The Effect of Exclusionary Rule and Fourth Amendment

The Effect of the Fourth Amendment is to put the courts of the United States and Federal officials, in the exercise of their own power and authority, under limitations and restraints as to the exercise of such power and authority, and to forever secure the people, their persons, houses, papers and effects against all unreasonable searches and seizures under the guise of law (Ronald 605). The Constitution does not tolerate warrantless, therefore illegal, police searches and seizures–unless there is probable cause. The rights which the Fourth Amendment states were strengthened when the Supreme Court preceded the Exclusionary Rule, and herefore, the rights of the people were strengthened as The Exclusionary Rule, first preceded in 1914, is the understanding, based on Supreme Court precedent, that incriminating information must be seized according to constitutional specifications of due process, or it will not be allowed as evidence (Schmalleger 273). Even the guilty have a right to claim innocence. Hence, this right would be worthless if incriminating evidence was allowed to be obtained, distributed, and used illegally. Furthermore, according to the Supreme Court, â€Å"If letters and private documents can thus be seized and held and used in evidence gainst a citizen accused of an offense, the protection of the Fourth Amendment declaring his right to be sure against such searches and seizures is of no value, and, so for as those thus placed are concerned, might as well be stricken from the Constitution† (Ronald 605). If that â€Å"tainted violence† can be used in court, then the 4th Amendment offers no real protection to a person accused of a crime (Magruder 524). The exclusionary rule was intended to put teeth into the 4th Amendment, and it has (Magruder 524). The Court further built upon the rules concerning evidence in 1918, with the Fruit of the Poisoned Tree Doctrine-a legal principle which excludes from introduction at trial any evidence later developed as a result of an originally illegal search or seizure (Schmalleger 274). The Fruit of the Poisoned Tree Doctrine was enforced after the case of Silverthorne Lumber Co. v. United States in 1918. Frederick Silverthorne and his sons were accused of avoiding payment on federal taxes. They were asked to hand over their company's books. The Silverthornes refused, citing their Fifth Amendment privilege against self- incrimination (Schmalleger 274). Shortly thereafter, some federal agents ignored their rights and without warrant, eized the wanted books anyway. Since this was an unconstitutional act, the Silverthorne's lawyer testified and asked for the books to be returned. The prosecutor granted his request, and the books were returned. Expecting all incriminating evidence to have descended, the Silverthornes where testified in trial. Much to their surprise, however, the prosecution had made photocopies of the books they seized, and used them as evidence against the Silverthornes. Hence, they were convicted in federal court. They appealed their conviction and their appeal reached the Supreme Court. The Court uled that just as illegally seized evidence cannot be used in a trial, neither can evidence be used which derives from an illegal seizure (Schmalleger 274). The conviction of the Silverthornes was overturned and they were set free. The illegal evidence reproduced from materials obtained by an illegal seizure dismissed the whole case because the prosecutors did not follow the Fruit of the Poisoned Tree Doctrine. Think of it this way: If you have a box full of apples, and then you put a rotten one in the bunch, they will all become rotten at some point. Hence, all the evidence–fruit–obtained from an illegal mean–poisoned ree–is not admissible even if the evidence itself is good† (Gomez interview). Even if a case is developed on years of police research, it may be dejected if that research and the evidence it revealed was obtained Like the Constitution, however, the exclusionary rule is not written in stone. It can be amended and exceptions can be installed to it. In the case of United Sates v. Leon in 1984, the exclusionary rule was first modified with â€Å"the good faith exception to the exclusionary rule. † This exception states that law enforcement officers who conduct a search, or seize evidence, on the basis of ood faith (that is, where they believe they are operating according to the dictates of the law) and who later discover that a mistake was made (perhaps in the format of the application for a search warrant) may still use, in court, evidence seized as the result of such activities (Schmalleger 277). In the Leon case, the officers involved acted upon probable cause, a legal criterion residing in a set facts and circumstances which would cause a reasonable person to believe that a particular other person has committed a specific crime (Schmalleger 277). The suspect, Leon, was accused of trafficking drugs. He was placed nder surveillance, which showed evidence of large amounts of hidden drugs. This lead the investigators to apply for a search warrant. They believed that they were in compliance with the Fourth Amendment requirement that â€Å"no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause† (Schmalleger 277). Although Leon was convicted of drug trafficking, a later ruling in a federal district court resulted in the suppression of evidence against him on the basis that the original affidavit, or document demonstrating the probable cause, prepared by the police had not, in the opinion of the court, been sufficient to establish probable cause (Schmalleger 277). Shortly after, the government petitioned the Supreme Court to decide if the evidence gathered by the officers may still be admissible in trial. The Court decided: â€Å"When law enforcement officers have acted in objective good faith or their transgressions have been minor, the magnitude of the benefit conferred on such guilty defendants offends basic concepts of the criminal justice system† (Schmalleger 277). Due to this, Leon's It is no doubt that over the past few decades more and more justice agencies have become dependent upon computer technology for record management and other purposes (Schmalleger 282). Hence, the likelihood of omputer-generated errors will vastly grow When this trend continues. Computer-generated errors have become the base of another exception to the exclusion rule, the â€Å"computer errors exception. † It was first created in the 1995 case of Arizona v. Evans. Mr. Isaac Evans was stopped for driving the wrong way on a one-way street. With a computer check reporting an outstanding arrest warrant, he was taken into custody. Shortly after, Evans was convicted due to the police finding marijuana in his car. After his arrest, however, police learned that the arrest warrant reported to them by their computer had actually been quashed a few eeks earlier but, through the clerical oversight of a court employee, had never been removed form the computer (Schmalleger 282). The Court later decided that the officers who made the arrest cannot be held accountable for their unintentional disobedience of the exclusionary rule. They were simply acting in good faith according to the information that was provided to them at the time. Isaac The Supreme Court's articulation of the exclusionary rule came in Weeks v. United States, 1914. This was the first landmark case concerning search and seizure and it changed to Fourth Amendment forever. The defendant, Mr. Freemont Weeks, was convicted for selling lottery tickets through the US Postal Service. The evidence against him included various letters and documents that had been seized from his house during a warrantless search (Ronald 604). When Weeks moved for a return of the property due to the violation of the Fourth Amendment in the officers' part, only the non-incriminating evidence was given back. Hence, Weeks was convicted. However, shortly after, he appealed his conviction and it reached the Supreme Court. There, his lawyer reasoned that if some of his client's belongings had been illegally seized, then the emainder of them were also taken improperly (Schmalleger 273). The Supreme Court reversed: â€Å"The United States Marshal could only have invaded the house of the accused when armed with a warrant issued as required by the Constitution, upon sworn information and describing with reasonable particularity the thing for which the search was to be made. Instead, he acted without sanction of law, doubtless prompted by the desire to bring further proof to the aid of the Government, and under solor of his office undertook to make a seizure of private papers in direct violation of the constitutional prohibition against such action. Under such circumstances, without sworn information and particular description, not even an order of court would have justified such procedure, much less was it within the authority of the United States Marshal to thus invade the house and privacy of the accused† (Ronald 605). The Court held that the seizure of items from Week's residence directly violated his constitutional rights and that the government's refusal to return Week's possessions violated the Fourth Amendment (Oyez). Thus, the Supreme Court overturned Week's earlier convictions and the However, the Weeks case made the exclusionary rule pertinent to only the federal government. It was not until Mapp v. Ohio that it also became applicable to the States. Miss Mapp and her daughter by a former marriage lived on the floor of the two-family dwelling (Case 1). Police officers had been on her trail because she was suspected of obscuring, in her house, a man wanted for information on a recent bombing, and for the possession of lewd books and pictures, which was unconstitutional (Supreme 1081). When the officers insisted on entering her home for investigation, she refused, asking them to get a warrant first. The officers advised their headquarters of the situation and undertook surveillance of the house (Case 1). Some three hours later, a larger amount of officers arrived at the scene. When they asked her to come out once again and she repeatedly refused, one of the doors in her house was forcibly opened and the policemen commenced their illegal search in the house. Miss Mapp's lawyer arrived shortly after but the officers, having secured their own entry and continuing their defiance of the law, would permit him neither to see Miss Mapp not to enter the house Miss Mapp continued to protest this illegal act and demanded to see the search warrant. One of the officers help up a fake one, which was snatched from his hand by her and placed in her bosom. As a result, there was a big struggle and she was handcuffed. Afterwards, she was forced upstairs where the investigators searched her closets, dressers, rooms, the rest of the second floor, the child's room, the living room, the kitchen, and a dinette. During that widespread and illegal search, the materials which she was suspected of holding were found, Prior decisions by the U. S. Supreme Court had led officers to expect that the exclusionary rule did not apply to agents of state and local law enforcement (Schmalleger 275). Nonetheless, Mapp's conviction was overturned by the precedent-setting decision that the officers were acting gainst the Fourth Amendment's guarantee that the exclusionary rule should be applicable to the States: â€Å"†¦ or shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. † (Schmalleger 275). The majority court's opinion, as Mr. Justice Black states, was that the constitutional basis of the rule announced by the Court in the present case was the Fourth Amendment ‘s ban against unreasonable searches and seizures considered together with the Fifth Amendment's ban against compelled self- ncrimination (Supreme 1081). Thus, the exclusionary rule The exclusionary rule's precedent brought forth two argumentative problems, however. One of these problems if that the present appeals system, focusing as it does upon the â€Å"rules of the game,† presents a ready-made channel for the guilty to go free (Schmalleger 273). â€Å"If you think about it, the evidence needed to prove a person guilty of a crime is, to my understanding, enough the confirm the person's culpability, and that person should be punished nonetheless. It shouldn't matter whether or not the arresting officer(s) acted unconstitutionally, in which ase, both the criminal and the officer both should be punished. A person's â€Å"guilt† can never be decreased because of the misconduct of another (Gomez interview). Weeks, Mapp, and the Silverthornes are all examples of this problem. The evidence used to incriminate them, whether obtained legally or illegally, prove that they are guilty of disobeying the law in one way or another. Even if the police knowingly violate the principles of due process, which they sometimes do, our sense of justice is compromised When the guilty go free (Schmalleger 273). As police officers, it is their duty to make sure that the guilty are punished. The exclusionary rule somewhat gets in the way of this responsibility. Of course officers should not take advantage and act recklessly, â€Å"but desperate times do call for desperate measures (Gomez Despite these problems, the exclusionary rules has obviously had some positive effects and changes on society. The Fourth Amendment is a very important and critical one in maintaining citizens' property and privacy theirs and the exclusionary rule has established real value to it. The Exclusionary Rule has been justified in part on the ground that it is essential to prevent the fourth amendment from becoming â€Å"a form of words, valueless and ndeserving of mention in a perpetual charter of inestimable human liberties† (Ronald 604). Also, the Weeks, Mapp, and Silverthorne cases are all examples of the exclusionary rules protection against police misconduct. â€Å"Just because they're the boys in blue does not mean that they can be the boys who abuse (Gomez interview). † As an American citizen, and thanks to the exclusionary rule, one has the right to object against illegal searches and seizures. The exclusionary rule In conclusion, the exclusionary rule totally revolutionized the power and rights against invasion of privacy and police misconduct.

