Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi in 2010 Essay

Analysis of the US carbonated soft drinks (CSD) industry (a) Strategic issues The CSD market in the US (approx. $74 billion) is dominated by two concentrate manufacturers – namely Coke and Pepsi –. Both companies have been competing intensely since the 1970s, yet have thrived from this competition and have grown the business very profitably, as both have benefitted from the CSD market growth rates of around 10% p.a. until the early 2000s, when domestic consumption started to decline and in 2009 fell back to levels of 19901: U.S. Liquid consumption Trends (gallons/capita): 1970 Carbonated soft drinks 1990 2000 2009 22.7 46.9 53.0 46.0 U.S. Soft Drink Market Share (Unit Case Volume %): 1970 Coca-Cola Company PepsiCo, Inc 1990 2000 2009e 34.7 19.8 41.1 32.4 44.1 31.4 41.9 29.9 In order to understand the strategic issues of the concentrate manufacturers in the US market, an analysis of the CSD industry structure appears necessary. A practical tool for assessing strategic issues is Porter’s Five Forces, as this tool supports analyses of competition, as strategy is fundamentally about competition2. The model of Porter is an outside-in business unit strategy tool that analyses the attractiveness (value) of an industry structure, capturing the key elements of industry competition. Source: HBS case study ‘Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi in 2010’ May 26, 2011, Exhibit 1 Source: Porter, ‘Competitive Strategy’ Figure 1: Porter’s Five Forces Analysis Summary on figure 1 Barriers to entry are very high due to the following key factors: (1) anybody trying to break into the CSD market must compete with Coke’s and Pepsi’s combined market share of >75%; (2) the market leaders have – over decades – built up strategically critical supply, production and sales channels, which would require enormous investments for followers to copy and (3) the strong brand recognition in the market mainly developed via the cumulative effect of long-time advertising and the geographical availability of their products. Understanding the CSD industry and its competitive landscape and – given that the overarching goal of the concentrate manufacturers is to secure profitable growth – the primary strategic issue (central problem) for the concentrate manufacturers is the declining demand for CSDs, as these manufacturers have built their strategy over the decades on large volume production and distribution involving high amounts of investments (fixed assets) which are now (1) underutilized and (2) are not designed for alternative products (‘non-carb’). (b) Macro-environmental factors shaping the US CSD industry Since the early 2000s several macro-environmental factors have started re-shaping the US CSD industry. To obtain a full picture of the potential macro-environmental impact on this industry, I used the PESTLE framework. PESTLE stands for – Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal and Environmental. This framework is a tool for identifying, tracking, projecting and assessing macro-environmental trends and patterns which helps decision-making and to plan for future events. Figure 2: PESTLE Analysis Summary on figure 2 Based on the PESTLE analysis, 4 major trends that have already shaped respectively will continue to shape the current US CSD industry and influence the attractiveness of this industry are: (1) Shift in consumption  patterns towards healthier nutrition (non-carbs such as juices and juice drinks, sports and energy drinks and tea-based drinks but also bottled water) causing the CSD to fizzle (2) US Government fighting the US #1 health problem obesity by tightened nutrition guidelines and imposing taxes on CSDs (3) Increasing pricing power of emerging mass-merchandisers (e.g. Wal-Mart) posing a new threat to profitability for Coke, Pepsi and their bottlers (4) Non-carb market is open to new market entrants, as it is a stronger fragmented market not dominated by the ‘classical’ CSD companies (Coke, Pepsi, DPS, etc.) The PESTLE analysis also reveals that the change in the US CSD industry is not a one-timeimpact but rather an ongoing process: 2000s (early): start of a declining domestic consumption of CSDs 2005: new federal guidelines to fight obesity 2010: already 29 states introduced a ‘soda tax’ (c) Future attractiveness of the US CSD industry The US CSD industry will continue to be a very attractive market for the established players alone considering the size of the market and the strong position in the market of these players. The 3 A’s (Advertising, Addiction, Availability) continue to be the main purchasing criteria for consumers. Still these players will have to adapt their strategies to maintain market levels for CSDs. Possible strategic moves to act / react on the trends stated above should be based on the findings of the Five Forces Analysis and the PESTLE Analysis and could include: (1) Development of (approved by the US F&D Admin.) alternative sweeteners to reduce obesitycausing sugars (2) Compete on availability (through their impressive geographical reach) (3) Create a fragmented bottling network but give territorial exclusivity to bottlers as incentive to ‘grow the pie’ and use the bottling network as a competitive firewall (especially against massmerchandisers) (4) Escalate advertising sp ending to keep out entry Further market analysis can be carried out by using proven tools such as ’Ansoff’s Growth Strategy Matrix’ (market present vs. market future / product present vs. product future) or the brand analysis (brand strength = differentiation + relevance vs. brand stature = knowledge + esteem) but which I have not described in this report. The competition in the CSD industry is a stronghold between Coke and Pepsi with a few minor players together holding approx. 25% market share. Coke and Pepsi leverage their strong market position and build on economies of scale crowding out smaller players or – if necessary – acquire them. Competition between Coke and Pepsi is reciprocal, with both responding to each other’s strategy shifts. Most prominent were the development of diet and flavored varieties of CSDs. To further support the analysis of the future attractiveness of the US CSD industry, the following Force Field Analysis is useful, as it also reveals potential ‘restraining forces’ of change. As figure 3 shows, especially the market disruptions coming from domestic consumption of CSDs continuously declining have caught – to a certain extent – the ‘classical’ CSD companies by surprise, as they cannot respond to this development by standard measures – such as increasing advertisement or bringing new CSDs to the market – but are now facing a structural change in the beverage market with an uncertain outcome. Figure 3: Force Field Analysis The Force Field Analysis – as described in literature – is especially useful to identify â€Å"resistance to change†, providing a systematized framework that supports identify factors that hinder change (restraining forces) and factors that support change (driving forces). Kurt Lewin developed the principle, which is a significant contribution to the fields of social science, organizational development, process management, and change  management. (d) Potential impact of the four pressures (industry dynamics, globalization, risk and ethics) on the future attractiveness of the US CSD industry The insights gained from the analyses carried out under 1(a), 1(b) and 1(c) summarize the potential impact of the four pressures as follows: (1) Industry dynamics (defined as understanding how industries and companies change over time and understand their drivers of these changes): The environment in which CSD companies have been operating until the early 2000s was 5  characterized by competition but the industry dynamics tended to be ‘evolutionary’. The PESTLE analysis has shown, that since that time, market dynamics have dramatically picked up and several lasting disruptive changes (e.g. introduction of a ‘soda tax’) have happened. Subsequently this has had an impact on top and bottom line of the CSD industry (‘Cola Wars’ business case, Exhibit 3a). (2) Globalization (defined as when an industry globalizes, it undergoes structural shifts, so that the organizations within it find that their position in one country is significantly affected by their position in another country): Even if the aforementioned analyses are aimed to the US CSD industry, the data provided by the case study reveals that Coke’s share of US business in % of total global business is around 20% while Pepsi’s share is around 50%. The international business – in contrast to the US market – has been growing nicely given the strong population growth in emerging countries and the establishment of a ‘middle class’ in large nations such as India and China that can now afford CSDs. Coke has stronger benefitted from this growth as Pepsi has. This should give Coke further potential for economies of scale which should benefit bottom line considerably. (3) Risk (defined as the evaluation of levels of risk and reward attached to each potential business opportunity): The exposure of risk in the CSD industry – given that especially Coke and Pepsi (a) have a significant share of business in the single largest CSD market worldwide, which is the US and (b) rely on the success of a single type of product (carbonated soft drink) – is high. Impacts coming from macro-environmental factors – as shown in the PESTLE analysis – can be game changing for this industry, as already happening since the early 2000s. (4) Ethics (defined as a set of values and beliefs that do transcend cultures, time and economic conditions): Again stressing PESTLE, environmental protection has become one of these values that have affected the CSD industry and have at least forced the CSD companies to re-think their packaging strategy and in consequence potential changes in the production and bottling process. From the aforementioned I would draw, that industry dynamics has the major impact on the future attractiveness of the US CSD industry. General observations on using module concepts Engaging with theory and applying this to day-to-day business life has many advantages of which I would highlight: best quality: proven concepts efficiency: not to â€Å"re-invent the wheel† for free: applying theory in daily business life is – from an intellectual property stand point – basically not linked to any cost [except costs for implementation] The challenge left for every corporation is to understand, select and implement the theories, methods and tools that best suit their purpose. This requires experienced managers and experts that are capable of making use of theory to change practice. 1. Module concept I: Porter’s Five Forces Strategy is fundamentally about competition. Competition comes from many places. Therefore it is essential to carry out an ‘environmental scan’ in a systematic way. Porter Five Forces model is a proven outside-in business unit strategy tool that analyses the attractiveness (value) of an industry structure, capturing the key elements of industry competition. (a) Strengths of the framework Porter refers to these forces as the micro environment or line-of-business industry level (those forces that are close to the company and that drive the business). If changes happen in one of these forces, the company should re-assess their strategic position and – if required – take corrective action. Also it provides useful input for performing a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis. (b) Limitations of the framework The framework does not look at strategy from the inside-out. Consequently the view on core competencies on a company are ignored. I would have found it useful to understand where Coke has developed a competitive advantage vs. Pepsi and vice-versa. Therefore a SWOT analysis should always complement the Five Forces Analysis. Another critique I would make to the framework is the fact, that the 4 forces (1) entrants, (2) substitutes, (3) customers and (4) suppliers only relate to the center (competitors) but do not ‘interact’ among themselves. In the ‘Cola Wars’ e.g. the interaction between substitutes and customers would have been of interest. Last I would criticize the framework is not very useful for environments that are characterized by rapid, systemic and radical change which requires more flexible or emergent approaches to strategy formulation (this often happening with industries where disruptive innovation is foreseeable). This is also true for disruptions that give the possibility to create completely new markets (how to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant)3. 2. Module concept II: PESTLE framework The PESTLE framework is a powerful tool and I used it to weigh up the wide range of factors in an organization’s environment that will impact on its strategy. Reading through the ‘Cola Wars’ business case it quickly became evident, that it is not one but several factors that are influencing the US CSD industry. PESTLE very much serves as a checklist of macro-environmental factors that can influence strategy. I personally prefer using the PESTLE framework in combination with the Force Field Analysis as I believe that PESTLE covers well the ‘driving forces’ of change but does not address the ‘restraining forces’. This becomes particularly evident in the analysis carried out under 1(c). (a) Strengths of the framework Similar to the Risk Management System, PESTLE provides a comprehensive ‘checklist’ of macro-environmental factors to make sure, that all ‘dimensions’ have been thought of and have been documented systematically. Also these factors can be classified as opportunities  and risks in the SWOT analysis as well as a risk register. Last but not least, PESTLE is easy to use and adaptable to any business. (b) Limitations of the framework Except for the stated under 2., I have not identified any major limitations of the framework, making it a tool I prefer working with. 3. Module concept III: Lewin’s Forces Field Analysis Lewin’s Force Field Analysis belongs to the great change management tools. He saw the drivers for and against change as a moving equilibrium and developed a way to analyse these drivers, giving birth to what he called a ‘force field analysis’. By knowing the driving and restraining forces of change, strategies can be developed to reduce the impact of the restraining forces and strengthen the driving forces. Even if the Force Field Analysis looks simple at a first glance, the following benefits are built into the system: Dynamics on action vs. reaction Allows different perspectives Highlights most critical matters (size of the arrow) (a) Strengths of the framework The Force Field Analysis complements the PESTLE framework as PESTLE covers well the ‘driving forces’ of change but does not address the ‘restraining forces’ in a structured or transparent manner. It is easy to use and adaptable to many situations in business. Especially I would like to highlight, that one has to put himself in the shoes of the other to understand drivers and restrainers for change. This can make a difference in outlining a strategy. (b) Limitations of the framework The Force Field Analysis is – different to e.g. a Risk Management System – by far not so sophistically developed. One generally starts the analysis on a white piece of paper with only very few supporting guidelines. ‘Checklists’ to avoid omissions of major drivers / restrainers are not known to me.

