Equality And Diversity Essay

Discuss issues of equality and diversity and ways to promote inclusion with your learners. Review other points of referral available to meet the potential needs of learners. Acknowledging the student’s needs and goals whilst respecting each individual student, giving them the appropriate help and support when needed without favouritism or prejudice, will allow the student to achieve entitlement, equality, inclusivity, diversity and differentiation in a classroom. Equality and Diversity; From this, the students will be able to understand the value of themselves and others as equal individuals. It will ensure that each individual is treated fairly without prejudice and that it is their right to have access to the course. The course should therefore be open to all, regardless of their gender, race, age, religion, sexual orientation or mental or physical ability. Identifying a student’s personal needs will help them succeed within their chosen subject. This support can come from; The tutor/lecturer Supportive friends and/or family Having access to literature and the internet Some prior knowledge of the subject being taught The students needs should be identified when making initial contact with the college. This will enable potential problems to be identified and if necessary, other departments informed so that specialist advise can be given. Needs that should be identified include; Physical access or difficulties Unsupported friends/family Financial problems

Teaching Essay

1.1 How teaching assistant can support the teacher in planning, teaching and evaluation of learning activities. Prior to the lesson I requested a copy of the teachers’ plans and after discussions we were able to agree using a variety of lesson plans, teaching methods, and implement targets to provide the most effective support to pupils and their needs, this gave me a clearer understanding of the learning that was going to take place and allow me time to familiarising myself with the subject matter, learning objectives and outcomes, this would also assist me to prepare any resources required for the planned lesson ahead. After agreeing the objectives of the lesson ‘Drip Drop’, were to explore some of the properties of water, to explore absorbent and non-absorbent materials and to find out how water drops behave on different surfaces. By asking for copies of the teacher’s long, medium, short-term planning, this helped me to provide extra support in the classroom by developing my understanding of the weeks and daily planning process and to set learning objectives, preparing, assessing and recording pupils’ participation and progression allow the teacher to see how effective my teaching is and whether the pupils are making progress in their learning. The role of the teacher is to supply a safe and supervised classroom for the pupils to learn in, encourage pupil learning by planning, preparing and delivering lessons in relation to the National Curriculum and meet school target whilst maintain its policies. The teacher assesses records and report on pupil’s progress and achievements and liaise with parents, sometimes attending meetings or responsible for literacy or science. Preparing the classroom for the lesson, checking the correct materials available to carry out the activity helps the teacher. Observation and monitoring of pupils work during the task helps me to make assessments to see if the learning has been successful and give feedback to the pupil and teacher on individuals performance or responses, if they have any problems, by doing this it helps me to make well-informed judgements about a pupils learning and progress and make any changes necessary to the activity. 1.2 Information the teaching assistant would require before supporting learning activities From the daily lesson plan I am able to identify the materials required for the lesson to complete the task. After reading the pupil’s records and initial assessment a decision was made to put the more experienced pupils with the ones who were not as confident to enable them to assist, encourage, help and work together to complete the task successfully. A class discussion was held to see if the pupils could think of the materials which would be required to complete the task I then wrote the answers on the whiteboard. The materials were absorbent and non-absorbent materials like plastic, paper and cardboard etc and things with which to make water drops for example, straws, plastic pipettes, and clean eye droppers, as water was going to be used a non toxic coloured paint was required to put in the water to make it easier to see, because I used the last of the cardboard I wrote this down on the reorder list. I emphasised everyone needed to act sensibly because sharp items were going to be used. I showed the class how to make drops with the different kinds of objects and gave them time to practice making water drops and try to make drops of different sizes. When they had mastered this I asked the pupils to drip onto samples of different materials. I asked them to see what happened when two, or more, drops meet, on a hard and non-absorbent surface. Later I separate the pupils into pairs and asked them: Can they race their drop with a friend? 1.3 The sorts of problems that may occur when supporting learning activities Informing the teacher before removing unwanted chairs made sure there was sufficient space for the pupils and equipment to work safely prior to the learning activity and by placing four pupils on each table gave better access to the water tubs and avoiding pupils pushing each other. The pipettes and resources were placed safely in the middle of each table. Before the lesson it was explained to suck the water up the straw was dangerous and requested the pupils to just dip the straw in the water, I asked if they knew why and explained about choking and emphasised about being sensible, the pupils’ then put on their aprons to protect their clothing. The pupils who found listening difficult, I put the questions onto laminated cards for easy reference explaining that I was going to ask those questions about the information later. I also wrote down the key questions on the whiteboard. Can you make different size drop? What happens to the drops when you drip them onto different surfaces? Can you make two drops join? What Happens? Whilst monitoring I removed a pupil from the activity for putting the pipette in his ear. The child was placed away from the activity, asking the pupil if he understood why he had been separated it was explained if he wanted to rejoin the activity he would need to act sensibly, after 10 minutes the pupil calmed down, and was asked to rejoined the group, giving the pupil encouragement and praise for better behaviour enabled the pupil to complete the task successfully. When the activity had finished I discussed with the pupil his behaviour and found he was upset because his hamster had died, I later discussed this with the teacher. After shutting the windows I relocated a pupil to a quieter part of the classroom as the noise of grass cutting was causing a distraction. The hot weather made the room too warm, two pupils started to flick each other with water I opened the classroom door to reduce the temperature and with a direct look and raised eyebrow showed displeasure at the pupils then separated them. Noticing one of the cheerful pupils was rather withdrawn and after talking they revealed that their Nan had died that morning I reassured the pupil and asked if they would like to read a poem about water, I then informed the teacher. Encouragement by praising their progress was given to the pupils with low confidence and pupils who finished their task early were asked to write a poem about their observations or about the drop race. After the activity was complete we had a class discussion asking pupils, how do you think it went? What would you do differently? I then asked the pupils to write down their observations in their books with correct date. 1.4 Strategies a teaching assistant may use to support pupils learning By using questions ‘What we think will happen’?, and writing down all the key points this confirmed the pupils understood the instructions prior to the activity and helped the class know what was expected of them. Placing the low confident pupils at the front of the class and rephrasing questions enabled them to understand the instructions more clearly. After discussion with another teaching assistant it was decided to enlarge the worksheet to A3 size to make it easier for the pupils who were struggling, encouraging them to write down their ideas then stick them onto the worksheet later and giving praise when the task was completed. Separating pupils into groups allowed the development of peer support activities and cooperative learning, allowing the pupils to benefit by learning and supporting each other. The pupils with confidence worked on their own initiative were able to write their own ideas directly onto the worksheet. Bandura, Skinner, Piaget and Vygotsky discuss that cognitive development occurs at an individual rate and cultures teaches a person what to think as well as how to think. I agree that children are not just passive discovers, they are constantly trying to make sense of the information they see, hear, feel and discover enabling some children to develop quicker than others. At the end of the activity reward stickers were given for using the correctly vocabulary in their poems and a discussion was held by using open-ended questions of (how, what, why?) this provided me with more information to enable me to assess the pupils’ learning and understanding and provide me with the information required to feedback later to the teacher 1.5 Providing feedback on learning activities to the teacher Both during and after supporting the learning activity, I recorded the pupils’ participation and progression and met later with the teacher, to give feedback regarding the issues encountered during the activity, I discussed the pupil who’s relative died and about the pupil behaving inappropriately during the session and being separated from the group. I informed the teacher why the worksheet was enlarged and why the laminated card was useful. I also explained I gave out some stickers for correct spelling and punctuation.

International Business (international trade) the title of the research Dissertation

International Business (international trade) the title of the research is the impact of Free trade agreement on New Zealand Econ - Dissertation Example 24 4 Findings & Conclusion 26 5 References 29 6 List of Tables and Graphs 32 Abstract Many past empirical evidences had found that FTA (Free Trade Agreements) is likely to boost bilateral trade flows, to assist to attain economic growth and to create new employment openings driven by export directed development in the economy of partner nations. In most of the FTAs, the advantages derived due to FTAs are likely to overshadow the cost involved especially in the long run. FTAs will likely to result in tariff minimisation in the majority of the products traded between the nations. This research paper will endeavour to examine whether FTAs entered by New Zealand (NZ) with Australia , China , and ASEAN has helped the NZ economy to grow further or not and whether NZ derived much benefits from such FTAs like employment creation , technology transfer , increased standard of living , simplification of customs procedures , trade expansion and overall economic growth by investigating into the e arlier empirical evidence available on the subject and statistics offered by the respective governments. (â€Å"Ali, 2011, p.1†). ... und a buyer for his product in Australia, and the Australian importer has to pay a tariff of 20% meaning for $100 product imported from NZ , an Australian has to pay $120 ( cost of material + tariff) . However, under NZ and Australia FTA agreement, these products can enter into Australia without tariff and vice-versa. The preferential tariff rates under FTA make NZ products cheaper for Australians. The elimination of tariff offers the NZ, a competitive benefit over other nations that do not have FTA with Australia. Thus, FTAs make NZ producers and exporters more competitive both in abroad and domestically. (â€Å"Renda, 2013, p.1†). A FTA has the following advantages: Safeguards NZ investments in the partner’s nation Offer new market access for NZ manufacturers and consumers Offer market access to remanufactured products Trade-in-services will get a fillip Offers advantages to medium and small exporters of both the nation Enhances custom facilitation (Garnaut, 2002, p.1 25). If we analyse the economic growth rates of nations that have FTAs with the developing nations, as indicated by GDP, we can find that in many cases, it has surpassed those of advanced economies. NZ companies exporting to Australia enjoy double benefits with ever growing consumer bases and low tariff rates. In spite of recent global economic crisis, FTA has facilitated many small nations to sustain the growth and to maintain the same in the coming years also whereas advanced economies are in turmoil. (Barry, 2012, p1). 1-2 History of Free Trade Agreements As per Dent (2007), the regionalised and imperial trade arrangements that existed between Middle East, China, Europe and India have given birth to the international trade systems. The first ever world trade system had the origin from the gradual

