Tax Evasion & the Black Economy

TAX EVASION It is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability and includes in particular dishonest tax reporting, such as declaring less income, profits or gains than actually earned or overstating deductions.Tax evasion is an activity commonly associated with the informal economy and one measure of the extent of tax evasion is the amount of unreported income, namely the difference between the amount of income that should legally be reported to the tax authorities and the actual amount reported, which is also sometimes referred to as the tax gap. Tax avoidance, on the other hand, is the legal utilization of the tax regime to one's own advantage to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law.Both tax evasion and avoidan ce can be viewed as forms of tax noncompliance, as they describe a range of activities that are unfavorable to a state's tax system, though such characterization of tax avoidance is suspect, given that avoidance operates lawfully, within self-creating systems Smuggling Smuggling is importation or exportation of foreign products by unauthorized means. Smuggling is resorted to for total evasion of customs duties, as well as for the importation of contraband items.A smuggler does not have to pay any customs duty since the products are not routed through an authorized customs port, and therefore are not subjected to declaration and payment of duties and taxes. Ten countries with the largest absolute levels of tax evasion per year. It is estimated that global tax evasion amounts to 5 percent of the global economy. During the latter half of the twentieth century, value added tax (VAT) has emerged as a modern form of consumption tax through the world, with the notable exception of the Unit ed States.Producers who collect VAT from the consumers may evade tax by under-reporting the amount of sales. The US has no broad-based consumption tax at the federal level, and no state currently collects VAT; the overwhelming majority of states instead collect sales taxes. Canada uses both a VAT at the federal level (the Goods and Services Tax) and sales taxes at the provincial level; some provinces have a single tax combining both forms. In addition, most jurisdictions which levy a VAT or sales tax also legally require their residents to report and pay the tax on items purchased in another jurisdiction.This means that those consumers who purchase something in a lower-taxed or untaxed jurisdiction with the intention of avoiding VAT or sales tax in their home jurisdiction are in fact breaking the law in most cases. Such evasion is, especially, prevalent in federal states like the Nigeria, US and Canada where sub-national jurisdictions have the constitutional power to charge varying rates of VAT or sales tax. In Nigeria for example, some local states enforce VAT on each goods sold by trader. The price must be clearly stated and the VAT distinct from the price of the good purchased.Any act by the trader contrary to this (like including VAT in the price of the goods) is punishable as attempting to syphoning the VAT. Borders between tax districts in the same nation usually lack the resources to enforce tax collection on goods carried in private vehicles from one district to another, so states only pursue sales and use tax collection on high-value items such as cars. Government response The level of evasion depends on a number of factors, one of them being fiscal equation.People's tendency to evade income tax declines when the return for due payment of taxes is not obvious. Evasion also depends on the efficiency of the tax administration. Corruption by the tax officials often render control of evasion difficult. Tax administrations resort to various means for plugg ing in scope of evasion and increasing the level of enforcement. Corruption by tax officials Corrupt tax officials cooperate with the tax payers who intend to evade taxes. When they detect an instance of evasion, they refrain from reporting in return for illegal gratification or bribe.Corruption by tax officials is a serious problem for the tax administration in a huge number of underdeveloped and southern European countries. Level of evasion and punishment Tax evasion is a crime in almost all developed countries and subjects the guilty party to fines and/or imprisonment. In Switzerland, many acts that would amount to criminal tax evasion in other countries are treated as civil matters. Dishonestly misreporting income in a tax return is not necessarily considered a crime. Such matters are handled in the Swiss tax courts, not the criminal courts. In Switzerland, however, some tax misconduct is criminal, for example, deliberate falsification of records. Moreover, civil tax transgressi ons may give rise to penalties. It is often considered that extent of evasion depends on the severity of punishment for evasion. Normally, the higher the evaded amount, the higher the degree of punishment. BLACK ECONOMY / BLACK MARKET Is the economy in which illegal goods are traded. Due to the nature of the goods traded, the economy itself is forced to operate outside the formal economy, supported by the established state power.Typically the totality of such activity is referred to with the definite article as a complement to the official economies, by market for such goods and services, e. g. â€Å"the black market in bush meat†. The black market is distinct from the grey market, in which commodities are distributed through channels which, while legal, are unofficial, unauthorized, or unintended by the original manufacturer, and the white market, the legal market for goods and services. Worldwide, the underground economy is estimated to have provided 1. 8 billion jobs. Back groundThe literature on the black market has avoided a common usage and has instead offered a plethora of appellations including: subterranean; hidden; grey; shadow; informal; clandestine; illegal; unobserved; unreported; unrecorded; second; parallel and black. This profusion of vague labels attests to the confusion of a literature attempting to explore a largely uncharted area of economic activity. There is no single black economy; there are many. These black economies are omnipresent, existing in market oriented as well as in centrally planned nations, be they developed or developing.Those engaged in underground activities circumvent, escape or are excluded from the institutional system of rules, rights, regulations and enforcement penalties that govern formal agents engaged in production and exchange. Different types of underground activities are distinguished according to the particular institutional rules that they violate. Five specific underground economies can be identified: 1. Illegal Economy 2. Unreported Economy 3. Unrecorded Economy 4. Informal Economy 5. Criminal Acts 1. ILLEGAL ECONOMYThe â€Å"illegal economy† consists of the income produced by those economic activities pursued in violation of legal statutes defining the scope of legitimate forms of commerce. Illegal economy participants engage in the production and distribution of prohibited goods and services, such as drug trafficking, arms trafficking, and prostitution. 2. UNREPORTED ECONOMY The â€Å"unreported economy† consists of those economic activities that circumvent or evade the institutionally established fiscal rules as codified in the tax code.A summary measure of the unreported economy is the amount of income that should be reported to the tax authority but is not so reported. A complementary measure of the unreported economy is the â€Å"tax gap†, namely the difference between the amount of tax revenues due the fiscal authority and the amount of tax revenue a ctually collected. 3. UNRECORDED ECONOMY The â€Å"unrecorded economy† consists of those economic activities that circumvent the institutional rules that define the reporting requirements of government statistical agencies.A summary measure of the unrecorded economy is the amount of unrecorded income, namely the amount of income that should (under existing rules and conventions) be recorded in national accounting systems (e. g. National Income and Product Accounts) but is not. Unrecorded income is a particular problem in transition countries that switched from a socialist accounting system to UN standard national accounting. New methods have been proposed for estimating the size of the unrecorded (non-observed) economy. But there is still little consensus concerning the size of the unreported economies of transition countries. 4.INFORMAL ECONOMY The â€Å"informal economy† comprises those economic activities that circumvent the costs and are excluded from the benefits and rights incorporated in the laws and administrative rules covering property relationships, commercial licensing, labor contracts, torts, financial credit and social security systems. A summary measure of the informal economy is the income generated by economic agents that operate informally. The informal sector is defined as the part of an economy that is not taxed, monitored by any form of government, or included in any gross national product (GNP), unlike the formal economy.In developed countries the informal sector is characterized by unreported employment. This is hidden from the state for tax, social security or labor law purposes but is legal in all other aspects. On the other hand, the term black market can be used in reference to a specific part of the economy in which contraband is traded. Pricing Goods acquired illegally take one of two price levels: They may be cheaper than legal market prices. The supplier does not have to pay for production costs or taxes. This is us ually the case in the black economy.Criminals steal goods and sell them below the legal market price, but there is no receipt, guarantee, and so forth. They may be more expensive than legal market prices. The product is difficult to acquire or produce, dangerous to handle or not easily available legally, if at all. If goods are illegal, such as some drugs, their prices can be vastly inflated over the costs of production. Black market can form part of border trade near the borders of neighboring jurisdictions with little or no border control if there are substantially different tax rates, or where goods are legal on one side of the border but not on the other.Products that are commonly smuggled like this include alcohol and tobacco. However, not all border trade is illegal. Prostitution Prostitution is illegal or highly regulated in most countries across the world. These places form a classic study of the black economy, because of consistent high demand from customers, relatively hig h pay, but labor intensive and low skilled work, which attracts a continual supply of workers. While prostitution exists in every country, studies show that it tends to flourish more in poorer countries, and in areas with large numbers of unattached men, such as around military bases.Prostitutes in the black market generally operate with some degree of secrecy, sometimes negotiating prices and activities through codewords and subtle gestures. In countries such as the Netherlands, where prostitution is legal but regulated, illegal prostitutes exist whose services are offered cheaper without regard for the legal requirements or procedures— health checks, standards of accommodation, and so on. In other countries such as Nicaragua where legal prostitution is regulated, hotels may require both parties to identify themselves, to prevent the rise of child prostitution. WeaponsFire Arms trafficking The legislatures of many countries forbid or restrict the personal ownership of weapon s. These restrictions can range from small knives to firearms, either altogether or by classification (e. g. caliber, automation, etc. ), and explosives. The black market supplies the demands for weaponry that cannot be obtained legally, or may only be obtained legally after obtaining permits and paying fees. This may be by smuggling the arms from countries where they were bought legally or stolen, or by stealing from arms manufacturers within the country itself, using insiders.In cases where the underground economy is unable to smuggle firearms, they can also satisfy requests by gunsmithing their own firearms. Those who may buy this way include criminals to use for illegal activities, gun collectors, and otherwise law abiding citizens interested in protecting their dwellings, families or businesses. Illegally logged timber Illegally logged timber is a huge problem. According to interpol, the illegal logging industry is worth almost as much as drug production industry, in some count ries. Animals and animal productsIvory trade / Wildlife trade In many developing countries, living animals are captured in the wild and sold as pets. Wild animals are also hunted and killed for their meat, hide, organs, †¦ Organs and other animal parts are sold for use in traditional medicine. Alcohol / Tobacco It has been reported that smuggling one truckload of cigarettes from a low-tax US state to a high-tax state can lead to a profit of up to $2 million. The low-tax states are generally the major tobacco producers, and have come under enormous criticism for their reluctance to increase taxes.Biological Organs Trade Organ trade is the trade involving inner organs (heart, liver, kidneys, etc. ) of a human for transplantation. There is a worldwide shortage of organs available for transplantation, yet trade in human organs is illegal in all countries except Iran. The problem of organ trafficking is widespread, although data on the exact scale of the organ market is difficult to obtain. Whether or not to legalize the organ trade, and the appropriate way to combat illegal trafficking, is a subject of much debate. Software piracyStreet vendors in countries where there is scant enforcement of copyright law, particularly in Asia and Latin America, often sell deeply discounted copies of films, music CDs, and computer software such as video games, sometimes even before the official release of the title. A determined counterfeiter with a few hundred dollars can make copies that are digitally identical to an original and suffer no loss in quality; innovations in consumer DVD and CD writers and the widespread availability of cracks on the Internet for most forms of copy protection technology make this cheap and easy to do.