Technology and education

Introduction: Disability and TechnologyAccording to the U. S. Department of Commerce, more than half of all Americans use the Internet in some way, but â€Å"persons with a disability are only half as likely to have access to the Internet as those without a disability†¦ [a]nd while just under 25% of those without a disability have never used a personal computer, close to 60% of those with a disability fall into that category.† In addition â€Å"[a]mong those with a disability, people who have impaired vision†¦ have even lower rates of Internet access and are less likely to use a computer regularly than people with hearing and mobility problems† (National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 2000, p. xv).Cyndi Rowland, director of the Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM) project at Utah State University's Center for Persons with Disabilities, calls for a â€Å"national solution† to the problem of inaccessibility, especially â€Å"if we are t o abide by civil rights legislation, federal rulings, and common ethics† (Rowland, 2000, p. 10). Understanding the specific needs and concerns of students with disabilities may aid educators, information technology designers, and educational institutions to ensure that students with disabilities, particularly those who are blind or visually impaired, are not left behind in this technological â€Å"revolution.†The Internet and the web have become an integral part of higher education, transforming the educational experiences of all   students. In 1997, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the international body that oversees the protocols and operations of the Internet, created the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). WAI is responsible for promoting web functionality for people with disabilities and establishing accessibility guidelines. In this age of computer technology, many of the tools needed to enable students with disabilities to obtain equity in education and be yond already exist. For those involved in educational institutions, these tools can provide opportunities and independence, eliminating the obstacles and barriers that many of the current systems still enable.A review of the literature related to attitudes and other barriers that people with disabilities must contend with every day at school and at work, the integration of computer technology in postsecondary education, and the needs and concerns of students with disabilities, in particular those who are blind or visually impaired, may provide some insights for future policies and guidelines regarding access and use of computer technologies for students who are blind or visually impaired.Technology: Enhancing Modern EducationExperiences of people with visual impairments in the workplace and their use of computer technology and the Internet was the focus of a qualitative study conducted in Australia by Williamson, Albrecht, Schauder, and Bow (2001). Primarily through focus group rese arch, the researchers presented the perceived benefits and concerns of the study's participants. Most agreed that the Internet enabled them to participate in an information and communication format that is becoming a primary source for many people. Many also saw the Internet as enabling them to be less reliant on others and, therefore, facilitating an increase in their own privacy.However, some were concerned about a reduction in social contact and an increase in isolationism. An additional concern was that there would be a decline in the quality of services from such entities as the government and banks because more is being done online. Training was viewed as critical to successfully using the Internet and computer technology. This, it was believed by many, was the key to achieving equality in the workplace, yet many felt it was a low priority by agencies and workplaces. Cost was also viewed as a barrier to accessing computers and the Internet.With various Internet advances, more individuals in all sectors of the community are working from home.   For visually impaired members of community the Internet has the potential to free them from the restrictions they have experienced in the past while seeking to obtain employment. â€Å"Once the challenges of access have been surmounted, [visually impaired] users can take their places in the digitalized workforce† (Williamson et al., 2001, pp. 693-4).With computer technology becoming a part of all college students' educational experiences, how are postsecondary schools preparing students for a computer-integrated future? To determine how the use of various technologies affect student learning, Shuell and Farber (2001) conducted a study of 728 sighted undergraduate and graduate students at a large northeastern university, where they found that, in general, students perceived the use of computer technology in their courses to be very beneficial. Students also believed that the use of communication technology brought an increase in their sense of involvement in a course.Eighty-eight percent of the sample indicated that their use of computer technology helped them learn materials and skills, and 75 percent indicated that using computer technology improved the quality of interaction with their instructor. Students also viewed the use of dynamic computer presentations and the Internet in lectures very favorably; it kept their interest, and the students believed that it improved their learning.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Students also favored electronic forums as a way to interact with their peers (e.g., email, listservs, and newsgroups) and believed that the use of these forms of computer technology increased the quality of these interactions.Another interesting finding in this study was that students who considered themselves to be more independent tended to respond more favorably to these technologies and the learning benefits associated with them. One theme of this study was the appreciation that stude nts had of the ability for computer technologies to enable independent learning. When serving the needs of students with disabilities, independence is a key factor to consider.Lewis, Coursol, and Khan (2001) examined the use and effect of computer technology on student development and education. They surveyed 124 sighted undergraduate students who attended a regional public institution in the Midwest. Technology choices, which included use of email, the Internet, and multimedia, were based on technology trends in higher education.Results indicated that the majority of students were comfortable with computer technology, using such tools as email and the Internet for both academic and social purposes. Both men and women spent about the same amount of time on email, class assignments on the computer, playing computer games, and shopping on the Internet. However, women spent significantly fewer hours surfing the Internet than men did.Consistent with Shuell and Farber (2001), Lewis et al . (2001) also confirmed that students believe the use of email increases their frequency of communication with faculty, which, in turn, enhances the faculty-student relationship and enables faculty to be more accessible. The issue of accessibility was discussed in this report and how there is a need for higher educational institutions to address this issue, which the authors indicate to be a social problem that has significant economic and social implications. They point to the need to recognize that there are some students, including those with disabilities, who may be at a disadvantage when a course requires the retrieval of materials from the web.The use of computer technology has become an accepted and expected component of every student's postsecondary educational experience. To better understand the use and effectiveness of these technologies, all of the studies used in this paper that focused on computer technology in higher education examined one or more aspects of the integ ration of these technologies into the educational system. The Arant (1996) study focused on the use of the Internet and the World Wide Web in higher education.Employing both qualitative and quantitative methods (phone interviews and a survey), it concluded that, while using online components to traditional courses did not support the apparent belief that online education saved time and money, it did change the way in which courses were taught, with additional online portions being incorporated into courses. For students who are visually impaired or blind, this could result in additional barriers.Computer Technology and Visually Impaired StudentsIn an extensive two-year study in Canada, Fichten, Barile, and Asuncion (1999) investigated the computer, information, learning, and adaptive technology needs and concerns of Canadian postsecondary students with disabilities. Of the findings from this study, computers were found to be critical to the success of students with disabilities, and the vast majority of students, regardless of gender, age, program of study, or type of disability, could and did use computer technologies to help them succeed. An important development that emerged from this study was that students often â€Å"cross-used† technologies. For example, while students with visual impairments are expected to use screen reader software, students with learning disabilities also used this software.The students in this study considered computers as â€Å"electronic curb cuts,† enabling technologies that allow students with disabilities to better prepare for and participate in the information-based economy of tomorrow. Fichten, et al. (1999) urged postsecondary education institutions to design for accessibility and to consider the needs of students with disabilities before making purchases.   What the authors describe as â€Å"troubling† is â€Å"the absence, in many cases, of planning for access† for students with disabilities by postsecondary institutions (Fichten et al., p. 179).  As some technological barriers fall, others are slowly erected as new technologies continue to become part of a student's educational experiences. One suggestion the authors had for government funding bodies to help raise awareness of these issues was to take accessibility issues into consideration when reviewing grant applications and to create incentives for businesses to develop and market technologies that are accessible to all students. The authors wrote: The enormous potential of computers to remove barriers to students with disabilities and concerns over barriers posed by limitations in access were central issues noted by respondents in all categories in all phases of the research (p. 180).Shaw and Giacquinta (2000) used a questionnaire that was very carefully developed, field tested, and revised several times before being used for this study. The sample consisted of 412 sighted graduate students. This study was very well thought out and documented.  Ã‚   The authors suggested that faculty integrate more computer technology into their curricula (e.g., with the use of such tools as Blackboard, WebCT, and course web pages). They did not, however, take into consideration the ramifications of that suggestion as it applies to students who are blind or visually impaired.  Ã‚   Unfortunately, unless having been asked to consider it, most faculty do not think about students who are blind or visually impaired (or who have any other disability) when they begin to integrate technology into their curriculum.Shuell and Farber (2001) piloted a questionnaire and discussed it within two focus groups before using it for the study. Their sample was composed of 728 sighted undergraduate and graduate students.  Ã‚   Both qualitative and quantitative data showed a link between active, participatory learning and the positive perception of students regarding technology as a learning tool; they also confirmed tha t the use of technology made the classes seem more personal to the students.However, the authors caution that the apparent relationship found in their study between a positive perception of computer technology by students and students' actual learning is still unclear. Lewis et al. (2001) used an author-constructed survey, which they described as â€Å"a self-report, forced-choice survey.† One of the problems with this study is that a self-report is subject to response bias, although the results of this study were consistent with the others regarding a positive perception and use of computer technology by students in postsecondary institutions. Both Shuell et al. and Lewis et al. recommended that future research focus on the impact of technology on student learning. Lewis et al. also recommended the need to examine the use of technology among specific groups, such as students who are Hispanic, African American, and commuters.ConclusionGiven the state of existing literature in the area of postsecondary students who are blind or visually impaired, combined with the overwhelming integration of computer technology into the academic environment, there is still a need for a more substantive exploration into how postsecondary institutions are supporting and serving the best interests of these students. Disability scholars Susan R. Jones and Julie Smart point out the relationship between individuals who have a disability and how society views people with disabilities. They assert that disability is a universal issue, and yet there is no single disability experience.With a focus on the prejudices, discrimination and stigma experienced by people with disabilities and their responses to their disabilities, Jones (1996) and Smart (2001) define disability as a socially constructed phenomenon that combines the experiences of those living with a disability together with their environments. Goggin and Newell (2003) further state that â€Å"in the name of inclusionâ₠¬  society builds disability into digital technologies, arguing that disability has been constructed in the technological world of computing and computer networks and that there is a need to critically analyze the ways in which it is constructed within contemporary society.ReferencesArant, Jr., M. D. (1996, August). Going online to teach journalism and mass communication.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED399596)Fichten, C, Barile, M., & Asuncion, J. V. (1999). Learning technologies:Students with   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   disabilities inpostsecondary education [Montreal: Final Report to the Office of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Learning Technologies]. Adaptech Project,Dawson College. (ERIC Document   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reproduction Service No. ED433625)Goggin, G. & Newell, C. (2003). Digital disability: The social construction of disability in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   new media. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.Jones, S. R. (1996). Toward inclusive theory: Disability as social construction. NASPA   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Journal, 33(4), 347-354.Lewis, J., Coursol, D., & Khan, L. (2001). College students @ tech.edu: A study of comfort and the use of technology. Journal of College Student Development, 42(6), 625-631.National Telecommunications and Information Administration. (2000). Falling through the   Ã‚   net: Toward digital inclusion. A report of American's access to technology tools. Retrieved March 18, 2009, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.ntia.doc.gOv/ntiahome/fttn00/Falling.htm#6Rowland, C. (2000, October). Accessibility of the internet in postsecondary education:   Ã‚   Meeting the challenge. Paper presented at the Universal Web Accessibility   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Symposium 2000, San Antonio, Texas. Retrieved March 18, 2009, from   Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.webaim.org/articles/meetchallenge/Shuell, T. J., & Farber, S. L. (2001). Students' perceptions of technology use in college      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   courses. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 24(2), 119-138.Shaw, F. S., & Giacquinta, J. B. (2000). A survey of graduate students as end users of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   computer technology: New roles for faculty. Information Technology, Learning, and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Performance Journal, 18(1), 21-40.Smart, Julie (2001). Disability, Society, and the Individual. Gaithersburg, Maryland: Aspen Publishers.Williamson, K., Albrecht, A., Schauder, D., & Bow, A. (2001). Australian perspectives on the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   use of the internet by people who are visually impaired and professionals who work   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   with them. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 95(11), 690 – 701.

