Analyze the Japanese-American Internment (War Relocation Camps, 1942) Research Paper

Analyze the Japanese-American Internment (War Relocation Camps, 1942) In the Years of WWII - Research Paper Example Prior to identifying the reasons based on which, the Japanese-American Internment was created during the years of WWII, it will be vital to mention that the decision for creating as well as executing such a power was made by the 32nd US President, Mr. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It is strongly believed that power of the Japanese-American Internment was mainly created to address the issue of anti-Japanese sentiment with instant and severe action. The belief of the Americans regarding the Japanese people towards supporting in making effective planning with the motive of attacking Pearl Harbor eventually fuelled the issue, and urged the need for creating Japanese-American Internment. Besides, the Japanese-American Internment was also created for preventing further surveillance conducted by Japanese Americans living in the US. After the assault on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese American based community leaders and the people alleged to have collaboration with Japan were arrested. Acquiring a brief idea about the Japanese-American Internment, it becomes apparent that the said approach was mainly utilized for declaring that the individuals belonging to Japanese lineage were barred from the entire Pacific Coast, encompassing California and most of the regions of Washington as well as Oregon. The Japanese-American Internment approach was utilized for putting an end to the rising tensions prevailing between the then international relations of the US and Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Company background and overview of Coca Cola

Company background and overview of Coca Cola Coca-Cola is one of the world famous and largest brands in beverages industry. The company was established Doctor John Pemberton who was a pharmacist in 1886 in Atlanta, Georgia USA. The brand has since become household drink in over 200 countries across the globe. Carbonate drinks are the single largest component in Coca-Cola Company which account for about 78% of the total volume sold in the 2008. The company has over 3000 beverages products and has about 500 brands in its portfolio these includes Coca-Cola/Diet Coke family, Coca-cola enterprise (CCE) wide range of carbonates includes Fanta, Lilt, Sprite and PowerAde, plus the Schweppes brand in the UK according to keynote report. The Coca-Cola brand has been adopted the strategy of global marketing. They are considering the whole world as single market place and uniform marketing strategy was being used Coca-cola for many years, but now the trend is changing and different marketing campaigns are being designed for different regions of the world. . Business decisions are made on a domestic basis to fit in with the culture and needs of the domestic community. In 1919 Coca-Cola decided it was time to go global. The Coca-Cola Company decided to take its operations beyond national boundaries and marketing research was started in central America, china and many other countries of the world. Because of successful and efficient marketing research Coca-cola was able to produce globally in different regions of the world Coca cola in UK The carbonate market in the UK is dominated by relatively few companies. These are, In the main, subsidiaries of global conglomerates such as the coca cola company and Pepsi CO. Indeed, Coca-Cola, BSD and own label alone account for well over two thirds of the carbonates market volume in the UK.The purpose sale of BSD, In which PepsiCo already has a 10% share, is likely to make one of the these groups even stronger in the UK market. Coca -Cola Companys major brand in the UK and in the world is coke or simply Coca-Cola. Other major brands of the Coca-Cola Company in the UK portfolio include Diet Coca-Cola, Cherry CoCa-Cola,Fanta,Lilt,Sprite,Dr Pepper and Schweppes.Dr Pepper,Wich has been on sale in the UK since 1982,is reported to most popular among the younger and teenagers in the UK. The companys operations in the UK are divided between CCE and Coca-Cola Great Britain (CCGB). CCE is the manufacturer and distributor, whereas CCGB owns the brands and is responsible for marketing. The companys beverages are generally for all consumers. However, there are some brands, which target specific consumers. For example, Coca- Colas diet soft drinks are targeted at consumers who are older in age, between the years of 25 and 39. PowerAde sports water target those who are fit, healthy and do sport. Winnie the Pooh sipper cap Juice Drink target children between the ages 5-12. Coca cola in Nepal Coca-Cola was first introduced into Nepal in 1973, when it was imported from India, but local production would only begin in 1979, with the establishment of Bottlers Nepal Limited (BNL). Coca-Cola Sabco acquired bottling rights from The Coca-Cola Company for Nepal in 2004. BNL, which has plants in the capital Kathmandu and Bharatpur, is the only bottler of Coca-Cola products in Nepal. The Marketing, Sales and Distribution strategy for BNL is titled Refresh the Marketplace and includes a robust Consumer Response System to address any consumer concerns, ideas and suggestions. BNL is also committed to strengthening the community through