Integration of Gujarati Immigrants in Britain

Integration of Gujarati Immigrants in Britain Gujarati Immigrants Transnational RESEARCH QUESTION: How does the integration of Gujarati immigrants in Britain affect their participation in transnational activities? Introduction This proposed research aims to understand links between social and economic integration and participation in transnational activities. I will focus on Gujarati immigrants as they are widely regarded as being amongst the most affluent, successful and religious of Britain’s South Asian settlers (Dwyer, 1994). The proposed research is a case study (Marshall Rossman, 1999) exploring patterns of integration and participation in transnational activities within this particular group. The research question is important because I want to challenge both the idea that all Gujarati immigrants are rich and successful and simplistic understandings of segmented assimilation theory (Kivisto, 2001; Portes, 1995; Yu Greenman, 2005). Empirical evidence for this purpose will be gathered by a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The results will give a detailed picture of a particular group of immigrants but will be relevant to understanding other groups as well. Literature Review As a theoretical starting point, I will refer to the work of Portes, who defines transnationalism as referring to: â€Å"†¦a growing number of persons who live dual lives; speaking two languages, having homes in two countries, and making a living through continuous regular contact across national borders. Activities within the transnational field comprise a whole gamut of economic, political and social initiatives†. (Portes et al, 1999, pp. 217-218) For Portes (1995), to understand the relationship between transnational behaviour and immigrant integration we have to understand the theory of segmented assimilation. This theory makes an effort to understand the individual and contextual factors that determine into which parts of the host society second generation immigrants become incorporated: in the case of Gujarati immigrants, these areas will be social, economic, cultural and religious. Many writers have emphasised that transnationalism is in part an adaptive strategy a reaction to the hostile reception and downward mobility that immigrants face in post-industrial nations (Basch et al 1994). However, transnational behaviour and immigrant integration is discussed differently by Kivisto (2001). Kivisto argues that contrary to the transnational view of immigrants living in two countries at the same time immigrants are located in one and the immediate concerns of the receiving country take lead in to the more distant concerns of the sending community. For Kivisto, for example, Portes’ theory of transnational immigration does not look at the variation of transnational behaviours among immigrants with comparable family and social link with the country they are from. He provides an assessment of transnationalism that is a subset of assimilation theory, rather than an alternative to it and suggests that the following factors should be considered in research on this topic: The costs associated with travel Access to communication technologies The salience of homeland political issues or economic conditions versus similar issues in the host society How institutions in the host society may limit immigrants’ access and the nature of their involvement The impact of popular culture The role of nation states (p.573). Yu and Greenman (2005) criticize segmented assimilation theory on the basis of an empirical study on immigration adolescents yielding two main findings: First, for immigrant adolescents living in non-poverty neighborhoods, they find assimilation to be positively associated with educational achievement and psychological well-being but also positively associated with at-risk behavior. Second, there is little empirical evidence supporting the theory of segmented assimilation. For these writers, future research would be more fruitful focusing on differential processes of assimilation rather than differential consequences of assimilation (http://www.psc.isr.umich.edu/pubs/abs.html?ID=3443). Bearing this in mind, the focus of my study is on Gujarati immigrants’ participation in terms of its relation to integration process. I am also drawing on Ballard’s (1994) Desh Pardesh: The South Asian Presence in Britain. The book contains a collection of essays about the diverse, multicultural South Asian communities in Britain, including Gujarati immigrants. The of the book ‘Desh Pardesh’ means home from home and at home abroad. The book attempts to look at some of the issues relating to processes of the reconstruction of social, economic, religious and cultural life in order to integrate in the new country. The case of Gujarati immigrants There are over half a million Gujaratis in Britain (Dwyer, 1994). Britain remains