Kellin Quinn Essay

I. Introduction â€Å" I can’t promise that things won’t be broken, but I swear that I will never leave.† -Kellin Quinn. Isn’t that what everyone really wants- what everyone really needs? Not always is a solution to a problem needed. Sometimes we just need someone to help us through our tough times and to help us learn from mistakes that have been made. Kellin Quinn understands this. Not only does he relate to the need to help friends, but Kellin relates to almost all the struggles most teens and, well, pretty much all ages witness. It shows in his music. You see, Kellin Quinn is the singer and pianist of the band Sleeping With Sirens. Their music is about coming from a broken family and how much it hurts because you feel responsible. Difficulties ranging from self-harm to bullying to love are heard in the meaningful lyrics of their songs. Not only do Kellin and the band write about that, but also they have songs that are inspirational, joyful, and that make you want to s mile and appreciate the good in life. II. Caring Kellin is more than just a musical genius; he is one who cares about people as individuals. For example, Marie Fowler was a nineteen year old cancer patient that was diagnosed with only 72 hours to live. Kellin Quinn, her idol, was notified on Twitter and he Skyped her. He told her to be strong and to savor and appreciate the life she has enjoyed. On top of that, Kellin has dedicated his life to music and to make his fans feel better and blissful. He has definitely made my life easier and made me cope well with tragedies. I’m so thankful that I have Sleeping With Sirens in my life. III. Kellin’s Struggles Kellin Quinn’s father left him and his mother when he was young and they had to work hard to pay the bills and to take care of themselves. Kellin was diagnosed with depression and mental disorders because of his difficulties. With a great deal of effort and persistence, he overcame these challenges and is now helping others do the same. Also, Kellin has â€Å"haters† who call him rude and selfish when actually he is the exact opposite. Other negative comments made about him are that he is â€Å"too punk† or that he â€Å"sounds like a girl.† He mostly just ignores the disapproval. Overall, Kellin is a talented and inspirational 26 year old. IV. Impact Kellin Quinn and the band have made my life so much better. I, like many others, have struggled with bullying and many other difficulties. Meaningful music makes these things easier to cope with and Sleeping With Sirens does an amazing job at portraying a message in their lyrics that their fans can relate to. The band has actually saved countless lives. Some teenagers have depression or are struggling in life and feel the need to commit suicide to end his or her pain. In Sleeping With Sirens’ songs, one may notice how the lyrics are meant to make the listener happy and some songs are even specifically written to help self-harmers. â€Å"One day you’ll open your eyes, take a look inside. I just saved your life. Just take a look inside. I hope you know what it’s like for you to be alright. I am for you.† –In Case of Emergency, Dial 411, Sleeping With Sirens. V. Conclusion Overall, Kellin Quinn is an amazing artist who writes and sings about relatable tragedies and moments in his and others’ lives. He is an inspiration to many teenagers, including myself. I will never forget the impact that Kellin as a person and Sleeping With Sirens have had on my life.

The Human Quest to Belong is Characterized by Both Belonging and Alienation

Belonging involves triumphing over failure to belong. This is seen in Peter Skrzynecki’s anthology Immigrant Chronicle. The poem St Patricks College explores the persona’s struggle to overcome alienation in his search for belonging. The poem Feliks Skrzynecki explores the persona witnessing his fathers triumph to belong. The picture book The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan explores the things initial failure to belong, which is then overcome. St Patricks College explores the personas failure to belong into the school society.The imagery â€Å"our lady watched/ with outstretched arms† gives the persona hope that he will belong in this school. This gives an early sense of triumph in his quest to belong. This is then inverted when the statues face is seen to be â€Å"overshadowed by clouds†. This use of pathetic fallacy gives early warning that the school will not be a place where he belongs, but a place were he will fail to belong and become out casted. The personif ication heightens this feeling of exclusion by having a personal bond created between the two, which is then broken by the clouds.This gives a further feeling of isolation from the school. The persona then tells of his exclusion from the school when he reminisces on his bus trips. â€Å"caught the 414 bus/ like a foreign tourist/ uncertain of my destination†, in this line the simile is coupled with the use of tautology. The simile of the persona being a foreign tourist gives him a lack of permanence in society, that he is a nomad with no sense of place. This is then contrasted with the repetition of â€Å" eight years† which shows how in this time he should have found a sense of belonging.The persona referring to himself as a tourist, also shows how he is out casted from society and not accepted. This also gives a feeling of exclusion faced by the persona. The tautology of â€Å"foreign tourist† is used to increase the feeling of exclusion. At the end of the per sonas schooling he reflects on his time at the school and the effort that his parents had gone though to get him through it. He still feels that it had not been a worthwhile sacrifice, but hopes that after school he could o something to make it worthwhile for them. that the darkness around me /wasn’t â€Å"for the best†/ before I let my light shine†. This line uses the imagery of darkness surrounding the persona to show his regret and alienation that he faced from his schooling. He then repeats his mother’s line of â€Å"for the best† but this time showing her how she had been wrong. This puts a negative tone on the line. Hope is then gained for the persona when he states, â€Å"before I let my light shine†, which indicates that in the future he will triumph and belong into society.Feliks Skrzynecki explores the personas failure to belong in society, and his father triumph over belonging. The father is seen to have â€Å"kept up only with th e Joneses/ of his own minds making†, the alliteration of â€Å"minds making† helps add emphasis to he line. This reinforces the feeling of his belonging in is own mind due to the added emphasis now placed on â€Å"mind†. The quote also utilises the cliche of â€Å"keeping up with the Joneses† as a metaphor for people conforming to societies expectations in a search for belonging. Feliks however, chooses to belong only within his own mind, and not conform to society.This shows how he has a sense of belonging within his own mind. Feliks is seen to have â€Å"loved his garden like an only child†. This quote utilises the simile to portray the message of his belonging within the garden. Comparing the garden to an only child turns Feliks’ instincts to love and protect onto the garden. This is then reinforced later in the stanza when he is seen to walk around the garden from â€Å"sunrise to sleep†. The quote also utilises the high modality w ord love which gives added depth to just how strong the connection between the two are.A father and son share a unique bond, utilised in this line, where father and son belong together, this is now placed on the father and garden. This also acts to create a sense of jealousy between the son and the father, as the father cares for the garden not his son. This shows how the son has failed to belong with the father. â€Å"like a dumb prophet/ watched me pegging my tents/ further and further south of Hadrian’s wall†, this quote uses the extended metaphor of Hadrian’s Wall as his old culture. The persona is seen to be moving away from his old culture as he attempts to embrace the Australian Culture.The paradox of the father being a dumb prophet indicted not him being stupid, but silent as he watches his son move further away from him and their Polish heritage. By using the word â€Å"tents†, the persona describes himself as unsettled and impermanent, this give s the impression that he still belongs nowhere. The repetition of further and further indicate that the father and son are growing apart and will never return to their previous feelings of belonging. The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan explores the journey of the â€Å"thing† as it attempts to find a place of belonging.Initially, it is seen to be alienated from the rest of society by a high angle shot of it at the beach. This shot allows for the whole scene to be viewed and for greater contrast to be made. The thing is seen I the middle of the beach, however it stands out from the rest of the beach goers. Its bright red colour is in contrast to the rest of the grey people and grey city. The high angle shot is able to show the hundreds of people who all belong together in grey clothing, while also showing the insignificance of the thing as it sits alone.The thing is then later seen walking through the streets. All of the people surrounding it are the same height and wearing the same b lack suits, showing how they all belong to this conformist society. The thing however is seen at least three times as tall as the people, and in bright red, completely opposing the people of the city. This flat angle shot shows how the thing is still alienated from society. In the final pages of the book the thing triumphs over its quest to belong when it finds its new home.The low angle shot of the area shows the size and excitement of the place. It shows for the first time in the book colours, which give the thing a sense of belonging, as it now no longer stands out. The sky is seen to be blue and sunny, giving the place a feeling of happiness. The thing is seen to finally have triumphed over its quest for belonging. Belonging involves triumphing over failure to belong. This is seen in Skryzynecki’s anthology Immigrant Chronicle and Shaun Tan’s The Lost Thing.

