The Strengths Of The Mattels Core Brands

The Strengths Of The Mattels Core Brands Answer: Yes, every manufacturer of the childrens products have special responsibilities. Because being a part of a business organization has the responsibilities to the consumers and the society. Every organization tries very hard to survive in market, by the effective use of factors of production and other facilities of the society. With the help of this process the organization get into an interdependent relation with the community at large, the environment and the target customers. Such interdependence gives rise to a series of broader responsibilities to society and the targeted customers. According to the business environment theory of Palmer and Hartley, the business organization should act in social responsible manner in two different ways, one philosophic and one pragmatic. The philosophical way includes the model of the organizational requirement and other includes the social values of the society which is very important for an organization to resist in the social market. Every organization has a responsibility towards the consumers and the society and that particular responsibility is being termed as Corporate Social responsibility, which can be defined as economic, legal, ethical and different expectations that a society has from an organization. The concept of corporate social responsibility means that organizations have moral, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities. Previously many organizations opposed consumerism but now most companies have grown to accept the responsibilities towards customers and the society. The philosophy of enlightened marketing says that even the marketing practices should also be socially responsible which consist consumer oriented marketing and societal marketing which aims at serving and satisfying the needs and wants of the customers and to produce such products which are not only pleasing but also beneficial. As a manufacturer of the products which are specially designed for the children the, the manufacturer has some special responsibilities to consumers and society, because children often lack the literacy to completely understand how things may work, the toys must be safe in all use including non-intended use in order to protect the children. The manufacturers should not only create the safe toys but they must also be sensitive to the societal concerns on childrens rights and privacy. Manufacturers of the childrens product specially have obligations to the consumers. This is in assurance that children continue to have highest levels of protection when it comes to toys. An obligation that manufacturer do is that manufacturers must carry out assessments as it relates to safety and health hazards and add to it technical information on specific such as chemicals, in order to support findings and present accurate information. The warning should be put on certain toys to indicate what the intended age is for use of the toy. Moreover after all testing is done on the toys, if any toy or part is significantly under the standard, then it must be destroyed in order to prevent the public from gaining access to it in any way, shape, or form. When we talk about Mattel that how Mattel has met the responsibilities then the things are quite clear the Mattel did it by creating such a product that consumers and parents trust and building a successful and positive brand image. They also integrate this responsibility with their Corporate responsibility report in which they state their goals are to ensure product safety, volunteer in communities, and treat colleagues with respect in order to work hard to be a leader in making our communities and the lives of the children better. The core brands of Mattel are Barbie, Hot wheels, Fisher price, and American Girl. Each brand clearly has its own demography, each brand catering to infants and preschoolers, Girls, Boys and those adults that are still young at heart. One of the strengths of the brand Mattel is the rich history of the company. The company began in 1945 out of a small and simple idea that started in a garage workshop. Each brand also has good staying power at the forefront of their market. The evidences that show the strengths of Mattel in the area of fulfillment of the responsibilities to the customers and the society specially as the manufacturer of childrens products are. Mattel recognizes international environment, different legal systems and cultural expectations, and the use of technology especially with regard to consumer privacy and has taken steps to strengthen its commitment to business ethics and social responsibility. Mattel recently published its first Corporate Social Responsibility report, including a strong statement about its commitment to economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities which includes commitment to product safety, volunteering in a community, developing a best practice or even treating colleagues with respect and dignity. Makers of American Girl collection provided $449,500 in grants to support childrens projects as environmental education for elementary school children, various cultural programs and a performing arts series for children. The Barbie brand debuted a worldwide cause related-program called Barbie Cares: Supporting children in the Arts dedicated to supporting Arts education for children funded by a $2 million donation to the Entertainment Industry Foundation. The weaknesses of Mattel in the same area are. The Childrens privacy- Mattels attempts to follow their market into the technological realm have included the development of a number of children-friendly websites to accompany their toys. Targeting children with internet sites, however, brings about extra concerns. Mattel must be very careful to protect their legal and moral reputations by respecting the privacy of the children and their families, which is put in jeopardy every time the website asks a minor to provide information. Lack of total control over business partners-Though Mattel has embarked on the Global manufacturing Principles (GMP) and regular social audits, Mattel cannot intensively monitor the business processes and activities of its partners. There is no guarantee that its business partners will completely comply with Mattels corporate social responsibility (CSR), ethical business conducts and product safety requirements. Mattel somehow could be facing legal actions and criticisms from various stakeholders around the world. Q.2- Comment on the strengths and weaknesses of Mattels core brands. In looking at Barbie specifically, has Mattels success with the American Girl collection cannibalized sales from Barbie? Explain. Ans. Mattels core brands have multiple strengths. Mattels image overall is one of which parents and consumers trust. The Barbie brand is highly accessorized allowing for multiple products to be marketed and purchased. Other brands such as Hot Wheels and American Girl also have the flexibility to accessorize and customize consumer needs and desires. Some weaknesses that Mattels core brands may have are the lifespan of their products. As children grow older, they are no longer interested in playing with dolls and cars such as Barbie and Hot wheels and the life span of the product shortens for continual use. The strengths of the Mattels core brands are- Brand Recognition- 1. Barbie is Mattels flagship brand and its number one seller-routinely accounting for more than 50 percent of Mattels sales revenue. 2. Barbie was the only Mattel brand that made the list of the 2002 The 100 Best Global Brand. 3. American Girl is targeted for girls in from 7 12 years old. This is due to different taste in different target market. 