Promotional Mix: Public Relations Campaign

ObjectiveTo stimulate PB awareness by participating with Make a Wish Foundation by donating a portion of sales from the PB holiday accessories line. Budget The PB holiday (value) line donations for the Make a Wish Foundation will be supported by a budget of $500,000 in the month of November and December from the total allotted $5 million per month marketing budget. Estimated costs are minimal as they will be included in a small card mailer each month and as an online pop-up with the web promotion.Message strategyTo promote donations and funding for the Make a Wish Foundation and raise local and national awareness for PB to support community engagement. The Make a Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. It is Pottery Barn’s hope to raise $500,000 for the organization in 2013 through companywide involvement in donations from staff, customers and sales of the holiday line. Media planThe Sales reports will be reviewed weekly to ensure the tar get of $500,000 is progressing as hoped. The purpose is aid the Make a Wish Foundation and to widen the reach of PB to its consumers by adding a personal level to the organization. Offering employees a monthly payroll deduction with matching incentive from the organization, a 10% proceed from the holiday line sales, and customer donations the entire PB family will have the opportunity to give back to their community this holiday season. The web banner promotion running on the Frontgate, Better Homes and Gardens will accompany a Make a Wish/ PB cobranded pop-up allowing shoppers to donate immediately and at the time of check out.The Make a Wish Foundation ad will run the same timespan as the holiday line, November 1st through December 24th, purchases over $50Â  will still featuring the free gift offer. User profile information on social networking sites will be utilized to target and align with the PB consumer profile. The value promotion will be reviewed weekly and broken down into daily sales for each product in the value line, financial contributions will be tracked to total sales from the holiday (value) line. Donation goals will be set in place each week by location and by sales staff member, including web traffic.Additional commissions will be paid to associates, including designers that cross sell holiday product in their design sessions that meet and exceed their sales goals directly related to the holiday (value) line. It will be important to track leads from each online source using tracking software, Facebook ad audience profiles, following pay per click metadata, print ads, etc. to review electronic profiles of consumers online. Integrating PB rewards using the consumers email at checkout and providing electronic receipts will also allow further access to better defining successful community campaigns in the future.

