that opinion to then form their own ideas and approaches to the study of deviance, as is evident from the amount of critique Becker has obtained. As a result, one c an conclude that Beckers approach to the labelling theory continues in its usefulness, and will remain to do so as long as deviant behaviour continues to exist.

Food Insecurity In Bangladesh Economics Essay

Food Insecurity In Bangladesh Economics Essay The international community often uses the term food security to describe not only the availability of food, but the ability to purchase food. It means not only a reliable source of food but also adequate resources to purchase it. When members of a family do not live in a hunger or fear for starvation then the family considered as food secure.. According to the World Food Summit(1996), Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Generally, the notion of food security is defined as counting both physical and economic access to food that meets peoples dietary needs as well as their food preferences. This definition of food security is built on three principal elements: adequate food availability, adequate access to food and appropriate food utilization. Food security occupies a significant position in social and political constancy of a country. Eradication of extreme poverty and hunger is the First Millennium Development Goal (MDG 1) targeted by United Nations(2012). The apprehension of this goal would not only improve the health and well-being of millions around the globe, but it would also maintain the attainment of the remaining seven MDGs. Food insecurity which is a condition that exists when people do not have adequate physical, social, or economic access to food(Food and Agricultural Organization [FAO], 2010 p8). Eradicating hunger and food insecurity is mostly important providing it is a key risk factor for malnutrition and illness, which jointly reduce productivity and economic development(Motiur Rahman et al.). Although the number and proportion of hungry and malnourished people has retreated slightly since the 2009 economic and food price crisis, an estimated 870 million people will be hungry in 2012(FAO, 2012). Little progress in poverty reduction is likely to be seen whereas hunger and malnutrition remain extensive. In other words, poverty, hunger and poor health are interlinked; the rate of each contributes to the presence and persistence of the others. Figure 1 is a conceptual framework interpreting the linkages to desired outcomes (central and upper half of the diagram) and potential risks (lower half). Source: Webb and Rogers, Addressing the In in Food Insecurity(2003) This framework recommends that food availability obtains from domestic agricultural output such as cash crops, livestock and food crops, preferably through feasible use of natural resources (water, land and vegetation). At the national level net food imports enhance the total food availability from domestic sources. Food access deals with the capability of households to secure food in the marketplace or from other sources (transfers, gifts, etc.). Household purchasing power is the key to access and this varies in relation to market integration, price policies, and temporal market conditions. Food utilization organizes issues of food quality and safety, sufficiency of intake at the individual level, and the conversion efficiency of food by the body that results in sound nutritional status and growth. In the latter illustration, the disruption of health infrastructure, lack of nutrition education and discrimination against women in controlling resources all have a detrimental impact on individual outcomes(Webb and Rogers). Bangladesh is a small country in southern Asia. According to the 2011 census, the population of Bangladesh in 2011 was about 149 million(Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics). Bangladesh is home to a densely populated flood plain delta in the world with 1,062 people per square kilometer(PRB, 2012). It regularly suffers from natural disasters such as floods, cyclones and drought. It is also vulnerable to the growing effects of global climate change. Tendency to natural disasters, distribution and quality of agricultural land, access to education and health facilities, level of infrastructure development, employment opportunities, and dietary and caring practices are the main factors of food in security in Bangladesh. Food availability likely to be hampered by production failures associated with labor restraints, gender inequality in land possession and loss of productive assets needed to sustain household food production(Maxwell and Smith, 1992). The adequate production, distribution and availability of fundamental food items in Bangladesh have always been a cause of ineterst for governments, international donor organizations and socio-economic researchers. Rice is the staple food of Bangladesh and contains around 94 percent of all food grains produced per annum Food security, in the context of Bangladesh, is therefore strongly related around the production, import and price stability of rice. Food availability in the domestic market does not essentially guarantee food security for the masses. According to the BBS Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2010(BBS), 31.5 percent of households in Bangladesh have income that is considered to be below the poverty line, and a substantial portion of the se poor households suffer from food deficiency and malnutrition. The major reason for food insecurity in Bangladesh is poverty, which is both the cause and outcome of food insecurity. Poor households are lack of sufficient and nutritious food, and are likely to be food insecure. Food insecure people may have to sell or consume their productive assets to satisfy their instant food needs. This destabilizes their longer-term income potential and they may become poor. To analysis food security, both national and individual perspectives are important. Food security