Paul’s Missionary Journey Essay

The Apostle Paul was the great leader in the momentous transition which characterized the apostolic age, the transition from a prevailingly Jewish to a prevailingly gentile Christianity. Under his guidance Christianity was saved from atrophy’ and death, which threatened it if it remained confined in Palestine. At the same time, by reason of his insight into the truth of the Gospel and fidelity to it, as well as by his devotion to the Old Testament and loyalty to the highest Jewish ideals in which he had been reared, he saved Christianity from the moral and religious degeneracy to which it would surely have been brought if it had broken with its past, and had tried to stand alone and helpless amid the whirl of Greek religious movements of the first and second Christian centuries. In Paul a great force of onward movement and a profound and conscious radicalism were combined with fundamentally conservative principles. Paul appears to have been born at not far from the same time as Jesus Christ. According to Acts, Paul was born in Tarsus (Acts 9:11; etc. ), received the double name Saul/Paul (13:9), and through his family possessed Tarsian and Roman citizenship (22:25-29 (Murphy-O’Connor 32-33). Overall, Paul can be described as an able and thoroughly trained Jew, who had gained from his residence in a Greek city that degree of Greek education which complete familiarity with the Greek language and the habitual use of the Greek translation of the Scriptures could bring. At bottom he ever remained the Jew, in his feelings, his background of ideas, and his mode of thought, but he knew how to make tolerably intelligible to Greek readers the truths in which, as lie came to believe, lay the satisfaction of their deepest needs. At Jerusalem Paul entered ardently into the pursuit of the Pharisaic ideal of complete conformity in every particular to the Law. He was, he tells us, â€Å"found blameless† (to every eye but that of his own conscience), and, he says, â€Å"I advanced in the Jews’ religion beyond many of mine own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers†. With fiery passion he entered into the persecution of the Christian sect, was present and took a kind of part at the murder of Stephen, and undertook to carry on the work of suppression outside of Palestine at Damascus, whither he journeyed for this purpose with letters of introduction from the authorities at Jerusalem (Murphy-O’Connor 52-57). At this time took place his conversion. That he was converted, and at or near Damascus, his own words leave no doubt. â€Å"I persecuted,† he says in writing to the Galatians, â€Å"the Church of God. . . But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me, even from my mother’s womb, and called me through his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the gentiles; straightway I conferred not with flesh and blood: neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me: but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned unto Damascus† (Gal i. 13-17). The change evidently presented itself to Paul’s mind as a direct divine interposition in his life. It came to him in a revelation of Jesus Christ, whereby (and through no human intermediary) he received the Gospel which he preached, and the commission to be an apostle. He refers to it as to a single event and an absolute change of direction, not a gradual process and development; the two parts of his life stood sharply contrasted, he did not conceive that he had slid by imperceptible stages from one to the other. â€Å"What things [i. e. his advantages of birth and Jewish attainment] were gain to me, these have I counted loss for Christ . . . or whom I suffered† — as if in a single moment —†the loss of all things† (Phil. iii. 7. 8). From Paul’s own words, then, we know that he was converted from a persecutor to a Christian, at a definite time and at or near Damascus, by what he considered to be the direct interposition of God; and it seems to be this experience of which he thought as a vision of the risen Christ (Hubbard 176-77). After Paul’s conversion, which took place in the latter part of the reign of Tiberius (14-37 a. d. ), about fifteen years passed before the missionary career began of which we have knowledge from Acts and from Paul’s own epistles. During this time Paul was first in Arabia, that is in some part of the empire of which Damascus was the most famous city, then in Damascus, and later, after a brief visit to Jerusalem, in Cilicia, doubtless at his old home Tarsus. In this period we may suppose that he was adjusting his whole system of thought to the new centre which had established itself in his mind, the Messiahship of Jesus. With the new basis in mind every part of his intellectual world must have been thought through. Especially, we may believe, will he have studied the relation of Christian faith to the old dispensation and to the ideas of the prophets. The fruit of these years we have in the matured thought of the epistles. They show a steadiness of view and a readiness of resource in the use of the Old Testament, which testify to through work in the time of preparation. Epistles written years apart, like Galatians, Romans and Philippians, surprise us by their uniformity of thought and unstrained similarity of language, in spite of the richness and vivacity of Paul’s thought and style. So, for the most part, the characteristic ideas even of Epliesians and Colossians are found suggested in germ in Corinthians and the earlier epistles. Paul’s epistles represent the literary flowering of a mind prepared by years of study and reflection (Murphy-O’Connor 90-95). At Paul’s missionary journey and the beginning then made of churches in Asia Minor we have already looked in a previous chapter. After his return to Antioch followed that great and pivotal occasion of early Christian history, the so-called Council, or Conference, at Jerusalem, described in the fifteenth chapter of Acts and by Paul in the second chapter of Galatians. At that time Paul established his right to carry on the work of Christian missions in accordance with his own principles and his own understanding of the Christian religion. His relation with the Twelve Apostles seems then and at all times to have been cordial. His difficulties came from others in the Jewish Church. To this we know of only one exception, apparently somewhat later than the Conference, the occasion at Antioch when Peter under pressure from Jerusalem withdrew from fellowship with the gentile brethren, and called out from Paul the severe rebuke of which we read in Galatians. There is reason to believe that the rebuke accomplished its purpose. At any rate, at a later time there is no evidence of a continued breach. The idea of missionary travel had evidently taken possession of Paul, for after returning from Jerusalem to Antioch he soon started out again, and was incessantly occupied with missionary work from now until the moment of his arrest at Jerusalem. Leaving Antioch on his second journey he and his companions hurried across Asia Minor, stopping only, it would appear, to revisit and inspect churches previously established. They were led by the Holy Spirit, as the writer of Acts believed, to direct their course westward as rapidly as possible to Greece, which was to be the next stage in the path to the capital of the world. In Macedonia and Achaia Paul and his companions worked with varying success at Philippi, Thessalonica, Ber? a, Athens, Corinth. At Corinth, the chief commercial city of Greece, the Christians arrived in the late autumn. The work opened well, and Paul remained at that important centre until a year from the following spring. The date of his arrival cannot be exactly determined, but is probably one of the five years between 49 and 53 a. d. While at Corinth he wrote the First and (if it is genuine) the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians. Somewhere about this time, perhaps before leaving Antioch for this journey, the Epistle to the Galatians was written. The churches of Galatia, to which it is addressed, were probably the churches known to us in Acts as Pisithan Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. After a flying trip to Syria and perhaps to Jerusalem Paul returned to Ephesus in Asia Minor, where he settled down for a stay of three years. A few incidents of this period have been recorded in the Book of Acts, and are among the most striking and realistic that we have. They include a remarkable number of points of contact with facts known to us from archeological discoveries, and in no chapters of Acts is our confidence more fully reassured in the contemporary knowledge and the trustworthiness of the writer of the book. While at Ephesus Paul had much communication with Corinth, and wrote I Corinthians, which had clearly been preceded by another letter. There are indications in II Corinthians that after this he found the difficulties in the church at Corinth such that he wrote them at least one letter which has been lost, and made a short, and in its outcome exceedingly painful, trip to Corinth and back to Ephesus. Finally he was impelled by danger to his life to leave Ephesus, and went through Macedonia to Corinth. On the way he wrote, to prepare for his own presence, the epistle we call II Corinthians. Arriving at Corinth in the early winter he stayed until spring. His literary impulse continued active, and to this winter we owe the Epistle to the Romans. Earlier letters had been’ called out by special need in one or another church; in Romans Paul comes nearer to a systematic exposition of his theology than in any of his earlier writings. He knew the importance that would surely belong to the Christian Church of Rome. He had made up his mind to go there. But first he must go to Jerusalem, and there were dangers both from the risks of travel and from hostile men. Of each hind his life had had many examples. Accordingly he provided for the Roman Christians a clear statement of his main position, together with a reply to several of the chief objections brought against it, notably the allegations that his presentation of Christianity involves the abrogation of God’s promises to his chosen people, and that it opened the way to moral laxity. This letter Paul sent as an earnest of his own visit to Rome. He had been for a year or more supervising the collection by the churches of Asia Minor and Europe of a contribution for the poor Christians at Jerusalem; the gentile churches should thus make a repayment in carnal things to those who had made them to be partakers of their spiritual things. This contribution was now ready, and Paul himself with a group of representatives of the chief churches took ship at Philippi and Troas for Jerusalem. The voyage is narrated in detail in Acts, evidently by one who was a member of the company. At last Paul reached Jerusalem, and was well received by the church; but, followed as he was by the hatred of Jews from the Dispersion who had recognized the menace to the Jewish religion proceeding from the new sect, he was set upon by a mob, rescued only by being taken in custody by the Roman authorities, and after a series of exciting adventures which will be found admirably told in the Book of Acts, was brought to C`sarea. There he stayed a prisoner for two years and more until on the occasion of a change of Roman Governor his case was brought up for trial, when he exercised the right of a Roman citizen to appeal from the jurisdiction of the Governor to that of the imperial court at Rome. It was late autumn, but he was dispatched with a companion whom we may well believe to be Luke the beloved physician, and from whom our account certainly comes. The narrative of Paul’s voyage and shipwreck, of the winter on the island of Malta, and the final arrival at Rome early in one of the years between 58 and 62 a. d. is familiar. It is the most important document that antiquity has left us for an understanding of the mode of working an ancient ship, while the picture which it gives of Paul as a practical man is a delightful supplement to our other knowledge of him(Murphy-O’Connor 324). In Rome, while under guard awaiting trial, Paul probably wrote Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and the circular letter, seemingly intended for churches in Asia Minor, known to us as Ephesians. They show some new development of ideas long present with him, and some new thoughts to which his other writings give no parallel, and the style of some of them has changed a bit from the freshness of Galatians and Romans; but these are not sufficient reasons for denying that Paul wrote the letters. They are, indeed, as it seems to me, beyond reasonable doubt genuine. The Book of Acts ends with the words, â€Å"And he [Paul] abode two whole years in his own hired dwelling, and received all that went in unto him, preaching the Kingdom of God, and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, none forbidding him. † This period of two years is sufficient to include the composition of the four epistles to which reference has just been made, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and Epliesians, the so-called Epistles of the Captivity. What happened at the expiration of the period? Apparently Paul’s case, long postponed, then came to trial. Did it result in his release or his execution? The evidence is meager and conflicting, and opinions differ. It is perhaps a little more likely that he was released, and entered on further missionary work, probably carrying out his original purpose of pushing on with the proclamation of his Gospel to the west, and establishing it in Spain; but of this period there is no narrative. If after two years Paul’s imprisonment at Rome ended with his release, as the absence of well-founded charges against him would lead us to expect, he must have been later again apprehended, probably in connection with the persecution artfully turned against the Christians at the time of Nero’s fire in July of the year 64. It is probable that he was beheaded, to which privilege his Roman citizenship entitled him, and that he was ultimately buried on the Ostian Way at the spot where now stands the splendid basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