Language Development Within Infants and Young Children Essay

Language is a systematic means of communicating through the use of sounds or conventional symbols. Without language there would be no way of communicating with others. To allow us to be able to use recognisable sounds and symbols to express ourselves, they first have to be taught before humans can utilize them and are continually built upon through ongoing language development. Currently, language development includes a sizeable amount of theory, research, and debate from a variety of fields which include linguistics, psychology, philosophy, sociology, medicine, computers, biology, neurology, speech and language pathology, and education to name but a few. More recently, due to a sudden occurrence of activity in the aforementioned disciplines, there has been a huge leap as far as what is known about language and as a result of the interdisciplinary sharing of information between these groups the quantity of language development theories has increased tenfold. Read more: Essay explain how children and young people’s development is influenced by a range of personal factors. Theorists and researchers have lined up to either support the more traditional theories or to develop more diverse and unique descriptions of language which may provide insightful clues into answering some of the existing questions. The number of language development theories is extensive in number and range from Chomsky’s nativist theories (universal grammar, principles and parameters, minimalism, etc. , connectionism, optimality theory, Vygotsky’s social interactionism, Piaget’s cognitive constructivism, information processing theory, neural network models, interactionist approaches such as Bruner’s LASS and Bates and MacWhinney’s functionalism, and models that stress pragmatics, such as speech acts theory and Grice’s conversational maxims. There are then the more philosophical models such as structuralism, semiotics, logical positivism, Frege’s direct reference theory, or Wittgenstein’s picture heory, waning models (such as case grammar, pivot grammar, and the semantic relations approach). There are also many, more recent theories being promoted and debated in specific circles which include Ullman’s dual system’s model, Fodor’s language of thought, Tomasello’s usage based grammar, Jackendoff’s conceptual semantics, and Sperber and Wilson’s relevance theory. All these go to make up a fraction of the theorists database available to the average language student. When thinking in a teaching context it is clear that owing to the copious amount of theories available how, when attempting to use current research and theory in functional practice, any language or class teacher could easily become baffled by the intensity and sometimes complexities contained within the above in addition to the obvious drawback of there being just too vast a number from which to make a decision. Moreover, how one then manages to deliver a single, clearly defined system or theory within their classroom is a task that is far beyond the reach of any typical primary school teacher. However, through personal experiences in addition to past and current teaching trends it is possible to see how language development techniques have progressed from the earliest theories to the most popular and productive techniques in use today. The earliest theory concerning language development assumed that children acquired language through imitation alone as stated by Edward Thorndike (1911) in his connectionism theory which was the original stimulus-response-consequence psychology of learning which has influenced so psychologists today. It is also plainly visible within any nursery or early years setting where by children as young as six months begin to vocalization with intonation in addition to responding to their name, other human voices without visual cues by turning their head and eyes and responding appropriately to friendly and angry tones, this has also been noted through personal parental experiences as well as teaching. However, whilst research has shown that children who imitate the actions of those around them during their first year of life are, generally speaking, those who also learn to talk more quickly; there is also evidence that imitation alone cannot explain how children become talkers. An example from the English language is the simple expression of â€Å"We goed to the Shops† – it is evident here that the child is very cleverly inventing the past tense of ‘go’ based on the rules they have absorbed from their surrounding teachers’. B. F Skinner, the Behaviourist theorist argued that adults shape the speech of children by reinforcing the babbling of infants that sound most like words. (Skinner 1957). In other words, when a parent, carer or teacher shows enthusiasm for something a child tries to say, this should encourage the child to repeat the utterance. In spite of this, even though reinforcement may help, this theory cannot account for children’s inventions of language. Some argue that it is not just hearing language around them that is important; it is the kind of language and whether it is used responsively through following a baby’s input, such as making a noise or gesture. Also, it is clear that babies need to hear language to develop these responses. This point is of great importance in relation to young children with impoverished language experience as it can be a contributing factor as to why so many reception year children are entering the schooling system with an inadequate grasp of the English language. Through personal experience it is evident that young children become amazingly proficient communicators during the first three years of life through the use of noises which only their parents can comprehend. This evolves into simple sign language which again only baby and parent understands; whilst all the time parents, siblings, grandparents, carers and any other significant person within an infants’ scope is constantly reinforcing these movements with their verbal equivalents. Once more this is stated within official documentation within schools in the Birth to Three Matters framework which points out, that babies and infants alike use ‘the hundred languages of children’ – body language (including facial expressions and dance); sign language (their own and family inventions as well as an officially recognised sign language); painting, drawing and mark-making; and oral expression. They have been acutely active listeners since their days in the womb, where they learned to recognise the speech patterns, tunes and tones of the languages used in their home contexts. Again, language development research informs us that young children’s language is influenced by many factors, including having sensitive adults and older children around them who will listen and attend to their expressions and who will use and model appropriate language themselves. This has been called Motherese by researchers and theories led by Cathy Snow. The idea of Motherese (Snow and Ferguson 1977; Trevarthen 1995) the accentuated, tuneful speech from mothers o their babies has been used to explain how aspects of a