Manipal University Letter Of Recommend Essay Example for Free

Manipal University Letter Of Recommend Essay I am serving as Associate Professor in Department of Computer Science at Manipal University, Jaipur and before that I served for 9 years as a Professor in Department of Information Technology at Poornima College of Engineering. I am glad to hear of his decision to invest in a global academic tenure and am pleased to write this recommendation in support of Nitin’s application for admission to the Graduate Program at your institute. I am well aware of the responsibilities of serving as a recommender and can assure the committee of the authenticity of my statements herein. I have known him for over 4 years and have come to know him quite closely in my capacity as his professor and project guide. I taught him his related courses: Open Source Technology, Design and Analysis of Algorithms, Datamining and Warehousing, Computer Networks and Information Protection and Security. I have also supervised him in laboratory and seminar work. Nitin has shown a great interest in my class from day one and has convinced me of a deep interest in the field of Networking and Security. I have had the opportunity to guide him over the period of one year in his main research interests. He has been uniquely inquisitive about the Linux Systems deployed in practice and of late has shown great interest in Network and Security Administration. He has given a seminar on Ethical Hacking to his peers and is now a Certified Ethical Hacker. He and his team developed a Software Application named â€Å" Spithra â€Å" through which you can run some windows program like Notepad++, VLC, Counter Strike game, Web Browser in Linux. As the project relies heavily on the use of Linux Essentials, Nitin painstakingly got conversant in its use. He is very regular and punctual in submitting his assignments. He is systematic and assiduous in his approach. He does not hesitate to seek clarification, which helps him in a clear understanding of the logic and the concepts. In fact some of his questions set me thinking and this helped me to learn in the process. He is an unobtrusive, silent performer and wears his attributes well. He enjoys an excellent reputation and has earned the respect of his teachers and peers alike. He is very articulate and this enables him to interact well and to participate in various activities, including teaching and research. Nitin proved himself at every point of the program he was pursuing and was definitely an asset to our institution. His pleasant disposition enables him to work productively in teams and convinces me of his ability to groom as a researcher. I think that his zeal for learning and his perseverance as well as his industriousness amply qualify him for graduate studies. In summation I would say Nitin is an appropriate candidate for this program and will contribute energetically to both the cultural and academic environment there. An opportunity to undertake Master’s Program will definitely enhance the candidate’s profile and open up for him the kind of research platforms that he is ideally suited for. I therefore request a favorable review of his candidature and also financial assistance for him so that he is facilitated in his efforts. I recommend Nitin without any reservations and request the Admission Committee to review his application favorably. Dr. Sumit Srivastava Associate Professor, Deptt. of Computer Science Manipal University, Jaipur sumit. [emailprotected] com.

