A Raisin in the Sun vs. Julius Caesar - 2295 Words

Kyla Beecher Ms. Hilliard English 2 Honors 4 January 2013 Traditional vs. Modern Drama In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun themes, symbols, and characters can be compared. Both A Raisin in the Sun and Julius Caesar were written for the stage; therefore their characters become more obvious and more thoroughly portrayed than in a book, for example. Even though, these works were written by far different authors and in different centuries their similarities and differences are evident. In both A Raisin in the Sun and Julius Caesar themes, symbols, and character development are consistent. Comparing character development in Julius Caesar and A Raisin in the Sun is beneficial in learning more†¦show more content†¦In Raisin in the Sun, Mama’s plant represents her dreams and the rest of her family’s dreams. A result of this would be Mama always making sure to take extra care of her plant and to nourish it well. On the other hand, Mama’s check represents all of the hard work that her husband achieved and how hard he had to work to actually obtain that amount of money. Beneatha’s hair symbolizes the assimilationist beliefs of the time and how people become inferior to the dominant race. When Beneatha returns her hair to its natural state it symbolizes that she is against common assimilation beliefs. The symbolism of her hair is evident in a conversation between her and Asagai, â€Å"’(Coming to her at the mirror) I shall have to teach you how to drape it properly. (He flings the material about her for the moment and stands back t o look at her) Ah—Oh-pay-gay-day, oh-gaha-mu-shay. (A Yoruba exclamation for admiration) You wear it well†¦very well†¦mutilated hair and all.’ ‘(Turning suddenly) My hair—what’s wrong with my hair?’ ‘(Shrugging) Were you born with it like that?’ ‘(Reaching up to touch it) No†¦of course not. (She looks back to the mirror, disturbed)’ ‘(Smiling) How then?’ ‘You know perfectly well how†¦as crinkly as yours†¦that’s how’† (Hansberry 61-62). The symbols used in Julius Caesar are omens, pain, and the conspirators bathing in Caesar’s blood. In Julius Caesar, omens symbolize evil and warn people against evil and bad things that could happen,

Cultural Identity In Alice Walkers My Mother Pieced Quilts

Alice Walker, a famous author, stated in her short story, Everyday Use, â€Å"Dee (Wangero) looked at me with hatred. â€Å"You just will not understand. The point is these quilts, these quilts.† Each person’s identity is shaped from a culture that is built with the offering of everything in his or her surrounding environment. Culture is one of the most important factors, though there are many other contributing factors, that can influence someone’s perspective on the world because all of their opinions, decisions, and morals are all based off of their surrounding environment. In the poem and story, â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts† and Everyday Use, they both demonstrate how one’s cultural identity is influenced by his or her surroundings, changing the†¦show more content†¦Another piece of the literature that has similar attributes to the is the poem â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts.† The poem uses a mother’s handmade quilt to a ccess and explore the poet’s childhood memories. Like how a quilt is made, the poem pieces together memories in order to show the reader a complete image between the speaker’s childhood and the mother’s strong influence. The speaker shows how her mother’s influential ways shaped into the person the speaker is today. For example, â€Å"But it was just that every morning I awoke to these October ripened canvases passed my hand across their cloth faces and began to wonder how you pieced all these together.† This quote shows the interest that the speaker has towards her mother’s quilt, she then explains in great detail how her mother threads pieces of fabrics together, obviously admiring her mother’s works. This reason shows how a person’s identity is influenced by his or her environment. However, many can argue that someone’s identity is not always shaped because of their surrounding environment, which is believable to an extent. For example, a person could go to church for their whole childhood, but as they grown up they could interpret religion in a whole different way or not be religious in any way . If it was had just been based off their culture, then they would still be religious forever. Many people around the world may be trapped within their own culture like in theShow MoreRelated Alice Walkers In Love and Trouble Essay2326 Words   |  10 PagesAlice Walkers In Love and Trouble Stories from In Love and Trouble, like other Alice Walker’s works, are the portrayal of black women. I would interpret the term â€Å"black women† as women who have gone through all sorts of hardship and struggles, but not all women in the world or only those with black skin. I strongly argue that Walker’s characters are better represented as women who suffer the way African American women do, than as women with black skin. I will justify my argument by referringRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1948 Words   |  8 Pagesthemselves in different ways. Whether it’s by our names, our religion, or our sexuality, we all have something different that make us unique and that we identify ourselves as. In Alice Walker’s short story â€Å"Everyday Use,† an African American woman tells the story of her daughter Dee’s long awaited visit. Upon her arrival the mother and her other daughter, Maggie, discover some drastic changes in Dee: she has changed her name to Wangero, she also arrived with a mysterious man who calls himself Asalamalakim

Wagner Beethoven Essay Example For Students

Wagner Beethoven Essay By:Seth CoxEnglish Research Paper3/26/99Ludwig Van Beethoven, thought by many to be a sort of demi-god, a man ofotherworldly genius. Beethoven has had such titles as: Beethoven the Creator,Beethoven, the Man who Freed Music, and Beethoven, Life of a Conqueror,(Internet source, roughguides 1). These typical images created of Beethoven havebeen around since the composers day, extracting the astounding character fromthe his astounding music. True excellence does not come from on category, todiscover his true source of excellence, his life, time and hardship must beuncovered. Beethoven is believed to be the ultimate product of German idealism and thevery personification of an age of revolution. Beethovens music declared his lovefor humanity, but in fact he hated most people. Beethoven put with people forone sole reason, himself, the people paid his way, and he needed the money. Beethovens music was loved by all, and wanted by many, and he was capable ofselling scores to six or seven different publishers. Beethoven was a man whowanted money, he didnt care about ideas or principles, so he sold his music toanyone. Beethoven asserted his independence and self-expression by stating,What is in my heart must come out, and so I write it down (Internet source,roughguides 1)From the time of its composition, his music has been celebrated as westerncivilizations most powerful expression of its innermost experience. Beethovenhas been renowned as the greatest, most respected pianist of the day. He was ableto improvise at length upon any theme, and capable of technical feats, that stumpand confuse even trained musicians nowadays, making them impossible toduplicate. Beethovens technique came as a shock to many people, he would raisehis hands above his head and literally smash the keys with such force that heregularly broke the strings. Beethoven was so mad at himself for not being ableto reproduce the sounds in his head, he punished the keyboard for not allowinghim greater freedom. Ludwig Van Beethoven was born in Bonn in 1770. He was not the first in hisfamily to deal with music, his