Soci 111 a Day in the Life

* Hubby got up to make Chili 6:30 – Alarm (Black and Yellow song) 7:10 – Get up (Texted a friend about cramps and being pregnant) 7:15 – Dressed 7:20 – Wake Zach up 7:25 – Zach Dressed * Nagged hubby about making chili in the dining room 7:30 – Leave house 7:40 – Drop off Zach @ daycare 7:45 – On the road to Donna’s house (Listened to Party Rock Anthem) 8:00 – Donna’s house 8:10 – Working out with Insanity (Smelled her floor a lot and was a cheerleader) 9:00 – Finish and dead 9:10 – Shower :25 – Eat Breakfast 9:35 – On the road to work 9:45 – Quick shopping (Clearance granola bars) 10:00 – Work (SCO’s) 12:00 – 15 min break 12:15 – Work (Got into trouble for wearing track pants) 1430 – Lunch 1500 – Work (Express lane- dealt with impatient woman) * Matt came to tell me about Breanna and needing help with AJ (the other child) 17 00 – Break 1715 – Work 1800 – Off 1820 – Hospital 1830 – 2230 – Helping Breanna 2245 – Started helping push * Tried to be there for her and not get sick 352 – Payton was born 2400 – Made the calls and posted on Facebook about the good news! Waking up is never the highlight of my day, but never the less tat time of day always comes every morning. This morning was no different. Black and Yellow blared through my phone at 0630 like I asked it to, but it just seemed too early. I fought to truly wake up right away, then I laughed at myself for thinking that thought. Seeing how being out of the house was the goal that morning, I decided to get out of bed at 0700. When I woke up that morning it was not my goal to nag my husband to death, but lucky him it happened. He decided to make chili in the dining room. I am not sure why he did it, and when I asked him he just said that he wanted to. I don’t think the dining room is a place to cook, but he thought so this morning. The roles that I play on any given day range from all sorts of things. When I wake up I am always a mom and a wife. I am here for my husband to help him and guide him when things don’t happen the way that I want. Being a mom is the best thing, and knowing that when I wake up I get both of those roles is why I get up in the morning. The hardest part that I have in these roles is being the person that I want to be. I know that I can do the best that I can and that is how things should be, but I know and feel like I can be better and I want to be that person. Another role that I most recently started playing was cashier at the commissary. That one is a tough one. I need to be able to hold my tongue when need be, but be able to speak my mind occasionally.