The French Ban Of The Hijab

The French Ban Of The Hijab The wearing of the hijab or otherwise known as the Islamic headscarf has been a focal point in many discussions and a highly debatable subject in France. Ever since the France banned the wearing of Islamic scarves in 2004, there has been a spectrum of issues that arise particularly in three related areas: religion, self-identity of a Muslim veiled woman, and the national identity of France. What does the tern hijab denote? What is the national identity of France and how does it view the hijab? What constitutes to the headscarf ban? In this essay, I aim to discuss the implications of the clash between Frances national identity and the constructed identity of wearing the headscarf for French Muslim women. Secondly, I discuss about the repercussion of the headscarf ban such as discrimination faced by the female Muslim students at schools. For the study of this paper, I focus only on the Islamic headscarf ban though other religion symbols are banned in France such as the Jewish skullcaps and Christian crosses. The literature review foregrounds the above mentioned three questions. Background Literature Review A confusing array of positions has been taken about the relationship between wearing the hijab and Islam over the recent years. (Winter, 2008) For some, it marks the religious symbol of Islam and inevitably becomes an inalienable part of a womans identity. Religious scholars have asserted that Islamic law requires women to wear the hijab, a headscarf covering their ears, hair and neck.(Wiles, 2007) Relating to this view, Muslim women thus believe that wearing the hijab is an obligation under the commandment of the Quran. Originally, the term hijab meant curtain or separation which denoted to hide from view. Donning the headscarf, indicates that underneath it is a woman and without it, Sheikh Al-Hilali as cited in (Winter, 2008) is uncovered meat to eyes of the men who become cats, and thus cannot be blamed for harassment signifying womans weakness. (H.Sinno, 2009) states that wearing the hijab may serve as a womans emancipation and empowerment. On the contrary, French liberal perfe ctionists view the donning of hijab as a marker of female and religious oppression affecting a womans autonomy (Laborde, 2006) that contradicts with the principle of secularism. Secularism is forms part of the national identity of France, a country that disliked the force of the Catholic Church after centuries of religious battle. The roots of secularism can be recalled back into early liberalism and its succinct focus on universality, rationality and individual autonomy (Asad 2003; Yavuz and Esposito 2003) as cited in (GÃ ¶kariksel Mitchell, 2005). Fundamentally denoting, it aims to separate state and religion meaning being neutral in religion so that a democratic republic is formed. Therefore, in the eyes of secularism, religious conspicuous symbols cast religious differences onto individuals that are supposed to be rational and equal. (GÃ ¶kariksel Mitchell, 2005)As such, the wearing of hijab is perceived to indicate a non-secular expression which gradually initiated the ban. The French law imposed a ban for prohibiting all overt religious symbols which took effect on March 2004. (Kiersh) The law is a modification to part of the French Code of Education that constitutes the principle of secularity. As mentioned, France is a self-declared secular state and the manners which public schools are run are directly influenced by that notion. The controversy of the headscarf ban started with a decision undertaken by a high school headmaster in Creil who expelled three female Muslim students wearing the hijab on 18th September, 1989. Within a week, his decision was overturned. The Education Minister, Lionel Jospin , sought legal opinion and the Council stated that the right to don the headscarf was in accordance to the principle of secularism and was legally essential of French citizens fundamental doctrine rights to exercise the freedom of expression and religion. Furthermore, it can be reviewed that the wearing of such a religious symbol should not be conspicuou s in a way that leads to disrupt order in schools. Later, the Council issued a circulation advising that ostentatious elements should not be worn in schools. (Wiles, 2007) A series of tensions and irregularities stirred up such as ethnic-related violence which the government blamed on the presence of religious symbols. According to (Wiles, 2007), in July 2003, President Chirac recommended the passing of the law that bans religious symbols in state schools and reasoned that the main purpose was to affirm independence and openness to cultural diversity, arguing that the wearing of headscarf does not fit in this vision. Discussion In retrospect with the lectures and readings, it can be examined that there is misrecognition of the French Muslim women with the French law of prohibiting the wearing of religious headscarves. As (Tatum, 1997) highlights, there is a mythical norm that exists in the minority group which says, that is not me and in this case, if a Muslim woman who believes that her religion requires her to don the hijab, is forced not to wear it to abide the French law of secularism, then, that is not her. Furthermore, by prohibiting her from doing so strongly infringes on her right to that freedom of religion and conscience according to the view of (Wiles, 2007). France as mentioned is a multicultural society, but as (Blum) highlights, multiculturalism is a tolerance for and recognition of the right of other groups to pursue their own cultural identities, but which is being diluted in the effect of the ban. The ban does not have respect for and the interest in the cultural heritage of the Muslims, an d thus France cannot be said to be a multicultural society, for there is racial discrimination that surfaces from the ban. Chirac stated, Secularity is one of the republics great achievements. It plays a crucial role in social harmony and national cohesion. We must not allow it to be weakened (Fontanaud, 2003, Chirac urges Muslim headscarf ban, para. 13) As mentioned in the quote, the terms social harmony and national cohesion are indeed questionable as there have been social unrests