4. American girl is a well-known line of a historical dolls, books and accessories. Intense demand of the product- Barbie- Captured the attention of girls under 7 years old that resulted in high demand. The intense demand seen at the retail stores was insufficiently met for several years. Barbie- The best-selling fashion dolls in most global market with $2 billion in worldwide sales annually and more than 1 billion dolls sold in four decades. Customer Orientation- Mattel redesigned Barbie to more naturally reflect a normal athletic woman in an attempt to meet the demands for a more realistic doll. Opening of American Girl Place shops New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The New York store features three floors of dolls, accessories, and books in the heart of the 5th Avenue shopping district. The store offers a cafe where girls can dine with their dolls and a stage production where young actresses bring American Girl stories to life. Product variety and differentiation of the product- Barbie has taken on an extension of different characters, family and friends, and profession. For Barbie, there are Barbie clothing for children, computers and digital cameras with Barbie theme. This is done to recapture more customers and expand their market to attract girls after the age of 7. For American girl, they have books, accessories and even a Store that offers a cafà © for girls. This has resulted in an increase the product variety for both brands that generates more revenues. Product Development- Mattel introduced the new line of My Scene dolls aimed at tweens with as trendier, young looking and are considered to be more hip for girls of age group above 7. Other efforts targeted at tweens include the Mystery Squad, a crime-solving crew, and the Barbie Doll as Elle Woods, which is a tribute to the blond character in the MGM Pictures film Legally Blond 2. The weaknesses of Mattels core brands include- Foreign Market Customization being ineffective-Traditional Barbie has triggered the possibility of banned in Malaysia by the Malaysian Consumers Association of Penang, due to her non-Asian appearance and the lack of creativity but it was not success. Some other cases like in Iran, the non-Islamic characteristics of Barbie and western influences resulted in the confiscation of Barbie doll from toy stores. In Russia, it is interpreted as harmful to young minds that awaken sexual impulses and consumerism among infants. This creates a negative brand images that can bring loss to Mattel. Not only children are leaving tangible toys at earlier ages, but the impact of the global market is affecting the success of Mattel. Mattels Barbie is well recognized throughout the global market, but is not considered appropriate in all cultures which are one of the weaknesses of the core brand of Mattel in the international market. The problem of limited distribution networks of American girl in the international market is also found to be one of the weakness of Mattels core brand, it is been seen that American girl is sold exclusively through catalogues and different stores in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago but there is no evidence or details of the product sold in international market. Even though there has been lots of product innovation of the Barbie but its slipping popularity failed it to be the top five selling dolls due to competition in the market. If we talk about the Cannibalization of American girls sales from Barbie several points came into light which tells that American girl has out-performed the sales of Barbie as- 1. Barbie successfully catered only to the young girls of 7 years old and below. 2. American Girl has a better image. American Girl dolls have a wholesome and educational image- the antithesis to Barbie. The retro versions of Barbie dolls, feature Hooker Barbie, Trailer Trash Barbie and Drag Queen Barbie are seen less decent than the image of American girl. These points explains the Cannibalization sales of American girl from Barbie. Q-3. What are the opportunities and threats that Mattel faces as it looks ahead? Ans. Mattel has lots of opportunities as it moves ahead with its product in the market. The opportunities of Mattels product in international market includes its venture into more interactive, educational and technology product line as today children are preferring to spend time with music, movies or on the Internet. The American toy market is becoming increasingly saturated and competitive, along with a downward shift in age of when children abandon tangible toys such Hot Wheels and Barbie for more interactive and technological products. If Mattel continues with the same product it provides better opportunities to grow ahead in the domestic market. All of Mattels core brands are instantly recognizable around the world. Therefore, Mattel has the ability to highly leverage one or all of these brands. Mattel can expand more to international distribution networks apart its reliance on Wall Mart and target hypermarkets like Giant (Malaysia), Carrefour, Cold Storage and local toy distribution network could make Mattels products highly visible in the international market which would led Mattel to have a better future prospects ahead. Mattel can also have An alliance with an Asian company, Bandai, which can prove very beneficial as numerous eastern countries open their markets to western goods. This market has been left largely untapped, and offers a huge increase in customer base. Finally, Mattel must address is that of selling its products in foreign markets. An important aspect of going global is being able to adapt to different cultures and to break down cultural barriers. Mattel has done a little bit of this with the changing of the product packaging, and some of their Barbie lines. However, there are still some countries that are boycotting Mattel because they are offended by some of their products that are being sold. While Mattel is expanding their product lines, they need to take into consideration the message each of their products is conveying. By conducting market research, Mattel can find out what values are important in foreign markets. If Mattel neglects to customize to all of their markets, their new products can fail overseas, and therefore the company as a whole will not be able to expand. The threat that Mattel faces as it looks ahead is that the market is shifting away from tangible toys, which account for a majority of Mattels core products. Children are adopting more interactive and electronic toys earlier in age today, eroding Mattels primary market of children under the age of 10. This has already forced Mattel to enter, and may force Mattel to further their involvement in the technological realm, a product category in which the firm has performed very poorly. Young customers have less time spending on traditional toys today and the same is expected in the future. Intense competition from other toy-makers like Bratz has slowed down the sale of the Mattels product Barbie worldwide and the realization of Mattel for its product distribution mainly on Wal-Mart and Target diminishes its pricing power. Mattel has also experienced problems breaking into foreign markets due to cultural barriers. The Chinese found it offensive that the Barbie doll did not represent people of their cultures, the Russians believe that the doll promotes adolescents to think in a promiscuous fashion at a young age, and the Islamic countries find that the doll goes against their religion with regards to the role and image of women. The foreign market will be very prosperous for Mattel if they can structure their entry into the market appropriately. Q-4. If you could make only one recommendation to Mattel, what would be it? Introduction According to the case, we find that Mattel in the United States, Europe and Latin America market growth is more and more slow, even appear saturation sign, although they try to into Iran and Russia market, but due to without considering the cultural differences lead to sales were almost forced to withdraw from there. So our proposal is in full consideration of cultural and religious differences influence, produce to accord with other local culture habit of products, continue to develop and enter into the emerging market, such as Asias China and Africa, which support the companys globalization strategy, and realize the great-leap-forward development. Recommendation Through the Mattel in Iran market failure we recognize that if a company would like to sell their products to abroad, it must pay attention to the product whether will conflict with local customs and culture, once things happen, be sure to adjust. As is known to all, the Barbie doll is Mattels most famous product, which is fashion and filled with the western world liberal breath. But in Iran, such as makeup and revealing clothes, are not wanted in a society where women must wear head scarves in public and men and women are not allowed to go to the poll or beach together (page 484 of case study). So if Mattel want to re-enter Iran market