father and grandfather were musicians at the courtof the Elector of Colongne. His father recognized his sons talents; and his effortshelped Beethoven to develop to his fullest extent. Beethoven started to takelessons for the piano, violin and possibly the viola with his father as his teacher. In 1778, Beethovens father arranged a public concert in Bonn. After the concert,his father realized that he must look elsewhere to teach his son. Beethoven soon began to take lessons from a man named Christian Neefe. During Beethovens time of development, Neefes teachings were vital, and alsothrough him, Beethoven gained a firm musical grounding. With Neefesteachings, Beethoven was encouraged to look beyond Bonn, so in 1787, he set outfor Vienna, but had to return on account of his mothers sickness. WhenBeethoven returned from Vienna, he was appointed assistant organist and wasalso a viola player in the court orchestra. In the winter of 1788, Beethoven wasengaged to play in a theater orchestra that the Elector had organized. Beethovens work atcourt gained him valuable experience of orchestral practice and composition. In1790, Beethoven met a man named Haydn, and in 1792 Beethoven decided thathe would go to Vienna and study with this man Haydn. A few month after arriving in Vienna, Beethoven received word that his fatherhad died. His fathers death left Beethoven much pain and dispare, as well asfinancial problems. His salary was guaranteed by the Elector because of hisfriends at home, and even Haydn tried to help. Along with financial problems,Haydn, who was giving Beethoven lessons, decided that he could no longer helpBeethoven, and left on a trip to London. This loss of lessons didnt affectBeethoven much, as it turned out his lessons had not been much of a success. After this, Beethoven decided that he should stay in Vienna and try to make acareer for himself. In 1801, Beethoven began to notice a change in his hearing. At first, hesuffered day and night from a terrible buzzing in his head, but before long, he lostthe ability to distinguish pitch, and by 1803 he was virtually stone deaf. Duringthis time, Beethoven not once complained that he had become creatively impairedbecause of his deafness, in fact, he went on to comp ose the most adventurouspiano music ever written. During this time of hardship, he went on to composesuch work as his Third Symphony and Eroica. .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d , .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d .postImageUrl , .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d , .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d:hover , .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d:visited , .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d:active { border:0!important; } .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d:active , .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ubd68d828049cd2165fb689fbf3e6697d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Haha EssayThe decade after he completed Eroica, he produced masterpieces of greatsuccession. He produced such work as his opera Fidelio, the Rasumousky stringquartets, the violin Concerto, the fourth and fifth piano concertos, symphoniesfour to eight, and many of his piano solos, including the Waldstein andAppossionata sonatas. Beethoven took great interest in the French Revolution, and he admired itsleader, Napoleon. He admired the leader so much that he dedicated his ThirdSymphony, Eroica to him. Eroica was a landmark in the development ofsymphonies, and it was twice as long as anything similar by Mozart or Haydn. However, when Beethoven heard that Napoleon had crowned himself emperor, hewas disgusted and changed his dedication. Form then on, Beethoven seemed tohate anything French, and later was compelled to hate it even more. The invasionof Vienna, by Napoleons army in 1805 happened to occur at the same time as thefirst performance of Beethovens opera, Fidelio. It wasnt until 1806 thatBeethoven revised it, and then it wasnt until 1814 that he revised it again and itfinally gained its deserved success. As 1808 came to a close, Beethoven presented several major works, all in thecourse of one evening. On the 22nd of December he gave a concert at the Theateran der Wien, which included the Fifth Symphony, the Choral Fantasia, the PianoConcerto in G, and various movements of the Mass for Prince Esterhazy. In may1808, Haydn had died, and there was now no one to challenge Beethovens rightto be the musical king of Vienna. At the end of 1813, the Seventh Symphony was performed for the first time. The premiere of the Seventh Symphony together with Wellingtons Victory or theBattle of Victoria, gave Beethoven the public recognition he wanted. But hissuccess was soon to be spoiled. In 1815, his brother Caper Anton Carl died andleft his son Karl to Beethoven as his legal guardian. Also Beethovens increasingdeafness made it impossible for him to conduct his work, or even perform anymore. Beethovens last years included illness and worry on one hand, but on a higherhand, he had some monumental masterpieces. His achievements in the last yearsof his life included such work as: The Diabelli Variations, the last piano sonatas,the last six string quartets, the Mass in D major, Miss Solemnis, and the ChoralSymphony No. 9. In 1824, Beethovens fame had grown so far the his name and music wereinternational in a way that not even Mozarts had been, and he had finally beenaccepted in Vienna as the way he should be. The Viennese were fond, and evenproud of the eccentric man in their midst. In the fall of 1826, Beethoven returned to Schwarzspanierhas in Vienna, it wasthere that Beethoven was to die. It was recorded thought, that on the dayBeethoven died, there was a terrible storm that raged in Vienna and the dying manhad shaken his fist at the heavens as thunder and lightning struck the town. (Internet source, roughguides 3)Beethoven was a man that had to deal with excruciating problems, his life wasnot some walk in the park. I believe that he was given a great gift, a gift so greatit was perfect. But that was the problem, nothing in this world is perfect, soBeethoven was given many problems to compensate for the gift he had received. With all these problems though, Beethoven over came them, he looked pain andanguish in the face and went past them. Now once someone has overcome suchodds, and uncovered their weaknesses and problems, it is then that true excellencecan be given. So in my response, I think that Beethoven was a miss understoodman, he was brilliant and powerful, but people thought to much of him, and itprovided allot of added pressure to his life. .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9 , .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9 .postImageUrl , .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9 , .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9:hover , .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9:visited , .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9:active { border:0!important; } .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9:active , .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9 .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u45a8dea172272d9570d685c778bb3ab9:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Effects of Maternal Employment on Infant Developme EssayBibliography PageInternet source: Ludwig Van Beethoven,http://www-2.roughguides.com/music/classical/cla_bee.htmlInternet source: Biography of Beethoven,http//www.geocities.com/Vienna/Strasse/2914/beethoven/beetbio.htmlBook Source: Beethoven and his World, by Alan Kendall

On Guard, Mr. Opponent! Searching for the Logical Fallacies in October Debates. Obama vs. Romney

