Eagle Scout App Essay Example for Free

Eagle Scout App Essay Attach to this application a statement of your ambitions and life purpose and a listing of positions held in your religious institution, school, camp, community, or other organizations during which you demonstrated leadership skills. Include honors and awards received during this service. All of my days on this planet, I have dreamed of being a professional musician. I’ve been taking piano lessons for about ten years now and I see it as the only route to satisfaction in my life. Teachers, fellow musicians, and professionals constantly stimulate this dire need to create for the rest of my life. I play drums, piano, guitar, xylophone, and I also strum the vocal chords. I plan to audition for Berkeley among many other music schools next year, but even if I don’t succeed in making the auditions, I still plan to continue writing and spreading music for the rest of my life. Scouting has helped me in this regard in many ways. Technically scouting doesn’t have a very significant connection to the arts, but it has shown me many other concepts that I’ve utilized in maintaining a self motivating and ever-evolving life. Scouting has first showed me that to gain an experience in the world, you must try new things, that might be out of your comfort zone. I’ve learned how to truly help other people along with gaining self confidence in the things I was doing. To explore, camp, and spend an extensive amount of time with a group of boys for over 10 years has also exposed to me to the comforts and discomforts of confinement. I’ve learned to cope a variety of situations, and it’s only rounded my understanding of human nature and my place in it.

Determining Databases and Data Communications Essay Example for Free

Determining Databases and Data Communications Essay Getting organized and planning ahead for trade shows is critical to a successful showing. As the marketing assistant for XYZ Consumer Electronics Company, I have a number of tasks to complete for the trade show booth setup. There several ways, in which the equipment, components, shippers and shipments can be categorized, cataloged and tracked. This can be done either by entering the information into a data base to print an itemized report or plug in the information into the respective fields in an Excel Spreadsheet. To determine the best way of managing the trade show booth below is a list of things to keep in mind about the components, equipment, shippers, shipment, and time to assemble the pertinent equipment for display. The first steps in preparing for a trade show would be: †¢Select space and determine size of footprint based on the equipment and components †¢Prepare your budget †¢Determine exhibit needs and objectives †¢Select primary vendors (transportation company, installation/dismantle) †¢Identify promotions and/or give-away items †¢Produce show literature and marketing materials †¢Plan in-booth audio visual programs and presentations/demonstrations The typical fields needed to track the Components would be: †¢The Name of component †¢The quantity of each item †¢ the size of each item or carton †¢ the weight of each pallet or item †¢ how long it takes to unload the components †¢ the length of time needed to set up †¢How long it takes to break down †¢Tools required for each piece The typical fields needed to track the Equipment would be: †¢Quantity of pieces of equipment †¢Which container has each piece of equipment †¢The placement of the piece of equipment once it arrives at the show †¢The cost of each piece of the equipment (in case of damage) Keeping track of the shippers and shipments: †¢The Name of the Shipper †¢The Shippers phone number, address and contact person †¢Tracking number or Pro number †¢What the Travel time and estimated date and time of arrival †¢What the Travel time to and from the location would be †¢The Container Company Insurance information in case of damage in transit †¢The Quantity of pieces per container †¢The Quantity of containers containing goods (numbering or color coding would be helpful as a reference on an Excel spreadsheet) †¢The Date and time container was loaded Having all of the above listed information, a check list can be created either in a data base or on an excel spread sheet to make sure all of the needful items make it to the trade show. With numerous items, multiple containers and possibly different arrivals of these items a check list would make the process easier. A database system is one option that could be used in this situation, or if one would be more comfortable with a spreadsheet. We all know that a database is a â€Å"self-describing collection of integrated records† (Kroenke, 2012, p. 101). A data base could be useful whereas you can print different reports, store all the information on the components and equipment for you and others to access whether at the trade show or in the office. A database is meant to collect, filter and report data quickly. The information entered into the database can be used to populate spreadsheets, import and export data between word processing and excel. As well