child’s environment can help or hinder them from talking; however it does not explain the underlying causes of language acquisition. Nevertheless, Motherese does play an important part in the development of conversation with infants and young children as it attracts and holds the attention of babies’ as well as allowing them to participate in enjoyable turn taking exchanges – the beginnings of conversation. Nativist theorists such as Chomsky (1965; 1975) argue that humans are born with an inbuilt Language Acquisition Device (LAD) and are biologically programmed to gain knowledge; he goes onto to state that language then simply emerges as a child matures. He goes onto maintain that ‘the LAD contains knowledge of grammatical rules common to all languages’ (Shaffer et al, 2002). He also proposes the LAD allows children to understand the rules of any language which is native to their existence. He also developed the concepts of ‘transformational grammar, surface structure and deep structure (Matlin, 2005) – transformation grammar is grammar which transforms a sentence; surface structure refers to written words; and deep structure is the underlying message or meaning of a particular sentence’. Slobin (Ferguson and Slobin 1973; Slobin 1985) continued this premise, suggesting that just as newborns come into the world ‘programmed’ to look at interesting, especially moving, objects, so babies are pre-programmed to pay attention to language. Nevertheless, this theory has its inadequacies in that children seem to have great proficiency in acquiring whichever language surrounds them and throughout their first year of life they will gradually discard from their repertoire of vocalisations sounds which they do not hear in the speech of those with whom they spend their lives – but of course the pre-programming does not need to be thought of as tied to a specific language. Like Trevarthen and others, Chomsky indicated the centrality of interactions with familiar adults and older children from the earliest days of life. Parents and practitioners needed time to enjoy ‘protoconversations’, supporting research has shown that treating babies as if they understand talk and involving them in conversational exchanges are essential experiences on which later abilities are founded. This ‘in-built’ ability is currently being built upon within the National Curriculum through the introduction of French into earlier key Stages (KS) such as KS1 and KS2. It has been shown that the nativist theory, to some extent, holds true in that children are more capable of acquiring multiple languages in their earlier years compared to when they being to mature. This is not to say that once children reach a particular age however, that humans can no longer learn a language which is non-native, quite the contrary. In contrast, theorists such as Piaget, Nelson and Sinclair focus more on the behaviour surrounding children and the effects of it. When compared to Chomsky, Slobin and Trevarthen; Piaget argued that language was an example of symbolic behaviour and therefore no different to other learning. A colleague of Piaget: Hermine Sinclair (1971) went onto propose that a child’s ability to nest a set of Russian dolls uses the same cognitive processes involved in the understanding of how sentences come to be embedded within one another. Using this cognitive processing explanation, Nelson (1985) produced theories based on the thinking that language is an extension of the child’s existing meaning making capacity. This seems to fit with the notion that children will generally begin to engage in pretend play at about the same time as their first words are expressed, indicating that they are using symbols in the form of words and also symbolic pretend objects; for example using a block as a pretend cake. This type of learning is clearly evident within the primary classroom especially within literacy and in particular reading when children use pictures within their books to decipher difficult words which are maybe too problematical to make out through phonetical sounding. In addition to this powerful alteration from the biologically-based understanding of human behaviour to the social/cultural explanation of human activity is Vygotsky’s social learning tradition which stressed the importance of opportunities for babies and children to interact with, and observe interactions between, others. This idea is supported by research showing that mothers who behave as if their babies and young children understand language right from the start, make eye contact with them and engage in dialogue, responding to their babies’ reactions (kicking, waving arms, smiling, etc) are laying the foundations of conversation. This progresses as children grow to verbal praises, however, it is again evident within the classroom the children who receive positive physical reinforcement for their achievements through embraces, reward charts and even basic reactions such as looking at a piece of work which the child is proud of, questioning them on their days activities and so. Through this continual interaction, parents retain a constant, ever-progressing dialogue with their child; whilst all the time that child is developing their language skills. In spite of this, having such a wide selection of options often obscures the availability of the best option. As well as this, there are so many theories in existence which offer explanations of hidden processes, that they tend to be so general that teaching assumptions cannot apply across categories of language or from individual to individual. Connectionist ideas may inspire treatment relevant to semantics, such as graphs and webs. An instructor could teach implications and sarcasm as implied in pragmatic theories. Or one may use underpinnings from theory of mind explanations to inspire joint attention and reciprocal turn taking. While these explanations apply to specific parts of language, others do not apply to instruction at all. How for example, could one teach optimality theory to a preschooler? And beyond futuristic gene manipulation, improving universal grammar is impossible. The time and resource limitations involved in using evidence based practice in language therapy have been eloquently discussed in Brackenberry, Burroughs, and Hewitt (2008). Compounding difficulties greatly is the predominance of some theories (nativist) that work from the assumption that because grammar is analogous to an organ that grows, it therefore cannot be taught (Chomsky, 1980). That no one language acquisition theory has been settled upon indicates that no one method of language teaching can currently be deemed the best. Despite this and when considering language development within the classroom it is important to consider as many ideas as possible; as researchers and educational theorists alike have still not decided on an unambiguous form of language development that encompasses how humans develop language. Nevertheless, that is not to say that we, as teachers should therefore ignore what is in front of our eyes, but rather embrace what we have and attempt to create a learning environment which stimulates and captivates the children we teach.