various programmes, particularly in the health sector, as the country has the lowest per capita public health expenditure in the world. In association with the local community, BNL assists by supporting a Free Health Check-up Clinic at Bharatpur. The Nepalese enjoy Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite Advertisement   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If we look on advertising perspective of Coca-cola, advertising has created a demand for Coca-Cola worldwide. However, advertising has to be in line with the domestic culture. An adapted marketing mix means adjusting the mix with the prevailing culture, geographic, economic and other differences in different countries. Different languages and cultures caused problems. COCA COLA ADVERTISMENT Add 1 Bottlers Nepal and Bottlers Nepal (Tarai) on lat week announced the launch of their summer promotion campaign Coca-Cola Football Maha Utsab targeting soccer fans across the country. . According to Bottlers Nepal, consumers need to purchase Coca-Cola, Fanta or Sprite and SMS the 10-digit unique code under the bottles crown to 4477. The scheme is applicable to all 200 ml and 250 ml returnable glass bottles or all sizes of PET bottles from April 1 to May 31, 2010. During the scheme period, consumers will also get a chance to win attractive Coca-Cola t-shirts, caps and free drinks, said Pranaya Sthapit, country marketing manager of Bottlers Nepal. Coca Cola Advertisement in Rural Area of Nepal Coca Cola Advertisement in Rural Area of Nepal, Wikimedia Commons Figure: 1.1 Market Segmentation in Nepal : The supplier driven Nepalese market generally practiced mass marketing approach with product variations in the past. The socio-economic changes and developments in transport and communication system have made Nepalese marketers conscious of market segmentation. The marketing strategies of global organizations like Coca Cola, Pepsi, Nepal Lever and Standard Chartered Bank have reinforced this consciousness. The following points describe the practices of market segmentation in Nepal. 1: Non-systematic: Segmentation is generally not based on systematic market research. Past experiences, hunches of management and competitors strategy have influenced segmentation. 2: Variables for Segmentation: The variables mostly used for consumer market segmentation are: Geographic Demographic Psychographic Behavioural 3: Lack of Information: Nepalese marketers lack comprehensive information about consumer characteristics. They tend to regard marketing research as a wasteful cost. This has constrained the effective evaluation of market segments in terms of their attractiveness and appropriateness. Risks are not properly assessed. 4: Government Policies: Government policies in Nepal are not very supprotive of marketing. They do not regard businessmen as partners for development. Restrictions of movement of goods and controls have discouraged market segmentation. 5: Lack of Ethical Considerations: Environmental and welfare considerations are generally disregarded for market segmentation in Nepal. The above points clearly indicate that the concept of market segmentation is at an initial stage in Nepal. However, the importance of market segmentation is likely to increase in the years to come Positioning Positioning is the process of creating, the image the product holds in the mind of Consumers, relating to competing products. Coca cola and Pepsi both make soft drinks, Pepsi may try to compete but they will still be seen as down market from coke. coke has been positioned based on the process of positioning by direct comparison And have positioned d their products to benefit their target markets. Most people Create an image of a product by comparing it to another product, thus evident Through the famous battles between Coca-cola and Pepsi products. Product life cycle: When referring to each and every product or service ever placed before the consumer i.e. in the long term all the existing products and services are dead. For e.g.:- Replacement of Ford Cortina ( a highly successful car) by Ford Sierra, the replacement of sierra by the Ford Mondeo and the replacement of the old Mondeo by the new Mondeo in 2001. So every product is born, grows, matures and dies. So in the commercial market place products and services are created, launched and withdrawn in a process known as Product Life Cycle. To be able to market its product properly, a business must be aware of the product life cycle of its product. The standard product life cycle tends to have five phases: Development, Introduction, Growth, Maturity and Decline. Coca-Cola is currently in the maturity stage, which is evidenced primarily by the fact that they have a large, loyal group of stable customers. Furthermore, cost management, product differentiation and marketing have become more important as growth slows and market share becomes the key determinant of profitability. In foreign markets the product life cycle is in more of a growth trend Cokes advantage in this area is mainly due to its establishment strong branding and it is now able to use this area of stable profitability to subsidize the domestic Cola Wars. Insert the picture of the product lifecycle. Future financial objective In uk Coca-Cola Enterprises, the worlds largest bottler of Coca-Cola products which will soon be focused purely on some of the largest but