Introduction: In Search for the Graphic Illustrations of Fallacies In the ideal world where the laws of human nature are inapplicable to political leaders, debates can probably run without any observable instances of fallacies; however, in the world of the present-day reality, winning over a political opponent in a debate presupposes using a number of tactics of logical fallacies, which will obviously represent the rival in the least favorable light possible.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on On Guard, Mr. Opponent! Searching for the Logical Fallacies in October Debates. Obama vs. Romney specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Taking the recent presidential debates as a source material for all sorts of logical fallacies that can occur during a conversation, one can easily figure out how certain logical fallacies can be applied to practice. Analyzing the conversation which Barack Obama and Mitt Romney had during t he October debates, one can see distinctly that the outcomes of the above-mentioned debates depend considerable on the public’s opinion of each of the candidates, which, in its turn, is shaped greatly by the use of the logical fallacies in the rivals’ speeches. Romney’s Fallacy of Accident or Sweeping Generalization One of the first fallacies to mention is the fallacy of accident, or sweeping generalization. According to the existing definition, sweeping generalization is â€Å"referred to as the fallacy of accident, to emphasize the irregularity of particular cases to which generalizations do not apply† (Engel 72). The aforementioned means that the fallacy of accident stretches a concrete example to the scale of a common truth. When taking a closer look at the arguments which Romney offers in his speech, one can easily notice that he actually makes a generalization of what Obama said earlier, thus, turning the entire argument upside down: And the answer is, yes, we can help, but it’s going to take a different path. Not the one we’ve been on, not the one the president describes as a top-down, cut taxes for the rich. That’s not what I’m going to do. (TheNewYorkTimes) Compared to this statement, Obama’s idea was expressed in the following way: I think it’s important for us to develop new sources of energy here in America, that we change our tax code to make sure that we’re helping small businesses and companies that are investing here in the United States. (TheNewYorkTimes)Advertising Looking for research paper on rhetoric? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Romney substituted â€Å"small businesses and companies† with â€Å"the rich†. Hence, the generalization with a fallacy turning the tables on the opponent can be spotted. An Appeal to Emotion: Mitt Romney’s Teary-Eye Stories When guided by emotions, people ma ke hasty choices, which the next fallacy makes use of. An appeal to emotion can be described as â€Å"a red herring fallacy in which a speaker attempts to persuade an audience through emotional manipulation† (Shabo 96). In the presidential debates, Mitt Romney appeals to the audience’s compassion by showing how he sympathizes with the American folk: Ann yesterday was at a rally in Denver and a woman came up to her with a baby in her arms and said, â€Å"Ann, my husband has had four jobs in three years, part-time jobs. He’s lost his most recent job and we’ve now just lost our home. Can you help us?† (TheNewYorkTimes) An obvious appeal to the audience’s emotions, this element of Romney’s speech does not bear any significance as from the rest of his argument. Used only to make the audience feel that Romney has the common touch, this part was inserted to stir people’s emotions. Obama Attacks the Opponent Personally: Touchà ©, Mr. Romney However, Obama also used a couple of tricks which can be recognized as logical fallacies. He uses the tactics known as â€Å"personal attack.† According to the definition offered by Walton, personal attack is a type of fallacy which occurs â€Å"whenever we attack a person instead of his or her argument† (Walton93). Personal attack aims to point at the weaknesses of the opponent instead of the opponent’s reasoning. Indeed, at certain point Obama tends to judge Romney’s personal features basing on the decisions which Romney makes: â€Å"The problem is that he’s been asked over 100 times how you would close those deductions and loopholes, and he hasn’t been able to identify them† (TheNewYorkTimes). Questioning Romney’s competence, the given sentence makes it clear that Obama wants to make Romney look silly in the eye of the public and, therefore, reduce his impact on the public’s opinion. The Power of Fear: Obamaâ⠂¬â„¢s Terrifying Supposition In addition to the logical fallacy mentioned above, Obama also uses another tactics of fallacy that helps him control the audience and at the same time make the opponent look bad. There is no secret that the sense of fear is registered among one of the strongest driving forces period, which means that fear is the most efficient method of controlling the audience.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on On Guard, Mr. Opponent! Searching for the Logical Fallacies in October Debates. Obama vs. Romney specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Defined as the representation of ability to protect people against the threats mentioned by the speaker (Paul and Elder 21), an appeal to fear is very efficient. Making good use of people’s sense of fear, Obama depicts the most dreadful consequences possible that can follow Romney’s politics: The approach that Governor Romney’s talking about is the same sales pitch that was made in 2001 and 2003, and we ended up with the slowest job growth in 50 years, we ended up moving from surplus to deficits, and it all culminated in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. (TheNewYorkTimes) Needless to mention, the years of Great Depression still remain one of the darkest times in the history of the USA, triggering complicated economical, financial and social issues. Hence, Obama’s remark makes a truly great impression and serves as a means to make Romney look incompetent. An Appeal to Ridicule: Romney’s Final Attempt at Winning As it has been mentioned above, fear has a great power over people; hence, to reduce the effect which the opponent has on the public, making fun of the former and, therefore, making him less significant and, thus, less threatening, is a reasonable, though not quite fair, practice. An appeal to ridicule is defined as an attempt â€Å"to show an utter incapacity for underst anding† (Cox, Nicoll and Moffatt 402). Romney uses the above-mentioned tactics in his performance, though not efficiently enough. Trying to make the rival look silly, he pokes fun at the choices which Obama makes: But don’t forget, you put $90 billion, like 50 years’ worth of breaks, into — into solar and wind, to Solyndra and Fisker and Tester and Ener1. I mean, I had a friend who said you don’t just pick the winners and losers, you pick the losers, all right? (TheNewYorkTimes) Creating a comedic effect, Romney also attempts at tarnish Obama’s reputation by assuming that the latter makes wrong choices and is highly likely to fail. Still, this attack is too obvious to be effective; instead of damaging Obama’s reputation, it harms Romney, since the audience can sense now his spite towards Obama.Advertising Looking for research paper on rhetoric? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conclusion: Constructive Arguments without Dirty Tricks Are Possible As it can be seen in the examples mentioned above, even the fairest and the most transparent debates in the world of politics are meant to incorporate all sorts of logical fallacies, which helps the opponents represent their own arguments in the best way possible, while showing the vis-à  -vis to his utmost disadvantage. However, it is important to mention that in the given case, the opponents do not abuse these methods in order to take over each other. Even though each of them resorts to a certain fallacy now and then, there is no common thread of resorting to false accusations and ridiculing of the opponent. It goes without saying that both Obama and Romney aimed at impressing the audience to win the elections rather to come to a certain conclusion in their debates. However, taking into account that the above-mentioned was actually the purpose of the debates, it is quite forgivable that both Obama and Romney res orted to using logical fallacies. Hopefully, further on debates are going to be taken to a different level, on which the opponents will represent their ideas without actually trying to get on each other’s throats, which will lead to a better representation of the future leaders’ goals and actions which are going to be undertaken after the elections. Works Cited Cox, Nicoll and Moffatt. The Expositor. Hachette, UK: Hodder Stoughton, 1894. Print. Engel, Morris S. Fallacies and Pitfalls of Language:  The Language Trap. Mineola, NY: Courier Dover Publications, 1994. Print. Paul, Richard and Linda Elder. Thinker’s Guide to Fallacies:  The Art of Mental  Trickery. Berkeley, CA: The Foundation for Critical Thinking, 2006. Print. Shabo, Magedah. Rhetoric, Logic, and Argumentation: A Guide for Student Writers. Clayton, DE: Prestwick House, 2010. Print. TheNewYorkTimes. â€Å"Complete Second Presidential Town Hall Debate 2012: Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney – Oct 16, 2012.† YouTube. YouTube, 16 Oct. 2012. Web. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEpCrcMF5Ps. Walton, Douglas N. Ad Hominem Arguments. Tuscaloosa, AL: The University of Alabama Press, 1998. Print. This research paper on On Guard, Mr. Opponent! Searching for the Logical Fallacies in October Debates. Obama vs. Romney was written and submitted by user Julian Gould to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. 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Research Paper on Retail Industry

Research Paper on Retail Industry ABSTRACT In this research paper, we take a peek into the organized retail sector of India. It started making its presence felt nearly a decade after the first lot of entrepreneurs set up shop. A brief introduction and evolution shows how the organized retailing changed its gears over the period from Panwala dhukan to chain stores across the length and breadth of India. The market size and related details gives a statistical view of increasing market in a few major areas of retailing. The major market players who enlivened the present caricature of retail sector are presented briefly along with statistics. The changing scenarios of Indian consumers give a proof to the potential opportunity in the retailing arena. SWOT and its subheads take you to the crux of analysis into retail industry. Out of which we formulated the future prospects. One major lifesaver of the Indian retailing is the advertising and promotional strategies; which comes out with innovative ways to win consumers over and keep them permanently happy. FDI in retail has been contentious issue and may face resistance, given the perceived political scenario. FDI will be a defining moment for Indian retail and how government policies effect the retail industry is given briefly to the end. INTRODUCTION AND EVOLUTION The word ‘Retailing’ refers to any activity that involves the direct sale to an individual customer or end user. Retailing has been the most active and attractive sector of the last decade. While the retailing industry itself has been present through out the history in our country, it is only the recent past that has witnessed so much dynamism. Retailing arena today is very different. It’s the latest bandwagon that has been witnessing hordes of players leaping onto it. While international retail store chains have caught the fancy of many travelers abroad, the action was missing from the Indian business scene, at least till recently. The emergence of organized retailing in India has more to do with the increasing purchasing power of buyers, specially post liberalization, increase in product variety, and the increasing economics of scale, with the aid of modern supply and distribution management solutions. The current retailing revolution has been provided impetus from multiple sources. These revolutionaries include many: Conventional stores upgrading themselves to modern retailing. Companies in competitive environments entering the market directly to ensure exclusive visibility for their products. Professional chain stores coming up to meet the need of the manufacturers who do not fall into either of the above categories. Attractiveness, accessibility and affordability seem to be the key offerings of the retailing chain. In our presentation, we shall be restricting ourselves to the Organized Retailing Sector. Organized retailing mainly comprises of Malls, Branded Stores, Specialty Stores, Departmental Stores, and Discount Stores etc. Evolution: The world first saw the emergence of retailing in the pre 1850s when the Yankee Peddlers, Bartering, Trading Posts and General stores were in place. The first departmental store was established in 1851 by the name of F R Lazarus Company in the U.S. Between 1860 and 1910, chain stores and early general stores dominated the scene. In 1932, the first super market was established in New Jersey (Big Bear). In India the retail market is as old as in the global context. However, the concept organized retailing is comparatively new. Retailing has been one of the prominent driving forces in business in India. Traditionally it has been dominated to a large extent by the unorganized sector. But the growth of the organized sector has been steadily increasing especially after liberalization of the Indian economy. The process started with the establishment of the Shopper’s Stop outlet at Andheri, Mumbai in 1991.Then, other organized retailing stores like Kids Kemp, Crossroads, RPG’s Music world, Pyramids etc followed the trend. CHANGING WAVES The change that organized retail has brought about is evident from how it has transformed the neighborhood grocery or ‘kirana’ store. Gone are the dust-coated shelves and cluttered displays and in place are neat rows of the latest products and spruced up appearance and attentive staff. Organized retail accounts for merely 2% of total retail market. The pace of development is, of course, still below the desired level but the phased growth has been strong enough to ensure that retail does not go the way some of the other ‘sunrise’ industries did following over-investment. While big retailers like Shopper’s Stop, Pantaloon, Subhishka, Food World do get some preferential treatment from large suppliers the relationship between the tow is tense to say the least. Retailers need to get the customer to spend more at their outlets before they can turn the tables on manufacturers. With mere 2% share there is precious little that organized retailing can do to get better terms from manufacturers. International retailers too have evinced interest in India’s retail market. The latest entry is that of supermarket giant from South Africa, tied up with mall developer Nirmal Lifestyle in Mulund. MORE ARE BETTER OFF Indian consumer markets Structure of Indian consumer market (2001-2002) Annual income (Rs) Classification Number of house holds (in millions) URBAN RURAL TOTAL 16,000 Destitutes 5.3 27.7 33.0 16,000-22,000 Aspirants 7.1 36.9 44.0 22,001-45,000 Climbers 16.8 37.3 54.1 45,001-215,000 Consumers 16.6 15.9 32.5 215,000 The rich 0.8 0.4FF 1.2 Total no. Of households 46.6 118.2 164.8 Source: ORG-Marg, ETIG Estimates MARKET SIZE: 2001-02 2007 CAGR (%) Large Segments 8,850 23,109 21 Other Segments 6,050 12,169 15 Non-store Retailing 1,100 1,939 12 Total Organized Retail 16,000 37,216 18 3 Large Segments FOOD Chain Stores 1,500 6,726 35 Single Large Stores others 300 746 20 1800 7,473 33 CLOTHING Manufacturing