Theology critical exegesis on Luke 102537. 'The Parable of the Good Essay

Theology critical exegesis on Luke 102537. 'The Parable of the Good Samaritan' - Essay Example First, the answer to the lawyer's question might be found in the Bible. Second, every person has different perception of what he reads and should find the answer to this question on his own. Thus, in this short reply Jesus has said that the way to salvation was already delivered to people and it is their responsibility to find it. Verses 27 and 28 are the summary of the right way of living "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all they soul, and with thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself". This answer did not satisfy the lawyer and he further asked who can be considered the neighbor and received the reply. Verse 30-35 are the story of how the certain man was beaten by robbers and left half dead on the road. The priest has seen him but passed by. The same has done the Levite. Nevertheless, when the Samaritan saw this beaten man, he was moved with compassion and took care of him. After finishing this story, Jesus has asked the lawyer for his opinion who proved to be the neighbor for the beaten man and the lawyer replied that he was the one who showed mercy. Jesus noted, "Go and do likewise" (Luke 10: 37). Jesus did not reply directly to the asked question, but showed the example of what he meant. The golden rule of treating others, as you want to be treated can be also applied here. Traditionally pa Literal Analysis Traditionally parables and narratives are understood differently by different people, however, the meaning of the Parable of Good Samaritan is understood universally. Referring to the story, the man was walking on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho which is surrounded by the cliffs on both sides. Moreover, it descended over 3000 feet in only ten miles and was dangerous to walk at any time. Thus, it can be that the parable is not fictitious and is made up based on the real situation. Probably Jesus himself has walked this road with the disciples, even though it is very unlikely that the priest or the Levite would travel this road alone taking into account the numerous robbers living in the caves (Brown 1990). Historically, Jews and Samaritans were enemies and not a single Jew would allow the Samaritan to help him even in such extreme situations. Maybe, with this parable Jesus wanted to say that the salvation is not granted to selected groups of people and despite of other ethnic origin they are all equal in the eyes of God. Further, these verses are showing that division of people based on their origin is false in essence. The priest and Levite being considered closer to God did not help the person who was in need of assistance, while the Samaritan who was hated by Jews took care of the beaten man. Unfortunately, very little has been written about the historical relationship between Jesus and Samaritans. First, Samaritans could be defined in terms of geography - they lived in the region called Samaria. Second, Samaritans could be defined in terms of ethnic origin - they were the mixed group of people and had non-Jewish blood. Third, Samaritans can be defined in terms of their religion - they were the Semites who worshiped Yahweh (Brown 1990). Despite of the definition Jesus assumed, it is clear that Samaritans were not welcomed by the Jews of that time. Even though the focus of the