also most mature soft drinks markets in Western Europe, is optimistic about the long-term growth prospects for this territory. The group aims to achieve in currency neutral terms: revenue growth of 4% to 6%; operating income growth of 6% to 8%; earnings per share growth in a high single-digit range; and return on invested capital improvement of 20 basis points or more per year. These metrics reflect the solid growth opportunity that lies ahead in Europe, says John Brock, chairman and chief executive of Coca-Cola Enterprises. They exceed our current long-term objectives. We are committed to these financial objectives, and in turn, to creating real value for our shareowners, our customers, and our employees. Financial Market share of coca cola in uk. Coca-Cola has reported strong second-quarter profits, beating market expectations, thanks to rising international sales. Total profits were $2.37bn ( £1.56bn), up 16% from a year ago and narrowly above forecasts of $2.3bn. The beverage makers share price jumped 2.3% in the first 15 minutes of New York trading. Revenues were up 4.8% to $8.67bn, thanks to rapid sales growth in Latin America, Africa and parts of Asia. Among the best growth markets were Brazil, where sales volumes were up 13%, and India, up 22% since last year. The producer of Fanta, Sprite and Vitamin Water also reported a pick-up in growth albeit at a more sedate 2% pace in its home market of North America. In Europe, however, sales were down 1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10716077, 21 July 2010 Last updated at 15:42 Competitors Analysis Coca-Cola Enterprise is the UK subsidiary for the Coca-Cola Company. In 2008 UK carbonate was valued about  £6billin; with which Coca-Cola (GB) hold about 60% value in both retail and on-trade. Britvic soft drink which is UK subsidiaries of PepsiCo and is the main competitor was second place in terms of market shares of 15% retail sales according to mintel. PepsiCos flagship brands in soft drinks are Pepsi, Pepsi Max, Diet Pepsi, Gatorade and Mountain Dew, and the company also owns Tropicana and Dole, the worlds leaders in fruit juice. GlaxoSmithKline PLC, a giant in healthcare products, is the UK third largest carbonate drink and is also on a different scale from most drinks companies. The company specialised in medicines and oral care, as well as three famous drinks brands: Lucozade, Ribena and Horlicks. CCE, had a turnover of  £1.43bn in the year ending 31st December 2006, up 2.4% on the previous year whereas For the year ending 30th September 2007, Britvic PLC recorded total branded revenues of  £716.3m, up by 5.7% on 2006. According to John Sicher of Beverage Digest (2009), Coca-Cola was the number one brand with around 42.7% in 2008. PepsiCo was second, with 30.8%, however these market shares for both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have slightly decreased from 2007 to 2008. Coca-Colas volume has also decreased 1.0% since 2007, whereas PepsiCos volume has increased 0.3%. Strong growth of Coke range in the UK is probably due to the introduction of coke zero and Diet coke product. Coke Zero is the most significant of KOs new innovations. This beverage is marketed as a calorie-free version of Coca-Cola Classic, omitting the diet label in an attempt to appeal to new demographics. This brand alone accounted for nearly one third of all 2006 growth for beverages bearing the Coca-Cola trademark. http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/2009/08/strategic-analysis-coca-cola.html RECOMMENDATIONS After completing our project we have concluded some recommendation for the coca cola company, which are following. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Coca Cola Company should try to emphasis more on providing their infrastructure in the market to facilitate their customers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢According to the survey, conducted by the international firm Pakistani people like little bit sweeter cola drink. So for this coca cola company should produce their product according to the local demand. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Marketing team should try to increase the availability of Coke in rural areas. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢They should also focus the old people. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Now young generation has a trend to drink a coke 2 regular bottles at same time, so providing more satisfaction to them company should introduce  ½ liter disposable bottle. Coac- Cola Market Share The UKs Top 10 Soft Drinks by take-home sales value in 2009. Coca-Cola. Lucozade (GlaxoSmithKline). Robinsons (Britvic). Pepsi (Britvic). Tropicana (PepsiCo)   Red Bull. Ribena (Glaxo SmithKline). Schweppes (Coca-Cola). Actimel (Danone). Volvic (Danone Source: Nestle Worldwide The Top 10 Soft Drinks Companies in 2009 by market share. Coca-Cola ( bottling partners) PepsiCo ( bottling partners). Nestle. Suntory. Dr Pepper Snapple. Red Bull. Danone. Kirin. Asahi Breweries. Ito En. Coca-cola is number one for the 11th year http://www.financenews.co.uk/uncategorized/coca-cola-still-on-top-of-the-world/ (note;i need to search and type on this id) For 11 straight years, Coca-Cola has retained its spot as No 1 in Interbrands annual ranking of the 100 Best Global Brands followed by IBM, Microsoft, Google and GE. The 2010 report estimates