as the ability to create reports that take less time and effort then putting together and manually entering an excel spreadsheet. It will enable you to integrate various departments like procurement, finance, traffic and the trade show team members into the process. Database provides up to date information, and the data is in a consistent format (Kavanagh 2002, 7-11). I would choose to use an enterprise database over a personal database. They both have the same functionality and data modifications, but the enterprise database also has additional networking capabilities. The decision support system (DSS) I would chose to work on for this as well as other projects would be ACT!. It works with the daily business tools such as Windows, MS Office, Outlook, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn and has been integrated with our  Quickbooks accounting system. With this accessibility it provides visibility to open quote, payment status, sales orders, purchase orders, a full customer view and th e list goes on. A few of the highlights that are †¢Group Scheduling †¢Group Dashboards and Reports †¢Enhanced Security Settings †¢Advanced Admin Options †¢HTML5-based Mobile Included †¢Hosting Options Available Scenario Two As the manager of a small consulting business, that has some of my employees working from home while others are in the office, it is important that we are able to communicate with each other and to our customers. Technology has provided new tools in the industry that has made it convenient to communicate through video conferencing, voice calls, e mails, and instant messaging. Having half of my employees telecommuting the best option for the company would be to have a WAN. A WAN will allow computers in different locations all to be connected to the network and have the ability to share information. While a LAN, would only be able to share the information with the computers on the network at that specific location. LANWAN Local reachGlobal reach Internal networkInternational network Relatively simpleRelatively complex Simple to InstallProfessional installation required The need and the benefits of having a wireless network for my small business: †¢Convenience Being able to access your network resources from any location within your wireless networks coverage area. †¢Mobility. The ability to go online anywhere and with different devices, not being tied to your desk. †¢Easy setup No string cables, so installation can be easy and cheap. †¢Expandable – Can expand wireless networks with existing equipment. †¢Security wireless networks provide enhanced security protections. VPN uses a virtual connection through the internet from my company to my telecommuting employee’s. This is helpful to my company’s security because  the data will be encrypted for anyone trying to intercept the information. Reference MIS Essentials, Second Edition, by David M. Kroenke. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright  © 2012 Shaw RL, Booth A, Sutton AJ, Miller T, Smith JA, Young B, et al. Finding qualitative research: an evaluation of search strategies. BMC Med Res Methodol 2004;4:5

Driving Forces For Smartphone Industry

Driving Forces For Smartphone Industry The mobile Internet is growing so fast. There is about 500 million people use the mobile internet worldwide in 2009. The Smartphone will be the most popular method to access the internet than PCs in the next few years. There are more and more people want to have Smartphone instead of desktop or laptop. In Egypt and India this is 70 percent and 59 percent of mobile internet users are mobile-only. Even in the US it is 25 percent. (MobiThinking 2010). Now there are about 150 million presently users log in Facebook from mobile devices. People use Facebook on their mobile devices are twice more active on Facebook than non-mobile users.(Mobithinking 2010) These make the reason of the Smartphone growth very fast recently. Changes in who buys the product and how they use it The target market of the Smartphone is young generation. There are two parts of the young generation that are college students and fresh graduates. College students want to have Smartphone. According to the researcher at Ball State University, there are 49 percent students own a Smartphone at college in 2010, compared with 38 percent in 2009. The 97 percent of students use text messages for their primary communication method and 30 percent of students will use email to communicate to each other. There are about 90 percent of Smartphone users that use their phone to surf the internet. About 97 percent of the users will take and upload photos and 87 percent of the owners will look at videos and upload videos by their Smartphone. (Kelly Truong). Fresh graduates need a Smartphone, too. Fresh graduates continue their habits from the college, but they use their Smartphone on the different way. They use their Smartphone for their work in order to have more efficient than others. The Smartph one can help them check their email anywhere, stay in touch with their office and update the news from office quickly. Increasing globalization of Smartphone