at the national level means there are sufficient stocks of food available in the country to meet domestic needs until such time as stocks can be refilled from harvests and /or imports. On the other hand, at individual level it means all members of the society have access to the food they require, either from their own production, from marketplace and/or from different transfer system of the government. Usually the national lev el food security masks the actual food security situation at the household level. National level analysis always evaluates the availability and requirement of food grains. It has to be understood that availability and supply are not always the same. Household purchasing power has major impact on access to food. This purchasing power fluctuates in relation to market integration, price policies and temporal market situations. The dominant food rice contributing to over 63 percent of the caloric intake for urban consumers and over 71 percent for the rural population based on 2010 household survey data by BBS(BBS, 2010). These percentages are much higher for the poor. A number of factors in Bangladesh prevent poor households or individuals from accessing food even adequate food supplies are available. The level of earnings may be too low to purchase the essential foods at existing prices from the market, lack of own land for cultivation, or may lack the fundamental resources or approach to credit to help handle with difficult times. Moreover, they may locate themselves exterior to any community support or program that offers them with in-kind or cash transfers to subsidize their food attainment capability. Food security has been a c ritical issue in the recent past regime of high food prices across the globe. In rural Bangladesh, agricultural wage employment is the major source of income for a poor household. Though, household members may be attached in a whole range of diverse liveliness throughout the year. A household becomes vulnerable to cyclical food when it depends on agricultural wage labor as this employment opening differs according to season. Through the lean seasons that are in March-April and October-November, earlier to harvesting the main rice crops, job opportunities are low. As a result there are low wage rates whereas food prices are at their peak. Earnings derived from non-agricultural sources supplies a potential safeguard across the cyclical nature of agricultural income which in turn can improve household food security. Vulnerability can be defined as the exposure and sensitivity to livelihood shocks, a concept that begins with the notion of risk(Greenblott, 2006). Households in Bangladesh experience a multiplicity of risks that can, independently or in combination, drag them into poverty. There are shocks that involve numerous households directly, likely to overcome social coping approaches established upon support inside families and communities, and there are case-specific shocks that stress involved units. By lowering exposure to risks and rising the households capability to deal with shocks vulnerability can be curtailed, but responses count on the extent and severity of damage. Damage caused by natural disasters is one of the major risks encountered by poor Bangladeshi households. Huge damage to crops, houses, livestock, household and community properties occurred by floods, cyclones erosions and droughts. In each year this disasters can lead to illness and death. Physical access to food and f ood stocks are hampered by disaster, it destroys crops as a result markets are temporarily dysfunctional that lead to an increase in the essential food price. Household food security status affected by natural disasters directly by crippling their asset base and indirectly by loss of employment opportunities, an increase in health expenditure and an increase in essential food expenditure(Coates et al.). Market availability of, and household access to food are not adequate to ensure food security. In what way household members utilize the food is also very important. Socio-cultural factors that determine the availability of food, access to and utilization of food affects the food consumption behavior, nutritional status, health and food security. Poverty, gender, age and disability, geographical location and cultural practices are important factors that affect food consumption patterns. Poverty directly influences food consumption due to lack of access to resources, knowledge and markets. Gender disparities in food distribution can cause malnutrition, especially for pregnant/lactating mothers and children(Coates et al., 2006). Lack of incomes is the principal driver of under-consumption and malnutrition for approximately 31.5 percent of Bangladeshis who live under the poverty line(BBS, 2010). Households that lack productive assets and depend on inconsistent sources of daily wage labo r are more vulnerable to food insecurity. Groups such as landless, agricultural day laborers, casual fishermen and beggars fall into this category. Within households, children, the disabled, pregnant women and nursing mothers, and the elderly face relatively high nutritional risks. Over 60 percent of all pregnant and lactating women have insufficient caloric intake, which can produce malnourished babies(World Food Programme [WFP]). General nutritional awareness, access to proper sanitation and health care, and caring practices are essential elements of an individuals capacity to absorb and utilize the nutrients in the diet and eventually of ones food security status. Other than consumption levels, different household characteristics can also show improvement in the standard of living. While standard of living and food security are anticipated to be highly linked, it would not be unexpected to find these characteristics to be related with food security issues. Therefore, it would be rational to anticipate that households with better qualities are also demonstrating lesser level of food