in the future, must adjust their products style, below is Irans own doll can be used as Mattels reference. C:UsershpDesktopuntitled.bmp On the other hand, in order to expand the market, increase sales, Mattel should seize the opportunity into some of the good prospects for emerging markets, especially Chinese market, which is a toy production country, it is estimated that China toy enterprise has more than 6000, about 75% of the toys made in China over the world. The toy market size of mainland has the rapid development. In childrens toys market as an example, toy sales from 2.13 billion RMB in 2001 to 4.44 billion RMB in 2006, which raised by 108%, with an average annual growth rate of 15.8%. The mainland toy market rise space is enormous. From toy joint network industry report, Chinas per capita consumption in toy only 20 30 RMB (2.4-3.6 dollars), far lower than per capita consumption in Asian children toys $13 and children all over the world in per capita consumption level of $34 toys. If they reach the Asian average level, childrens toys market scale is expected to will exceed 30 billion RMB. (Long long, M.2006) In the business strategies, because Chinas toy productions are mostly applied in the low-standard level, breed is monotonous, mainly plush and wooden material. However, the mainland local toys and international brand compared with large price gap, so the low-standard market has a strong competitive power, the general basic monopoly wholesale market and vendors, and other sales pipeline. So Mattel should positioning in high-end, give full play to their own advantages, for example, in a Barbie doll legend marketing history story, telling the story is always the conventional methods. They sell toys as well sell a way of life. According to Mattels design, Barbie have their own lives, thoughts, need a friend, like to dress up, have belong to him fairy tale world. Make good use of this advantage, the company entered into the China market is no longer a dream. (Li, L.2011) Conclusion Like many foreign brands to enter the Chinese market, Mattel need pay enough time and patience. After all, in Chinas such a big Oriental country, want to get common identity is not a simple matter. But one thing is sure, respect local culture and customs is very important and necessary. Q-5. How can Mattel reverse the decline in Barbies sales? Should Mattel give up on Barbie and accept that fact that the brand will never regain its former sales status? Explain. Ans. Mattel, Inc. (Mattel) designs, manufactures, and markets a broad variety of toy products worldwide which are sold to its customers and directly to consumers. Mattels vision is creating the future of play. Mattels objectives are to grow its share in the marketplace, sustain gross margins of about 50%, leverage its scale to deliver cost savings and lower its selling and administrative costs, and create long-term stockholder value. Barbie doll happiness concept is based on human sensibility, through happiness brand image and happy shopping experience to satisfyconsumer demand happy emotion, so that consumers will be product or brand with the happy feeling together, then will be happy with the product or brand linked, to stimulate consumption desire and to promote the marketing concept of consumers purchasing behavior. Body part: The concept of Barbie has not only toys, and became an immortal symbol of American culture. Until now, the business of Barbie bigger and bigger, not only toys, books, clothing, cosmetics, movies and electronic games. Even today, see any one of the two in standard, sexy blonde doll, almost all of people were not consciously known as Barbie ¼Ã…’whether this doll is not Mattel produced. This is also proved Barbie industry is how success. As a result of population, technology and social change, Mattel is undergoing modernization, Mattel, in my opinion, cannot reverse the decline of Barbie sales. Although there are still to be improved, Mattel weakness seems to be far less than they were just a few years ago. Specifically, the Mattel Inc. has some very famous brand. The largest is Barbie doll, and now accounts for more than half of the companys revenue. However, the most interesting news for Mattel declining popularity rate of its core products Barbie doll. As of 2002, Barbie dollfell out of the top five best-selling. Mattel Inc. subsequently has been undertaken to reclaim market share items, such as computer software and the girls clothing line of Barbie doll. Barbie has tried to fight back. Internet becomes another weapon to reverse the sales decline in 2007; Mattel launched a brand new Barbie Girls. com site where kids can create their own virtual Barbie, and placed in a virtual commercial buildings can also directly involved in product design. The girls also can have around Barbies virtual community space, this was considered a breakthrough attempt, also let Mattel in sales for 7 consecutive years after the decline appeared to pick up. Mattel is also faced with many cultural barriers, these need to overcome the market penetration strategy will be successful. Lack of understanding of cultural replacement, the brand awareness of self-protection is too strong, the Barbie doll isolated in new era outside, so that the target consumers become more and more narrow. Unresponsive market, the Mattel have not been able to guide the trend, the competitors took the opportunity to split its market share.Andin the occasion of Mattel Barbie doll become fashionable rage, the former Mattel CEO Jill Barad made a series of mistakes and expensive acquisitions, to make the worlds largest toy manufacturer long-term stock price in a slump. In addition, Mattel in new product launch, behave not just as one wishes, the new design style also no expectation. These are all Mattels malpractice. Conclusion: Sweet chocolate, eat more will be tired. Barbies decline has a deep-rooted cultural factors and the impact of social thought, to give people a profound inspiration. We can see that the United States of America culture is moving toward a diversified ethnic culture, to encourage the pursuit of self-direction stride, and popular culture trend change quickly. Mattel ignore this value orientation, or excessive protection is of brand ego blinded their vision, do not have a proper understanding o of the mind of the public, lost the lead market opportunities.After opponents successfully host, Mattel still did not take timely measures, wait for the opponent create a certain threat after to respond but too weak. Finally, caused the market share to be cut, the lesson is painful. Careful observation of the leader in the market, we will find their commonness rapid response, countermeasure in time, they will not be trend guide, but to guide the trend. It is simple and easy to know. Pacifying the interior before resisting foreign aggression. The first thing Mattel need to do is solve the inner problem, straighten a relation, in order to solve the problem of providing external guarantee. For the external development of Mattel, the problems which should be paid attention to, not in order to cope with the market competition and to launch new products with the opponent, but in the consolidation of existing customers on the Barbie dolls loyalty. They are supporting the Barbie dolls core strength, so that through interaction and understanding of their needs, provide their satisfaction with the program to maintain this part of customers. In order to consolidate the customer base, and prevent competitors directly off the market share. With the development of computer and networks, such as Face book and Twitter applications, Barbie doll will be able to control its sales decline. This is a very expensive to change their production and advertising means. The only advantage of this strategy, both short-term and long-term within, they will not bear any additional costs. In this way, Mattelcan use their own resources,make full use of social networking technology environmental advantage in price, and try to participate in the market competition. Having the correct marketing strategy and innovative products Barbie doll product line, will become more interactive and educational products, Mattel can still create the market to meet their needs.Also around the world set up Barbie doll flagship store, experiential marketing, will drive the Mattel sales market, strive for the biggest market share.