Differentiate a nation, a state, and a nation-state Essay

Differentiate a nation, a state, and a nation-state - Essay Example Ethnic nations originate from common races configured by similar traditions. The Japanese group of people is an ethnic nation of Yamato. Civic nation entails dissimilar population of different ethnic groups sharing a common belonging. The United States is an exemplary of civic nation since the country’s population is a diverse combination without common ancestry, similar language groups or dominant religion. A state refers to a given country with self-governing political units that hold elite jurisdiction over a given territory or region. The defining terms of a state include the population, given boundaries, and absolute sovereignty. The mandates of the said country maintains jurisdiction over the given population within a territory. â€Å"States or countries are independent political units that claim exclusive jurisdiction over defined territories and over all of the people and activities within them† (Dahlman & William 410). Different governments lack the power to exercise the absolute authority. As such, the state enhances or forces applicable patterns of a population’s activity to obey the rules provided in a certain political map. Cultural aspects define the organization of a said state in any portioning of a state. States exercise absolute sovereignty where a democratic space entails exclusive rights to the available population. â€Å"The idea that a state has the exclusive right to rule over a demarcated space and all the people and resources within it is known as sovereignty† (Dahlman & William 412). State features include transferred self-governing powers to a central government structure. The population of a state exhibit common identities with related origins. The nation state refers to a given state that rules a region with a population arising from united cultures. The concept of nation states embraces the initial development of nations that later attain protective states. The nation state focuses on dominate

Foundations in the pre-modern world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Foundations in the pre-modern world - Essay Example It is the hope of this author that such an explanation will engage the reader with a more appropriate understanding of this key issue and help to define the way in which civilization ultimately came to fruition as a result of the positive aspects of civilization outweighing the negative ones. Firstly, with regards to the positive aspects that civilization could potentially offer a hunter gatherer around the year 3000 BC, one must realize that civilization was able to offer a degree of synergy. Comparative to the hunter and gatherer groups and tribes of this era, civilization was able to draw upon enough human resources within a given region to seek to specialize individuals with regards to their specific strengths within the economy. In such a way, rather than merely having the entire society devoted towards subsistence, as was oftentimes exhibited within the hunter gatherer cultures, individuals within a civilized society were able to focus upon such diverse techniques and cons such as tanning, wheel making, dating of bread, and a litany of other specialized talents and work skills. An additional benefit that society could offer is with regards to the diversity of trade and goods that could be exhibited. Whereas a small group of hunter gatherers it have very little impact on regional and international trade, a civilized society integrate with its neighbors and leverage a degree of trade activities that the smaller entity would be completely incapable of. Lastly, it must be understood this synergy and diversification that have been discussed allows for growth and development of art, music and literature to a degree that would’ve been impossible within a hunter and gatherer culture. Whereas hunter gatherers were incessantly preoccupied with issues concerning sustainment and meeting daily caloric needs, the civilized society was able to devote unnecessary labor towards developing the arts. Similarly, it must be understood that the decision to integrate wit h civilization on the part of the hunter gatherer was also one that was mixed with many negative aspects. The first and perhaps most important of these is with regards to the loss of culture and/or identity that the hunter gatherer would necessarily feel once integrated into a larger collective that was hardly reflective of their past life and interpretations of religion, societal norms, and a host of other factors. This of course ties directly into the loss of religious interpretation that an individual from a hunter gatherer society would necessarily space when choosing to integrate with civilization. From a political standpoint, the individual hunter gatherer would also feel a great loss of freedom as their personal behavior became constricted and beholden not to a warrior, shaman, or chief, but to a complex network of bureaucratic entities. Similarly, also from the local perspective, it must be understood that civilization represented a decreased level to which the individual ca n impact upon the direction and decisions that the group will take. Whereas within the hunter gathering unit the individual hunter/warrior was able to have a voice and provide at least some level of direction to the group,

International Political Economy of Oil and Gas Essay

International Political Economy of Oil and Gas - Essay Example The degree of dependence of the users on the oil and gas and their flexibility to adopt alternative sources of energy under the circumstances of rising oil prices determine the competitive advantage of the major oil exporting nation over the others and the degree of aggression of these economies over other countries due to the competitive advantage in the international economy (Bentley, 2002, p.199). The movement of gas prices in relation to the oil prices, the volume of used of gas and other forms of energy like electricity, solar energy, hydro-electricity used in the economies determine the impact of oil prices on the economies all over the world. In general circumstances, the rise in the oil prices leads to higher amount of national income for the oil exporting countries of the world. According to the recent report of OECD, the prices of oil are expected to soar up to 190 dollars till 2020 in terms of real value of money in today’s economy. Due to the rise in the prices of oil, the net oil importing countries face situations of economic slowdown due to the rigidity in the structure of their economies (Sengupta, 2011, p.35). The minimum wages to be paid to the labours, the cost for importing the oil from the major oil exporters, the degree of economic investments are all affected by the rise of oil prices. The oil importing economies have to transfer more national income to the international oil exporters for importing the same volume of oil. Thus the volume of oil imports tends to decrease in a situation of rising international oil prices (Mankiw, 2011, p.82). This leads to slowdown of investments in the economy of the importing countries. The subsequent implications for the net oil importing countries are inflation in the economy as the supply of goods an d services are not able to meet the demand of the markets. Due to circular flow of money, the

The argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

The argument - Essay Example According to some sectors, it would actually be beneficial to all concerned if the high school students are not made to wear uniforms to school. Those who oppose the move for high school students to wear school uniforms are mostly students themselves who feel such school regulations are meant to stifle their creativity and ability to express themselves freely through their mode of dress. As it is, all public schools already have a Dress Code that falls under the student Code of Conduct handbook. In most cases the dress code clearly states: (Sanko, Manda â€Å"Should Public School Students Wear Uniforms?†): ..a "No Go" section that includes: flip flops, showing of midriffs or bra straps, tank tops with a strap thinner than one inch, skirts shorter than the tips of you fingers with arms at side, extremely baggy pants, showing of boxers, guys wearing wife beaters, etc. With such rules pre-existing in the Dress Code, students already know what they are allowed to wear and not wear in school. Parents are already forced to buy clothes that adhere to the school dress code. Students believe that the aforementioned dress code already creates a type of uniform that they have to adhere to in order to attend school. Therefore, they do not see any need to wear an actual school uniform. Students who attend schools that already implement the school uniform dictum claim it is actually easier for them to attend school wearing a uniform because they no longer have to match up their clothes for an acceptable look in school. It helps the students look more professional (Lammers, Jacob â€Å"School Uniforms, Dress Code Cause Stir, Acceptance Among Students†) and in a way, helps boost their self esteem as well. After all, high school is all about standing out and finding ones self. One cannot be expected to do that if the powers that be in school insist that all the students march to the same drummer. School uniforms may have been all the rage during the past era but

Research In Motion Analysis Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

In Motion Analysis - Research Paper Example Security officials say the inability to monitor BlackBerry traffic undermines efforts to protect national security. RIM has so far said it cannot unscramble data of its enterprise customers because it does not possess the keys needed to do so. After several meetings, RIM proposed it could share the IP address of BlackBerry Enterprise Servers, and the PIN and IMEI numbers of BlackBerry mobiles. India says that is not enough because it doesn't provide access to mails (FACTBOX - Problems BlackBerry services face in India, 2010) The proposed solutions by RIM for solving the security related problems while using blackberry phones in India has not been solved fully yet. RIM is trying to convince the Indian authorities with the help of some simple modifications in its existing technologies rather than going for a complete change. Indian authorities on the other hand are not ready to accept RIM’s offers. It should be noted that other mobile phone companies are ready to obey whatever t he security measures suggested by the Indian authorities and therefore India do not want to accept the offers of RIM. RIM should realize that the necessity to market blackberry pones in India is theirs rather than India’s. No country will sacrifice their security measures for introducing a foreign mobile phone in its territory. â€Å"Research In Motion (RIM) founder Mike Lazaridis ordered a BBC reporter to end an interview after he was asked about his problems with India and Middle Eastern countries over security issues† (BlackBerry chief ends BBC interview after India query, 2011). It is evident from the above example that RIM is not ready to accept its mistakes and dealing the issues emotionally rather than... Even though the growth opportunities for Rim are not so good at present, it can still regain its supremacy if concentrate more on changing some of its traditional business concepts. As mentioned earlier, RIM should be ready to modify its technologies to suit the needs of Asian markets, instead of keeping an adamant attitude with respect to technology changes. It should be noted that mobile phone market is facing stiff challenges at present because of the ongoing recession. Asia is the only region which escaped with fewer injuries in this recession period. So, RIM should shift attention more towards Asian market. Google and Apple are some of the companies which are raising stiff challenges to RIM. Apple is currently the second biggest and most valuable technology company in the world and therefore their products are always accepted with both hands by the customers. The case of Google is also not an exception. â€Å"Cheaper Google phones are making inroads in Latin America, Asia and E urope, threatening the popularity of Black-Berry models such as the Curve†. In short, RIM needs a revolutionary product now to compete effectively with the products of competitors. It should be noted that Apple grabbed the smartphone market because of their innovative iPhone series products. iPhone 5 is about to enter the global markets. Same way, Samsung is going to introduce the 3d version of its revolutionary Galaxy S2 product series.

