The Commonwealth of Nations - African History

The Commonwealth of Nations - African History What is the Commonwealth of Nations? The Commonwealth of Nations, or more commonly just the Commonwealth, is an association of sovereign states consisting of the United Kingdom, some of its former colonies, and a few special cases. The Commonwealth nations maintain close economic ties, sporting associations and complementary institutions. When was the Commonwealth of Nations Formed? In the early twentieth century, the government of Britain was taking a hard look at its relationship with the rest of the British Empire, and particularly with those colonies populated by Europeans – the dominions. The dominions had reached a high level of self-government, and the people there were calling for the creation of sovereign states. Even amongst the Crown Colonies, Protectorates, and Mandates, nationalism (and the call for independence) was on the rise. The British Commonwealth of Nations was first noted in the Statute of Westminster on 3 December 1931, which recognized that several of the United Kingdoms self-governing dominions (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa) were autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations. What was new under the 1931 Statute of Westminster was that these dominions would now be free to control their own foreign affairs – they were already in control of domestic affairs – and to have their own diplomatic identity. Which African Countries are Members of the Commonwealth of Nations? There are 19 African states who are currently members of the Commonwealth of Nations. See this Chronological List of African Members of the Commonwealth of Nations, or Alphabetical List of African Members of the Commonwealth of Nations for details. Is it Only ex-British Empire Countries in Africa Who Have Joined the Commonwealth of Nations? No, Cameroon (which had only partially been in the British Empire following World War I) and Mozambique joined in 1995. Mozambique was admitted as a special case (ie could not set a precedent) following democratic elections in the country in 1994. All its neighbors were members and it was felt that Mozambiques support against white-minority rule in South Africa and Rhodesia should be compensated. On the 28th November 2009 Rwanda also joined the Commonwealth, continuing the special case conditions under which Mozambique had joined. What Kind of Membership Exists in the Commonwealth of Nations? The majority of African countries who had been part of the British Empire gained independence within the Commonwealth as Commonwealth Realms. As such, Queen Elizabeth II was automatically the head of state, represented within the country by a Governor-General. Most converted to Commonwealth Republics within a couple of years. (Mauritius took the longest to convert – 24 years from 1968 to 1992). Lesotho and Swaziland gained independence as Commonwealth Kingdoms, with their own constitutional monarchy as head of state – Queen Elizabeth II was recognized only as the symbolic head of the Commonwealth. Zambia (1964), Botswana (1966), Seychelles (1976), Zimbabwe (1980), and Namibia (1990) became independent as Commonwealth Republics. Cameroon and Mozambique were already republics when they joined the Commonwealth in 1995. Did African Countries Always Join the Commonwealth of Nations? All those African countries still part of the British Empire when the Statute of Westminster was proclaimed in 1931 joined the Commonwealth except for British Somaliland (which joined with Italian Somaliland five days after gaining independence in 1960 to form Somalia), and Anglo-British Sudan (which became a republic in 1956). Egypt, which had been part of the Empire until 1922, has never shown an interest in becoming a member. Do Countries Maintain Membership of the Commonwealth of Nations? No. In 1961 South Africa left the Commonwealth when it declared itself a republic. South Africa rejoined in 1994. Zimbabwe was suspended on 19 March 2002 and decided to leave the Commonwealth on 8 December 2003. What Does the Commonwealth of Nations do for its Members? The Commonwealth is best known for the Commonwealth games which are held once every four years (two years after Olympic games). The Commonwealth also promotes human rights, expects members to meet a set of fundamental democratic principles (curiously enough spelt out in the Harare Commonwealth declaration of 1991, given Zimbabwes subsequent departure form the association), to provide education opportunities, and maintain trade links. Despite its age, the Commonwealth of Nations has survived without needing a written constitution. It depends upon a series of declarations, made at Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings.