Retailers 1,350 2,715 15 Chain Stores 1,450 3,919 22 Single Large Stores others 2,150 3,789 12 4,950 10,423 16 CONSUMER DURABLES Manufacturer Retailers 650 1,307 15 Chain Stores 450 1,373 25 Single Large Stores 550 1,106 15 1,650 3,787 18 (Rs Cr) Source: ORG-Marg, ETIG Estimates ETIG has estimated the size of the organized retail industry at about Rs 16,000 crore in 2001-02. Food retailing has shown very rapid growth compared to other sectors. This sector has doubled during the last two years and is expected to grow to more than 30 percent in the next five years. No major national players has emerged in this industry yet and south still remains home to three of the largest players in the industry – Food world, subhiksha and Margin free. Apparel retailing takes a major share of Pie. This will be driven by more sales through multi-brand outlets (MBO’s) and popularity of private labels. One shop selling also saves time. Consumer durables is still in fragmented state. However large format stores are appealing to people. In the south, organized retail has a strong foothold. Vijay Sales and Akbarallys are the main players in Mumbai. A new trend has been sale of BigBazaar. Shoppers Stop too has added consumer durables to its portfolio in certain outlets. Raymond the clothing major has announced a proposed investment of Rs15 crores in a venture that will undertake consumer durables retailing. These developments may mark the beginning of a new era in consumer durables retailing but only time will tell if organized retail can capture a larger share of the durable retailing market. Manufacturer retailer stores form the largest category followed by chain stores. Single large stores will continue to be the key players though their growth rates may not be as high. The following is the list of major players in major cities in India: MAJOR PLAYERS THEIR MARKET SHARE (2001-2002) No of Stores Turn over (Rs Cr) Sales(Rs. Cr) MUMBAI Shoppers Stop 13 256 6,250 Crossword 13 35 7,807 Globus 3 57 7,000 Pantaloon 13 149 10,000 Westside 7 93 6,786 Piramyd 2 55 11,000 Kbn 1 22 10,950 Apna bazaar 75 126 11,111 DELHI Ebony+Wordsworth 10 109 8,462 Wills Sport 29 38 6,333 Sabka bazaar 5 16 8,000 CHENNAI LifeStyle 3 76 6,522 Subhiksha 112 201 16,000 Jainsons 17 57 6,588 Food world 275 363 10,286 OTHERS Big Bazaar 3 67 12,500 Dev’s Super market 1 14 14,000 Adani Ravji 6 16 10,000 PRIORITY LIST Changing consumer behaviour: More discerning demanding lifestyle Indian household income is on the rise (Ref) Lavish life style More priority to eating out (ref) Changing priorities for consumer durables goods as per ages (Ref) Youth is emerging as a core target customer for ‘Look good feel good’ Top Six Categories Preference 1999 2000 2001 Grocery Grocery Grocery Eating out Eating out Eating out Personal care Books Music Personal care Consumer durables Personal care Books Music Clothing Clothing Consumer durables Books Music Consumer durables Clothing Source: KSA Consumer Outlook 2002 This change in purchasing power of consumer and most welcoming trends in buying behavior of consumer gave several cues to existing retailers regarding promotional activities. The potential opportunity in the retail sector can be evident from the shift in the figures over years (Ref) SPENDING ACROSS MAJOR SEGMENTS 1999 2001 2002 Grocery 47.8 48.0 42.1 Personal Care items 7.5 7.1 8.8 Home appliances 0.7 2.0 5 Savings investments 6.1 6.4 5.2 Clothing 6.5 4.7 10.5 Consumer/durables 4.8 5.5 5 * Figures indicated in the tables are in percentages. SWOT Analysis The Strength-Weakness-Opportunities-Threat analysis of the Retail industry can be done as follows: Strengths: Eliminates links in the purchasing chain (direct manufacturer-retailer-customer chain). Technology driven (hence less error prone) Consultative selling Presence of big industry houses (Tatas, Rahejas etc.) which can absorb loses. Consumer service. Variety of products under one roof. Authentic products with Guarantee (some cases) Pleasant shopping ambience. Research driven plus competent manpower. Weaknesses: Lowest per capita space in the world with 2 sq.ft/1000 (congestion) Prices more as compared to specialized shops (in India). Reluctance of people (Middle and lower class) Non-availability of huge land spaces at prime slots (especially in the metros) High overhead and labor costs. Opportunities: Lifestyle changes or status consciousness (NRS Survey) Ready availability of real estate in smaller towns. Improved sourcing options. Increasing time pressure for Indian woman. Focus on more quality, variety and easy availability under one roof. Increase in disposable income (NRS Survey) Feel and touch shopping. No foreign competition. Increasing media exposure to brand. Threats: Roadside bargains. Other retail outlets (organized and unorganized) Personal and homely attention at smaller Shops Availability of credit at other retail (unorganized) outlets. Competition from unorganized sector. Government policies. Problems Paucity of expert management and trained staff. Ban on FDI. Political considerations. Lack of recognization of importance of retailing as a driver of economic growth. High cost of real estate at ‘hot locations’. Complex regulatory regime. Population with diverse cultural background. Fragmented makeup of the consuming market, complex geographical culture structure. Poor infrastructural linkages. Ease of Entry and Exit by players Complex business that requires substantial skills in areas like logistics 2P’s-Property and Personnel are the biggest problems to venture into retailing, since huge area (approx. 1,00,000 square feet) is required for setting up a high-class retailing outlet. Also there’s a dearth of skilled personnel in retailing since it is still thought of a low-class, low paying jobs. Huge marketing required after setting up an organized retailing shop (full-line stores) since competition is with local retailers (unorganized) who are well acquainted with local needs. Huge infrastructure required for setting up an organized retailing shop (Power, logistics systems etc.) GROWTH DRIVERS FOR RETAILING SECTOR Organized retailing is spreading and making its present felt in different parts of the country. Several growth drivers are responsible for this boom of retail industry. There has been an increase in the presence of MNCs. The industrial boom has led to the emergence of new residential areas with aggregation of professionals as well as rapid increase in the number of ‘double-income’ households and growth of the rich/upper middle class with increased purchasing power. This has been combined with the increasing need for touch and feel shopping, especially for the large migrant population. All these factors have together acted favorably in nurturing the industry. One of the main influences in the growth of retail industry is the consumer pull. In fact this seems to be the most important driving factor behind the sustenance of the industry. With the increase in double-income households, working women, there is an increasing pressure on time with very little time available for leisure. So under these circumstances people are preferring the convenience of one stop shopping. They are also seeking speed and efficiency in processing, as a result. Being more aware, consumers are on the lookout for more information, better quality, hygiene and as well as increased customer service. These changes in consumer behavior also augur well for the retail industry. ADVERTISING PROMOTIONAL STRATEGIES Retail, today is a combination of revolution and evolution. The retail industry will continue to evolve and change. With increasing interest in non-store retailing (catalogue shopping, online shopping, home delivery), companies will have to redefine and plan new shopping environments that make shopping experience as enjoyable as possible. While unique displays add flavor to the stores