a popular destination for immigrants because of its strong economy. However, the jobs that immigrants generally take on are in the secondary sector and typically unskilled manual labour (Massey, 1987); I suggest that this is also the case with many Gujarati immigrants. Social networks both in Gujarat and Britain also account for a large number of migrants coming in from abroad (Boyd 1989). In the research I aim to focus on Gujarati immigrants who are in search for better employment opportunities in Britain and are wishing to settle. As for Portes (1999): â€Å"For purposes of establishing a novel area of investigation, it is preferable to delimit the concept of transnationalism to occupations and activities that require regular and sustained social contacts over time across national borders for their implementation. Thus defined, the concept encompasses, for example, the travels of a Salvadoran viajero delivering mail and supplies to immigrant kin on a monthly basis or those of a Dominican garment shop owner going to New York several times a year to sell her wares and acquire new fabrics and designs for her business. By the same token, it excludes the occasional gifts of money and kind sent by immigrants to their kin and friends (not an occupation) or the one-time purchase of a house or lot by an immigrant in his home country (not a regular activity) (p.219). I will apply this idea to immigrants from Gujarat, India who represents the latest ‘wave’ of migration. The group will consist of middle-class people with only Indian school qualification aged 18-28 years and who enter into unskilled manual labour, e.g. working in restaurants, cleaners, groceries, retail and so on. My aim is to try and understand the people who face difficulties in Gujarat, India due to unemployment. Many writers have written about different Gujarati communities abroad, for example about the success of East African Gujaratis in terms of education achievement and business (Ballard 1994; Bughart 1987; Bhachu 1985). I want to also look at the poor Gujaratis who lack educational qualifications and are struggling to find work in Gujarat. Research methods Key questions regarding the orientation to the conduct of the research are: 1) Is my strategy ‘deductive’ or ‘inductive’? 2) Is my research qualitative or quantitative? and 3) Is my epistemology positivist or interpretivist? First, deductive research strategy is concerned with the testing of theory, or a pre-given hypothesis. As a result, hypothesis is confirmed or rejected. Inductive approach is more relevant in my research because it allows categories emerge from the data (Marshall Rossman, 1999). If for example I was trying to research first generation immigrants rather then second then I would have to modify theory of segmented assimilation to apply it to the right group. If I use the inductive approach I will begin with findings and observations from which I will generate theory. Second, my research will be both quantitative and qualitative in that it will look at numeric population patterns as well as individual lived experiences (ibid). Third, my research will be interpretivist in that it is ‘guided by a set of beliefs and feelings about the world and how it should be understood and studied’ (Denzin Lincoln, 1994, p.13). Exploratory Data Collection The method I will be using to collect data will be participant observation during my field work in Britain. I will study groups of Gujarati immigrants who are either unemployed or have low-paid jobs. This approach attempts to understand ‘what is going on’ and that is why participant observation is a suitable method for this research (ibid). This method will help me in developing useful interview questions. It will also allow me evaluate data collected through other methods (Pelto and Pelto 1978). ‘Participant observation’ as a method involves observing as well as participating with those who are being studied, and it also involves social interaction as well as engaging in their way of life (Spradley 1980). The extent to which a researcher participates in a social setting ranges from non-participation to complete participation, in the latter case becoming a member of the group. I will participate moderately with the Gujaratis’ daily activities (ibid; Dewalt et al 1998). (a) I need to gain entry into the community and begin building my relations with immigrants. I will be working in two main areas which have the highest number of Gujaratis, Wembley (NW London) and Leicestershire (Midlands). I will have to find accommodation in these two regions of Britain. To gain access into the community I will also volunteer to work as a sales assistant for retail shops in these areas. By doing this I will be able to build comfortable relations with my respondents. This will also encourage informants to talk normally as they would with a friend or community member (Denzin Lincoln, 1994).

