Situational Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Situational Business Ethics - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that the hospitality industry, such as hotels and restaurants, has to a certain extent a form of unwritten code of ethics, which inexplicably nestle in the heads of employers or managers. Hence, a code of conduct expressing a restaurant’s ethics is as significant as a successful marketing plan. When a restaurant chain enlarges its operation globally, local talent should be employed and trained in relation to: honesty, responsibility, harmony, understanding, and quality. Moreover, equality of all employees in relation to human rights should be addressed justly, promptly and rightfully to the contentment of all involved. This study outlines that the subsequent reaction of the customer and the management to Hatton’s actions contributed to the ethical dilemmas that the company has to resolve through the peer-review process. In this case study ethical issues and possible problem or conflict resolutions will be discussed. Of course, there is a necessity to communicate ethical practices and an effective management is not possible if ethical conducts are not forcefully carried out. Serving others is a dignified line of work and can be exercised in a polite and honest fashion with sensible ethical imperatives to gain the advantages of growth, prosperity, and success. The primary stakeholders in the study are Ruth Hatton, the customer, and Diane Canant, the supervisor. Ruth Hatton’s responsibility is to be well-informed with their Code of Business Ethics and Conduct and conform to all policies and procedures of the company. Claims of lack of knowledge, poor judgment, or good intentions will no t be tolerated as reasons for failure to comply.

The Weakness of Modern Day Society Is Critical Thinking Essay Example for Free

The Weakness of Modern Day Society Is Critical Thinking Essay Modern day society has put strong restraints on critical thinking development in many areas including the educational world and work force. To begin the discussion on critical thinking and the resolutions, we must first figure out why it is such a sought after attribute. Does this skill set always make the best and hardest worker? Is it something a company or college needs to recruit for? It is not necessarily the case that a highly educated person will carry this skill set into the business world. A student may perform unbelievable on an ACT or SAT test but it is important to be careful and consider what this implies. These tests are based off of memorized information. There are several reasons for the overall different levels of critical thinking skills in employees in the business and education sector and it is related to standardized tests, courses taken and personality of students. Before even diving into large amounts of data and research papers, there is a common belief that education level and critical thinking have a direct correlation. Before reading many resources, I believed this to be nonfictional myself. However, there is a growing concern with the way students are taught and the effects it will have with critical thinking skill development. Starting as early as high school, students are put through a rigorous outline of information in what are called Standards of Learning (SOL’s). These standards can be both good and bad for students. They are taught the necessities that it outlines but are limited in the other facets of education. Teaching is not just done with a chalkboard and group work and projects are limited by these SOL’s. Teachers are limited in what they can teach because they have to stick to these SOL’s and time is of essence to meet the rigorous requirements. Fast forward to the end of the academic year and students understanding of the data required for the SOL’s will directly correlate to higher grade point averages. According to a study performed by Borg and Stranahan, there is little to no correlation to GPA scores and critical thinking skills. Now if you continue this trend, the higher GPA students will go on to colleges of their choosing and eventually into the work force. I believe this is a root cause for the lack or delay of critical skill development later on. Many people choose the majors in college that are most appealing or will allow them to find superior employment afterwards. However, there is evidence regarding critical thinking abilities and course work taken. Borg and Stranahan found a correlation between a basic economic course at a university and a higher level in critical thinking gained after the course. I think that there is much to be said regarding this information. The course work had a lot of group work and electronic discussion group projects. This supports my idea that there is a drastic improvement in critical thinking skills with group work starting in a secondary public school. The levels of critical thinking could reach a higher threshold if it is implemented at an earlier age. And again continuing this trend, it could greatly increases the abilities of the entry level worker. When we look at a student in an undergraduate degree, some safe stereotypes we can place on them is they are young and full of energy and proud of where they are attending college. I am guilty of the same infractions. Other than that we have no safe bets because we are all different and come from different places and lifestyles. One thing that concerns me about the entry level workforce is the way the personalities have developed. There seems to be a large portion that have not developed cognitive skills and are just full of useless trivial information. This could potentially lead to conflict at work and at home. Lacking of the group work and projects can increase the gap between information and viewpoints. This failure occurs because of their inability to separate facts from opinions, examine an issue from different perspectives, make rational inferences, withhold personal biases, question information given to them, go beyond surface meaning to discover the deep meaning, etc. † (Nazmi Al-Shalabi, page 41). The business sector could be shaken if we cannot mainstream some more ways to teach critical thinking to students. I do not believe my findings are an accurate description of the entire workforce. There are plenty of highly educated individuals that are highly capable of being placed in critical thinking situations and excel. However, I do believe the numbers will continue to skew and support my opinions if we continue down this path. There are many ways to implement and increase critical thinking skills, but the first step is for us to recognize that there is truly an issue. If we cannot make minor changes to the education system, increase course requirements with group work projects, and alter the strong personalities of entry level workers, we could be in trouble my friends.