The practice of secondment and the goal of a more efficient and Essay

The practice of secondment and the goal of a more efficient and accepted implementation - Essay Example As will be discussed in this analysis, workers on secondment are often reticent to exert their full potential and treat the assignment with the same rigor and determination that they are inclined to do in their normal work. Furthermore, due to this approach, efficiency is lost and with that lost efficiency, profitability for the organization is also lost. As such, it is management’s desire to recapture this lost efficiency and work to promote the role of secondments, although temporary, as an integral role within the organizational structure and work to change cultural and personal perceptions that currently exist within the organization. 1.2 Identify the aim, scope and objective of the project. The purpose of this brief analysis is to discuss the process of conducting a project as it would relate to the process of secondment in the United Kingdom. These current issues include, but are not limited to: issues of reduced efficiency due to employee distaste for the system, loss o f overall profitability associated with the aforementioned loss of efficiency, and the overall reticence of employees throughout the organization to eagerly venture outside the norms and comforts of the routine they have grown accustomed to. As such, the purpose of this analysis will be to build a plan of action with relation to conducting a management project that is intended to better streamline and ensure the continued success of secondment; all the while working to reduce the negative aspects of the practice that have become so evident in company culture. 1.3 Justify the aim and objective of the project. The clear justification of this particular project is the direct need to redefine the process of secondment as something that can be a net positive for both parties involved and not a dreaded component of the work plan. As such, this analysis will draw upon the main goals of incentivizing the process in different ways, focusing on the needs of the employee and the employer, and maximizing the efficiency that had previously been lost due to dissatisfaction associated with interruption that secondment portends. The greater purpose intended is to create an environment in which secondment is looked upon in a different light; so that while valuable tangential work experience is obtained, the employee continues to maintain an open mind as to the process and is also mindful of the reward mechanisms that are associated with efficient and mindful implementation of the given secondment. 2.1 Identify sources of data and information for the project. For purposes of analysis as well as background information on secondment and the general views that are held with regards to it, this project has analysed multiple scholarly articles and journal entries which will work to shed a light on the common views regarding secondment, differing means of implementation, effects of employee distaste with the current system, specific shortcomings and strengths, loss of efficiency, and a multiplicity of ways in which the system might be improved. Secondly, in order to accurately measure the success of the project, a series of metrics will need to be established to measure employee response to the new rewards system which will be employed to foster success for secondment. Due to the fact that such a systemic

Negotiation and Conflict Week 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Negotiation and Conflict Week 4 - Essay Example The main problem is the isolation of Jerry by other workers due to the aggressive behavior meted against them. There is suspicion of drug usage by Jerry but he has vehemently refused and even stating that the manager is confused Emotions play a significant role in the creation of conflict. People fight because emotions have gotten over them. The evaluation of emotions is vital in the conflict resolution process because it enables the cause of the problem to be identified. Emotions affect how employees relate which may lead to aggression of support. Jerry’s emotional state is not ok leading to regular mood swings and leads to serious challenges for other employees. Positive emotions improve harmony within the teams while also encouraging the development of interpersonal skills. These skills are essential in the communication process because they encourage the development of appropriate working environment. The conflict resolution strategy using the dimensional model To solve th e identified problem, the cognitive and emotional needs, of the team must be evaluated. The major problem with the team is the behavior of a jerry; he has several challenges in personality and communication. The evaluation of the perception of the employees about jerry is vital because negative perception makes a reasonable person incompetent and vice versa. The reasons for the negativity within the employees must be addressed in order to solve the conflict. The main problem with the situation is the perception of the employees in regard to the new changes. The recruitment or the deployment of the sales agents must be evaluated because if the employees feel the Jerry is treated well then, negative perception may develop within the team as a result of the treatment (Bercovitch, Bercovitch, & Jackson, 2009, p. 34). The need for behavior change for Jerry must be addressed in a transparent manner, to ensure the employee understand the change and the reasons for the change. Perception is vital because it affects the emotional balance of the group by influencing the attitude of the employees. During the solution process, any negative perception about Jerry must be countered with the proper data and information, to encourage the development of accommodating environment. The emotional needs of the team must be evaluated in order to develop the necessary support services for the individuals within the team. Unsatisfied team member vent their anger at the each other as such emotional balance within the group is vital. To reduce cases of frustration and anger, delegation and the support of the individual employees is mandatory. Social Styles Model strategy development The social model style approaches conflict resolution using several factors, which include the development of personality and the improvement of the necessary skills. The classification of the team into four groups is essential in the development of the conflict resolution strategy. The concern structure in cludes driving, analytical, expressive and amiable. The model develops ways to which each social style needs to interact thus helping people to adapt each other and ensure harmony. The success of conflict resolution in the case of dispute between Jerry and the employees involves the development of the necessary skills which are vital in the working environment. The model evaluates the responsiveness of the employees to the interaction with others. The model evalua

Instructional Technology Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Instructional Technology - Research Paper Example its of technology in classrooms and schools have opened up an interactive learning environment for the students where they can learn more quickly and effectively. One cannot deny the impact of technological advancements on the educational sector of any specific country. In this paper, we will explore the use of technology in instructional delivery at a nursing school. The nursing school, where I made a call in order to gather information regarding use of technology, is Catholic University of America’s school of nursing. I had a telephonic conversation with the registrar of CUA, who helped me collect useful information about use of technology in instructional delivery. The list of technological equipment used by the instructors of the school includes televisions, internet, microphones, and projectors. Let us discuss how instructors make use of these technological equipments in nursing classrooms. Instructors of CUA’s school of nursing use televisions to show how healthcare practitioners provide treatments to their patients. The professors show documentaries on different aspects of nursing and treatments. During the conversation, the registrar told me that televisions really help teachers in providing relevant and up to date information to the students. The documentaries help the students gather information about elderly nursing care programs, old and latest nursing equipment, and different treatments. The hardware requirement for this mode of instructional delivery is television, DVD player, and documentaries. The instructors need to be proficient in use of all of these equipments in order to make the students learn effectively. The instructors also make use of web-based method of instructional delivery. For this purpose, the instructors take students to the internet labs where they can search information related to various nursing techniques and treatments. The web-based instructional mechanism is very effective as it provides high level of interactivity

Wite about a relationship.. Descrive in detail the relationship's Essay

Wite about a relationship.. Descrive in detail the relationship's movement through Knapp's stages of interpersonal relationsship - Essay Example The main cause of repetition of one stage is the role that it plays in the development of the relationship as it progresses or fails. Not all boyfriend girlfriend relationships reach maturity stage and this usually happens several phases are omitted and when the relationship faces challenges at its early stage (Rothwell, 279). The initiation stage which is the first stage of coming together is very important in boyfriend girlfriend relationship development. This is because the first impressions of the partners involved are made and they are able to compare their likes and dislikes on each other. Physical influences usually play a greater role in this stage, such as the hair styles, clothing, perfumes, height and even voice. Human beings are a social being and hence would like to portray themselves as friendly, easy to share some conversations and open to debate some issues. In this stage, there are no deep conversations but it only aims at surveying the possibility of earlier personal association with someone (Rothwell, 280). Another important stage after initiation is experimentation. This is where both the boy and the girl try to observe and analyze their similarities and differences such as the carrier interests and hobbies in their lives. It is also known as the probing stage, this is because each of the two partners tries to probe one another to get relevant information that would allow the progress of the new relationship between them. This stage is where many relationships end especially when the two individuals realize that they have a lot of differences than similarities. The view relationships that go through the experimentation stage experience intensifying stage. In this stage, the partners come close to one another with the motive of knowing each other more deeply and to test the hollows the one is making. According to mark Knapp model, the relationships

Watch the film A Taste of Honey (1961). Analyze the film as a work of Movie Review

Watch the film A Taste of Honey (1961). Analyze the film as a work of Kitchen Sink Realism and discuss the work in light of questions of class, gender and race in 1950s Britain - Movie Review Example The director has been very clever in handling the movie because body language says more than meet the words. Tony Richardson is also known for producing other movies like Jean Giraudx’s The Apollo of Bellac. He won an Academy award in 1964 for Best Director of the film Tom Jones. Dora Bryan (Helena), Jo’s mother, is a very selfish woman who is in constant pursuit of her own happiness. You can tell this by the way she combs her hair, puts on her lipstick or light the cigarette. Dora Bryan is also known for her role in Absolutely Fabulous. She won BAFTA awards as Best Actress in A Taste of Honey. Rita Tushingham, also known as Jo, plays the role of an adolescent girl who is also a working class. Her wide eyes show a mixture of fear and innocence. She is aware of her mother’s lack of love and she expresses this by bending her shoulders. She generally carries the weight of being unwanted. Rita Tushingham is known for her supporting roles in The Knack, Doctor Zhivago, just to mention a few. She was nominated Best Actress (BAFTA) in 1966 and also in 1962 Most Promising Newcomer for her role in ‘A Taste of Honey’. This movie is all about black and white people, gay and straight, mothers and daughters. Jo is a 17-year old school girl who lives wither promiscuous and domineering mother, Helen. Jo was longing for love and attention from her mother only for things to get worse between the two of them when her mother enters into a new relationship. This latest ‘romance’ drives Jo out of their apartment and she finds herself in the streets. She later spends the night with a black sailor who ended up impregnating her. Jo’s mother decides to abandon her and move in with her lover after which Jo finds a job and a room for herself. She then meets Geoffrey co-worker who is a shy and lonely homosexual and they agree to share a flat. She discovers later that she is pregnant with the sailor’s child and Geoffrey returns a favor by caring for

Recommendation of process routes for the sepration of LPG Essay

Recommendation of process routes for the sepration of LPG - Essay Example To separate these two constituents, several processes can be used. This method involves the recovery and increase in the purity of the light hydrocarbons butane and propane from their mixture in liquid petroleum gas. It is based on the distillation of the gas by controlled heating and cooling, by taking gain of the diverse boiling points of the hydrocarbons. Fractionating columns are used with labels if the hydrocarbon is separated by evaporation. Liquid petroleum gas composition of propane and butane which makes up to 40% natural gas is extracted as a liquid mixture in a fractionating column (Zlokarnik, 2002). After its extraction from natural gas, the refrigerated liquid petroleum gas is passed through an absorber column where it is mixed with lean oil at a temperature of 238 degrees Celsius to allow for the absorption of the liquid petroleum gas products. This process is accelerated by elevated pressure and low temperature and the refrigeration of the liquid petroleum gas is ensured by using a closed loop circulation of a refrigerant in centrifugal compressors. The liquid petroleum gas is precooled before it enters a de-ethanizer column with a pressure lower than the pressure of the liquid petroleum gas. In the de-ethanizer, ethane and other lighter components in the liquid petroleum gas are removed. A constant temperature is maintained in the column by using a reboiler placed at the bottom of the fractionating column to supply heat. The overhead vapour is recycled to recover any escaped propane from the evaporated gas. The residue is then passed through a rich oil still column where th e lean oil is separated using distillation. The liquid petroleum gas that is separated is condensed in a reflux condenser and is then directed into fractionating columns. Depropanizer and debutanizer systems are used to separate the stabilized