due to the protests by the Muslims to urge Chirac not to propose the law to enforce the prohibition. Representing the subordinate group, they feel victimised and refuse to be obliged to succumb to such a ban by the dominant group because they lose their religious identity; their dignity and honour. (Taylor, 1994) A law on religious symbols in the school environment could stigmatise a whole community, said Dalil Boubakeur, president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM). (Fontanaud, 2003, Chirac urges Muslim headscarf ban, para. 17) I agree with Dalils opinion, as the stigmatisation as mentioned could result in an inherent reduction in the identity of the religion in the discourse of the French community and the protests may reflect the Muslims reaction to re-acclaim their identity, dignity and self-respect. (Tatum, 1997) According to (Fontanaud, 2003), Chirac rejected the commissions proposal to mark the holy days of minority faiths, reiterating that French pupils had many official days off. One of the minority faiths include Islam and by doing so, demonstrates blindness to their religion and its unacceptance. (Taylor, 1994) Looking back at the notion of secularism, one may question in what way does it embrace a democratic society when it visibly demarcates the subordinate groups in terms of religious practices, despite claiming to promote cultural diversity and social harmony. In other words, it can be said that in France, do what the French do just like the saying goes in Rome, do what the Romans do to have Frenchness1 or to be called a French citizen, one must not wear the headscarf, if not, you are the other as (Tatum, 1997) puts it. In schools, French Muslims are placed at a fix amidst this identity struggle between faith and citizenship, and some are expected to compromise in wearing a bandana. (BBC, Muslim girl shaves head over ban , 2004) Touria adds: Its part of who I am. Its not just some bit of fabric on my head. Its everything. People say that its the women who wear the veil that are submissive but I think it is those women who are submissive, because it is what men want, women half naked. (BBC, 2004, French scarf ban comes into force, para.3) Tourias statement clearly contradicts Sheikh Al-Hilalis statement as cited in (Winter, 2008) that had been mentioned earlier in my introduction, where it is purely up to the individuals belief to don the headscarf, whom in this case, regard it as representing who she is (Tatum, 1997) and its possessed worth is much more than its material or function, neither does it represent a sign of weakness to the male gender. At the same time, Touria highly attunes by wearing a bandana because she refrains from drawing attention to herself or her religion, if so, may face racial discrimination in school and be excluded as a member in that discourse community. (BBC, French scarf ban comes into force , 2004). In some schools, the rule is so strict that, even a bandana is not permitted. Cennet Doganey asserts that she respects the French law and the Muslim law and shaves her head completely. The cause that led to this was due to the fact that she was refused to enter the class despite wearing a bandana and states, I respect the law but it did not respect me. (BBC, Muslim girl shaves head over ban, 2004) To her, the French law discriminates in the form of tangible representatives such as the headmasters by restricting her freedom to exercise the rights of her religion due to the headscarf ban in public schools. Some girls are even being sent home which is justified as being required to abide by the French law, that being one dimension but another which presents itself as a pillar of discrimination. Their education gets affected and they need to make a choice to go against their religious beliefs to be an inclusive French citizen. (Hashmi, 2000) If having awareness to cultural identity is th e objective of secularism in a multicultural community, then there should be cultural pluralism that involves the different racial groups to have tolerance and acceptance for and recognition of the rights of one another to pursue their own cultural exploration. As (Taylor, 1994) mentions as cited in (Blum), liberal values needs to present in the notion of multiculturalism, which contradicts the principle of secularism and the headscarf ban. Neither is there equality in dignity nor respect for that religious practice. It seems to however connote the wearing of the hijab as a threatening weapon to secularism. (Blum) reaffirms that a persons cultural identity has a distinctive set of history and practices which is central to ones overall individual identity. Hence, by being true to the constituents of the ban in accordance to the French law, the French Muslim is being separated of her own identity and becomes a misrecognised marginalised individualist whose dignity is not respected by the law. (Robert J.Pauly, 2004). Supporting this view, Taylors notion of recognition as cited in (Blum) is defined as to recognise cultural differences which creates the identities of the Muslim individuals, and by doing so means to respect their dignity, if not, it dishonours them. There are limitations to the scope of my discussion due to adhering of the word limit otherwise, the concept of integration, assimiliation and melting pot not only in France, but other parts of Europe would have been further explored as the headscarf ban arises in Turkey as well as Germany. Conclusion It appears that despite efforts undertaken by the French government to separate state and religion, it is clear that different individuals have different realities. The reality of the headscarf ban in the eyes of French Muslims causes discrimination and a separation from ones identity. The reality of secularism has good intentions in having individuals to be liberated from assumed oppressive religions but demonstrates otherwise where it stigmatises cultural identities, portraying them to have less worth in the society. Multiculturalism needs to be deeply examined in the French context due to the consequences mentioned that arise from the headscarf ban. Indeed, the headscarf ban itself needs to lend itself to be further investigated on whether it is a necessity or intolerance.