industry The demand of the Smartphone is growing rapidly worldwide, because of mobile internet becomes more popular. Gartner expects the worldwide touch-screen mobile device market to top 362.7 million units in 2010, an increase of 96.8 percent over 2009 sales of 184.3 million units. (Michelle Maisto). More and more people start to buy a Smartphone, because of the trend market. Smartphone is going to instead of the traditional phone. Changing societal concerns, attitudes, and lifestyles Smartphone changes the way people used to be. First, the communication between the people is changing. People use social media to communicate to each other. Facebook user base has risen to 430 million year-over-year, roughly the same increase as QQ in China. Twitter, while sporting only 58 million users experienced a 1238% year-over-year growth rate. Facebook now dominates in chat, messaging, video sharing, games, VoIP and more. (MobileBeyond). People want to check the social media instead of text message and give a phone call. For example, Facebook shows a lot of information that people want to express for their days and also upload their photo to their friends. Smartphone can give people to see the latest news from the social media anywhere and anytime. Second, the lifestyle is going to change. People used to go to the bank to make transaction and deposit the check. After we have Smartphone and internet, we can just take a photo with check and upload to your bank. Finally, the atti tude is going to change. People used to buy the products and compare the price in the different stores. It was not convenient and efficiency way to shop. Now you can easily to check the price of the product by using Smartphone that can help you make the right decision to shop. Smartphone is changing our lifestyles, attitudes and societal concerns. Industry life cycle There are five stages of the industry life cycle. In the embryonic stage, the industry starts to begin and develop the product to the public. In the growth stage, the company produces more products and increases the market share. In the shakeout stage, some of competitors start to see the opportunities in this market. In the maturity stage, the product price is stable and more competition comes to market. In the decline stage, the sale of the product decreases until the product innovation or discontinue in the market. (Hill Jones, 2008). The Smartphone industry is in the growth stage. The demand of the Smartphone industry is growing rapidly. The sale of the Smartphone was 174 million units in the 2009; there were 270 million units sold in 2010. In 2011, the sales forecast is going to be double from 2010 to 2011 that means about 500 million units. (Oliver Van Dervoort). The demand of the Smartphone is going up twice than 2010 that make the Smartphone industry is in the growth stage, because of the strong demand of the Smartphone. Internal Analysis Value Chain The value chain is that an organization creates value by performing a series of activities and it represents how each competitive advantage created via an organization adds value to the service or product for each customer. In the HTC Company, RD, Production, Marketing Sales, Customers Service and Human Resource are adding the value to their company. (Hill Jones, 2008). Research and Development HTC extremely concerned about research and development department. In 2009, HTC has nearly one-third of RD personnel which in total HTC personnel. They also invest in R D development about 5% to 7% of the total revenues. HTC also pay attention on their innovation and design. HTC introduced the worlds first Android Smartphone in the Android operating system. After that, HTC also develop the new 4G high speed Smartphone that customer can download or upload their games, picture, video and mobile multimedia fast than before. (HTC Annual Report) In 2010, HTC introduce the worlds first windows phone which is HTC HD2. HTC HD2 has a capacitive touch screen interface and 1 GHz processor. (HTC Annual Report). It allows consumers to enjoy the fast and smooth touch experience and quickly respond to every touch of the action which is a major breakthrough for Windows Mobile phones. It is the worlds first embedded HTC Sense for Windows Mobile; make the phone more intuitive operation. HTC Sense has three core principles for the design -Make it Mine, Stay Close, Discover the Unexpected. The ideal of the HTC Sense is easy to operate in order to attract more customers to buy their Smartphone. HTC develops the product designs to meet china market with China Mobile. In China, TD-SCDMA is Chinas telecommunications industry with independent intellectual property rights of international communications standards. Each of the phones needs to have TD- SCDMA in order to use in china. In 2008, HTC launched their first TD-SCDMA Smartphone in china i n order to extend their market into China. Production HTC is growing so fast. According to the annual report, with worldwide demand for mobile phones expected to continue rising through 2010, we can expect the tight supply situation to continue as well. (HTC Annual