Walden and Transcendentalism Essay Example for Free

Walden and Transcendentalism Essay Henry Thoreau’s masterpiece, Walden or a Life in the Woods, shows the impact transcendentalism had on Thoreau’s worldview. Transcendentalism is a philosophy that asserts the primacy of the spiritual over the material. Transcendentalism puts the emphasis on spiritual growth and understanding as opposed to worldly pleasures. Thoreau’s idea of transcendentalism stressed the importance of nature and being close to nature. He believed that nature was a metaphor for spiritual enlightenment. A walk in the woods therefore was a search for spiritual enlightenment. One should look ‘through’ nature, not merely ‘at’ her. In Walden, Thoreau’s idea of transcendentalism is broken into three areas. The first is the importance of the spiritual world as opposed to material wants. He accentuates this idea by explaining how the physical world only exists so that souls can experience life to the fullest. Thoreau speaks a great deal about physical property in the first chapter, entitled â€Å"Economy†. He keeps a detailed record of the economic cost of his venture into the woods and explains to his readers his pity for the people who have numerous material possessions. Thoreau states, â€Å"When I have met an immigrant tottering under a bundle which contained his all†¦I have pitied him, not because that was his all, but because he had all that to carry. †[1] The second transcendentalism theme is the idea of individuality- the idea that an individual is unique and should act according to his personality and ideals. Individuality is a basic idea of the transcendentalists and they firmly believed that one should search for ‘self-discovery’. Thoreau observed, â€Å"Every man is the builder of a temple, called his body, to the god he worships, after a style purely his own, nor can he get off by hammering marble instead. †[2] He emphasized the â€Å"style† as an individual style, one that was distinctive to each person. He even told his readers in Walden that he went into the woods to search for knowledge and truth. Self-discovery and individuality were also attributed to any other characters in Walden that were mentioned. Thoreau takes great pains to describe each character, even down to the farmer’s â€Å"wrinkled, sibyl-like, cone-headed†[3] infant in chapter 10, â€Å"Baker Farm†. He makes sure his readers understand the unique attributes of each individual in his experiences. As Thoreau once said, â€Å"It is what a man thinks of himself that really determines his fate. † The final prominent transcendentalism theme expressed in Walden is the importance of experiences. Transcendentalists believed personal experience is how one learned. Literally, people learned everything the hard way. Thoreau demonstrated this clearly in the experiment of living in the woods for two years. He explains in Walden that he wanted to experience living simply for an extended period of time. Notice that Thoreau did not speculate, draw conclusions, or even ask someone who had tried it. The only way, in his mind, that he was going to learn about living simply was to undergo it personally. In speaking about life in the chapter, â€Å"Where I lived and What I Lived For†, Thoreau said,â€Å"†¦if [life] proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion. †[4] He emphasized living and feeling everything to be able to understand life and its meaning. Walden is often viewed as simply a proponent of environmental care and nature. However, it persuades the reader to do much more than take care of nature. In fact, nature is not even the most prominent ideal in Thoreau’s writings. The thesis of Walden is clearly stated in the first few pages of the book. Thoreau writes, â€Å"With respect to luxuries and comforts, the wisest have ever lived a more simple and meager life than the poor†¦None can be an impartial or wise observer of human life but from the vantage ground of what we should call voluntary poverty. †[5] The entirety of the â€Å"Economy† chapter is devoted to material possessions and Thoreau’s idea that the physical pleasures exist only to help the soul endure. Very little time is spent on the goodness of nature. When it is mentioned, it is shown, as was stated above, that nature serves as a sort of looking glass to spiritual ideals. Because this book was quoted often by radical groups in 1960-70, Walden became a sign of disobedience and rebellion to the conservative community. However, there are a few ideas of which Christians can approve. The first is non-materialism. Thoreau quotes Matthew 6:19 saying, â€Å"By a seeming fate, commonly called necessity, they are employed, as it says in an old book, laying up treasures which moth and rust will corrupt and thieves break through and steal. It is a fool’s life, as they will find when they get to the end of it, if not before. †[6] He takes great pains throughout the entire book to make sure his readers understand that material possessions should not be the only thing in which people place all of their happiness. The second idea Christians can applaud is the idea of individuality. As was mentioned above, Thoreau kept the Transcendentalist idea of a person’s individual worth in his writings. Because of this belief, he was one of the most outspoken human rights activists in his lifetime. He wrote A Plea for Captain John Brown supporting John Brown’s efforts to end slavery. Thoreau said, â€Å"I do not believe in erecting statues to those who still live in our hearts, whose bones have not yet crumbled in the earth around us, but I would rather see the statue of Captain Brown in the Massachusetts State-House yard, than that of any other man whom I know. I rejoice that I live in this age, that I am his contemporary. †[7] His belief in the basic human rights of every man stemmed from his support of individuality and the unique worth of every person on this planet. Even though there are a few ideas that Christians can applaud in Walden, there is one of which they should be wary. This idea is the idea that rebellion and disobedience towards government is acceptable if one believes the government is wrong. Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his eulogy for Thoreau, articulated this idea, saying that Thoreau opposed the government. Thoreau disrespected government officials by refusing to obey tax laws and paid for it by spending a brief time in jail. However, many people, instead of realizing the negative influence Thoreau was creating, idealized him for his ‘patriotic’ stance. Thoreau says in Walden, â€Å"One afternoon, near the end of the first summer†¦I was seized and put into jail, because, as I have elsewhere related I did not pay a tax to, or recognize the authority of, the state which buys and sells men, women, and children, like cattle at the door of its senate-house. †[8] He did not recognize the authority of the government because of the slavery in the country. Even though slavery is immoral, Romans 13:1 clearly states, â€Å"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. †[9] The Bible articulates that Christians must be subject to those whom God has placed into authority. Thoreau discourages this idea and instead institutes an attitude of rebellion. Christians should be cautious of this attitude and worldview. Very few instances occur in which Christians should rebel against authority. The only instance where they should rebel is under a government which demands that its citizens disobey God’s orders. Walden was written many years ago and yet, society can still learn from the author’s words. Whether the ideas are detrimental or helpful, everyone can agree that Thoreau was a strong Transcendentalist with a distinct mindset. This mindset affects everyone who reads his works. Emerson once articulated that Thoreau inspired many around him through his idealistic thinking. Thoreau has inspired, and will continue to inspire, numerous people through his book, Walden or a Life in the Woods. [1] Henry David Thoreau, Walden ; and Civil Disobedience (New York: Barnes and Nobles Classics, 2003), 56. [2] Henry David Thoreau, Walden ; and Civil Disobedience (New York: Barnes and Nobles Classics, 2003), 175. [3] Henry David Thoreau, Walden ; and Civil Disobedience (New York: Barnes and Nobles Classics, 2003), 161 [4] Henry David Thoreau, Walden ; and Civil Disobedience (New York: Barnes and Nobles Classics, 2003), 74 (brackets added) [5] Henry David Thoreau, Walden ; and Civil Disobedience (New York: Barnes and Nobles Classics, 2003), 16 [6] Henry David Thoreau, Walden ; and Civil Disobedience (New York: Barnes and Nobles Classics, 2003), 9 [7] ThoreauOn John Brown, Virginia Commonwealth University, http://www.vcu. edu/engweb/transcendentalism/authors/thoreau/johnbrown. html (accessed September 15, 2010). [8] Henry David Thoreau, Walden ; and Civil Disobedience (New York: Barnes and Nobles Classics, 2003), 137 [9] Passage: Romans 13:1 (ESV Bible Online), Good News / Crossway Home Christian Books, Gospel Tracts, and the English Standard Version (ESV) Bible, http://www. gnpcb. org/esv/search/? q=Romans 13:1 (accessed September 15, 2010).

The term Civilization Essay Example for Free

The term Civilization Essay Civilizations are complex societies with cities, government, art, architecture, religion, class divisions and writing systems. To uphold an effective civilization, cultural diffusion, farming and writing with a spoken language are essential. Cultural diffusion is a key element to maintaining a complex civilization. When people from different civilizations came into contact with one another, they learned from one another. They would learn how other people from different societies did things and all their different and new inventions. They would bring this new understanding back to their cities and villages, which usually brought them back security and prosperity for the future. The transition from hunting and gathering to farming was a huge factor in a well-held civilization. This change was known as the Neolithic Age. Farming at this time gave people an appointed community and an abundance of food. Farmers were able to gather into a heap more occupations than their hunter and gatherer ancestors. This is because they stayed in one place and didn’t have to go and search for a food source. Farmers had to develop new tools to farm effectively. They had to keep track of their crops and also protect them. Mesopotamians commerced and operated in large cities and towns. They depended on irrigation farming and trade was a big way with archaeology. The rule for the Mesopotamians was patriarchy. Women usually ruled over men in this ancient society. Hebrews played a small role in trade between the Nile and the Mediterranean. Their economy was pastoral. Ancient civilizations helped discover a lot of what the world is today. Cultural diffusion, the transition from hunting and gathering to farming and ancient society made a huge impact from ancient civilizations to today’s society.