A Study of Brand Image towards Customers Satisfaction

In the recent competitive world, brand image of any company is important such as products or service offerings. Business organization mostly considers brand image as one of the powerful tool and asset for their success. In this particular research proposal, Sainsbury organization is selected which is a retail organization in United Kingdom. This study deals with understanding the key underlying factors of brand image and perceived value on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in Sainsbury retail organization. Customer loyalty as well as customer satisfaction is a widely accepted issues prevailing in the business organization. This is mainly applicable as marketing benchmark in case of checking over the performance of Sainsbury retail organization. It is imperative to demonstrate that if a consumer is satisfied with the products and services of the corporation then the customer can display loyal attitude towards the particular brand. This loyalty of the consumers towards the bra nd is reflected through the willingness of the customer to pay more, offer positive word of mouth and display of loyal attitudes and behaviors. As rightly put forward by (), success of organizations can be regarded as a direct consequence of the brand image and can be enumerated as an important characteristic of the present marketing strategy. Sainsbury's is a nationwide commercial corporation that offers financial services and is primarily a supermarket retailer; marketing food, clothing in addition to different home products. Sainsbury’s, the superstore is a part of the multi-national corporation J Sainsbury that serves the markets of both UK and USA. The Sainsbury’s superstore was first founded during the year 1869 by John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury and is considered as one of the longest standing major food retailing chain having 788 stores (Sainsburys.co.uk. 2016). Sainsbury’s, one of the largest operators of the supermarket chains in the United Kingdom, has more than 440 stores that stock more than 23000 products with more than 40% of the items carrying the Sainsbury’s brand. Again, the company Sainsbury has diverse chains that include the Sainsbury's Superstore, Sainsbury's Property Company and Sainsbury's Bank. In addition to this, there are JS Developments that operate in the markets of UK, while Star Market and Shaw's are located in the USA (Sainsburys.co.uk. 2016). The problem issues in the present research include assessment of the attitudes of the consumers within the limited period of 7 weeks and limited resources. Again, the present study includes a small sized sample of 100 participants; therefore, the current study might fail to represent the real vision of all the customers of the UK. Again, the sample selected through the non-probabilistic sampling might not adequately represent the customers of the Sainsbury and might also include the sampling errors that might prevent the learner from obtaining the real vision of the customers regarding the effect of the brand name on the customer satisfaction as well as loyalty. The present study intends to scrutinize the   loyalty of consumers to different brands and analyses and identifies different problems along with viable solutions that can be used by corporate units as strategic moves The rationale of the present research is to investigate the impact of brand image on the satisfaction of the customers as well as intention of customer loyalty. The present study can help in understanding the nature and characteristics of association between brand image and customer satisfaction and loyalty intention in the context of the operations of the supermarket chain of Sainsbury. The current study can assist the potential financiers, academic researchers, government units in gaining important insights into the nature of the association between the customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. As claimed by (Zameer et al. 2015), â€Å"a successful brand image enables customers in identifying needs that mainly satisfies and differentiate brand from its nearest competitors†. This is a term, name as well as symbol and any other features used for distinguishing from one company product to others. Branding procedures mainly adopts differentiation one individual cattle from applied marketing strategies. It is the exclusive set of relations especially present in the mind of clients concerning any brand situates and implied promises. Brand image is mainly developed with the help of advertising campaigns for consistent time and direct pricing of product. Moreover, Gurhan and Kandampully (2013) asserted that customer desires in purchasing products from supposed brand name and drawing concentration to their behaviors in certain situational perspective. Brand loyalty is the ideal measurement from the health of organization. Researcher’s reports that 5% increment in custo mer satisfaction produces profitability ranging from 25 to 95% in more than 14 industries. Competition takes place among the major key retailers like Tesco, Sainsbury as well as ASDA and Morrison. Competition is highly increasing for way to increase in attracting clientele. Diverse organization contain own individuality in popular brand in the UK marketplace. In this particular study, Sainsbury retail organization is taken into consideration who aims at adopting strategies for capturing elevated market share and enhancing buyer satisfaction level (Aaker 2012). Effects of brand representation on buyer satisfaction as well as faithfulness purpose in Sainsbury retail organization. This mainly refers to place of property as well as liability in association with brand name and symbol. According to Wirtz et al. (2013), brand fairness refers to exclusive cost of advertising compulsory by a particular product. It refers to the optimistic influence over product equity and occurs when customers are willing to spend more due to attractiveness in connection with products and services. One of the instance about brand as an equity type considers as law obligations for preservation of intellectual property. Brand equity can even be destroyed due to inappropriate management. For instance, poor client service inversely affects brand image leads towards decrease in the sales volume (Gurhan and Kandampully 2013). Brand values recognize producers as well as consumers with the help of deep-rooted legal organization. Most of the countries set up legal system for copyright and tackling through piracy. As opined by TuÃ… ¡kej, Golob and Podnar 2013), product is a tradable creation having reliable quantifiable monetary worth. Sainsbury is scheduled in the index of FTSE 100. Customers having positive image will not be focusing mainly on temporary promotional offer but over the overall brand. There are major classifications of product equity named as brand alertness, professed quality as well as brand faithfulness and brand relations. Brand Awareness - It is single of the major determinants of product equity. It mainly indicates the ability of the possible clientele in recognizing as well as recalling other brand. It is important for the clientele that they should be conscious regarding the product worth and their buying choice at the same time. Brand with high awareness has higher level of probability in purchasing items at retail chain organization (Gurhan and Kandampully 2013). â€Å"Brand Loyalty† - It is solitary of the major solution factor of product equity having direct positive influences. It indicates that a personality purchases goods as well as services from same brand in comparison with other brands. Brand Associations - It is distinct as cordial connection between brand as well as memory. It is a composite thought, which mainly connections with one an additional like several episodes, facts as well as ideas and examples. It aims at generating knowledge of brand network. Perceived Quality - It mainly refers to the perception of clientele of advantage on largely quality of products and services. It is one of the types of tangible product in towards brand recognition. Particular brand perceived quality aims at generating values with the help of offering from purchase, charging premium prices as well as motivating members to the channels of distribution. As opined by Tu, Li and Chih (2013), â€Å"satisfaction is the consumers fulfillment response†. It is that judgment of merchandise and examination features having agreeable level of consumption-related satisfaction involving level of under-fulfillment. Similarly, So et al. (2013) stated that earlier studies on customer satisfaction emphasized on effects of prospect as well as performance and disconfirmation of potential. As mentioned by Severi and Ling (2013), customer expectations are mostly pre-trial beliefs in regard with product working through orientation position or contrast normal on the product appearance. There are different literatures present on customer satisfaction focusing on expectations as well as needs of customers. Some of the researchers emphasizes mainly on the capabilities of using innovation as well as advanced technology in enhancing customer services. Some others indicate in understanding the significance of companies for focusing on customer services. Company mostly adopt unique instrument for measuring the client approval. As per Selnes (2013), customer satisfaction assessment is one of the key mechanisms used by successful organizations in current financial system in and around the globe. Customer satisfaction measurement helps in holding the existing customer as well as providing directions on attracting the new customers in the competitive trade surroundings. As opined by Ryu, Lee and Gon (2012), dimension of customer satisfaction understand the extent of helping organization for bringing improvement in their customer services. It is noticed that content customers mostly advocate products and services to family and friends. Nguyen, Leclerc and LeBlanc (2013) summary their earlier ten scope of examine quality to five scopes mentioned below: Tangibles- Tangibles relates with various physical equipments like counters, lights as well as physical environments and computers. Reliability- Reliability concerns mainly with capability for performing the promised services on accurate form. Addition to that, it relates with ability of trouble solving as well as time limits and service rights of the clientele (Severi and Ling 2013). â€Å"Responsiveness†- Responsiveness relates with enthusiasm to help customer, easily achievable in sequence as well as prompt services and responding demand of the clientele. â€Å"Assurance†- Assurance regards mainly to politeness, employee understandings as well as knowledge and their capability in stimulating confidence and trust especially to the customers (Muth, Ismail and Langfeldt 2012). â€Å"Empathy† - Empathy connects with kind individual attention as well as individual repair and sympathetic of specified desires of the clientele (Severi and Ling 2013). Scholars enclose their own set of disagreement regarding the significance as well as significance of SERVQUAL model. On the contrary, Muth, Ismail and Langfeldt (2012) assert that SERVQUAL dimension applies by lot of scholars for assessing customer satisfaction in institutions like banking, hospitals, educations, hotels as well as telecommunications and restaurants. In this particular context, researcher mainly adopts SERVQUAL model for evaluating customer satisfaction level at the retailers in the countries. Due to elevated competition and other related environmental issues, customer satisfaction as well as examine quality becomes on one of the fundamental marketing strategy for business companies. It requires enough enhancing service quality for long-term sustainability as well as growth for dealing with the threats and challenges in the competitive environment (Severi and Ling 2013). Service quality is the extent that mainly concerns with service offered by Sainsbury organization in meeting or exceeding customer expectations. Service quality is complicated in nature for measuring the customer service providers from different backgrounds for equivalent services and products. The first model mainly examines in the quality of services as proposed by Martà ­nez and del Bosque (2013) focusing on three major factors like technical quality as well as useful quality and representation quality. In this particular representation, scientific quality refers as what is being delivered as well as functional quality indicates process of service delivery at the same time. One of the famous models for customer satisfaction measurement is known as SERVQUAL as future by Lee et al. (2015). It mainly focuses on examine quality as well as difference between customer expectations and their perceptions regarding purchase products or services. Examination quality assessment based upon evaluation on the examiner deliverance as well as service outcomes. It mainly asserts good scale of usage as well as assessment for quality services in Sainsbury retail organization. It is one of the selected meaningful tools for association of assessed specific services for confirming valid as w ell as reliable outcomes (Muth, Ismail and Langfeldt 2012). Researchers adopt this model for evaluating level of customer satisfaction at Sainsbury retail organization. In this regard, Kapferer (2012) have asserted that more than fifty prepared definition of product loyalty divided as behavioral as well as composite approach. In this study, researchers found more that 60% loyalty measures in behavioral terms. According to He, Li and Harris (2012), customer loyalty defines that â€Å"a deep held commitment to repurchase or re-patronize a preferred products or services consistently in the near future†. It constantly causes recurring product set purchase depending upon the situational influence as well as making efforts in having potential causes for switching behaviors. Few scholars suggest that adopting behavioral as well as attitudinal approach for providing influential meaning towards brand loyalty. Behavioral assessment corresponds with static result from dynamic decision procedures. It makes no particular attempt in recognizing the elements for essential brand loyalty buying as well as causal factors (Muth, Ismail and Langfeldt 2012). On t he contrary, attitudinal assessment relates feelings of customers for definite intentions such as willingness for recommending and repurchasing services or products. Addition to that, they added that Sainsbury retail organization obtains in order of repurchase intention at measuring client approval in the most appropriate way. It is important to understand the fact that optimistic product image contribute towards enhancing client loyalty and building strong brand image for the company. Brand representation is considered necessary for companies for gaining life customer loyalty leading to gear up organizational efficiency. According to Hameed (2013), store image associates relates directly with store satisfactions. Some of the other factors include social motives as well as relationship with clientele has contrary belongings especially on client faithfulness. This mainly considers committed relationships between organizations as well as customers for keeping well-built link between brand picture and client loyalty. A investigates by Chung, Yu and Shin (2015) establish that there is no significant link between satisfaction as well as loyalty. Corporate representation associates with other elements such as approval has no significant belongings on faithfulness. Reputation leads towards customer loyalty due to high level of trust in getting public relation. Researchers confirm that client satisfaction positively influences on customer loyalty. When a particular customer is happy with the brand, then customer will recommend it to others and will not switch to other brands. From most of the empirical researches, retail image verifies that customer satisfaction strongly affects loyalty intention like intention for repurchasing particular product (Muth, Ismail and Langfeldt 2012). It demonstrates that customers claims towards high-satisfied customers for becoming loyal for the business organization. The development of the conceptual structure illustrates the association between the benefits of the brand image, customer satisfaction, satisfaction of the customers and the loyalty of consumers (Muth, Ismail and Langfeldt 2012). The careful facets of the product image are essentially the useful, representative, communal, and empirical and emergence augments. The development of the hypotheses primarily based on the empirical evidences and the literature are as follows: â€Å"H1: There exists a positive association between the advantages of the brand image and customer satisfaction† â€Å"H2: There is a positive relationship between the brand image and the customer loyalty intention† â€Å"H3: There exists a positive association between satisfaction of the customer and the loyalty intention† From the above reviewed literatures on product image, customer loyalty as well as client approval and any other relationships following the conceptual framework (Amin, Isa and Fontaine 2013). The above conceptual framework develops relationship among brand image benefits as well as customer approval and faithfulness meaning. Some of the careful factor of product image involves useful, symbolical and manifestation. As rightly put forward by John Kuada (2012), researches are essentially based on different underlying philosophical assumptions and valid research methods that are appropriate for the development of the knowledge in a particular study. The present segment on research methodology refers to different research procedures and the design that the learner can utilize in the current study. The research design refers to different strategies, instruments, tools and techniques for data collection and interpretation. In addition to this, the research methodologies and the design also explain different stages along with the processes involved in the study. As rightly put forward by Anderson and Shattuck (2012), the research philosophy can be categorized as positivism, interpretivism and realism that help in understanding the results as well as interpretations. The learner can adopt positivism that can help in introducing different subjects with the topic under consideration. The research of positivism refers to the study of the outcomes of the research with detailed research based on statistical techniques on matters related to the effects of the brand image and customer’s perceived quality on the overall satisfaction of the customers (Maxwell 2012). In this case, the researcher can select the research philosophy of positivism as the study involves future analysis of the impact of the brand image on the satisfaction of the customers with special orientation to the operations of Sainsbury. As rightly indicated by Miller   et al.   (2012), the research approach helps in providing an edge in the course of the discussion on effect of the brand image on the satisfaction of the customers and loyalty intention. The research approach essentially involves the inductive as well as the deductive approach for conduction of the research work. As opined by Pickard (2012), the deductive research approach stresses on the causality, whereas the inductive research approach refers to the process of investigation of new phenomena from diverse perspectives. The learner intends to adopt the inductive research approach for the purpose of testing the hypothesis and investigating the new phenomena based on research questions. The learner can consider the samples from more number of stores from different parts of the UK in order to validate different findings. Furthermore, the learner can consider a sample of 100 customers selected from six different retail outlets founded in London. A small sample of 100 customers can be taken into account owing to the time constraints as well as limited resources of the learner. In addition to this, diverse retailing brands are taken into consideration in the survey in a bid to ensure that the participants of the survey are from diverse backgrounds. However, the learner can take into consideration the non-probabilistic sampling that essentially involves the process of random selection. Furthermore, the leaner can also take into account the purposive sampling in the process of non-probability sampling that can help learner to select a predefined group with a specific purpose in mind (Fahy and Jobber 2012). As rightly put forward by Glanz et al. (2012), the primary and secondary data are two different types of data that require different types of skills as well as resources. Researchers in the social field can acquire data by getting it directly from subjects of their interest. The data hereby collected directly from the subject of interest from the field is known as the primary data. Researchers can acquire data on their own by way of surveys, interviews as well as direct observations. In addition to this, the researchers can also make use of the data that has been gathered by someone else. This is known as the secondary data. The secondary data can be collected from the official websites, published reports, journals and newspaper among many others. Therefore, for the purpose of the present study, the learner can also make use of both the primary as well as the secondary data (Jara and Cliquet 2012).   As rightly indicated by Oh   et al.   (2012), it is important to know the sources of the data to know the methods of collection of the data. The learner can take into account the process of sample survey for the purpose of the collection of the primary data required for the present research. The learner can frame the questionnaire containing the pertinent questions for the study and distribute the same to the target respondents of the survey with a request for reply. The responses to the participants gathered from the questionnaire can help the learner in acquiring the requisite data for the study. Again, the official websites, published reports, journals, books and newspapers can also become the sources of the secondary data for the present study (John Kuada 2012). The research work needs to be carried out in an appropriate manner by taking into consideration different ethical issues in mind. A research work needs to be conducted honestly and proper data needs to be used to accomplish the present research. The researcher can acquire primary as well as the secondary data and use it in the research work in an ethical manner. In addition to this, the learner can also take into account other ethical considerations that include objectivity that refers to the need of aversion of the bias in process of the experimental design, data evaluation, data interpretation, peer review along with the other important areas of research that have the need for   objectivity (Jara and Cliquet 2012). Furthermore, the learner also needs to incorporate the integrity in the research that refers to keeping promises as well as agreements, ensure conduction of the activities with sincerity, striving for consistency of actions as well as thoughts. The learner also needs to avoid errors and at the same time negligence and critically scrutinize their own work. In addition to this, the researcher also needs to keep good records of different research actions that include data collection, research design as well as correspondence with diverse agencies and journals. In addition to this, the learner needs to be open to criticisms from different quarters as well as innovative ideas. Moreover, the learner also needs to ensure the non-utilization of different unpublished data, procedures and results without prior permission. The learner also needs to acquire appropriate acknowledgement and credit for different contributions to the research and need to respect the patents, copyrights as well as other forms of intellectual property. Besides this, the learner also needs to be socially responsible and endeavor to promote both social good through the research that can prevent different social damages through research, public education as well as advocacy. The learner also needs to avoid discrimination among different respondents of the survey based on the race, ethnicity as well as other factors. Again, the learner also needs to be aware of the pertinent laws as well as institutional and governmental procedures that are applicable for the present research work. Nevertheless, the learner also needs to make it certain that the present work is used for academic purposes o nly and not for any commercial purposes.   The present research can direct the ways for the further research on the present topic. The areas for future research includes the procedures of handing the brand issues by different academic as well as market researchers, company and marketers. In addition to this, there remains scope for investigating the ways that can enhance the satisfaction of the consumers with the enhancement of the brand image and increase in loyalty of the consumers. Analysis of the strategies, empirical evidences and literature review Assessment of the Research methodology Data collection method- primary and secondary data Assessment and interpretation of data Aaker, D.A., 2012.  Building strong brands. Simon and Schuster. Amin, M., Isa, Z. and Fontaine, R., 2013. Islamic banks: Contrasting the drivers of customer satisfaction on image, trust, and loyalty of Muslim and non-Muslim customers in Malaysia.  International Journal of Bank Marketing,  31(2), pp.79-97. Anderson, T. and Shattuck, J., 2012. Design-based research a decade of progress in education research?.  Educational researcher,  41(1), pp.16-25. Brodie, R.J., Ilic, A., Juric, B. and Hollebeek, L., 2013. Consumer engagement in a virtual brand community: An exploratory analysis.  Journal of Business Research,  66(1), pp.105-114. Chung, K.H., Yu, J.E. and Shin, J.L., 2015, February. The relationship among perceived value, brand image, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty: The moderating effect of gender. In  Proceedings of the 3rd International Congress on Interdisciplinary Behavior and Social Sciences  (pp. 145-148). Fahy, J. and Jobber, D., 2012.  Foundations of marketing. McGraw-Hill Education. Glanz, K., Bader, M.D. and Iyer, S., 2012. Retail grocery store marketing strategies and obesity: an integrative review.  American journal of preventive medicine,  42(5), pp.503-512. Hameed, F., 2013. The effect of advertising spending on brand loyalty mediated by store image, perceived quality and customer satisfaction: A case of hypermarkets.  Asian Journal of Business Management,  5(1), pp.181-192. He, H., Li, Y. and Harris, L., 2012. Social identity perspective on brand loyalty.  Journal of Business Research,  65(5), pp.648-657. Jara, M. and Cliquet, G., 2012. Retail brand equity: Conceptualization and measurement.  Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,  19(1), pp.140-149. John Kuada, 2012.  Research methodology: A project guide for university students. Samfundslitteratur. Kapferer, J.N., 2012.  The new strategic brand management: Advanced insights and strategic thinking. Kogan page publishers. Lee, D., Moon, J., Kim, Y.J. and Mun, Y.Y., 2015. Antecedents and consequences of mobile phone usability: Linking simplicity and interactivity to satisfaction, trust, and brand loyalty.  Information & Management,52(3), pp.295-304. Mackey, A. and Gass, S.M., 2015.  Second language research: Methodology and design. Routledge. Martà ­nez, P. and del Bosque, I.R., 2013. CSR and customer loyalty: The roles of trust, customer identification with the company and satisfaction.  International Journal of Hospitality Management,  35, pp.89-99. Maxwell, J.A., 2012.  Qualitative research design: An interactive approach: An interactive approach. Sage. Miller, T., Birch, M., Mauthner, M. and Jessop, J. eds., 2012.  Ethics in qualitative research. Sage. Muth, A., Ismail, R. and Langfeldt Boye, C., 2012. Customer Brand Relationship: An empirical study of customers’ perception of brand experience, brand satisfaction, brand trust and how they affect brand loyalty. Nguyen, N., Leclerc, A. and LeBlanc, G., 2013. The mediating role of customer trust on customer loyalty.Journal of service science and management,  6(1), p.96. Oh, L.B., Teo, H.H. and Sambamurthy, V., 2012. The effects of retail channel integration through the use of information technologies on firm performance.  Journal of Operations Management,  30(5), pp.368-381. Pickard, A., 2012.  Research methods in information. Facet publishing. Ryu, K., Lee, H.R. and Gon Kim, W., 2012. The influence of the quality of the physical environment, food, and service on restaurant image, customer perceived value, customer satisfaction, and behavioral intentions.International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,  24(2), pp.200-223. Sainsburys.co.uk. (2016). [online] Available at: https://www.sainsburys.co.uk [Accessed 17 Aug. 2016]. Selnes, F., 2013. An examination of the effect of product performance on brand reputation, satisfaction and loyalty.  Journal of Product & Brand Management. Severi, E. and Ling, K.C., 2013. The mediating effects of brand association, brand loyalty, brand image and perceived quality on brand equity.  Asian Social Science,  9(3), p.125. So, K.K.F., King, C., Sparks, B.A. and Wang, Y., 2013. The influence of customer brand identification on hotel brand evaluation and loyalty development.  International journal of hospitality management,  34, pp.31-41. Tu, Y.T., Li, M.L. and Chih, H.C., 2013. An empirical study of corporate brand image, customer perceived value and satisfaction on loyalty in shoe industry.  Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies,  5(7), p.469. TuÃ… ¡kej, U., Golob, U. and Podnar, K., 2013. The role of consumer–brand identification in building brand relationships.  Journal of business research,  66(1), pp.53-59. Wirtz, J., den Ambtman, A., Bloemer, J., Horvà ¡th, C., Ramaseshan, B., van de Klundert, J., Gurhan Canli, Z. and Kandampully, J., 2013. Managing brands and customer engagement in online brand communities.Journal of Service Management,  24(3), pp.223-244. Zameer, H., Tara, A., Kausar, U. and Mohsin, A., 2015. Impact of service quality, corporate image and customer satisfaction towards customers’ perceived value in the banking sector in Pakistan.  International Journal of Bank Marketing,  33(4), pp.442-456.