Women on the Texas Frontier Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Women on the Texas Frontier - Assignment Example Jacqueline Reiner points out various barriers that hindered Southern Women from moving out of the woman’s sphere; creating a scenario where only a few were able to move out of the woman’s sphere. The first barrier is associated with the fact that majority of the public offices were not open to the nineteenth century women (Jacqueline, pg. 53). The other issue that might have contributed to the essence of few women moving out of the woman’s sphere is the fact that women were only allowed to participate actively in churches, schools as well as in voluntary religious activities. The institutions of slavery during the early nineteenth century, especially among the Southern Women might have also contributed to the wide acceptance of the woman’s sphere among the white and the black women (Jacqueline, pg. 57). However, after the American Civil war, some of the Southern Women were compelled by social necessities to extend the essence of woman’s sphere to other social setting, thus they worked in public places like bars as bar tenders while a few were provided with opportunities for formal education (Jacqueline, pg. 58). On the other hand, some few women managed to join women’s organizations as well as clubs creating a scenario where only a few managed to move out of the woman’s

Pricing of real estate Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Pricing of real estate - Case Study Example Real options have been in existence since centuries and the earliest references are found in the story of Thales, a Greek philosopher. Thales predicted a bumper olive harvest and paid a large premium to local olive refiners for the right to hire their entire olive pressing facilities for a specified fee during that year's harvest season.'Thales however did not have the obligation to use the facilities and had the option to let his right lapse if he chose to do so, at the cost of losing the premium he had paid already. The bumper crop did take place and Thales exercised his real option. He allowed other producers to use the facilities he had got at a predetermined price, but at a large additional premium. Thales is said to have profited immensely by his use of the real option. Real options in real estate are best illustrated by examples. Consider a prospective home owner who identifies a dream home available at an attractive price. Several others too would have arrived at the same conclusion and may be ready to make competitive offers. The first homeowner however does not have his finances tied up and needs a fortnight to get it done. Waiting for a fortnight may push the dream home into another's possession, a situation that throws up the concept of a real option. The prospective owner could offer the seller a sum of money just to hold the property for the two weeks he needs to arrange the funds and buy the home at the offering price. If the funds don't come through or if he changes his mind, he loses the money paid, while the seller keeps the sum of money and can easily find another buyer from among the numerous others interested in buying the property. Just how much the sum paid should be involves putting a value on the real option. A similar situation may arise in the case of a real estate development company holding vacant land. The possession of vacant land confers a right or an option, but not an obligation, to develop a completed building at a future date. The value of vacant land is a consequence of this right to develop an asset, the completed construction, at a price, the cost of construction. The decision to build or not and when to build if at all, are subject to several uncertainties. The future value of the constructed building may be uncertain - if property values rise, the builder is more certain of profits, while lower values at a specified time may justify delaying construction by avoiding potential losses. Delaying the construction may make more information available, allowing for a change in land utilization, nature of the project, tenant mix, funding options etc. The option to wait itself becomes valuable. Thus the uncertainty by itself has value, and if that value can be quantified, the decision making process would become more accurate. Real options analysis thus assumes relevance and importance in real estate pricing by allowing a value to be put on uncertainty. The value of the real option increases when uncertainty about the future value of the built property increases. Thus, development of the property will take place when the value of the completed project exceeds the costs by a premium determined by a combination of uncertainty of asset value, irreversibility of the development and the choice of waiting. In many cases, projects that might have been dropped as unviable become attractive when associated real options are evaluated and quantified. In a

A study on business development and strategy of Starbucks in China Essay

A study on business development and strategy of Starbucks in China - Essay Example China has been one of the rapidly growing economies in the world with high growth opportunities. Since 1979, China has opened up the economy gradually to foreign business (UN, 2009). In December 2001, China became formally a member of World Trade Organization (WTO), which provided further incentives for increased integration with the world economy. The first Starbucks shop was opened in 1999 in Beijing and now it has 190 shops all over the mainland China. Initially, China was mainly a tea consuming nation with only very small coffee market while now reports show that the coffee consumers are rapidly growing (Starbucks, 2008). According to the latest reports, Starbucks has decided to setup China as its largest market outside North America and is now in the process of careful planning for that(The Wall street Journal,2010). In spite of the reports showing the company facing competitive pressures in several other countries, the success of the company in Chinese market deserves special m ention(ICMR,2009).In this context an analysis on the key success factors of Starbucks in Chin market, its main challenges and opportunities has important policy implications. The various external factors influencing the performance of an organization are evaluated through external analysis. Both the positive and negative trends influencing a company’s performance are evaluated through this process. The positive trends are opportunities to a company and the negative trends are the threats faced by the company. This analysis is very relevant for assessing a company’s present situation so that the company can develop new strategies or change existing strategies by making use of the opportunities and threats to the company (Coulter, 2005). This according to Coulter (2005), there are both specific environment, which influence directly the company’s strategic decision and general

Chemistry chemistry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chemistry chemistry - Essay Example (Frederick, 1979, P.67) Intramolecular forces are much stronger than intermolecular forces hence the generally higher Melting and Boiling points associated with substances that have intramolecular forces. Aluminium, being a metal would be expected to form an ionic bond with Chlorine, which is a gaseous non-metal. This is not the case however due to the very small size of the Aluminium atom, which makes the Aluminium nucleus to exert very high attractive forces on its outer electrons, making it difficult for the atom to loose electrons in order to form ionic bonds. In Aluminium Chloride, the Aluminium atom bonds to three chlorine atoms covalently by having a shared electron with each one of the chlorine atoms. (Frederick, 1979, P.73) Aluminium chloride exists as a dimer (Al2Cl6). The bonding between the two molecules is co-ordinate, using lone pairs on the Chlorine atoms. (Frederick, 1979, P.75) Magnesium has the electronic structu

Is the Texas Prison System cruel and unusual Research Paper

Is the Texas Prison System cruel and unusual - Research Paper Example Most of the challenges facing the prison system emanate from overcrowding as inmates population have maintained an exponential growth in national levels over the recent past. A law suit has been filed against Texas Prison system after ten inmates succumbed to excessive heating over the summer. In Texas prison, elements of discriminations are evident when former inmates of the prison discuss their ordeal. Some former inmates have asserted that prison warders in Texas prison despise inmates to an extent that they do not value inmates as human beings. They claim that some of their fellow inmates have died out of treatable illnesses that the warders ignore. Some have continued to affirm that Texas prison system have in many occasions prevaricated on the information of murder concerns that are related to the prison system. In Texas prison, inmates are continually committing savage of acts of violence that goes unquestioned. The eminent evidence that these acts of violence are committed in the prison shows that prison officials are perpetuating and condoning the acts. Prison officials have the capability to eliminate all sorts of unethical deed in Texas Prison and which is a commonplace for behaviors such as rape. Texas prison system is suffering from lack of accountability to abuses bestowed to inmates. Lack of accountability is perpetuated by punitive prison policies that have provided a safe haven to breed lawlessness. Most of these policies diminish people’s self-worth, self-esteem that is required to propel an individual to change behaviors in the positive ways that develops productivity once the individual re- enters the society (Clear 270). George Cole is an acclaimed professor majoring in Political Science at the University of Connecticut. He has received a lot of credit in the field of criminal justice. He has received a lot of credit for carrying out research that has led to