Prisons As Industry Essay Example for Free

Prisons As Industry Essay What is the most profitable industry in America? Weapons, oil and computer technology all offer high rates of return, but there is probably no sector of the economy as abloom with money as the privately run prison industry. Prison industry in recent years has become a high-profit business and it competes with industries such as the oil and gas industry. The aim of this paper therefore is to examine the industry as a whole. In examining the industry therefore, there shall be a cursory analysis of some salient point vis-à  -vis the prison industry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A very important fact is that the prison industry came about because of the congestion in the various government-owned prisons in throughout the country. The demand for prisons seems to be ever increasing and the public prisons scattered all around the country are incapable of providing adequately for this. Nearly every prison in America is overcrowded and will continue to be so if new prisons do not spring up. So therefore, the aim of the prison industry is to make provisions for more space to keep dissidents at a lower cost than federal prisons can.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In other words, privately owned prisons are unique because demand for prisons is high, while supply of prisons is low.   That is what makes this industry so appealing. Thus, privately owned prisons are good substitutes for federally run services. Therefore, this brings us to the issue of prison privatization. This involves the transfer of running state-owned prisons to private industries to manage. Thus, by using the private sector to build or manage prisons, many states believe that they can reduce costs. Privatization of prisons can take various forms. This includes: Contracting out services: This is the most common form of prison privatization. Currently, 39 states in the US hire private firms to provide such services as medical and mental health treatment, drug treatment, education, staff training, and vocational training and counseling. Contracting out prison labor This also is another means of privatizing prisons. By putting prisoners to work and paying inmates competitive wages, many private companies are reducing prison costs for the government by withholding earnings for taxes, room and board, family support, and victims compensation. Such employment also gives prisoners the skills and work experience that will prepare them for the job market when they are released from prison. Construction and lease/purchasing Many states see private construction as a promising solution to the prison over crowding crisis. States normally finance construction by cash appropriations (a pay-as-you-go approach) or by issuing general obligation bonds The points above are some of the ways by which prisons by various states in the US. In another vein, privatization of prisons can also occur at the federal level. For instance, the Federal Government of the United States recently proposed contracting with a private firm for a new 500 bed minimum-secure facility for illegal aliens. In addition, the Bureau has considered contracting for facilities to house special needs prisoners, such as juveniles, women, protective custody cases, and for prisoners needing medical services. However, the federal government is wary in contracting out the more mainstream prisoners such as those imprisoned in the Federal Correctional Institutions and the U.S. Penitentiary System. Nevertheless, the prison industry has raises certain questions. These questions must be answered before a deeper understanding and full grasp of the objectives of the industry can be achieved. The first question is that has the federal government abrogated its responsibility by privatizing prisons. In other words, Should the private sector be responsible for a function traditionally performed by the government sector? Evidence has shown that that prison privatization does not mean that the government relinquishes its responsibility. The government still would select the inmates to be placed in private prisons, choose the type of facility to be contracted out, oversee the contractors disciplinary practices and, most important, evaluate the contractors performance. Furthermore, another good question to be asked is whether service quality and flexibility is maintained or not? This is because some policy makers maintain that the quality of management in private prisons will tend to be high at first, because of competition and the desire to win contracts. However, they question the private sectors ability to sustain high-quality standards. This is not true of the prison industry because contracting standards are likely to improve over time as more firms enter the market and competition increases. Periodic bidding creates incentives for firms to improve constantly the quality and cost-efficiency of their performance. These above questions, among others, are some of the questions to ask in order to have an enlightened grasp of the prison industry. Now, it is of necessity to look at the history of prison industry. Historically, prison population started to grow in the United States in the 70s. Statistically, one out of every hundred adults is now imprisoned. In order to curtail the unwanted rise in the number of inmates, larger sentences are being imposed on to act as deterrent and other policies, which are known as the ‘broken window’. They have introduced the ’three strike’ policy which means that if you are convicted of any 3 offences you will receive life which is a very good deterrent. The state of Virginia applies this always, and has managed to slow the growth of the population (Bratton 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In addition, the government has tried to seek alternative modes of punishing offenders instead of retaining them in the prison yards. Undauntedly however, the rate of offenders soars. This has gone a long way in boosting the prison industry. The industry is now much bigger than ever before worth around 40 billion dollars a year. Due to the overcrowding in state prisons and federal prisons, which are on average 34% over designed capacity according to the BJS report, the prison industry has to rely on private prisons. Many states enjoy the companies taking on the task of building the prisons and covering the costs and just charging the state per inmate, as the state tends to be a lot more lenient to a convicted felon in order to save money. So therefore, prison industry continues to soar high. Investors are now having good times because of their net profits from prison business. For example, the leading company in prison business, Corrections Corporation of America, has made a tremendous success in the business. The revenue of this company rose by 81% in 1995 alone. Again, Investors in Wackenhut Corrections Corporation, another leading prison industry,   have enjoyed an average return of 18 percent during the past five years and the company is rated by Forbes as one of the top 200 small businesses in the country as of today. The list goes on an on. Ten years ago, there were just five privately run prisons in the country, housing a population of 2.000. Nearly, a score of private firms run more than 100 prisons with about 62,000 beds today. Thats still less than five percent of the total market, but the industry is expanding fast, with the number of private prison beds expected to grow to 360,000 during the next decade. This could be said to be the reason why a recent headline in USA Today which says that; Everybodys Doin the Jailhouse Stock In view of this, the prison industry is now a lucrative business. In fact, almost 30 states in the US have 28 states have passed legislation making it legal for private contractors to run correctional facilities and many more states are expected to follow suit. God knows maybe one day, the prison industry will take over as the most lucrative and cost-effective business. To summarize it all, there are many reasons why America has incarcerated more of its population than any other country including China, which has a much greater population. The main reason is still the fact that the prison industry is being portrayed as a business and companies are making money from crime. Therefore, toughening of laws by both the federal and state governments does not help matter. Therefore, one can safely conclude that prison industry has come to stay. What is to be done now is for the government to tighten laws on the establishment of privately owned correction centers across the States. This would go a long way in ensuring that the privately owned prisons function effectively as their public counterparts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   REFERENCES Tonry M., 2004. Prisons and Imprisonment, International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Pages 12062-1206. Walker, S., Spohn, C., Dolone, M., 2004. The Color of Justice, Race Ethnicity, and Crime in America, 3rd Ed, Wadsworth Publishing. Scalia, J., August 2001. Federal Drug Offenders, 1999 with trends 1984-99, Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, U.S. Department of justice. Samaha, j., 2001. Criminal justice, 5th ed. Wadsworth publishing. Renshaw, B., December 1982. Prisoners 1925-1981, Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, U.S. Department of justice. Harrison, P., November 2004. Prisoners 2003, Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, U.S. Department of justice.