Report) HTC needs to make sure their suppliers to increase productivity in order to meet the demand of the market. HTC also needs more manufacturing plants and facilities to meet the increasing demand of HTC products. HTC pay attention on their quality from each of the product that they produce. HTC introduces their new HTC Hero to the market In June 2009. After that HTC Hero has win a lot of awards which are Stuff Magazines -Gadget of the Year award, Mobile Choices- Phone of the Year, T3 Magazines Phone of the Year. During the worlds largest annual Telecommunications industry event, the 2010 Mobile World Congress, HTC Hero was further recognized with the 2010 Best Mobile Handset or Device Award. (HTC Annual Report) As HTC is growing so fast in order to meet the demand of the market, they still focus on their high quality control. Marketing and Sales HTC business is focus on European and North America markets in 2009. There are 48.8% of revenues from North American, 30.4% from European and 20.8% from Asia and other regions. Especially, the annual growth rate is 28.6% in North America which is the most potential markets. HTC development strategy is the current worldwide brand positioning HTC have a good development and increase HTC brand image in order to create long-term competitive advantage HTC. (HTC Annual Report) HTC has different products to meet the different level of the markets. For example, HTCs HD2 is the luxury and high-end product. Second, they have mid-price products which are HTC Tattoo and HTC Touch2 in order to have competitively in their market segment. HTC focus on the Smartphone industry, wireless communication technologies and become more sophisticated in this market. HTC Cooperate with Telecommunication Company to place their phone in the store in order to increase sale of their phones such as Verizon, Sprint and T-mobile. HTC mobile phone now, through Europe, America, Asia, sales of leading carriers and distributors, and has gradually penetrated into the Smartphone market in developing countries such as the Middle East, Central and South America and Russia. (HTC Annual Report) Customer Service HTC opened the worlds first HTC Care Customer Service Center in Taiwan Taipei in 2007. Fred Liu, Chief Operating Officer of HTC said HTC believes that providing superior after-sales support is important to our continuing success, which is why we place such a high degree of importance on HTC Care. In the future, a number of HTC Care centers will be launched in Taiwan and overseas, allowing our customers to enjoy their mobile lifestyles without missing a call, (HTC Annual Report). Customer service center is very valuable for customers. Customer service center can save time and more efficient to solve the problems from customers. Customers can just walk into the center and get personalized consultations by HTC products, Warranty repairs and buy HTCs products. HTC also provides a loaner phone during repair time. Customers do not need to worry about the alternative phone during that period. Human Resources The most valuable asset in HTC is employees. In recent years, HTC hires recruits outstanding talent to its ranks in the areas of product design, user interface, brand promotion and sales and marketing. HTC also hire the professionals employees from Europe and American that make HTC increases their diversity, challenging, vital and encouraging. As of the close of March 2010, HTC employed 8,948 staff worldwide. The 169 non-Taiwanese staff employed by HTC filled 30% of all HTC managerial positions. Non-Taiwanese managerial and technical staff filled 8.3% of all HTC positions worldwide. Women hold 21.4 %of HTCs 557 current managerial positions. (HTC Annual Report)

The Way Life Goes :: Short Stories Shopping Papers

The Way Life Goes With the national economy stronger than it has been in decades, 1999 was a peak year for good old American consumerism. Timely for a generation of consumers. Nordstrom Inc., one of the nation’s oldest retail legends, approaches its 100th anniversary with over one hundred department stores across the country. Nordstrom profits by targeting untapped consumer resources in cities such as Providence whose shoppers previously crossed state lines to fill their closets and empty their bank accounts. The opening of one of their shiniest new branches, the first in Rhode Island, boasts milky marble floors, the latest in escalator design and Providence’s highest class of designer clad shoppers. Whether you are in Nashville or Anchorage, the quality of merchandise, service, and shopping environment at Nordstrom is set at a high standard. The air is thick with expensive perfume, sales clerks are smartly dressed and excitable, pink cashmere hangs delicately from the racks. Nordstrom Inc, which has done well in the stock exchange and on the internet, attempts to provide a pleasant shopping experience for customers. After a white chocolate mocha at the Nordstrom Cafà © and three expansive floors of warm overhead lighting, most agree. People come for the atmosphere, the fashion, and if they happen to know about Leroy, they come for the music. Sometime