Ethnic Cleansing And Genocide Criminology Essay

Ethnic Cleansing And Genocide Criminology Essay As long as I have any choice, I will stay only in a country where political liberty, toleration, and equality of all citizens before the law are the rule. -Albert Einstein. For centuries, man has been fighting with his brother, over man-made issues of differences in their status, nationality, race, colour, religion to name a few. In India itself, this differentiation has taken shape in the form of differences in class, differences between Muslims and Hindus, Sikhs and Christians, recent incidents taking place in Orissa and Kerala are gory examples of the same. In fact, this in essence has also taken place in Maharashtra in 2008 wherein almost 20,000 North Indians fled Pune and other such cities, the same revealed by an article in the Indian Express. Statistics in fact have shown that man is being a threat himself to another man causing his mass exodus. Despite the advancement in technology man doesnt seem to want to co-exist with another, a deficiency which will lead to its self-destruction sooner or later. This is essentially the concept of ethnic cleansing, an international crime progressively taking more antagonistic forms as time passes. In principle, an ethnic group  [1]  would be defined as a community whose heritage offers important characteristics in common between its members and which makes them distinct from other communities. There is a boundary, which separates us from them, and the distinction would probably be recognized on both sides of that boundary. Ethnicity is a multi-faceted phenomenon based on physical appearance, subjective identification, cultural and religious affiliation, stereotyping, and social exclusion.  [2]   The phrase ethnic cleansing was originally introduced by reporters covering the Yugoslav wars of disintegration between 1991 and 1995, but as a course of action it is much older than that.  [3]  By definition, it has been defined as a phenomenon wherein one ethnic group expels members of other ethnic groups from a geographic area in order to create ethnically pure enclaves for members of their ethnic group.  [4]   However, the complexities involved when it comes to ethnic cleansing, is that till date despite the number of occurrences there exists a blur when it comes to differences between genocide and ethnic cleansing.  [5]  Also, the number of incidents wherein ethnic cleansing has taken place makes one question the effectiveness and the authority of the UN and the several other peace keeping bodies.  [6]   It is also pertinent to note that while in theory, the purpose of ethnic cleansing is to drive all members of the victimized group out of a territory. In practice, ethnic cleansing is nearly synonymous with genocide because mass murder is a common characteristic of both. Though, therefore, there is a thin line between the two crimes, it is the need of the hour to differentiate between the two crimes and do away with the pervasive ambiguities. analysis: genocide and its incidents: In order, to be able to differentiate between the concepts of genocide and ethnic cleansing it is first important to understand each of these concepts individually. Ergo, this part will basically focus on the definition of genocide as arrived at in several landmark judgments and also its main essentials, with the natural corollary of looking at the definition of ethnic cleansing. The term genocide was coined by Raphael Lemkin using the combination of the Greek word genos (race or tribe) and the Latin word cide (killing).  [7]  Article II of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, 1948 defines the term genocide to include killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, amongst several other things  [8]  , which was accepted as being part and parcel of the customary international law or jus cogens in the case of Prosecutor v. Goran Jelisic.  [9]   The case of Advisory Opinon of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in Reservations to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, defines genocide as follows: a crime under international law involving a denial of the right of existence of entire human groups, a denial which shocks the conscience of mankind and results in great losses to humanity, which is contrary to moral law and to the spirit and aims of the United Nations.  [10]   Genocide without exceptions made is considered to the most despicable crime when it comes to crimes against humanity, which is why Courts are reluctant in arriving at a conclusion which affirms the existence of genocide. It essentially requires two components for the said crime to take the form of genocide, viz. Actus Reus and Mens Rea. These go hand in hand wherein if any of the acts mentioned above have been committed with the necessary specific intent (dolus specialis).  [11]   In the Jelisic  [12]  case it was held that the special nature of this intent supposes the discriminatory nature of the act wherein a group is targeted discriminatorily as such and in this context genocide is closely related to the crime against humanity.  [13]  The Court again found the existence of this specific intent in the case of Akeysu  [14]  wherein the Trial Chamber I held that the rape of Tutsi women in Rwanda in 1994 constituted the crime of genocide.  [15]  In the case of Bosnia-Herzegovina v. Yugoslavia it was held that genocide could be committed both at time of peace as well as of armed conflict.  [16]   Therefore, a perusal of the aforementioned cases clearly shows there is a need of specific intent in case of indictments for the crime of genocide.  [17]   Ethnic Cleansing and its incidents: The 1990s has had the most number of instances wherein the crime of ethnic cleansing has been recorded. This has been attributed by the UN to various political parties which indulge in the same by ruling various States. This power was clearly wielded by the Shiv Sena party in Maharashtra with their jingoistic tactics in expelling Non-Maharashtrians. Blacks Law Dictionary defines ethnic cleansing as: The officially sanctioned forcible and systematic diminution or elimination of targeted ethnic minorities from a geographic area by confiscating real and personal property, ordering or condoning mass murders and mass rapes and expelling the survivors. Few authors are of the opinion that the crime of ethnic cleansing is a 20th Century phenomenon while most others disagree.  [18]  A prototype of ethnic cleansing can be taken from the experience of the Jews during the Nazi Regime, where in order to create Lebensraum, or living space, Hitler, the dictator started an expansionist drive to create a pure Germany. The term ethnic cleansing, a literal translation of the Serbo-Croatian phrase etnicko ciscenje, has resulted in a lot of atrocities like mass killings as well as rape as a means of creating supremacy over the minorities.  [19]   In many of these campaigns, women were targeted for particularly brutal treatment-including systematic rape and enslavement-in part because they were viewed by perpetrators as the carriers, biologically and culturally, of the next generation of their nations. Because many men in victimized populations left their families and communities to join resistance groups once violence began, women and children were often defenseless.  [20]  Statistics shows that the Bosnia-Herzegovina war envisaged a shocking estimate of 20,000 women who endured sexual assaults in the form of either torture or rape. Serbian political and military leaders systematically planned and strategically executed this policy of ethnic cleansing or genocide with the support of the Serbian and Bosnian Serb armies and paramilitary groups to create a Greater Serbia: a religiously, culturally, and linguistically homogenous Serbian nation.5  [21]  The promulgation of the concept of ethnic cleansing and the practices it represents are a grim, contemporary reminder of the global nature of interethnic and interracial inequality and strife.  [22]   The following passage taken from an article is proof of the mass destruction and depraved justice that took place during the Bosnia-Herzegovina War: More than two million people-almost half the population- are still dispossessed of their homes. Some 600,000 of these are refugees abroad who have not yet found durable solutions, many of whom face the prospect of compulsory return into displacement within Bosnia and Herzegovina in the near future. Another 800,000 have been internally displaced to areas in the control of their own ethnic group, living in multiple occupancy situations, in collective centres or in property vacated by the displacement of others, often in situations of acute humanitarian concern. The fundamental issue for the future of the post-war society of Bosnia and Herzegovina is whether these people can or will return to their homes.  [23]   A case study shows that the challenges of post 1980 former Yugoslavia were exacerbated by the countrys demographic and socio-cultural make-up, comprising several ethnonationalities with different religions, mentalities, histories and levels of development. In the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina the authoritarian regimes and their leaders were the main sources of human rights violations. Nationalism and hatred of other peoples and religions were probably the reasons for the brutal break up of the former Yugoslavia. Ethnonationalism was, and has largely remained, widely and deeply entrenched among the constituent groups.  [24]   Various authorities indicate that the notion of ethnic cleansing takes place when there is a deportation of mass population on the basis of their ethnic differences in order to create a homogenous ethnic State. While a crime like genocide inevitably results in imposing criminal liability, it has been stated by several authors that since the term ethnic cleansing does not appear in any of the laws the same is not punishable as long as genocide, rape or other crimes against humanity have not been used, which have been banned by several legal instrument.  [25]   This argument however is to be rendered untenable  [26]  as though, ethnic cleansing per se doesnt feature under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, it can be included under crimes against humanity under Article 7 which speaks of Deportation or forcible transfer of population  [27]  equivalent to ethnic cleansing. Moreover, a perusal of the Statute of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia under Article 4  [28]  also makes the crime of ethnic cleansing punishable. The Trial Chamber  [29]  in a particular case was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the crimes that were committed in the Bosnian Krajina from April 1992 until the end of December 1992, the period relevant to the Indictment, occurred as a direct result of the over-arching Strategic Plan. The ethnic cleansing was not a by-product of the criminal activity; it was its very aim and thus an integral part of the Strategic Plan.  [30]   Therefore, a perusal of the aforementioned authorities helps one understand essentially the concept of ethnic cleansing and the essentials thereof. differences between the two: Andrew Bell-Fialkoff in his book, has remarked thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the crime of ethnic cleansing defies easy definition. At one end it is virtually indistinguishable from forced emigration and population exchange while at the other it merges with deportation and genocide. At the most general level, however, ethnic cleansing can be understood as the expulsion of a population from a given territory.  [31]   Different authors have different opinions regarding the differences between these two, while some state such a difference exists only in theory while other claim it to exist practically as well. From a perusal of the above, genocide and ethnic cleansing can be differentiated in three ways: (1) Need of intent: Genocide could be a means to commit ethnic cleansing, but the purpose of such a crime then would not be murder but would be otherwise. Furthermore, in contrast to genocide, there is no need for special intent under the crime of ethnic cleansing, making it easier for parties to establish a crime of ethnic cleansing in comparison to a charge of genocide leveled against a particular party to the dispute.  [32]  It has been found under various texts that the requirement of specific intent is not found under ethnic cleansing, making it easier to prove before the International Courts in comparison to the crime of genocide.  [33]   (2) The purpose: The purpose under genocide is the physical destruction of an ethnical, racial or a religious group, while that of ethnic cleansing is the founding of ethnically homogeneous lands. The means used for the latter could also be genocide.  [34]   (3) Ends achieved: While genocide results in physical destruction of a particular minority groups, ethnic cleansing results in the flight of a community not necessarily mass killing.  [35]   As found in the previously, it may not always be feasible to point out differences between the two. In fact, this clear cut distinction has been reduced by various subsequent measures taken by the authoritative bodies. In 1992 concerning the hostilities in Yugoslavia, the UN General Assembly  [36]  clearly stated that ethnic cleansing is a form of genocide.  [37]   To worsen the situation, in the case of Prosecutor v. Krstic,  [38]  , the Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), expressly diverging from the wider interpretation of the notion of intent to destroy by the United Nations made a difference between ethnic cleansing and genocide. an enterprise attacking only the cultural or sociological characteristics of a human group in order to annihilate these elements which give to that group its own identity distinct from the rest of the community would not fall under the definition of genocide. Similarly, in the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Serbia and Montenegro (Case concerning the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide) the International Court of Justice  [39]  have also upheld the above judgment based on the same reasoning.  [40]  Various scholars also have given views similar to that found in the above cases wherein a distinction has been made between the two offences.  [41]   Therefore, there remains doubt in this unchattered territory, but courts generally refrain from holding a state or an official responsible for the offence of genocide in comparison to that of ethnic cleansing. Conclusion: From an analysis of the above judgments, we find that there exists a very thin line between the concepts of genocide and that of ethnic cleansing. There is a need to attain consistency with regard to the various opinions on the same, consistency being an essential or cannon of any law. The basic bone of contention is in fact this lack of uniformity in interpreting the law by the courts. That apart, a need is felt that stricter international norms be laid down in order to ensure that a crime like ethnic cleansing taking the form of international crimes like rape, genocide does not take place at the ferocity that it has been since the 1990s.  [42]   It should be realized by the UN and various other monitoring bodies that it is imperative that a clear cut distinction be made between the two, agreed, a strait-jacket formula cannot be applied, but it should lay down certain parameters for determining when ethnic cleansing takes place. As of now, the definition of the said terms remains uncertain in international law. States should realize that even the magna carta Universal Declaration of Human Rights  [43]  ordains equality on each and every human being, which would immediately render the offence of ethnic cleansing purposeless.  [44]   It is to be necessarily understood that, As long as the criminals are divided into ours and theirs; as long as ethnic discrimination is not replaced with moral and professional criteria; as long as already initiated democratic processes do not take roots; there will be little chance of reconciliation, economic development and respect for the human rights and freedoms.  [45]   Therefore, an attempt has been made by virtue of this project to understand the basic differences between these two types of crimes which are basically instigated against other human beings and the same conclusion has been arrived at with the help of leadings judgments and opinions of various authors on the same. Ethnic cleansing results in the division of a particular country into several fragments, there more the disputes the more these fragments will break and finally there shall be nothing for one to offer. This has been aptly illustrated in the following paragraph: In Germany they first came for the communists; and I didnt speak up because I wasnt a communist. Then they came for the Jews; and I didnt speak up because I wasnt a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists; and I didnt speak up because I wasnt a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics; and I didnt speak up because I wasnt a Catholic. Then they came for me and by that time there was nobody left to speak up. Martin Niemoller

Purchase decision of apartments in metropolitan India

Purchase decision of apartments in metropolitan India Factors affecting the purchase decision of apartments in metropolitan India Abstract Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into the motivation behind Indian buyers when looking to purchase an apartment. The factors driving demand preferences for apartments are not well established and are difficult to measure, and often builders may not have an insight into what buyers are looking for. Design/methodology/approach The research in this paper is based on telephonic interviews and internet based survey with recent purchasers, who bought a home in the past 1 year and prospective purchasers looking to buy an apartment in the coming one year. They belonged to number of locations across all metropolitan cities of India Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai. The data were analysed using factor analysis to identify the criteria in an apartment that buyers value the most. This research was done across all ages and irrespective of their intention of why they bought or if this was their first purchase. Further, Cluster analyses was used to determine clusters and one way Anova was used to determine the factors that hold different value to different clusters of people. Discriminant Analysis was used to determine any difference in behaviour of first time purchasers with others. Findings The findings in this paper revealed that issues signifying â€Å"affluence† accounted for approximately 27 percent of the choice of housing by Indian buyers to purchase apartments in metropolitan India. Also, Cluster Analysis revealed that demographically different set of buyers differ significantly in their attitude towards â€Å"Financial† factors. Discriminant analysis revealed that first time buyers give significantly more importance to â€Å"Financial† factors like â€Å"House price†, â€Å"Income† where they give much lesser importance to â€Å"Builder reputation† and â€Å"Status of neighbourhood†. Research limitations/implications The research in this paper is aimed specifically at Indians living in metropolitan cities only which may be very different from the rest of India. The majority of the respondents belong to Delhi, which may also bias the results. The majority of the data has been collected from an online survey which may reduce the validity of the findings. Practical implications If due consideration is given to the factors that buyers are most concerned about, builders of new apartment housing would be better equipped to meet this demand and maximise their profits. Builders will also be able to target buyers better by knowing the difference in preference of first time buyers to others. Originality/value This paper provides an invaluable insight into Indians concept of a suitable apartment in metropolitans. While important decision factors were determined for the entire population, further analysis was done to determine difference in issues felt important to first time buyers. Also, the most important factors were determined for different demographic clusters. Thus in this way, the transaction of purchasing an apartment was analyzed from several points of view. Keywords Consumer behaviour, Purchase, Apartment, India Paper type Research paper INTRODUCTION The Real Estate sector is important to the Indian economy. In terms of employment generation, it is second only to the agricultural sector. The housing sector contributes nearly 5% to Indias GDP. It is expected to rise to 6 per cent in the next five years. Property markets in India are recovering faster than those in the US and the UK. The sector is expected to attract around US$ 12.11 billion of investments in the next five years. Residential space comprises almost 80% of the real estate developed in the country. There is a shortage of 22.4 million dwelling units according to the Tenth Five Year Plan. 80 to 90 million housing units will have to be constructed over the next 10 to 15 years to rectify this, with the majority of them for the middle- and lower-income groups. It is for this reason that residential properties in India, particularly in Mumbai and Delhi, are viewed as very good investments as per a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Urban Land Institute, a global non-profit education and research institute. In the 2009-10 budget, a tax holiday on profits was granted to developers of affordable housing (units of 1,000-1,500 sq ft). This exemption was instituted for projects that started from 2007-08 onwards with a deadline of completion of March 1, 2012. US$ 207 million was also allocated to grant a 1% interest subsidy on home loans up to US$ 20,691 with the caveat that the cost of the home should not be more than US$ 41,382. This was expected to further help the housing sector. An apartment is a residential unit that forms a division of a building. It can be either owned or rented. Some people own their apartments together where each owns a part of the corporation which owns the flat. In condominiums, dwellers own the individual apartments and share the public environment. Living in apartments is gaining popularity in India. 