Man as a Social Animal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Man as a Social Animal - Essay Example It is true that man is prone to accept the things at face value and based upon that, he often pronounces his judgment or impression of the person or things or his surroundings which may have considerable influence in his perception towards those things. Indeed, it is a human failing that governs their outlook in general and is one of the main reasons that fosters conflicts in interpersonal relationship and promotes unhappiness and frustration within him. But various works of literature are proof of the fact that the writers have the huge capacity to influence the readers and make the significant impact on their decision making prowess and ideological perspectives. Rodriguez, a Mexican-American writer of eminence, openly declares in his book ‘The Scholarship Boy’ that he was immensely impressed by the author Hoggart who has written ‘Uses of Literacy’. In the writings of Hoggart, he (Rodriguez) had not only found the solace to understand the wider perspectives of the multi-cultural society but it had also helped him to identify himself with the characters, thereby helping him to come to terms with the environment that was vastly different to that of his native culture. According to him, Hoggart, through the book, had literally become his guide during his years in the college where he had gone to study on his scholarship. His working-class ideals and cultural values had been jolted by a culture shock that he had faced at the college premises. His college represented a multi-cultural society where the so-called values had acquired unique meanings. Despite the differences in language, color, race, and culture, students were seen to struggle and then adapt to their new environment.  

'Capitalism is a force of progress for business and society'. Discuss Essay - 1

'Capitalism is a force of progress for business and society'. Discuss - Essay Example According to Potter (2008), capitalist system in the recent scenario has encouraged the businesses to become a major cause for economic, environmental and social complications. On further analysis of his views it is ascertained that modern-day companies are developing and prospering at the cost of societal degradation. The essay intends to discuss whether capitalism is acting as a force or not in the progression of business and society. Furthermore, the essay will reflect the views and theories provided by various authors regarding capitalism and its implications upon society and business. Evaluation of Capitalism as a Force of Progress for Business and Society According to Fulcher (2004), in traditional form of business the merchants used to invest money in order to get better returns in the forms of goods and monetary valuations. In the similar context, the capitalist production in the present scenario mainly depends upon the exploitation of the wage labour. In the capitalist socie ty, labour is considered to be vital as they are engaged in more work activities that facilitate to increase the production and ultimately the consumption. Furthermore, the author’s view reflects that in the market, production along with consumption frame the basis of economic activities. As ascertained by him, market fluctuations give rise to the basis of hypothetical form of capitalism that does not result in any productivity. In this regard, this mechanism of capitalism theory frames the key operational purview of the capitalist economy. According to Cammack (1998), with the advent of capitalism, the liberal democracy has been diminished. Liberal democracy represents a governmental form that operates following the principles that are implemented to protect the rights of the minorities. The domination of capitalism in the economic sector worldwide has acted as a key force to overpower liberal democracies. In recent scenario, in the midst of capitalist society, the minor sec tion in the society is being exploited with a motive to earn more profit margins. Furthermore, inequality within the capitalist society has taken a greater height as mentioned by Cammack (2009) & Guimaraes (2012). The authors highlighted the viewpoint of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that expresses views related to globalisation. In accordance with this viewpoint, globalisation has been considered as the ‘win-win’ process by the economists but public opinions regarding the concerning view was quite hostile. The trend of inequality and the above mentioned perspective relate with the capitalist society wherein most of the firms operate within competitive world economy with profit motive. In relation to capitalism in the modern era, the corporate sector has taken over a majority of the market scenario. In this regard, Crouch (2011) explores that in the midst of liberal society, capitalism is entering by the mode of two vibrant thoughts within the societal context. The group that fears expansion of the government sector within the society prepares itself to tolerate the exploitation of private sector. Whereas, the other group is ready to encourage the growth of governmental sector in order to reduce the expansion of corporate sector within the society. Furthermore, in keeping with the notion whether capitalism is facilitating the business and societal development or not, Dicken (2010)

The wholesale clothing Industry in the US Essay

The wholesale clothing Industry in the US - Essay Example But as the century approached its midpoint, more and more respectable Americans started to buy their clothes off the rack. This was especially true of men whose clothes were loosely fitted and not subject to the volatility of fashion as that of women (Soyer, 2005). During the 1830s, the textile industry became more established in America and machine-made clothes were made available to average households. The ready-made garment industry marked its beginning in America history in the early eighteenth century. The first clothing factory was established in 1831 in New York City. Ready-made clothing, however, remained a small part of the American garment production which was still dominated by home-made clothing. New York rapidly became the center for ready-made garment trade because of its regular shipping connections with southern states. The Civil War brought in demand for soldier's uniforms and this increased production and led to the introduction of standardized sizes. This period also marked a substantial technical change in the mode of manufacture of garments. Sewing machines were introduced into the manufacturing sector and the shift moved from manual to machine labor. This important technical innovation also paved way for mass production of clothing in the industry. Between 1880 and 1920, over 2 million Jews migrated to America to escape persecution in their home countries and to take advantage of the economic opportunities in America. Their skills as artisans and factory laborers became important assets in their adopted homeland. The sheer concentration of Jewish immigrants within the industry helped shape the American garment industry, especially in New York. From the middle of the nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth, the garment industry was the largest manufacturing industry in New York City. By 1900, Eastern European Jews constituted a majority of both workers and employers within the industry. One of the many accomplishments of the Jewish contractors was the priority given to ethnic ties in the industry, as they hired mostly members from their own community. The Jewish immigrants built the New York based garment business into a billion dollar industry. By 1900, ready-made clothing was within reach of the average working family as well. Distribution was handled through a network of department stores and shops across the country. The stores offered a wide range of goods that catered to a broad spectrum of customers. Special sales, newspaper advertisements and window displays worked to entice customers. Mail order catalogues were introduced to reach customers in small towns (yumuseum.org). Followed closely behind the Jews, in flooding the garment industry, were Italians, especially Italian women. On the one hand, they worked in large, modern shirtwaist factories and on the other, they made up approximately 98 percent of the home workers within the industry (Soyer, 2005). The garment industry also played a crucial role in shaping the American labor movement. Many of the rights taken for granted by workers today were fought for by the garment unions. Concepts of such significance today, such as arbitration and collective bargaining, emerged out of the struggles of the then garment unions (yumuseum.org). By the second decade of the twentieth century, workers formed unions that became powerful forces within the indus