Art essay Essay Example for Free

Art essay Essay Does art imitate life – or is it the other way around? Traditionally, we have believed that art imitates life. The painter represents what he or she sees by producing a scene on a canvas. The sculptor does the same with bronze or stone. A photographer or film maker does it even more directly. A writer describes life in his or her books. This simple concept is known as mimesis. But some have questioned the one-way nature of mimesis by arguing that art also changes the way we view the world, and in fact, life sometimes imitates art rather than the other way around. The person who first articulated this belief effectively was Oscar Wilde. Speaking about the foggy conditions in London in the late 19th century, he wrote that the way we perceive them changed because of art. Referring to the wonderful brown fogs that come creeping down our streets, blurring the gas lamps and turning houses into shadows he argued that poets and painters have taught [people] the loveliness of such effects. According to Wilde, They did not exist till Art had invented them. [pic] And you don’t have to look too far to see anti-mimesis in our lives. To what extent is our outlook on life altered by ideas we read in books? The portrayal of people in films? The styles we see in fashion photography? One great example of this is the TV series The Sopranos, and how it affected both the Mafia in the USA and the FBI. Art’s influence on society: propaganda and censorship Throughout history, it has always been the case that art has the power to change society, especially when new media are used to express an idea. During the First World War, for example, movie cameras were used for the first time to record trench warfare – when the film was shown in cinemas in Britain, audiences ran out screaming. This led to the government censoring further such use of such a powerful medium. And in government censorship, and use of art as propaganda, we see how seriously governments take the effect of art. All of the major dictators of the C20th understood the power of art to influence the population. In Nazi Germany, Hitler set up the Ministry of Propaganda and National Enlightenment. It was headed by Goebbels, who made sure that nothing was published, performed, or exhibited without his approval. [pic]When this happens, you know there isn’t going to be a happy ending And what Goebbels approved, of course, only fit in with Nazi ideology and ideas. In terms of art, this meant no modern and abstract art, certainly nothing hostile to the regime, and nothing that featured images other than the stereotypical blonde-haired, blue eyed set in idyllic pastoral scenes of blissful happiness. [pic] [pic] In Stalinist Russia, there was also a keen understanding of the power of art. Art portrayed contented peasants, industrious workers, and Stalin himself. In fact, Stalin was shown god-like in many paintings, a phenomenon known as the Cult of Stalin. Just as in Germany, gigantic architectural projects expressed the power of the state. [pic] [pic] However, there is no doubt that in Russia there were greater artistic achievements than in Nazi Germany. Composers worked with fewer hindrances – as seen in the works by Prokoviev and Shostakovich, and film-makers such as Eisenstein emerged. Art’s influence on society: the trial of Lady Chatterley’s Lover But even under less oppressive governments, the artistic expression of certain ideas can be subject to control. One great example is the book ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ by DH Lawrence, which was deemed offensive on many levels. In this book, Constance Reid, a woman from a progressive liberal middle class family marries a minor member of the aristocracy, Lord Clifford Chatterley, and takes the title ‘Lady Chatterley’. But her husband is injured in the First World War, confined to a wheelchair, and left impotent. Despite this, he becomes a successful writer and businessman. It is more his obsession with financial success and fame rather than any physical difficulties which come between him and his wife, and she begins an affair with their gamekeeper, Oliver Mellors. The largely aristocratic ‘establishment’ of Britain at the time – the book was published in Italy in 1928 were shocked by many aspects of the book. First, there was the fact that the book was ‘obscene’, in the way it went into explicit detail the affair that took place (see below). Second, there was the fact that a women was breaking her marriage vows, something considered far worse than a man behaving in the same way. Finally, it represented an intimate relationship between a member of the ‘lower’ classes (although it emerges during the story that Mellors is actually well-educated, and became an officer in the army during the First World War) and the ‘upper’ classes, a concept that was totally taboo in Britain at that time. The book was duly banned. [pic] But the book was republished by Penguin books in 1960. The attorney general, Reginald Manningham-Buller (dubbed ‘Bullying-Manners’ by the journalist and author Bernard Levin) had to read only four chapters to decide to prosecute Penguin books for publishing it. What annoyed him was not just the content, but the fact that the price of the book meant it was affordable to women and members of the lower classes (remember that only few women worked at this time, and husbands were generally in charge of family finances). The trial was a disaster for Manningham-Buller and the prosecution. They had failed to find any experts to support their case, in stark contrast to Penguin’s defence team, which had brought in authors, journalists, academics, and even members of the clergy to defend the book. Manningham-Buller and his team had very little idea of what Lawrence had been trying to express in his book, regularly being caught out by the superior insight of the witnesses they were trying to catch out. And although they tried to shock the jury – in his opening speech, Manningham-Buller announced: The word fuck or fucking appears no less than 30 times . . . Cunt 14 times; balls 13 times; shit and arse six times apiece; cock four times; piss three times, and so on. they were unable to prove that the book would have a negative influence on the readers it was aimed at. According to the Guardian: No other jury verdict in British history has had such a deep social impact. Over the next three months Penguin sold 3m copies of the book – an example of what many years later was described as the Spycatcher effect, by which the attempt to suppress a book through unsuccessful litigation serves only to promote huge sales. The jury – that iconic representative of democratic society – had given its imprimatur to ending the taboo on sexual discussion in art and entertainment. Within a few years the stifling censorship of the theatre by the lord chamberlain had been abolished, and a gritty realism emerged in British cinema and drama. (Saturday Night and Sunday Morning came out at the same time as the unexpurgated Lady Chatterley, and very soon Peter Finch was commenting on Glenda Jacksons tired old tits in Sunday Bloody Sunday and Ken Tynan said the first fuck on the BBC. ) Homosexuality was decriminalised, abortions were available on reasonable demand, and in order to obtain a divorce it was unnecessary to prove that a spouse had committed the matrimonial crime of adultery. Judges no longer put on black caps to sentence prisoners to hang by the neck until dead. Can we say, though, that it was art in this case that changed society, or was it an interaction between human sciences (ie, the law) and the arts (the book) that led to change? This is from the same Guardian article: †¦the message of Lady Chatterleys Lover, half a century after the trial, is that literature in itself does no harm at all. The damage that gets attributed to books – and to plays and movies and cartoons – is caused by the actions of people who try to suppress them. See: The trial of Lady Chatterleys Lover The effect of art: presentation [pic] What other piece of art has profoundly changed the way we view the world? And was it the art that did it, or the way it was used that made the impact? Use the link below to help you introduce to us an influential piece of art. Think about the type of change it wrought, for example, ethical, social, metaphysical, etc.