the Coca-Cola brand value at $70.5 billion, up by two per cent since 2009, said the Interbrand that uses a combination of analysts projections, company financial documents and its own qualitative and quantitative analysis to arrive at a net present value. Top 5 Global brands in 2010 Rank Company Brand Value 1 Coca-Cola $70.452m 2 IBM $64,727m 3 Microsoft $60,895m 4 Google $43,557m 5 GE $42,808m The Himalaya Times ,Added At:   2011-02-14 12:18 AM The market share of Coca Cola and its rival Pepsi might be 50-50 in many parts of the world but when it comes to Nepal, the market share structure would be 3:1. The factor which needs to be credited for this data of Coca Colas market share cannot be determined that easily. As far as I know, the factors could be, the management and the quality it has maintained. The company with the largest paper work in Nepal had Bottlers Nepal, the sole distributor for Coke in the second spot. This also proves that the management is good and the quality maintenance needs no description at all. There were ups and downs in Coke. A couple of years or so, the workers went on for a strike all over Nepal in Bottlers Company resulting the distribution and production into halt. To worsen this case, this halt was in existence in the peak season which was finally solved. The year 2008 could be different and nothing is predictable. The number one spot could be snatched by Microsoft in this present age of information technology. If only Coca Cola could come up with some beverage for chilling cold with the same brand, who knows they might still be at the number one spot for the next ten years or so. Friday, January 11, 2008 | The carbonate market in the UK is dominated by relatively few companies. These are, In the main, subsidiaries of global conglomerates such as the coca cola company and Pepsi CO.Indeed, Coca-Cola, BSD and own label alone account for well over two thirds of the carbonates market volume in the UK.The purpose sale of BSD, In which PepsiCo already has a 10% share, is likely to make one of the these groups even stronger in the UK market. Financial objectives On September 7, 2010, CCE announced updated long-term financial objectives, including the following: Revenue growth of 4 percent to 6 percent; Operating income growth of 6 percent to 8 percent; Earnings per share growth in a high single-digit range; and Return on invested capital improvement of 20 basis points or more per year. Coca cola market share by area Area NORTH AMERICA LATIN AMERICA EUROPE MIDDLE EAST ASIA AFRICA Volume 30% 25% 22% 17% 6% RANKING 1 2 3 4 5 Figure: 2 Sources: Business plan on coca-cola 8/8/2010 MARKETING STRATEGY Our local marketing strategy enables Coke to listen to all the voices around the world asking for beverages that span the entire spectrum of tastes and occasions. What people want in a beverage is a reflection of who they are, where they live, how they work and play, and how they relax and recharge. Whether youre a student in the United States enjoying a refreshing Coca- Cola, a woman in Italy taking a tea break, a child in Peru asking for a juice drink, or a couple in Korea buying bottled water after a run together, were there for you. We are determined not only to make great drinks, but also to contribute to communities around the world through our commitments to education, health, wellness, and diversity. Coke strives to be a good neighbor, consistently shaping our business decisions to improve the quality of life in the communities in which we do business. Its a special thing to have billions of friends around the world, and we never forget it. Processes of Communication in a coca-cola The process of communication would be as follows: Message conceived decision made to send message and reasons why. Message encoded information for notice and what sort of layout is going to be used etc. Communications medium selected communication method selected, in this case notice. Message decoded language and knowledge used to send out the right message. Message interpreted meaning of notice, recipients view. Feedback supplied feedback supplied to sender e.g. opinions, response etc. Sample of communication process of coca-cola N N Massage . Feedback Figure: Schramm (1955) Note:Communication process copy from book http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=KKp3Hg5vmVsCpg=PA276dq=marketing+communication+theory+/coca+colahl=enei=69phTZj6G9HssgbEqKC2CAsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=3ved=0CD4Q6AEwAjgK#v=onepageq=marketing%20communication%20theory%20%2Fcoca%20colaf=false Coca-Cola market share and sub product in Nepal Bottlers Nepal said it is planning to invest $10m in the next three years to expand its bottling operations and launch a brand of mineral water for the market. The bottler of Coca-Cola in Nepal will use the funds to modernise its bottling plants in Kathmandu and Bharatpur. The company, which posted a 20% growth in 2009, said it will start manufacturing the Kinley brand of mineral water following standards prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Coca-Cola Sabco, one of Coca-Cola Companys bottling partners, has invested about $45m in the last five years, and annually produces one million bottles of carbonated soft drinks. Coca-Cola has a 67.8% market share in Nepals carbonated soft drinks business, according to global marketing research firm ACNielsen.