in November, a young man from East Providence wandered into Nordstrom with a group of friends, noticed that the black Steinway on the first floor was silent, sat down, and began to play. As his fingers rolled an eclectic mix of gospel, jazz, and blues across the ivory keys, a crowd of shoppers abandoned their purchases, literally dropped their bags, to surround the piano, drawn by the music to this magnetic musician. No one had heard anything like it, especially in a department store. Stephanie in jewelry dialed Merideth on the third floor. Nineteen year old Leroy Robinson landed himself a job. Three months later at 10:00 on a Tuesday morning, uncomfortable with the silence of slow business, Leroy evokes the same reactions for the few who meander in. Entranced stares. Commending nods. Grown men surround the Steinway to tap their feet, clench their fists, and in a few octaves above their natural ability, sing fragmented lyrics to old jazz tunes. He appears lost in a world of improvisational music but he looks up to acknowledge the customers and smiles at every last one. The Way Life Goes :: Short Stories Shopping Papers The Way Life Goes With the national economy stronger than it has been in decades, 1999 was a peak year for good old American consumerism. Timely for a generation of consumers. Nordstrom Inc., one of the nation’s oldest retail legends, approaches its 100th anniversary with over one hundred department stores across the country. Nordstrom profits by targeting untapped consumer resources in cities such as Providence whose shoppers previously crossed state lines to fill their closets and empty their bank accounts. The opening of one of their shiniest new branches, the first in Rhode Island, boasts milky marble floors, the latest in escalator design and Providence’s highest class of designer clad shoppers. Whether you are in Nashville or Anchorage, the quality of merchandise, service, and shopping environment at Nordstrom is set at a high standard. The air is thick with expensive perfume, sales clerks are smartly dressed and excitable, pink cashmere hangs delicately from the racks. Nordstrom Inc, which has done well in the stock exchange and on the internet, attempts to provide a pleasant shopping experience for customers. After a white chocolate mocha at the Nordstrom Cafà © and three expansive floors of warm overhead lighting, most agree. People come for the atmosphere, the fashion, and if they happen to know about Leroy, they come for the music. Sometime in November, a young man from East Providence wandered into Nordstrom with a group of friends, noticed that the black Steinway on the first floor was silent, sat down, and began to play. As his fingers rolled an eclectic mix of gospel, jazz, and blues across the ivory keys, a crowd of shoppers abandoned their purchases, literally dropped their bags, to surround the piano, drawn by the music to this magnetic musician. No one had heard anything like it, especially in a department store. Stephanie in jewelry dialed Merideth on the third floor. Nineteen year old Leroy Robinson landed himself a job. Three months later at 10:00 on a Tuesday morning, uncomfortable with the silence of slow business, Leroy evokes the same reactions for the few who meander in. Entranced stares. Commending nods. Grown men surround the Steinway to tap their feet, clench their fists, and in a few octaves above their natural ability, sing fragmented lyrics to old jazz tunes. He appears lost in a world of improvisational music but he looks up to acknowledge the customers and smiles at every last one.

The Striding Apis Bull Essay -- essays papers

The Striding Apis Bull The Apis Bull originated in Memphis, cult of Serapis during the reign of Ptolemy I. Serapis was the god whose association with Osiris, the god of the dead, formed the name Asar-Hapi. Asar is the Egyptian name of Osiris and Hapi was the name given to the Apis Bull which was the object of worship at Memphis. The Greeks combined the two together to form Zaparrus. Even though it is not quite clear, it is certain that Serapis is the shape Apis took after death. â€Å"Apis is called the â€Å"life of Osiris, the lord of heaven, tem (with) his horns (in) his head .†He is said to give life, strength, and health to thy nostrils forever.† At the beginning of the new Empire Osiris and Apis are united by priests of Memphis to represent a funeral character which, at the time, was considered a god of the underworld. This character that was considered to be the god of the underworld was the Apis Bull. There are several different Egyptian myths about the â€Å"Apis Bull†. However, the most common myths of the Apis Bull are alike. â€Å"In one myth Apis assisted Isis, Osiris’s wife, in searching for the body of Osiris. It was believed by the ancient Egyptians that the bull’s fecundity and generative powers could be transformed to the deceased, ensuring him or her rebirth in the next life.† In another Egyptian myth it was said that an Apis Bull was born of a virgin cow that was impregnated by Ptah. â€Å"The Bull could be recognized by a peculiar white mark on his neck, a rump t...