Identify the various types and forms of child neglect, and discuss how Essay

Identify the various types and forms of child neglect, and discuss how they may influence delinquent behaviors in children - Essay Example of the child could lead to malnutrition and a general failure to thrive, serious infectious diseases and potential harm to the child in the form of cuts, bruises or burns that may occur when there is lack of supervision. When children are not receiving school education and training at the mandatory age they are subject to educational neglect and this could have damaging effects later in life as such children lack the basic skills for survival, quickly drop out of school and easily indulge in delinquent activities. Children suffer emotional neglect in homes where there is repeated spousal abuse, lack of affection and psychological care, allowing children to use drugs and other narcotics and constantly chiding the child saying that he is useless for anything. Such neglect could cause serious damage to their self-esteem and could also lead to suicidal tendencies. Medical neglect even when parents are educated and well employed could lead to poor overall health and complicate existing me dical problems of the child. All the above forms of neglect could result in potentially harmful consequences for the child and in many cases they encourage children to indulge in risky and violent activities (Perry, Colwell and Schick). Parental neglect of children has been found to be one of the most powerful predictors of juvenile delinquency. There have been several studies which have studied the link between parental support and monitoring and delinquency in children and all of them have concluded that a high rate of delinquency was observed among children who faced parental neglect, lack of parental supervision and care. The delinquent behavior ranged from skipping classes in school, drug abuse and indulging in violent and criminal activities. The low emotional attachment found between children and their neglectful parents was found to be a major factor that influenced delinquent behavior in these children. In addition the failure of parents to adequately spend time and monitor

Leeds Bradford Airport Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leeds Bradford Airport - Essay Example Primarily, promotion is aimed at informing the clients the existence of a new product or service in the market (Peterson et al, 2010, p.168). It also appeals to the customers that the products and services to be introduced into the market are better that the ones that have been existence. A number of procedures are available that can be used by the organization to help win customers to its new flight services. These include advertisement, sales promotion, public relations, publicity, and personal selling (Harper, 2003, p.108). An effective promotion by the new budget airline will require an integration of these different approaches into the operations of the organization. Advertisement Advertisement refers to providing information to the targeted clients on the availability of new services in the market. It also appeals to the customers by pointing out the desirable qualities of the new services that distinguishes them from other services available in the market. Advertisement can be done through different media. These include print media (newspapers and magazines), television, radio, internet, or public service advertising. In choosing the medium to use for advertisement of services, the company has to understand the medium that is common among the targeted customers (Harper, 2003, p.109). ... About 40% of the funds need to be set aside for advertisement in television. A larger proportion of the targeted customers are adults engaged in some activities during the day. Thus, these advertisements should be aired out in the evenings. Newspapers and magazines are also common and are effective in providing other details like the flight schedules. This medium should receive 20% of the advertisement funds. Many people have access to radio. However, the advertisement through radio is often less reliable since most people listen to radio while they are attending to other things. Drawing their attention to an advertisement may not succeed and it would require that the advertisement be replicated several times in order to e effective. This medium should be allocated 10% of the funds. The internet is increasing its popularity especially among the young adults and middle-aged individuals. It is more likely that the clients who would use the flight services have access to, and uses, inte rnet services. Internet advertisement should take 20% of the advertisement funds. The remaining 10% should be used for other advertisement means like direct mails to potential clients. Sales promotion Sales promotion activities involve providing incentives to the clients of the company to improve on the sales of the services. Sales promotion involves activities like promotional sports competition, sweepstakes, and sales coupons. One promotion initiative that can be used by the organization is to sponsor some annual or seasonal sports activity like soccer tournament for youths below the age of 23 years in the UK. Besides, the company should issue its flight tickets at much lower