My Philosophy of Education Essay -- Philosophy of Education Statement

Philosophy of Education What is my philosophy of education? For hours I have tried to decide what exactly that is. However after much thought I have not been able to come up with an exact answer. After much consideration I have decided that I have no real philosophy but I have goals that one day I will achieve. Although the goals sound simple I know that they will be difficult to attain. I have almost always wanted to teach. I grew up in a single parent household and my mother was an elementary school teacher. When I was younger I didn’t really appreciate what my mom was doing for her students. I only liked what it meant for me. I was allowed to leave with my mother at lunchtime and go out to eat, and I always received special privileges like using the principal’s computer. However as years passed I began to see the impact my mother had on students. Peers in high school would always tell me that my mother was their favorite teacher or how she sparked an interest in a specific subject or how she helped to understand a difficult subject. Therefore, my mother has always been an influence on why I wanted to teach. Even today when my mother asks or when I have time to I will go help her with school functions, classroom projects, or assistance in anything else my mother might require of me. Another reason I wanted to teach is because of the teachers I had in high school. I saw how respected and approachable they were, and ho... My Philosophy of Education Essay -- Philosophy of Education Statement Philosophy of Education What is my philosophy of education? For hours I have tried to decide what exactly that is. However after much thought I have not been able to come up with an exact answer. After much consideration I have decided that I have no real philosophy but I have goals that one day I will achieve. Although the goals sound simple I know that they will be difficult to attain. I have almost always wanted to teach. I grew up in a single parent household and my mother was an elementary school teacher. When I was younger I didn’t really appreciate what my mom was doing for her students. I only liked what it meant for me. I was allowed to leave with my mother at lunchtime and go out to eat, and I always received special privileges like using the principal’s computer. However as years passed I began to see the impact my mother had on students. Peers in high school would always tell me that my mother was their favorite teacher or how she sparked an interest in a specific subject or how she helped to understand a difficult subject. Therefore, my mother has always been an influence on why I wanted to teach. Even today when my mother asks or when I have time to I will go help her with school functions, classroom projects, or assistance in anything else my mother might require of me. Another reason I wanted to teach is because of the teachers I had in high school. I saw how respected and approachable they were, and ho...

The Effect of Legal and Illegal Immigrants in the United States :: Immigration Cause Effect Essays