AP Biology Scores - Learn What You Need for College

AP Biology Scores - Learn What You Need for College Biology is the most popular of the Advanced Placement natural science subjects, and over a quarter million students take the AP Biology exam every year. The great majority of colleges will offer course credit for an exam score of a 4 or 5, although there are a few highly selective schools that do not award either credit or course placement. About the AP Biology Course and Exam The AP Biology is a lab science course, and at least 25 percent of class time will be spent conducting hands-on laboratory learning. Along with important terminology and biological principles, the course covers inquiry and reasoning skills that are central to the sciences. The course is organized around four central ideas that are essential for understanding living organisms and biological system: Evolution. Students must understand the various processes that drive genetic change.Cellular Processes: Energy and Communication. This element of the course focuses on the ways that living systems capture energy and use feedback loops with their external environments.Genetics and Information Transfer. Students learn about sexual and asexual reproduction and the ways in which genetic information is transmitted to offspring.Interactions. From the cellular level to populations to entire ecosystems, biological systems rely upon various types of interactions. Students learn about both competition and cooperation. AP Biology Score Information In 2018, 259,663 students took the AP Biology exam, and the mean score was 2.87.  159,733 (61.5%) of those students scored a 3 or higher indicating that they have proven a level of competency to potentially earn college credit.   The distribution of scores for the AP Biology exam is as follows: AP Biology Score Percentiles (2018 Data) Score Number of Students Percentage of Students 5 18,594 7.2 4 55,964 21.6 3 85,175 32.8 2 73,544 28.3 1 26,386 10.2 :Unlike the SAT or ACT, reporting AP test scores to colleges is typically optional, so a score of 1 or 2 wont necessarily hurt your college chances if you earned good grades in the class. College Credit and Course Placement for AP Biology Most colleges and universities have a science and lab requirement, so a high score on the AP Biology exam will sometimes fulfill this requirement. The table below presents some representative data from a variety of colleges and universities. This information is meant to provide a general overview of the scoring and placement practices related to the AP Biology exam. For other schools, youll need to explore the college website or contact the appropriate Registrars office to get AP placement information. Sample AP Biology Scores and Placement College Score Needed Placement Credit Georgia Tech 5 BIOL 1510 (4 semester hours) Grinnell College 4 or 5 4 semester credits; no placement Hamilton College 4 or 5 1 credit after completing a course beyond BIO 110 LSU 3, 4 or 5 BIOL 1201, 1202 (6 credits) for a 3; BIOL 1201, 1202, 1208, 1209 (8 credits) for a 4 or 5 MIT - no credit or placement for AP Biology Mississippi State University 4 or 5 BIO 1123 (3 credits) for a 4; BIO 1123 and BIO 1023 (6 credits) for a 5 Notre Dame 4 or 5 Biological Sciences 10101 (3 credits) for a 4; Biological Sciences 10098 and 10099 (8 credits) for a 5 Reed College 4 or 5 1 credit; no placement Stanford University - No credit for AP Biology Truman State University 3, 4 or 5 BIOL 100 Biology (4 credits) for a 3; BIOL 107 Introductory Biology I (4 credits) for a 4 or 5 UCLA (School of Letters and Science) 3, 4 or 5 8 credits; no placement Yale University 5 1 credit; MCDB 105a or b, 107a, 109b, or 120a As you can see, some highly selective schools such as UCLA and Grinnell provide elective credits but no placement for a strong AP Biology score. Stanford and MIT have even less confidence in the course and exam, and those schools offer no credit or placement.   A Final Word About AP Biology AP Biology can be an excellent choice for students who are planning a pre-health or pre-vet track in college. This are typically rigorous and structured academic paths, so placing out of a course gives you valuable flexibility in your college schedule. And, of course, youll be entering college with some college-level biology under your belt. AP Chemistry and AP Calculus can also be valuable for students planning to major in STEM fields. Whatever you plan to study in college, taking Advanced Placement classes strengthen your college applications.  A strong academic record is the most important piece of the admissions equation, and success in challenging college-preparatory classes such as Advanced Placement is one of the most meaningful ways that a college can predict your college preparedness.