Management of Human Resources Individual work wk4 Assignment

Management of Human Resources Individual work wk4 - Assignment Example First is the economic globalization where there is increased global marketplace for products. Therefore, organizations should emphasize on innovating new products as well as employ people who are highly skilled and knowledgeable for most businesses are operating globally. Secondly, there is a shortage of skilled labor and talented employees worldwide therefore through information technology it is possible to employ a global workforce thus making it possible to operate globally therefore should be embraced. Thirdly, different countries have different cultures therefore for those firms that operate in more than one country, it is important to adapt the local cultures of each country. Lastly, the business strategies of an organization describe the ways these organizations plan to gain advantage and stay ahead of the competitors. Organizations should ensure that they produce goods of high quality, constantly innovating, providing the best services to customers and keeping costs low. Thes e changes will be incremental as the business world is developing very fast and organizations need to keep up with the speed to beat competition. The HR policies will be affected greatly by the changes. This is because of the fact that they will need to recruit new staff who are skilled as well as train those already in the business it will be costly but worthwhile. I addition, the performance of most organizations will also go up because organizations will be using up to date technology and skilled workers. The consequences include an expensive work force who will be asking for bigger pay for the services they offer as well as the business will grow due to the good performance of the skilled employees. Some of the advantages of using employee surveys to assess progress toward HR objectives include the ability to survey a large number of employees at the same time as well as getting honest and ample feedback. In addition,

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Preliminary Outline and Draft - Assignment Example In 10 years to come, approximately 25% of American vehicles will be running on biodiesel. Public health institutions attribute increase in cancer and respiratory complications to pollution from fossil fuels. Undeniably, any alternative fuel that causes less or no pollution would be adopted as a solution to the health impacts of fossil fuels. Recent increase in biodiesel campaigns and consumption is attributed to potential benefits of the fuel. Unlike gasoline, biodiesel is non toxic. Gasoline releases unpleasant fumes upon combustion. On the contrary, biodiesel emit fumes with a pleasant smell, no greenhouse gases and absolute absence of carcinogenic hydrocarbon compounds. Occasionally, air pollutants like carbon dioxide are directly associated with gasoline and other fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide, together with other greenhouse gases causes global warming. Scientific research indicates that global warming will lead to increased desertification, climate change, increased acidity of fresh water and rise in sea levels. Among the identified mitigating factors of global warming include use of less polluting and renewable energy sources like biodiesel. Since biodiesel burns cleanly, it releases negligible amounts of greenhouse gases compared to gasoline. Therefore, biodiesel features as a viable solution to the global warming monster together with other complications related to air pollution. A scientific research exercise will be appropriate in substantiating claims relating to the benefits of biodiesel in addressing issues of air pollution. The research hypothesis asserts that increased use of biodiesel reduces emission of carbon dioxide and air pollution. This hypothesis contains both the dependent and independent variables. A null hypothesis, which contradicts the earlier statement, will be introduced to test the validity and reliability of the alternative hypothesis. Undeniably, biodiesel reduces pollution. However, other sources of pollutants

Internation World AIDS Charity Day Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Internation World AIDS Charity Day - Essay Example The rationale of the event is to collect money that can be used to subsidize the medication for management of AIDS in the affected countries (Sharon, 2011). Our goal is ensure that every person infected with AIDS gets the required medication regardless of individual economic status. The event is on its 20th year and so far over six hundred billion dollars have been raised. It has attracted the support of many international celebrities who have contributed both materially and in kind for the cause. Our vision is to raise sufficient funds to finance not only the purchase of drugs but also raise public awareness on the issues related to AIDS. We also seek to encourage further research on finding a cure for AIDS. To this end, our long term strategy is to work with the leading pharmaceutical companies and researchers to put more effort in finding a cure for the disease. The date of the ceremonial commemoration is on 1st July. The chosen location will be in London. Other commemorations wil l be marked in all major cities in the world. The venue will be at the Oxygen arena. All proceeds from the event will go to charity. Strategic Aims Objectively, the event seeks to raise funds for the purchase and supply of drugs for the treatment of AIDS victims in the developing countries. We intend to raise fifty million dollars that will be used to buy the drugs to be distributed in these countries. We also intend to secure commitments from world leaders that this scourge will be tamed and appropriate programs will be put in place to curb its spread. The â€Å"AIDS free world† accord which details elaborate plans to wipe out the pandemic will be presented to the leaders to persuade them to take deliberate measures to lower the rates of new infections in their countries. In addition, the event also aims to put more emphasis on the research for a permanent cure for the disease. Research on this field has been sluggish. Consequently, the event aims to gain a clear commitment from leading pharmaceutical companies and researchers that research for a cure will be given a priority. Objectives One of our objectives is to raise funds towards the support of AIDS medication. Our target is to raise over fifty million shillings in cash. To obtain these funds, we will design arm bands, t-shirts, caps, and bandanas to target people attending the event. The sales will begin on days set before the start of the major event. In addition, branded merchandise will be availed in selected outlets to make them accessible to the public. Another strategy to raise funds will be through organizing a charity concert before the main event. Leading musicians will be invited to entertain participants at a nominal fee. In fact, the invitation of leading artistes will serve a twofold function of attracting larger crowds to the concert and also increase the sales of the branded merchandise. The event will also run an online campaign through the social networking sites to raise funds. We intend to spur online interest on AIDS as an imminent threat to humanity. The other objective for the event is to raise awareness concerning AIDS in the developing countries. The rate of HIV/AIDS infections is highest in the developing countries. The disease is most prevalent in African countries. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for about forty percent of the documented infections (Luter, 2010). The implications are dire considering that most of those infected are the breadwinners for their families. The result is that their

The course Academic Communication in the English language Essay - 61

The course Academic Communication in the English language - Essay Example The three essays that I wrote during this course was a challenge because the style of writing taught in the English Second Language program differed to a great extent from the writing that I was introduced to in this course. Going through the Academic Communication cures taught me a lot of useful concepts in the English language. Most importantly, Academic Communication cures program has taught me how to write a research paper, how to write an argumentation research, and how to link my ideas with the topic that I focus on. Because of Academic Communication cures, I feel that my ability to deliver effective research papers has improved. Looking back, I struggled so much to write my ideas and points in a cohesive and appropriate manner in my first essay. In fact, because of frequent mistakes, I cannot remember the number of mistakes I made in that first essay at the beginning of this course. However, by week two, we had already discussed so much on plagiarism, APA style and citation ru les and much more. We had also read an article titled, â€Å"An Enviro’s Case for Seal Hunt,† to help us in research writing which helped in avoiding plagiarism in writing. I also learned about argumentative writing which allows writers to show their opinion and thoughts.Writers can use many sources to support their arguments. I have learned how to support a logical argument in a perfect manner. I faced challenges analyzing the work of another author so as to clarify and perfect my ideas.

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Survival and Positive Growth during an Economic Downturn - Assignment Example This study will evaluate and arrive at a consensus regarding each of the financial aspects to provide a plan that will help the organization survive during a depression or recession and lead to a positive growth. It is therefore aimed at providing inputs from the financial perspective of business during the economic downturn. The idea of providing inputs or making changes and venturing into new arenas in terms of cost efficiency and management are discussed as they are the need of the hour. The whole economic system functions on the money supply in the market, and this supply is facilitated by the various business enterprises that are the backbone of every economy. To begin with, let us get acquainted with the "Great Depression of the 1930's" and the current economic downturn. The Great Depression was the worldwide economic downturns that lead to widespread poverty and unemployment as businesses failed. Though the exact cause of the Great Depression is unknown, it began with the Stoc k market crash by the end of 1929. A normal change in the business cycle that becomes a short recession can lead to a depression. During the 'The great depression' the construction industry came to a stunning halt in many countries with prices of crops falling by almost 60%, leading to widespread unemployment, as these sectors have few alternative employment options. However, the economy started showing signs of recovery during early 1933 and the economy stabilized thereafter leaving potential room for the growth of the business. A report about recession where the Former US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan commented "the current global recession will "surely be the longest and deepest" since the 1930s and more government rescue funds are needed to stabilize the U.S. financial system."To stabilize the American banking system and restore normal lending, additional TARP funds will be required," Greenspan said in a speech to the Economic Club of New York. The U.S. Treasury's Trou bled Asset Relief Program designed to help bail out banks has been partially successful". The current recession too had the stock markets crashing with the heavy downturn in the construction industry segment. Greenspan further comments "a housing recovery is a necessary condition for the end of the financial crisis, and said that "the prospect of stable home prices remains many months in the future." The effect of this economic downturn is the huge cut down on spending by corporate houses leading to widespread unemployment. According to the Forbes Digital Company "Working capital management" means a "managerial accounting strategy focusing on maintaining efficient levels of both components of working capital, current assets and current liabilities, in respect to each other. Working capital management ensures a company has sufficient cash flow in order to meet its short-term debt obligations and operating expenses." It is only in the implementation of an effective working capital man agement can companies see the return on investment and better earnings.