Role Of ICT In Research Information Technology Essay

Role Of ICT In Research Information Technology Essay Adoption of Information and Communication Technologies in teaching, learning and research has come a long way and so is the use of various web2.0 tools . The researchers need to change with changing times and need to understand todays fast changing knowledge base and its peculiarities. The article is written with an objective of finding out how is the academic researcher changed, helped, or hindered, by the use of ICTs in general and web2.0 tools in specific. ICT tools are mainly used by researchers for its ability to ease knowledge-gathering process and to enhance resource-development. Researcher in general value creativity and originality , thus the ICT tools which provide with the most open situations with great autonomy to the researcher can really help in identifying and solving research problems in the most creative ways. Some of web2.0 tools used for research related tasks are dealt in detail here to give a clear guidance to the researcher . The use of ICT is based on the indi viduals logical assessment of how various applications increase his/her effectiveness and efficiency in work and provide ease in communication with peers. Use of ICT tools for making research data and information available are plenty in numbers today , but the best use of ICT tools would be to improve cognitive skills and thus help discriminate , analyse and create information rather than simply accumulate ( Boyer Commission , 1996). As usually research process deals with large amount of complex information and requires a lot of skills to analyse and organize these well, any ICT tool which helps the researcher give meaning and precision along with adding value to the information generated would be rated above the ones which help in just gathering information. Generally, ICT tools help researcher in the following research related tasks identify appropriate information sources critically analyse information research effectively manage information use information to extend and communicate knowledge across subject fields search up to ten databases and electronic resources simultaneously receive results in a common format link to individual databases for more specialised searching select favourite resources and e-journals, save searches and records, and setup email alerts. The possibilities of conducting research with Internet and its virtual components by individuals and organizations are innumerable. While going thru the research papers among others, several authors have mentioned that ICTs support: instantaneous information exchange despite geographical distances , costless accumulation of data and documents, improvements in the precision of knowledge reproduction, innovative and more effective routines to design new products and conduct problem solving activities both at individual and organizational level. Now, lets look at the main steps that are usually taken to conduct a research. The first two steps in any research activity are 1. Identifying your own world view and situate your research for evaluation. 2. Problem Identification by Literature review and design of research questions Research starts with an idea that researcher has , and now to conduct a research , that idea needs to be converted into a proper research question . ICT has to come in first stage while the researcher needs to discuss the ideas with others to get better user involvement . Now lets consider some ways in which ICT tools can be used to find Research Topics and create bookmarks for later references. Search Engines A feature of the Web that enhances learning and research is the use of search engines. A search on the Web can be very effective in providing a context for an unknown quote or theory , in a timely manner. The use of search engines can save precious time in research. Research indicates that about 85% of Internet users use basic search engines and search services like google to find specific information. However, it is also found that users are not satisfied with the performance of the current generation of search engines for not giving focused results by way of providing articles and notes from personal blogs etc. along with quality research articles . so o rdinary search engines are helpful for researching business and popular culture, but theyre not very useful for finding academic research papers or scholarly journal articles. Journal articles are available in a variety of formats, ranging from citations or brief abstracts to full text delivered electronically or in hard copy. Some articles are provided free. Often, a fee is required, or access is restricted in some way. Searching the invisible web resources also can be very useful. The following are some of the useful search engines used for research activities , 1. www.ask.com -lists related searches ,2. www.base-search.net : a multi-disciplinary search engine for academically relevant web , 3. Bing Microsofts search engine lists related searches , 4. Google Scholar indexes scholarly research from many journals, books, papers, etc. across many disciplines ,and 5. Yahoo! Search originally a Web directory, it now features a reliable search engine. Metasearch engines allow to query various search engines simultaneously providing a single list of results. These can avoid duplication and provide additional ideas . Some of the very useful and popular metasearch engines are Clusty (Vivisimo) , Dogpile , Ixquick and Mamma.com. Subject Directories allow to browse Web pages by category , and are best used when there is a need to find a list of general Web sites pertaining to a topic . These are often compiled by human editors and provide annotated links pointing to reliable Web sites. Apart from the google and Yahoo Directory these are a few others worth consideration are the open directory www.dmoz.org and www.opendoar.org/search.php . Subject-specific search engines tend to focus solely on a topic and allow to narrow results and ensure that these are relevant . Many subject specific resources can be found listed by various University Library departments in the Library Research Guides. The following tools represent only a sampling Pinakes A Subject Launchpad , Infomine ,Scirus , Hakia, Education World and Business.com . Loading Social Bookmarking is tagging a website and saving it for later. Instead of saving them to web browser, we are saving them to the web. Having started out as a way to store browser bookmarks online so that they can be utilized on different computers and shared, social bookmarking has grown to such an extent that it can now be used to search the web instead of relying on traditional search engines. In fact, social bookmarking sites are being used as intelligent search engines. Most social bookmarking sites allow to browse through the items based on most popular, recently added, or belonging to a certain category like technology, politics, blogging, news, sports, etc. Examples of Social Bookmarking sites are Del.icio.us , Magnolia, Blinklist, esnips etc. Social News , another feature of web 2.0 is websites like Digg , Reddit and Propeller focus on social bookmarking of news-related items such as politics, sports, technology, etc. Social news sites are different from standard social bookmarking sites by focusing on specific articles and blog posts rather than websites. Because of this, they can be a great source of news, and they also offer the ability to participate in the discussion by leaving comments on popular news items. Evaluating and citing Web sites There are some words of caution while gathering information from web : 1. all types of information are not available on the Web, and especially not for free. 2. unlike traditional published sources, Web documents have not necessarily been evaluated hence the need to assess the quality of the documents is very crucial for a researcher. Information on the Web can originate from many different sources including individuals, organizations, governments, academic institutions and companies. It is therefore important to quickly assess the reliability of the sources found. The major points of check when evaluating a Web site are : Currency , Authority , Purpose and Point of view . 3. Design the study and develop your method(s) In this phase of research there has to be active Participant Involvement. The researchers has to have proper Survey Design , correct Sampling and have to sort out all Statistical issues for conducting Qualitative/Quantitative Research . In the following three ways ICT Tools can be used by researchers for qualitative research As a medium of communication ICT tools provide powerful communication channels mostly text based but increasingly enhanced with moving and still images and sound, thus competing fairly with the traditional medium of interaction. Researchers can log into any of these channels and practices , either for studying the way people use computer mediated communication in cultural context or can utilize these to interact with participants by initiating a discussion. As a network of computers -Internet , the most popular and powerful ICT tool, breaks all boundaries and makes physical distances between people disappear thus providing a platform like online communities, blogs and discussions forums to reach out to people all across the globe for collective and collaborative research with seamless possibilities for the researcher to utilize this space particularly for collecting information. As a context of social construction The web2.0 facilitates the researchers to witness and analyse the structure of conversation by either participating or simply observing , the social structures that emerge. This gives a good insight to the researcher while gathering data and then during analysis , how language builds and structures social reality. Regardless of the use of any of the above said framework that is used , a qualitative research can be conducted by utilizing Internet based other web2.0 tools for research on any social phenomenon at the same time a qualitative research can conducted on any of the web2.0 tools as a specific social phenomenon as well. 4. Collect and collate the data Data collection requires Collaboration . A word of caution to the researcher is to take care of Intellectual property related issues in advance before using Internet and web2.0 tools for data collection and storage . The qualitative research process starts with a Questionnaire / Survey Design . Survey can be created using ICT tools Web, Word Processors (WP), Spreadsheets and now most popular online tools like google-forms and surveymonkey.com, and can be distributed using email and discussion boards. The data collected using one or many such online tools needs a proper Database structure for storage and retrieval thus tools like relational databases ( SQL Server, ORACLE etc.) ; open sources databases using MySQL and Access, Flatfile database using Spreadsheet, wikis, GIS [Google earth, Google Maps, Flickr, Arcview/explorer]) can be used. Data Analysis is a an area where a lot of works is being done and a huge collection of open source tools are available for researcher e.g. for Relationship mapping techniques like Herring or fish bone mind maps, SWOT Analysis, PMI, Venn etc. software like Inspiration, kidspiration, smart ideas, Cmap, Mindmapper, freemind would be useful and also the opensource Online tools available at www.gliffy.com/, www.mindmeister.com , www.drawanywhere.com/ . An open source statistical software programming language like R is found very useful by researcher. For preparing Graph using Spreadsheet, digitizer , for typical data analysis using Calc or excel, preparing Checklist (any Word Processor , Spreadsheet) and Mashing tools like intel mash up is now very common . ICT in Qualitative Data Analysis The applicability of ICT based analytical tools in qualitative research is debated as it is argued, that the original meaning inherent in the data could be distorted or lost in the process of data analysis. Thus the employment of computer programs in qualitative data analysis is a practice that should be viewed with caution. Analysing qualitative material that is based on speech or texts derived from interviews and conversations must have regard for the context and the integrated whole. Computer based systems to aid with analysis are, often based on the natural scientific view of the world that sees social phenomena as reflections of the higher level ordering of an objective social structure. The ideal data type here is one which is amenable to quantifying and segmentation into discrete categories as this allows for numerical manipulation and analysis. Researchers who make use of these packages must remain alert to the need to preserve the integrity and context of the original materi al and not lose sight of this during the process of coding and subsequent analysis. 5. Reporting and dissemination The final step in the process of any research activity is Writing up Research by Research Reporting Guidelines advised using the wordprocessors. Disseminating Research : To make the research outcomes reach maximum numbers of stake holders proper planning for printing, mailing and/or posting on community forums plus translation is required . Making research results accessible to various audiences through website, Research Portfolio, Newsletter, and other Community reports is now a common practice. Presenting research at Conferences/ Seminars and thus making findings known to users should be planned. Events happening across the globe on the theme of research can be found out easily today through Internet. Bibliography : Web pages, as with journal articles, books, encyclopedias and other material consulted while researching , need to be properly cited in a bibliography, a reference list or a list of works cited. There are a lot of Citation Style Guides online which provide more information on citation. Thus , there are some innovative tools available today that support researchers in the entire research process i.e. researcher can get help to Search intelligently, assess the quality of search results, help in recording, organizing and producing information using online notecards , and also help in formatting the bibliography in MLA, APA, or Chicago/Turabian whichever style that is required. Bibliographic information of this paper: STÉPHAN VINCENT-LANCRIN , What is Changing in Academic Research? Trends and Futures Scenarios , European Journal of Education, Volume    41 ,   Issue    2 , Pages169   Ã‚   202 © 2006 The Authors. Journal compilation  © 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd Aitken, Wendy (2007).    Use of Web in Tertiary Research and Education.    Webology, 4(2), Article 42. Available at: http://www.webology.ir/2007/v4n2/a42.html accessed on 15/3/2010 http://www.weblens.org/scholar.html accessed on 29.4.2010 Handbook of Research on Web 2.0, 3.0, and X.0: Technologies, Business, and Social Applications, San Murugesan (Editor) http://www.igi-global.com/reference/details.asp?id=34850, Information Science Research, Hershey New York, October 2009, ISBN 978-1-60566-384-5 Understanding Web 2.0, San Murugesan, IEEE IT Professional, 2007, http://www.computer.org/portal/web/buildyourcareer/fa009 Use the Web to Find Research Paper Topics, Wendy Boswell, About.com Guide, accessed on 12/03/2010 Roberts, Kathryn A. Wilson, Richard W. (2002). ICT and the Research Process: Issues Around the Compatibility of Technology with Qualitative Data Analysis [52 paragraphs]. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 3(2), Art. 23, http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0202234. Vaccaro, F. Veloso, S. Brusoni, The Impact of Virtual Technologies on Organizational Knowledge Creation: An Empirical Study, hicss, pp.352, Proceedings of the 41st Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS 2008), 2008 Andreas Hotho,Robert Jà ¤schke,Christoph Schmitz,Gerd Stumme, Information Retrieval in Folksonomies: Search and Ranking, Link http://www.springerlink.com/content/R8313654K80V7231 , accessed on 20.6.2010