For many years the United States of America has been held by many to be the land of opportunity where everyone can achieve their dreams. Like in any area of the world the immigration and migration of people both legally and illegally shapes our country’s population and the economy. In the United States there are millions of illegal immigrants that struggle to find a way to live and then there are the legal foreign-born individuals that abide by our laws and still struggle to get by. A great deal of the population growth we have seen in the past and will see in the future is due to the immigration of foreign people into this land. As one studies our nation he can see there are many differences between the status and living conditions of natives and foreign-born population. There are many migrant workers that come into this country every year to work in the farms and industries that offer seasonal work with little pay. In light of the recent terrorist acts against this country t he immigration laws and border patrols are coming under greater scrutiny. Immigrants and Their Place in our Population There are all kinds of immigrants in the United States and they have different kinds of statuses. First of all there are legal immigrants that were foreign born but have become citizens of the United States. There are also people who come into the country legally and are given permission to live here permanently but are not naturalized citizens because they have either never applied for citizenship or do not meet a requirement for citizenship. We also have those who come here legally to stay for a set amount of time for things such as education, or work. On the other end of the spectrum are the millions of illegal immigrants that sneak into our country hoping to find asylum and a better way of life. As is apparent in any area that receives immigrants the influx of new people has an effect on population size and diversity. The Department of Labor expects the population of the United States to grow by around fifty percent over the next fifty years. They also say that immigration will have the biggest role in growth through mid-century and that other changes come only because of birth rate and death rates. We are to expect around 820,000 immigrants to arrive in our country every year not including those who come illegally.

Argumentative Essay: The Dangerous Expansion of Federal Power :: overextension of federal power

In 1995, there was great consternation when the Supreme Court ruled that carrying a gun near a school was not interstate commerce. On May 15, 2000, there was great consternation when the Supreme Court ruled that rape was not interstate commerce. It is a sign of how twisted the law has become that each of these common sense rulings was by a narrow 5 to 4 majority. While the 1995 case involved a federal law against carrying a gun within a certain distance of a school, this year's case involved a woman suing two men for rape under a federal law. Neither case was about whether the law was good or bad. The cases were about Constitutional limits on the powers of the federal government -- and all our freedoms depend upon maintaining those limits. The feds have been getting around the Constitutional limits by claiming to be regulating interstate commerce. But the Supreme Court didn't buy it. Rape is already illegal in every state. What the recent ruling said in effect was: You are in the wrong courthouse, lady. Sue those so-and-so's in the state courthouse down the street. State courts have the power to do everything up to and including executing people, so sending a case to a state court is no wrist slap. Why does it matter whether a case is tried in a federal court or a state or local court? It matters because a concentration of power is dangerous. The people who wrote the Constitution of the United States understood that -- and feared that -- even if too many of us today do not. The familiar division of federal power among the President, the Congress and the Supreme Court was just the beginning. The Constitution also made it possible to impeach anybody who abused his power. In addition, the crucial 10th Amendment to the Constitution said that the federal government had the power to do only what it was specifically authorized to do, while the people or the states could do whatever they were not specifically forbidden to do. This was understood for about 150 years. Then, during the heady days of the New Deal, the federal government's power to regulate interstate commerce was stretched to include virtually anything that the politicians in Washington chose to regulate. In one case, the federal government's agricultural laws were applied to a man who grew his own food in his own backyard.