Comparison of “A Good Man is Hard” Essay

SETTING The setting of â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is in a place in Georgia, but the reader is not exposed to the description of the original setting. The story begins in a city that is not named where the family lives and takes the reader to many places where the family travels. There is â€Å"Plenty of local color – there are the old plantations that get passed, and Red Sammy’s roadside barbeque joint.† For â€Å"Love in L.A† the story takes place on the Freeway of Los Angeles, where Jake, protagonist, lazy, self-absorbed and irresponsible, is driving along the freeway (Dagoberto, 2004). The similarity in the setting of the two stories is the fact that story happens as an experience of persons travelling. However the two stories are different because in â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† it involves a family and the relationship to one another. This is not the dame case in â€Å"Love in L.A† where the story involves Jake who is driving along a freeway. CHARACTERS In â€Å"Love in L.A† Jake is presented as an irresponsible, self absorbed and lazy protagonist. This is seen when he hits Mariana’s car due to his carelessness. Jake is also dishonest when he gives Mariana wrong information regarding his address, phone number, and insurance information (Dagoberto, 2004). The main reason as to why he does this is for him to walk free from the consequences he is likely to face for hitting Mariana’s car. Mariana is the story’s antagonist. She believes the information given to him by Jake and she gives her correct information to Jake, with hopes of becoming good friends. Despite the fact that he hits her car does not make to feel anger against him, but instead accepts his proposal. In â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† the grandmother is seen as a manipulator. She does not want to go to Florida because she has relatives in Tennessee she  wants to see. She tries to change the mind of Bailey through a subtle style (Flannery, 1992). The Misfit despite being violent and a wanton killer, he has a different opinion to that of the grandmother. As much he knows that he is not morally upright, he also has the view that there are some people who are worse than him. He is consistent in these views, something that lacks in the grandmother. Bailey can be seen as submissive since he submits to his mothers request to visit the old plantation house. He is also ineffective when he fails to quiet his mother but in vain. Red Sammy Butts is honest as is seen by the trust that the grandmother has in him. He is gullible to fault. The two escaped criminals are cowards because they escape from the consequences that they are likely to face, having killed several people. The two children are adventurous as seen by their push to visit the old house their grandmother having said that it contained a secret panel. SYMBOLISM The freeway in â€Å"Love in L.A is symbolic in that it makes Jake feel all the freedom provided by the open road, something that leads him into day dreaming. The car is also symbolic because it represents how well or bad he uses his freedom, basing on the fact that he is involved in an accident due to carelessness. In â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† the grandmother’s hat which she puts to show that she is a lady is symbolic in a way that it represents her moral code, which is misguided (Flannery, 1992). This is illustrated when she dresses in that specific manner, so that in case there is an accident, everyone would easily identify her as a lady. The â€Å"Toomsboro† town is mentioned in a manner that it sounds like a â€Å"Tomb† meaning that the family is headed for doom. Through the description of Misfit’s car, the writer brings out the picture of the ultimatum of the family. He uses â€Å"a big black battered hearse-like automobile,† instead of brand names like Cadillac, Lincoln and many others. THEMES In â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† the main theme is good versus evil where  there is a confrontation with a superficial logic of goodness and a person who is embodies aspects of evil. She treats goodness just to appear decent, with the right manners and to paint of a picture of coming from a family of right people, which is a contrast as is seen when she meets the Misfit who acknowledges and accepts his true nature. In this piece, the writer brings out the nature of people to paint a picture which is in contrast of their true natures just to gain a social status among the people they interact with. In â€Å"Love in L.A† the main theme is love for self. This is seen as Jake is consumed with himself and the obsession he has with his car. He wants more for himself and for the main reason of getting more women. The author illustrates the nature of people in the society to always want more in life (Dagoberto, 2004). TONE In Love in L.A, The tone of the author brings out the fact that he might see himself in the main character, Jake. The author could be a good person who at one time struggled in the place of a bad guy. In A good Man is Hard to Find, the overall tone used plays a fundamental role in developing the plot of the story, which is retro respect, based upon the unforgiving terrain especially during the writing of the story. IRONY The title of the story,†A Good man is hard to find† is ironic because the grandmother refers the Misfit as a good man when she says, â€Å"I know you’re a good man †¦ I know you must come from nice people,† (Flannery, 1992). which is not the case since the Misfit has escaped from prison and has killed his father. Irony is also evident in â€Å"Love in L.A† because of the continual longing for love which does not occur. Through Jake, love is developed in different fashions which do not suggest anything positive. He is seen as one with a love for image, daydreaming and self conceit, which does not represent the true meaning of the word love. MORAL CODES In Love in L.A, Jake has no moral codes. Despite the fact that he knocks Miranda’s car, he does not make any efforts to honor the responsibility but instead tries hard to evade the situation by telling Miranda lies and giving him false information. He does not also mind about the conditions of other people but instead thinks about himself and does everything to get what he wants. In â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† I think the grandmother does not have the qualities to be looked at as â€Å"a good man† since the image that she tries to paint is not what she truly is, she lives in deceit and does everything to get recognized (Flannery, 1992). This is the same scenario in the case of Misfit, who despite the fact that he sees himself as perfect, and that there are others even more dangerous than him, does not mean that he is morally upright. This is because he does not make any efforts in changing what evil he has done in the past. FINAL THOUGHTS I have learnt that there are many ways in which perceive love. Having read the two short stories, I discovered that people are of different opinions. This is illustrated by Jake as being in love with his car and self image, the same thing is seen with the grandmother, where he only loves the image that can be represented by her and not about the affairs of the other people. This is a moral lesson that we should learn and try as hard to always consider the affairs and statuses of other people before putting ours ahead. REFERENCES Flannery, O. (1992) A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories Chicago: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Dagoberto. G, (2004) Love in L.A. Chicago: Cengage Learning