Essay on Light and Dark in The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

Light, Dark, and The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne's bold novel, The Scarlet Letter, effectively employs three major symbols: light, dark, and the scarlet letter. The novel relies heavily on light and dark symbolism to represent the eternal struggle of good versus evil. One example of the effective use of light and dark symbolism occurs when Hester and her daughter are walking in the forest, Pearl exclaims: Mother, the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. Now see! There it is, playing, a good way off. Stand you here, and let me run and catch it. I am but a child. It will not flee from me, for I wear no- thing on my bosom yet (192) Hester tries to stretch her hand into the circle of light, but the sunshine vanishes (192). She then suggests that they go into the forest and rest (193). This short scene actually represents Hester's daily struggle in life. The light represents what Hester wants to be, which is pure. The movement of the light represents Hester's constant denial of acceptance. Hester's lack of surprise and quick suggestion to go into the forest, where it is dark, shows that she never expected to be admitted and is resigned to her station in life. Another way light and darkness is used in symbolism is by the way Hester and Dimmesdale's plan to escape is doomed. Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the shadows of the forest with a gloomy sky and a threatening storm overhead when they discuss their plans for the future (200). The gloomy weather and shadows exemplify the fact that they can't get away from the repressive force of their sins. It is later proven when Dimmesdale dies on the scaffold inste ad of leaving with Hester and going to England (269). A final example occurs by the way Hester and Dimmesdale can not acknowledge their love in front of others. When they meet in the woods, they feel that, "No golden light had ever been so precious as the gloom of this dark forest (206). This emotion foretells that they will never last together openly because their sin has separated them too much from normal life. The scarlet letter also takes many different forms in the novel. The first and clearest form that the letter A takes is "Adulteress.

The Evident Existence of Races

Many sociologists believe that ‘races† do not exist therefore have to find alternative groupings to study racism or patterns of racial disadvantage in the United Kingdom. There exist many differing theories but no finite method of determining the true cause of racism. This dissertation will outline the different theories used by sociologists and attempt to show the patterns of ethnic disadvantage present in Britain. Racism is thought by many to be the notion that some ethnic groups are naturally superior to others. The Oxford Dictionary†s definition of the word ‘race† is ‘ A group of persons of common stock† ‘Human abilities are determined by â€Å"race†Ã¢â‚¬ . Although ‘Race† and Racism are defined in the oxford dictionary sociologists claim that ‘races† do not exist. They have considered the work of human biologists who in turn have studied the genes of many individuals that are said to be associated with different ‘races†. The results of these studies show that there is no distinctive gene that defines which ‘race† a person belongs to. Blood groups have been examined and results show that while some ‘races† have higher tendencies to certain blood types, no one ‘race† has been found to have one particular blood type unique to their origin. Due to there being no conclusive biological evidence biologists refer to different ‘races† as different populations. Any cultural differences are said to be ethnic differences, not differences in race. There is a belief that if ‘race† does not exist then sociologists can†t rightfully use the term in their study of different populations. It is due to this belief that they must find alternative ways of analysing population differences. The history of ‘race† is important to examine in the attempt to show why ordinary people, known as actors, still think that ‘race† exists. Racism is thought to have always existed. The Romans considered slaves as being inferior to themselves, but there has been no scientific evidence to support claims of superiority. In the early 18th century until early in the 19th century there was a progressive belief that there was basic similarity between all men, that social differences were due to the environment. This view was overridden by the rise of scientific racism where all social differences found previously were labelled and explained as ‘natural†. But again ‘race† has never been a scientific concept. It was due to this that in the 20th century political/moral reasons forced scientific racism into decline and was eventually replaced by cultural racism, which shares the same beliefs. Racism is thought to be a set of beliefs and racial discrimination the set of practices that are synonymous with these beliefs. There are several contrasting views of racism and racial discrimination. The functionalist model looks upon it via the perspective of ‘race† relations, that racism exists due to the creation of bad relations between ‘races†. Due to ‘race† not existing, functionalists