Construction of femininity Essay Example for Free

Construction of femininity Essay The very titles of both plays, Gertrude, The Cry and Ophelia Thinks Harder offer the grounds for the presumption that the central theme is related to a woman. Furthermore, in the light of postmodernism one may presuppose to read the revisionary approach on the womans question. Now when Gertrude and Ophelia have become the archetypes, their reading in the postmodernist works gives the possibility to understand the principles of the latest tendencies of the literature. The play expresses the modern understanding of Hamlet by throwing the light upon the subjects that were left enigmatic by Shakespeare. Reading the archetypes in the modern adaptations allow a better understanding of postmodernism. The study’s focus is the representations of Shakespearean Hamlet women in the modern plays. Despite a series of transgressive forms of language in both literary pieces (in particular in Barkers), the plain-spoken parody on the original play, the focus on the problem and the atmosphere of femininity appear close to original Shakespeare. The atmosphere around femininity in both plays seem more authentic to the heroes of original Hamlet that for example in the representations of 19th [1] century when the femininity was a cult and the femininity of Ophelia was the idyllic example. Is it the genius of Shakespeare to create a play that seems to have constantly the necessity to be unveiled? Is it the work of poststructuralist philosophers that influenced the postmodern authors to re-understand the women in Shakespeares literature? Has the urgency of rethinking of the female role through rethinking the femininity finally found its proper reflection in the fiction? Of course, Gertrude and Ophelia represent different and sometimes quite the opposite female types. Gertrude is in her maturity while Ophelia is in her puberty. This difference gives the opportunity to study the whole picture of femininity on different levels. To make the picture complete, both authors introduce new feminine characters. In order not to eclipse Gertrude, Barker omits Ophelia in his adaptation; however he introduces Isola, Claudius mother and Ragusa, somewhere at Ophelias place. As for Betts, there are Maid and Virgin Mary; however the plot is formed in a way that to the end of the play there are more female characters than male. Gertrude and Ophelia characters symbolize the eternal problems that women are facing. Different as they are, they always converge. And the study of both of them is necessary for this course of effort to bring the answers to the questions raised above. The philosophical debates over essentialism and femininity, the problems of gender, the rethinking of its ontological construction, the post-structuralism and the deconstruction have been largely introduced in the course of the 20th century [2]. Although, they have some differences in approach, commonly they agree that the femininity is to be socially constructed. It is rather clear that both postmodern writings of Barker and Betts could possibly not disregard these approaches when writing on women. Moreover they are industriously participating in the debates. For example, the plot Ophelia Thinks Harder is explicitly under-wound on gender construction. Barker is focusing more on the relation of femininity and the power. Betts claim on Queen: â€Å"We have to work at being women (Queen,3,17) highlights the coercive nature of femininity and can recall one the Beauvoir’s famous claim that one is not born, but rather becomes a woman[3]. Femininity construction in the conventional understanding is regarded as the the art that [all the heterosexual women] must master(Queen, Scene 3, p. 16). It is quite natural that all the compulsory is to be criticized in the western democratic society. However the femininity is compelled so slight and subtle that one can possibly not be aware of it. But the outcome of this compelled femininity can be more dangerous to the point that one can believe and can touch all the levels of human being. This is what this study will attempt to highlight in this work. It is sad to mark that this is the prevailing philosophy as for gender problems finds its supporters mainly in the homosexual ranges. [4] With all my respect for the diversity, in some cases it is like Barkers Hamlet who will write the Book of Love whilst having never oh not ever loved (Hamlet, Scene 13, p. 55). While the heterosexual women suffer of so many not less urgent problems of no solution. What is the role for example of the philosophy on gender, treating the problems of femininity in the issue of domestic violence. A 1992 Council of Europe study on domestic violence against women found that one in four women experience domestic violence over their lifetimes, 400 hundred women die because of their partner’s violence every year [5]. Generally speaking, the contemporary philosophical orientation is hardly finding something constructive to propose at least for heterosexual women leaving the contradiction unresolved. Efrat Tseelon criticizes the modern authors regarding the womans question in The Masque of Femininity: â€Å"My claim is that this tradition covers very different theoretical explanations. It ranges from mythological and theological descriptions which define the essence of a woman as dissimulation, to psychoanalytic accounts and contemporary social theory which define the essence of femininity as an inessential social construction[6]. Majority of the postmodern writers and philosophers, who are focusing on femininity, give the answers principally on the deconstruction of gender. Some tendencies for internationalized feminism take into consideration the women of the third world situations as highly appreciable [7]. However, similar problems in the western society do not have the sufficient treat. Even if theories exist, they are too difficult to adopt in real life for the heterosexual majority of women as it is proved in Ophelia Thinks Harder. In this context literary works treating questions concerning women again become more important. They are indispensable in understanding femininity in modern terms. Inasmuch as studying them contributes to the working on the consciousness. And it is due to the quality of the literature independent of the conventional construction or philosophical trends and largely contributing into both, to intersect the theory and the real life. Whereas Howard Barker’s intentions are rather cryptic, Jean Betts provides the both in her work: her work is full of incomparable imagination, she provides the historical and philosophical data from Aristotle to Queen Elizabeth and the outline of Christian thought over femininity and she evokes for the representations of women in all the dimensions. Of course such approach helps her preliminarily to put some light on the original character of Shakespearean Ophelia by the introduction of the thought on femininity in the period when Shakespeare created Ophelia, the post-Elizabethan period, the beginning of the 17th century. This information in the guise of fiction makes apparent the true reason of Shakespearean Ophelias collapse. Women were regarded as physiologically â€Å"failed men† as a product of incomplete development caused by insufficient generative heat in the womb. They were seen as the effeminate man, the aberrations of effeminacy. Womans sexuality was thought of almost a separate organism within the woman, with a will – womb[8]. Calling back to these perversions in the postmodernist frame allows the reader to question the hegemonic cultural discourse of nowadays. Whereas Betts is trying in her own words to help to dismantle some of the foundations of this deeply buried prejudice against women, (Writers Notes, Ophelia Thinks Harder), Barker is focusing more on the sexuality of the femininity as the power and the tragic outcome of the excess of the femininity and feminine sexuality. He questions the verity of the sexual feminine liberation and if it really liberates the woman. Undoubtedly a certain sexual feminine liberation has become a part of the conventional construction of femininity. However, there is no seamless category of conventional femininity, no for femininity as there is no seamless category for the woman. The very subject of women is no longer understood in stable or abiding terms[9]. The best possible definition for the conventional femininity gives Betts’s Gertrude: display her wares youll dazzle them all a fantastical cosmetic and corset fitting process; e. g. Eyebrow plucking, leg waxing, arm oiling, nails, garish face mask, fierce corsetry, grossly padded bra, chastity belt, etc You will delight, but not over-excite. a pure sweet, submissive little virgin The conventional femininity is double-faced. Having Chaste Mary as an ideal, the feminine best culmination is â€Å"to play the cards right. What Ragusa has actually performed. † marriage is the greatest moment in a womans life to be a bride the day of all days † (Ragusa, Scene 15, p. 63). Trying her best to construct the feminine self, she married Hamlet and inherited the throne after his death. Ophelias Mother suggests: â€Å"women are treacherous, sly, scheming, deceitful †. Even making children in the conventional understanding of the femininity is corresponded to please or manipulate man: â€Å"They want kids, do it. They dont – well come to me and Ill help you when the time comes. ; A woman with a son is powerful. (Queen, Scene 3, p. 17; 19) However, in the original version Gertrude had nothing but sufferance and the collapse of her life because of her son, who did not accept her mode of life. The response is paradoxically given by the same all feminine Betts Gertrude: -and we are inconsiderate enough not to give a shit what driveling adolescents like you think. (Queen, Scene 7, p. 54). Of course, Barkers power of Gertrude is certainly far from her bearing a son. Unmasking the masquerade Insomuch as the womans question is to be read the titles of both plays, the unthought-of before or rethought (thinks harder) and a sore utterance of the extreme feelings (the cry) are manifesting. Shakespearean women thus have a chance to cry out their repressed truths. It is absolutely normal when taking in consideration the historic-cultural context of the role of gender in the Shakespearean period that women like Gertrude and Ophelia, were shown and identified by their relation to men. It is of the great achievements of Shakespeare to draw the remarried widow as the tragic hero when for playwrights of the early modern period, a remarrying widow was a subject for comedy[10]. Today, in the light of deconstruction, what was identified as the feminine can turn to be masculine and vice-versa theoretically [11]. Practically, the process of choosing the gender is not without the desperate torments. The femininity as the obstruction to the knowledge in Betts version and the extreme feminine sexuality of as the pseudo pluck of the apple of forbidden knowledge in Barkers are the central themes in the plays. Betts Ophelia hence thinks harder than the original Shakespearean one. What does this possibility to think or to rethink presents for the female? Shakespearean Ophelia’s life was predicated by what men around her thought. Her father and brother decided how she should behave herself. Hamlet’s refusal of her was fatal. Betts offers Ophelia the choice to think herself for her life, what will it turn to? As for Gertrude, will her cry hush the desperate attempts of Hamlet to de-sexualize her? Is the cry the horror and sexual pleasure of her femininity or does it stand over female and masculine categories? Modern Shakespeare suggests that Gertrudes flagrancy, her over sexualized femininity cost the life of another feminine innocent Ophelia [12]. Indeed desire and death go traditionally together as proved above, but what is the place of the femininity in desire? Even if it is true, why should the feminine sexual desire be identified with femininity? And why should the masculine desire excuse itself by femininity? In Betts rewriting, Ophelia is in the same cultural context, the oppressed woman, the same â€Å"mad fool† (Queen, 7, 52) boyfriend Hamlet. It should therefore come as no surprise, that her desperate attempts of thinking meet the terrible attacks from all the members of the society. To condemn these attempts on failure, they take an argument that thinking is not feminine, accusing Ophelia of not being feminine. Throughout the play Betts is proving that the imposed conventional femininity is an instrument to prevent the woman to think. She focuses in particular on why thinking for a woman is so dangerous in the conventional understanding. The power stands for the explanation and certainly not a psychotic clown who sets the rules. The power serves as the relationship between individuals. The one who possesses the knowledge possesses the power. Isn’t after overcoming the conventional femininity and get educated that: â€Å"we dress up to learn, to write, to get published be lawyers, doctors, lead armies, run countries † (RG, Scene 8) that the gender war is foreseen to happen: â€Å"I see strife; I see gender war; I see the initial X†(First Woman 4, 26). At first glance, Barkers Gertrude possesses the power. She is evidently more delighted with her sexual power than the political one that she posses with her statute of the queen. From her comes out the cry, the extreme point of ever possible desire and pleasure and of horror. The extreme desire is always conventionally associated with sin as well as with feminine. This is evident in the story of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. The first sin has become sexualized with Eve’s violation of God’s specific instruction [13] The Cry is like the reproduction of the first sentiment that the new sinful world lived: the desire and the horror. Gertrude possesses this cry. Is the extreme femininity the way to posses the cry or does it come out of the brain that has no binary category? â€Å"MY BRAIN IS WHERE DESIRE IS† (Hamlet 5, 28) Where is the place of the intellect in the conventional construction of the femininity? Knowledge and desire go together. As mentioned above was it not for the desire of knowledge that the first sin occurred? Therefore, knowledge is interpreted as unnatural to female. As the epigraph to Ophelia Thinks Harder proposes: Laborious learning or painful pondering, even if woman should greatly succeed in it, destroy the merits that are proper to her sex (Kant). In the course of all these tormenting moments of thinking, Betts’ Ophelia is read as what is in the psychoanalytic terms called bisexual: not feminine, not masculine. At least she is resisting to become feminine. Before getting down on why she is refusing the conventional femininity, one should clearly make the difference between the biological sex and the socially constructed femininity or masculinity. Freud claims that the child is born bisexual and femininity or masculinity is constructed [14]. Following the psychological steps related to his parents the child develops his/her masculinity/femininity. Then as it is developing it is influenced by the socio cultural frames. Together with the theory of deconstruction they would consider us to read Ophelia bisexual. Indeed she claims that she does not want to be the man, nor the woman (Scene 3, 17). However her bisexuality is also determined by the social frames. She does not want not to be the man, nor the woman because she does not want to be seen like conventional feminine or masculine. The conventional understanding of the femininity does not correspond to her individuality. Hence, she is refusing the conventional notion of being feminine: â€Å"Behavior as instinctive as a cats with a bird † (Hamlet, Scene 1, p. 3); â€Å" viper like Eve would arouse in him evil and lust (Hamlet, Scene 4, p. 29) or â€Å"The lady doth protest too much†(III,ii,225) She is refusing to be tough and try to corrupt the man she is not. She is refusing to be tough to be overwhelmed with her sexuality as something shameful. â€Å" Hormones, cycles of blood, reproductive turmoil-you are flushed with your female destiny-you are adulated, euphoric-yes-you are clearly in love † (Hamlet, Scene 1, p. 3). If choosing gender in the natural way is as impossible as it was in the original version and if we know that the femininity is rooted in the social construction is it left to the society to decide if she becomes a normal woman [feminine]? Is there a solution to stand out the opinion of the society? On one hand Barkers Gertrude is independent from the societys opinion, on the other she is strongly dependent on others, as she needs to astonish. The conflict in Ophelia Thinks Harder lies in Ophelia’s resistance to the psychic subordination of the conventional. Being female, according to the social conventions her body must be superior to her mind, while the masculinity would be gifted with mind and femininity with body. Ophelia is forced to be separated from her mind and to delight and be delighted by her feminine body. She is not abnormal or exceptional. â€Å"The thousands of us† (Scene 8, p. 66) had to disguise as men to be disjoined from their minds. Judith Butler is decisive upon Beauvoir proposal that the female body ought to be the situation and the instrumentality of the womans freedom, not a defining and limiting essence [15]. She writes: â€Å"In the philosophical tradition that begins with Plato and continues through Descartes, Husserl, and Sartre, the ontological distinction between soul (consciousness, mind) and body invariably supports relations of political and psychic subordination and hierarchy†. While Betts uncovers the diverse and dissimilar states of female’s self-construction, Barker is focusing on the exploration of the body. Helen Cixous is speaking about the writing of the female body [16]. Quite in a similar way, Barker is studying the possibility of â€Å"learning to approach their [womens] own forbidden bodies†. Indeed one can mark the parallel even in the titles with The Laughter of Medusa and Gertrude The Cry. Barkers Gertrude claim â€Å"I’ve made an instrument out of my body (Scene 14, p. 62). Gertrude explores and perceives the knowledge through the possibilities of her body. Of course Barker has not invented that Gertrude is exploring her sexuality. Shakespearean theme is also read in Betts: â€Å"it may come as a shock, little boy, but quite a lot a lot of people over 30 fondle each other. Oh yes; Claudius and I HAVE SEX. (Queen, Scene 7, p. 54).