Skoda Auto - International Business :: essays research papers

Skoda Auto The story of Skoda is one of struggle and success. Skoda enjoys a century-long history of motor vehicle manufacturing in a small town in the Czech Republic, about sixty kilometers outside the cultural and tourist center of Prague. Despite early achievements, times became much harder during the former socialist era. The physical plant fell into disrepair and quality declined. However, this tale in one of transformation, and Skoda has once again become very successful in a joint venture partnership with the large German manufacturer Volkswagen (Mendenhall and Oddou, 379). At the beginning of 1895 mechanic Và ¡clav Laurin and bookseller Và ¡clav Klement began producing bicycles â€Å"Slavia† in Mlada Boleslav.In the next few years, 1899, the firm Laurin & Klement decided to manufacture also motorcycles, which leaded to success in many international competitions. After first attempt at the turn of the century the firm started to manufacture cars. In 1905, Laurin & Klement introduced their first car, Voiturette A, which became very successful between Czech classical veteran cars. Its production grew so fast that soon L & K overstepped the scope of the family business. Skoda 420 Popular In 1907 the founders implemented the business transaction to joint-stock company. In 1920s, the need for merge with stronger industrial partners was expressed that, in 1925, Laurin and Klement merged with Skoda Plzen (Pilsner). In the following years the modernize manufacturing did not only include cars, but also trucks, buses, air engines, and agriculture machinery. In 1930 the car production in the scope of concern was earned many credits. Creation of Joint Company for Automobile Industry (JCAI) after the world industrial crisis leaded for the success on the international market with new models of Skoda, Skoda 422 and 420 Popular. The World War II had broken this development, which damage the civil program and oriented the production of the war equipment. The JCIA Skoda became the part of German concern Hermann-Goring-Werke and fully did have to orient to the war equipment. Besides the preparation of the various parts of guns, Skoda manufactured also different kinds of terrain vehicles, such as heavy tractors and towing vehicles, tanks, etc. Skoda 1101 After World War II the JCIA was changed to Automobile Factory/National Company (AFNC) Skoda. Skoda started to manufacture new models, Skoda 1101/1102 Tudor, which had got along with the technical success of the prewar years. During the 1950s and 1960s, Skoda again introduced new models, Skoda 1200, Spartak, Octavia, Felicia, as well as Skoda 1000MB.

Biometrics: The Science of Human Recognition :: Research Science Papers

Biometrics: The Science of Human Recognition As our society becomes more and more modernized so does our need for more sophisticated ways to identify people for who they really are. Biometrics is the science of human recognition. With this rapid movement to develop this new technology, many companies have come out with different ways to distinguish people. Some of these new forms of recognition include; retinal scanning, iris recognition, finger imaging, hand geometry, face recognition, voice recognition and signature recognition. These forms of distinguish people may be broken down into two basic categories: physical characteristics and personal traits. Physical characteristics are specific to each person. A physical characteristic is as unique as a person’s DNA code. A personal trait is a ‘style’ that is often unique to each person. The only problem with the recognition of this ‘style’ is that it may often change as a person grows and matures. Retinal scanning falls into the category of scanning for physical characteristics. It is performed by bouncing a laser beam off the cornea, which then absorbs specific frequencies of light according to that person’s specific cornea. The light that is not absorbed bounces back into the machine and is then read. The machine is able to recognize the unabsorbed frequencies of light as, Frank Turco. Another new physical biometrics system is iris recognition. Iris recognition is similar to retinal scanning. The colored area of the eye that surrounds the pupil has many lines randomly placed. These lines are specific to each individual; like a barcode is to a product. Again, a laser scans the eye and recognizes the bars of the iris as a person. Amazing isn’t it? Iris canning tends to be more ‘user friendly’ because you don’t need to be as close to the machine when it is scanning your iris. You may be up to nine inches away, where as with retinal scanning you may only be one to two inches away. The reason iris scanning is more "user friendly" is because when utilized by the public many communicable diseases may be passes along by the machine because of it close contact with the person. Face recognition is similar to the way we recognize people. A computer would be utilized to take a photo of each person and then analyze it. The computer's analysis of the photo would use facial geometry to recognize each person. Biometrics: The Science of Human Recognition :: Research Science Papers Biometrics: The Science of Human Recognition As our society becomes more and more modernized so does our need for more sophisticated ways to identify people for who they really are. Biometrics is the science of human recognition. With this rapid movement to develop this new technology, many companies have come out with different ways to distinguish people. Some of these new forms of recognition include; retinal scanning, iris recognition, finger imaging, hand geometry, face recognition, voice recognition and signature recognition. These forms of distinguish people may be broken down into two basic categories: physical characteristics and personal traits. Physical characteristics are specific to each person. A physical characteristic is as unique as a person’s DNA code. A personal trait is a ‘style’ that is often unique to each person. The only problem with the recognition of this ‘style’ is that it may often change as a person grows and matures. Retinal scanning falls into the category of scanning for physical characteristics. It is performed by bouncing a laser beam off the cornea, which then absorbs specific frequencies of light according to that person’s specific cornea. The light that is not absorbed bounces back into the machine and is then read. The machine is able to recognize the unabsorbed frequencies of light as, Frank Turco. Another new physical biometrics system is iris recognition. Iris recognition is similar to retinal scanning. The colored area of the eye that surrounds the pupil has many lines randomly placed. These lines are specific to each individual; like a barcode is to a product. Again, a laser scans the eye and recognizes the bars of the iris as a person. Amazing isn’t it? Iris canning tends to be more ‘user friendly’ because you don’t need to be as close to the machine when it is scanning your iris. You may be up to nine inches away, where as with retinal scanning you may only be one to two inches away. The reason iris scanning is more "user friendly" is because when utilized by the public many communicable diseases may be passes along by the machine because of it close contact with the person. Face recognition is similar to the way we recognize people. A computer would be utilized to take a photo of each person and then analyze it. The computer's analysis of the photo would use facial geometry to recognize each person.