The Right to Privacy in the Information Age Essay -- Exploratory Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In a day in the life of Joe, an ordinary American, he drives to the office, owrks at a computer, browses in a shop at lunch time, then picks up some milk and a video on the way home, where a pile of junk mail and bills await him. At every stop alo ng the way, his doings can be watched, monitored, tabulated, and sold. On this typical day, Joe, our ordinary American, does not realize how technology has changed his private life. Joe's driving route may be tracked by a sophisticated traffic system. At work, his employer can listen in to his business conversations on the telephone, and tap into his computer, e-mail, or voice-mail. At the shopping center, the secret closed-circuit camera may seek him out personally. The shop is allowed to put peepho les in the fitting rooms. Some have hidden microphones, too. If he uses his credit card, not only does the card company keep tabs on when, where, and what he buys, it may sell that data to other marketers. A purchas e of out-door furniture means catalog s selling barbecue grills, mowing machines, or lawn seed are likely to be piled as junk mail in his mail box. Quickly he sits down at his desk and fills out the Reader's Digest Sweepstakes Entry form, hoping that this time Ed McMahon will arrive at his door with the big check, so he eagerly supplies personal information which, unknowingly to him, will be sold to other marketers and distributed to databases throughout the world. Joe is unaware of others who, on this typical day in the electronic age, ha ve peered into his private life.    Technology plays a significant part in today's society. As technology advances, new controversies arise, many involving privacy rights. Medical, workplace, and consumer pri... ...per, Michael. "With Success of Cameras, Concerns over Privacy." New York Times 5 Feb. 1997: B4. Dowd, Ann Reilly. "Protect Your Privacy." Money Aug. 1997: 107-108, 112. Everett-Green, Robert. "Cyberspace." 1996 Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year. 1996. Goode, Stephen. "Are Privacy Rights Still Inalienable?" Insight Magazine on the News 19 Aug. 1996: 18-19. Houlder, Vanessa. "The Blessing and Curse of E-mail." World Press Review June 1997: 33-34. Long, Robert Emmet. Rights to Privacy. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1997. "Medical Privacy is Under Attack." [http://www.ACLU.org] 26 Oct. 1997. "Workplace in America." [http://www.ACLU.org] 26 Oct. 1997. "We Know You're Reading This." Economist 10 Feb. 1996: 28. "William Faulkner: On Privacy." The Annals of America Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 1968.   

Big City Dangers :: Environmental Pollution Essays

Big City Dangers Since the industrial revolution the world has witnessed the rapid expansion of its metropolises. For years humans have been flocking to these urban centers in search of jobs, commodities, entertainment and other phenomena that can commonly be found in cities. With this grand, not so new invention which most of us exploit, one must wonder what negative effects city living might have on our health. When populations of animals are clustered together certain dangers arise that threaten the well being of each organism. Notably in China, Japan, India and the United States which contain extensive cities humans battle the health risks that come along them. One such well-known city in the USA which has documented and studied the biological threats to its inhabitants is New York City. A press release from the Department of Health is not necessary to let New Yorkers know that their home is hazardous to their health. Walking along any street in Manhattan the average observer can smell car fumes in the air, see the filth in the gutters and occasionally witness a purse-snatching. The potential for catching communicable diseases or being injured in some way is severely heightened in concentrated populations like New York. Some of the alleged pollution problems are water contamination, excessive noise and the presence of smog. Several diseases have spread throughout the city in recent years including the flu, West Nile Virus and meningitis. Another biological contaminant that has been found in NYC recently is Anthrax. This substance being sent through the postal system and other crimes endanger the well being of the citizens of this famous city. Anything from a car accident to an intentional murder or shooting can cause an unnatural death. Additionally, freak occur rences like terrorist attacks can kill or infect populations of people like those in New York City. These factors increase the likelihood that residents of a city will contract a particular disease, suffer from an environmentally caused illness, die in an accident or be the victim of a violent crime. Dangers associated with cities threaten the most basic biological feature that urban, suburban and country humans possess, life. Air pollution is one of the most noticeable and common complaints of people in an urban setting. On a hot day one can see the contaminated cloud-like structures hanging over a bustling metropolis.