Antiseptics and disinfectants

The higher the concentration of antiseptic, the more powerful it will be at inhibiting/ killing microorganisms which cause bacterial growth. † This theory supports my result because as you can see the zone of inhibition increases due to the increasing concentration of antiseptic. The higher concentration of antiseptic means it has been less diluted, which means its more stronger than other more diluted concentrations, this high concentration will determine how powerful the antiseptic will be at killing/inhibiting the growth of bacterium, this high concentration of antiseptic will break down the bacterial cell wall, after this process has happened the antiseptic can stop the mutation of the bacteria and inhibit the growth of the bacteria or kill the bacteria. As you can see from my results the higher amount of antiseptic agent present in the ajar jelly, the more powerful it will be at destroying the bacterial cell wall, that is why with the increasing concentration of antiseptic the zone of inhibition increases because the high dose of concentration is attacking the bacteria, hence inhibiting a larger zone of inhibition. On the other hand decreasing the concentration of antiseptic reduces the effect of destroying the bacterium; the weaker the concentration is the less powerful it is at attacking the cell wall of the bacteria. As you can see from my results at the point of 10 percent concentration the smallest zone of inhibition is present this is because the weaker concentration wasn’t strong enough to attack enough of the bacteria in the ajar jelly, so a smaller zone of inhibition became present. During incubation, the chemical diffuses from the disk containing the agent into the surrounding agar; my weaker concentration also wasn’t able to diffuse as well as a higher concentration. Another factor is that my higher concentration wasn’t diluted as much as much as my lower concentration, which means that the water neutralised some of the powerful chemicals in the lower concentration of antiseptic, which were lethal for destroying some of the bacterial agents. 6a) Use of the proper concentration of a disinfectant is important to Achieve the best results for each situation. Some products will have different dilutions Depending on the desired use of the product. Although some Disinfectants may be more efficacious at higher concentrations, However, over-dilution of a product may render the disinfectant ineffective to the target of destroying the Microorganisms. The product label will list the best concentration to use for each situation. Be sure to consider any standing water or other water sources (i. e. , rainfall) in the area as a Potential dilution source for a disinfectant. Antiseptics are more suitable for cleaning hands rather than disinfectants because disinfectants are meant to destroy microorganisms which can infect non-living objects, whilst antiseptics are used on living tissues and cells to destroy any type of infections or sepsis which may be living on the tissue, that is why antiseptics are used in hand sanitizers to clean hands rather than disinfectants. Some people differ between using antibiotics or antiseptics for hand washing, antibiotics and antiseptics are both chemicals that prevent the growth and development of bacteria, but antibiotics are effective only again bacteria whilst antiseptics act on a wide range of microorganisms, making antiseptics more suitable for hand sanitizers. Antiseptics are chemical agents that slow or stop the growth of micro-organisms (germs) on external surfaces of the body, that is why they are suitable to use on the skin as they are designed for that pacific reason to stop bacterial growth or any other microorganisms from spreading or causing infection on the skin and external surfaces on the body. Antiseptics should be distinguished from antibiotics that destroy micro-organisms inside the body, and from disinfectants, which destroy micro-organisms found on inanimate (non-living) objects. Antibiotics and disinfectant are designed for other reasons as you can see and contain some different chemical agents that maybe harsh on the human skin so that is why disinfectants and antibiotics may not be suitable on the skin.