Movie Trailer

A son and his father are sitting at their table the dad pronounces, â€Å"l love Jell-O. † â€Å"Why? ‘ the son asked, â€Å"Well†¦ † The father began listing off the typical dad's life to his son. The camera pans to the son as he visualizes himself in his dad's shoes. The dad tells his son that every morning he wakes up â€Å"with a little less hair† the son is then shown In his dad's clothes staring in the mirror with little hair on top of his head.Then he has to â€Å"drive to work In heavy traffic† says the dad as you see the child nervously driving barely able to see over the steering wheel driving In between two semi-trucks. The dad then explains to his son when he got to work his boss had told him â€Å"the project he had been working on for a year was canceled. † You see the son coloring a picture as his boss takes it away and rips it up, the camera then pans back to the child's distraught face. The dad and the son are back at t he table and the dad states that â€Å"Jell-O pudding makes up for all of that.The son looks at his dad and hands him his pudding, â€Å"here, you need this more than me† (Jell-O pudding) Jell-Co's goal was to achieve the audience of fathers and sons in this specific advertisement. They had shown the father's everyday life through the eyes of his child associating both roles in the commercial. The advertisement proves to be ethos relating the fathers depicted day to a typical fathers everyday life. The Jell-O In the commercial Is used to portray their pudding as a stress reliever and It â€Å"makes up for al of that† relative to the fathers bad day.At the end of the commercial the child hands his father the Jell-O after visualizing the day his dad had at work, this held the audience hostage to the adorable child generously giving his hardworking father his one Jell-O pudding snack using the pathos affect. The sole purpose of the commercial was to motivate the buyer to buy Jell-O products because it relieves all of their stress and puts them in a better mood. Jell-O makes the audience think of their horrible day at work and how they could relate to the ether and son.They do so in the commercial by causing them to feel like they need the pudding to relieve their stress and believe that It actually works. When the father states that â€Å"l love Jell-O† and begins telling his son about his day and because of the connection fathers have with his circumstance they would want to feel the same way the father in the commercial did after eating the pudding. The tone that is portrayed day of work and with the imagery of a child with the leading hairlines, driving wrought traffic and working is quite comical.The horrible day the father had depicted the depressing side of a typical fathers' daily life giving an upsetting tone to the commercial. Jell-O had sold its product effectively to the father and son audience through real life situations but lac ked in visuals of the pudding. The advertiser exceeded in adhering to their targeted audience and including both ethos and pathos effect grabbing the viewer's attention with laughter and misery which is an effective way of eating a buyer to adhere to their product.People may see the product as delicious because the father said he â€Å"loves Jell-O† but, the advertisement does not say why he loves it or shows in detail the product itself to get a visual idea of what the buyers are going to be eating. Overall the commercial was successful in fulfilling their objective of portraying a realistic environment to grab the father and son audience for their product, Jell-O pudding. Works Cited Jell-O pudding. Advertisement. OCW. 4 Jan 2014. Television