Textile-and-Clothing-Report India

The Textile Industry and Related Sector in India Source: New Cloth Market The Textile Industry and Related Sector in India Source: New Cloth Market This market research study on Textiles and related sectors in India has been commissioned by Italian Trade Commission (Trade Promotion Section of the Consulate General of Italy), Mumbai, for which Ace Global Private Limited, a consultancy company based in New Delhi, has been appointed. The main objectives of the market research are to carry out a detailed market analysis o~ the industry, in order to identify potential opportunities for Italian entrepreneurs interested in the Indian market. The scope of the market research covers the following key segments of the industry: Textiles Apparel & Clothing; Undergarments; Home Textiles, and Accessories. The findings of the research are presented in the following sections. Market Characteristics The Textile Industry in India is one of the largest and most important industrial segments of the Indian economy accounting for over one fifth of the country's industrial production. It provides employment to around 15 million people who have helped produce one of the largest varieties of yarn, fabrics, textiles, clothing and garments, home furnishings and other textile products in the world. Textiles industry, including related subsectors, is worth about Euros 38 billion of which domestic segment constitutes 65% while 35% comes from exports. The textiles segment accounts for 59% of the industry, with apparel and other made ups constituting the balance. This industry also accounts for nearly 21 % of total employment in the country. Besides the textiles, apparels & clothing, the industry covers a wide range of home furnishings (bed linen, curtains and upholstery, floor coverings, kitchen linen, bath linen, etc. and Accessories (including apparel accessories, like stoles, scarves, etc. , hard accessories like bags, wallets, fashion jewellery, time wear and eyewear etc. ). Market Size The total market size for the sub-sectors covered in this study is estimated at Euro 21. 7 billion in the year 200809 with textile clothing and garments having a major share of 93%. Home textiles and furnishings, and textile usage in accessories was insignificant with a collective share of less than 0. 5% of the total market. Textiles Apparel and Clothing India's domestic market for apparel & clothing is currently worth Euro 20,219 million in 2008-09. It has registered a steady compounded annual growth rate (CAGA) of 13. 6% in the past 5 years. Volume wise, apparel market has grown from 4. 8 billion units in 2004†² to 5. 9 billion units in 2008-09 at a CAGA of 5. 3%. Apparel and Clothing is the second largest retail category in India. India's domestic market for apparels is currently worth over Euro 20 billion in 2008-09. It has registered a steady compounded annual growth ~ate (CAGA) of 13. 6% in the past 5 years. Volume wise, apparel market has grown from 4. 8 billion units in 200405 to 5. 9 billion units in 2008-09 at a CAGA of 5. 3%. Undergarments The 70's witnessed the entry of undergarments in India when Peter Pan from Dawn Mills entered the market with lingerie styles of the West. The undergarment market further proliferated and flourished in India significantly when international majors forayed in to Indian market in a big way since the onset of the 90's. India's domestic market for undergarments is currently worth about Euro 1. 5 billion in 2008-09. It has grown at a CAGA of about 15% in the past three years. Volume wise, apparel · market has grown from 914 million units in 2006-07 to 1. 05 billion units in 2008-09 at a CAGA of 7%. The total urban market for the home textiles in India in 2005-06 was estimated to be Euro 1. 45 billion. With a modest growth rate of about 14%, the market in 2008-09 is about Euros 2. 16 billion and is expected to cross Euros 3. 12 billion by 2011-12. The 2004-05 Volume (million units) Menswear Women's wpar Unisex apparel Kids' wear Uniforms Total 1,328 1,368 – 466 1,222 ~ 423 4,807 India's Apparel & Clothing Market 2006 ·07 Value, Volume (Euro (million Million) units) 4,450 3,856 1,014 1,836 991 12,147 1,443 1,523 519 1,323 , 498 5,306 Value (Euro Million) 5,605 5,106 1,461 2,333 1,461 15,966 2008-09 (estimates) Volume (million units) 1,600 1,676 579 1,468 581 5,905 Value (Euro Million) 6,938 6,414 1,816 2,975 2,077 20,219 market for home textiles is dominated by bed and bath linen, which have more han two third of the market share in value terms. Bed linen alone has a market of about Euros 1. 19 billion according to the estimates. Apart from the home textile products given in the table below, the other articles included in the total market size are textile made-ups like wall hangings and other decorative home furnishing articles. Accessories Usage of textiles and fabrics in the Accessories sector is valued at approx. Eu ros 0. 28 -0. 30 billion in 200809, bf which bags alone account for 61 % and apparel accessories and other fashion accessories account for 39%. The most common fabrics used in accessories are cotton, denim, silk, wool and raxene. Given the wide variety of products, with production largely concentrated in the unorganized sector, no official estimates for consumption of fabrics in accessories sector are available. Therefore for the purpose of this study, the market size has been estimate based on discussions with key players and industry bodies during the primary research, as presented below. Demand Drivers As stated in the preceding section, the market for textiles and related products has been consistently growing annually by 12% – 15% for various sub-sectors. The key factors driving this demand are: Demand Side factors With over 1. 1 billion people, India is the second most populous country in the world. In terms of the demographic â€Å"window of opportunity†, India is home to 17% of the world's population. It is also one of the youngest countries in the world, with over 65% of the population below 35% years of age. The young generation of professionals, both men and women, form important consumer groups with high purchasing power. This buying group is more demanding in their choice of products, looking for quality that satisfy comfort, fitting, styling needs etc. This has resulted in a qualitative shift of consumers from low / economy range to premium and super premium range of products. Growing prosperity of middle class: Indian corporate salaries have grown at 14% per annum, which is considered to be fastest globally. A large number of households are getting added every year to the consuming class with growing income levels, resulting in increasing affluence of the upper middle and igh income strata. According to various studies, there were more than 300 million middle class people in India in 2007 with substantial disposable incomes. This number is expected to touch 600 million by 2010. There will a sustained and increasing demand for various consumer products by this segment of population. The increase in urbanization and nuclear family structure, a growing number of educated and employed women, media prol iferation and growing consumerism, have all contributed to the growth of consumerism and organized retailing. The increasing working female-population has not only increased the income of households, but also changed the outlook of women towards their choice of clothing, home furnishings and its interiors. There is a trend of going with the seasonal tastes. Market Structure and Segmentation The market segmentation for various sub-sectors is on following basis: Textile Apparels-and Clothing: †¢ †¢ †¢ Segmentation by User category: Men's wear, Women's wear, Unisex apparel, Kids' wear Segmentation by Use: Formal, Casual, Traditional, Active sportswear, Uniforms Segmentation by Price: Super premium, Premium, Medium, Economy and Low end Undergarments: †¢ †¢ Segmentation by types of Suppliers: Informal/Unorganized sector, Organized sector – Segmentatfon by Price: Super premium, Premium, Medium, Economy and Low end Home Textile Furnishings †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Segmentation by types of Suppliers: Informal/Unorganized sector (70% share), Organized sector (30% share); Branded and Unbranded Segmentation by Use: Bed linens, Curtains & Upholstery, Bath linen. Kitchen linen etc. Segmentation By Price: Super premium, Premium, Medium, Economy and Low end Accessories: Segmentation by Use: Apparel accessories (scarves, stoles, shawls etc. ), Hard accessories (bags, belts etc. ), Packaging for jewellery, time, wear, eye wear etc. Segmentation by Price: Super premium, Premium, Medium, Economy and Low end Changing face of consumer: In spite of the economic meltdown in recent times, there has been a continuous and sustained shift in consumer demand pattern from basic necessities to spending on lifestyle products and ervices continues, largely due to : †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Higher Income Younger age profile Increasing literacy levels Higher adaptability to technology Increasing urbanization Changing role of women and children in the decision making process Increased demand for better shopping experience Impulsive purchase behavior among youngsters Changing fashion trends and increased consciousness Catch up wi th International fashion styles Sustained growth of retail culture in the country According to Central Statistical Organization, and Technopak, the retail market in India was about Euro 210 billion, and will cross Euro 440 billion in 2015, with organized retail growing at nearly 20% per year. The emergence of mall culture and rapid development of malls would act as a catalyst in this retail growth story. Due to the increase in the income levels of people and the push from the supply side of realty boom in this decade has created a housing boom in India. About 2. 5 million new homes are to be constructed to meet the demand of middle class and upper strata of income groups. Housing and Hospitality sectors are the major sectors, with huge demand for soft furnishings. As per estimates, the total shortfall of quality hotel rooms in India in all luxury, premium, economy and budget hotels is about 150,000. More than 40,000 hotel rooms are expected to come in top 10 metro cities by 2012. Supply Side Factors 1) Leading textile manufacturers are integrating their businesses vertically and have strong competencies in spinning, weaving and finishing. 2) There has been a significant improvement in the infrastructure related to textile machinery, transport and power which are further augmenting production. Government of India has allocated substantial funds · for infrastructure development through schemes like TUFS, and SITP, worker skill development trainings etc. 3) Lateral consolidation of players through organic and inorganic growth domestically and internationally. Indian companies have acquired the global brands abroad in order to consolidate their global positioning and have established wholly owned foreign subsidiaries abroad 4) End of quota regime acting as a stimulus to further export growth. Assessment of Demand and Market Potential in India The overall assessment of demand and market potential in various sub sectors, projected on the basis of past growth trends and industry expectations, is summarized in the table below. The total market is expected to increase from Euros 21. 7 billion in 200809 to Euro 29. billion by 2011-12, with overall compounded annual growth of 7. 