Importance Of Product Strategy Marketing Essay

Importance Of Product Strategy Marketing Essay This chapter gives an overview of the dissertation and the importance of the subject matter. The importance of product strategy, the textile industry and a brief introduction on the Diesel Jeans sector will be presented. Problem formulation, research questions, hypotheses formulation, research aim, research objectives, reasons for choosing of the topic, previous studies, and format of the study will be spelt out. The research is focus on the product strategy implemented by Diesel Jeans in Mauritius. 1.2 Importance of product strategy The value realised by a firm from selling its products is determined to a large extent by the strategy that is used to bring the products to market (Chesbrough, 2003). Organisations that launched flourishing products such as Apple and Microsoft have been credited with adopting the right product strategy for their products (Wall Street Journal, 2006). Consequently it is imperative for firms to recognize the impact of the product strategies formulated. A product strategy is the critical vision of the product and affirmed where the product will cease. When a product strategy is developed, it becomes easy for firm to determine the direction of the product efforts. The product strategy forms the basis for executing a product roadmap and consequently product releases. However company is able to concentrate more on a target market specifically and set feature. Bantel (1997) suggests that particular product/market strategies are effective at achieving particular performance goals to the exclusion of others. The role of product strategy is to make an association between the companys product development and its business strategy (McGrath, Anthony, Shapiro, 1996) and according to McGrath (2000) it guarantees that the firm and its products is engaged in the right markets from a strategic viewpoint. Product strategy is referred as the consequence of making important decisions in managing new product development (Krishnan and Ulrich, 2001; Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel, 1998). The product strategy process involved the process of decision making within a company. 1.3 Textile Industry in Mauritius The textile industry is among the most significant pillars of the Mauritian economy. In the earlys 70, the government created the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in order to fight unemployment. Many changes have occurred almost forty two years of its existence. Mauritius manufactures products of quality like Boss, Ralph Lauren, Next, Gap, Mark and Spencer and others trade mark for export towards the Europe and USA due to the high skilled labour force and efficient management practices. According to the Mauritius Export Association (MEXA) report 2012, the export sector contributes around Rs 45 billion revenue to the Mauritian economy representing around 14% of GDP and generates approximately 60 000 direct jobs. It has been resilient to the difficult global economic situation and has achieved a modest growth of 7.8% during the year 2011. Table 1.1 below shows the domestic export of textile products through the year. Table 1.1: Domestic Export of Mauritius for year 2008 to year 2011 Domestic Exports 2008 2009 2010 2011 Cotton articles not knitted Mens trousers 6576 7126 6395 7507 Mens shirts 11796 10742 11017 13691 Womens trousers 2043 2722 3445 2971 Womens blouses 886 1170 968 931 Cotton articles knitted Mens trousers 444 217 363 177 Mens shirts 6384 3671 3883 4010 Womens trousers 622 1226 1779 2495 Womens blouses 2081 1170 968 937 Source: MEXA Report 2012 1.4 Diesel Jeans in Mauritius Based on a report of the Diesel Heritage web site, Diesel is viewed as an innovative international design company, making a wide-ranging collection of jeans, clothing and accessories. Diesel is a leader in pioneering new styles, fabrics, manufacturing methods and quality control to assure an excellent product. The company is present in over 80 countries with over 5,000 points of sale and more than 300 monobrand stores (200 of which are company-owned and the rest in partnership with local distributors). Diesel operates through franchise in Mauritius since 1994, and now runs three shops on the territory. The company imports its entire ready to wear products from its country of origin, that is, Italy. Diesel expanded its design to bags, watches, footwear, sunglasses, belts, to bring more options to the customers. Lately more diversified designed products have been added to its portfolio for example designer helmets for motorcyclists and earphones. Competitors of Diesel in Mauritius are Calvin Klein, Guess, Celio, and Levis and the target market of these competitors are the same as Diesel. They are still expanding their branches simultaneously with building close relationship with customers. Figure 1.1 shows the number of products that the Diesel Jeans imported to Mauritius and those products are classified into two seasons, that is, Spring Summer and Fallwinter. Figure 1.1: The import of Diesel Jeans products from 2008 to 2012. Source: Fieldwork 1.5 Statement of the problem The rapidly changing culture, politics and economics of modern life deeply influence the industrial environment, particularly consumer industries such as textile and clothing (Lowson, King and Hunter, 1999).The problem is that nowadays the consumers control the marketplace in order to customise the style, fit and colour of the clothes to purchase, and require high quality personalised products at low prices. Therefore many organizations adopt aggressive product strategies to survive and maintain market share and surpass their competitors to satisfy consumers. However, seasonal and highly volatile market industry is always vulnerable to the concept of fading out and sometimes difficult to survive. Meeting multicultural consumer requirements by supplying the right products and services in a global market is an ongoing challenge for marketers, retailers, and suppliers. Now, various clothing industries due to the effect of globalisation, were keen to benefit a larger market, within their country of origin, and also in other markets with high potential. (Kim, Forsythe, Gu Moon, 2002) Moreover the Diesel Jeans is a global brand and it should seek to become part of the local culture and difficulties may rise according to the new designs and new collections of clothes that the organization brings to the Mauritian culture. Hence it would be worthwhile to study the product strategy of Diesel Jeans in the context of Mauritian culture. 1.6 Research question The research question of this project is Whether the product strategy of Diesel Jeans suits the Mauritian market? 1.7 Hypotheses formulation Five hypotheses were formulated to test whether there is any difference between product strategy and customer satisfaction in Chapter five under section 5.5. 1.8 Research aim To study the product strategy and it dimensions for customer satisfaction. 1.9 Research objectives The main objectives of the project are as follows: To review the literature on product strategy dimensions. To assess the product strategy of Diesel Jeans in Mauritius. To measure customer satisfaction. To make recommendation within the context of the study. 1.10 Reasons for choosing the topic The reason why the topic was chosen was the authors interest in product strategy adopted by a global branded clothing industry. The author has chosen global industry to show how the brand integrates the lifestyle of people and fashion in Mauritius. In order to be successful a global brand should seek to become part of the local culture, adapting to the unique needs, values and desires of the targeted group. 1.11 Previous research Table 1.2 Previous studies of the subject matter Title Author University/ Institute Year Product strategy in response to technological innovation in the semiconductor test industry. Robert W.LIN Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 2004 Product strategies under durability, look-in and Assortment Considerations. Sreelat Jonnalagedda University of Texas at Austin. 2009 Enterprise Product strategies and employer Demand for skills in Britain. Geoff Mason National Institute of Economic and Social Research 2004 Source: Fieldwork 1.12 Format of the study This study consists of 6 chapters and it is organized as follows: Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter provides a background of the textile industry in Mauritius and the study the importance of product strategy. The research question, problem statement, reason for choosing the topic and previous studies on the topic are cited. Chapter 2: Literature Review This chapter reviews theoretical view on product strategy. Chapter 3: Company Profile The chapter provides details on the company. Chapter 4: Research methodology This section will mainly describe all the methods and tools used in carrying out the entire research. Chapter 5: Data Presentation and Analysis It provides presentation of the data collected through charts, tables and graphs for better understanding. Chapter 6: Recommendation and conclusion The final chapter will make necessary recommendations and the conclusion of the dissertation related to the findings. 1.13 Conclusion This chapter has given an overview of the business climate in Mauritius. A brief detail is given on the Diesel Jeans Company in Mauritius and on the textile industry which is one of the main pillars in Mauritian economy. Furthermore the problem statement, the research aim, research objectives and the research question are spelt out for the purpose of the project. The next chapter will review the literature about product strategy and its dimensions. CHAPTER 2 Literature review 2.1 Introduction The aim of this chapter is to provide a detailed explanation of the product strategy concept and how it evolved. Firstly, the marketing concept and product is well defined. Furthermore the review describe the important aspects in the product strategy for the success of a product such as the market segmentation, product development, product differentiation, product attributes, brand strategy and brand awareness , product packaging, product quality, product price product diversification and customer satisfaction. Textbooks and Journals were used for the study and are considered as secondary information sources (Schindler and Cooper, 2001 p.166). 2.2 Marketing concept According to Kotler, Armstrong, Wong and Saunders (1996) the marketing concept is a philosophy. However the central attentions of all activities of an organization are the consumers, as no organization can continue to exist without the support of its consumers. The marketing concept asserts that the organization should make every effort to satisfy the needs and wants of the customers at the same time meet the companys goals and objectives set. The needs, wants, and satisfaction of all customers should constantly be the first concern for every manager and employee. Marketing is not a function of business, but a view of the entire business seen as the economic organ to provide goods and services (Drucker. 1954, p.38-39). In other words, it is important to understand that the marketing concept refers to sell satisfaction rather than to sell a product or a service only. Kotler (1998) stated that the marketing concept is based on the following pillar, target market, customer needs, integrated marketing, and profit through customer satisfaction. In line with Kotler, Walker, Boyd, and Larreche, (1992, p.22) asserted that the marketing concept is a useful way of getting a competitive advantage and to achieve company objectives that set off the planning and coordinating all activities for satisfying customers requirements. In summary, marketing concept can be viewed as a consumer focus characterized by the capacity to identify basic requirements of targeted customers. And satisfying them by constantly providing and bringing superior value supported by a firm which deeply involved it efforts of all practical areas within the organisation by reaching long-term goals and objectives. 2.3 Dimension of Product A product is anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a want or need, which comprised physical objects, services, persons, places, organizations, and ideas (Kotler and Armstrong, 1990, p 226). Consequently a product is the main element in an organization and without a product there is no place, no price, no promotion, and no business as it refers to the most important ingredient of the marketing mix. Similary Assael (1993) asserts that a product is the most fundamental component of the marketing mix. Kotler and Keller (2006) define a product as a bundle of attributes and benefits provided to satisfy the customer. Kotler and Keller (2009, p.358) defined five levels a product. Figure 1.2 illustrates the five levels of a product. Figure 2.2: Five levels of a product http://train-srv.manipalu.com/wpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/clip-image00217.jpg Source: http://train-srv.manipalu.com/wpress/?p=42740 The core product is the main benefit, service or need satisafaction, required by the customer. The basic product is the physical product, made up of the core product or service and includes all physical aspects of the product or services that are brand name, packaging, styling, features and quality. The expected product is a common set of attributes and conditions where buyers expect when they purchase a product. The augmented product is the consumer services and benefits added which exceed customer requirement such as installations, warranty, after sale services and delivery and credit services. And the potential product cover all the possible augmentation and changes the product might experience in the furture. 