interior, merchandising displays help the customer learn about a product and to promote an impulse purchase. The present study further confirms that displays play a very significant role in increasing sales. MERCHANDISING: Successful retailers today have found that they can dramatically increase their sales by merchandising items in a way that creates good impression. The term merchandising can be defined as â€Å"the promotion of a product by developing strategies for packaging and displaying it. Effective merchandising can help generate more customer traffic, amplify repeat business, increase no of customers who make purchases and increase the size of the purchases that take place- all leading to increase sales. In-store merchandising is no longer a commodities-driven method of organizing a product at retail, but rather the last three feet of any comprehensive and integrated marketing plan. Merchandising plays a crucial role in leveraging brands, since it talks to the consumer when money, product and willingness to buy converge at the retail outlet. The KSA consumer outlook study (2000) in India established that 75% of consumers look out for attractive display in a store. The other important attribu tes were Satisfaction with stores Attributes % Of respondents looking out for this attribute in a retail outlet. Polite courteous sales people 86.1 Quality of products 85.9 Non-intrusive sales people 76.2 Value for money 75.1 Attractive displays 75.0 Range of products 65.8 Schemes promotions 48.8 Exchange/ return policy 44.1 A trial room 32.0 Acceptance of credit cards 25.1 An entertainment center for children 10.0 The price is the most important influencer. It is almost doubly important than retailer suggestion (push). There is a very thin line between schemes and brand name. This means even a new brand backed by good schemes and reasonable price can find favor with the customer. Also providing incentives to the retailer to push the brand may not be a sound strategy after all. Displays scored better than retailer suggestion. This implies eye-catching displays can do wonders to brand sales. Key success factors for a display are: Sales force must be aware of the objective of the display and the retailer must share the same. The retail outlet must fit the profile for the display strategy. All key elements of design and merchandising must be coordinated to get the right effect. Sales force must scan the surrounding environment to gauge the effect of climate as well as competition on proposed place of display. The height of display must be such that it meets the eye level of customer. Above all displays must be eye catching. Hence some time must be spent to maintain the display on repeat visits by sales force. Currently, domestic discount formats within the organized retail market include The Home Stores Sabka Bazaar, Giant, Big Bazaar and the Tirupati Group-owned Hum Sabka Dilli Bazaar and each of them is bang on course. Mr. Sanjeev Kapoor, Managing Director of the recently-set-up Dilli Bazaar, for example, intends to sell FMCG products at anywhere between 3-30 per cent below MRP. Offering flat rates on specific days is also becoming common at discount stores such as these. According to Mr Kapoor, Bulk buying directly from the company cuts down on the distribution and dealer margins significantly, which makes such discounting possible. In order to survive in todays tough retail climate, companies must continually innovate in ways to create stronger, more direct links with their customers. At the same time retailers must focus on the most demanding customers who want customization, value and service. New store designs must assault the consumers sense of sight, sound, Taste, touch and smell-preferably all at the same time. In this environment, merchandising and esp. displays is more important than ever, as being top-of-mind will keep the brand growing. Impact of retail sector in India: In India, the retail sector is the second largest employer after agriculture. The retail industry in India is estimated to employ about 10% of the total labor force. The retail industry in India is enjoying boom time and job opportunities in retailing have been increasing. In fact, retailing has emerged as a new stream of management curriculum, providing new areas of employment. The retailing sector in India is highly fragmented and predominantly consists of small independent, owner-managed shops. Given the size, and the geographical, cultural and socio-economic diversity of India, there is no role model for Indian suppliers and retailers to adapt or expand in the Indian context. Consumer perspective: Consumer response to supermarkets has been moderate because most do not have access to transportation to a supermarket and are still in the habit of buying fresh produce daily from local stores. This is mostly due to the proximity to homes and personal service of local stores. Self-serve supermarkets are a more recent phenomenon in India. These self-service stores stock a wide range of groceries, snacks, processed foods, confectionery items, and cleaning and personal care products. Many shoppers also have the perception that prices are higher at supermarkets because they are large, brightly lit, and air-conditioned. Higher-income consumers focus more on convenience and quality. In urban India, families are experiencing growth in income and dearth of time. More and more women are also turning to corporate jobs, which is adding to the family income but making lifestyles extremely busy. Rising incomes has led to increasing demand for better quality products while lack of time has led a demand for convenience and service. Government Policies Government of India (or for that matter, any of the State Governments) do not even consider this sector worthy of being deemed as an industry status or to formulate any strategy or directive to support or nurture it. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the retailing sector is not permitted yet, in order to protect the interests of the small retailers. There is a strong lobby of small traders that has been vocal on the issue of not permitting FDI into retail. The lobby is based on the premise that modern retail will impact the livelihood of millions of small family-run businesses. Since 1997, the government has barred foreign participation in the retail sector, except for the cash-and-carry wholesale route where wholesalers cannot open retail shops to sell to consumers directly, 100 percent foreign ownership is permitted, and for franchising. However, the Commerce Department is considering a proposal to allow 100% FDI in department stores and 5-star shopping arcades, as these would not compete with small retailers. Major Regulations and Licenses Required: Shop and establishment license NOC from Fire Brigade regarding fire safety norms Conforming to Labour Laws License for fabrics, yarn and other inflammables like cosmetics IPRS, PPL CONCLUSION The task lying ahead of Indian retail is an onerous one. After grappling against the wild tides of the past decade, a few perseverant players have evolved into mature players and are confident of the way ahead. Plenty of opportunity exists and the formidable task is to tap this opportunity, in a unique country like India. The huge potential can be tapped if the following three aspects are stressed: What does it take to make a customer walk into your store and buy products How many such outlets can we open across the country to achieve national status and more importantly economies of scale. There should be a clear-cut vision and perseverance to dig in their heels and wait for the returns that will kick in only a few years later. The retail industry in India is witnessing a high level of organized business activity CRM, supply chain management, visual merchandising customer loyalty programs are now buzzwords in the industry. No where is this transformation more evident than in the organized retail segment for apparel and lifestyle products which is expected to grow at more than 25% to reach Rs12850 crores by 2005. Retail may soon see FDI coming in. After an initial set back, the Indian retailers are now coping up in a phased manner. The backend front end are equally geared up. The key players in the market have learnt to live up with the existing problems and find innovative solution to work around them and the day is not far-off when organized retailing becomes the primary way of selling. Future Prospects  · The size of the industry is estimated at 16,000 crore and is growing at the rate of 18-20 percent per annum. ETIG (Economic times estimate guide) estimates that the retailing industry will cross the 37,000 crore sales mark by the year 2007 and could even exceed this level if the flow of investment in the sector accelerate.  · Departmental stores are coming up in most cities and many more are planned to be opening in the coming years.  · An increase in purchasing power (NRS survey) of the urban population is leading to a higher demand for better lifestyle which is leading to a need for better shopping ambience, superior quality products and improved service. All these factors form the basis for organized retailing.  · With the advent of modern technology, Indian retailers have been spending more on setting up IT systems, which augurs well for the retail industry.  · If FDI is allowed into organized retail, it will be a defining moment into Indian retail as it will allow more foreign players into organized retail, which will lead to increased competition and hence improvement in performance and quality. Rural Market: Indian retailing is currently largely urban and based on models emulated from the US. What is missing is a clear connection to Indian realities. There is a huge untapped potential in the rural market for retailing. India’s rural market stated as a percentage of world population is 12.2 percent. Rural households in India form about 72 percent of the total households- a huge market. Even the current consumption of certain durables and non- durables by rural customers is more than that of urban consumers. Also literacy rates in villages have increased considerably, thus bringing about a shift in consumer tastes. The Hariyali Kisan Bazar (HKB), initiated by the Delhi-based DCM Shriram Consolidated Ltd, is one model catering to retailing in rural areas. It is located at a place close to Shahjahanpur, 167km from Lucknow. It is a retail store that specifically caters to rural people. It has targeted the farmers supplying sugarcane to the sugar mill next door as the main customer. In addition to providing functional products, it also provides farmers with certain other value added services like computerized transactions, touch-screen info kiosk, technical advisory services. Thus, whoever would follow their footsteps and go for retailing in the rural areas stand to gain a lot. The time to shift the gears and accelerate the pace of retail development has arrived and it is up to retailers and potential investors to get their show on the roads. Some retailers are doing this and have massive expansion plans in place. WE NEED MORE LIKE THEM. PROFILE OF SOME MAJOR MARKET PLAYERS SHOPPERS STOP Shoppers Stop, a K. Raheja Group company, started its operations in 1991 with a mega retail store in Andheri, Mumbai. It is one of the major retailers in India with 13 stores across the country out of which 5 are operational in Mumbai. Its main area of business consists of apparel and accessories. One of the executives of Shoppers Stop Mr. Rajesh Shetty, Department Manager of Chembur outlet provided valuable information about the organization. Competitors: Lifestyle Big Bazaar Pantaloons Target segment: It is has been its strategy to target â€Å"higher income group† consumers. Although it has been quite a smaller group in India but they target the entire share of the consumer’s wallet. Customer Policy: The USP of Shoppers Stop is customer service. It focuses on customer loyalty and tries to promote shopping as an experience. Shoppers Stop boasts of being Third in the country in terms of loyal customer base with 3.5 lac customers to its credit. As it is, 60% of its sales are through loyalty programme called First Citizen Club. HR Policies: Shoppers Stop generally recruits undergraduates for its floor operations. Like any other retail business they also suffer from higher attrition rate. It organizes meets and get-togethers for its employees. Future Plans: Shoppers Stop strategy about future expansion is that it intends to exploit the cosmopolitan cities in India to the fullest. In the next phase it would be expanding to the other major Indian cities. Keeping this objective in mind it is planning to increase its store line from 13 to 38 in the next year. In addition, it also plans to open its outlet in Dubai. WILLS LIFESTYLE Beginning with its initial offering of Wills Sport premium relaxed wear from the first store at South Extension, New Delhi in July 2000, ITC has in a short span of time expanded its basket of offerings to the formal segment with Wills Classic formal wear and to the social evening segment with Wills Clublife, evening wear. There are currently 48 stores in 38 cities across the length and breadth of the country and these have established themselves as preferred shopping destinations in the prime shopping districts. At the Images Fashion Awards 2001, ‘Wills Lifestyle’ was declared Most Admired Exclusive Retail Chain of the year†. Wills Classic formal wear, launched in November 2002, is positioned as the brand for New Age Leaders, who encourage teamwork, innovation and enterprise, breaking the shackles of hierarchy and domination. ITC launched Wills Clublife in May 2003 in the growing eveningwear segment, thereby strengthening its portfolio in the premium segment. ITC l aunched its brand of men’s apparel in the popular segment, ‘John Players’, in December 2002. TRENT STORES Introduction: Trent Ltd.’s Westside stores promise customers an international shopping experience and value-for-money. High quality, contemporary designs and a plethora of products have been successfully balanced to create the ultimate shopping experience. Location: What began as just one store at Bangalore has now expanded to other cities, such as Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, New Delhi, Pune, Kolkata, Nagpur and Ahmedabad. The Westside stores have several departments to meet the varied shopping needs of customers. These include the menswear, womenswear, lingerie, kidswear, household accessories, cosmetics and perfumes sections. Complementing the shopping ambience is a coffee shop, CafÐ ¹ West, managed by the Taj Group. Strategy: Trent has primarily focused on garments and accessories. It has decided to build in-store brands rather than stock established brands. This would be beneficial for the company over long term, as margins earned on own brands will be higher. Customer Policy: Trent has positioned its products in the value for money segment by offering premium quality products at affordable prices. The company proposes to start 12 stores all over the country in the next 2 years. The companys business can be categorized into two divisions, namely, Apparels division and other products division. During FY 2000 the companys apparels division contributed 98% of the total sales of Rs336mn. (of the total turnover of Rs495mn Rs336 came from sales of goods and rest form income from current investments) rest 2% came from other products division. During the year FY00 the company sold 1.23mn units of apparels at an average realization of Rs267 per unit. The realizations increased by 26% over that of previous year. During the year of the total sales 85.4% were finished goods purchases and rest was in-house manufacturing.