A Wind from a Foriegn Sky :: essays research papers

A Wind from a Foriegn Sky A Wind From a Foreign Sky is a very interesting novel. It is full of magic, knights, witches and all sorts of unknown evil. In the beginning of the novel, Gaultry, the heroine, is in the town on market day, she's attacked on her way home, but is saved by a knight, sent by her father. Martin, her rescuer, was sent by Gaultry's father to protect her and her sister, Mervion. Gaultry soon finds out that the Chancellor is set to kill Mervion on their holy night, they decide to rescue her. Their travels were plagued by many mishaps, some of which Gaultry's powers provoked. Gaultry begins to notice a strong feeling for Martin, who is also feeling the same for her. They have fallen in love with each other. After many days of travel, they reach the Prince's kingdom in the town of Princeport. Gaultry uses her Magic powers to save her beloved sister, and like any good story, everyone lives happily ever after.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I think if I could meet anyone of the characters in the novel, I would like to meet Gaultry. Gaultry reminds me of myself in many ways. She is smart, but she does not always think until it is too late. She always gets herself into trouble by not thinking before acting. Like in the near beginning of the novel when she was attacked by a group of men, instead of using her cunning, she ran. She was almost raped and beaten because of her quick reaction to a situation that might have been avoided. Gaultry is really an everyday hero, she is not stronger, smarter, or braver than any other character in the novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I think I would like to live in the time and setting of this novel. It does not exactly state what time everything occurs, but from passages like the following, I was able to assume it was during a medieval time and place. The worn leather of the scabbard had gone clear as glass and the mighty sword that lay beneath the battered casing could be clearly seen. Six runes power winked out along its blade embossed into the metal like evil, shifting eyes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although this passage does not clearly state what period, using text clues I figured it had to be medieval. The place where everything occurs is not anyplace that ever existed, but a place very similar to England or Ireland.

Education in the Classroom, or in the Real World

Oscar Wilde and Lord Brougham have different ideas about the education system. Wilde states â€Å"Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught. † This means that education does not teach a person every thing they need to know, a person learns from doing things outside of school. Lord Brougham says â€Å"Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern but impossible to enslave. † This means Brougham sees education as the tool, which creates free thinkers. Wilde has a better idea about education because he seems to believe that there are many ways to learn things. People are not taught in school how to deal with accidents, how to be trusted, and how to be a good friend to someone. Accidents are unexpected happenings that can be caused by chance. Accidents happen in many different ways and different places. Dealing with an accident isn't something that teachers explain it is something that a person learns first hand. When a person is in an accident there is a lot to deal with. Depending on the type of accident. For example I was in an accident, my truck rolled. The first thing I had to deal with is talking to the police officer. Dealing with the police is scary no matter what the situation is, not to mention a near death situation. The cop went over what happened, who was driving and of course who was drinking. After that was established the next thing to deal with was dad. A parental unit is hard to explain something like this to. There isn†t a teacher who can teach a student how to explain to their father that they just rolled their pick up. Some parents are very strict and not very understanding, and some parents are easy going and don't care. It would be hard for teachers to know what kind of an accident the student was in, and what the student is feeling after the accident therefore it would be hard to teach the student how to deal with an accident they just have to learn it for themselves. There is no teacher that can tech a person thing that are learn by being taught. People have to earn some ones trust they just don†t automatically trust some one. Teachers can't say their looks like a good person, they have on nice clothes, and they can be trusted. It don't work that way, trust has to be built. It can be built by returning something someone dropped or by listening when a friend is having a bad day, and not turning around blabbing what she just said. Sharing secrets helps build trust. A person has to learn who they can and can't trust, sometimes they may get burned and hurt, when they tell a secret and go to school the next day to find out the whole school body knows what the little secret was. They learned that they couldn†t trust that person, even if that person was dressed in nice clothes, and looked like a good person. Sharing secrets and knowing who that person is build trust. No teacher can tech a person to trust anyone they don't know. To be a good friend a person has to be there to listen to problems. Not only listening but willing to give advice. The old saying â€Å"If all your friends jumped off a cliff would you? † A true friend would say no, because they would be at the bottom, to catch their friends. A true friend would get up in the middle of the night to listen a dream that just couldn't wait until tomorrow. Teachers can't teach a person how to be a good friend or for that matter, teachers can't teach you how to be a good friend. If a person cares about another person they can be friends because they will be will to go out of their way to help the other person. If people didn't care about people they wouldn't help each other out, and they wouldn't be friends. People can be nice to people but that don't make them friends. Teachers can teach people how to be nice to people, also called manners. Friends are something that just comes natural. To know and to learn are two different things. Know how to wreak a truck or to wreak a friendship can only be taught by them. No teacher can tech a person how to roll a truck or how to gain the trust of a good friend. Only a person can tech them selves and still learn by the mistakes that where given, during the time that a person was taught.