Explain the new Features of the New Deal Essay Example for Free

Explain the new Features of the New Deal Essay In October 1929 the Wall Street stock market crashed in New York and panic selling of shares caused a wave of bankruptcies, destroying all confidence in businesses and investors. The great Depression led to 13 million people being unemployed. President Hoover, the government did nothing at all to help the Americans, he didn’t even think of helping them rebuild the American economy. In 1932 president Roosevelt came into power in the presidential elections. He had many concerns and considerations for the Americans and the economy. The first stage of the act of the New Deal to put the US back to work and create jobs in 1933 he introduced the first Acts during the hundred days, which involved the creation of Alphabet Agencies to deal with the economic problems. By 1935, the Supreme Court thought some of the New Deal laws as interfering too much. , so then Roosevelts response was to introduce the second stage of reform- The second New Deal. The 3 aims of the New Deal were: Relief; Recovery and Reform. Which were introduced by Roosevelt- the three ‘R’s’. Relief was measures to help relieve the suffering of the unemployed. Recovery was to try to rebuild the depression-shattered economy and Reform was aimed to give workers better working conditions and fairer wages. The aim of the relief was achieved by the: Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC); Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA); public works Administration (PWA); Home owners Loans Corporation (HOLC) and the works Progress Administration (WPA). The Civilian Conservation Act was set up to provide work for unemployed men under 25 years by encouraging them to work on projects in the countryside such as fish farming, planting trees and strengthening river banks. They also organised the army. The PWA stood for Public Works Administration, their aim was to use Unemployed unskilled workers to work on a large scale of public construction such as roads and bridges. The main part of the act was to set up public construction for the large scale building work, to build schools, hospitals and city halls. The FERA was set up to stop the threat of starvation that existed by making grants to local and state governments to help them give relief to the unemployed. Roosevelt thought that the right way to help the unemployed was to put them back to work after the threat of starvation was over instead of just giving them money. The HOLC stood for Home Owners Loans Corporation, the aim of this act was to ensure that people could continue to repay their mortgages. The government gave low interest rates to home owners to allow them to continue paying their mortgages until they were unemployed. The WPA stood for Works Progress Administration. Their aim was to find emergency short-term employment for unskilled workers in construction projects. The Acts that were part of the New Deal and helped with Recovery were: The Emergency Banking Act; the Securities Act; the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA); the National Recovery Administration (NRA) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The Emergency Banking Act aimed to solve the financial crisis after the Wall Street Crash by forcing all banks to remain close for 4 days. This actually worked and saved all the banks. The Securities Act was about providing full information about the companies issuing new shares, to the public. This established with a Securities and Exchange Commission in 1934 which was giving powers to control the activities of the stock market. It was the AAA’s duty to solve agriculture’s most serious problem which was over-production. Prices were low and farmers were unable to make a decent living. Roosevelt paid farmers to stop producing. The AAA gave the government power to destroy surplus food and give farmers compensation. The NRA stood for National Recovery Administration; they tried to create partnership between government and Industry to get rid of Child Labour, Long hours and Low pay. Each industry would agree an employment code with a government. The code was to guarantee workers fairer working conditions and wages. The TVA stood for Tennessee Valley Authority. The main parts of the act was to help encourage industry come to the hard hit valley and to build damn to use hydroelectric power of the river. Finally, there were parts of the New Deal that helped to reform the USA. They were: Collecting Bargaining; the Wagner Act and the social securities Act. Collective bargaining was where workers had the right to collective bargaining of wages. This gave an enormous boost to the trade unions. The Wagner act (1935) was the given right for workers to join the trade union which restored protection for the workers also. The Social Securities Act was introduced in 1935. This provided old age pensions, unemployment benefits and financial support for the handicapped. It was funded by contributions paid by workers, employers and the government. In Conclusion, when Roosevelt came into power he aimed to achieve relief, recovery and reform. The CCC, FERA, WPA and the HOLC. The emergency banking act, the Securities Act, NRA, AAA and the WPA achieved recovery. Collective Bargaining, Wagner Act and the Social Securities Act achieved reform. These Acts were all produced to help America by these 3 aims.