The Middle East Conflict

The Middle East Conflict Will Israel Ever be Able to Exist in Peace? The Middle East Conflict Will Israel Ever be Able to Exist in Peace? From the day Israel declared itself an independent nation, neighboring countries and terrorists has routinely attacked it. The history of Israel and the conflict between the Jewish state and its Arab neighbors is long and complex. To begin to understand the root of the violence, one must first know the history of the creation of the state of Israel.Some of the major questions that have to be asked to understand the conflict and whether or not there can truly be peace include the following: 1. How was Israel created 2. What has caused the tension in the Middle East 3. What role does the International community play on the Middle East conflict How Was Israel Created After the First World War, the defeated Ottoman Empire was divided amongst Britain, France, and Italy. The British mandate included Transjordan and Palestine, though this was the first ti me the name Palestine had ever been used.Britain’s main role was to implement the Balfour Declaration, which stated the â€Å"Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object† (Hurewitz, 1979, p. 101 – 106). The Arabs were originally given 80 percent of the British Mandate, now known as Jordan. During World War II, Britain refused to allow European Jews, who were attempting to escape the Nazis, entry into the British Mandate. Instead, they were either sent to the African nation of Mauritius or sent to detention camps (Lenk, 1991, p. 2). Even, after World War II, Britain wanted to severely restrict the flow of Jewish immigrants from Europe to Palestine. Finally, Britain announced their desire to end their mandate of the territory by May 1948 and they turned the problems regarding the division of the land to the Unite d Nations. The United Nations came up with several plans. The one that was voted on and passed 33 to 13 was UN Resolution 181, which divided the remaining portion of the British Mandate into two independent states with Jerusalem falling underInternational control (United Nations, 1947, p. 132 – 133). The UN resolution gave the half of the remaining 20 percent of the original mandate to the Arabs. Israel declared itself an independent state on the 14th. It was immediately recognized by the United State, the Soviet Union, and many other nations. However, the Arab world refused to recognize Israel and over the next several days Arab forces from Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, Lebanon, and Iraq invaded Israel (Anti Defamation League, 1999).Israel defeated all of the invading countries and starting with Egypt in February 1949, they all began to sign armistice agreements with Israel. Israel gained an additional 8 percent of the original mandate after the war. The Gaza strip went to Egyp t and the West Bank to Transjordan. The United Nations Conciliation Commission estimated there were approximately 711000 Palestine refugees as a result of the 1948 War (1950). However, Jordan was the only Arab country who would accept them and allow the to travel outside of UN refugee camps (Bard, 2008).What Has Led To The Current Tensions? After the initial 1948-49 War, many Arabs in Israel choose to try and leave the country and flee to other surrounding Arab nations. However, since Jordan was the only country willing to accept them as citizens, major resentment built up towards the Jews. Again, in 1967 Egypt and Jordan invaded Israel in another attempt to wipe Israel of the map. This war lead to the annexation of the West Bank, the Gaza strip and the Suez Canal into the hands of the Jewish state resulting in even more Palestinian refugees.Once more, resentment continued to build against Israel. The irony of the situation is the Palestinians have had land and they have had opportu nities for their own country, yet the Arabs in the region were not content with the land they already had and continued the violence towards Israel creating the refugee problem. As more and more Palestinians are displaced, the blame is put on Israel for not doing enough to help out the Palestinians and help them make permanent homes. Yet, at the same time no other Arab nation will take the time to help the Palestinians.Instead they use them in an effort to obtain their own goal of a complete annihilation of the Jewish State. Iran, for example, helps to fund and support Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, both of which are terrorist organizations. This outside influence adds more to the already tense situation in Israel. Another factor that has led to the hostilities was the creation of a Jewish state in a predominately Muslim region of the world. The Muslims see Israel and Jerusalem, the third holiest Muslim city, as belonging to them.On the other hand the Jewish people biblica lly have the same believe about Israel and Jerusalem belonging to them. Both groups were given the legal permission via international law that provided both groups with land in the area. While the Israelis were content with the land they were given, the Palestinians were not, thus, the start of the 1948-49 war. When the other Arab nations attacked Israel, they violated international law and started a war of aggression. Since they were defeated, International law says all land captured from the aggressive armies is to remain in the hands of the country that was attacked.The Palestinians saw this as though Israel were stealing their homeland. However, by refusing to accept the UN’s partition plan, they gave up any right they had to the land. Though the rhetoric that these Palestinian areas are being occupied illegally by Israel helps to fuel the violence between the two groups. What is the International Community’s Role be in Trying to Ensure Peace in the Region? The Uni ted Nations was directly responsible for the creation of the state of Israel, as was noted earlier.Therefore it is partly the responsibility of the UN to help ensure peace. The problem right now is violence is not condemned on both sides of the conflict. When a Palestinian terrorist walked into a Jerusalem seminary and 8 rabbinical students, the United Nations could not pass a condemnation of the attack (Heilprin, 2008, March 7). Yet, at the same time, the United Nations condemned Israel for their use of force to try and stop the groups of Hamas terrorist firing rockets that are targeted at Israel civilians.The United Nations actions of condemning Israel for their use of superior force to defend itself against those targeting Israel civilians, while at the same time refusing to condemn terrorist attacks targeted at civilians, merely emboldens the terrorists. The radical Palestinians who commit these terrorist acts see this lack of condemnation from the UN as a free pass to continue their targeting of civilians. Israel’s only logical response is to fight back, thus causing the violence to continue with at a cessation in site. Then again with an increase in world wide Anti-Semitism over the last few decades, it has ecome unpopular, in the world, to support the Jewish state. Why should the World Care? While the United Nations has shown weakness on the issue of supporting Israel as they continue to fight terrorist in an effort to protect its civilians, the question should be asked if there really is a need to support Israel and protect them from being completely eradicated. The first thing to consider