The Misunderstood Motorcycle Rider Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Misunderstood Motorcycle Rider - Essay Example Initially, relevant statistics would be provided as a brief overview of motorcycle riders in the United States, prior into delving on the reasons for preference in this mode of transportation. The pros and cons of this particular endeavor would thereby be detailed, with specific support and references from riders who are members of identified registered motorcycle clubs in the country. Finally, a concluding portion would highlight the points that were discussed and present personal ideas based on the evaluation of issues that were expounded. Brief Overview of Motorcycle Riding The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) is an organization that has been tasked to monitor data and information pertinent to motorcycle riders in the United States (NHTSA). Its mission is explicitly stated as â€Å"reducing crash-related injuries and fatalities while ensuring the highest standards of safety on the nation's roadways† (NHTSA par. 1). There were reportedly â€Å"a n estimated 7 million motorcycles on the US roadways each year, compared to approximately 130 million passenger cars† (NHTSA par. 2). ... emergency department (ED) for a non-fatal motorcycle-related injury† (par. 2), noted as an all time unprecedented high for motorcycle deaths that were exhibited and compared to other motor vehicle crash data during the stipulated period. Despite the alarming figures, there are riders who have signified preference for motorcycles for reasons discussed below. Benefits of Motorcycle Riding In a study written by Lawrence, Max & Miller for the NHTSA on â€Å"Costs of Injuries Resulting from Motorcycle Crashes†, the authors effectively revealed that motorcycles are comparatively categorized as one of the most cost efficient vehicles in terms of the amount and volume of fuel consumption needed to cover a destined location. Likewise, motorcycles provide speed and easy options to manuever through tight spaces between vehicles and other travel areas. In addition, joining motorcycle clubs have added benefits in terms of achieving some specifically identified mission or goals. For U .S. Military Vets MC (Michigan) club, for example, their organization which was reportedly established in 1987 explicitly stated the following objectives, to wit: â€Å"* To provide a club for qualified military veterans, which offers brotherhood and an opportunity to establish relationships with other military veterans who have served in the defense of the United States of America. * To establish and support a strong sense of pride in having served in the active military service of the United States of America. * To improve the image of military veterans and bikers to the general public† ( U.S. Military Vets MC (Michigan) 1). From their set of objectives, it was apparent that joining a motorcycle club provides the

Classroom Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Classroom Management - Essay Example These elements are what a good teacher must keep in mind in order to achieve a well-managed classroom. Deviating from the behaviorist theory of education, a teacher who wants to handle a class successfully must remember to make the student the center of everything. In organizing a classroom, the student should be the utmost consideration. From the placement of materials to the arrangement of each chair and tables, the student should be of primary importance. Materials must be arranged in a way the students can easily find them. Also, they must be well-kept so as not to bring any harm to the students. Chairs and tables must be set in a way that brings not only comfort to the student but also puts him in the mindset to study. At times, chairs and tables need to be re-arranged in a certain way so as to pique the curiosity of the students and engage them in the lesson. The teacher should always keep in mind that the arrangement of materials, desks and chairs should facilitate the learning of the class. Motivation comes in many methods. Contrary to the behaviorist theory, it is not only through memorization, drills and practices that a teacher can make a student learn. Motivation is an important aspect of classroom management as this can spell a productive or a boring class. In the assigned video clip (Classroom Management, 1995-2010) , motivation was shown in a pre-lesson activity the teacher had given even before the students entered the classroom. I think this was a very good idea. Teachers should remember that not all students may want to come to class. Some may be sleepy, not interested or just not in the mood that particular day. If the teacher allows these students to come to class, chances are their demeanor would affect the productivity of the class and the effectiveness of the teacher. Motivation should go beyond a list of words to remember or numerous

Draw their Veils over Their Bosoms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Draw their Veils over Their Bosoms - Essay Example Though Muslim women are not this secluded in the modern life, they have to seclude themselves from head to toe. This document shows the religious beliefs of Islamic people. Though there is nowhere in the Quran where it is indicated that women should be secluded from head to toe, women are expected to do so. This shows in a way that women are discriminated against and there are activities that men undertake but women are not expected to follow suit. However, it also shows that Islamic people value their religion. They had to follow in the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad. The article has had an impact on the lives of Muslim women today. It is quite difficult to find an Islamic women walking around exposing themselves (Duiker & Spielvogel, 2009). There are instances where these Muslim women wear veils that only leave a space for their eyes especially. This mostly happens to the not yet married ones. Moreover, Islamic women do not interact with the male gender unless in it is very important. They are only allowed to interact freely with their

What am I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What am I - Essay Example This means that an individual is what he thinks of himself and what others think of them. For example: if an individual’s mind think that he/she is a good student then an individual will exhibit characteristics that are the characteristics of a good student. These characteristics include studying hard, acting in a disciplined manner in school and class and involving oneself in class activities. These behaviors will result in better grades for the student and will place a positive picture of the student in the minds of the classmates as well as teachers and in turn this will become his/her identity. Individuals need to ensure that there is congruence between what they think they are and what others think they are. In order to attain this congruence they need to change and modify their behaviors according to what they want to be or what their mind tells them to do. In short the answer to the question of What I am is that I am what is want to

Adaptive Culture and Cultural Artifacts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Adaptive Culture and Cultural Artifacts - Essay Example While the organization needed to know every accurate detail about its stakeholders, the latter also needed to provide an honest and realistic output of needs or wants that are to be fulfilled. In other words, information is the framework of those mentioned requisites; its timing and accuracy significantly determine the capability of the organization to process and integrate it with the organizational processes and practices. Moreover, all other aspects that serve to shape an organizational culture has to be taken into consideration -- its level of impact on organizational culture should determine its ability to be incorporated in the whole adaptive culture-framework. While in general, these aspects are conveniently referred to as processes and practices, in specific it includes policies, competencies, reinforced norms, et cetera. A more binding reinforcement for an organization aspiring an adaptive culture is the top management’s commitment. Additionally, the organization†™s people should be tirelessly reminded of the purpose of such adaptive culture. Both commitment and purpose are consistent ‘reinforcers’ of any desired organizational culture, and adaptive culture is no exception. I think that our organization has a relatively strong culture. First, because everybody knows what and who we do for; more than just profit or bonuses, we serve people. Every business unit, whether directly or indirectly involved, recognized its part in the whole value chain. In other words, each of us, from top to the bottom level, could identify ourselves in the organization’s collective mantra. Moreover, this recognition is reinforced through the individual integration of our own task to the company’s core task. Second, our Human Resource Recruitment filters the entrant workers; they make sure that the individual’s goals are well aligned or approximately paralleled with the company’s. Moreover, the HR people look at the

Product Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Product Assessment - Essay Example A product could therefore be rendered obsolete due to its inability to meet the technical, functional or other aspects whereas other products in the same line of operation may be consistently meeting these conditions. This paper will assess this idea with relation to the market of compact cassettes in the US. 2.0 Compact Cassettes Commonly known as cassettes with some even calling them audio cassettes, they use a format of recording where the utilization of magnetic tapes. The sales for this product has constantly been going doing in the US market as very few people are becoming more and more modern. The target market for audio cassettes has always been the young generation who spend most of their life time in the rural areas. According to the demographic data of the US released in April 2013, the total population is slightly above 315million people. Out of this populace, about 82% are inhabitants of the cities leaving other people approximating about eighteen percent in the rural ar eas. These therefore are the ones that are targeted by the compact cassettes due to the fact that the technology in the rural areas has not been escalated to higher levels as seen in the urban areas. Additionally, those who aren’t in a position to access compact discs are even better suited to use the compact cassettes. Another dimension on the same issue is that the compact cassettes use common gadgets like radio cassettes which are not wholly dependent on technology (Lee & Winzenried, 2009). Others like the CDs require complicated machines and depend on the technical ability and aspects of the user. The rate of unemployment in the USA, according to the same statistics, has crossed the 7% mark which means that most of these people will opt for cassettes in larger scale to cut on their costs. The disposable income for this fraction of the entire population is low thus should devise other means of survival whereby low cost products will be sought for. However, the market for t hese products has been going down considerably and the same may face an imminent decline. The sales being registered have gone down tremendously and although these products are still performing well, peoples’ interest in them is becoming scarce by day. This has been rendered true by a myriad reasons, most of which the cassettes have failed to satisfy. Technical obsolescence takes the center stage in the whole affair. The advent of CDs and other gadget that purpose to serve the same line of business coupled with technology has superseded the old audio cassettes in spite of them being still in functionality. For example, introduction of multimedia of high quality including the DVDs have rendered the compact cassettes useless due to their unreliability and lack efficiency (Kalb, 2000). To therefore remain consistent with the advancing technology in electronics, many people today in the US have opted for other alternative means to augment their music thirst and needs. Many other version which are newer in the industry has been introduced which also gives a blow to the usage of audio cassettes. Furthermore, the technologies available in the market have gone a series of transformation thus are no longer in a position to produce the cassettes or even repair them. The cassettes

Employee Relations in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Employee Relations in UK - Essay Example It will be useful for management to conduct seminars and training sessions wherein the see the applicability of employee right in real-case scenarios In the United Kingdom, the Employment Relations Act (1999) was adopted by the government to provide better working standards for employees. It is intended to improve relations between an organization and its employees by fostering a new climate of co-operation between the worker and the employer. This act lays down the need to implement a statutory procedure for trade unions to be recognized as organizations which speak or put forth the interests of the organization's employees ( Such a procedure needs to be adopted by any organizations where the employees exceeds 20). The Employment Relations Act (1999), states that any independent public body such as the Central Arbitration Committee should be given due recognition in cases where a majority members of the workforce of an organization are union members. This law empowers employees by bringing out provisions that protect their rights and also strengthens their rights to belong to unions. Through this law workers have the right to be accompanied by a trade union official at disciplinary and grievance hearings. As a result of this law, it is not possible for employers to dismiss employees who are taking official, lawfully-organized industrial action. One of the hall-marks of this law is that it promotes ideas for a friendly working atmosphere and reforms tribunal awards for unfair dismissal. After the implementation of this act, it effectiveness was reviewed by government authorities. The review reveals that the act has been well-implemented and has succeeded in its purpose to improve employee relations. Through this act the procedure for recognition of trade unions has been carried out smoothly and efficiently. In the case of any issues of employee grievances, these issues are resolved very quickly, say within less than half the time. After this law came into effect, what was noticed was that inter-union disputes and legal challenges have drastically come down. The Act has encouraged voluntary settlement of recognition claims since its implementation and as a result, there have been about over 1,000 voluntary recognition agreements in the United Kingdom. Speaking on the effect of the implementation of the Employment Act, the Employment Relations Minister, Alan Johnson, said that there was evidence which showed that the law was doing what it proposed to do. As a result of the law, the number of strikes have comes down and the number of people who were employed was increasing. There is a real change in the attitude of employers towards employees and this has fostered an atmosphere wherein employers and employee are not just working together, but working together really well. Employee relations and handling disputes The Employment Act in 2002, made more improvements in the handling of employee relations. It lays down a set of procedures for managing disputes at the workplace. As per the new provisions, all employers must by October 2004, follow a procedure to deal with disputes. This procedure is a three-step process which ensures that disputes are discussed at work. As per this procedure, the dispute or grievance which an employee has against the employer must be set out in writing. All details must be