My Personal Development Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

My Personal Development Portfolio - Essay Example That being said, I still experienced some degree of cultural shock when first I arrived in the United Kingdom. For one thing, the legal system here operates with a higher degree of fairness, and the freedom of speech, too, is something, I admit, I had never experienced before. That being said, however, not all of my early experiences were pleasant. Russian being my primary language, I have no shame whatsoever admitting that learning the English language was rather difficult at first, though I’d like to think I have now been able to attain a certain degree of proficiency in it. Even so, I still intend to further improve in this endeavour. Last but not least, I aim to curb my issues regarding time management and procrastination. My Immediate Objectives My personal development plan places focus on rectifying my weaknesses. It has been my experience that among the weaknesses I mentioned, the most problematic is my still-developing prowess in the English language, not to mention my difficulties in time management and in public speaking. As early as now, then, I’d like to be able to get to address these problems early, so I can use my time later on to focus on more pressing concerns. In this case in particular, fixing my weaknesses will allow me to utilize my strengths to greater effect. For one, typing is a skill I want very much to improve on, but more importantly, I feel it necessary to further improve my command of the English language. Of course, I’m proud of the progress I’ve made on my own; so far, I’ve gotten by practicing with people I know. Formal classes may help me learn at an even faster rate, but if at all possible, I’d rather not have to spend more than I can reasonably afford to.

Conducting a Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Conducting a Market - Essay Example iPhone is the pioneer smartphone that enhanced the mobile phone users’ experiences with its touchpad feature. iPhone has significantly impacted the market share of all leading mobile phones worldwide and has been successful in developing a loyal customer base (Keller, 120). Hence, the paper will analyse the success of iPhone in the smartphone industry and the customer perception about iPhone to gain a deeper understanding about the strategy followed by Apple to exceed the expectations of its customers and make them loyal to the brand. Research objectives Since the foremost goal of the research is to determine the customer perception about Apple’s iPhone, the main research objectives that are addressed in this paper are as follows: 1. To determine the best features of iPhone 2. To identify the customer loyalty level with iPhone 3. To analyse the factors that created a distinctive image of iPhone in the market Importance of the study With the help of the study, an underst anding about the elements that form the customer perception about a brand will be identified. This research will allow the evaluation of various factors that have been the source of Apple’s success. When the marketing strategies of top-ranked brands are studied, it assists in analysing the key constituents that are taken into account to create the desired brand image and the steps taken to retain the customer’s attention. By studying the customer perception about iPhone, the research provided details about interesting facts that the company focuses on exceeding the satisfaction level of its prestigious customers. Limitations of the study As there were time and resource... This report stresses that iPhone is considered to be the best brand in the smartphone industry as it has been providing an exceptional experience to the users. With each new breakthrough invention, Apple continues to enhance the customer expectation level; it has definitely an excellent perceived quality which is evident from the growth in number of customers every year. The phone developers have done a marvellous job by creating the smartphones in a simple and easy to use form. However, the company should try to attract the people of old generation by offering them attractive packages. Apple should try to grab their attention by informing them the positive sides of using the smartphone. This paper makes a conclusion that the customer perception about iPhone is strong and positive and they have trust in the brand that they will be offered only genuine and fine quality products which will ensure that they get value for their money for a long period. As the quality of iPhone is durable, there are fewer chances that the customers face any problem when using it; in case of any issue, they can easily contact the company’s representative who will resolve the matter as soon as possible. Providing customers the after sales services also impacts the brand image of the product in a positive way. Such value added features increases the chances of customers for making repeat purchases when they plan to buy a similar product in future.