The Impact of Universal Studios Essay Example for Free

The Impact of Universal Studios Essay Universal Pictures, or Universal Studios, has been around for a little over a century and it is currently regarded amongst the top six movie studios in America. It grosses billions of dollars in revenue annually and produces major hits and movie stars. Universal is also owned by a giant media conglomerate known as NBC Universal, which is quite different from its humble beginnings. This paper will provide a brief insight into the relationship between Universal Pictures and its impact on the movie industry along with how Universal became a big name in Hollywood. The man who started it all was Carl Laemmle. Born in Wà ¼rttemberg Germany, Laemmle was the tenth of thirteen children, eight of which died of a cruel epidemic of scarlet fever. At the age of thirteen, he was apprenticed to a family friend as a bookkeeper and office manager. A few years later, at the age of seventeen, Carl persuaded his father to let him buy passage to the United States. After arriving, Carl worked as an errand boy in New York for a short while then moved to Chicago where his brother Joseph lived. There Carl worked as an office boy until his next move took him to Wisconsin. There he worked in a clothing company and met his wife Recha Stern who gave birth to a son, Carl Jr., and a daughter , Rosabelle. Carl got into an argument with his employer and moved back to Chicago looking for an enterprise that might multiply his family’s savings. Carl decided to go into the film industry after seeing The Great Train Robbery, which left a â€Å"heavy impression† and a profound business idea (Zeirold 89). In 1906, Laemmle began purchasing nickelodeons. As Laemmle’s business bloomed, the Motion Picture Patents Company was born, which sparked one of his many contributions to the industry, the Independent Moving Pictures Company of America. Founded in 1909, the Independent Moving Pictures Company of America, condensed to IMP, was created to spite the MPPCo. IMP caused its biggest blow to the MPPCo when they snatched up Florence Lawrence, nicknaming her the â€Å"Biograph Girl,† and produced many hit films with her, thus creating the star system we know today. In 1910, Carl joined another organization named the Motion Picture Distributing and Sales Company. This company led to the downfall of the MPPCo and the creation of major studios, such as, MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures), Twentieth Century-Fox, Paramount Studios, and Universal Pictures. Universal, whose name came from Laemmle â€Å"observing† a Universal Pipe Fittings wagon, was created from the remnants of IMP and was sited in New York (Dick 33). The new Universal studio was a horizontally integrated company, with movie production and distribution of exhibition venues. As Laemmle’s business grew he searched for a new foothold to permanently house his studio and, following the westward trend of the industry, by the end of 1912 the company was focusing its production efforts in the Hollywood area. On March 15, 1915, Laemmle opened the worlds largest motion picture production facility, Universal City Studios, on 230 acres of converted farm just over the Cahuenga Pass from Hollywood. Studio management became the third facet of Universals operations, with the studio incorporated as a distinct subsidiary organization. Unlike other movie moguls, Laemmle opened his studio to tourists. Universal became the biggest studio in Hollywood, and remained so for a decade. However, it sought an audience mostly in small towns, producing mostly inexpensive westerns, melodramas, and serials. The reason for Laemmle’s low budget and lower-class films were because he personally funded all of Universal’s endeavors. One of his greatest â€Å"investments† was character actor Lon Chaney, nicknamed â€Å"The Man of a Thousand Faces.† Chaney started working for Universal when it began in 1912, but was not truly recognized until 1918 in the silent picture Riddle Gawne. He began his early career presented as a team alongside Dorothy Phillips and William Stowell, starring in fourteen films from 1917 to 1919. However, Chaney’s greatest contributions to Universal were The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was Universals Super Jewel of 1923 and was their most successful silent film, grossing over $3 million, and set the standard for all future horror films in the industry. The Phantom of the Opera made Universal more interested in possibly making higher budget, â€Å"grade-A† films. Chaney eventually left Universal for MGM and retired shortly after making a few films for Howard Dietz. In the late 1920s, Universal became a very powerful movie studio but was not considered part of the â€Å"Big Five.† It was, however, given companionship alongside Columbia Pictures and United Artists which became collectively known as the â€Å"Little Three.† Although it was the largest of the Little Three, Universal Pictures lost money during each year of the 1930s except 1931, 1934 and 1939. This desperate ï ¬ nancial situation led to a change in ownership in 1936 and several management upheavals thereafter. Universal had traditionally engaged primarily in the production of low-budget features and â€Å"sub-features† aimed at the subsequent run and rural markets, with only an occasional prestige ‘A’ picture. This policy of reliance on programme pictures remained fairly stable throughout the decade of the 1930s; those periodic forays into ‘prestige’ production and away from the basic programme formula generally met with ï ¬ nancial disaster and precipitated most of the decade’s management turnovers. The case of Universal is somewhat unique when compared with MGM or Warner Bros. Under the conservative leadership of its founder, Carl Laemmle, Universal specialized in the secondary, largely rural, independent theatre market, and most of its product consisted of rather short features without top rank star players. Unlike MGM or Warner Bros., short subjects had always been a fundamental part of Universal’s production strategy. In an effort to remove itself from its near-bottom industry ranking, the company ï ¬â€širted occasionally with the prestige feature market during the 1930s, usually to its ï ¬ nancial detriment. During this decade it did its best ï ¬ nancially when it concentrated on its primary business: turning out low-budget features at high speed. Universal’s short subject releases maintained this philosophy throughout the 1930s with amazing consistency, considering the turnover in management (including the ouster of Laemmle and his son, Carl, Jr, in 1936 ). Early in the 1930s, the studio’s emphasis was shifted to two-reel comedies, starting with the likes of Slim Summerville, Arthur Lake and Benny Rubin as starring comedians. The Universal two reelers took a decidedly interesting swing when former Hal Roach studio manager Warren Doane was hired in 1932 to organize a production unit. Doane, in turn, brought in Roach employees James W. Horne, a young George Stevens and Alf Goulding as directors, as well as a long-time member of Charles Chaplin’s staff, Albert Austin. The unit lasted until 1934, with Stevens leaving for RKO quite a bit earlier. Unfortunately most of these ï ¬ lms have been unseen for decades, locked away in Universal’s ï ¬ lm vaults, unavailable for fresh appraisal. A handful of the Doane shorts viewed by the author revealed no hidden treasures, a disappointment considering the behind-the-camera talent involved. However, Mr. Mugg, a 1933 series entry, was nominated for an Academy Award. Another Universal short comedy from this period, although not from the Doane unit, which could provide both a â€Å"new† look at a legendary humorist and a cinematic treatment of an early Depression school of political thought, is a single Robert Benchley two reeler entitled Your Technocracy and Mine. In addition to the comedies, Universal had the ‘Mentone’ revue series, Strange As It Seems and later Stranger Than Fiction, short lived Goofytone News series produced by a New York independent studio, and travelogue and sports series. Universal produced its own twice-weekly newsreel, the only non-Big Five company to do so. In a reversal of the situation with MGM and Warner Bros. at this time, Universal also had its own in-house animation unit, headed by Walter Lantz, at the beginning of the 1930s, but allowed Lantz to go independent during the ownership turmoil of 1936. The unstable nature of the company at mid-decade also abbreviated the production of colour cartoon s after just six shorts made in 1934 and 1935. Colour did not return to the Universal cartoon release schedule until the 1939–1940 season, when the Lantz studio switched to all-colour production. The area of short ï ¬ lm production for which Universal is best known, however, is the serial. Serials generally were considered the domain of small, independent producers such as Mascot and Republic. Of all of the major studios, only the two ‘mini-majors’, Universal and Columbia, produced serials. This may be largely attributed to the aforementioned need for producers without theatres to cater to rural and niche markets. Throughout the decade of the 1930s that was to prove so turbulent for Universal, the studio still managed to crank out an average of four 12-episode serials per year. The subject matter ranged widely, from Westerns to jungle adventures to mysteries to air adventures and more. One Universal serial available in its entirety for viewing today is the 1934 Perils of Pauline. Other than the title, borrowed for name recognition value, the Universal Perils bears no resemblance to its famous early silent forebear. This serial was obviously the beneï ¬ ciary both of several standing sets evidently left over from other productions and of a rather large st ock footage library. The latter fact is particularly apparent in the scenes of a Chinese revolution that opens Chapter 1, and of numerous jungle and other location scenes in the following episodes. It is not at all uncommon to have clean backlot shots of the serial’s characters reacting to shaky, ï ¬â€šickering, scratched and undercranked shots of revolutionary carnage or charging tigers. Both the extensive use of existing sets and of stock footage permit the story to hopscotch from one location to another, all over the Far East and, ultimately, back to New York City. The result is that this series is essentially a mixture of virtually every type of serial ever done at Universal, including science ï ¬ ction. Much more successful, as evidenced by their popularity even today, were the studio’s three Flash Gordon serials. The battles between Buster Crabbe’s Flash and Charles Middleton’s Ming the Merciless of the Planet Mongo combine streamline, art-deco styling of the late 193 0s with sci-ï ¬  camp in a package that is still appealing. The promotional booklet, For Your Box-office: Line up with Universal 1935–1936, provides a fascinating look at the manner in which the studio tried to sell its product to exhibitors during the last year of the Laemmle regime. The promotional hype expended on the company’s shorts suggests their perceived audience appeal as well as the content of some of the long unseen short series. Announcing the ï ¬ rst â€Å"Flash Gordon† series, the advertising copy proclaims: ‘53 million people read it in the Daily and Sunday newspapers! Now Universal adapts Alex Raymond’s sensational newspaper adventure strip for a serial of 13 episodes!’ The page devoted to Universal Newsreel reminds theatre owners that Graham McNamee, ‘National Broadcasting Company’s Ace Announcer’, narrated the reels. It goes on to assert the statistically unsupportable ‘First! Fast! Foremost! Holder of the World’s Record for Miraculous Scoop after Sc oop.’ Moving to the entertainment short series, For Your Box-office describes the ‘Mentone’ series as having ‘more stars and headline acts than the best vaudeville show! †¦ And at prices you can afford to pay!’ Three other one-reel series are depicted thusly: ‘Stranger than Fiction’-‘Facts, freaks and fancies from every corner of the globe! Each reel is a box-office magnet in itself’; ‘Studio Novelties’—‘Gems of comedy, musical comedy, trick photography, satire and short subjects! A new and novel series’; and ‘Going Places’—‘The short that never fails to do things! From one end of the world to the other †¦ and back again †¦ with the enchanting personality and voice of Lowell Thomas.’ As frequently happened with studio press books, which were designed to sell a company’s product before production on the season’s wares had actually commenced, some of the announced projects never reached the screen. Speciï ¬ cally, in this case, the promised 13 episodes of the new ‘Studio Novelties’ dwindled to a mere four ‘Specials’. In sum total, Universal’s product actually conformed to the basic format of its competitors, with the exception of serial production. Content and quality are hard to judge at this point in time with relatively few of the ï ¬ lms available for re-evaluation. The original nitrate negatives for most of the Universal short subjects still survive and are housed in the company’s Kearny, New Jersey, vaults. Hopefully, they will be transferred to safety ï ¬ lm before they are consumed by the inevitable nitrate decomposition. As has been previously noted, serials were generally the province of low-budget producers, not of major studios. Beyond serials, Universal’s greatest successes were its novelty series (Strange As It Seems, Stranger Than Fiction), travelogues (Going Places) and musicals (Mentone series). An interesting aspect of Universal’s short subject programme was that it continued to release silent ï ¬ lms through 1931, over 2 years after the ‘ talkie revolution’. Presumably this was for the beneï ¬ t of the more than 1500 small silent theatres that were still in business despite having been unable to afford the conversion to sound. Beyond that, one gets the impression that Universal was just struggling to turn out a product during the turbulent 1930s, with any ideas of visual style being secondary. The studio’s shorts, like its features, tended to be all over the map in terms of production polish. One may ï ¬ nd a rough correlation between Universal’s B-grade Western feature productions and a number of its Western-themed serials. However, as with Warner Bros.’ lack of gangster shorts, it is something of a surprise that the studio known for its world-class horror ï ¬ lms (Frankenstein, Dracula, The Phantom of the Opera, etc.) attempted virtually nothing in the way of horror/science ï ¬ ction serials until decade’s end (Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and The Phantom Creeps). In conclusion, Carl Laemmle worked vigorously to bring down the MPPCo powerhouse with IMP and kick start a major movie studio which he called Universal. Universal made great impacts on the industry in the fields of horror, sci-fi, and serials; impacts that changed the movie industry forever.