Marketing Strategies Of Kingfisher Airlines In India Tourism Essay

Marketing Strategies Of Kingfisher Airlines In India Tourism Essay This report features the marketing strategies of Kingfisher Airlines in India. The report starts with the analysis of internal and external factors that affect the environment around the aviation industry and how they have an impact on Kingfisher Airlines. As the product under consideration is actually a service industry, 7 Ps of the company have been discussed at length. Moving on, the report discusses the segmentation, targeting and positioning strategies used by the company in detail. On the basis of analysis done, recommendations have been given that might help the company in achieving their objectives and serving their target market more efficiently. 2. CompanyBackground According to UB Group.(2010) The united brewery (UB) Group is one of the Indias largest conglomerates, which has annual sales over US$ 400 million with market capitalisation of over US$ 5 billion. The group has assorted interests in Brewing, real estate, Engineering, Bio technology, Information technology and Aviation. Dr. Vijay Mallaya is the chairman of the group. Kingfisher airline is a private airline owned by Dr. Vijay Mallaya. It started operations in May 9, 2005 with fleet of 4 leased airbase A 320 aircrafts. It provides full facilities to its passenger. With its merger with Air Deccan, the airline nowcaters to all the segments of aviation industry from low to premium. 3. The Environment 3.1Macro Environment Political Factors: Government of India ended the monopoly of Air India and Indian airlines by announcing of its open skies policy. Now the private operators are allowed to offer air transport services.Foreign equity up to 25% is allowed.Non Resident Indian(NRI) investments would be allowed up to 100% for domestic passenger transport. In spite of this no foreign airlines could either directly or indirectly hold equity in domestic airline company. The Government gave freedom to operate non-profit, traveller charter and cargo flights to any destinations. Indian citizens are also allowed to travel on these flights. Fuel prices and high fuel taxes are constantly increasing so the cost will ultimately be placed on the passengers.Safety regulations which also effect aviation industry such as regular flight inspection, recording of flight recorder. Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India.(2000) Economic Factors Indian Aviation industry depends on thedevelopment of its internal market. This can be determined by economic growth of more than 7% Print. (2009, August 6). High fuel costs have definitely worsened the Indian aviation industry. Fuel tax which is charged by most of the states in India is 28%. Indian airlines are growing too fast and too big making over capacity a big issue. There are issues which have overwhelmed the various airlines throughout the world such as High fuel cost, declining passenger numbers and cut throat cost wars but all these have limited influence in India. Regardless of low airport infrastructure in India, there are more than 25 international airlines operating from India. Richardson, B. (2010, January 24) Socio-Culture Factors Around two third of the current population of India consists of young people below 35 belonging to service class. The people belonging to this age group have high disposable income and are potential market targets for consumer and luxury goods. Naukri Hub 1.(2009) Also in country like India, family structure is of great importance, there is a hierarchical system in which all the major household decisions are taken by the elders and earning members of the family. Thus while introducing any product, marketers aim for target audience of that product and decision maker of their family simultaneously. Naukri Hub 2.(2009) Technological Factors: Advances in technology will influence the market in various ways. These days there have been many developments in IT systems and internet which is being used for aircraft maintenance. There have been changes in trends like more customers booking the tickets online. Due to the advancement in technology, the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) has been proposed in cargo terminals, which will link all the stake holders for quick transaction and recent information about the cargo. In many national based carrier services the revenue Yield management system would be increasingly used for adaptable tariffs and to make most of the revenue.The introduction of web check-in service has eased the boarding process in flights. Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India.(2000) 3.2 Micro Environment Company The main goal of kingfisher airline is to provide steady, safe, value based and enjoyable travel experience to all of its passengers Fly Kingfisher 1.(2010). It is the only airline in India which has been awarded with five stars Airline rating by Skytrax. Fly Kingfisher 5.