Formative Writing †Slumdog Millionaire Essay

The film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ by British born director Danny Boyle, gives a particular insight into life in India, and more specifically the city of Mumbai through the use of setting. It is this cultural backdrop presented through the perspective of foreigner that not only makes the film special, but also sparked a lot of debate whether the image revealed is an accurate portrayal of India. The film attempts to show the shocking and disturbing realities that occur in India, including poverty, injustice, slums, gang culture and prostitution. An example of one of these realities being depicted is in the scene where Jamal and Salim have been captured by the gangster Maman who plans to blind Jamal in order to make him a profitable beggar as he will evoke more sympathy if blind. The setting of the scene is outside a remote building where the gangsters keep the children at night. These children are placed away from the rest of civilisation showing how they are unwanted and are outsiders. The lighting is minimal making it dark, eerie and scary which is also coupled with fast pace camera shots which are predominantly close-ups on things such as the acid, Maman’s face and one of his accomplices cracking his knuckles. All of these features work together in order to create an intimidating impression on the viewer as we don’t get the full perspective echoing how the children are being tricked and deceived. Salim watches one of the boys eyes being burned yet the viewer doesn’t get to see this, instead the horror is echoed through Salim’s physical reaction as he vomits. It appears that the director wants to shock the audience and present the horrors present in Indian culture, yet he doesn’t show it physically being done, creating a barrier which shields the western audience at all times. Maman asks Salim whether he wants ‘the life of a Slumdog or a man?’ This gives the impression that all Indian men should want to be and are like Maman who is evil and corrupt, giving a negative representation of men in India.

Gender Empowerment Measure

Gender Empowerment Measure or GEM is a system used in measuring the gender inequality of a nation when it comes to both the political and economic opportunities. Using data from different nations, GEM is able to ranked nations on how the gender inequality issue is improving over time. The system used a more complex formula when it comes to measuring the political and economic participation of women relative to that of men. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) used four indicators in order to create a composite GEM.These indicators are seats held by women in parliament, female professional and technical workers, female administrators and managers, and the real GDP per capita of women. A GEM table is an indicator of gender inequality between different nations. It captures three major areas of gender inequality among nations. The first area is the extent to which women participate in decision-making in terms of political aspect. The second is the economic participation of wom en as well as their decision-making power. The third area is the measure of the power that women exert over the nations economic resources.In the 2009 Human Development report, Sweden was ranked first in GEM with 47% sets in parliament held by women, 32% female legislators, senior officials and managers, 51% female professional and technical worker and 0. 67 ratio of estimated female to male earned income. The figures show that Swedish women enjoy the most gender equality than any other nation included in the report. GEM is also a measure of how the inequality between men and women are changing through time. Thus, having a greater GEM means that a country is likely to develop a sense of equality between the role of men and women in society. Reference Human Development Report (2009). Gender Empowerment Measure and its Components.