A Case Against Slavery & Uncle Tom’s Cabin Essay Example for Free

A Case Against Slavery Uncle Tom’s Cabin Essay HB Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a powerfully evocative condemnation of slavery, and was famous in its own time. While many held that Stowe herself knew nothing about slavery or southern life, having never seen southern plantation life, it had its intended effect regardless: to stir up anti-slavery sentiment in the north, and to a lesser extent, in the South. Chapter VII is called â€Å"A Mother’s Struggle,† and it brings together many of the themes that dominate this book. First, the centrality of motherhood and the invincible power of a mother that is soon to be separated from her only son leads the action of this work. Second, the dominance of the Protestant Christian faith, a faith that serves to both assist slaves in tolerating their condition as well as providing them the strength to escape is the engine of the action. Since God is on the side of those who oppose slavery, ultimately, their struggle will emerge victorious and hence, the strength to persevere is present. Hence, this chapter is a central part of the work as it synthesizes the main themes of the book in rather stark terms, since this chapter is really the first â€Å"action† chapter of the book, that is, it is the beginnings of Eliza’s escape from her bondage and traces her moves northward to the Ohio river. The first real issue that drives Eliza to escape is the fact that she and her son are possibly to be sold. The Shelby family that owns them seeks to sell several slaves to pay off debts, and Eliza, who is not poorly treated by her mistress, Mrs. See more:  First Poem for You Essay Shelby, will not be separated from her only son (1-2). Here, the institution of slavery is shown in its worst aspect: the breaking up of families in the interest of the financial solvency of their masters. It was debated how often this was actually done, but this first few pages show the slave owning Shelby family as more or less humane, but forced due to circumstances to part with slaves, slaves, like Tom himself, who has befriended the son of the Shelby family. But stronger than all was maternal love, wrought into a paroxysm of frenzy by the near approach of a fearful danger. Her boy was old enough to have walked by her side, and, in an indifferent case, she would only have led him by the hand; but now the bare thought of putting him out of her arms made her shudder, and she strained him to her bosom with a convulsive grasp, as she went rapidly forward (1). This passage is an important part of the introduction to this chapter in that it places maternal power at the center of the war against slavery. It is this fear mixed with love that will keep Eliza moving forward. â€Å"Sublime is the dominion of the mind over the body, that, for a time, can make flesh and nerve impregnable, and string the sinews like steel, so that the weak become so mighty. † It is love, ths power of mind, the love for her son that keeps her moving forward, rather to face death, freezing, or torture if caught rather than be apart from her boy (2). It seems that, as Eliza continues her trek forward, that her body has become completely subsumed under her mind, and her love. Hence, she refuses to eat what she has packed for the trip North, and instead only wants her son to eat (3). But along with the power of a mother’s love, is the power of the belief in God and his Scriptures: â€Å"An hour before sunset, she entered the village of T , by the Ohio river, weary and foot-sore, but still strong in heart. Her first glance was at the river, which lay, like Jordan, between her and the Canaan of liberty on the other side. † (4). This passage is telling, in that it provides Old Testament references to the move toward liberty. The move of slaves northward to freedom is likened to the move of Israelites, themselves slaves to the Egyptians, over the Jordan river to the Canaanite valley which God has chosen for his people. For the slave treated harshly and not given even basic freedoms, the move northward was considered the promised land, the land of freedom, regardless of the hardships of slavery: this is the indictment of the institution as a whole. Slaves wold risk everything to avoid the institution, even a more or less comfortable existence that Eliza enjoyed with the Shelby’s. In this chapter, the mood is that if God closes one door, He opens another. So with Eliza gets to the river, the barrier between herself and freedom, it has been largely iced over (5). Given this, the ferry will not run. However, she is briefly taken in by a family connected with the ferry house on her side of the river. The action quickly and awkwardly shifts back to the slave quarters at Mrs. Shelby’s, where the slaves are speaking about the upcoming sale. Speaking of the slave trader, Chloe says, â€Å"He desarves it! † said Aunt Chloe, grimly; â€Å"hes broke a many, many, many hearts, I tell ye all! † she said, stopping, with a fork uplifted in her hands; â€Å"its like what Masr George reads in Ravelations, souls a callin under the altar! and a callin on the Lord for vengeance on sich! and by and by the Lord hell hear em so he will! † (7). This is very important, since it is clear that the slaves hold that God is on their side, not the other way around. On the other hand, this point of view is made more ambagious by Uncle Tom’s statement that damming people to Hell is not a very nice thing to do, and that eternal punishment is not a fit crime for selling slaves, which after all, is not eternal (7). This creates a concept of equivocalness where two factions of the slave population have two different points of view: the first, that of Chloe, that slavers are evil and will be punished to Hell, and the more moderate view of Uncle Tom, that slavers are victims of circumstance, who themselves, did not invent this institution. But Aunt Chloe responds, though indirectly to Uncle Tom: â€Å"Dont natur herself kinder cry out on em? † said Aunt Chloe. â€Å"Dont dey tear der suckin baby right off his mothers breast, and sell him, and der little children as is crying and holding on by her clothes, dont dey pull em off and sells em? Dont dey tear wife and husband apart? † said Aunt Chloe, beginning to cry, â€Å"when its jest takin the very life on em? and all the while does they feel one bit, dont dey drink and smoke, and take it oncommon easy? Lor, if the devil dont get them, whats he good for? † And Aunt Chloe covered her face with her checked apron, and began to sob in good earnest. (8) Again, Stowe is making another attack on slavery here, using the splitting up of families as her center line of argument. Since she is dealing with a family that treats their slaves moderately well, she cannot really rely on the physical violence argument so common in anti-slavery polemics. Since motherhood is at the center of this work, it seems that the basic argument against slavery is that since slaves have no freedom, they cannot fight back when their families are taken apart. Hence, Stowe holds that the family, especially the mother, is the institution of society that maintains moral norms and hence, will be the institution that takes slavery apart. If anything, this is the primary case against slavery being made here. Moving back to the action on the Ohio river, Eliza has been spotted by the slave trader, the very focus of evil throughout this book. It must also be pointed out that the trader and his style of life are equally repugnant to the Shelby’s (10). But as far as Liza is concerned, when she is spotted, A thousand lives seemed to be concentrated in that one moment to Eliza. Her room opened by a side door to the river. She caught her child, and sprang down the steps towards it. The trader caught a full glimpse of her just as she was disappearing down the bank; and throwing himself from his horse, and calling loudly on Sam and Andy, he was after her like a hound after a deer. In that dizzy moment her feet to her scarce seemed to touch the ground, and a moment brought her to the waters edge. Right on behind they came; and, nerved with strength such as God gives only to the desperate, with one wild cry and flying leap, she vaulted sheer over the turbid current by the shore, on to the raft of ice beyond. It was a desperate leap impossible (14). This passage is worth extended comment. First of all, as God has closed the door of the ferry, he has opened another, more dangerous door, that of skipping over the ice cakes. This seems powerfully symbolic: the ice represents the cold hearts of the slave traders and even the good slave owners. Under intense pressure, the power of family–of motherhood–takes over, what seems impossible is not so, if God is on your side. Slavery, it seems, will be defeated by slave mothers trampling on the cold hearts of the slave owners through material love and devotion to get to freedom. On the other side, Eliza meets a friendly farmer, Mr. Symmes, who assists in her escape. Stowe remarks on page 10, â€Å"So spoke this poor, heathenish Kentuckian, who had not been instructed in his constitutional relations, and consequently was betrayed into acting in a sort of Christianized manner, which, if he had been better situated and more enlightened, he would not have been left to do. † Again, a powerful statement is being made here: since slave owners were normally of the â€Å"gentlemanly† class, that is, the civilized class, civilization is equated with the dominating of slaves. Since poor whites were not slave owners (and treated only little better than the blacks) and were not part of their civilization, they had not â€Å"learned† about the inferiority of blacks and the racial and class hierarchy of the South. Therefore, their lack of civilization is a good thing, since simple common sense seems to dominate over â€Å"civilized manners. † Hence, the hero of the story (or at least of the chapter) is this simple farmer from Kentucky who does not represent civilization, but simple agrarian manners and common sense morality. Hence, in conclusion, Stowe is making several points here. First, that the real evil of slavery is the destruction of the family. If the family is the center of social life in that it is the bearer of tradition and moral values, then its destruction must lead to the beastialization of society. This might explain the evil of the slave traders, since they seem to specialize in breaking up families, and hence, are the very symbol of this beastialization. Second, a mother’s love, coupled with God’s force, will lead the southern slaves to freedom. Third, that freedom must be earned, and this is applicable to slaves and slave owners, both of which have not known freedom. Slave owners are as debased by slavery as the slave, since he is dependent upon them and hence, not free. Lastly, that nothing is impossible with God, and with a love of freedom. This is the case against slavery, in that it crushes all of these impulses, impulses that God as implanted in the human spirit and hence, are part of His creation, now enslaved by others. All quotes above are from the Virginia University edition of Uncle Toms Cabin, Published by the University of Virginia E-Text Center of the University of Virginia Library System. (http://etext. lib. virginia. edu/etcbin/toccer-new2? id=StoCabi. sgmimages=images/modengdata=/texts/english/modeng/parsedtag=publicpart=7division=div1)