(2010) It has a 19% market share in Indian aviation industry. Customers Customer trend is a fragmentary issue which is required to be considered in order to be successful in the market. Company survives on the basis of fulfilling the customers needs, wants and offer them good benefits to attract more customers. Kingfisher airline fares are standard as compared to jet airways or Air India. They launched kingfisher Red to attract the budget flyers. Supplier Airline needs a consistent supply of fuel, maintenance, food and beverages. Kingfisher airline has a contract with Sky Gourmet for providing catering services, which is a leading airline caterer in India. The Gate group has acquired 74% interest in Sky Gourmet, which will strengthen the capabilities of the company. Gate group is a leader in providing on board services to the organisations which provides services to people on move. So this will ultimately give the benefit to kingfisher airline. Newswire, P.(2010, November 11) Competitor With 19% market share Kingfisher airline faces an intense competition from Jet Airways and Air India which are the two fastest growing airlines in India. Jet Airways and Air India are competing with Kingfisher on premium Executive class of the country with each having market share 26.2% and 17.7% respectively. Director General of Civil Aviation 1,(2010) They provide outstanding services and continuous innovations. Jet airways have acquired Air Sahara, in order to compete strongly in the low cost carrier market. Air Transport World.(2007) Kingfisher airline also competes with other Low cost carriers (LCC) such as Spice Jet, Go Air, Jet Lite, and Indigo Air on short haul routes. These airlines have made record profit by providing cheap tickets to passengers and have captured strong market shares in Indian aviation industry. 4. Organisational Marketing Mix Product/services Kingfisher airline provides three exclusive classes of services to its customers-kingfisher First, kingfisher Class and kingfisher Red. Kingfisher class is highly respected in economy which targets fashionable and ready-to-save middle class passengers. Kingfisher Red is low fare service of kingfisher airlines which mainly targets developing middle class people which are primarily price cognizant. Kingfisher first and kingfisher class both are also available on international journey. Other services included are: Tejas.(2009) Travel insurance in relationship with ICICI Lombard General Insurance. Offer In-flight entertainment to its passengers. Cargo services Lounge and private space Special care facility 3 course Gourmet cuisine Branding Strategies of kingfisher Airlines Kingfisher airlines have adopted Umbrella branding strategy and have broken new ground in the idea of bringing luxury, glamour and lifestyle to the skies. Kingfisher airlines sell the idea of lifestyle through its sensational airhostesses and use red colour, which is the colour of liveliness. They have been trained to provide hospitality in such a way thatgives every passenger a feel like Guest. Kingfisher airlines concept of Flying with Good Times reflects that they are providing a world class services to its Guest. Kingfisher airlines have aggressively advertised itself by becoming channel partner for NDTV Good Times, which is the Indias first lifestyle channel in order to gives its brand a distinct identity. It has also started co branding initiative with American Express corporate card, Airtel, Goa tourism and Malaysian Tourism. It has drafted an agreement with Deepika Padukone ascompanys new brand ambassador. Tejas.(2009) Feedback system Kingfisher airline maintain a proper feedback system and provide the facility of direct email to its chairman if anyone is not satisfied with the services. Company has activated its account on Twitter so that the customer can receive instant updates from Kingfisher airlines; this account has been opened to get feedback from Guests. Campaign India Team.(2009) New Product Development by Kingfisher airlines: Kingfisher airlines offer variety of product developments like: Kingfisher Red launched Frequent Flyer Programme (Little Wings) for young flyers from ages 3 to 12 this would permit young flyer to receive miles when they fly On August, 2010-Kingfisher airlines launched daily direct flights on the Delhi-Ludhiana-Delhi Route.On,1 october,2010-Kingfisher airlines inaugurated services from Bangalore to Mysore. On, 10 october,2010-Kingfisher airlines announced its first SMS-based ticketing service Flybuysms across all mobile networks in collaboration with wireless transactions company Pay Mate. On, 17April, 2010-Kingfisher airlines launch services from Mumbai and New Delhi to Bangkok. They are operating with 22 additional Domestic flights in 2010 for winter schedule from major cities. Kingfisher airlines also provides facility of In- Flight -Entertainment. Fly Kingfisher 2.(2010) Price Kingfisher airline follows differential pricing strategy which is also called dynamic pricing strategy and competes against major airlines in India such as Air India, Jet airways. Newman2, N. (2010). It is a premium airline and charge premium price for its business and economy class and provides high quality of services due to the change in consumers tendency and emerging of new low cost airlines. Kingfisher Red is a low fare section which adopts low fare pricing with full services. The pricing strategy of aviation industry is dynamic and mainly based on the behaviour of crude oil prices, Dollar rates and competition. Fuel prices today accounts for 45 percent of airlines total operating cost. Dr Vijaymallya stated that kingfisher Red is budget airline not a low cost carrier and fares were above those of LCC but lower than the economy class of competitors. ICMR.