The Four Corner Hustlers Essay Example for Free

The Four Corner Hustlers Essay The Four Corner Hustlers originated on Chicagos Westside in the early 1970s. The organization was founded by King Walter Wheat and Freddy Malik Gauge. Shortly after the Four Corner Hustlers emerged, they became allied with the Vice Lords street gang, becoming a faction and adopting Vice Lord symbols and colors. The gang operated as a small group in the Austin neighborhood throughout the mid-to-late 1970s, often fighting area clubs and engaging in petty theft and vandalism. However, a group of Four Corner Hustlers began to operate in the Garfield Park and Austin neighborhoods. Lead by Monroe Money Banks, this group adopted the Black Diamond as a symbolic reference to their gang. In the late 1980s, Freddy Gauge died while incarcerated. Walter Wheat then took over the organizations operations solely. In the early 1990s, Monroe Banks proclaimed leadership over the entire organization but this was disputed by older high-ranking members of the gang. The tension and disagreements within the gang lead Walter Wheat to retire from the organizations leadership. Monroe Banks was later killed in a drug related murder in 1992. The 4CHs began to expand their bases of operation throughout the 1990s, growing substantially in number. A group of younger Four Corner Hustlers began to distance themselves from the Vice Lords and even rest away some of their territory, often times flipping Vice Lord members with the lure of drug spots. These Four Corner Hustlers charged a 50 percent tax on profit for the selling of narcotics as opposed to the traditional 75 percent. Many of these Four Corner Hustlers, whose main base of operation was in Austin and Garfield Park neighborhoods used the Black Diamond. Amongst the Young Turks was Angelo Roberts. Angelo Roberts was given a leadership position in the organization by Walter Wheat due to his relationship with Wheats daughter, despite Angelo Roberts young age. As such, disputes for leadership positions continued. Due to turmoil in leadership, Walter Wheat reassumed his position in the organization. Walter Wheat was killed in 1993; Angelo Roberts was the principle suspect in orchestrating the hit. Angelo Roberts was arrested on drugs and weapons charges in the mid 1990s. After release, Angelo Roberts attempted to blow up the Area 3 Police station with high power weapons. He even made Americas Most Wanted as authorities pursued him across the United States. Angelo Roberts was killed in 1995, his body found frozen stiff in the trunk of a car. Several sets still pay homage to Angelo Roberts, adopting the moniker Angelo 4s. Ray Longstreet assumed leadership of the official branch of Four Corner Hustler around the time of Angelo Roberts death. His group still considers themselves a faction of the Vice Lords street gang, especially while in the correctional facilities. Ray Longstreet was recently released from prison in 2004 after serving a stint for drug charges. He was recently arrested again, this time by Federal authorities in Operartion Street Sweeper. The Four Corner Hustlers pride themselves in making money. The organization has grown tremendously within the last ten years or so, and have expanded throughout the Southside and far South suburbs. The 4CHs are an off-shoot of the Vice Lords, however, on the street most members consider themselves a separate entity. Most Four Corner Hustlers now consider themselves a separate Nation and often show their independence with the adoption of the Black Diamond symbol, while other 4CHs who still retain ties to the Vice Lords using the 5 point Star. However, all 4CHs align themselves with the Vice Lords while incarcerated forgoing any street antimosity. The gangs primary criminal involvement has consisted of graffiti, drug trafficking, assault, armed robbery, extortion, kidnapping, shootings, murder, and the renting out of drug turf to independent dealers. The organization has also been known to engage in the overseeing of solicitation of prostitution (pimping), the selling of illegal firearms, and the opening of front businesses to launder money.