217 townships across India are in the building plans for the Sahara Group. Their allure lies in the convenience that they offer in terms of safety and security and maintenance of utilities like electricity and water. A central maintenance system obviates the need for hiring outside help for minor problems like leaking taps or electric short circuits. Stand-alone homes also require incurring additional costs like buying/leasing land, licensing, duties, etc. Apartments enable maximization of space utilization and reduce demand on public resources. People are also able to avail of additional amenities like gymnasiums, swimming pools, etc. at affordable prices. There is a gap in the literature, however, with regard to the value drivers that dictate purchase decisions of residential property in the country. Similar studies exist for other countries but were found wanting in the Indian context, especially when it comes to apartments. Through this paper, we aim to do the very same, i.e. establish which factors dictate purchase decision and to what extent. We will also correlate these preferences with the demographic profiles and characteristics of our respondents and hence arrive at a greater and much deeper understanding of these issues. We see immense utility for our paper, especially for builders and property dealers who can use our findings in structuring their own business activities. RESEARCH BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS Even though consumer behaviour is generally assumed to be an important part of real estate valuation, buyer preferences are generally not considered during the valuation process. It is basically reduced to the confirmation of a bid price which may or may not be met by the buyer. Efforts are being made to address this fault and many papers have been written on the analysis of motivations of residential property purchasers, attempting to explain them using models such as bounded rationality and hedonic pricing. Hedonic Pricing, or Hedonic Demand Theory as it is also known, decomposes the item of interest into constituents and evaluates the importance of each of them and their contribution to the overall valuation. These factors can be both internal characteristics of the good or service and external factors. In the case of real estate valuation, internal characteristics include layout, structure, etc of the property while status of neighbourhood, proximity to schools, etc are the exter nal factors. Factor Analysis enables us to do just that. It is a statistical method that reduces the number of variables by grouping two or more of them into unknown or hidden variables known as factors. Further analysis is then conducted by looking at the variation among these factors and evaluating their relative performance. These factors are taken to be linear combinations of the original variables plus error terms (Richard L. Gorsuch, 1983). â€Å"Factor analysis seeks to do precisely what humans have been engaged in doing throughout history that is to make order of the apparent chaos of the environment† (Child, 1990). It has great use in evaluating consumer behaviour. Charles Spearman is credited with its invention. He used it in the formulation of the ‘g Theory as part of his research on human intelligence (Williams, Zimmerman, Zumbo Ross, 2003). Over the years it has found uses in fields as diverse as psychometrics, marketing, physical sciences and economics. It can be used to segment consumers on the basis of what benefits they want from the product/service (Minhas Jacobs, 1996). It has evolved as a technique over the years, with many researchers working on fine-tuning and improving the analytical process. Bai Ng (2002) developed an econometric theory for factor models of large dimensions. It focused on the determination of the number of factors that should be included in the model. The basic premise of the authors was that a large number of variables can be modeled by a small number of reference variables. Marketing strategies based on customer preferences and behaviour often make use of this technique during the market research phase (Ali, Kapoor Moorthy, 2010) and while devising and changing the marketing mix (Ivy, 2008). Factor Analysis has also been used in ground water management to relate spatial distribution of various chemical parameters to different sources (Love, Hallbauer, Amos Hranova, 2004). The facility of segmentation that factor analysis offers has been extended to the real estate sector and all studies thereof. Regression analyses are subject to aggregation biases and segmented market models yield better results. This segmentation is done using factor analysis Watkins, 1999). Property researchers have also dedicated a lot of attention to researching the preferences of property buyers and identifying the drivers of property value. A study in Melbourne, Australia (Reid Mills, 2004) analyzed the purchase decisions of first time buyers and tried to determine the most influential attributes that affect the purchase decision using factor analysis. The research findings of the paper indicated that financial issues explain about 30% of the variance in the purchase decisions of first time house-owners. This related to timing, the choice of housing, and the decision to buy new housing. Apart from that the choice of housing is dependent on Site Specific factors (Location) and the decision to buy new housing is dependent on Lifecycle factors, such as family formation, marital status or the size of the existing house. Another study determined that brand, beauty and utility play a defining role in property value (Roulac, 2007). The findings of the paper explain why certain properties command premium prices, relative to other properties. It came to the conclusion that for value determination of high priced properties the overall perception of the brand is the most important factor followed by utility and beauty. Brand names are also very important especially in metropolitan markets as they add to the appeal, distinctiveness of the property. Another way to attract buyers attention is through the mix of neighborhood amenities offered (Benefield, 2009). Neighborhood amenities like tennis courts, clubhouses, golf courses, swimming pool, play park and boating facilities significantly impact property values. Xu (2008) used a hedonic pricing model to study the hous ing market of Shenzhen, China. He operated under the assumption that buyers consider property specifics and location attributes separately when they buy a home. The findings suggest that the marginal prices of attributes are not constant. Instead, they vary with the household profile and location. Cluster analysis involves the grouping of similar objects into distinct, mutually exclusive subsets known as clusters. The objective is to group either the data units or the variables into clusters such that the