(2006) Place Kingfisher airline connects all important sectors of business in addition to leisure destinations and provide economical airlines tickets to Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Goa, Chennai, Bangalore and other important cities. It provides services over 80 destinations including Domestic as well as international, more than daily 390 departures with 66 aircraft. Bhasin, H. (2010, June 28) they recently proclaim inaugurate of its domestic operations from Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, from 14th November 2010, New Delhi. Services from new terminal will provide smooth process and flawless services among all international as well as domestic connections. Fly Kingfisher 3.(2010) Promotions Kingfisher airline use heavy promotion campaign and spends lots of money in promotions; the team of kingfisher airline demonstrated that airline as The New Flying Experience and use both techniques push and pull promotion strategies as follows: Pull Promotion strategy Kingfisher airlines use advertisement hoardings at airports which represents the fashionable interior of the Funliners, andexpress the youthful, joy filled and world-class image. They organize various fashion shows, celebrity golf matches, New Year parties in order to build its kingfisher brand. The UB group publish their monthly magazine which is called Pegasus which provides information regarding kingfisher airlines. Bhasin, H. (2010, June 28) . Push Promotion strategy Kingfisher airline provides special discounts for all individual serving in the India Armed forced the union government, state government, and employees of all public sector units in country. It was the official airline partner of the DLF Indian premier league (IPL) in season 2009. Special discounts in kingfisher hotels mainly for kingfisher airliner traveller. They provides group travel discount for group of 8 or more travelling in kingfisher class or group of 6 or more travelling in kingfisher first class for common purpose. Fly Kingfisher 4.(2010) People Kingfisher airline is service industry which has two kinds of clients: External clients (passengers) and internal customers (employees). Kingfisher airlines uses the word GUEST for its external client, Dr Vijay mallya has clear instruction to his crew that take care of every guest in the same manner as they have guest in his ownhome. Every crew has been provided a thorough training programme so that they can provide the services as per passengers expectations. Bhasin, H. (2010, June 28) Process Customer can book their air ticket either online through kingfisher airlines website or through a Roving agent web check- in. Customer can book ticket at nearest local kingfisher airline office Kingfisher airlines also provides service of home delivery of ticket on demand Fly by SMS service called king mobile was launched in 2005, in order to inform its passengers regarding flight updates, schedule and flight statues through instant mobile alert. Bhasin, H. (2010, June 28) Physical Evidence Kingfisher Airlines provides varieties of unique services to its passenger such as personal valet at the airport in order to help in luggage handling and boarding, Exclusive lounges and private space together with refreshments and music at the airport. In flight Entertainment facility, Passengers have choice of three Gourmet cuisines. Passengers can feel more comfortable with sleeper seats with extendable footrests. It also provides free food in kingfisher Red airline. Yatra Online Private Limited.(2010) C:UserssahilDesktopsegmentation22.jpg C:UserssahilDesktopsegmentation 222.jpg (Refer to appendix 1, Naukri Hub 1.(2009), and Naukri Hub 2.(2009) for segmentation) Customised Marketing Focused Marketing Differentiated Marketing Target Marketing Strategy Undifferentiated Marketing6. Types of Targeting Strategies Targeting Strategy of Kingfisher Airline Kingfisher airline follows Differentiated Targeting Strategy. It mainly targets three types of customers in India on the basis of this provides three Elite classes such as: Kingfisher First: a business class service which mainly concentrates on business class people who are willing to spend for first class services. Kingfisher Class: is highly respected in economy which targets fashionable and ready-to-save middle class passengers. Kingfisher Red: is low fare service of kingfisher airlines which mainly targets developing-middle class people which are primarily price cognizant. Newman1, N. (2010) Kingfisher Red (Budget Flyer) Kingfisher Class (Leisure Traveller) Kingfisher First (Business Traveller) Kingfisher Airline Differentiated strategy 7. Positioning Strategy of Kingfisher In terms of positioning strategy, Kingfisher airline positioned them self premium airline. Dr. Vijay Mallaya has clearly stated that Kingfisher Red will not be positioned as Low cost carrier (LCC), as passengers consider the attributes of a LCC as low quality of services. He believes that people in India pay for quality and services.This budget airline positioning is not a LCC but lower than the economy class of their competitors such as Indian airlines, Jet airways. It also provides the facility of multiple fare option and auction of its tickets on all travel routes. ICMR.