Thomas Cook PESTEL Analysis

Thomas Cook PESTEL Analysis This report is going to analyse and evaluate the strategic fit of Thomas Cook plc and its critical success factors using analytical tools. The PESTEL Analysis is used to evaluate conditions in the Travel and Tourism market environment and how these conditions affect Thomas Cook plc and its competitors now and in the future. A porters five forces analysis will also be used to determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of the travel and tourism industry. Introduction Thomas Cook Travel Company was first started by its namesake in June of 1841 and has since become the worlds most recognisable name in the travel industry. The merger of Thomas Cook AG and My Travel Group plc on June 19th of 2007 produced Thomas Cook plc, making Thomas Cook the second largest leisure travel group in the UK behind TUI Travel plc its major competitor. Thomas Cook specialises in providing a wide range of package holidays to destinations. (Thomascook.com) INDUSTRY ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS (Task A) PESTEL ANALYSIS The PESTEL frame work categorises environmental influences into six main types which are political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal (see appendix A). The PESTEL framework helps managers understand the key drivers of change and also the differential impact of these external influences and drivers on the industry, markets and individual organisations. (Johnson, Gerry, 2005). Political factors According to CIPD, coalition governments spending cuts are going to result in 0.7million job losses in the public sector. The travel and tourism industry is in the public sector; therefore their employees are faced with fears of redundancy. Announcement of redundancies will invariably have an adverse impact on morale, motivation and productivity of remaining employees. The negative effects can be reduced by sensitive handling of redundant employees and those remaining and to be as honest as possible with the remaining staff to gain back their trust and confidence. (cipd.co.uk) Economic factors are of concern to travel and tourism, because they may influence demand, costs, prices and profits. Package holidays are an income elastic business, as income decreases or rises; it can have a significant effect on the demand. Therefore looking ahead, public sector cuts are likely to have a major consequence on the travel and tourism industry. Social Factors Redundancies and other government cuts will potentially result in limited disposable income for consumers. According to Mintel, some 12% of consumers are spending nothing on non-essentials, with 35% describing themselves as very cautious, 30% as quite cautious, and only 5% as not at all cautious. This is because of the decrease in disposable income. If income decreases, then spending will become more cautious, especially on income elastic items such as package holidays, therefore reducing profit  margins for the travel industry. With all the package holidays in the UK, supply will remain very high as demand decreases forcing companies to reduce their prices. The spending cuts will mean that business executives will have to cut their budgets and most likely use low-cost travel planes such as Easy Jet and Rynair. Video conferencing is improving all the time, and the price has fallen to zero using online systems such as yahoo messenger, business may be forced to use this method to communicate to reduce their costs. This going to affect the travel industry a lot, executives provide business anytime of the year whilst holidays are seasonal. This will reduce customers. If classy seats are either vacant or earning less revenue, this means less departures or soaring economy class fares. Companies will also be forced to provide bargains for leisure travelers willing to upgrade to business class. Technological Factors The most powerful example technology is the emergence and improvement of the internet, which led to reduced costs and increased operational efficiency within the tourism agencies and airports. Because the internet is becoming better every day, its causing intimacy between tour operators and clients and improving contentment for both parties. Aside the internet, other major technologies that support the continuous growth of the tourism industry are those implemented by transportation, which is becoming safer, quicker and more pleasing. The technological implementations within tourism operations have led to changes in working behaviour and will also result an increase of demand for labour force, implying as such that educational institutions place more emphasis on teaching tourism. Environmental Factors Protecting the environment is one of the most talked about and sensitive matters today, making environmental responsibility part of the factors that determine a tour operators success. According to global warming 2020, aviation which ferries hundreds of thousands of tourists across the globe is of great concern to those seeking to protect the environment. A major concern for the industry is  greenhouse  gas  emissions and their implication for climate change. Aviation produces at least two percent of emissions. One way the aviation industry is working on this problem is by rolling out newer planes that have fuel efficient engines which means less carbon emissions. However not all airlines especially in the poorer countries can afford buying new aircraft. PORTERS FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS Porters five forces analysis (see appendix B) was developed to as a way of assessing the attractiveness of different industries. The five forces constitute an industrys structure. (Johnson, Gerry, 2008) Threats of substitutes The lack of disposable income and the effect of coalition government spending cuts are likely to change consumer spending habits, as a result with a significant shift in demand from luxury goods to inferior goods which are much more affordable, consumers are likely to shift to local and cheaper holidays and may choose to use trains (eurostar) or their cars to local holidays. Terrorism has affected the mentality of travellers and has made travelling more difficult and uncomfortable. People have to think about security issues from when they start packing to when they reach their destination, this will convince more travellers to use trains or holiday locally. This is however a moderate threat because customers usually prefer airlines because they are much quicker. Competitive Rivalry The Travel and tourism industry occupies a big segment of the business market and therefore provides many opportunities for tour operators; however its a very competitive industry. To be successful a package holiday company needs to discover the best fit between their individual skills, competencies and resources and external market characteristics to make sure that they stay on top of their game. Brand recognition and strength also determine the success of a company against its competitors, especially if times are tough in the economy. Negotiating powers of buyers Demand in package holiday industry is extremely elastic; this means that buyers will not just accept a given price by a package holiday company. Customers will use any information sources available to them such as the internet to look for better and exclusive deals available around, and with so many package holidays available in the UK, they are likely to find one and use a different company. As discussed above about the effect of economy on the travel industry, the powers of buyers are that they have a huge influence on the setting of prices in accordance with the prices which are around in the market. CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS Critical success factors are used to identify key factors that a business needs to focus on to ensure that their business is successful. To survive and prosper, all industry participants must use an emergent strategy. Emergent strategy is a way of action that develops over time in an industry without a specific mission, goals or long-term plans. Emergent approaches should be thoroughly analysed in the context of an increasingly active, highly competitive and global business market. Influential external forces mentioned in the PESTEL analysis are pushing companies to reduce costs, improve processes and identify new opportunities for growth and an emergent strategy will help companies cope with these factors. An emergent approach leads to more creative and responsive strategy making which is well suited to the hyper-competitive and unpredictable environments such as the package holiday industry. It is more suited to instigating positive, transformational organisational change such as diversification or restructuring. It also has the added benefit of helping to reduce resistance to change as it allows time to build employee support while the strategy is taking shape. (powerfulwords.co.uk)