elements within a cluster have a high degree of natural association among themselves while the clusters remain relatively distinct from one another. Mulvey and Crowder (1979) presented and tested an effective optimization algorithm for clustering homogenous data. Punj and Stewart (1983) reviewed the applications of cluster analysis to marketing problems. They presented alternative methods of cluster analysis to evaluate their performance characteristics. They also discussed the issues and problems related to use and validation of cluster analysis methods. Ketchen and Shook (1996) chronicled the application of cluster analysis in strategic management research. They analyzed 45 published strategy studies and offered suggestions for improving the application of cluster analysis in future inquiries. They believed that cluster analysis is a useful tool but the technique must be applied prudently in order to ensure the validity of the insights it provides. Since Marketing researchers were introduced to discriminant analysis half a century ago, it has become a widely used analytical tool since they are frequently concerned with the nature and strength of the relationship between group memberships. It is especially useful in profiling characteristics of groups that are the most dominant in terms of discrimination. Morrison (1969) explained how discriminant analysis should be conducted using canned applications and how the effect of independent variables should be determined. However, care must be taken when applying discriminant analysis. The potential for bias in discriminant analysis has long been realized in marketing literature. Frank, Massy and Morrison (1965) showed that sample estimates of predictive power in n-way discriminant analysis are likely to be subject to an upward bias. This bias happens because the discriminant analysis technique tends to fit the sample data in ways that are systematically better than would be expected by chance. Crask and Perreault (1977) looked at the validation problems in small-sample discriminant analysis. Various research papers have studied the features that are evaluated while purchasing a home, how these features factor in terms of pricing the residences and how the home owners rate the various scales on importance. Such studies, however, were found lacking in the Indian context. This paper aims to understand the value drivers of apartments in Indian metros using factor analysis. The initial variables that we have considered are as follows Ø House Price This refers to the price/rent that is being charged for the apartment. The real estate market is often segmented using this variable. Ø Availability of Gymnasium, Swimming Pool and other sports facilities Many apartment complexes and housing societies offer recreational facilities to the residents to service their lifestyle needs. Ø Traffic This variable refers to the density of vehicular movement in the location in which the apartment is located. Ø Size of Individual Rooms The size of the rooms within the apartment is also an important factor. Some buyers prefer big, airy rooms while others might want smaller rooms. Ø Proximity to City This refers to the location of the apartment relative to the city boundaries, i.e. whether it is within the city proper or on the outskirts. Ø Ability to obtain Loans This variable stands for the ease with which the buyers can get loans, either through the builder or on their own. Ø Parking Space The availability of parking space is considered important by some consumers. Ø Exterior Look of the Apartment This refers to the faà §ade of the apartment, i.e. whether its attractiveness is a strong enough motivation. Ø Household Income The total income of the household often dictates the purchase decision of families. Ø Perceived Safety of Locality This is a big concern for some customers, especially single women and old people and may significantly influence the purchase decision. Ø Branded Building Components Some consumers may value an apartment more if it has branded fittings, furnishings, etc. Ø View from the apartment This can be an important variable for some customers. Ø Preference for Ground Floor This variable refers to the customers preference for the ground floor relative to other floors. Ø Water Supply This variable means to measure how important it is for the consumers that there is continuous, guaranteed and good quality water supply. Ø Structure This refers to the layout of the apartment whether it is a 2BHK or 3BHK, etc. Ø Status of Neighbourhood For some consumers, the reputation and social standing of the locality that they live is very important. Ø Proximity to Shops and Parks This seeks to measure whether proximity to these places is an important criterion for buyers or not. Ø Interior Design This refers to interior features of the apartment like flooring, lighting, balcony, etc. Ø Availability of Domestic Help This can be important consideration, especially for working couples. Ø Proximity to Schools and Offices This seeks to ask how important such proximity is to the buyer. Ø Builder Reputation Many buyers are heavily influenced by the brand name and reputation of the builder. Ø Monthly Living Costs Certain average monthly expenditure is incurred as living expenses. We seek to gauge the relative value of this variable. Ø Proximity to Public Transport, Major Roads, etc This refers to the accessibility of the apartment with regard to public transport and roads. Ø Power Backup Full power backup in case of power outages is frequently advertised by builders. Whether this actually influences buying behavior needs to be examined. Ø Proximity to friends/relatives homes This can be a big variable that dictates consumers in their decision-making process. Methods Sample The questionnaire was sent to people residing in Indian metropolitan cities. Out of the 172 responses received, 13 were rejected since the respondents had not purchased a property in a metropolitan city. Another 13 were rejected because either the respondents had not purchased the apartment in the last one year or were undecided as to when to purchase the property. Finally out of all the respondents 146 (84.9%) were identified. Measures The 25 variables were measured by a Likert scale with responses ranging from 1 (Very Low Importance) to 5 (Very High Importance). Analysis This study uses four tests to analyze the factors involved in purchase of an apartment. The first test conducted is the factor analysis which is used to club the variables in order to determine the purchase criteria of apartments. Thus, in this analysis the broad set of variables will be constricted to determine the smaller set of factors that can explain what home owners look for when purchasing an apartment. After this, a cluster analysis was conducted to determine the various clusters (groups) that exist within the demographic population. On the above said factor analysis and cluster analysis, a one way ANOVA was conducted in order to determine the order of preferences of each factors amongst such clusters. Finally, a discriminant analysis was conducted to identify factors that best differentiate the first time purchasers with others. Results The first test conducted was the factor analysis. Under this test, we followed the Principal Component Analysis method on the 25 variables