Correlational results Essay Example for Free

Correlational results Essay The correlation results show that patronage of Body Shop products because of their being environment friendly is significantly correlated with their being a socially responsible company. This means that patronage of Body Shop products increases as well with positive perceptions of their company as being socially responsible. Moreover, such patronage is also positively and significantly correlated with their expressed support for companies that espouse care for the environment. None of the statements were significantly related to overall satisfaction of Body Shop products, which suggests that there are other determinants of satisfaction apart from espousing environment friendliness and corporate social responsibility. Clearly, based on Schaper’s (2005) nomenclature, Body Shop is a green-green company which deliberately has an environmental vision. He asserts that a true double green company does not exist because it is what experts call the perfect model of what an environmental company should be. He also has cited Body Shop as an epitome of this category, which ecocopreneur Anita Roddick has deliberatly pushed towards a strong environmental thrust. She did not merely intend to make profits but also wanted to have environmentalism as a core value. Moreover, she was successful at reinventing the cosmetics industry into something that conveyed honesty, altruism and environmental stewardship, in stark contrast with its cheating nature (Schaper 2005). Thus, everything about the company espoused this core value. Clearly, the growth of the company was a consequence of Anita Roddick’s social vision. Moreover, there has been a rising trend of consumers who look for merchandise and services that work toward saving the planet and its resources, which has made Body Shop extremely popular and successful (Schaper 2005). To this day, the company continues to espouse the same values. In fact, changes in store at the end of August Customers will showcase the same values that reflect its socially responsible nature, including its environmental, human rights, anti-animal cruelty and community-trade credentials. These are thrusts which they have been pursuing for the past three decades and they intend to influence patrons to be crusaders of the same noble goals. With the death of their founder Anita Roddick, they intend to pursue the same goals of avoidance of testing on animals, utilization of recycled plastic bottles and encouragement of community trade to in developing countries, buying plant-based oils, essences and other ingredients from communities in developing countries (Mah 2008). While the company remains to be competitive, they have to struggle to compete against numerous competitors who just go along with the green bandwagon in the cosmetics industry. They compete with retailers like Lush, Bath Body Works and even companies like bleach-maker Clorox who green washed its image by merging with Burts Bees toiletries company (Mah 2008). The results show that Body Shop has met all its patrons’ expectations except for competitive price of the product; trendiness or fashion sense represented by the product; and the sales promotions used for the product. Moreover, it has been found that patronage of the products of Body Shop is significantly correlated with their being a socially responsible company. This means that patronage of Body Shop products increases as well with positive perceptions of their company as being socially responsible. In addition, such patronage is also positively and significantly correlated with their expressed support for companies that espouse care for the environment. However,   none of the statements were associated with overall satisfaction of Body Shop products, which suggests that there are other determinants of satisfaction aside from being an environmentally friendly and socially responsible company. Chapter 5 Conclusion and Recommendations 5. 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Introduction This chapter shall present succintly the conclusions which have been garnered from the current research. Following this are some recommendations for the company and for future research. 5. 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conclusion. The following are the conclusions yielded from the present study: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Body Shop has exceeded patrons expectations on the following factors which affect cosmetic buying choice: quality of the products, the customer service of the store personnel; the variety of product offerings in the store; the convenience of going to the store location; attractiveness of the packaging; the degree to which the product espouses â€Å"natural† rather than artificial; the values espoused by the company who sells the product. 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Body Shop has matched patrons’ expectations on the following factors which affect cosmetic buying choice: brand; the degree to which the product is environment friendly; and positive feedback garnered from significant others. 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Body Shop, on the contrary, did not meet patrons expectations on the following factors that affect patrons’ cosmetic buying choice:   competitive price of the product; trendiness or fashion sense represented by the product; and the sales promotions used for the product. 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The correlation results show that patronage of Body Shop products because of their being environment friendly is significantly correlated with their being a socially responsible company. In addition, such patronage is also positively and significantly correlated with their expressed support for companies that espouse care for the environment. None of the statements were significantly related to overall satisfaction of Body Shop products. 5. 3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Recommendations. The following recommendations are put forth from the results of the present study: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Body Shop should continue to leverage on its exceptional image, both as a corporation and as an employer. Its brand of being an environmentally conscious and socially responsible company is indeed very strong even after the death of its founder. This is a facet that it must carefully preserve for increased competitiveness. 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The company should look into the factors that have not met the expectations of its patrons, namely price, trendiness, and promotions. It must continuously look for innovative ways of making patrons see the value of paying a premium for natural products, especially now that consumers are becoming increasingly cost conscious. The respondents are very young, and thus are always in pursuit of something novel –this is something that Body Shop must be keen about. 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Future researchers may use more complex research designs to ascertain the other correlates of satisfaction with cosmetic products. They may integrate more variables for study, using analysis of variance, factor analysis, or path analytic approaches for a more profound understanding of the topic. 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The same study may be replicated in other settings, to determine if culture has some influence on choice of cosmetic products. References As An Employer (2008) [Online] Available at http://www. loreal. com/_en/_ww/disability/our-company/as-an-employer. aspx [Accessed 10 August 2008] Avoncosmeticsnug (2007) A Brief History of Cosmetics [Online] Available at http://avoncosmeticsnug. wordpress. com/2007/12/31/a-brief-history-of-cosmetics/ [Accessed 7 August 2008] Booth, R. (2006) Activists call Body Shop Boycott. [Online] Available at: http://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2006/mar/17/retail.animalrights [Accessed 14 August 2008] Bowens J. , Kotler P. , Makens J. (2008) Consumer Markets and Consumer Buying Behavior, Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ Boyd, L. (2008) Brief History of Beauty and Hygiene Products [Online] Available at http://library. duke. edu/digitalcollections/adaccess/cosmetics. html [Accessed on 7 August 2008] Bryman, A. (1992) Reasearch Methods and Organisation Studies. London, Routledge. Bushman, B. J. (1993) Whats in a Name? The Moderating Role of Public Self Consciousness on the Relation Between Brand Label and Brand Preference. Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 78, no. 5, pp. 857-861. net/compass/compass_1996/reg/suzuki_noriko. htm [Accessed 14  August  2008] Tips. Net (n. d. ). Choosing the Right Cosmetics. [Online] Available at: http://beauty. tips. net/Pages/T0009_Choosing_the_Right_Cosmetics. html [Accessed 14 August 2008] VersantWorks (2008) Your Employer Brand [Online] Available at  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://explanation-guide. info/meaning/Employer-branding. html [Accessed on 10 August 2008] Webb-Campbell, S (2008). Thank You for Being a Friend The Body Shop. [Online] Available at http://www. thecoast. ca/Blog-3862. 113118-4126. 113118-p19579. 113118-Entry. html [Accessed 13 August 2008] Appendix A – Survey Questionnaire.