insecurity. Quality of housing and food security level are closely related in Bangladesh(Narayan et al., 2007). Rushad Faridi and Syed Naimul Wadood(2010) stated in their study, households which are living in houses built with straw roofs (hemp/hay/bamboo) are the poorest segment of the population. Similarly, households living in houses with straw roofs, food insecurity is the most prevalent. On the other part, houses with brick wall seem to be the most food secure. These two surveillances show that household infrastructure is a strong indicator of wealth and conseq uentially, the food security situation. After categorizing the households by the level of ownership, occupancy status has an important role in determining the household welfare situation. Compared to other groups house owners are better off in terms of food security. Households, with their head engaged in salaried wage employment, are around 10 per cent more likely to be food insecure than households with their head in agricultural labour. In the same manner, electricity connection is also a marker showing higher orders of food-insecurity surrounded by the households which have no electricity connection. Education is clearly connected with food security issues with the assumption that household heads with more human wealth are prone to suffer less from food insecurity. Food insecurity is a key apprehension for the global development community as it negatively impacts diet and nutritional status. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have shown that household food insecurity is also linked with various non-nutritional consequences in children, adolescents, and adults(Weaver and Hadley, 2009), including poor infant feeding(Saha et al., 2008), poor physical growth(Saha et al., 2009), poor child development(Hernandez and Jacknowitz, 2009, Jyoti et al., 2005), educational achievement(Jyoti et al., 2005), poor physical and mental health(Heflin et al., 2005, Siefert et al., 2004), behavioral problems and problems in parenting(Huang et al.,2010). These findings have guide to apprehension that household food insecurity influences well-being through multiple pathways involving social and psychological conditions such as deprivation, worry, distress, alienation, and alteration of family interactions as well as a pathway involving dietary intake to nutritio nal status(McCurdy and Gorman). These quantitative findings and the related concepts of non-nutritional pathways are supported by qualitative work showing that food insecurity, in addition to its nutrition-related effects, manifests itself through social and psychological conditions leading to altered behavior at individual and group levels. There are various social and psychological consequences of food insecurity in Bangladesh. First, anxiety and worries, concerning not having food for consumption or other social and religious needs and regarding determinants of food availability such as flood, cyclones, drought persist throughout the year, lead to weight and sleep loss, and point out more severe food insecurity. Second, influence of socially undesirable ways of coping with food insecurity (borrowing and asking for foods) generates dishonor which contributes to and is a sign of isolation from the society. Failure by the head of household to perform his primary accountability of providing food leads to feeling guilt and deprivation. Fear of isolation and deprivation regulates the decision-making of the household related to treatment of food insecurity, including child feeding. Lastly, food insecurity changes intra-household attachment through irritability and aggressiveness in adults, and by lack of food that makes it t ough for parents to keep children at home. The weakness of social model is that it gives the blame on victims those who are food insecure as well as it pointing the finger at deficiencies in public policy and behavior of the administration. Regarding victim blaming, the ill health caused by food insecurity is not due to exclusively individual actions. Some people argued that there should be more responsibilities on the shoulders of individuals for adopting lifestyles which will diminish the risks of becoming their ill health from food insecurity. On the other hand it is not the victims who are responsible for their behavior and ill health from the food crisis. Peoples are influenced and restrained by the social, economic, cultural and physical environments in which they live and the structural settings within which they work. Thus the governments failure to provide proper investments to reduce the food crisis may damaging the health of the vulnerable groups. Bangladesh needs to improve the availability, access, and utilization of food. Efforts to improve food security need to take into account natural and man-made challenges and changes in the domestic and international landscape, including population growth, urbanization, natural resource constraints, and climate change. In general population growth and particularly urbanization put high and growing pressure on land, making it obligatory to increase in agricultural productivity. Millions of marginal and small farms dominate the agricultural production in Bangladesh whereas crop diversification is still limited. Smallholders need to conform to changing demands, markets, and supply chains. Furthermore, the soil is seriously degraded in many parts of the country, fresh water availability for irrigation is increasingly insufficient, and natural disasters regularly damage part of the agricultural output The future food security plan needs to maintain successes in areas where positive trends have been seen; whereas, at the same time, achieving certain milestones that have not yet received enough attention. Public investment is one of the most direct and valuable instruments that governments can use to promote growth, food security, and poverty and hunger reduction. 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