89%. There are no authentic statistics available- on the production and the total market size of the home textile products and accessories, as no official data is compiled due to the unorganized and highly dispersed nature of sectors. The above estimates for home textile furnishings have been computed taking the overall average annual growth rates of domestic urban market (considered relevant for the foreign brands) as 15% for bath linen, 10% for kitchen linen, 12% for curtains, 15% for upholstery and 10% for other products. It should be noted that, above estimations is only for urban India, which is. Price Segmentation The price segmentation of the market is broadly in three categories: The low end market: Lower and economy (marginally improved product segment in relation to the lower category), solely volume driven, products are mostly unbranded and dominated by large number of regional and local manufacturers, and sold through small neighbourhood stores, The low and economy segment is growing in terms of volume and value and the industry is becoming more organized. The mid-range market: This segment features medium range of products. Though primarily volume driven, this category caters to diverse sections of Indian consumers across all regions, Its quality is by and large acceptable to all sections. The mid-market segment is characterized by the presence of regional and national players. The market is continuously expanding and becoming more and more competitive in respect of quality and price. The high end market: Exclusivity in product features such as high quality . raw materials, embellishments, design developments and above all branding of products for years make the products very special. ‘ Elitist categories of consumers pay for the products on demand. Mainly comprises of large Indian players and the foreign companies/international brands operating in the premium and super-premium product categories. Super-premium products are considered luxury products and marketed by top national and international giants. Illustrative prices for products in various price segments are provided in different Tables. Regional Characteristics of the Market The consumer behavior of a particular region which is economically not so developed is different as compared to developed ones. The consumers in the less developed region are understandably, more priceconscious. Always on the lookout for quality products, their guiding principle is ‘value for money'. A lower per capita income, in eastern region for example, compared to western and northern India leads to a lower per capita purchasing power. Additionally, Delhi being centrally located and Mumbai, being the financial capital have certain advantages. The consumers who live in these cities are more exposed to latest product collections and are more familiar with design, quality and latest trendy fashion, as well as the luxury of greater choice. The relatively undeveloped regions offer several in-built advantages as well. Fashion contenders setting out to do businesses in these regions find to their advantage that the region has not been exploited commercially and is prone to competition. The market, therefore, offers much but it needs to be cultivated in an organized manner. Local ready availability of products also influences a consumer. The decision to stick to a particular available product/brand seems to govern the purchase decision than the rarely available choicest product. Logistics, convenience and easy availability are important considerations for a local consumer. Regional considerations, such as climatic conditions etc. , playa major role in so far as the purchase decision of apparels is concerned. For instance, a consumer in Northern region would spend more on woolen products than his counterpart in the west or south where the winter is much milder. In India, different states are known for their specific style of clothing, home furnishings etc. For example J is the leading state for embroidered bed covers whereas Rajasthan (Jaipur) is famous for block printed, tie & dye bed covers, with mirror work, appliques, and bright colors. The market also depends upon the production and raw materials and government policies and programmes in specific states. Although there is an increasing influence to western and contemporary designs, Indian industry is still greatly influenced by the traditional regional motifs, with the materials of satin mix, tapestry for drapes and even cotton mixes with synthetics for the traditional look. Fabrics with bold prints and pastels are making a comeback. Polka dots and stripes, inspired by the retro, have made a comeback into the collections the world over. The sales of textile roducts increase significantly during the festival seasons in India, by up to 40 – 50 percent. Regional and national festivals, (e. g. ‘Diwali' is one of the most important festivals in India during October/ November) are the time to buy new clothes, renovate home furnishings. Consumer Behavior and Preferences The Indian consumers are noted as among the most discerning' consumers in the world with a high degree of value orientation. Even, luxury brands have to design a unique pricing strategy in order to get a foothold in the Indian market. Indian consumers also have a high degree of family orientation. Brands with identities that support family values tend to be popular and are accepted easily in the Indian market. Indian consumers are also associated with values of nurturing, care and affection. These values are far more dominant than values of ambition and achievement. Products, which communicate feelings and emotions gel with the Indian consumers. Different Segments of Indian Consumers Socialites: These are the upper class who shops in specialty stores and own exclusive accessories, and have a luxurious lifestyle. The Rich: India has over 1 million rich households (income greater than Euro 8,000 per annum). These people are upwardly mobile. Some of them in this category are Double Income No Kids (DINK) households. They spend more on leisure and entertainment-activities than on future looking investments. The Conservatives: These are the middle class population of India, who are very price conscious and demand more value for money. In addition to the above, the following segments are becoming increasingly important in purchase of consumer products: Working Women: Working women with disposable incomes are the key factors for the growth of women's accessories. An Indian woman is no longer just a homemaker. She is willing to buy designer products and is ready to pay high premiums for the same. Youth: With the increasing exposure to International fashion styles, the Indian youth is gaining more awareness and becoming style conscious. This segment believes in impulsive purchasing. There are certain common considerations for consumers regardless of locations. The consumers by and large are becoming increasingly more and more conscious of value of money. Price sensitivity is a common concern. Purchase decisions of consumers anywhere are more guided a combination of demographic and psychometric factors, such as, disposable income, age-distribution, pattern of income distribution, quality of upbringing, aptitude, tastes and preferences and so on. These days, the purchasing behaviors in India are greatly affected by the western tastes. The role of media, magazines, televisions have been increasing in making people aware about the new trends. There is a craze to own the best brands and designs among the people. The premium luxury brands are available only in the tier1 and tier2 cities hence making them a good market. Purchase Pattern of Textile Products Major findings of textile products based on All India consumer survey conducted by Textile Committee, Government of India, 2006-07 are presented as under: †¢ †¢ In India man-made fabric among various textile materials' sells the most. Sales of cotton come next in the order, while wool and silk constitute negligible percentage of total sales. Central, northern and western regions are the major consumers of man-made fabrics. Maximum consumption of cotton is reported from the eastern region. Consumption of cotton, in other regions is reportedly much less. This is an interesting revelation since India is ranked third as a cotton producing country in the world. †¢ †¢ †¢ Brand preferences Brand building is a stupendous task which involves high investment on production infrastructure, technology upgradation and enormous merchandizing. This has inspired lesser known medium sized players who are trying to establish their products in the market through Creation of brands. There is a strong indication that Indian market will have large a number of brands in near future in view of market expansion and increasing competition. Preference for particular apparel brands depends on individual tastes and preferences. However majority of Indian consumers look for certain common parameters like design, quality and above all merchandizing. Innovation in product design and fabric selection, are essential elements that add to value perception for a product. Sales discounts also tend to influence the purchase decisions of consumers provided the minimum parameters/ features are not compromised with. The Undergarments segment is characterized by well known national brands operating in the medium priced segment. Premium and super-premium product categories comprise branded products distinguished for exclusive product features operating at the high end of the market. Efficient logistics and supply chain management and media exposure have largely contributed to the popularity of these brands. Branding is a relatively new phenomenon in the Indian home textile furnishings market. In Accessories, the consumer demand . for premium product is on the rise. Style conscious customers with money look for variety. Consumer inclination for mix-n-match to build their wardrobe is acting as a catalyst in the growth of accessories market. Factors Influencing Brand Preference †¢ Brand preference pattern of consumers depends upon a host of factors such as : Combination of price, quality & fitting as major parameters of purchase decision for sensitive but smart consumers Track record of Indian manufacturer/reputation of foreign joint venture partner. †¢ Reputation of international companies The consumers place major emphasis on product quality. Price is another important consideration attracting customers to a particular shop/brand/ product. Pre and post sales services, parking facilities and ambience of the store or mall are the other major factors that attract local customers. Sales discounts also tend to influence the purchase decisions of consumers provided the minimum parameters/ features are not compromised with. In the selection of products, the consumers do not give automatic ‘precedence to local brands over national or foreign brands. Value for money has become the over-riding consideration. Fabric, texture and color followed by proper fits and sizing weigh more importance to the local consumers rather than just easy availability of local brands on account of proximity. Degree of Elasticity of Demand of Local Consumers Considering that price elasticity depends to a large extent on the degree of competition among the manufacturers, the Lower and Economy segments of the market are usually price inelastic. These segments being highly competitive do not allow the manufacturers much leverage on price. Higher up along the value chain, the affordability or paying capacity of the consumer is higher. The mid-price segment becomes increasingly quality oriented and more diversified. Despite competitive pressure, the price in this segment keeps on rising and the demand becomes price elastic. In case of premium and super-premium product segments, where entire focus is on quality, style and brand value, the consumer is insensitive to change in price. As per the findings of retailer survey, even an increase of less than 5% in the price has an effect on low end / economy category products, while mid-end category is usually able to absorb a 5-10% price increase without a major adverse impact on the sales of a brand. Originally published in New Cloth Market: February 2010