History of the US and Mexico Border

History of the US and Mexico Border Tracing the Evolving Historiography of the U.S.-Mexico Border Introduction Regulating the border between the United States and Mexico is not a new issue. In fact, concerns over what to do with the border, what it should look like, and who should be allowed to cross have been prevalent questions since American and Mexican diplomats sat down to establish the border in the aftermath of the Mexican-American war in 1848. While the eastern half of the border is easily distinguished by the Rio Grande, the western border does not correspond to any recognizable geographic features and was instead made up of arbitrarily drawn lines through an uninhabited desert. It is along this permeable border that a borderlands historian like Rachel St. John’s monograph, Line in the Sand (2011), is concerned. While St. John’s work declares itself to be a history of the actual border, earlier historians like Clarence Clendenen and his work, Blood on the Border: The United States Army and the Mexican Irregulars (1969), is more of a military history discussing the Unite d States army’s involvement in border clashes with Indian and Mexican forces. In later years, economic and public policy history became the preferred methodology of examining the history of the U.S.-Mexico border like Douglas Massey’s Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Mexican Immigration in an Era of Economic Integration (2002) which examines the issue of managing immigration from Mexico through the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) in an era of increasing economic interdependence caused by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). When examined side by side, these three monographs are a good representation of just how drastically historians have changed the way they discuss they border in only the last fifty years. Since its inception, the ways in which historians discuss the U.S.-Mexico border have evolved significantly. Unlike earlier approaches, which were biased toward the United States and primarily concerned with the American point of view, newer works like St. John’s are beginning to take a more transnational approach to tracing the evolution of the boundary between the two nation-states from its inception as a meaningless line on a map to the complex system of barriers and strict regulation that allows for the easy passage of some people, animals, commodities, and goods, while restricting the movements of others. Given the controversy and politics that are deeply entrenched in discussions about the U.S.-Mexico border, St. John’s work is by no means the pinnacle of successful transnational history, however it does act as a step in the right directions for future historians to further expand upon. It is easy to assume that borderlands history would be inherently transnational because oftentimes borderlands are â€Å"crossroads where people and their institutions and traditions come together, creating distinctive ways of organizing space and transforming the seemingly fixed edges of empires and nations into fluid spaces†.[1] However that is not always the case, especially in the scholarship about the U.S.-Mexico border, which is heavily politicized in both nations. The best transnational histories examine the interconnections between political units, especially the flow of goods, people, and ideas across borders. These works trace how US involvement overseas shapes not only foreign peoples, but also Americans back home. The most successful works incorporate a variety of historical methods and draw on US and foreign archives while paying attention to the role of non-state actors and the agency of non-elites.[2] While each monograph discussed tend to only focus on a few of these qualifiers, there is a noticeable trend that scholarship is becoming more transnational, however maybe not as quickly as one would thing. The subject matter of borderland history lends itself well to transnational methodology, however historians are still more concerned with the elite actors, politics, and the American point of view for any of these works to be considered truly transnational. Blood on the Border Published in 1969, Clendenen’s Blood on the Border: The United States Army and the Mexican Irregulars is one of the earliest examples of borderland history and thus takes a more traditionalist approach to historical writing. As a graduate of West Point and the Curator Emeritus of the Military Collection at Stanford University, it is no surprise that Clendenen’s monograph is primarily focused on the tense history of border skirmishes that occurred between the U.S. and Mexican armies between 1848 and 1917.   Clendenen’s work chronicles a series of episodes where the U.S. and Mexican armies clashed with each other beginning with the activities of Juan Cortina who was a Robin Hood-like figure, later chapters also describes U.S. military activity during the Civil War, the campaigns against the Kickapoos and Apaches, and border problems during the revolutionary period. Clendenen then devotes over half of the book to examining General Pershing’s Punitive Expedition against the Mexican revolutionary general Francisco â€Å"Pancho† Villa in 1916. Clendenen’s main argument is that the Punitive Expedition was not a humiliating failure for the US military, however this period of U.S.-Mexico history has been greatly neglected by historians because it had been forgotten amidst the earlier wars with the Plains Indians and World War I. He argues: â€Å"General Pershing’s Punitive Expedition was soon so over-shadowed by the entry of the United States into World War I that historians have given it scant attention, and most of those who grant it a few sentences, or a paragraph or two, are amazingly misinformed about it. Yet the operations of small American forces in northern Mexico on numerous occasions constitute a phase of our military history that is well worth rescuing†.[3] To support his argument, Clendenen relies on a variety of sources including interviews, diaries and autobiographies of American soldiers, as well as U.S. archival sources. However Mexican sources are nearly nonexistent. He justifies that the exclusion of Mexican sources was intentional because his goal is to describe the basis on which American commanders formed their decisions. Clendenen argues that his research deliberately presents only the American perspective on the border conflicts because that is the nature of military history. â€Å"A military history written from the point of view of a participant nation is necessarily one-sided; it cannot be completely objective regarding the enemy†¦ the commander of a military unit must base his decisions upon the information he actually has at a given moment—not upon what a scholar or historian may know half a century later†¦ Hence, I make no apology for having cited very few Mexican sources†¦Ã¢â‚¬ .[4] Clendenen is also reluctant to include Mexican sources because, he argues, it is very difficult for an American to obtain firsthand information regarding events and activities. â€Å"Mexicans, for some reason or other,† he says, â€Å"are reluctant to discuss border events with Americans†.[5] This type of justification for focusing on the American narrative falls in line with most of the early scholarship about the U.S.-Mexico border. Very little, if any, of Clendenen’s work can be considered transnational even though its subject matter is about the US and Mexican army’s movements throughout the borderlands. Aside from examining the interconnections between political units (in this case, the militaries of two countries), Clendenen does little to examine the flow of goods, people, and ideas across borders, or focus on the role of non-state actors and the agency of non-elites. Little attention is also paid to tracing how the United States’ involvement overseas affects those back home. Beyond Smoke and Mirrors   By the early 2000s, scholarship on the U.S.-Mexico border was starting to become more willing to discuss the non-state, non-American actors, though it still tended to have a strong American perspective. Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Mexican Immigration in an Era of Economic Integration (2002) by Douglas Massey et al. examines the economic and public policy history of the U.S.-Mexico border—specifically the opposing effects of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)—to draw conclusions about the complexities of how the border operated between 1965 and 1986. Massey et al. argue that the migration system between Mexico and the United States is similar to a complicated piece of machinery and that their monograph is meant to troubleshoot the problems of immigration by describing the dramatic impact that immigration policies have had on those living in Mexico as well as the United States. The monograph operates as a sort of owner’s manual and describes how the migration system was built, how it worked until immigration policies first passed in 1986 disrupted it, and how the system changed as a consequence. Subsequently in its repair manual, the authors offer a specific set of proposals designed to fix the damage caused by these policies and make migration efficient and predictable again. The authors argue, Just as it is not advisable to take a wrench to a precision clock if one is not a qualified clockmaker, it is not wise to pull policy levers if one has no real conception of how the underlying system functions. Yet this is exactly what happened beginning in 1986, when the US Congress and successive presidents presided over a series of legislative and bureaucratic changes that fundamentally changed the rules under which the Mexico-US migration system operated†¦we seek to provide policymakers and citizens with a more accurate blueprint of the nuts and bolts of the Mexico-US migration system. We offer a kind of ‘owner’s manual’ to explain how the system works theoretically, how it was built historically, and how it functions substantively, or at least how it did function until the 1986 IRCA threw it out of synch.[6] To support their arguments, Massey et al. utilize an economic history  methodology by using a variety of  historical methods, statistical methods, and  economic  theory to  closely examine the relationship between immigration and U.S. public policies. Similar to Clendenen’s work, Massey et al. also do not look beyond the American archives for source materials. However their sources do show a greater amount of variety than Clendenen’s and even includes published articles from Mexican scholars, which is something Clendenen specifically avoided. The authors gathered information from a diverse set of sources including official statistics from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the Mexican National Statistical Institute, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the United Nations.[7] Most notably, the authors rely on data compiled by the Mexican Migration Project (MMP), a bi-national research project compiled by the University of Guadalajara and the University of Pennsylvania and directed by two of the authors, Jorge Durand and Douglas S. Massey.[8] Compared to Clarence Clendenen’s work, Beyond Smoke and Mirror shows a significant transformation in how historians study and write about the U.S.-Mexico border though the approach only hits on a few of the key qualifiers of a truly transnational work.   For example, Clendenen was solely concerned with recording the experiences of Americans who served in the army in the borderlands and justifying the United States’ involvement in various border skirmishes. On the other hand, Massey et al. have expanded the scope of their research in order to examine the broader picture of the immigration of non-state, non-elite actors and the influence agricultural employers and American politics had on the ebb and flow of people across the border. Massey et al. also attempt to address how the implementation of IRCA and NAFTA have interrupted the stable circular flow of Mexican migrants who arrived in the United States, quickly found jobs, and returned to Mexico for several months bef ore migrating back to the United States again. This steady immigration system â€Å"minimized the negative consequences and maximized the gain for both countries†. [9] In this aspect, the authors attempted to explain how United States involvement in Mexico reshaped the lives of not only Mexicans, but also Americans back home. Line in the Sand One of the most recent works of scholarship about the U.S.-Mexico border is Rachel St. John’s Line in the Sand: A History of the Western U.S.-Mexico Border (2011). As part of Princeton University’s America in the World series, this monograph is meant to represent the newest transnational methodology historians are using when writing about U.S-Mexico border history. St. John does employ a transnational methodology in her examination of the history of the U.S.