study situations that are apparent in society. They look at events which actors define as racial, and by this expedient they examine the processes of racialism. John Rex a radical weberian believes in the conflictional view that competition over scarce resources in different markets is the cause of conflict between Afro-Caribbean†s, Asians and whites in relation to employment and housing (Bulmer et al, 1999:335). He say†s that it is not due to the lower wages which ethnic minorities receive. The Marxist perspective focuses on labour relations. An ideology masking contradiction of capital between capitals† need for free labour and nationalism. Robert Miles, a hard line Marxist believes that class is the determining factor and all inequalities derive from class inequalities. Miles is very much alone in his claim but gives the example of the white working class fearing immigrants due to a rise in unemployment levels and a decline in standard of living. However, Miles states that the immigrants were not the cause of this. He claims that capitalism was. He states many find this hard to see because: ‘We are offered definitions and theories of racism which are so specific to the history of overseas colonisation (that is specific to the domination of ‘white† over ‘black† as so many writers express it) that they are of little value in explaining any other non-colonial) context† (Miles, R (Bulmer et al, 1999:344)) Another Marxist theory focuses on wider relations. ‘Race† has no reality but can be used in analysis, this theory is concerned with racial politics and how they may be independent of class. Marxists who follow this belief say that groupings and conflicts intersect, and may not actually be connected with class. With the term ‘race† being seen as invalid by many people the question has arisen. Are we better to talk about ethnicity rather that ‘race†? Ethnicity is a sense of identity to a group that shares a common history. Ethnic groups are also held together by ties of language, culture and group spirit that are now referred to as nationalism. There are also territorial ties, although many ethnic groups had previously left their homeland they still share a common geographical link. The term ethnicity is often confused with ‘race†, again when talking about ethnicity there have never been boundaries whether cultural or geographical that clearly states the limits of ethnic groups, even though many believe ethnicity is naturally determined. The idea that ethnicity is ‘natural† is said to be ‘wrong†. Ethnic differences are cultural, we all have an identity, though we may not always be conscious of it. There has recently been a revival of ethnic differences followed by reactions to discrimination and racial disadvantage. An example of this is Afro-Caribbean†s beliefs of what Britain would be able to offer them, these beliefs have changed due to certain types of discrimination and disadvantage. Cultural and religious issues can now be seen as more significant than economic inequalities. There are however some problems with ethnicity. Emphasis is placed on difference and cultural issues of power and inequality, therefore, ethnic groups may be seen to be fixed racial groups with another identity. Racial disadvantage in the United Kingdom is visible in many different areas of the community. Employment, education and crime are just a few examples. Throughout employment, horizontal segmentation can be seen to be apparent via clustering. Ethnic minorities are more likely to work for themselves, graduates from these backgrounds tend to do relatively badly, many Asians are self-employed and Afro-Caribbean†s are largely recruited to the private sector. This shows that ethnic or racial factors are involved in stratification in Britain. Within the generalisation that, ethnic minorities are treated less equally, individual successes and inter-group variations are present. This is shown by vertical segmentation, Afro-Caribbean†s being placed at lower levels of employment than Asians. When the ‘The Race Relations Act ‘ was amended in 1976 The Commission for Racial Equality was established to promote racial harmony. This was to try to counter the acts which had been enforced prior to the Race Relations Act of 1965. Such acts, for instance, as the British Nationality Act 1948 and the Commonwealth Act 1962 which where more concerned with restricting immigration than trying to promote good ‘race† relations. In the context of the recruitment of employees, the Race Relations Act 1976 stated that it is unlawful to discriminate: By a company giving racial instructions to a personnel officer or an employment agency. In relation to terms of pay. By rejecting an applicant or refusing to consider him for the post on the basis of race. These laws were enacted in order to try to increase equality in employment. As a mechanism to bring about change to employment rights the Commission for Racial Equality has made extensive recommendations to successive governments including a move to make ethnic monitoring compulsory for all employers with an excess workforce of 250. In the belief that ethnic monitoring is essential for progressing to racial equality. Racial disadvantage has also been found to be present in the theatre of education. Before 1973 it was known that white pupils topped the