Genre Conversation Essay

Although genre is commonly regarded as a tool for conventional assortment, it is necessary to recognize that a genre is not defined by its formal features, but by its situational factors. The contextual identification of a genre is highlighted by Carolyn Miller, who describes genres as the â€Å"typified rhetorical ways of acting in recurring situations† (qtd. in Bawarshi 7). The word â€Å"situation† is crucial in her definition because writing results from situational demands. Such situational nature of writing is emphasized by many scholars including Amy Devitt, Anis Bawarshi, and Stanley Fish. Synthesizing the works of these authors, we can derive that genre unites writing and context. Thus instead of focusing on formal features, a genre should be acknowledged as a publicly established form identified by its contextual features, in which writers and readers are socially connected. Since genre is socially defined, it can only function when there is a rhetorical situation that calls for a response. Returning to Miller’s definition, genres are responses to recurring situations. Because similar situations trigger similar rhetorical responses, these responses develop into a default ways of answering a particular type of situation (Bitzer 13). Nonetheless, not all situations stimulate responses; only situations in which one or more exigences exit trigger production. According to Lloyd Bitzer, an exigence is an â€Å"imperfection marked by urgency† (6). Writers are only motivated to write due to the presence of such imperfection. Since a rhetorical writing is invented to address an exigence, the purpose of such writing is therefore to modify the situation and so to alleviate the presented problem. Such contextual dependency of writing is highlighted when Bawarshi connects writer’s purpose and situation, indicating that writing â€Å"begins and takes place within the social and rhetorical conditions constituted by genres† (11). In other words, genres situate and motivate writers to write for a practical reason. For example, an advertisement article serves to encourage purchasing when a company tries to sell a product, while a science report serves to communicate lab results when researchers wish to publish their findings. In short, genres are responses to situations, thus what classifies a text into a genre is primarily the pragmatic purpose of the text in relation to the given situation. Furthermore, situations does not merely create genres, they also shape genres. Consider the rhetorical situation in which a letter is written: there are some physical distances between the writer and receiver, there is a close relationship between the writer and receiver, there is something the writer wants to communicate†¦Given such situation, there are many constraints that dictate the formal features of writing. These constraints give a genre its formal features. Thus genre simplifies the formal decisions writers need to make by â€Å"organiz[ing] the conditions of production as well as generat[ing] the rhetorical articulation of these conditions† (Bawarshi 9). With genre, writers are provided with writing frameworks that allow them to echo the demands of the given situation. Again, these writing frameworks are â€Å"rhetorical forms† that â€Å"comes to have a power of [their] own† as they are primarily responses to recurring situations (Bitzer 13). This implies that genres are shaped by situational specificity, thus particular social demands give birth to particular genres as different situations emphasize different values. Therefore â€Å"keep[ing] form and generic contexts united† is essential for a genre to work and hence for us to communicate as genres are shaped by contexts (Devitt 200). Although situation suggests appropriate forms to allow effective communication, it is crucial to acknowledge that formal features do not define genres. Formal feature can vary significantly within a genre, and such â€Å"inherent variation within all genres† is â€Å"essential to keeping genres alive and functioning† (Devitt 212). For instance, an advertisement can attract customers with striking pictures, yet it can also sell a product using persuasive statistics. No matter what formal features a text possesses, that text belongs to the advertisement genre as long as it is written to encourage consumption. This example illustrates that although context writing set constraints to promote appropriate formal features, yet the writer’s purpose is what ultimately defines a genre. Apart from contextualizing writing, genre socially connects writers and readers. On the conveying side, writers participate in discourse communities, which are â€Å"social and rhetorical environment[s] within which cognitive habits, goals, assumptions, and values are shared by participants† (Bawarshi 5). Writers in the same discourse community tend to employ same or similar genres. This is because the social contexts they write in, as well as the ideologies they wish to convey, are both shared within the community. Therefore, if a writer chooses to communicate with a genre commonly used by a discourse community, that writer will be identified as a member of community. What is the significance of discussing discourse communities? This answer relates back to the situational nature of writing – the concept of discourse community highlights the social purposes of genre by â€Å"locate[ing] a writer’s motives to act within typified rhetorical and social conditions† (Bawarshi 11). Members of different discourse communities tend to express using different