Difficulties Arabic Students Face In English Language Learning

Difficulties Arabic Students Face In English Language Learning In educational settings the language is both the medium and content of instruction. Academic success is dependent on proficiency of spoken and written forms of the language used for instruction (Shatz and Wilkinson 2010: 55). Introduction Next to the United States, the United Kingdom receives the biggest number of international students in the world. In 2009, 13 percent of the total undergraduate population enrolled in the UK were international students (UK Council for International Student Affairs 2009). More specifically, college entrants from Saudi Arabia increased rapidly by 42.2 percent from 3,535 in 2008 to 5,205 in 2009 (Times Higher Education 2010). This dramatic rise of the Arabic international student cohort in the UK requires immediate attention especially in relation to the academic adjustments these students make in the school environment. One of the most significant adjustments for Arabic international students is learning the English language, a phenomenon driven by the demands of globalisation and the now widespread use of English as a second language in the educational curriculum even in Arab countries (Tahaineh 2010). While the process of English language learning among Arab students within their hom e countries has gained much academic attention (Khatib, 2000; Tahaineh, 2010; Ghaith and Diab 2008), not enough research focus has been made on the experiences of Arabic international students in the UK. What is known today is too scant to be applied practically in policymaking or in educational practice. This dissertation explores two main points, firstly, it highlights how little we know about the difficulties that Arabic international students face in learning the English language and secondly, it calls for the need to undertake more robust empirical work on the growing Arabic international student cohort in the UK. This mixed methods research will be a valuable contribution to UK educators in helping Arabic students learn effectively at the same time achieving institutional goals as well as meeting the educational expectations and needs of Arabic students in the UK. Research question This dissertation aims to answer the central question, What difficulties do Arabic students in the UK face when learning the English language? There are two sub-questions proposed which will guide the outcomes of this research. What issues do Arabic students face in English language learning? The literature review suggests that the difficulties Arabic international students may face when learning the English language are multi-faceted. It may involve basic structural differences between Arabic and English (Shabbir Bughio 2003), cultural issues (Elyas and Picard 2010), motivation and self-esteem (Al-Tamimi Shuib 2009), and social issues (Shammas 2009). What strategies do they use to overcome the barriers identified? After discovering the issues that Arabic international students face in English language learning, it is important to uncover the strategies that they employ in order to cope with the difficulties faced. Rationale and context The context of this proposed dissertation is of a general and personal nature. ESL literacy has always been an ongoing academic interest of the researcher. While in the past, learning the English language was viewed as a betrayal of the mother tongue for most Arabic students, the demands of free market globalisation has prompted a renewed vigour among Arab universities and Arabic students to become proficient in the English language. On a personal level, I have always been concerned with the skills of Arabic international students in reading and writing. Studying the English literacy experiences of these students will contribute to an increase in our understanding as to what strategies could help Arabic students obtain English proficiency and attain their educational goals. At the same time, it will also address the gap in literature which can inform the policymaking and institutional practice of UK universities in meeting the needs and expectations of Arabic international English learners. By describing the experiences of Saudi students in L2 literacy experience, we can begin to draft useful conclusions, implications, and recommendations to contribute to second language acquisition and proficiency in general and ESL literacy in particular. Literature review A preliminary literature review reveals significant themes related to the difficulties that Saudi international students experience in learning the English language. 1. Basic structural differences of Arabic and English The most common difficulty experienced in English language learning and proficiency among Arab students lies in the basic structural differences between the mother tongue and the second language. For instance, Arabic writing does not use capitalisation and uses different rules in punctuation from English (Shabbir Bughio 2003). Spelling is also a problem since in Arabic, there is only one letter per sound so the spelling part is much more challenging in English. A study revealed that students struggle with spelling silent alphabets located in the middle of English words such as half or knowledge. Pronunciation of English words is also problematic since Arab speakers often use Arabic phonetics to pronounce words (Salebi 2004). As a result, words like stupid are pronounced istobbid while pregnant is pronounced brignent (Shabbir Bughio 2003). The use of commas and conjunctions is also another difficulty for Arabic students because the usage is different in Arabic and English contexts ( Rababah 2002). The same is true on the use of English prepositions; due to the varied nature and usage of prepositions in English, many Arabic students opt to translate each Arabic preposition in English (Shabbir Buhgio 2003). Kambal (1980) documented major syntactic errors in the compositions of Arab students in the Sudanese University particular in verb formation, subject-verb agreement, and use of tenses. 2. Motivation in learning EFL Motivation has been an established predictor of success EFL outcomes (Al-Tamimi Shuib 2006). Consequently, a learners attitude towards the second language affects his or her outcomes in English language learning. Gardner and Lambert (1972:3) explained that a learners motivation to learn is reflected in the latters attitudes towards English speakers as well as towards the English language itself. In fact, empirical research has pointed to a learners general attitude towards knowledge as an influential variable in second language acquisition and proficiency (Arkoudis 2003). Moreover, self-esteem has been shown to be a significant predictor in writing achievement among Arabic secondary students (Al-Hattab 2006). Beliefs on the English language are mediated by culture and social characteristics (Ely 1986). This means that not all people hold uniform epistemological beliefs about L2 language acquisition and that our appreciation of the knowledge process is dependent upon our different co ntexts. Some argue however that while motivation and attitudes towards the L2 language is important, it is not a sufficient condition in language proficiency (Ely 1986). In a survey of Arabic students in Australia, general attitudes towards the English language were positive; most believed that English symbolised technological advancement and modernity (Suleiman 1983). In another study, it was found that positive attitudes toward English language learning were related to EFL outcomes (Ghaith and Diab 2008). 3. Cultural issues Culture plays an important role in the English language learning process, especially in relation to language instruction (Elyas and Picard 2010). In Saudi Arabia, classroom instruction is delivered in a different manner from Western schools. The classroom is a place where the teacher is an established head and the students role is defined in terms of quietness of loving to listen (Jamjoom 2009, as cited Elyas and Picard 2010). Teacher-student relationships in the Saudi context are feudal; teachers and instructors occupy a high tier in the classroom and so-called student-centred pedagogy is not a common practice (Gallagher 1989). The implication of this is that most Saudi students are not accustomed to interactive teaching processes, one that cultivates proficiency in the English language. Arabic students only learn English from formal instruction and the classroom itself does not provide a venue wherein they could practice their English communication skills (Rababah 2002). This class room acculturation creates potential problems in the context of English language learning in a UK university where classroom interaction is a popular teaching model. Most Arabic students become unsociable in class, do not recite as often as needed, and speak English only when directed formally (Ghaith and Diab 2008). Moreover, teacher attitudes and behaviours towards Saudi students may also count against EFL. Cross-cultural differences have been shown to affect classroom sociability of Arabic students (Rababah 2002). 4. Social issues Alienation in the university setting has been found to influence the academic outcomes of Arabic international students in the USA (Shammas 2009) particularly after the 9/11 terror attacks. The same alienation was reported by Arabic students when the school climate became hostile in some universities within the UK (Rich and Troudi 2006). The level of integration that Arabic international students experience in their universities is helpful in enhancing motivation to learn the English language (Shammas 2009). Feelings of isolation due to the loss of social capital increases sociability among Arabic international students and may result to loss of self-esteem and motivation. Those who are able to renew their social capital by connecting with new friends Arabic or not have a greater chance of being successful in being proficient in the English language. Research approach Empirical work examining the processes of second language acquisition and the effectiveness of strategies focused on learning English as a second language has utilised both quantitative and qualitative research approaches (Ghaith and Diab 2008; Al-Hattab 2006; Rabab-ah 2002). This study proposes a mixed methods approach integrating both qualitative and quantitative elements to more adequately explore the English language learning process among Arabic international students in the UK. Considered a bridge between the quantitative and qualitative realms of research, mixed methods research draws upon the strengths of both paradigms to generate a more complete and thorough investigation of a topic or phenomenon (Johnson and Onwuegbuzie 2004). To this end, mixed methods research supposes that the two research paradigms can be reconciled, maximising the strengths of both while minimising their weaknesses at the same time (Tashakkori and Teddlie 2003). In deciding what research approach best suits the purposes of this study, I considered two ontological positions constructivist and positivist on the topic. Firstly, I consider that Arabic students are differently situated and construct their realities from their own experiences and values. In this regard, there is no one version of reality that could be gleaned (Denzin and Lincoln 1994) on how Arabic international students experience English language learning. Secondly, however, I believe that it is possible to establish what a causal relationship (Creswell 2003) or the particular factors predict English language proficiency among Arabic students in general. In other words, we can determine what specific difficulties can influence English language proficiency among Arabic students. From a pragmatic point of view, both ontological positions are useful in this investigation, hence, a mixed methods paradigm. Why use a stand-alone paradigm when you can use two paradigms and in the pro cess, capture the phenomenon being studied more fully? Mixed methods research is a methodologyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ philosophical framework, method, and techniques of data collection and analysis which combines both quantitative and qualitative processes throughout the entire research cycle (Creswell and Plano Clark 2007:5). The benefits of conducting mixed methods research are three-fold: 1) it allows a holistic investigation of a phenomenon; 2) it enables a macro- and micro- investigation of the phenomenon; and 3) it has validating capacity of quantitative with qualitative methods and vice versa (Onwuegbuzie and Leech 2004). This study proposes a research approach consisting of two phases. The first phase is the quantitative phase; the goal is to determine what specific issues Arabic students face in learning the English language and how these variables are related to each other. The second phase builds on the results of the quantitative phase and explains the outcomes more fully. The quantitative phase will utilise a web-based survey questi onnaire to be followed by face-to-face interviews for the qualitative phase. The idea of this research technique is that by integrating both numerical data (survey questionnaire) and textual data (interviews), the difficulties Arabic international students phase in English language learning can be captured more completely and comprehensively. Research Design There are several variations in design to a mixed methods study. Three issues are considered in the selection of the specific mixed methods design for this particular research: priority, implementation, and integration (Creswell and Plano Clark 2007). Priority specifies which method is emphasised; implementation identifies whether data collection and analysis is done sequentially (different stages) or concurrently (parallel stages); and integration defines the connectedness between the results of the two phases. This study uses the sequential explanatory design to investigate the experiences of Arabic international students in English language learning. Sequential explanatory design A sequential explanatory design is chosen. The data collection and analysis will consist of two phases (Creswell, 2003; Onwuegbuzie and Teddlie 2003). The first phase will use a web-based survey questionnaire to be answered by a manageable random sample of Arabic international students enrolled in one UK university. Data collected will be analyzed through descriptive statistics and chi-square. The second phase of the study will proceed after the completion of the first phase. It will build on the findings of the first phase and use individual semi-structured interviews of five Arabic international students. The goal of the second phase is provide a more in-depth explanation of the difficulties experienced by Arabic students and the strategies they use to overcome these difficulties. Through the integration of data from both the quantitative and qualitative phase, the results will be refined and the phenomenon explored in a more holistic manner. More specifically, this explanatory mix ed methods research uses the follow-up explanations variant in an attempt to understand more fully the process in which Arabic students learn English in foreign universities. The follow-up explanations model is selected because the qualitative phase means to explain and expand on quantitative results (Creswell 2003: 43). The priority phase of this study is the qualitative phase because of its capability to provide a more complete picture of the phenomenon being considered. Using a pragmatic ontological position which values positivist and interpretivist assumptions, the study uses two general instruments and triangulation methods to establish validity and reliability of research findings. Phase 1: Quantitative (Survey questionnaires) A self-constructed online survey questionnaire will be used to gather data on the difficulties experienced by Arabic students in English language learning. Items in the questionnaire will be drawn from the literature review and will measure difficulties in five aspects: 1) structural adjustments from Arabic to English (spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc.), 2) motivation, 3) cultural issues, and 4) social issues. After the selection of participants, a URL will be sent via email to participants advising them to read the consent form and to indicate their compliance. The survey will also be available on Facebook and other social networking sites. After gathering data, results will be analyzed using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics. Phase 2: Qualitative (Face-to-face interviews) After the first phase of data collection and data analysis, in-depth interviews will be scheduled with six Arabic international students in order to gather information that will further explain the results of the survey questionnaire. A semi-structured interview guide will be developed in order to allow the participants to discuss their answers in a more flexible manner. The semi-structured nature of the interview guide will also allow the researcher to clarify or ask follow-up questions that can further refine the data. Interviews will be audiotaped with the participants consent and transcribed immediately afterwards. Qualitative analysis will be used to gather recurring themes from the interview data. Validity and Reliability To establish the validity and reliability of the outcomes of this study, content validity and triangulation through multiple sources will be used. To establish content validity, the survey instrument will be evaluated by a panel of specialists. Multiple sources such as documents and academic papers will also be requested from interviewees. Member checking will be done to verify the accuracy of the transcribed interviews. Ethical Issues The following ethical considerations are identified. Institutional requirements will be met before data collection. Permission to conduct the study will be obtained by securing approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the University. The researcher will complete the ethics form and wait for approval before beginning the collection of data. Consent will be secured. An informed consent will be drafted to explain to participants the purposes and objectives of the study as well as the rights of participants regarding confidentiality and voluntarism. The same form will be attached to the online survey as proof of compliance with ethical requirement for research. Anonymity and confidentiality of information will be guaranteed. Procedures will be done to protect the rights of human subjects. Every completed questionnaire will be coded in order to hide the identity of participants. For the personal interviews conducted, each participant will be informed that the interview will be audiotaped for documentation. Transcript of the interviews will use pseudonyms instead of real names. Data storage requirements will also be complied with. Transcripts and hard drives will be secured in a locked cabinet to be destroyed after the study is published. Bias will be bracketed to minimise prejudicial interpretation of data. Ethics requires the researcher to fully disclose any potential conflicts of interest. Bias is acknowledged to arise from data collection until the final phases of the study. Risk of bias will be minimised through bracketing and a written reflection log to trace subjectivities. Research schedule 2011 Activities May Completion of dissertation proposal June IRB form completed and passed July Additional literature review Survey questionnaire developed August Methodology chapter finalised Survey questionnaire piloted and evaluated Revisions to questionnaire finalised September Selection of participants October First phase of data gathering Analysis of results quantitative phase November Write up of results and advising December Refining of literature review Drafting of interview guide and approval 2012 January Selection of interviewees Conduct of interviews Transcription and qualitative analysis February Integration of findings from Phase 1 and Phase 2 Meet with supervisor Pass first draft of findings and conclusions March Check references. Finalise draft. April Final proofreading and revisions. Send to binders. May Submit bound copies by May 2012. Reflective commentary Writing this dissertation proposal has not only been a significant educational experience for me; it was also a reflexive opportunity. I was given an avenue with which to consider my own perspectives about obtaining higher education in a foreign university and the experiences which have so far brought me to the level I am now situated. Preparing the literature review was the most rewarding part of all because it enabled me to acknowledge the multifaceted and complex nature of the English language learning process. Simply put, acquiring a second language is not a simple feat. It is influenced by multiple factors and influences. While I was able to gather the most significant themes associated with English language learning among Arabic international students, I look forward to constructing the more detailed literature review in the future.