performance list with Asians and Afro Caribbean†s coming further down. The differences in levels of performance were considered to be related to the duration of the pupils† stay in the UK. Newcomers would have experienced problems adapting to a new way of living and may even have encounter communication problems. Moving on to early 1970†³s – 1980†³s the focus of discrimination in education moved to examine the effects of class and the school at which they enrolled. It was found that ethnic minorities are more likely to go to an underachieving school than their white counterparts due to their class framework, lower income and location. Curriculum was also thought to be a cause of the poor academic findings relating to ethnic minorities. The syllabus that the schools were offering was not relevant to children from ethnic backgrounds, a ‘white curriculum† concentrated on ‘white history† and the history of Britain. This was modified to give a wider education on the history of ethnic countries in an attempt to make studies more relative for ethnic minorities. With these problems tackled, education monitoring in the 1980†³s showed children from ethnic backgrounds to be improving at a faster rate than white children of the same age. Schools support the right of all children to receive quality education and fair treatment. The governing body of education aims to ensure that no one receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of race or any other social/cultural labels. It is believed that racism can be learned from an early age but to control this unwanted learning the children must be taught respect for other people in-order that they might learn ‘rights from wrongs† ‘If segregation of the sexes or races prevails, if authoritarianism and hierarchy dominate the system the child cannot help but learn that power and status are dominant factors in human relationships†¦.If the teacher and the children are each respected units, the lesson for respect for the person will easily register† The Race Relations Act of 1976 again places barriers on education by stating that; ‘By excluding a pupil from the establishment or by treating him unfavourably in any other way† is unlawful. Now in higher education a higher percentage of ethnic children stay on after 16 years old. This is encouraging but fewer now enrol at university, on academic courses and more drop out. This however can no longer be explained due to lack of adjustment since most were born here and therefore need no time to adjust to the a new community or learn a new language. Within the Criminal Justice System racial discrimination also exists. It is understood that black people are far worse off at every stage of law enforcement. They are more likely to be stopped by Police, charged with serious offence, prosecuted, convicted, and imprisoned. They are less likely to be given lenient treatment for example, fined, put on probation, or allowed bail. It has been declared that in 1997 the United Kingdom had one of the highest levels of racist orientated attacks in Europe, and that 1 in 3 British citizens classed themselves as racist (Thompson B., Roots of poison). Racial hatred and prejudice is an example of extremism, when cultural differences start being connected to ‘race† a persistent hatred can occur. Racism, it is argued, is a specific form of discrimination usually associated with skin colour and ethnicity. It involves the use of power of one group over another. When this power is unequal it enables those that share a particular culture to deny others access to opportunities, hence treat them in a racist way. As well as being more inclined to be the perpetrators of crimes, ethnic minorities are also prone to be the victims. These crimes are not however due to ethnic background but are due to the social background of their class. Despite this, people are sometimes ignorant to this fact and state that ethnic crimes are more apparent because they are of an inferior race. A Report by Sir William Macpherson that examined the Lawrence case (in which it was claimed that the police neglected their job because the victim was ‘black†), was published on 24th February 1999. In the report, which was presented to the Government and to the Home Office, McPherson revealed that the problems, which occurred during the case, were the result of Institutional Racism defined as; ‘The collective failure of an organization to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture or ethnic origin† It was said that institutional racism can not be used in the labeling of individuals but must be a label that is associated with the organization as a whole. It is due to the finding of racial disadvantage, that the police have set up ‘Operation Athena† to tackle the problems outlined in the report. The operation aims to improve prevention, awareness, communication, response and the identification of needs in the context of ethnic minorities. The three examples of employment, education and crime are only a selection of the sectors of the community that show racial disadvantage. Although there is no finite definition of ‘race† there has been continual work to improve the social conditions for ethnic minorities. It is hoped that in the future there will be racial harmony between all populations and that ‘true† equality will be gained.