(2006), Newman1, N. (2010) Perceptual Maps High Services offered Kingfisher Airline Kingfisher Red Jet airways Air Indigo Air India Price of Ticket High Low Spice jet Go Air Low Low 8. Recommendation Kingfisher airline should improve its performance on important constraint such as punctuality. As per the research conduct by director general of civil aviation (DGCA) kingfisher has highest flight cancellation rate in 2010. Below figures shows the rate: Director General of Civil Aviation 2,2010) I:cancellation.jpg I:reasons of cancellation.jpg Above diagram explains the reason for cancellations. Based on this, it can be deduced that Kingfisher Airlines still lacks in providing world class service as promised by them. Director General of Civil Aviation 2,2010) Kingfisher airlines market share is still low as compared to Jet airways, as per the data revealed by DGCA. It may be due to the higher fare as compared to other low cost carrier such as spice jet, Air indigo, NACIL (I). Director General of Civil Aviation 1,(2010) I:Untitled.jpg Kingfisher airline should think about applying promotional campaign in mass media, in order to inform people more about Kingfisher Red and Kingfisher services. Also they should reconsider their budget flyer strategy as Low Cost Carriers like Spicejet and Indigo are far ahead in terms of market share.

Jealousy and Love in The Lady, or the Tiger? by Frank R. Stockton Essay

Jealousy and Love in The Lady, or the Tiger? by Frank R. Stockton Women will do almost anything for love, to be loved, or to keep love. That is their mission. When women become jealous, however, the love they want to hold onto disappears, becomes selfishness, and one does not know if it is love anymore. In the short story â€Å"The Lady, or the Tiger?† written by Frank R. Stockton, a semi barbaric princess motions which door her lover, the accused man, must open to either receive punishment or a reward. The punishment is to be devoured by a fierce tiger and the reward is to be married to a lovely damsel of the court. This semi barbaric princess loves the man and chooses which door the man deserves to open. Like many women in love, this princess would not dare to let another woman take her lover away from her. Instead, jealousy takes over and the door that opens will emerge a tiger because she will go berserk to see her man happy with another woman, and will prefer to have him eaten by a tiger and await the princess herself on a heavenly earth. According to Frank R. Stockton, he states, â€Å"How in her grievous reveries has she gnashed her teeth and torn her hair, when she saw his start of rapturous delight as he opened the door of the lady† (150). Obviously, this describes her frenzied actions as the lovely damsel appears at the door on the right. If she leads her lover to the door with the damsel behind it, this princess will be green with envy to see him happily marrie...

Literal Translation Essay

A naive view of literal translation might be that it consists in the one for one substitution of the word forms of the target language for the word forms of the source language. This is what normally meant by the term â€Å"literal translation†. Yet , this view is unrealistic. Literal translation, also known as direct translation, is the rendering of text from one language to another â€Å"word-for-word† (Latin: â€Å"verbum pro verbo†) rather than conveying the sense of the original. Literal translations thus commonly mis-translate idioms. Also, in the context of translating an analytic language to a synthetic language, it renders even the grammar unintelligible. A literal English translation of the German word â€Å"Kindergarten† would be â€Å"children garden,† but in English the expression refers to the school year between pre-school and first grade. Literal translations in which individual components within words or compounds are translated to create new lexical items in the target language (a process also known as â€Å"loan translation†) are called calques, e. g. , â€Å"beer garden† from German â€Å"Biergarten. † Literal translation of the Italian sentence, â€Å"So che questa non va bene† (â€Å"I know that this is not good†), produces â€Å"Know(I) that this not go(it) well,† which has English words and Italian grammar. Further more, literal translation of idioms is a source of numerous translators’ jokes and apocrypha. The following famous example has often been told both in the context of newbie translators and that of machine translation: when the sentence â€Å"The spirit is strong, but the flesh is weak† was translated into Russian and then back to English, the result was â€Å"The vodka is good, but the meat is rotten. † This is generally believed to be simply an amusing story, and not a factual reference to an actual machine translation error [1]. Literal translation can also denote a translation that represents the precise meaning of the original text but does not attempt to convey its style, beauty, or poetry. Charles Singleton’s translation of The Divine Comedy (1975) is regarded as a literal translation. In Conclusion , A literal translation is a translation that  follows closely the form of the source language Also known as: word-for-word translation. This translation can not be applied in nature, because it will result sentences can not be understood . â€Å"literal† translations can actually result in mis-communication of the meaning of the text. The point is, of course, that the translators have decided to translate words, but not larger semantic units such as phrases.