Masculinity As A Construction Of Identity

Masculinity As A Construction Of Identity This thesis seeks to investigate the understanding of masculinity as a construction of identity. This study explores developing identities, and how this may relate to wider constructions of masculinity in the media, with particular reference to lifestyle magazines aimed at men. Methodologies This Study focuses on For Him Magazine known now as FHM, one of the leading mens magazines that is published in 27 countries. The methodology that will be used to carry out this study will be a content analysis. Through a content analysis, 6 issues of FHM in from the years 2005 through to 2010 will be examined, in order to examine if there has been any shifts in the portrayal of men or what is meant by the term masculinity. Bibliography from year two Benwell Bethan, (2003) Masculinity and mens lifestyle magazines: chapter 6; Published by Wiley-Blackwell) Bignell, Jonathan (1997), Media Semiotics, an introduction. Manchester: Manchester University Press Edwards Tim, (2006) Cultures of Masculinity; men masculinity and feminism, chapter 1 (Routledge) Jackson Peter, Stevenson Nick, Brooks Kate (2001) making sense of mens magazines; chapter four (Wiley-Blackwell). Galician Mary-Lou, L. Merskin Debra (2007) Critical thinking about sex, love and romance in mass media: media; chapter three (Routledge) Gaunlett David, (2002) Media, gender, and identity: an introduction, Mens magazines and modern male identities; chapter eight (Routledge) Gunter Barrie (2002) Media sex: what are the issues? chapter 6 (Published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates) Itzin Catherine, Newman Janet (1995) Gender, culture and organizational change: putting theory into practice chapter fourteen (Routledge) Litosseliti Lia, Sunderland Jane (2002) Gender, Identity and discourse analysis. (John Benjamins Publishing Company) The Construction of the Male Identity in the UK Mens Lifestyle Magazine FHM (DRAFT) INTRODUCTION: THESIS OUTLINE This thesis seeks to explore how masculinity is represented and constructed within the pages of FHM (UK) magazine of the modern male identity. Through a content analysis of the branding of masculinity in the UKs leading mans magazine, the study explores the trends and the portrayal of men but also the types of products advertised in mens magazines. It will examine the rationale of FHM in constructing the portrayals of men and masculinity and the role that FHM plays in shaping attitudes about masculinity. The central research question is: Exactly what ideas does FHM generate or convey about masculinity? More specifically, in the magazines construction of masculinity, what is emphasised and what is ignored? Considering gender and sexuality to explore and address the stereotypical representations and attitudes that are likely to be reinforced to its readers. The first chapter of this thesis demonstrates a detailed depiction of the UKs FHM position and role in the mens lifestyle magazine market, from its inception from For Him Magazine through its incredible development to its contemporary brand expansions. It also discusses FHMs influence on the mens magazine market as well as on broader industry concerns related to the young male market, particularly advertising. Essentially, this chapter offers a rationale for why FHM is an important site for investigation. Chapter 1 The mens magazine market is a moderately new phenomenon. Mens magazines today have become sites of significant inquiry that offer alternative views on the representation of the modern man. Men have purchased and read magazines in the past, though previously, the term mens magazine referred to publications structured around masculine themes to designed to interest men, such as cars, fishing, DIY and pornography. However, as sociologist Tim Edwards (1997) notes, It is, to put it simply, that they werent called mens magazines and this is what constitutes the key difference: the self-conscious targeting of men as consumers of magazines designed to interest men if not necessarily to be about men (p.72, emphasis in the original). Since contemporary mens magazines are embedded in the rise of a new lifestyle genre, they are considered mens lifestyle titles as opposed to simply mens interest magazines (Edwards, 2006).1 The growth of the mens magazine market in the UK, which saw an invasion of lifestyle titles in the 1980s, commencing with the launch of Arena in 1986. The Focus The aim of this study is to investigate and analyse the different representations of masculinity in the modern day 21st century. The endeavour of this is to answer the research question, which is; has the definition of masculinity and or the portrayal of men changed over time, in particular in print advertisements in mens lifestyle magazine FHM (For Him Magazine). Although this may sound like a popular research case study, very little academic research has been performed in the field of mens magazines and even less on the construction and representation of masculinity. This study therefore aims to firstly, classify the term masculinity, to conclude a definition, of what is means to be a men?, which is often used to ascribed to males in todays society. This study will also explore sex roles and common stereotypes that men are regularly being labelled with. This study will further examine if the characteristic that what once associated with traditional masculinity is dying out, or if t here is more than one masculine identity. Thirdly, this study will examine the presentation of male images and products in advertising exploring the emerging trends of mens images where the predominately female female-orientated markets of body enhancements, cosmetics, and personal grooming products are being aimed at male consumers. Through a context analysis, this study addresses male images in advertisements in For Him Magazine (FHM) from 2005 to 2010. Examining the changing trends in the portrayal of men and the types of products advertised in mens magazines. Furthermore, this study will argue, that masculinity makes more sense in relation to individual performances of identity than it does in terms of any measurement of gender or sexuality, a notion which is often disregarded in both popular and academic discourses about gender identity. Chapter 1: Introduction Over the last few decades the role of men in British society has changed considerably. Traditional notions of masculine images, such as males being the sole breadwinner or provider has come under attack, undermining traditional images of the masculine identity. Males have also faced a changing Image in advertising. Traditionally, females were the ones that have been associated with sex in advertising, but today males are also being used to connote or imply sexual situations in advertisements. Modern day advertisements feature provocative images of men and women in reveal outfits and postures selling a variety of products, most of which have no association with sex. There has too been an increase in product advertisements in mens magazine, most popular out of these is beauty and accessions. Suggesting that men today, have developed a conscious self-awareness of the way they look. Men in are taking great pride in their appearance, replacing beer or health supplements and abs tonners. M en now have a keen eye for fashion, and indulge in grooming/beauty products- this identity has today been coined as metrosexual. Adapting the characteristics of men, this new man has blurred the distinction of masculinity. Traditional masculinity referred to heterosexual men, interesting in extreme sports, cars and DIY. This request the question is the term masculinity (means to be macho) changing? Or is there more then one masculine identity? Metrosexuality was first developed by Mark Simpson in his book Male Impersonators. According to Simpson (2003), metrosexuality is a new, narcissistic, self-conscious kind of masculinity produced by film, advertising, and glossy magazines to replace traditional repressed, unmoisturised, unreflexive, unmediated masculinity. However, this term has become widely used in the United States media and in the advertising industry in the late 1990s, referring to straight men who posses feminine traits and care about fashion, grooming, cleaning and using beauty products (Mereditch and Wells; 2003). However, very little academic research exists on the meaning of metrosexuality for masculinity. This study examines modern masculinity and metrosexuality of men in the 21st century mens lifestyle magazines, within the UK, drawing particular attention FHM. However, there are limited studies on masculinity and mens images (Windholz, 1999/2000; gates 2001; Tincknell and Chambers, 2002). Although media across the globe are widely discussing the newly emerged phenomenon- metrosexuality- there is almost no academic research on this phenomenon. Since metrosexuality and masculinity are so closely related to each other, this study aims to explore both issues within mens lifestyle magazines. Chapter 2: Definitions of Masculinity Whilst, we have identified the main attributes that can be grouped under the term traditional masculinity, we still do not have an recognized definition of what masculinity itself might be. Craig contests that masculinity is what a culture expects of its men (1992:3). This description suggests that masculinity exists only in a cultural context, as something that stems from traditions, codes and in particular expectations commonly held by society. Similarly, Mosses definition of masculinity as the way men assert what they believe to be their manhood (1996:3) insinuates that masculinity is widely understood as a way of behaving in accordance with ones sex-defined characteristics, either as a manifestation of ones sexual identity, or by the way of a responsibility towards the general order provided by understanding of gender. Gilmore (1990; 1) defines manhood as the approved way of being an adult as the approved way of being an adult male in any given society. Within the cultures, where value is attracted to a notion of manhood, Gilmore further claims that there is three particular criterias that are repeatedly associated with the masculine role, firstly, to impregnate women and secondly, to protect dependents from danger (1990; 223). Berger, Wallis and Watson (1995) states that masculinity, the asymmetrical pendant to more critically investigated femininity, is a vexed term, variously inflected, multiply defined, not limited to straightforward descriptions of maleness. Masculinity takes a variety of forms for men and it differs according to sexuality, race, class and age. It is noticed the society and media hold very distinct stereotypes towards different ethnic and race groups. For Caucasians, the most common dominate ideology of masculinity represents ideals of strength, toughness, coolness, attractiveness, heterosexuality and whiteness (OShaughnessy 2003). However, these ideals are very difficult for men to attain in reality. With the increased attention given to mens bodies and the resurgence of their imagery with the media, men nowadays pay more attention to the media and work to improve their physical appearance (Wienke, 1998; Shilling, 1993). These effects are further pushed forward with the new ideal met rosexual, which simply suggests that men who possess feminine traits are ideal. As men are now facing so many identities, so what makes a man? A closer investigation is presented next. Chapter 3: Gender and Masculinity In general, the characteristics associated with men are grouped under the term traditional masculinity by many writers. Three of its main character traits are strength, command and ambition- all useful in getting ahead, and more often than not viewed in a positive light. Even the less positive attributes associated with traditional masculinity such as competitiveness, aggression and stubbornness maintain an air of respectability in that they remain symptomatic of power and control rather than weakness. Theorists in the field of gender studies have sought to understand how these masculine traits came to be associated with the male role first and foremost, and why they continue to permeate society and popular discourse as common sense notions of gender roles. Consequently, gender as a concept is open to much greater debate than sex, and it is clear that masculinity, as one aspect of gender identity, can take on an entire range of potential meanings. Mort observes that we are not dealing with masculinity, but with a series of masculinities (1988; 195; his emphasis). As well as recognizing that class, race and sexual orientation, and several other factors all enter the equation at the level of identity, the term masculinities refers to the fact that no two peoples performance of so-called masculine characteristics will ever be exactly the same. As Horrocks states, there is clearly not a homogenous monolithic identity possessed by all men in all contexts (1994:3). Byne suggests that, as human beings, we are motivated to create an identity for ourselves that allows us to make sense of our position in the apparent world. In order to be understandable, this must accord with the already existing conventions, as we perceive them; no matter how we seek to position ourselves in relation to these, we still accept that they exist. Conversely, men must strive to meet an extremely demanding stereotype of the male role as provider, achiever and conqueror- a task that is, in its self unattainable, and which causes men much self-doubt and anguish. This, Kaufman conclude, also inspires fear for it means not being a man, which means, in a society confusing gender and sex, not being a maleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦losing power and ungluing basic building blocks of our personalities (p.149) Together, these two behaviours are more destructive than either on its own, combining to both cause the problem and make it impossible to escape from. Chapter 4: Masculinity in the United Kingdom British Men According to Benynon (2002), there are three ideal versions of contemporary masculinities in the United Kingdom. The old man is relatively uninterested in fashion, is married and holding down a regular job, and remains somewhat sexist and homophobic in outlook. The new man is narcissistic, progressive and ambivalent in his sexuality, yuppie- influenced and generally anti-sexist. When he first emerged he was viewed variously as the same as the same old wolf, but in designer clothing, a revolutionary in his relations with women and his willingness to display the emotional side of his nature, and a marketing opportunity, for