is displacement. If the country of Israel were to ever fall to the Arab world and it become a Muslim nation again, where would the Jews go? You would first have the immediate influx of Jewish refugees would be most likely forced from their homes.Additionally, what happens if another Holocaust happens in which one group is attempting to eradicate the Jewish peo ple? Where would these Jews go to be guaranteed an escape from this persecution? The next big issue as to whether or not Israel is worth saving is the question of what has Israel done for the world so far? Good News from Israel gives plenty of examples of how Israel has contributed to the world. Here are just a few. Motorola’s research and development facility in Israel developed the cell phone. Both the Intel Pentium microprocessor and Pentium MMX Chip were designed in Israel.The AOL Instant Messenger ICQ was developed in Israel. Israeli doctors are making major medical breakthroughs including finding was to stop cancer in its tracks. Israel has the third most companies listed with the NASDAQ, behind Canada and the United States. These are just a few of the contributions that Israel has made to the world (http://www. newsoftheday. com/). All these and more have been accomplished while continuously engaged in war and being the target of terrorist. The question should be how c ould the International Community afford not to play a role in establishing peace in the Middle East while not removing Israel from the map?What can be Done To Achieve Peace? Unfortunately, it seems as though the only way there will ever be peace in the Middle East is for a devastating and complete loss for one of the sides. The sad reality is peace talks and cease-fires do not work. The only way to truly achieve an end to a conflict is for an enemy to be dealt a crushing blow or a complete annihilation. The biggest problem is Fatah and other organizations that are part of the mainstream Palestinian lifestyle have called for the destruction of Israel (Ratzlav-Katz, 2007, November 20). They refuse to stop their fight against Israel until the country of Israel no longer exists.These leaves Israel with the option of defending itself and acting aggressively to prevent more civilians from being targeted by Palestinian terrorists. Perhaps ones all the terrorists have been eliminated, the t wo sides will be able to sit down and reach an agreement that will result in a lasting peace. In order for peace to fully exist, though, after the terrorist have been removed from the equation, Israel’s neighbors are going to have to recognize it as a legitimate country with a right to exist. Perhaps once these two conditions exist, there can be a true heading towards peace.References Anti Defamation League. (1999). Israeli War for Independence. Retrieved March 3, 2008, from http://www. adl. org/ISRAEL/Record/48war. asp Heilprin, J. (2008, March 7). Libya Blocks UN from Condemning Violence. Yahoo News. Retrieved March 7, 2008, from http://news. yahoo. com/s/ap/20080307/ap_on_re_af/un_mideast_violence Hurewitz, J. C. (Ed. ). (1979). The Middle fast and North Africa in World politics: a Documentary Record, vol. 2. New Haven: Yale University Press. Lenk, Karl. (1991). The Mauritius Affair, The Boat People of 1940/1941. London. Ratzlav-Katz, N. (2007, November 20). American Jewry : Fatah Charter Calls to ‘Eradicate' Israel. Arutz Sheva. Retrieved March 9, 2008, from: http://www. israelnationalnews. com/News/News. aspx/124315 United Nations. (1947). Resolution 181. Retrieved March 8, 2008, from http://daccessdds. un. org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/038/88/IMG/NR003888. pdf? OpenElement United Nations Conciliation Commission. (1950, October 23). General Progress Report and Supplementary Report of the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine, Covering the Period from 11 December 1949 to 23 October 1950. Retrieved March 9, 2008, from http://domino. un. org/unispal. nsf/9a798adbf322aff38525617b006d88d7/93037e3b939746de8525610200567883! OpenDocument The Middle East Conflict The Middle East Conflict Will Israel Ever be Able to Exist in Peace? The Middle East Conflict Will Israel Ever be Able to Exist in Peace? From the day Israel declared itself an independent nation, neighboring countries and terrorists has routinely attacked it. The history of Israel and the conflict between the Jewish state and its Arab neighbors is long and complex. To begin to understand the root of the violence, one must first know the history of the creation of the state of Israel.Some of the major questions that have to be asked to understand the conflict and whether or not there can truly be peace include the following: 1. How was Israel created 2. What has caused the tension in the Middle East 3. What role does the International community play on the Middle East conflict How Was Israel Created After the First World War, the defeated Ottoman Empire was divided amongst Britain, France, and Italy. The British mandate included Transjordan and Palestine, though this was the first ti me the name Palestine had ever been used.Britain’s main role was to implement the Balfour Declaration, which stated the â€Å"Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object† (Hurewitz, 1979, p. 101 – 106). The Arabs were originally given 80 percent of the British Mandate, now known as Jordan. During World War II, Britain refused to allow European Jews, who were attempting to escape the Nazis, entry into the British Mandate. Instead, they were either sent to the African nation of Mauritius or sent to detention camps (Lenk, 1991, p. 2). Even, after World War II, Britain wanted to severely restrict the flow of Jewish immigrants from Europe to Palestine. Finally, Britain announced their desire to end their mandate of the territory by May 1948 and they turned the problems regarding the division of the land to the Unite d Nations. The United Nations came up with several plans. The one that was voted on and passed 33 to 13 was UN Resolution 181, which divided the remaining portion of the British Mandate into two independent states with Jerusalem falling underInternational control (United Nations, 1947, p. 132 – 133). The UN resolution gave the half of the remaining 20 percent of the original mandate to the Arabs. Israel declared itself an independent state on the 14th. It was immediately recognized by the United State, the Soviet Union, and many other nations. However, the Arab world refused to recognize Israel and over the next several days Arab forces from Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, Lebanon, and Iraq invaded Israel (Anti Defamation League, 1999).Israel defeated all of the invading countries and starting with Egypt in February 1949, they all began to sign armistice agreements with Israel. Israel gained an additional 8 percent of the original mandate after the war. The Gaza strip went to Egyp t and the West Bank to Transjordan. The United Nations Conciliation Commission estimated there were approximately 711000 Palestine refugees as a result of the 1948 War (1950). However, Jordan was the only Arab country who would accept them and allow the to travel outside of UN refugee camps (Bard, 2008).What Has Led To The Current Tensions? After the initial 1948-49 War, many Arabs in Israel choose to try and leave the country and flee to other surrounding Arab nations. However, since Jordan was the only country willing to accept them as citizens, major