Sub-Saharan Africa: An Extraordinary Period of Change

Africa's hopes for a better future depend in large part on improving the health of its people. Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing a period of extraordinary change. Across the continent, policy reforms are contributing to dynamic economic growth. Greater political openness has strengthened the commitment of African governments to meeting the basic needs of their people. Despite these positive trends, sub-Saharan Africa faces a development challenge greater than any other region. Much of the continent's population remains desperately poor. With record numbers of adolescents entering their childbearing years, in less than three decades Africa's population is projected to double again from the current level of 620 million. Meanwhile, many African nations are struggling to provide health and education services to populations expanding at a small percent a year. In many countries, rapid population growth is contributing to degradation of the environment and undermining prospects for prosperity. Africa's hopes for a better future depend in large part on improving the health of its people. Better access to good quality reproductive health services, particularly family planning, is key to improving health status – especially for women. The reality of reproductive health in Africa, however, is far from ideal. Women begin child-bearing in their teens and have an average of six children. Meanwhile, AIDS has struck hard in Sub-Saharan Africa, where roughly 1 in 10 adults – both men and women – are infected with HIV. Yet traditional attitudes favoring large families are changing rapidly, owing to the growth of cities, the rising cost of living and lower child death rates, among other factors. Demand for family planning has increased dramatically in some countries, and the decline in birthrates ,limited as recently as a decade ago to only a few countries in the region, appears to be spreading steadily across the continent. In much of Africa, however, large families are still the norm. This situation is reinforced by low levels of education, particularly among women, and social barriers to the full economic participation of women. Yet, school enrollment rates declined or came to a standstill during the economic crisis many African countries experienced in the 1980s. Compared to countries in other developing regions, African countries have only recently begun to adopt population policies and initiate family planning and related reproductive health programs. However, African governments increasingly recognize the individual and societal benefits of smaller families. In the last decade there has been steady growth in the number of countries establishing national family planning programs and in the scope of these efforts. Still, Sub-Saharan Africa has a long way to go. In addition to meeting the growing need for family planning and reproductive health services, African countries must expand access to education for girls and economic opportunities for women. This will require significantly increased financial contributions from African governments and house-holds, as well as international donors. In sum, addressing poor reproductive health and rapid population growth is a daunting task requiring comprehensive action on many different fronts. A priority area is population growth. This is a function of birth or fertility, mortality, and net migration. Sub-Saharan Africa lags behind other regions in its demographic transition. The total fertility rate, the total number of children the average woman has in a lifetime. For Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole has remained at about 6. 5 for the past 25 years, while it has declined to about 4 in all developing countries taken together. Recent surveys appear to signal, however, that several counties, are at or near a critical demographic turning point. Sub-Saharan Africa continues to maintain the highest total fertility rates in the world. The total fertility rate is the average number of children a women will bear during her reproductive years, usually between 15 and 49 years old, although some analysts have expanded this range to include 10 and 55 year old's. Families in the region average an estimated 6. 4 children. Although there is considerable variation by region, socioeconomic status, and place of residence (rural vs. urban). Disease vectors are not solely responsible for low fertility rates in Sub-Saharan Africa. Some countries have made significant inroads in their family planning efforts to reduce fertility. You can separate fertility rates into two types of determinants: first being the direct that relates to the behavioral and biological aspects of fertility. And the second are indirect factors such as socioeconomic (one's income, education, cultural, historical, environmental, and politic-institutional factors Marriage patterns in Sub-Saharan Africa have a number of features that are unique and quite distinct from North America and Europe. Most marriages, particularly in traditional societies, are universal and occur at an early age. This may also be view as a reason to the problem of rapid population growth. The belief systems, customs, traditions, and values of Sub-Saharan Africans have significant impact on fertility levels. The African family structure is male dominated, and decisions about reproduction and family size are usually deferred to the husband. This may tend to make the women find it difficult to talk to their husbands about family planning. Since a high premium is placed on children, African women aspire to elevate their status, comparing with their husband's request to have more children. Mortality levels in Sub-Saharan Africa have declined substantially over the years, thus converging towards levels associated with more developed countries. Improvements in health, sanitation, and nutrition standards; massive vaccination campaigns against measles, small pox, and other diseases; and increased efforts on the part of World Health Organization and the International Red Cross have all contributed to this downward trend. Even with the lowering of death rates, there are still slight regional variations in mortality levels that reflect environmental, economic, and sociocultural factors. Death rates may be prone to drought, areas with high incidence of AIDS and those areas that have experienced social unrest, civil war, and political upheaval also may have relatively high mortality rates. Migration involves the movement from one administrative unit to another, resulting in a change in permanent residence. Recent estimates show that Sub-Saharan Africa contains 35 million international migrants, almost half of the world's total. Another concern like many other countries has been the â€Å"brain drain† of African intellectuals and students. Another concern regarding international migration is the refugee crisis, which has taken on added proportions recently. The most widely used definition is one which characterizes refugees as anyone who,†owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality and is unable or unwilling to avail himherself of the protection of that country. † Average per capita food production has declined in many countries, per capita calorie consumption had stagnated at very low levels, and roughly 100 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa are food insecure.. The average African consumes only about 87 percent of the calories needed for a healthy and productive life. Women's Time, and Their Role in Rural Production and Household Maintenance Systems Most women in Sub-Saharan Africa bear heavy responsibilities for food crop production, weeding and harvesting on men's fields, post-harvest processing, fuel wood and water provision, and household maintenance. But the burdens on rural women are increasing, as population growth outpaces the evolution of agricultural technology and growing numbers of men leave the farms for urban and industrial jobs. Many factors underlie the persistence of very high human fertility rates. The fundamental problem is low demand for fewer children. Environmental degradation, agricultural problems, food insecurity and poverty, and the heavy work burdens of woman all play a part in this respect. High infant and child mortality rates are a major factor explaining the persistent high demand for large number of children in Africa. Where girls are kept our of school to help with domestic tasks, this negatively affects their fertility preferences and their ability to make informed decisions about family planning once they reach childbearing age. The appropriate policy response and action program to address these problems are not easily brought into compatible focus. Many of the most immediately attractive remedies have been tried and have failed. A key aspect will be to increase demand for fewer children. Educational efforts, directed at both men and women, are needed to raise awareness of the benefits of fewer children. Women's work loads need to be eased to reduce the need for child labour. Dynamic agricultural development and improved food security will also reduce the demand for children. Promoting Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture Farm productivity per unit area must be raised significantly to generate more output with little increase in the area farmed. To minimize negative impacts on the environment, much more emphasis is required on â€Å"environmentally benign and sustainable† technologies. Numerous such agricultural techniques have been developed and successfully applied, often through adaptation of traditional practices that have evolved in response to local agro-ecological and socioeconomic condition. However, intensification with these technologies alone is unlikely to be sufficient in most Sub-Saharan African countries to achieve agricultural growth rates of 4 percent per year and more. Improved variety/fertilization/farm mechanization technologies will also be necessary. Increased use of fertilizers will be especially important to raise yields and maintain soil fertility. Intensive and resource-conserving agriculture must be made less risky and more profitable. This requires appropriate marketing, price, tax and exchange rate policies as well as investments in rural infrastructure, health and education facilities. Creating parks, reserves and community-owned range land and protecting these against conversion into crop land will be important to conserve natural resources and bio diversity. So will reducing infrastructure development in forests and other fragile areas to discourage settlement in these areas. Since this will limit the scope for further expansion of cropped land and, potentially, the scope for agricultural production growth, there is a trade-off between conservation and agricultural growth. Creating additional protection areas will only be feasible and sustainable if agricultural production can be intensified at the rate suggested here (i. e. to about a 3. 5 percent annual increase in farm out put per unit of land farmed). in this sense, conservation and agricultural intensification are complementary. As African farmers have shown, land scarcity leads to agricultural intensification — if the necessary advice and inputs are available, intensification can be made sustainable and the rate of intensification greatly accelerated. Infrastructure Development and Settlement Policy The strong bias in urban infrastructure investments favoring the few major cities needs to be abandoned. Adequate transport lines to product markets are major factors associated with the intensification of farming — even where population densities are comparatively low. Rural roads and improved tracks navigable for animal-drawn vehicles are crucial. Major efforts are also needed to promote the use of locally suitable and appropriate intermediate transport technology, especially animal-drawn implements, and of improved off-road transport. Infrastructure development also has a major impact on the productivity of rural labour and on key determinants of fertility. Roads provide access to health facilities and schools. Better educated and healthier farmers are more productive and more likely to be innovators. Water supply and sanitation facilities have significant impact on health and labour productivity. Rural water supply, sanitation, health and education facilities and services are particularly important in terms of their impact on infant and child mortality and on female education — both critical determinants of fertility preferences. With the major exceptions of the humid regions of Central and coastal West Africa, almost all of Sub-Saharan Africa will be facing water shortages or water scarcity early in the next century. There is an urgent need for effective hydrological planning and for prudent demand management. Water must be recognized as the critical and limiting resource it is. it must be carefully allocated, and must be protected against pollution. Planning for water use must be based on natural hydrological units such as river basins and integrated with planning for land use and other activities that affect, and are affected by, water development. Since water resources are frequently shared among countries, it is important to cooperate closely in planning for long-term water sharing. Twenty-one of the world's thirty poorest countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. Nearly half the region's people live in absolute poverty – the equivalent of a dollar a day or less. Positive per capita growth in the past four years has not been enough to prevent an increase in the absolute number living in poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. By end of 1998, nearly 23 million adults and children were estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa – accounting for 2/3 of the world's infected persons. More than 1. 8 million Africans will die from AIDS this year. New infection rates are staggering: in South Africa, 1,750 are infected by AIDS daily. Problems extend beyond the health sector. HIV/AIDS has raised the cost of doing business, killing professionals, schoolteachers and farmers, reducing incomes now and investments in the future. HIV/AIDS is overloading social welfare systems. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 95% of the 13 million children worldwide who will be orphaned by AIDS by end of 2000. At current rates of population growth, sub-Saharan Africa will grow to over one billion people by 2020, despite declining birthrates and increasing number of deaths from AIDS. Contraceptive prevalence rates have been rising for the last three decades, yet remain under 10% in most of sub-Saharan Africa. The high rate of population growth intensifies existing social, political, economic, and environmental pressures. Aids assists African countries to reduce these pressures through family planning programs emphasizing healthier, smaller families, and through support of girls education, a major determinant of family size. As a result of the above information you can see that rapid population growth in Sub-Saharan Africa at the present time is a moment of opportunity on the African continent. Africa is making new headway: democracy and economic reform are revitalizing the continent, and a number of countries are experiencing dynamic economic growth. With greater political open-ness, African governments are increasingly seeking to address the health and education needs of their people. Despite these positive trends, sub-Saharan Africa faces a development challenge greater than any other region. Africa's progress has not reached enough people, and too much of the continent is still plagued by political instability. Many African nations are struggling to meet the health and education needs of populations expanding at about three percent a year. In too many countries, rapid population growth continues to threaten the natural resource base and future prospects for prosperity. The region's ability to slow current high rates of population growth is thus key to achieving its full potential for development. The international community has good reason to care about African development. The continent is endowed with ample mineral and agricultural resources, including the greatest potential in the world for increases in farm productivity. Africa is also one of the last untapped markets for goods and services; industrialized countries thus stand to benefit by trading with a more prosperous Africa. Beyond economic self-interest, there are strong humanitarian reasons to support efforts to alleviate poverty in Africa, home to 11 percent of the world's population. In many respects, Africa in the late 1990s resembles the East Asian economies as they began their economic take-off three decades ago. African governments need to emphasize three key strategies in their efforts to improve individual well-being and slow population growth. The first priority should be to expand reproductive health and family planning services to meet existing unmet needs. The second, to expand educational and economic opportunities, especially for women, both to improve the lives of individuals and to help encourage a desire for smaller families. The third, to slow the momentum of future population growth through education and reproductive health programs that help young people choose to delay childbearing. Carrying out the comprehensive agenda described above will require enormous effort by African governments. The task is large, yet attainable if these governments increase their current low levels of commitment to reproductive health and family planning programs. Governments and donors should be prepared to invest years of sustained effort to build successful population programs. Over the long haul, there are bound to be setbacks and difficulties. Currently, there is no reason to expect that either the fertility or development transitions will occur more quickly and with less external aid in sub-Saharan Africa than they did in other places. Yet the needs are pressing, and Africa must accelerate the development of population programs and the current trend towards smaller families. This may be possible if African countries are willing to learn as much as possible from the experiences of other regions, while at the same time recognizing the continent's own special challenges, such as the HIV/AIDS crisis. Africa's relatively recent establishment of population policies and programs has given it the chance to learn from both the mistakes and achievements of other regions which have grappled with the problem of rapid population growth. African countries, with help from the world community, have the potential to build on these experiences and create their own success story.