Cognitive psychology Essay

Cognitive psychology had in its early days concerned itself with the study of attention and consciousness as the main focus of psychological inquiry. Attention had been defined as the means by which the human mind can process a specific amount of information from all the other information present in the immediate environment and from memory (Sternberg, 2006). The most common experience that an individual may have that demonstrates the function of attention is the cocktail party problem; this demonstrates the ability of the mind to actively process single information at a given time and be able to disregard others. This is referred to as selective attention, if we pay attention to every stimulus that is presented to us, and then we would have a stimulus overload and hence would affect our understanding and experience of particular stimuli. In the Stroop effect it was demonstrated that it is very difficult to attend to the color of the ink and the word color at the same time. However, through practice and sensory adaptation, the brain has the ability to adapt to the different stimuli and hence do not give attention to its sensory modalities, for example, a person who work in a coffee bar would likely not pay attention to the aroma of the coffee beans than the customers who frequents it. A closely related concept to attention is consciousness. A person’s consciousness is the degree to which one is aware of his/her feelings and experiences and the awareness that he/she is feeling or behaving in a particular way. Consciousness is important because it enables the mind to actively process information, without consciousness there is no attention (Sternberg, 2006). Although some behaviors may become automatic and does not need to be attended like swimming or eating, in other instances priming which is the ability of the mind to supply missing information based on previous experiences or memory is demonstrated in the ability of the mind to recognize incomplete pictures of familiar objects. Attention is one of the most basic human ability, which is the precursor to learning, to effective communication, to decision-making and even intelligence and self-awareness. Attention is one of those concepts that is not given much thought but undoubtedly is the framework from which so many behaviors are manifested (Sternberg, 2006). Paying attention is one of the biggest problem that modern man have, due to the advanced technology and scientific knowledge that enabled man to create tools that would attend to the usual information that we encounter on a daily basis, our ability to attend to something has become limited. For example, our cars now have GPS which can help us reach our destinations faster than if we relied on our own attending skills, hence we do not pay attention to the landmarks, to sign posts or even to pedestrians because we have the GPS tell us where to go to. Another example is how we have embedded our watches with pulse monitors, we do not pay attention now to how we feel when we jog, but instead rely on the monitor to tell us if we are going faster or slower than our target rate. Even diets have become prepackaged to certain caloric amounts that we don’t pay attention to the amount of food we consume and whether our brain is sending us signals that we are already full. In this fast paced and disposable culture, attention is the least of our concerns, even with the fact that our ability to focus and attend to something is limited and almost always inaccurate if it goes beyond what our brains can process. Attention is also linked to intelligence and learning, an acute sense of awareness and excellent attending skills enable the individual to notice the smallest detail which aids in the processing of information. Perception Perception collectively refers to the means by which we recognize, organize and make sense of the stimuli that we receive from the environment through our different senses. Psychological research into perception had been the focus of the Gestalt theorists and from which they were the first to develop theoretical assumptions and explanations of different perceptual processes (Sternberg, 2006). Gestalt psychology says that the whole is more than the total of the sum of its parts, which meant that although it is important to breakdown perception into its components and structure, the perception of the whole is more important than its parts. Just like attention, the human brain can adapt to the different sensual stimuli that we encounter on a daily basis. Perceptual constancy says that our perception of a certain object becomes stable even if we are removed from the origin of the stimulus; an example is when how we can remember that a certain candy is sweet and sour even if we just look at it. A number of perceptual illusions mostly on visual perception had demonstrated the limited capacity of the human brain to perceive visual stimulus (Sternberg, 2006). The figure and ground principle shows that our perception of an ambiguous object may vary depending on what is perceived and processed first, whether the figure or its background. A sensory accommodating principle, the law of Pragnanz shows that when we are presented disparate and random stimulus, we tend to organize the information to form a coherent whole. Our ability to perceive objects and other stimulus is influenced by a number of factors such as depth, context effects, light and color, directionality and source of stimulus. At present there are other perception theories that propose different approaches to the study of perception. The top-down theories approach says that perception starts from pre-existing and prior knowledge of perceptual cues and processes. The bottom-up theories argue that perception is dependent on the stimulus and data that is to be processed. Perception is in the realm of cognitive psychology and is further studied using the experimental methods. Researches on perception were popular in the early days of psychology but interest waned with the surge of behaviorism. In the last decade however, with the resurgence of experimental and cognitive psychology and with the technological advancements of computers that would measure perception, new interest on perception and perceptual processes have resurged. Moreover, the process by which the