resentment built up towards the Jews. Again, in 1967 Egypt and Jordan invaded Israel in another attempt to wipe Israel of the map. This war lead to the annexation of the West Bank, the Gaza strip and the Suez Canal into the hands of the Jewish state resulting in even more Palestinian refugees.Once more, resentment continued to build against Israel. The irony of the situation is the Palestinians have had land and they have had opportu nities for their own country, yet the Arabs in the region were not content with the land they already had and continued the violence towards Israel creating the refugee problem. As more and more Palestinians are displaced, the blame is put on Israel for not doing enough to help out the Palestinians and help them make permanent homes. Yet, at the same time no other Arab nation will take the time to help the Palestinians.Instead they use them in an effort to obtain their own goal of a complete annihilation of the Jewish State. Iran, for example, helps to fund and support Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, both of which are terrorist organizations. This outside influence adds more to the already tense situation in Israel. Another factor that has led to the hostilities was the creation of a Jewish state in a predominately Muslim region of the world. The Muslims see Israel and Jerusalem, the third holiest Muslim city, as belonging to them.On the other hand the Jewish people biblica lly have the same believe about Israel and Jerusalem belonging to them. Both groups were given the legal permission via international law that provided both groups with land in the area. While the Israelis were content with the land they were given, the Palestinians were not, thus, the start of the 1948-49 war. When the other Arab nations attacked Israel, they violated international law and started a war of aggression. Since they were defeated, International law says all land captured from the aggressive armies is to remain in the hands of the country that was attacked.The Palestinians saw this as though Israel were stealing their homeland. However, by refusing to accept the UN’s partition plan, they gave up any right they had to the land. Though the rhetoric that these Palestinian areas are being occupied illegally by Israel helps to fuel the violence between the two groups. What is the International Community’s Role be in Trying to Ensure Peace in the Region? The Uni ted Nations was directly responsible for the creation of the state of Israel, as was noted earlier.Therefore it is partly the responsibility of the UN to help ensure peace. The problem right now is violence is not condemned on both sides of the conflict. When a Palestinian terrorist walked into a Jerusalem seminary and 8 rabbinical students, the United Nations could not pass a condemnation of the attack (Heilprin, 2008, March 7). Yet, at the same time, the United Nations condemned Israel for their use of force to try and stop the groups of Hamas terrorist firing rockets that are targeted at Israel civilians.The United Nations actions of condemning Israel for their use of superior force to defend itself against those targeting Israel civilians, while at the same time refusing to condemn terrorist attacks targeted at civilians, merely emboldens the terrorists. The radical Palestinians who commit these terrorist acts see this lack of condemnation from the UN as a free pass to continue their targeting of civilians. Israel’s only logical response is to fight back, thus causing the violence to continue with at a cessation in site. Then again with an increase in world wide Anti-Semitism over the last few decades, it has ecome unpopular, in the world, to support the Jewish state. Why should the World Care? While the United Nations has shown weakness on the issue of supporting Israel as they continue to fight terrorist in an effort to protect its civilians, the question should be asked if there really is a need to support Israel and protect them from being completely eradicated. The first thing to consider is displacement. If the country of Israel were to ever fall to the Arab world and it become a Muslim nation again, where would the Jews go? You would first have the immediate influx of Jewish refugees would be most likely forced from their homes.Additionally, what happens if another Holocaust happens in which one group is attempting to eradicate the Jewish peo ple? Where would these Jews go to be guaranteed an escape from this persecution? The next big issue as to whether or not Israel is worth saving is the question of what has Israel done for the world so far? Good News from Israel gives plenty of examples of how Israel has contributed to the world. Here are just a few. Motorola’s research and development facility in Israel developed the cell phone. Both the Intel Pentium microprocessor and Pentium MMX Chip were designed in Israel.The AOL Instant Messenger ICQ was developed in Israel. Israeli doctors are making major medical breakthroughs including finding was to stop cancer in its tracks. Israel has the third most companies listed with the NASDAQ, behind Canada and the United States. These are just a few of the contributions that Israel has made to the world (http://www. newsoftheday. com/). All these and more have been accomplished while continuously engaged in war and being the target of terrorist. The question should be how c ould the International Community afford not to play a role in establishing peace in the Middle East while not removing Israel from the map?What can be Done To Achieve Peace? Unfortunately, it seems as though the only way there will ever be peace in the Middle East is for a devastating and complete loss for one of the sides. The sad reality is peace talks and cease-fires do not work. The only way to truly achieve an end to a conflict is for an enemy to be dealt a crushing blow or a complete annihilation. The biggest problem is Fatah and other organizations that are part of the mainstream Palestinian lifestyle have called for the destruction of Israel (Ratzlav-Katz, 2007, November 20). They refuse to stop their fight against Israel until the country of Israel no longer exists.These leaves Israel with the option of defending itself and acting aggressively to prevent more civilians from being targeted by Palestinian terrorists. Perhaps ones all the terrorists have been eliminated, the t wo sides will be able to sit down and reach an agreement that will result in a lasting peace. In order for peace to fully exist, though, after the terrorist have been removed from the equation, Israel’s neighbors are going to have to recognize it as a legitimate country with a right to exist. Perhaps once these two conditions exist, there can be a true heading towards peace.References Anti Defamation League. (1999). Israeli War for Independence. Retrieved March 3, 2008, from http://www. adl. org/ISRAEL/Record/48war. asp Heilprin, J. (2008, March 7). Libya Blocks UN from Condemning Violence. Yahoo News. Retrieved March 7, 2008, from http://news. yahoo. com/s/ap/20080307/ap_on_re_af/un_mideast_violence Hurewitz, J. C. (Ed. ). (1979). The Middle fast and North Africa in World politics: a Documentary Record, vol. 2. New Haven: Yale University Press. Lenk, Karl. (1991). The Mauritius Affair, The Boat People of 1940/1941. London. Ratzlav-Katz, N. (2007, November 20). American Jewry : Fatah Charter Calls to ‘Eradicate' Israel. Arutz Sheva. Retrieved March 9, 2008, from: http://www. israelnationalnews. com/News/News. aspx/124315 United Nations. (1947). Resolution 181. Retrieved March 8, 2008, from http://daccessdds. un. org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/038/88/IMG/NR003888. pdf? OpenElement United Nations Conciliation Commission. (1950, October 23). General Progress Report and Supplementary Report of the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine, Covering the Period from 11 December 1949 to 23 October 1950. Retrieved March 9, 2008, from http://domino. un. org/unispal. nsf/9a798adbf322aff38525617b006d88d7/93037e3b939746de8525610200567883! OpenDocument