strategies because they write for difference purposes and respond to different situations. Thus â€Å"writers will use different language in different genres† to properly address the presented exigence (Devitt 213). All in all, genre socially connects writers by situating them in discourse communities within which participants are motivated to produce by the same type of situation. Writers are not the only ones involved in the social context of writing, a text is given meaning by its readers as it means whatever the readers interpret it to mean. This suggests that a genre is identified as that genre when the readers perceive so. Fish describes interpretation as â€Å"the art of construction† (361); instead of finding what is in a text, readers create what is in the text through interpretation. These interpretations are shared â€Å"social and cultural patterns of thought† that result from experiences of acting within the social environment (Fish 364). Therefore, genres are â€Å"embedded within their social and cultural ideologies† so that they trigger appropriate interpretations (Devitt 191). Genre’s situational embedment underscores that writing is â€Å"dynamic, changing over time as the assumptions, values, and practices of writers and readers change† (Rounsaville 70) because the â€Å"social and rhetorical conditions are constantly being reproduced and transformed† as writers and readers act within them (Bawarshi 9). In sum, writing changes because context change. Hence, writing is a  social action defined and shaped by the social conditions that guide production and interpretation. Socially shared ideologies give birth to textual conventions, which are â€Å"agreements between writers and readers about how to construct and interpret texts† (Rounsaville 69). Genres associate writers and readers by suggesting textual conventions. Because these conventions are shared agreements between writers and readers, they enable writers to construct writing in a manner that directs readers’ interpretation so the text conveys its intended message. Therefore, successful communication results when writers follow text conventions when inventing and readers use these same conventions when reading. In conclusion, genre is constituted by social conditions in which writers and readers act within. Such situational dependency of writing is reflected in the works of the three authors referenced above. Amy Devitt’s text underscores the importance of understanding genre through its rhetorical purpose instead of through its form. She opposes the use of writing models, arguing that although learning formal features is an easier approach, yet the understanding of how genre actually functions is more practical when writers encounter new situations in specific disciplines. Similarly, Bawarshi relates text and context by defining writing as a social action. He reveals that inventions always depart from preceding productions, hence highlighting the importance of applying previously established forms to answer situational demands. Lastly, Fish’s chapter underlines the necessity of responding to an audience. After all, writing is a form of communication that involves not just the writer but also the reader, therefore writers should always be aware of how their readers might interpret their invention. In sum, the main take away point from these authors’ works is that effective writings are those that echo situational conditions. Works Cited Bawarshi. Anis. Genre and the Invention of the Writer: Reconsidering the Place of Invention in Composition. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2004. Devitt, Amy â€Å"A Proposal for Teaching Genre Awareness and Antecedent Genres. † Writing Genres. Carbondale: Southern Illinoise University Press, 2004. Ede, Lisa. â€Å"Writing for Rhetorical Situations†. Rounsaville, Angela, et al. , eds, Situated Inquiry. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. Fish, Stanley E. â€Å"How to Recognize a Poem When You See One†. Rounsaville, Angela, et al. , eds, Situated Inquiry. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008.

Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Case - Essay Example Ethical principles together with the doctrine of social responsibility however develop a more intrusive understanding into the matter. Based on the ethical principle of utilitarianism and the general need for social responsibility, the institutions’ move to campaign for education for homeless is called for. Utilitarianism advocates for consequential judgment and the need to ensure social good (Carroll and Buchholtz, p. 228). 2. While it may be argued that some of the sponsored individuals do not complete their studies and pass the financial burden to tax payers, it should be noted that cutting the funding would block some of the homeless who are determined complete the university programs but lacks the opportunity. This is because even though the institutions rely heavily on government expenditure for their revenue and that the government has increased allocations for financing the program, the government has a responsibility to undertake such expenditures (Carroll and Buchholtz, p. 228). 3. The ‘for profit’ institutions may similarly be exploitative in their initiative but the results of their drive, if the recruits complete the programs are beneficial. Though most of the recruits into the for profit university programs are also motivated by the availability of funds rather than academic needs, stopping the funding may unfairly hinder education to genuine students (Carroll and Buchholtz, p.