human mind perceive the sensory stimuli has been used to model artificial intelligence and the studies of which is geared towards the development of more intelligent robots and machines (Sternberg, 2006). Our ability to perceive the various information present in our environment determines how effectively and accurate our perception of and understanding of the world around us. If for example we lose our sense of sight, life would be very difficult and if not dark, if we become deaf then we would not be able to hear and appreciate our own laughter. Losing one of our senses changes our life and sometimes it would take a long time for us to adjust to the inability to feel, to become aware of where we are and what we are doing. In as much as how limited our perceptual abilities are, what a normal person is endowed with is already enough than missing one of it. Our perception is also influenced by our consciousness and the attention we give to those information (Groome & Grant, 2005), we may be able to sense and perceive various sensory stimuli but if we do not attend to it or if we are not conscious of it, then we cannot attach meaning to what we perceive. Memory Memory is a cognitive process that is necessary for everyday functioning and which is based on the stored information and previous experiences. Memory is composed of three stages, the encoding, storage and retrieval process; encoding refers to how our brain process new information, storage is the means by which we store information and experience, which can either be long-term or short-term memory, the last process is retrieval which refers to the process by which we withdraw stored information. Memory has three information processing model, sensory memory, working memory and long-term memory. Sensory memory is the initial encoding of sensory information and provides very brief storage, iconic memory for visual stimuli and echoic memory for auditory stimuli. Short-term memory or working memory refer to the memory storage where information is temporary held and needs to be used immediately, auditory codes are more easily stored than visual information, the amount of information stored in working memory is very small but can be increased through chunking. Long-term memory is where information is stored for long periods of time or even for a life time. The information stored is usually very important and are used frequently, at present long –term memory can store an infinite number of information. Semantic memory is another form of memory which refers to the general world knowledge which is made up of interconnected networks of information called a semantic network which we use to be able to process new information, however semantic memory also facilitates stereotypes and schemas which affects how we perceive new information. Damages to the brain can cause memory loss such as amnesia, Alzheimer’s disease, and other more specific inabilities to process information. Information can be committed to long term memory through rehearsal, which is to consistently practice and work with the information needed to be remembered such as studying for exams or mastery of skills. Even if the information is stored in long term memory it is still subject to decay especially with the passage of time, if information is not used or retrieved, it will ultimately decay and be forgotten. Memory is one of the major concentrations of psychology in terms of how the brain functions, aside from perceiving sensory stimuli. The study of memory at present is now likened to how computers work and process data, the processes in memory even borrow terms from computer science such as encoding and retrieval. In a way, the brain processes information in much the same way as computers, but how it is encoded has not been adequately understood. Some theorists says that neural networking and the firing of neurons are the means by which information is encoded which is why any damage to the brain would result to memory loss (Baddeley, 1999). There are also conditions wherein memory loss is very specific like the inability to recognize faces that had been previously encountered. Memory serves many functions and which enables us to remember basic functions that are not physiologically automatic, for example, the mastery of reading skills, number skills and even the ability to dress oneself and to tie shoe laces. Our memory is the our storehouse of information and skills, when we go to school, all the things we need to learn is committed to memory and our previous experiences and stored information will help us process new information through accommodation and assimilation. As we age, and as our brain deteriorate, we experience memory loss which makes it impossible for us to live alone (Bredart, Brennen, Delchambre, McNeill & Burton, 2005). Recent research said that memory can still be enhanced even as we get older by continuously engaging in activities that would make use of our brain. Thinking Thinking is a collective term that refers to the process, by which we actively integrate new and previous information, it is also the process by which problem solving, decision-making and creativity is done. Thinking is a cognitive process that engages the mind, memory, learning and stored knowledge in arriving at a decision or a solution to the problem and the creation of new ideas. Thinking is a mental exercise that every person engages in as a means of applying the information and skills gained from learning and knowledge acquisition. There are different forms of thinking; namely productive, convergent and divergent thinking. Productive thinking is the process by which the mind finds a way to be able to produce a new idea, object or project. Convergent thinking is when the mind narrows down its evaluation of related knowledge to come up with a single best answer. Divergent thinking occurs when the object of the mental exercise is to generate as many theories and options for a single problem which is similar to brainstorming. Thinking as a process involves the analysis of related information or the contexts at which a certain problem exists, in analysis, the problem or idea is broken down into its component parts and then scrutinized under some perspective or framework of analysis. There are many ways in which we arrive at solutions to a problem or to