The JFK Assassination An Interview - 861 Words

Growing up, I remember the Kennedy assassination being compared often to the terrorist attacks on 9/11—as an event that defined a generation. The news stories and documentaries would pour out every November and my father, who was six at the time of the shooting, would leave them running for days on the living room TV. I learned the historical details of the assassination from the constant coverage, but never thought to ask dad what he remembered about the assassination or how it affected him and his family. Since dad was a young child at the time of the assassination I never considered that he would have many clear memories of the event and the days following it. I was surprised to find that he remembered not only the details of where he was and what he did that day but also that he remembered clearly the responses and attitudes of the adults around him. His memories of the event begin in a familiar classroom. He sat in a row of first-grade desks next to the door while Ms. Per celly taught. Sometime during the early afternoon, the PA system came on to announce that the president had been shot. Many students went home early. Dad remembers eventually taking the bus home. When dad got home, both channels of the family TV were playing a constant stream of news about the assassination. The events that followed the shooting unfolded continuously on live TV. Even advertisements were removed from the stream of assassination coverage. Dad was particularly impacted by seeingShow MoreRelatedWho Killed JFK? Essay1699 Words   |  7 PagesReview of Research The assassination of John F. Kennedy is said to be, as from the Warren report, a murder. The Warren report states that a man, Lee Harvey Oswald, fired 3 shots from the 6th floor of the Texas Book State Depository building. One missed the President’s motorcade completely; another hit President Kennedy in the neck, and the last hit him in the head, which was later said after an autopsy, to be the cause of death. The problem with the Warren report is that some eyewitnessesRead MoreThe Day the Music Began834 Words   |  3 Pagesdescribes the exact response of musicians to the assassination of the young American President, John F. Kennedy. Toward the end of his third year of presidency, Kennedy was shot and killed in a parade in Dallas, Texas. Americans were shocked to have lost such a promising young leader, and a somber silence swept across the nation as Americans lamented his death; this silence, however, was broken by the melancholy music of mourning (Baldacci). The assassination of President John F. Kennedy started a newRead MoreThe Death Of John F. Kennedy1183 Words   |  5 PagesF. Kennedy. John had taken favors from the mob to win the presidential election. In Patrick J. Kiger’s article, â€Å"Was Kennedy Tied to the Mob?† he describes an instance where Kennedy’s mistress, Judith Campbell Exner recalls a meeting set up between JFK and Sam Giacana. He writes, I think I may need his help in the campaign, she claimed that Kennedy told her. Subsequently, she arranged nine other meetings in 1960 and 1961† (Kiger). When you take a favor from the mob and do not repay, it is viewedRead More`` Libra, By Don Delillo And The Conspiracy Assassinate President John F. Kennedy1226 Words   |  5 Pagesevents together to tell the story of Lee Harvey Oswald and the conspiracy to assassinate President John F. Kennedy. Likewise, philosopher Jacques Derrida poses the idea that the media has total control over the information presented as news. In his interview â€Å"Deconstruction and Actuality,† Derrida states, â€Å"†¦the time of this speaking is produced artificially. It is an artifact. In its actualization, the time of such a public act is calculated and constrained, ‘formatted’ and ‘initialised’ by (to putRead MoreJohn F. Kennedy Assassination1187 Words   |  5 Pagesbeen a topic of debate since 19 63, is the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States. The conspiracy has left one of the most devastating deaths in question and still haunts America to this day. The assassination of John F. Kennedy is one of the most controversial and debated topics in American History. JFK was one of the most beloved presidents of our time. Unlike previous presidential assassinations, the JFK assassination has resulted in a number of conspiracy theoriesRead MoreThe Assassination Lee Harvey Oswald Essay1153 Words   |  5 Pagesmiles away. John F. Kennedy was pronounced dead at 1.30pm, just an hour after the assassination at 46 years of age. He died of a wound in the brain caused by one of the bullets. Vice President Lyndon Johnson, who had been only three cars behind the president’s vehicle uninjured was then sworn into presidency. A very short time after the assassination Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested, being accused of the assassination. In 1940 John F. Kennedy completed his thesis on ‘appeasement of munich’, which wasRead MoreThe Assassination of J.F.K. Essay1712 Words   |  7 PagesThe Assassination of J.F.K. On November 22, 1963, American history changed forever. That day the presidential motorcade of President John F. Kennedy traveled down Elm Street in Dallas, Texas. As the limousine went down past The Texas School Book Depository shots were fired. These shots, said to have been fired by Lee Harvey Oswald, struck President Kennedy and Governor Connally. The wounds to President Kennedy were fatal. This event will never be forgotten by the American people. ThisRead MoreJ.F.K. Essay1101 Words   |  5 Pageswhen to stop and what not to do. Since no further investigation was done the magic bullet theory was born. In this theory it was said that three bullets caused all seven wounds. The magic bullet theory comes in on the fourth shot, causing wounds to JFK and to Connley. First it enters Kennedys back headed down at an angle of 17 degrees, upward to leave Kennedys body through his neck, where it stopped in mid air turns right then left were it enters Connley near the back right arm pit. Then movedRead MoreThe Kennedy Years and Camelot Essay1099 Words   |  5 Pagesmemorable, â€Å"Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country†. He was the youngest president elected into office at the age of 43. (Theodore Roosevelt was age 42, who became president following William McKinleys assassination) Kennedy was also the first Catholic to be elected president. I choose to write my essay on JFK’s Camelot for his many firsts. John F. Kennedy was the second son of Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Sr. an American businessman, investor, and AmbassadorRead MoreThe Assassination Of John F. Kennedy3922 Words   |  16 Pagesthe 20th century is the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States. Many people have theorized to the exact nature of JFK’s death but no one can seem to agree, but what most people do agree on is that the Warren Commission’s findings were wrong. Fifty years after the incident, 61% of Americans believe that Lee Harvey Oswald was not the only person involved in the successful assassination attempt. (Majority in U.S. Still Believe JFK Killed in a Conspiracy)