Australian Elections Essay

Institutional factors: Institutional factors relate to the type of the electoral system used in an election. Institutional factors that can influence the election include compulsory voting, the type of ballot, gerrymanders and malapportionment. Compulsory voting ensures 95 per cent of Western Australians participate in elections. However, it has been echoed by some academics that compulsory voting favors major parties. This is due to few people doing their own research into political parties and voting for parties they recognize through the media. The type of ballot used in an election has the most influence on the outcome. In a preferential ballot a seat has to be won by an absolute majority. Which gives an advantage to major political parties. However, in proportional voting a candidate has to get a derived quota to be elected. This means that a small party or independent can get elected with as little as 20% of the vote. Gerrymanders are also another major factor that can influence an election. Gerrymanders allow governments to redistribute electoral boundaries. Governments are then able to win more seats by reducing vote wastage in safe seats and shifting the wasted votes into marginal seats therefore giving them a better chance to win the marginal seats. This tends to favor the government because they have majority support to change electoral boundaries. Malapportionment is another institutional factor which may affect the election outcome. Malapportionment is a calculation used to even out an uneven distribution of population. This is done by increasing the power of votes in smaller districts. The problem with malapportionment is that it tends to favor the party or independent who exploits the weakness in the electoral system. Sociological factors: Sociological factors relate to the values and attitudes voters believe in. When voters are attracted to a particular party this is because they tend to support relatively the same values and attitudes. This will often lead the voter to vote for the party they are attracted to. The values and attitudes people obtain are often related to experiences the voter’s life. The biggest influence on values and attitudes of voters is their family. The fundamental sociological factors include socioeconomic profile, ethnic background, religion, geographical location, age and gender. Socioeconomic factors relate to a person ‘social class’. Social class structures of persons are generally divided by education achieved, employment category and income. Due to the recent blurring of policy in major political parities, voters have not been significantly polarized by the above three particulars. Therefore, socioeconomic factors don’t greatly affect election outcomes. Ethnic background relates to migrant origins. Origins of ethnic groups tend to reflect in political opinion. Trends suggest that ethnic communities that come from oppressive regimes vote on the left wing -Labor-. However, ethnic communities that migrate from democratic countries tend to vote right wing -Liberal-. Religion has become less of a factor in the outcome of an election. In the past religion has played a major role in Australian elections. This is due to mainly European migrants being either protestant or catholic. This division of religion ended in the 1940’s possibly due to World War Two. However, religious people generally cast a stronger conservative vote, relative to people with limited or no assimilation with religion. Geographic location in Western Australia has caused strong political divides. These strong political divides exist between the rural areas and the city. This division is due to different political and economic requirements needed by rural and city Western Australia. These different requirements have been around since foundation so the political division has always been prevalent. Age is an important aspect of the sociological factors. Mature age voters often support conservative right wing political parties. Where as, younger voters tend towards voting for left wing political parties. This trend for younger voters to elect left wing parties has been around since the 1970’s. Some of the early young voters stay loyal to left wing political parties. Gender in the last 30 years has played a prevalent role in Australia’s politics. This is due to the social revolution of the role of women. Women’s votes tend to be for a conservative party. Some psychologists believe this is because women reject change more then men. However, history has seen that women’s votes seen to have been arbitrary and lacking in trends. Political factors: Political factors fundamentally relate to the ability of political parties to make successful decisions. Political factors that may affect the election include the government’s record, opposition performance, economic management, leadership, the electoral campaign and media. The government’s record is an integral part of the party being re-elected. This is because re-election is a test to see if governments have avoided great controversy and delivered on performance. The examiners for the test are the voters. Great controversy can cause a government to lose an election. This is especially true when the controversy relate to money. This is because voters are scrupulous about were the money is being spent in the community. Performance of a government can be measured by how much they have delivered on pre election policy. If voters are disappointed about how much the government has delivered on policy they often wont trust the government for another term. Opposition performance relates to how weak or strongly the opposition party has performed. In order for an opposition party to gain votes and possibly win an election. The opposition party must successfully identify a policy weakness of the existing government. The opposition party must then develop alternative policy options for the voters. However, if an existing  government is clearly going to be defeated in the next election. The best tactic for an opposition would be to make few policy commitments. Economic management is possibly the greatest factor in elections. Economic stability and profitability in a government is fundamentally one of the most important issues. Profitability is more than just a government being in an account surplus. It also includes the ability of a government to provide successful funding to public systems. Stability refers to no great economic fluctuations. Voters lose confidence in governments if economic conditions are always changing. Leadership is important for a party. This is because often people look at the figurehead of the party, rather then the party as whole. Spin doctors or image consultants work on many factors of a leader’s profile. This is to make them as appealing to the public as possible. Leadership also includes how well the leader can hold the party together. This demonstrates a sign of strength to the voters. Strength alludes to the factors of authority and power. The electoral campaign decisions a party has to make include timing to start the campaign, advertising campaigns and areas to target. Timing to start an electoral campaign is important. If a campaign is to close to the election date key policy may not be heard by voters. If the campaign is announced too quickly it will give the opposition time to criticize the policy of the governments. Advertising is expensive and if it is done wrong it can be costly, however, if it is done correctly it can win an election. In recent times Mass media is a great way to advertise this is due to its impact and coverage. However, mass media advertising has to be carefully constructed, this is to minimize any chance of a mistake. Where to target advertising can also be an important decision. Parties often tend to heavily advertise in marginal seats, however, this policy has been costly. This is because other seats have lost support for the party and swung to another party. Media is seen as one of the greatest influences on modern politics. Due to the introduction of television and radio news about politics is always being  articulated. This is because people use media as the main medium to decide on political parties. However, recent pools suggest that media being so influential is overrated. This is due to free to air media needing to gain ratings to sell advertising. Thus, if a political party is unpopular it would not be in the media’s best interest to support the party. As the media could potentially lose ratings. It is echoed by John Willmott that media doesn’t set political opinion it just merely enforces it.