2.4 Definition of product strategy In order to launch a product in the marketplace firm needs a well-established product strategy. The executed product strategy must include all that is required in planning, manufacturing, advertising, selling and distributing the product from production to customer service. According to Teece, Pisano and Shuen (1997), a strategy is the technique that an organisation used to positions itself, in order to get a competitive advantage on the marketplace. However the achievement of a strategy is to assure the success of the firm by executing specific tasks at a right time and it should acquire the significant purpose of the product. The term product strategy attempts to capture the decisions made by organisations about product within particular markets. Product strategies are decisions settled to improve products to satisfy market requirements and determine in which way to gain competitive advantage for products (Steinhardt, 2010, p.50). Kotler (1991) asserts that product strategy is the heart of the marketing mix. However product strategy formed part of the product management process. Thus McGrath (1995) states that product strategy is involved in the decision and management of the different levels of a product, product platforms, product lines and individual products. And according to Lehmann and Winer (1994, p. 205-206) the main function of a product strategy is to supply managers the path to pursue for running a business. Taggartand, James and McDermott (1993) asserts that product strategies are composed of the categorisation of a differentiated product by the organisation in respect of the needs and wants of the customers and the satisfaction they aim to obtain from the product. For a product strategy to be successful, it should facilitate the classification between different aspects in a way to make a product successful. In addition, within an organization a product strategy aids to depict in what way resources should be allocated and demonstrates how products may reach a high market positioning. Handscombe (1989, p.234) insists on the point that a product strategy should essentially describes the firm that the set of product represent. Following this further groundwork is required for single product decisions, the plan for product development, marketing strategies and development of manufacturing strategy. However assigning resource for particular product, and to segment the market and areas, the product strategy should be able to recognize the priorities of the market. McGrath (2001) broadly describes product strategy and according to him a product strategy is opened to a core strategic vision that demonstrates the directions that an organisation takes. A product strategy is the result of the strategic vision, the platform strategy and the product line strategy and lastly the new product development. However the product platform strategy is obtained from the core strategic vision and the product line strategy referred to the product offering for a specific product platform. And the new product development determines the capabilities for new product offering that is suitable to the product line strategy. The core strategic vision sets the answers to the strategic questions such as, where are we going? How will we get there? Why will we be successful? The first question requires having a balance between the goals and short term objectives. The main purpose of the goals is to set the general directions of movement, whereas objectives state the specific measures of accomplishment. The goals refer to profit, growth, and market share, which potentially can be conflicting. Therefore, the product strategy normally focuses on only one of the goals respectively (McGrath, 2001). The second question refers to the core of the product strategy which involves elements like customer targets, competitive targets, and differential advantage. Besides the choice of customer targets depends on the nature of the goals and objectives selected when answering where an organization wants to go. However, as Krishnan and Karl (2001) assumed that the aim is to boost up the market growth and therefore the targeted group should be from a new segment of population. The third question three is the most important question to be answered for a competitive product strategy, as the answer is related to the differential advantage aspect of the product positioning. A solid product strategy is required to provide concrete arguments for the reason of its success in the light of customers preferences and competitive targets. All the definitions demonstrate that product strategy is a set of decisions or processes that aim at making the product flourishing. Hence the product strategy should always take into account the market and current state of the company when making the decisions. A product strategy is a management process, consequently a product strategy cannot be dependent on individual manager, it must become a systematic way of working. Hence, product strategy process must be an integrated process within the organization. 2.4.1 Scope of product strategy The level of product strategy referred a  set of decisions; the product platform determines how to develop the right platform for a global market. Generally different products with attributes are derived from the product platform and they are developed for a product line. Subsequently the product line from the product platform, defines the width, length and depth in every line. And there is also the individual product with its classification and packaging features (Gabrielsson, 2004). According to Meyer and Lehnerd (1997, p.39), A product platform is a set of subsystems and interfaces that form a common structure from which a stream of derivative products can be efficiently developed and produced. The function of a platform strategy is always essential for the purpose of a successful implementation and development of product lines. 2.4.2 Product line Product line is a group of products that are closely related because they function in a similar manner, are sold to the same customer groups, are marketed through the same types of outlet, or fall within given price ranges (Kotler, Wang, Saunders and Armstrong (2005). According to McGrath (1995, p.61) product line strategy is describes as a temporary time-scaled plan for the chain of developing products within a product line and the strategy is based on four primary functions. The first one describes products variations designed to an explicit segment from a market. The following one, attempted to support strategic advantage for a firm compared to its rivals, to be the first one to launch a product at a particular moment within a lifecycle of a product line. The third one brings direction for product development department and made successful productive response to the requirements of particular markets. Finally, product line strategy facilitates in scheduling the introduction of product development and provides the apparent time and setting up of each product. However because managerial and financial resources are restricted, the number of product lines are limited as well (Gabrielsson, 2004, p.35). 2.5 Market segmentation Smith (1956) first established the concept of the market segment that turn into an essential part of the modern marketing. Market segmentation means dividing a market into distinct groups of buyer who have different needs, characteristics, or behaviours, and who might require separate products or marketing programs (Amstrong, and Kotler, 2011, p.78). Another definition Kanuk and Schiffman (1994) state that market segmentation is the method of partitioning a promising market into different subsets of individual with familiar needs or behaviours and choosing one or more segment to target with a separate marketing mix. Furthermore market segmentation is a driving force that leads an organisation effort towards the utmost opportunities. The function of market segmentation is to recognise the taxonomy of consumption pattern by dividing a market into several uniformed sub markets. Markets can formulate product strategies, or product positions, tailored specially to the demands of these hom ogeneous sub-markets (Lin, 2002, p.249). Based on Pollock, Jones, and Brown (1994) point of view, market segmentation should be describes by four primary categories stood on the types of variables applied to define submarket like socio-demographic segmentation, geographic segmentation, product-related segmentation, and psychographic segmentations. There are a number of different ways for segmentation, and the three conventional approaches employed to segment the market are mass marketing, differentiated marketing, and niche marketing. Mass marketing is a segmentation strategy for which the market is treated as one segment. Mass marketing is mainly suitable for commodity products but, it is rare that a firm employed this approach (Ferrell, Hartline, and Lucas, 2002). Since mass marketing is built on a single product or services, however it is not a simple task for firm, since markets contain many different consumers. Differentiated marketing is engaged in partitioning the market into homogeneous submarket which stand on customer requirements and addressing specific marketing plan to the homogeneous submarket. To succeed for a differentiated marketing strategy the behaviors and requirements of consumers for each submarket in particular should be familiar since simultaneously having different needs and characteristics across the different groups. Meanwhile differentiated strategy is the offering of a firm as an original product on the market by evidence that it gives a different advantage over its competitors. Companies that applied this approach must develop an original marketing mix for every subgroup recognised within the market. According to Ferrell, Hartline, and Lucas (2002) both medium and large firms applied differentiated marketing strategy, for the reason that they have the resource needed to provide various products and promoting many marketing mixes that are not common to reach the requ irements of several segments. Finally differentiation is viewed as an art to plan a bundle of significant distinction to differentiate the offering of the organisation from those of its rivals. Kotler et al, (2005) state that niche marketings focal point is to find subgroups of customers. The niche marketing strategy is based on merely a single segment and builds up a marketing plan that matched for the specific subgroup. The niche marketing strategy necessitates an absolute consideration of the requirements of the segment matter because the possibility for the market share to increase in this market gap can surpass the small size of the market. 2.6 Product development Littler (1984, p.20) states that product development is ascertaining the attributes that target customers seek in products and developing products to meet the market requirements. However product development leads to modify an existing product or its presentation, or formulation of an entire new product that satisfies customer or market niche. Product development is critical for the performance of many companies. The success of product development efforts can determine the viability of companies and economies (Ulrich and Eppinger, 2000). Product development consists of three critical elements, namely strategic processes to specifically address the effective management of product development assets, the selection of a target market and a structured product development process. (Bean and Radford 2000, p.3) According to the above definition there are different levels at which the product development process takes place. The purpose of the process is essentially to identify the market needs and the development of the products in order to suit potential customers. The product development process includes a set of activities required for the formation and design of a product, from the detection of a market opportunity to its delivery to the final client. The main focus of the product development process is to convert customer requirements and needs into a design solution. The purpose of the product development process is to make a recipe to produce the product (Reinertsen, 1999). The recipe includes the product, manufacturing process, supply, distribution, and the support systems. (Browning, Deyst, and Eppinger, 2002) The success of product development is vital to the performance of any organisation. And Ulrich and Eppinger (2004) points out that fast and novel product development may be a critical competitive advantages to firms. In addition a successful product development process requires the effective control of the work developed by the persons involved. There are a variety of methodologies for understanding and improving the effectiveness of the product development process. Smith and Morrow (1999) defines product development as a method to transform any objective and market requirements into the information needed to how a product can be manufactured. Even that each product development process is distinctive there are still familiar characteristics that are administered among different tasks. 2.7 Product differentiation Lancaster (1990) asserts that product differentiation study has drawn significant interest in economics and marketing. Product differentiation is concerned to alter the marketing mix of a product so as to differentiate it from what the competitors is offering. Scheuing (1974) defines differentiation by, adding variations of one product which will compete with it within the same market. According to Kotler (1998) differentiation is the introduction of differential features, quality, style or image of brands as a basis for commanding a premium. A product becomes different at the consumers eye when it has some features, which make it different from others products and services offered by competitors, of course the product should be unique and difficult to imitate (Murphy, 2007). Firms that employed product differentiation strategy form a perception between some target groups of the product or services offered by the company. And therefore assured that the products or services are somehow different with the value added that is not available from competitors. Consumers may perceive the product sold by an incumbent firm to be superior to that offered by prospective rivals. Based on this perception consumer is willing to pay more for the incumbent firms product (Browning and Zupan, 2003, p.314). Product differentiation is classified into three categories such as, vertical differentiation, horizontal differentiation, and mixed differentiation. Vertical differentiation arises in a market where various goods which are present can be ordered according to their purpose quality from the highest to the lowest. And horizontal product differentiation is termed as products that have different features which cannot be ordered in an objective way. Features for horizontally differentiated products are often based on colours, styles, and tastes (Piana, 2003). Mixed differentiation is described by vertical and horizontal differentiation. Consequently, mixed differentiation includes products that have distinct quality dimension which is similar to the vertical one and are included diverse characteristics like colour, taste, shapes as well as styles which relate to the horizontal differentiation. And customers pay attention to these prominent aspects when buying a product. Product differentiation is particularly important to undertake any kind of business, because of the economic principles that have been demonstrated time to time again in nearly every market place. If the public perceives no difference between two competing products, then the only possible means of competition is through pricing. 2.8 Brand strategy and Brand awareness The American Marketing Association (AMA) definition of a brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors(Keller 2004, p.3). Within this view the author asserts that a brand refers to a product and that each new feature or benefit added in order to differentiate the brand somehow from others products designed to satisfy the same need. According to the definition a brand can be seen, as simple and clear function identifiers. Supporting Kellers view of a brand linking it to the tangibles of the brand, Doyle (2002) states that brand is a particular name, symbol or design or generally an amalgamation of these that is utilized to differentiate a specific p