decision-making strategies, one of which is insightful thinking. Insight refers to the point wherein a solution is identified after studying the problem, this happens when the individual gains an understanding of the interrelatedness of the information needed to solve the problem. There is also what is called as the use of available heuristics, with heuristics, there is not systematic way of thinking, it may lead to the solution to the problem by chance or it may not. Thinking is a diversified cognitive process, and at times it is very difficult to define when one is thinking, most of us refer to specific situations like problem-solving, decision-making or creativity to refer to different ways of manipulating information and data. However, these all involve the use of previous knowledge, to better understand the present information and to be able to present a comprehensive output using the old and new information. The study of thought process had been probably influenced by the delineation of abstract and concrete thinking as proposed by Piaget, and to some extent the concept of having to concrete examples and being able to think abstractly are very human traits (Eysenck & Keane, 2005). Some theories even say that thinking is the only ability that humans can do and animals cannot. When we think, we take out information relevant to the material we are working on and then evaluate the new information based on what we already know. For example, we know from mathematical principles of whole numbers that 1+1 is 2, when we work with a problem that asks us to do 1+1 then we know it is two, not because we have memorized the information but because we know that a whole number is added another whole number it will become 2 whole numbers, likewise we would know that 1+-1 would not equal to 2 because it has a negative sign. Thinking is probably the only exercise that has tremendous possibilities for generating bright, innovative, creative and excellent ideas (Eysenck & Keane, 2005). When asked to write an essay, I would probably thin first what I would write in it before actually putting it into paper. This refers to the act of identifying relevant information and using our mental faculties to come up with novel and new ways of presenting information and experiences. Language Language is one of the topics that have baffled scientists for the last part of history; the study of language in cognitive psychology is related to how language is acquired and how it is produced. Language refers to the process of attaching meaning to symbols in order to communicate with others. Language as used by man is different from those used by animals; we need mental representations of words in order to identify what it is and to use language as a means of expressing those symbols. For example, a red juicy tomato describes the color, firmness and taste of a round fruit which is used as a vegetable and eaten raw in most dishes. To the cognitive psychologist, language is directly related to the brain since damage to the Broca’s region would affect the speech ability of the individual. Psycholinguistics is the specific study of language as it relates to the human mind. Language is a complex process wherein the mind identifies the object, event, or feeling, and translates it into the existing language repertoire of the individual and then activates the body to produce the sounds that would verbalize the message and the idea. Language can be in written form or verbal, but psychologists are more interested in how verbal language is developed. There are several theories that attempts to explain language acquisition, one of which says that there is an innate biological mechanism that enables us to acquire, process and use language (Plomin & Dale, 2000). This would mean that language is something that we naturally do as a course of development, we are bale to acquire language in much the same way that we can walk or run or crawl. Another theory is hypothesis testing, which says that children develop language through a series of hypothesis testing which is to tentatively prove what they believe to be word relationships language patterns. For example, a 3 year old child may use language in the third person and when adults respond to his words indicating the he should own what he say, then he would know that he need not use the third person. Semantics refer to the study of meaning in a language and is often the focus of experimental research especially when a new word is developed and how a person attaches meaning to a particular word. At present one that is stressed by educators is the concept of metacognition, which is the ability to thin about what we are reading and writing even before we comprehend its entirety. Language is one of those fascinating subjects in psychology, although it is highly technical when it is broken down into its specific parts, it is also a very informative aspect of human existence. Language development and acquisition is often the means by which culture is transmitted and wherein socialization is handed from one generation to the next. Language also mirrors the culture of the society it develops from and this has been the focus of indigenous psychology and cross-cultural studies on the universality of psychological concepts in different languages (Esgate & Groome, 2004). Language is the main vehicle by which we interact and relate to other people, we are able to communicate with each other because we all use language, the inability to express our ideas and thoughts and feelings may leave the person handicapped and isolated from the rest of society. Languages disabilities may also hinder the education of children as learning basically occur in the context of communication and exchange of words and ideas. Language is said to be enhanced when the person has a large vocabulary, which means that the person has a large number of learned words which are available to him to aid him when he communicates with other people. At present the issue of English as a second language is prevalent in the educational system as more and more non-native English speakers are becoming a part of our society (Esgate & Groome, 2004). This has opened another field of study which is how a second language is acquired especially if it is very different in structure and form from the native language.