to combine the correlated variables into factors. The KMO value calculated is 0.799 is above the suggested value of 0.5 which indicates that it is good idea to proceed with Factor Analysis. On the basis of the computations as represented in the Rotated Component Matrix (Table 1), the following factors were received: Affluence, Financial, location, lifestyle, Site-Specific. The variables were classified into a factor if their loading for the respective factor was greater than 0.4. Also, two other unnamed factors were received which remained so due to the fact that no factor can be formed between two variables. We have followed the Kaiser criterion (1960) of retaining only those factors that are greater than one. The initial research on 25 variables was reduced as the variables on domestic help, floor and proximity to friends/relatives was removed a fter the factor analysis was done. Domestic help was removed because it loaded on three factors (Financial, Location and Lifestyle) equally. Preference of Ground Floor was removed from the analysis as it showed a positive loading and negative loading on each of two factors which means that while some considered ground floor to be in consideration other considered the penthouse to be better. Proximity to friends/relatives was removed as it was the only variable in factor 6 (unnamed) and thus no factor can be made by one variable. The results of the Factor Analysis are as under: Rotated Component Matrix Variable Name Affluence Financial Location Lifestyle Site-Specific Unnamed Unnamed Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3 Factor 4 Factor 5 Factor 6 Factor 7 Traffic 0.768 Gym/Pool/Sports Facility 0.755 View from Apartment 0.721 Builder Reputation 0.644 Parking Space 0.568 Status 0.513 Monthly Cost of Living 0.764 Household Income 0.735 Availability of Loan 0.691 Availability of Domestic Help 0.498 0.414 0.435 Proximity to Schools/Office 0.778 Proximity to Transport 0.607 Proximity to City 0.575 0.424 -0.401 Proximity to Shops/Parks 0.546 Interior Design 0.768 Branded Components 0.712 Power Backup 0.594 Structure 0.741 Size 0.580 0.598 Safety 0.549 Preference of Ground Floor -0.415 0.423 Proximity to Friends/Relatives 0.845 Water Supply 0.410 0.652 House Price 0.405 0.508 Exterior Look 0.426 0.405 -0.464 Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis. Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization. Rotation converged in 21 iterations. Table 1 Factor Loadings- Purchase of an Apartment Table 2 Factor Analysis Factor No. Factor Name Eigen Values Total Variance (%) Cumulative Variance (%) 1 Affluence 6.826 27.306 27.306 2 Financial 2.9 11.600 38.906 3 Location 1.835 7.342 46.248 4 Lifestyle 1.504 6.016 52.264 5 Site-Specific 1.447 5.788 58.052 6 1.129 4.516 62.568 7 1.059 4.236 66.804 The second test that was conducted was the Cluster analysis and has done to segment the respondents on demographic variables of Age, Gender, City and Number of members in the family. Squared Euclidean distance and average linkage hierarchical clustering method was used. At fusion coefficient value of 1.0, two distinct clusters were evident. On conducting a One way ANOVA to compare means with the demographic variables we observe that the two clusters are differ on the mean age with a significance of 0%. The first cluster consists of a younger population with an average age of 37 approximately and the s

Pros and Cons of MTBE in Gasoline :: Pro Con Essays

Pros and Cons of MTBE in Gasoline MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, is an oxygenate commonly used in gasoline in America, Europe, and other countries throughout the world. It is a compound created by the chemical reaction of methanol and isobutylene that is added to gasoline because of its high octane level, allowing gasoline to reach the required octane levels and still include a gasoline component. In addition, because it is an oxygenate, MTBE helps gasoline more fully combust, which increases performance and reduces the amount of harmful pollutants such as CO, VOCs, NOx, and particulates released into the atmosphere from automobile exhaust [EFOA]. However, opposition has recently arisen against the use of MTBE in gasoline. Every underground gas tank eventually leaks, and the gasoline is soaked up by the surrounding ground. MTBE is not soluble in water; therefore, when the gasoline leaks out of the tank, the MTBE pollutes the ground water (well water), and eventually the surface water also. In addition, though MTBE reduces the amount of most pollutants released from automobiles, it also produces a harmful pollutant, formaldehyde, when combusted [CECA]. Even worse, a study performed by a medical researcher from the University of Pennsylvania, shows that MTBE may be the cause of a seventeen percent increase in asthma among kindergarten students since it has been utilized in gasoline. The study also shows that MTBE has failed to improve smog levels in the years it has been in use [Jones]. Therefore, is MTBE good or bad? It is still early to give a definite answer, however the banning of MTBE in many states in the US in exchange for its most common alternative, ethanol, shows signs that MTBE is doing more harm than help. To be fair, if more strict legislation were to be passed to force gas stations to maintain leak free tanks, much of MTBE’s pollutant problems would be solved. Pros and Cons of MTBE in Gasoline :: Pro Con Essays Pros and Cons of MTBE in Gasoline MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, is an oxygenate commonly used in gasoline in America, Europe, and other countries throughout the world. It is a compound created by the chemical reaction of methanol and isobutylene that is added to gasoline because of its high octane level, allowing gasoline to reach the required octane levels and still include a gasoline component. In addition, because it is an oxygenate, MTBE helps gasoline more fully combust, which increases performance and reduces the amount of harmful pollutants such as CO, VOCs, NOx, and particulates released into the atmosphere from automobile exhaust [EFOA]. However, opposition has recently arisen against the use of MTBE in gasoline. Every underground gas tank eventually leaks, and the gasoline is soaked up by the surrounding ground. MTBE is not soluble in water; therefore, when the gasoline leaks out of the tank, the MTBE pollutes the ground water (well water), and eventually the surface water also. In addition, though MTBE reduces the amount of most pollutants released from automobiles, it also produces a harmful pollutant, formaldehyde, when combusted [CECA]. Even worse, a study performed by a medical researcher from the University of Pennsylvania, shows that MTBE may be the cause of a seventeen percent increase in asthma among kindergarten students since it has been utilized in gasoline. The study also shows that MTBE has failed to improve smog levels in the years it has been in use [Jones]. Therefore, is MTBE good or bad? It is still early to give a definite answer, however the banning of MTBE in many states in the US in exchange for its most common alternative, ethanol, shows signs that MTBE is doing more harm than help. To be fair, if more strict legislation were to be passed to force gas stations to maintain leak free tanks, much of MTBE’s pollutant problems would be solved.