-Mexico border, displaying a tremendous amount of change in the field, however the degree to which she utilizes key aspects of a true transnational work are somewhat disappointing for a monograph published in a transnational history series. This appears to be a problem concerning the subject area rather than the author, as other historians such as Mae Ngai and her work, Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America (2004),appear to suffer similar shortcomings. Regardless, St. John’s work does create a very useful stepping stone to guide future historians away from nationalistic, America-centered histories and towards studies not confined to political units that are more concerned with the role of non-state actors as subjects of an incredibly complex system. St. John attempts to differentiate her work from earlier scholarship about the border by immediately asserting that she is writing about the history of the physical border from its conception up to its modern form in the 1930s. She argues that the actual border itself is often ignored in scholarship that is supposedly about the border: â€Å"As borderlands historians have emphasized historical processes that transcend national boundaries and have expanded their focus to include zones of interaction outside of the US Southwest and Mexican north, they have often treated the border itself as in irrelevant or incidental part of the borderlands. By contrast, I emphasize the centrality of the boundary line in the processes of market expansion, conquest, state building, and identity formation with which many borderlands historians are concerned†.[10] St. John examines the transformation of the border chronologically from its origins in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, to a prosperous economic crossroads, and finally into a heavily policed series of checkpoints intent on keeping certain people and goods from crossing. St. John breaks her research up into chapters that can almost be viewed as a series of vignettes or snapshots throughout time of how the western U.S.-Mexico border quickly began to change. From its inception as well as the actual attempts by surveyors to map out the border, St. John argues that simply drawing a line on a map does not automatically guarantee territorial authority for a nation, especially one that is not marked by any distinct geographical features like the western border. Essentially, she writes, the creation of the western border â€Å"conjured up an entirely new space where there had not been one before†.[11] This is significant because for many years, the border remained a porous boundary that actually encouraged border residents to move freely. This idea of a porous border was especially beneficial for commercial development and bi-national cooperation, especially with the arrival of railroads in the 1880s. With the creation of railroads, St. John notes that a capitalist revolution had occurred, â€Å"grasslands became ranches, mountains became mines, and the border itself became a site of commerce and communities†¦ by the early twentieth century the border had become a point of connection and community in the midst of an emerging capitalist economy and the center of a transborder landscape of property and profit†.[12] However with the development of transnational capitalism came the creation of state border control, which was intent on protecting investors that profited from this economy by controlling the passage of goods and people across the border. By this time, military power was no longer the primary concern along the border. Instead, the U.S. and Mexico’s sovereignty was â€Å"measured in customs collected, immigrants rejected, and bandits arrested†.[13] The latter half of St. John’s work examines the use of the border to manage immigration. The ultimate challenge for both countries was the creation of a conditional border that allowed for the passage of desired migrants and commerce but obstructed the flow of those who were not welcome.[14] This conditional border was incredibly inconsistent and depended largely on the discretion of immigration officials, changes in law, and fluctuating economic conditions.[15] St. John attempts to address each of the key aspects of a transnational methodology with varying degrees of success. Most obvious is her examination of the interconnections between political units and the flow of goods, people, and ideas across borders because this is the entire basis of her research. Unlike Clendenen and Massey who only focused on the one-way flow of people and goods from Mexico to the United States, St. John actually expands on this idea in her work by examining the flow of people from Mexico to the United States and then back to Mexico at different points in time in the early twentieth century. She spends a considerable amount of time discussing the effects that immigration policy changes had on immigrant laborers, their families, and their communities—aspects of immigration that the earlier historians had all but ignored. Similar to St. John, Massey et al. also discuss the idea that the economy in the United States played a significant hand in influencing the ebb and flow of Mexican immigration, however they fail at investigating what happened to these people once they emigrated back to Mexico. St. John discusses the fluctuations of immigration, but she also attempts to tell the other side of the story by including the Mexican government’s response to deportations and increasingly strict immigration laws.[16] In this way, St. John does a much better job than earlier historians at tracing how U.S. involvement and policies shaped not only Mexican citizens, but Americans as well. This becomes increasingly apparent as she examines the sharp increases in policing of the border in the 1930s as â€Å" government officials not only made it more difficult for new migrants to cross the border but also criminalized Mexicans as â€Å"illegal aliens† and encouraged, coerced, and forced hundreds of thousands of Mexican nationals and US citizens of Mexican descent to move to Mexico†.[17] Changes in U.S. policy in attempts to protect its economy and citizens clearly affected deported Mexican citizens and people of Mexican descent, but it also fed into the growing anti-Mexican sentiment that many Americans were feeling at the time, essentially treating Mexican laborers as scapegoats for the lack of jobs leading up to the Great Depression. One aspect of St. John’s work that could use improvement is diversifying the sources that she uses. Again, this appears to be a problem inherent in this subject area rather than any fault of the author. While Clendenen intentionally used only American sources, later historians of U.S.-Mexico relations like Massey et al. and even Mae Ngai appear to have trouble including a fair amount of sources from foreign archives. This could be for a variety of reasons including language barriers, lack of access to the archives, or simply because perhaps the majority of scholarship on this subject could be published in the United States. St. John seems to have been more successful at including Mexican scholarship in her work compared to earlier scholars, however for a monograph specifically about the border between Mexico and the United States, her sources are still notably one-sided. Out of all of her research, St. John only visited three archives in Mexico to complete her work. These include the Archivo General del Estado de Sonora, the Archivo Histà ³rico Genaro Estrada, and the Instituto de Investigaciones Histà ³ricas.[18] In comparison to the numerous American archives she visited, it is hard to understand why she chose to include so few Mexican sources when a significant portion of her work is dedicated to the communities located on the Mexican side of the border. The vast majority of St. John’s research was conducted within the United States and she uses a variety of American archives to complete her work using a large assortment of books, photographs, manuscript collections, microfilm reels, government documents, and newspapers. St. John’s use of source materials is comparable to Massey et al. who used similar documents to complete their work only a decade earlier. The fact that scholars have yet to utilize Mexican sources to their greatest potential is somewhat disappointing for a work of transnational history but perhaps the next generation of historians will be able to improve the situation if the controversy and politics that are deeply entrenched in discussions about the U.S.-Mexico border ever simmer down. Rachel St. John’s Line in the Sand is the latest attempt by borderlands historians taking a transnational approach to their work. It may not be successful in all aspects of a truly transnational methodology however it does set the stage for future historians to build off of and think outside of the borders of traditional U.S.-centric histories. Conclusion Concerns over regulating the U.S.-Mexico border, what it should look like, and who should be allowed to cross it are issues as relevant today as they were when the border was first established 170 years ago. Tune into any news network today and information on the latest immigration policies and border control will surely be hotly debated between policymakers, citizens, and corporations who all have differing opinions on how the border should operate. While obvious geographical features like the Rio Grande easily delineate the eastern portion of the U.S.-Mexico border, the western border cuts through uninhabitable desert that is barely marked with more than a few fence posts in some areas. It is along this permeable half of the border that borderlands historians situate their work. Borderland histories have transformed significantly over the course of the century as historians are beginning to leave behind the nationalistic, pro-American sentiments of historical writing behind in favor of a better-rounded transnational approach that situates America in the context of the greater history of the world. Published in 1969, Clarence Clendenen’s Blood on the Border: The United States Army and the Mexican Irregulars represents the ways in which earlier historians often used military history when discussing border issues. In later years, economic and public policy history became the preferred methodology of examining the history of the U.S.-Mexico border like Douglas Massey’s Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Mexican Immigration in an Era of Economic Integration (2002). In recent years, historians like Rachel St. John are attempting to examine the history of the actual border itself without tying themselves down to writing specifically from the perspective of any one nation state. When examined chronologically, these monographs show just how drastically historians have changed the way they discuss they border in just the last fifty years. Unlike the earlier approaches to writing about the border, which were primarily concerned with the American point of view, newer works like St. John’s are beginning to take a more transnational approach to tracing the evolution of the boundary between Mexico and the United States from its inception as an unclear and undefined political boundary to the complex system of border patrols and strict regulation that allows for the easy passage of some people, animals, commodities, and goods, while at the same time restricting the movements of others. In many other fields of study, the transnational approach to history was specifically sparked by changes in how we examine and write about history in a post-9/11 world. However, discussions over the U.S.-Mexico border do not seem to follow this trend quite as closely as it is still a subject the general public is hotly divided over. This could be attributed to many reasons such as current events involving recently elected U.S. leadership fear mongering that it is imperative for the safety of American citizens and the economy to build a two thousand mile long wall along the border. This feeds into a deep-seated distrust of the immigration system after using Mexican immigrants as a convenient scapegoat for the better half of a century. As long as U.S. citizens, our government, and policies continue to vilify our neighbors to the south, any sort of progressive transnational scholarship will not be possible. Bibliography Clendenen, Clarence C., Blood on the Border: The United States Army and the Mexican Irregulars. London: The Macmillan Company, 1969. Hamalainen, Pekka and Benjamin Johnson. â€Å"What is Borderlands History?† In Major Problems in the History of North American Borderlands, 1-40.Wandsworth Publishing, 2011. Accessed May 1, 2017. http://inside.sfuhs.org/dept/history/Mexicoreader/Chapter8/borderlands/borderlandsch1.p df. Massey, Douglas S., Jorge Durand, and Nolan J. Malone. Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Mexican Immigration in an Era of Economic Integration. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2002. St. John, Rachel. Line in the Sand: A history of the Western U.S.-Mexico Border. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011. [1] Pekka Hamalainen and Benjamin Johnson, â€Å"What is Borderlands History?†, in Major Problems in the History of North American Borderlands (Wandsworth Publishing, 2011), 1. [2] Class notes. [3] Clarence C. Clendenen, Blood on the Border: The United States Army and the Mexican Irregulars (London: The Macmillan Company, 1969). Xvi. [4] Ibid., xvii [5] Ibid. [6] Douglas S. Massey et al., Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Mexican Immigration in an Era of Economic Integration (New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2002). 2. [7] Ibid., 165. [8] Ibid. [9] Ibid., 71. >[10] Rachel St. John, Line in the Sand: A history of the Western U.S.-Mexico Border (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011). 5-6. [11] Ibid., 2. [12] Ibid., 64. [13] Ibid., 90. [14] Ibid., 175. [15] Ibid. [16] Ibid., 188. [17] Ibid. [18] Ibid., 249.