new visual codes. The new lad is defensive about fashion, ambivalent in his attitude towards women (he has pornographic notions of them rather than relationship with them) and he believes life should be one huge alcoholic and drug induced festival. (Beynon, 2002, p.118) Among the above three ideals, the new man seems to be the most popular ideal in the United Kingdom. These ideals can be illustrated by the most influential British celebrity football player, David Beckham. David Beckham defines a new trend of men in the United Kingdom. In a recent study reported in The Observer (Campbell 2003), One David Beckham: Celebrity, and the Soccerati, co-authored by Andrew Parker of Warwick University and Ellis Cashmore of Staffordshire University, highlights how Beckham successfully combines a mixture of traditional and modern values to create an inspirational healthy role model. The study praises Beckhams different public personae including the national ambassador, aggressive competitor, loving husband, doting father, fashion model and gay icon. This study further concludes that Beckhams massive popularity could influence young males, encourage greater tolerance and acceptance of a new concept of masculinity. As suggested by the author of the study, Beckham has helped create a complex new concept of masculinity by defying expectations in areas such as what clothes men should wear or how men should style their hair. Indeed, Beckham fits all of the contemporary masculinity ideals he is a combination of new man (nurturer and compassionate partner), new lad (football legend, fashionable father, conspicuous consumer) and old man'(loyal dedicated, bread- winning) (Cambell, 2003). Chapter 5: Gender Representation in Advertising Research has revealed that advertising does not exist in a vacuum but instead is very much interrelated with the existing social relationships within society (Duffy, 1994). Goldman (1992) suggested that we tend to take for granted the deep social assumptions embedded within advertisements as we are so used to the quantity of advertisements around us and the routine ways in which we read them. More importantly, we do not see or recognise advertising as a sphere of ideology. In a consumer society, advertising acts as a magnet, luring individuals into embracing a consumption culture that is part of an economic and social institution that helps to perpetuate what Goldman called the supremacy of commodity relations. Interactions between individuals are now greatly being defined by the material possession of commodities. The consumer society is primarily about contentment and pleasure, but there are broad complications beyond the realm of Contentment and pleasure. One of the most important implications is the area of gender identity. Sex-role stereotype, like any other stereotype, allows us to make sense of the world that we live in. Gender, of course, is one of the most important forms of systematised behaviour in all societies, and every culture has accepted routine forms for communicating gender identity (Leiss, Kline Jhally, 1990, p. 215). Our everyday environment is articulated mostly by what we see in the media and the task of advertising is crucial. The target audiences self-identification with the gender images is a basic requirement for an advertisements effectiveness, and the meanings encoded in the images are persuasive cultural symbols for societal behaviour. The earliest research into the portrayal of men in sex roles in advertisements was carried out in the 1970s by many researchers an d drew many conclusions: men were portrayed as more self-governing than women. They were portrayed in different occupations in comparison to women who were usually shown as housewives, cleaning, cooking and caring for children. Specific products such as Alcohol and cigarettes were most frequently portrayed by men, while women were mostly depicted in advertisements for household products (Dominick Rauch, 1972; Schneider Schneider, 1979; McArthur Resko, 1975; Courtney Whipple, 1974). According to Fejes (1992), the results from these researchers carried out in the early 1970s, did not fluctuate much from those conducted in the late 70s and early 80s. In the last few decades, the role of men in the UK has changed considerably there has been an increasing visibility of the male body in the media and popular culture. Men are getting increased exposure not just of their bodies, but of their lifestyles, consumption preferences and emotional needs. Men are gradually gaining on women in the display of their bodies on billboards, fashion photography and magazines. Moreover, it is not just the number of images of men that has increased; it is the emergence of a new representation in popular culture where male bodies are depicted in an idealized and erotized manner (Moore 1988; Simpson, 1994). Furthermore, in the consumer markets around the world-the predominantly female-oriented market like cosmetics, personal grooming and even body enhancements are attracting seeing more male consumers. Through a content analysis of advertisements over six years in a magazine for men, this paper studies the trends in the representation of images, product s and sexual portrayal of men. Chapter 6: Men in Advertising Fejes (1992) noted that Skelly Lundstrom (1981) conducted a study on print advertisements analysing a total of 660 magazine ads from 1959, 1969 and 1979 to establish whether there was any change in the portrayal of men in print advertisements over the two decades. They found that there was a small and gradual movement towards more non-sexist portrayal of men. Fejes (1992) also noted that Lysonskis study (1985) showed similar results. Kervin (1990) too carried out a research study on the ads, focussing particularly on Esquire magazine. He examined whether the representation of men and the definition of masculinity had changed or remained over time. The study closely examined at ads from Esquire magazine for 50 years from the 1930s to the 1980s, and discovered that specific stereotypical representations of masculinity still remained after 50 years. What is fascinating, though, is her suggestion that these stereotypes exist because they complete certain needs and concerns of the men in society relating to their sense of powerlessness as individuals. She suggested that these stereotypes may be there to offer some form of compensation, in the form of admiration from others and possession of products for the men to define themselves adequately in society. She also discovered other new constructions of masculinity emerging over the years. The form of the male body is beginning to be portrayed as an erotic spectacle, suggesting that advertisers are adjusting to the changing attitude of consumers and exploiting it. Marian Salzman, Director of Strategic Content, JWT Worldwide, in her new book, The Future of Men (2003), interestingly, notices an important gap of the young male demographic that marketers and advertisers often fail to notice. Salzman, who conversed about the rise of the metrosexuals in 2003, deems the days of the metrosexual are numbered as men want their manliness back, and they are tired of taking their behavioural and fashion cues from their female companions and from mens magazines. But this may not be true, as Kelton Research discovered in his research which was performed on 600 men, found that men can now be classified into men who value their personal style and appearance without sacrificing their masculinity, and ubersexual men who care about their appearance from head to toe. Moreover, men may try to act laid-back when it comes to personal maintenance, but the reality is, nearly two out of three surveyed not only own a variety of grooming products, but use them again and again. More importantly, about 98% of these products- men have no qualms about strolling into a store to buy a grooming related product (Wellikoff, 2006). Chapter 7: The Macho The Metrosexual Lee (2003) noted that men of all sexualities are taking a wider interest in their appearance. Hairdresser is where they go for a haircut instead of the barber shop and they are turning to other form of cleanser as soap is too harsh on their skin. More men are going to the gym instead of engaging in outdoor activities such as sports and some of them are even indecisive when it comes to choosing something to wear. These men are called the metrosexual and David Beckham who has been credited as the man who is changing male behaviour is classified as the ultimate metrosexual. A few years ago, concern over weight and diet regimes was strictly womens issue and having a pot belly was accepted for a man. But now, it is completely acceptable for men to watch their weight too and follow diet plans. This new breed of man blurs gender lines. In the Future Man'(Salzman, 2003) concludes that British men are becoming metrosexuals who have embraced customs and attitudes once deemed by women. Salzman further connotes that men today are confident in their masculinity and in their sense of self. In addition, they look and feel good and are knowledgeable about fashion and accessories regardless of what people might consider these things unmanly. This new breed of man does oppose the traditional male role. ABC news reported that Leo Burnett, a Chicago advertising firm, conducted a global study of masculinity in 2005 and half of the men in their sample say that their role in society is unclear than in previous decades. More than seventy percent of them said that advertising is out of touch with mens reality. Reports seem to indicate there is a new form of manliness emerging that is both macho and sexual at the same time. Stephen Perrine, editor in chief of Best Life magazine in the United States, mentioned on ABC news, The new manliness is about being competent and of value. Its less of men looking into their own navels. He also listed actors like Huge Jackman and Brad Pitt as the role models for this new manliness (ABC news, 2006). Research Questions Advertising is an incorporated part of any economy in the world. And where there is rapid growth and changes in the economic profile of a society, there is a parallel increase in consumption patterns. This study aims to examine the portrayal of men in advertising as the emerging trends indicate that the predominantly female-oriented markets like cosmetics, body enhancements and personal grooming, are being directed at more male consumers. By studying the changes taking place in the portrayal of gender roles in advertising, it would allow us to get an insight into the changes that are taking place in society at given times and trends over periods of time. RQ1: What are the changes in the images (as per the categories) of men in FHM Magazine from 1998 to 2005? RQ2: What is the classified level of dressing (as per the categories) of the male models in FHM magazines used for the various categories of pictures? RQ3: What are the differences in the race of male models in FHM magazines in the categories of photographs/illustrations? RQ4: What are the differences in the types of products advertised in FHM magazines from 2000 to 2010? RQ5: What is the classified level of dressing (as per the categories) of the male models for the various categories of products? RQ6: Has the portrayal of men in Print advertisements changed in any way over the last six years? Methodology For the purpose of this study a content analysis was chosen and deemed appropriate as it will provide an overview on the coverage and frequency of use of male models in the advertisements selected. This quantitative research method is also useful for evaluating empirically the changing trends in society, while allowing us to summarize results and report findings in accurate, quantitative manner. The unit of analysis enables replication of the study over periods of time, thus providing an opportunity for comparison and review. Sampling Selection and Sample Size Six years (72 issues) of FHM magazine, from the United Kingdom were selected for this study. These magazines were published over a six year period from 2005 through to 2010. Through a systematic random sampling method of these 72 issues, one was selected from each year making it a total of 6 issues in the sample size. The unit of analysis is all full and half page advertisements or posters that have male or female models. Those advertisements without any models were excluded from the categorization. Categorization System The advertisements and posters from each year were systematically coded by placing them in pre-defined categories. Category of dressing Description Demure dress Everyday, casual clothing, including walking shorts and sports outfits. Suggestive dress Excluding evening gowns, which expose cleavage. Mini skirts, short shorts, muscle shirts, hiked skirts that expose thighs Partially clad Models in bathing suits, wearing undergarments and three-quarter length or shorter lingerie. close- up shots of models bare shoulders. Models in nothing except a towel. Nudity Unclothed Models, including; translucent lingerie/ undergarments and silhouettes. Extent of Contact Description No contact Positioned side by side. Not touching. Tame contact Holding hands. Hands on shoulders or around waist. Intimate contact Kissing. Very intimate contact Depiction and suggestion of sexual behaviour. Category of Race Description Caucasian of European or North American Origin Others Races that does not fit into the above category or race can not be established. Category of product Description Clothing All cosmetics, skin care, hair care, oral care products. Beauty Clothing manufactures, department stores and fashion houses Transport All cars, motorcycles and airlines. Technology-related All electrical products, cameras, phones and websites. Food-and food related All food and equipment, drinks, health- supplements, cooking oils, cutleries and utensils. Accessory All watches, sunglasses, jewellery, footwear and bags. Tourism- related All holiday packages and hotels. Other All products that do not fit in the above categories. Category of Content Description Family man Fatherly role depicted with wife and Children. Can be seen wearing a Wedding band. Working man Depicting an occupational role, e.g. at work. Mans man/ Engaging in conservative mens Classic man activities. Drinking beer, smoking, football etc. Can be portrayed as overcoming physical challenges e.g. mountain climbing. Carefree man Portrayed with unbridled laughter and enjoying the moment with a woman or a group of friends. The gentleman Alone or in the company with just one woman. Playboy Depicted in the company with one or more women. Women are shown to be objects of desire.