Essay examples --

To what extent were the slaves lives affected by the Civil War? Before, During, and After. The American Civil War began officially on April 12 1861, and it lasted all the way to May 10th 1865. The War began not for the reason of eradicating slavery but to save the Union, but later the motive changed slowly but surely into fighting to eliminate slavery from the United States. When the war begun Union troops were fighting to save the Union but later Lincoln realized that he needs to find a way to free the slaves in the rebellion states in order to win the war and the coming election. The South was using slaves to aid them in the war. The slaves did things like, transferring artillery to battlefields and serving as nurses. During the war President Abraham Lincoln declared the Emancipation Proclamation demanding the freedom of slaves in the rebellion. (The more than 1 million slaves in the loyal border states and in the Union-occupied parts of Louisiana and Virginia were not affected by this proclamation.) Lincoln did not prohibit slavery in the border states out of fear that they might secede from the Union. Some would argue that the reason the Emancipation Pr oclamation was made possible is by the slaves themselves. Even though this still remains a debate, no one can argue the fact that African-Americans had a significant role in the making of the Emancipation Proclamation. The slaves aided the Union troops by fleeing Southern plantations and signing up for the war. For the first time in American history Blacks were allowed to be slightly seen as equals to Whites. For a little while before the Emancipation Proclamation came into full effect, some Union troops were confused about what to do about fugitive slaves. They weren't s... ... just all the white people in the south living condition was in a bad state. The conditions of the African-Americans were much worse. After being free most did not know where to go and did not have a place to stay. Abraham lincoln had promised suffrage for the freed-blacks but that did not come to fruition because of the execution of the president. In th south there was a lack of enforcing the the 14th amendment. And during this time is when the south gave birth to the Jim Crow law. Jim Crow law is the segregation in society of everything that is shared, including bathrooms, restaurants, and schools. After aiding the North in victory of the war, the North left the freed-blacks high and dry. The Jim Crow law made African-Americans second class citizens for almost a century. The Jim Crow mainly took place in the south and the border states; former slave owning states.

The Mystery of Pearl in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Essay -- Scarle

The Mystery of Pearl in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter Among many nuances present in the novel, The Scarlet Letter, is the mystery of Pearl. This mystery is never actually in the real person of Pearl, but in the child she appears to be. At times, the townspeople and even Pearl’s mother, herself, call Pearl the demon-child, a fiend, and a torturer. Hester feels Pearl’s purpose on earth is to torture her but at the same time to be her joy. In reality, Pearl is a normal child, except for the fact that she is somewhat sealed off from the rest of the world. In the novel, Hawthorne makes it appear that Pearl is possibly an abnormal child. Chapter six is where he first discusses the child. In the sixth paragraph of that chapter, Hawthorne writes, "Pearl was a born outcast of the infantile world. An imp of evil, emblem and product of sin, she had no right among christened infants." Early on we see this powerful statement, which is supported by the rest of the novel. In chapter seven when Hester and Pearl are visiting the governor’s mansion, Hawthorne writes, "Pearl, in utter scorn of her mother’s attempt to quiet her, gave an eldritch scream, †¦ because the quick and mobile curiosity of her disposition was excited by the appearance of those new personages." This action of Pearl’s can hardly be seen as normal. Few children scream when meeting people, although many are a bit shy and stay close to their parents. One explanation, though, for this is that Pearl is not used to being around people. She had been shut off from the rest of the world because of her mother’s sin and doesn’t know that screaming around strangers isn’t normal. Pearl’s strange actions in various situations, such as at the governor’s mansion, is not the only t... ...rthy to have been left there, to be the plaything of the angels, after the world’s first parents were driven out. The child had a native grace which does not invariably coexist with faultless beauty; its attire, however simple, always impressed the beholder as if it were the very garb that precisely became it best." Although Pearl appears to be a demon-child, she cannot actually be a demon-child and be worthy of coming forth from Eden at the same time. Pearl can either be a normal child, or an abnormal one, not both. The mystery of Pearl is never in what she actually is because the people in the story are so caught up with Hester’s sin that they attribute the normal actions of a child to a devilish spirit. Had Hester been married to Arthur and given birth to the child, Pearl would have been seen by the people as the beautiful, innocent, and curious girl she was.

The Kiss: a Descriptive Essay

Musee Rodin described Auguste Rodin as the most remarkable sculptor in his time, where he seemingly made flesh out of marble. He was born in Paris on November 12, 1884 and known for creating â€Å"The Age of Bronze†, †The Gates of Hell†, â€Å"The Burghers of Calais†, â€Å"The Thinker†, â€Å"The Kiss† and many other more (biography. com). According to his biography, Rodin created â€Å"The Gates of Hell† as a commissioned entrance piece for a â€Å"never built† planned museum; it featured the sculpted figures of â€Å"The Thinker† (1880) and â€Å"The Kiss† (1886). The Kiss† was originally part of the Gates of Hell inspired by a literature source; however, it was removed due to the positive state of eroticism and iconic image of love (artble. com). Rodin died on November 17, 1917 in Meudon, France and was still working on â€Å"The Gates of Hell† (biography. com) The intimate characterizations of the l overs in Rodin’s work were originally made out of stone and were reproduced in marble and bronze (artble. com). It gave emphasis to size standing 5’ 11 ? (Frank 52), giving the impression of a more realistic view for the viewers; figures positioned in a way that he carved the arms around each other and intricately highlighting his theme of the lovers’ first kiss. The figures being made out of stone, Rodin made the figures skin- smooth, in contrast of the roughness of the stone they were sitting on. Although, observing his work from a photograph, different angled pictures of Rodin’s work undeniably still relayed the concept and emotion the first time you see the sculpture.Rodin’s intricate design demonstrated his skill as an artist; he depicted the emotional and symbolic content of having that first kiss. Rodin carved the figures’ intimate embrace and passionate kiss that displayed their true love, despite the tragedy that befell on them; it was ingeniously molded that the emotion involved was felt by the audience. Rodin’s expectations for the public’s reaction as he captured the moment that made his work marvelous; he created a masterpiece that was romantic and sensual, although the figures were nude it was never sexually concentrated (artble. om). The Kiss’s, also known as the Francesca da Rimini, main inspiration was based on the story from Dante’s Divine Comedy, which depicted the forbidden love of Paolo Malatesta to his sister-in-law Francesca da Rimini, who had an affair 13th century Italy. When Francesca’s husband, Giovanni, caught them as they were having their first kiss, he swiftly stabbed the sinful lovers that led to their tragic death. The couple was true to life figures that Dante met in his lifetime (artble. com; musee-rodin. r). REFERENCE: â€Å"Auguste Rodin. † Bio. The Biography Channel website. n. d. Web. 10 Feb 2013. â€Å"The Kiss. † Artble. n. p. n. d. Web. 09 Feb. 2013. â€Å"The Kiss. † Musee Rodin. Musee Rodin, n. d. Web. 09 Feb. 2013. < http://www. musee-rodin. fr/en/collections/sculptures/kiss > Frank, Patrick. Preble’s Artforms. 10th ed. New Jersey: Pearson, 2011. 52. Print