The War Of The World War I - 1593 Words

An advocate can be defined as a person who pleads on another’s behalf. Advocates are important in today s society as they provide representation for the disadvantaged and foster a sense of hope for change in the world. During his life Wilfred Owen, the famous war poet, lived under many titles: he was a son, a brother, a student, a teacher, a fighter, an inpatient, a war poet and most importantly, an advocate. This essay addresses his most eminent poems, contrasting the ways in which war was promoted versus the true reality of war, as well as the ways in which Owen gave a voice to the men dying in futile war. Volunteer recruitment and conscription for World War 1 began in 1914 and continued until 1918, when World War 1 came to an end. Historically, war was portrayed as being heroic, and in some senses, adventurous. Boys as young as 16 falsified their age in order to fight, 18 year old men joined with parental permission, and 21 year old men joined on their own terms. Word of mouth, pressure from society, as well as Australian war promotion slogans such as â€Å"Boys, come over here, you’re wanted!† and Get into khaki, we’re doing our bit!† acted as bait to lure young men into battle. The naive, selfless nature of these young fighters was constantly taken advantage of. They were not told about the trenches, the lack of food, the bone chilling cold, the shrapnel, the shell-shock or the dull ache of missing loved ones that would be ever-present in their chests. Owen, like manyShow MoreRelatedThe War Of The World War I902 Words   |  4 Pages War has been a terrible part of the human existence since the beginning of time. According to historians there has been only 268 years of peace out of the nearly 3,500 years that civilized humans have existed (Hedges). That is a staggering statistic showing how deep-rooted war is in the minds and hearts of people. So while war itself might be inevitable the outcome of any given conflict is anything but predictable. There are many different elements that come into play during combat but perhaps theRead MoreThe War Of The World War I1501 Words   |  7 Pages It’s been over a century since Austria declared war on Serbia. The assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, sparked a war that was to end all others. It clearly did not. Countless wars and conflicts have been fought since each evolving into something different than the last. As a result, modern warf are has evolved into something completely different than that of a century ago. Although war is fought for fundamentally the same reasons, warfare, as it isRead MoreThe War Of The World War I1341 Words   |  6 PagesWorld War One is considered to be one of the most important events in modern world history. Lasting four years and resulting in large numbers of casualties, the war represented a total war in which nations devoted all of the resources at their disposal to the war effort. Before this time, wars were fought by trained armies sent to fight on a battlefield, and had little impact on the lives of civilians not involved in the fighting. However, during World War One, governments controlled the economyRead MoreThe World War I Is War1653 Words   |  7 PagesWorld War I is war famous for European nations fighting against themselves. It began to take shape when countries like France and Germany beginning to form their own allies. It all started with the powerful Austria-Hung ary wanted to have Serbia as part of their own empire. However a group of Serbian nationalists known as Black Hands dislike the idea. So they wanted to send a message to the Austria-Hungary government by killing Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Gavrilo Princip, member of the Black Hands,Read MoreThe War Of World War I1419 Words   |  6 PagesWorld War One, also known as the First Word War, The Great War and The War To End All Wars took place in Europe from 1914 to 1918. Being a soldier In World War One would have been one of the most dangerous, yet exciting things that a man could have ever done. The war would have put a tremendous amount of physical demands on soldiers, and yet they had to keep fighting even though deep down they knew that they were only small when compared to the grand scheme of war. World War One consisted of threeRead MoreThe War Of The World War I1279 Words   |  6 Pagestreaty that finished World War I was agreed upon by Germany and the Allies at the Palace of V ersailles in Paris. The main three Allies showed their interest: British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, French Premier George Clemenceau and US President Woodrow Wilson. The Great War had crushed Europe. Limitless territories of north-western Europe were diminished to almost nothing; French and Belgian towns and towns had vanished from the map without any trace of existence. The war destroyed EuropeansRead MoreThe War Of The World War I Essay1544 Words   |  7 Pageschanges. The world had only just recently gotten out of the Great Depression which lasted for over ten years. Also, after the â€Å"War Guilt Clause† of the Treay of Versailles was signed in 1918 to end World War I, most of the blame for the war was awarded to Germany. This caused tension to build up over the next twenty years and due to a random act on Poland by Germany, World War II was declared. World War II lasted from 1939 until 1945 and was seen as one of the bloodiest wars the world has ever knownRead MoreThe War Of The World War I1523 Words   |  7 PagesIt’s been over a century since Austria declared war on Serbia. The assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, sparked a war that was to end all others. It clearly did not. Countless wars and conflicts have been fought since, each evolving into something different than the last. As a result, modern warfare has evolved into something completely different than that of a century ago. Although war is fought for fundamentally the same reasons, warfare, as it is practicedRead MoreThe War Of The World War I1456 Words   |  6 Pagesamongst potentially antagonistic states; Unfortunately, what statesmen had not imagined was that the world had to witness to the slaughter of the First World War to achieve such dream. However, precisely because of the the devastation and chaos caused by the war, the establishment of a general association of states was crucial, and needed to be constructed as quickly as possible. In addition, as World War I pointed out a fundamental flaw in The Balance of Power System, therefore, its malfunctions couldRead MoreThe War Of World War I1328 Words   |  6 PagesIt is the year 1944, the year when the U.S joined the war of World War 2. It morning and you are on a battleship. You are on the landing hangar with everyone who will go to battle. The three captains rally up everyone in your group including you. One of the captain said,â€Å"Today it will be the symbol of how Germany started to fall apart†. The other captain would say ,â€Å"That right, there will not be any mistakes or we would give them an opportunity to spread far and wide and they would get even more