First Amendment Is the Cornerstone of the United States Essay

On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed freeing the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain, creating what would become the most powerful democratic country in history. The United States of America’s path to success is filled with trial, error, and countless sacrifices. The founding fathers envisioned a nation that was governed by the people not by a tyrannical king. On December 15, 1791 a very significant document was added to the Constitution of the United States known as the Bill of Rights. Most Americans are vaguely familiar with the Amendments that construct the Bill of Rights. Nonetheless, the Amendments were created to protect the â€Å"people† from future government tyranny. This Bill of Rights, like the Constitution, is a fluid document that was meant to always be adapted to the times of the country. The Bill of Rights included the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. I believe the ever evolving First Amendment to be the most important because it protects our freedom of speech and the press, religion, the right to assemble or petition the government. These individual rights are the cornerstone of our country and facilitate a nation free of oppression. Read more: How does the constitution prevent tyranny essay Freedom of speech defined as the right to speak without censorship or restraint by the government.[1] Even though United States is considered to be a successful democratic nation, however there are moments in our history that defined us through freedom of speech. There are several examples throughout history where the use of freedom of speech allowed our nation to evolve socially. August 1963, Martin Luther King on the footsteps on Lincoln Memorial gave one of the most important speeches of the 20th century, â€Å"I have a dream†. It is considered by many scholars to be responsible for pressuring President John F Kennedy to continue his fight for civil rights, which led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 under President Lyndon B. Johnson[2]. Without freedom of speech I believe that our nation would have slipped into a socialistic style government long ago. What has caused the majority of conflicts throughout the world in history? The most prevalent reason for conflicts throughout history is religion. In many countries around the world, religion is influential and plays a vital role in the political system. However, in the United States be free of religious establishment and having religious diversity have not allowed for religious conflicts to escalate. I would have to imagine if the founding forefathers had not included the freedom of religion in the first amendment that our nation would have not survived. The right to assemble is defined as the right to hold public meetings and form associations without interference by the government[3]. The right to assemble covers a variety of venues that most Americans take for granted. The right to assemble allows us to meet in public to discuss a variety of topics, take part in protest, belong to groups or associations, and practice religion openly in public. There are multiple examples throughout our nations young history were the right to assemble has accomplished positive and negative advances in our society. Without the right to assemble African Americans would not been able to protest prompting the Civil Rights Act, employees would not have been able to protest unsafe working conditions and unfair wages, and more recently the tea party forming to bring to light political concerns. However, there are instances of negative assembles such as the Ku Klux Klan which was against the civil rights; more recently the Westboro Baptist Church who protest funerals of military veterans and are anti-homosexuality rights. Even though there are negative with the right to assemble the positive will always outshine the negative. The right to petition the government for a redress of grievances gives citizens the right to lobbying, letter-writing, e-mail campaigns, testifying before tribunals, filing lawsuits, supporting referenda, collecting signatures for ballot initiatives, peaceful protests and picketing: all public articulation of issues, complaints and interests designed to spur government action qualifies[4]. The right to petition to me is one of the main reasons the colonies went to war with England. The colonies felt oppressed and had no say in what direction the country was headed. The forefathers wanted to ensure that the people had the right to check an over grasping government. The right to petition allows the people to have a voice in choosing what direction our nation takes. I believe First Amendment to be the most important because it protects our freedom of speech and the press, religion, the right to assemble or petition the government. We as American citizens often take these individual rights for granted. We are born into a free democratic nation and have never experienced socialistic or communist oppression. Without the First Amendment, our nation would have not survived, and I believe that we would have conformed into the exact thing that we were fighting against in the Revolutionary War. In order for our nation to continue to be prosperous, the First Amendment must be protected and never taken for granted. Bibliography C.Herman, Jacob,†Famous Speeches That Changed the Nation†. Voice Nation Going Beyond the Call. 2009. http://www.voicenation.com/resources/article-library/famous-speeches-that-changed-the-nation.shtml (accessed January 1, 2013). Newton, Adam, and â€Å"Petition† Ronald K.L Collins. The Five Freedoms Project. 2012. http://www.fivefreedoms.org/5freedoms/peition (accessed January 1, 2013). The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company. Dictionary.com. 2005. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/freedom of speech (accessed December 31, 2012).