Home Food VS Fast Food Essay

Homemade food is often treated as a privilege. Low cost of fast food and its nutrition value become a solution for many families who have neither time not money to cook at home. Warnings that fast food is not healthy do not stop Americans who treat it as an essential part of their daily diet. As a result, the prevalence of obese and overweight people plummets. If we look at what is behind attractive pricing strategies and delicious tastes offered at fast food chains, all facts support the idea that homemade food is a better choice. The articles _Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?_ by Mark Bittman and _Fast Food Versus Slow Food_ by Nancy Folbre provide enough facts to motivate people to cook at home. Out of these two articles, Folbre’s specific approach to argumentation makes her writing extremely persuasive and logical advocating cooking at home. One of the biggest advantages of fast food is that it is really fast. People do not spend much time ordering their food and eating it on the go. People tend to work more and cook less than they used to 50 years ago (Folbre). Technological development simplify people’s attitude to food and cooking; all they need is to heat their meals in the microwave oven. Moreover, accessibility of fast food restaurants is becoming better and better. Contrary to this, cooking at home seems less attractive due to the routine related to this process. Grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning up, and developing cooking skills are required. Because time is the most expensive thing in the world, not all people are ready to spend it on cooking. Many  Americans treat cooking as a job and they are confused that they are not paid for it. Complaints of many Americans about lack of time for cooking are common; however, the popularity of food shows is on the peak (Folbre). Instead of cooking, people prefer t o watch how others cook. According to Bittman, there are five fast food restaurants per each supermarket in the United States. If people eat at fast food restaurants, they forget about such chores as cooking and cleaning up and have more time to relax after work. Overall, it is difficult to argue that fast food restaurants are not convenient. In fact, they are life-saving for many people who work long hours and have no time to care about what they eat. Bittman states that average American family watches TV 1.5 hours a day; it means that they have enough free time. They lack motivation to cook and use ‘affordability’ argument to convince others that their behavior is right. A strong belief that cooking at home is expensive stops people from researching the issue in detail. Many of them even do not try to cook at home before they complain that it requires much money. Folbre uses a strong and persuasive argument to prove that home food is not as expensive as people think about it. She finds that people need 30 minutes to cook a burger at home. This time includes time spent on shopping, washing up, cooking, and serving. While an average burger costs around $4, the cost of ingredients for a burger is $1. Folbre states that 30 minutes spent on cooking can be easily compared to driving to a fast food restaurant or standing in line to buy a burger. Homemade burgers become even more affordable is they are cooked for the family because it still takes a bit more than 30 minutes and four burgers are ready as a result. Folbre’s experiment proves that people can afford to eat at home and it can be economical for their budget. However, time spent on cooking is the reason why many people prefer to eat out. Additionally, fast food is expensive according to both Bittman and Folbre, purely organic food is also very expensive because it requires special care and conditions to be produced. At the same time, fast food and organic food are two extremes; there are many other food products which are not too  expensive and healthy. Bittman challenges ‘affordability’ argument providing a list of alternatives which are budget-friendly. Rice with a simple salad costs less than McDonald’s dinner. It does not require developed cooking skills and much time to be ready. There are many TV-shows, YouTube channels and cook books which offer a number of different recipes for all life occasions. Cooking can be fun if people stop perceiving it as a chore. Bittman tries to catch the issue as a whole; as a result, his article complexly argues for home food benefits. Nutrition value of fast food is high; poor people believe that they need calories and eagerly consume fries and soda drinks. According to Bittman, Americans consume more calories they need a day; as a result, it leads to health issue related to weight gain. Fast food is addictive; even when people are full, they feel hungry after a while. There are special chemicals and flavors added to fast food to intensify its taste and make it desired for people. Ordinary home food contains less fat and sugar which makes it more useful for people. People who cook at home always know what ingredients they use to cook their meal which allows them making healthier choices. Also, it is very diverse and all people can find something simple to cook but delicious. In summary, both writers agree that people who experience lack of time and money often eat at fast food restaurants because they believe that it is cheaper than cooking at home. Some of them complain that they do not have time to cook daily. People always have time but set different priorities; some of them prefer to watch TV in the evening and it is their choice. While Bittman tries to persuade people making his argument global, Folbre focuses on the economic side of the issue and creates a solid line of argumentation. I like this specific approach to persuasion more than generalizations sprinkled by random statistics in Bittman’s article. Folbre successfully proves her point of view with the help of her experiment; she rationally counts money and time spent of home cooking to show that it can be economical and fast. Her research persuades me that cooking can be economical showing real examples in life situations. Bittman only lists alternatives while Folbre uses them and checks their relevance. Moreover, it  can be healthier, more nutritious and delicious. Home food contains less sugar and fat while fat is the main source of calories in fast food. People need to try and decide what is better for their health, schedule, and purse. Works Cited Bittman, Mark â€Å"Is Junk Food Really Cheaper†Ã¢â‚¬  Everything’s an Argument with Readings. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013. 660-665. Print. Folbre, Nancy. â€Å"Fast Food Versus Slow Food†. _The_ _New York Times._ July 29, 2013. Web. July 24, 2014.