Iago’s Soliloquies and Intentions Essay -- William Shakespeare, Othell

Iago’s Soliloquies and Intentions In every play, there is at least one character that jumps off the page and begs for your attention. In The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare, this character is Iago. Iago is a devious man, a liar, a manipulator, and a psychopath. It seems Shakespeare developed a very maniacal character but not one that is unreal. I feel as though we have our fair share of Iago’s in today’s society. Many politicians seem to fit into this category, manipulating people for manipulation sake. However, to me the most interesting psychopath of all, is in the play Othello. In this play, Iago is Othello’s trusted ensign. However, Iago is not what he portrays himself to be, to the characters in the play. In his soliloquies, he exclusively reveals to the audience his mal intent. He betrays Othello in the most deceitful ways, abusing Othello’s trust. Plotting against him, Iago seeks revenge on an unknowing Othello. One would conclude that Iago would have motive behind his ruthless and elaborate plans. However, it seems that Iago committed these amoral crimes, for power, for psychopathic reasons, and for sport. He has displayed his power over Othello by proving to himself, that he could in fact exploit those around him, distorting what they believe to be true. We will look into Iago’s soliloquies, dissect them, and discover his plans. Iago, the obvious villain in this love story gone array. Shows us his true colors from the beginning of the play. In act one scene one, Iago is speaking with Roderigo, he confides in Roderigo telling him â€Å"I know my price; I am worth no worse a place†. Here Iago is holding himself in high regard in an exceedingly conceited manner. He ... ...ful newly wed couple and destroyed them. In some respect, you have to admire how truly devious Iago is. He takes the innocent Desdemona and making her look so guilty when she did absolute nothing wrong. He successfully convinced Othello that Desdemona was unfaithful to him, so much so that Othello kills his innocent wife. Iago receives his title of lieutenant if only for a moment, and his revenge against Othello. Iago throughout the play uses his manipulation of words to destroy those around him. In the end, his plan was unveiled, however it was too late the deeds were done. Iago has the last laugh, his gift of language he keeps to himself "Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth I never will speak word". He laughs knowing that he will never give the others the satisfaction of knowing why he did this. Evil is triumphant at the end of Othello.

Comparing Feminism in Frankenstein and Dracula :: comparison compare contrast essays

Throughout the texts we have read in English thus far have been feminist issues. Such issues range from how the author published the book to direct, open statements concerning feminist matters. The different ways to present feminist issues is even directly spoken of in one of the essays we read and discussed. The less obvious of these feminist critiques is found buried within the texts, however, and must be read carefully to understand their full meaning- or to even see them. Mary Shelley's anonymous publishing of her very powerful Frankenstein is a fine example of feminism found in society. Many have criticized her for allowing her husband, Percy Shelley, to edit her work. The society of her day has also received much negative criticism for not allowing her to publish her works with her name directly attached, by non-verbally agreeing they would not buy the works of a woman. For they believed that a woman's work could not live up to the superiority of a man's. Societal disapproval of women taking on roles outside of the home are surprisingly found also within her book. A person can easily see evidence of this, as Walton's sister Margaret is addressed only in letters, with no mention of any accomplishments with the exception of staying home and "being there" for Walton. Elizabeth herself didn't leave home to go on trips, not even when her "dearest Victor" was in the darkest of his troubles. It was not Elizabeth who went to comfort her fiance, she instead remained at home to care for the household affairs. This was no doubt a better place for her, as the society of the times demanded Mary Shelley to agree so that her literature would be sold. Johanna Smith spoke directly of feminism in several cultures, highlighting on French, British, and American cultures. She spoke of language and politics as they related to feminism. Another woman who directly spoke of feminism was Simone de Beauvoir. Her works highly criticized the way society, particularly men, worked women to a ragged condition. In retrospect, Smith analyzed cultural feminism, while Beauvoir attacked societal feminism. Bram Stoker craftily allows women to take charge, though at times he allows them to seem pitiful creatures in need of male protection and care. Through the word "journal" in reference to Mina's writings, Stoker allows her to be equal with her male companions. She is also put on the level by being allowed to travel and be an active part of their discussions and works.

Volunteer Military Service

Volunteer Military Service The United States military is by far the most advance in the world. Our country is filled with passion and patriotic citizens who would give their lives for this country. The United States also has one of the largest militaries in the world with the highest trained soldiers on this planet. The United States military has a variety of special forces soldiers who are send out on top missions and operations around the world. The American soldiers are one of the most appreciated people in the United States today because of the recent wars with Afghanistan and Iraq.What stands out the most with the American soldiers in this country is the willingness to volunteer for this country. Volunteering means to freely offer to do something, which the soldiers in the United States are doing today. The United States military has many enlistees everyday ranging from men and women for every branch of service. The United States military today is over manned in every branch of service along with a bad economy in this country. Also, many people today are trying to join because of unemployment and the military provides a salary for people who have no income.The United States government should continue to use its volunteer military service because of the over manning numbers of enlistees today. The United States government should also explore more with volunteering especially with female soldiers that are part of the military who wish to volunteer for training in combat related jobs in the military. Women should also be able to register to the Selective Service if they wish to do so. This will make the United States military more diverse and will allow more opportunities for women.The United States government has done a great job implicating the all volunteer military service since the end of the draft in 1973 after the Vietnam War. The citizens of America have set aside their own personal lives to volunteer and fight for their country. People of all ethnici ties and religions come together as a team to protect their country from terrorism and other threats from around the world. According to â€Å"Defending the all-volunteer force† Each year about 170,000 young men and women volunteer for the active-duty force and another 140,000 for the reserve and Guard.An additional 30,000 are commissioned as officers and join the active and reserve components. Those who enlist come from all parts of the country, from households all across the economic spectrum, and from all races and ethnicities (Gilroy). The citizens who volunteer for this country are considered true American heroes. The volunteers of this country choice to fight for the United States of America and were not obligated to but decided to for the love they have for this country. This is why the all volunteer military service works because of the heart and dedication that the volunteers have for this country.A military draft wouldn’t find enough dedicated men and women w ho would have to be force to fight and risk their lives in a war that they didn’t sign up for. â€Å"It would be prudent to say the US Military does not want a military draft, as motivated volunteers are much more desirable than reluctant conscripts† (Military Spot). The military draft can never return especially in this new generation that the American citizens live in today. There would be outrage throughout the country and protests in Washington D. C. The military draft is unethical and is violating American citizens rights that our founding fathers gave us. The 13th Amendment makes quite clear that â€Å"involuntary servitude† is not permitted. And, the principle of â€Å"positive grant† espoused by the 10th Amendment states that any power not specifically given to the federal government by the constitution is â€Å"reserved to the States, respectively, or to the People† (Boldin). If the United States of America used the draft again it will tar nish the meaning of freedom in this country. The United States government should never force people to fight in a war that they do not believe in.Ripping out fathers, brothers, and sons from their homes and families is completely wrong especially if they do not return home from war. â€Å"Forcing someone to work for the state; forcing someone to kill or be killed; forcing someone to do anything at the point of a gun under threat of prison or even death is involuntary servitude. Of all the forms of slavery that have existed throughout history, forcing someone to fight and die in war is by far the most disgusting, and is a form of murder against all who don’t survive† (Boldin).Women have grown independent power throughout the past decades. A problem has recently come across within the past years with women in the military who are asking to be in combat positions in the military. The military does not allow women to have jobs involving combat and has yet to make an effort to change this problem. The problem is that women have not been given an opportunity to at least try for combat related job training. Women in the military have rose to the occasion numerous times but, are never nationally recognize for your services in war. Women are displaying great courage and skill in ambushes, firefights, and battles on the ground. They are not just surviving, but earning medals for valor in combat. On March 20, 2005, Army Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester was in a convoy of twenty-six vehicles that came under enemy ambush by fifty insurgents. Sgt. Hester â€Å"led her team through the ‘kill zone' and into a flanking position, where she assaulted a trench line with grenades and M203 grenade-launcher rounds. Sgt. Hester killed at least three insurgents† and was awarded the Silver Star for her bravery under fire† (McSally). Sgt.Hester was brave and courageous in a high stress situation where her life and others were on the line. Sgt. Hester has obviously proven herself and the United States military that she deserves an opportunity for a combat related job in the military. The United States government should at least consider looking into this important problem and test women to see if their at least physical fit for the job training. In conclusion, the United States government should continue the volunteer military service because of the large number dedicated volunteers who fight for this country.A military draft would simply be not necessary for this country because the United States military already has a large number of enlisted soldiers. The military draft is an unmoral act of forcefulness on the citizens of the United States and will have a negative effect on the country. The United States government needs to put more time and consideration for the women of the military. Women in the military should be able to train in any job if they’re capable of completing the necessary training for the job. This will make the Unite d States military equal in everything that implies with the military especially for women.Works Cited Boldin, Michael. â€Å"The Military Draft: A Moral Abomination. † The Military Draft: A Moral Abomination. Tenth Amendment, 3 Apr. 2007. Web. 17 Apr. 2012. Gilroy, Curtis L. â€Å"Defending the All-volunteer Force. † ARMED FORCES JOURNAL. ARMED FORCES JOURNAL, 14 Apr. 2010. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. McSally, Martha. â€Å"WOMEN IN COMBAT: IS THE CURRENT POLICY OBSOLETE? † www. law. duke. edu. Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. Spot, Military. â€Å"Military Draft. † MilitarySpot. com. Military Spot, 13 Mar. 2009. Web. 16 Apr. 2012.