The Black Cat Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"The Black Cat,† by Edgar Allan Poe   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Black Cat,† a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, is about a man who is in jail confessing to murdering his wife. He starts of by stating that he was happily married to a nice beautiful woman, and the couple had many animals. Among those animals was a black cat named Pluto and this cat is the narrator’s favorite animal. The cat and the narrator established a great relationship and are almost inseparable. The narrator soon becomes an alcoholic and one day he returns from a town bar well intoxicated and tries to pet the cat. The cat tries to avoid him in fear of violence and when the man grabs the cat, it bites him in the hand. Out of fury, the narrator cuts out one of his eyes. The next day the man realizes what he did and ...

Bhagavatism

Related to this name is an early religion, sometimes called Bhagavatism[1] that was largely formed by the 4th century BC where Vasudeva was worshiped as the supreme Deity in a strongly monotheistic format, where the Supreme Being was perfect, eternal and full of grace.[1] The name forms part of a famous mantra also known as a â€Å"twelve syllable mantra†, which believed to be the earliest mantra from pre-reformation times, pre-dating sectarian divisions in Vaishnavism- (IAST oá ¹  namo bhagavate vÄ sudevÄ ya), it is translated as â€Å"Om, reverence to the Lord Vasudeva†.[1] Vasudeva married Devaki, the sister of Kansa, and he was also the father of Krishnas sister Subhadra. He also took a second wife, Rohini, who bore his eldest son, Balarama. According to some accounts he also had several other children by other wives. Vasudeva and Devaki spent most of their early adult life behind bars in the deepest pits of darkness as ordered by Kamsa. Vasudeva was known for his consistent approach to life and his virtue of being a truthful person, never uttering a lie during his lifetime. After Kamsa was killed by Krishna, Vasudeva was installed as the Crown-Prince of Mathura under the reign of Devaki's uncle, King Ugrasena.