Moment Generating Functions of Random Variables

Moment Generating Functions of Random Variables One way to calculate the mean and variance of a probability distribution is to find the expected values of the random variables X and X2. We use the notation E(X) and E(X2) to denote these expected values. In general, it is difficult to calculate E(X) and E(X2) directly. To get around this difficulty, we use some more advanced mathematical theory and calculus. The end result is something that makes our calculations easier. The strategy for this problem is to define a new function, of a new variable t that is called the moment generating function. This function allows us to calculate moments by simply taking derivatives. Assumptions Before we define the moment generating function, we begin by setting the stage with notation and definitions. We let X be a discrete random variable. This random variable has the probability mass function f(x). The sample space that we are working with will be denoted by S. Rather than calculating the expected value of X, we want to calculate the expected value of an exponential function related to X. If there is a positive real number r such that E(etX) exists and is finite for all t in the interval [-r, r], then we can define the moment generating function of X. Definition The moment generating function is the expected value of the exponential function above. In other words, we say that the moment generating function of X is given by: M(t) E(etX) This expected value is the formula ÃŽ £ etx f (x), where the summation is taken over all x in the sample space S. This can be a finite or infinite sum, depending upon the sample space being used. Properties The moment generating function has many features that connect to other topics in probability and mathematical statistics. Some of its most important features include: The coefficient of etb is the probability that X b.Moment generating functions possess a uniqueness property. If the moment generating functions for two random variables match one another, then the probability mass functions must be the same. In other words, the random variables describe the same probability distribution.Moment generating functions can be used to calculate moments of X. Calculating Moments The last item in the list above explains the name of moment generating functions and also their usefulness. Some advanced mathematics says that under the conditions that we laid out, the derivative of any order of the function M (t) exists for when t 0. Furthermore, in this case, we can change the order of summation and differentiation with respect to t to obtain the following formulas (all summations are over the values of x in the sample space S): M’(t) ÃŽ £ xetx f (x)M’’(t) ÃŽ £ x2etx f (x)M’’’(t) ÃŽ £ x3etx f (x)M(n)’(t) ÃŽ £ xnetx f (x) If we set t 0 in the above formulas, then the etx term becomes e0 1. Thus we obtain formulas for the moments of the random variable X: M’(0) E(X)M’’(0) E(X2)M’’’(0) E(X3)M(n)(0) E(Xn) This means that if the moment generating function exists for a particular random variable, then we can find its mean and its variance in terms of derivatives of the moment generating function. The mean is M’(0), and the variance is M’’(0) – [M’(0)]2. Summary In summary, we had to wade into some pretty high-powered mathematics, so some things were glossed over. Although we must use calculus for the above, in the end, our mathematical work is typically easier than by calculating the moments directly from the definition.

Religion and TV Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Religion and TV - Essay Example Each of these theories, in turn, yields specific hypotheses for empirical tests. Informational Needs: A Theory of Social Influence Giddy and Pritchard (1985) applied the theory of "informational needs" (Harris and McCombs 1975) to help explain variation in viewing religious TV programming. They did not, however, point out that this theory has its roots in a theory of religious influence promulgated by White (1968). In particular, White's conceptualization of how individuals acquire religious values, broader moral orientations, and other attitudes with motivational consequences was focused on the interactional forces at work within specific communities and congregations. For Catholics, this approach would view members' attitudes and behaviors as grounded in a specific parish context. Such an approach would appear quite valuable for understanding patterns of exposure to religious media For example, it would not be surprising if parishioners communicated their religious orientations to one another during various parish-related activities, thus reinforcing even greater levels of interest in religious values and orientations. Such heightened interest might likely be expressed through greater consumption of Catholic religious programming, as parishioners attempted to gain more religious information and knowledge from these programs. Parishioners who were less integrated into parish activities and networks, and thus less exposed to the forms of interaction that would promote the growth of such "informational needs," would probably be less likely to view this type, or any type, of programming. Thus, it is our hypothesis that those individuals with a greater number of ties to a parish congregation, who interact more frequently with other members of the parish community, and who are more involved in parish life would be more likely to consume Catholic religious programming than other types of programming. Justifies offered to support financial assistance There are several additional questions, which cannot be explored with our data, also emerge. What is the actual content of the support of financial assistance primarily for spiritual growth and development, the increase in religious television programming, both locally and nationally, clearly make this an area of research to be pursued. In addition, the commitment of mainline religions to increase their presence on the television airwaves suggests that religious institutions have implicit theories about why home viewers attempt to participate in financial matters with a spirit. The viewers offering utilities against the contributions return Pentecostal. A principal theme of these programs is that "right thinking" must be wed with the charismatic gifts (charisma) of the early Church (for example, glossolalia, prophecy, and d vine heating). Glossolalia is often interpreted as evidence that an individual has received the fullness of the Spirit. Pentecostal spokespersons agree in their d istinctive doctrines, the Pentecostal experience, d vine healing and fundamentalism; however, in other matters there is wide diversity Neo-Pentecostal: These programs utilize spokespersons who practice the Pentecostal experience but who remain members of non-Pentecostal denominations. In these glossolalia is practiced but not regarded as more important than other charisma. Prosperity Preachers: Programs featuring Pentecostal and neo-Pentecostal evangelists who, claiming revelational knowledge, propagate the idea that God has already guaranteed not only spiritual comfort and physical healing but also material prosperity. Believers are taught that they can have any and