Realism vs. Phenomenalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Realism vs. Phenomenalism - Essay Example It is also possible for people to perceive qualities under conditions whereby no physical object exists at all. However, Barnes does not agree with this point of view and terms the sense-data argument a myth. According to Barnes, people have the capacity to perceive by seeing, tasting, smelling, feeling, and hearing; it is an indisputable fact. He proceeds to give three arguments that dispel the existence of sense data. For instance, he gives the example of a penny placed on a table. When observed from above, the penny appears circular, but when viewed from miles away, it appears elliptical. The elliptical and circular appearances are not the aspects of the penny, but entities of some kind. Another example is a stick that appears straight in the air, but bent in water. This is an aspect of sense-data. The third argument Barnes presents is that people seem to see objects which do not exist in reality. For example, mirages that appear in the desert (Barnes 92). This suggests that what people observe in some cases are not physical entities. The non-physical entities are what phenomenalists refer to as sense-data. Barnes arguments favor realism. Realism asserts that the existence of physical objects is independent of the human mind; therefore, the universe exists independent of the human mind. Barnes argument is convincing as it follows the tenets of logical reasoning. Therefore, physical objects exist whether human beings perceive them or

Causes and effects of alcoholism Research Paper

Causes and effects of alcoholism - Research Paper Example Research has failed to reach consensus on the causes of alcohol abuse, but one cause due to which individuals become addicted to alcohol is that those who consume alcohol for a very long period of time become mentally dependant on it and if they try to stop consumption of alcohol they experience withdrawal symptoms and this dependence is recognized as one of the causes of alcoholism. There are other causes that may cause alcoholism, but research has failed to reach consensus on these causes. One of these causes is genetic factors that may result in alcoholism. This means that certain individuals might be born with certain characteristics that may increase the risk of these individuals becoming involved in the act of alcohol abuse. Genetic factors may explain alcoholism among certain percentage of population, but it fails to explain the same behavior in various other populations. According to Kearney, genetic factors are one of the reasons due to which individuals abuse alcohol and th e researcher even states that individuals belonging to families in which alcohol abuse was quite prevalent were at a higher risk of around three to four times to abuse alcohol (Kearney, 2011, p.257). Another possible cause of dependence on alcohol is the changes in an individual’s cognitive chemical balances due to continuous consumption of alcohol over a longer period of time. Individuals who try to stop consumption of alcohol may experience decline in the chemical levels of norepinephrine and due to this the individual may experience higher levels of blood pressure as well as increase in heart rate and in order to counter this effect, the individual may resort to drinking higher levels of alcoholic drinks. A research was conducted by Hawley, in which the researchers identified that the levels of cerebrospinal fluid norepinephrine were higher among those who were trying to quit their addiction of alcohol consumption (Hawley, 1981). To a

The Greek challenge for European economic integration Dissertation

The Greek challenge for European economic integration - Dissertation Example The paper scrutinizes the likely economic effects to individual European nations as a result of the exit of the Greek nation with the burden of the debts incurred with entry into the euro zone and the use of the Euro as a result. Introduction Economic integration among countries involves the countries joining hands to achieve one economic goal. When countries integrate economically they benefit in the increased revenue as a result of the reduction of the trade tariffs. The reverse is true for the countries not in economic integration as such countries will suffer high trade tariffs set by their counterparts that will in the long run make trade expensive and not easy to run. Economic integration involves countries making their counterparts easier to trade with. This involves coming up with a common currency akin to the Euro that is used by the states in the European Union as a form of currency. The countries can also make trade between them easier by providing goods and service needed by the one country say x in exchange for what the other country say y produces and is needed by x. The main concepts of economic integration include the following. ... It was originally formed by six countries that are Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, Germany and France. Currently the union boasts a list of 27 members after entry of other European countries over the years. The idea to come together as united nation was informed by the following. To help rebuild each other after the economic destruction occasioned by the World War 2. This was also meant to foster peace and stability in the European countries through economic development as economic instability was perceived to bring about political instability through support of growth of extremists in facism and communism. This was informed by the breaches done during the world war and efforts to heal the wounds so caused as a result. Further the integration was meant to foster bilateral ties between the European nations. In addition the intergration was meant to bring unity between east and west Europe that was separated and to counter threat from the Soviet Union. After the formation of t he European Union, countries in the union decided to come up with a common currency to facilitate trade between the member nations in the bloc. With the use of a common currency the countries are able to carry out trade efficiently and the transactions are effective. The Greek nation Greece is a member state of the European economic integration. It is said to have joined the euro zone in the year 2001. Initially, the union was only meant for the country in the higher upper end like Germany and France as opposed to the countries in t he periphery like Greek. The country however, managed to convince the members of the euro zone for it to be considered into the integration. This Greek nation thought will help prosper it economic growth with the