Lamb to the Slaughter Essay

Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl uses the literary devices of dramatic irony, foreshadowing, and imagery to depict a dark comedy by grasping the idea of a tragedy becoming humorous. There are multiple uses and examples of irony throughout this short story that relate to the idea of a dark comedy. One key quote of dramatic irony comes from the end of the book stating, Personally, I think its right here on the premises.? Probably right under our very noses. What do you think, Jack This quote here shows us as that the detectives have no idea that they are actually eating the evidence of the murder right then and there. We, as the audience, obviously know what is going on and by Mary Maloney chuckling at that statement shows us that Dahl turned something as horrible as murder into something that she laughs at in the end referring to the idea of dark comedy. Verbal irony is also represented in this piece of literature. When she goes to the market, she talks to the grocer and states, ? No, Ive got meat, thanks. I got a nice leg of lam, from the freezer.? (pg. 20) This is verbal irony because it shows that what she is saying is basically telling the grocer what she used for the murder of her husband. The irony here is amusing, knowing the fact that killed the supposed love of her life and can so easily lie about it. So again, the verbal irony really catches the tone of the dark comedy that Dahl is trying to capture here. Both dramatic and verbal irony relate to eac h other in the sense that the audience feels the ideas of a tragedy as something funny therefore, relating back to the overall picture of the piece of literate as a dark comedy in the short story

Case 5-2: Lexsteel Corporation

What should the controller of Lexsteel do in order to address the potential problems within the corporation? †¢The controller became aware of the potential problems with the accounts payable system because of the discussion made with the external auditors. †¢Each branch manager is given the authority to order materials and issue emergency purchase orders directly to the vendors. †¢Physical counts of raw materials are not performed since there is a cost-effective computerized perpetual inventory system. †¢COMPUTER RESOURCES: The host computer mainframe at corporate headquarters is linked to the computers at each branch locations. Data transmission occurs between leased telephone lines between host computer and branch offices wherein it is maintained in an integrated database. The software also allows flexibility for managing user access and editing data input meaning there is no control over the software for it allows data editing without the proper authorization given. †¢PURCHASING PROCEDURES: The production orders and appropriate bills of materials needed are generated by the host computer at corporate headquarters. While the purchase orders for raw materials are generated by the purchasing function and is mailed to the vendors which contain an instruction to the vendor that the materials should be directly delivered to the manufacturing plant. There is a control between the generation of production orders needed and the purchase orders issued to the vendor but it is not an exception in the occurrence of fraud. At receipt, the manufacturing plant examines and verifies the count against the packing slip and transmits the receiving data to the accounts payable at corporate headquarters. Even though there is a proper segregation between custody and recording, still fraud may occur because of collusion. Also, each branch manager is given the authority to order materials and issue emergency purchase orders directly to the vendors. Fraud may also occur if collusion will be made by the branch manager and the vendor, with that proper control is a must. Since the company employs a cost effective computerized perpetual inventory system, physical counts of raw materials are not performed. With that, the generation of production orders and purchase orders may be deceived because the count of raw materials that are needed are not matched with the proper physical count on its ending inventory. †¢ACCOUNTS PAYABLE PROCEDURES: Vendor invoices are mailed directly to the corporate headquarters and entered by the accounts payable personnel when received. This often occurs before the branch offices transmit the receiving data so the recorded vendor invoices are not properly matched with the receiving report. Uncertainties of amount may exist. The checks and the payment listings are made by the accounts payable function and are transmitted to the treasurer’s office for signature and mailing to the payee. After validation, payment listings are returned to the accounts payable section for filing. In here, there is no proper control in the preparation and validation of checks and payment listings for the verification of it is not done which may result into collusion and creation of dummy payee made by the treasurer’s office and the accounts payable function.

No Place to call Home

No place to call Home You're on your way home from work or school and you stop at a red light. As you patiently wait for the light to glisten green you notice someone walking in between the rows of cars. It's not the usual person who's always selling water and random fruits; instead it's a person in raggedy clothes holding a sign that reads â€Å"Please help. I'm homeless† written on a cardboard flap. Now the question is what are you going to do? Will you reach into your wallet and give this poor soul a donation or will you retend to look for something in your car and act as though you cant see them?The sad truth is more than half of us would perform the second option without even realizing it. Homelessness has been around for a long time. No one seems to be doing anything about it and it's not because there isn't any way to fix it because there is we Just don't care enough to act on it. We could create more stabilized homeless shelters; improve the homeless organizations we h ave initiated, and expand and/or open up more Job opportunities for people in these types of situations.There's a big controversy with the way people perceive the homeless. A lot of people believe that they are homeless due to their own wrong-doings. Whether it is drugs, alcohol, gambling etc. which can be very true at times but that is not always the case. There are times when a person goes through a rough patch in life. They couldVe gotten fired from their Job, lost their house, or Just recently got a divorce. These things can also lead to homelessness. I suggest we put further effort into the present day homeless shelters.We could create hybrid homeless shelter that is not only a place for them to eat and sleep but doubles as a rehab center for those who have any type of addiction. Society has created organizations for a variety of different social issues. Some have more of an impact than others, regarding those created for the homeless; they have not made a grand impression and definitely need some improving. We need to make it broad and spread the word that everyone should donate.These organizations prevent the money from going directly to the homeless people and nsure that the money will go towards prevention and will not benefit their addictions in any way. The Job condition right now in the U. S is struggling and the employment rate is down. Without Jobs there is no cash flow and people tend to lose their houses, cars, etc. That is what results in so many people living on the streets. If we work to create more Jobs, or expand the Job opportunities we have now-a-days we can help homeless people off the streets due to the fact they will be earning a steady income and can get back on their feet.By adjusting the system of homeless shelters, enhancing the corporations that help collect funds for the homeless, and also developing and/or establishing Job openings we could decrease the percentage of people experiencing how it feels to be homeless. It may take a great deal of time and effort but when the person you once say standing on the street begging for money now has a place to eat, a bed to lie on, a place that they can call home, it is a huge sense of accomplishment. No Place to call Home By natuhleeeex3

Multiple Sclerosis Case Study

Jamaal Jones III is a healthy, fit athlete who was been drafted to the New York Giants 2 weeks ago. After attending numerous practices and training sessions, Jamaal has earned a starting position as a wide receiver. He is 6’2 and 200lbs of pure muscle ready to run over any opposing cornerback. Jamaal Jones is pumped up; His first game is against the Philadelphia Eagles. All his fans are waiting for him, the weather is great (65 degrees), and his family is watching him at the front bench. Everything was going as planned until something happened. He strode out onto the field to the cheers coming from the stands when he lost his balance, tripped and fell. He felt his eyes roll back to the back of his head darkness slowly encroaching upon his consciousness. He felt nothing, just a numbing sensation as he convulsed, thrashed about and groped for the closest support. The stadium stood hushed as the scene unfolded in front of them, a pair of stretchers was brought out onto the field to carry Jamaal to the nearest hospital. The emergency room worked with fervor trying to rule out as many conditions as possible, performing a lumbar puncture and an MRI on his brain. From these test the doctors had confirmed what they had initially believed Jamaal had shown symptoms of. As the doctors entered the room Jamaal was lost in his own world dreaming of his grandfather, Jamaal Jones Sr. and how they would play football together as a child. Jamaal awakes from his stupor by the sudden intrusion in his room; he can see the grief and weariness on his parent’s faces. He looks on as the doctor beckons his parents to exit the room. The doctor tells his parents â€Å"Your son has multiple sclerosis. MS is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord resulting in loss of muscle control, vision, balance, and sensation. † The parents asked, â€Å"Is there a cure for MS? † The doctor tells them â€Å"No, we can only treat the symptoms which provides short term relief. Any long term â€Å"cure† for this disease has not been found. Jamaal’s mother asked the doctor how Jamaal could have acquired such a disease but the doctor could not provide and answer. With great sorrow in his voice the doctor tells Jamaal’s parents â€Å"Unfortunately, this disease is permanent and we cannot do anything to cure him. I am sorry. † Having been diagnosed with MS, Jamaal became a great advocate for MS awareness, organizing events through his former team, the New York Giants, to promote his cause.

Bio 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Bio 3 - Essay Example Two fundamental studies carried out in 1951 and 1952 guaranteed him the first Nobel Prize in 1958. Nevertheless, the real glory and recognition as one of the greatest chemists of the era was brought to him through findings in the field of the DNA molecule sequencing. Frederick`s Group started to work with the genome of the single-stranded DNA bacteriophage φX174 and was the first one who decipher the 5000 combinations of φX174 proteins and the first who also established the structure of 5S ribosomal RNA molecule. However, the greatest contribution to modern science Frederick Sanger made by discovering the method of decoding the primary structure of DNA - the so-called "Sanger sequencing". This method brought to Frederick even greater glory and a second Nobel Prize in 1980. This technique is still widely used and only in the last decade methods that use laser scanning and digital technology have arisen, but they are based on the Sanger idea anyway (Cheong and Caramins). Cheong, Pak Leng, and Melody Caramins. â€Å"Approaches for Classifying DNA Variants Found by Sanger Sequencing in a Medical Genetics Laboratory.† Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) 1168 (2014): 227–50. Web. 15 Feb.