Persuasive Fishing

General purpose: To Persuade Specific purpose: To persuade the audience to go fishing this summer. Central Idea: Fishing is fun and easy Pattern: Topical Pattern Introduction: I have been fishing for 10+ years and really enjoy it and would love to share this hobby of mine with others. Body: There are so many ways to fish and I would like to share with you some information on my favorite ways to fish. Bow fishing is my favorite way to catch fish and it begins around May when the temperature is constantly warm and last thru ought the summer.Some gear you will have to have is a bow a recurve or a compound it doesn’t matter but if you are not the best with a bow the best bow for you would be the compound because you have sights on the bow. A retriever reel and an arrow with any kind of tip will work. And the way the fish is swimming threw the water you must aim below where you see the fish at, it’s difficult at first but it gets easier. Cat fishing can be done anytime durin g the summer day or night.I prefer night time because there are less people fishing and the fish are more active. But the down side to fishing at night you must then bring a light or build a fire to see the end of your poles. The first thing you will need is a fishing pole with a heavy weight on the end of the fishing line with a treble hook around half a foot up from the weight you do this because cat fish usually stay toward the bottom of the lake or river.What I found works the best and smells the worst is punch bait and you push the treble hook down into the punch bait with a stick because if you get it on your hands they will stink for a while. And another good bait to catch the catfish with is chicken livers and they are a little more difficult to put on the hook. Conclusion: Fishing is a great and relaxing hobby to try out.

Examining Race-Related Aspects of James Cameron’s Avatar

Examining The Race-Related Aspects Of Avatar While evident that many who saw the film Avatar were more than satisfied with it visually, I found it interesting that I heard little about the plot or characters. After all, as a writer, these elements, to me, are what make or break the outcome. After going to see the critically acclaimed film, I was left with a blatant feeling of injustice regarding the film’s race issues. The problem I had with the film is the concept of a white male entering into a world of ethnic people (in this case, aliens), with the sole intent of using them for his own personal gain.Not only has this all too familiar story been used again and again, but also, the outcome is always the same. While I do not believe that the film endorses racism, I do believe that certain racial ideologies play a major role in the film. Whilst some may argue against that point, by simply breaking down the story, it is simple to make the connections. Regardless of if it was int entional or not, there are some obvious racial undertones in Avatar, and they should not be ignored no matter how impressive the graphics are.In the specific clip I have chosen to analyze, Jake, the human who joins the Na’vi to fight against his own kind, has returned to Pandora after being labeled a traitor and losing the trust of the Na’vi. To gain it back, he immediately tames a Toruk, a red dragon who the natives are very fearful of. The dragon had never been tamed by anyone from the Na’vi clan. The ability and heroism just spewing from Jake makes it seem as though he is the only one with the answers that the Na’vi need to save Pandora. The scene transitions to the clan praying to the Hometree, despite their knowledge of the tree having never â€Å"taken sides†.In the midst of all of this, Jake comes flying down on the red dragon, the sun beaming behind him, illuminating his path. Then comes the very demeaning imagery of Jake dismounting the dr agon in front of the Na’vi, while they practically bow to and worship him as if to say, â€Å"You are superior to us, after all! † Jake certainly assumes as much, because he soon starts yelling about how this is â€Å"our† land, and they need to do what he says to save it. While watching the film, I first began drawing a lot of parallels to class discussions of how Columbus and the Spaniards conquered America. In Avatar, human corporation is mining a valuable mineral on Pandora, an Earth-like moon that is inhabited by the Na’vi, an â€Å"alien† race. In the late 1400’s, despite also having discovered an entire race of people, the Spanish found gold in America and began mining.Once it became difficult for them, they enforced slavery upon the natives of the land, and mercilessly killed them upon resistance. In the article Sex And Conquest: Domination And Desire On Ethnosexual Frontiers, Joane Nagel reminds us of the â€Å"relative powerlessne ss of many native women, and reports that sexual exchanges were often coerced, involving rape, forced prostitution, and slavery. In Avatar, the human scientists uncover that underneath Hometree, the Na’vi clan’s dwelling, lies the richest deposits of the mineral that they value, and by the end of the film, are ready to destroy it and its’ inhabitants. This, to me, is an example of racism in how the humans were willing to treat the Na’vi (kill them) in order to acquire more â€Å"gold†. While elements are different, Columbus’ conquest of America strays not so far from the plot that drives Avatar: a â€Å"civilized† race relentlessly compromises what they deem to be an â€Å"uncivilized† race.It can even relate to how American factories are built in foreign countries to avoid specific labor laws. As Americans, how can we justify that the people working in foreign countries assembling our iPhones are equal to us? If so, wouldnâ₠¬â„¢t we demand that they deserve equal pay? The ideology of the self-righteous, superior race and their ultimate disregard for all others is, sadly, an overused theme present in this film and our audiences should be seeing less of it.Despite all â€Å"humans† being expelled from Pandora in the end, a white male, in this case, Jake, Avatar’s protagonist, gets to be the boss in the end. In exchange, he gives up his body, his culture, and every â€Å"human† aspect about him. The one thing he fails to let go of is his superiority. With the film ending like this, and not allowing one of the original Na’vi to ultimately prevail, a subconscious message is being delivered. Just like in Dances With Wolves, a white male goes native and soon ends up as the great leader.In just three months of immersion in their culture, Jake learns enough about the Na'vi (their folkways, their animal-taming skills, and even the secret to their ultimate test of warrior prowess, some thing no other Na'vi has mastered in five generations) to become their leader in their struggle against genocide by his own former allies. Hometree even answers a prayer of Jake’s, and she had never answered prayers of the natives, her own people, even once before then. An interesting contrast is set up to disguise the fact that Jake’s character is representative of racism.On one side, there are the power-hungry, militaristic humans who show no moral restraint against the Na’vi. Their opposition is Jake and the rest of the humans who want peace with the natives. While the first group is presented as obviously racist, most would draw the conclusion that the second group, the protagonists, must not be. While the characters themselves are not racist, the age-old â€Å"white Messiah† fable is. This story has played out in American race politics several times. Progressive, liberal white males were responsible for Indian â€Å"removal† and â€Å"schooli ng† replacing Indian genocide, and segregation replacing slavery.Each time, it seems that supporters of progressive policies just have to say, â€Å"Look, I’m progressive. I’m not like those old-fashioned racists,† and then they simply cannot be deemed as racist. This is the trend in our society that the outcome of Avatar is glorifying. Forms of racial supremacy have been changed over time, but have never been ended altogether. To be fair to the â€Å"humans† of Avatar, the Na'vi and their entire planet ended up regarding the humans as a disease with which there can be no peaceful existence.Their solution is, simply, the expulsion of humanity from the planet, or in Jake's case, culture transfusion. Forced assimilation with the native culture in Avatar is almost too familiar to how their still exists an ideology in America that â€Å"foreign† residents must assimilate to the â€Å"white† culture. Forgotten is that every white citizen of America is descendant of some foreign culture. America should be a melting pot for all cultures, and if James Cameron, the director, producer and writer of Avatar, had truly agreed, perhaps the outcome of the film would be different.So did James Cameron write and direct this because he is a racist white male? No. But does James Cameron even acknowledge that his film carries racist undertones? No. The casting for the film had his seal of approval, so why were actors of color used to portray the Na’vi people? The Na'vi may be tall, blue aliens, but they seem to resemble the noble savages in older Hollywood movies: they're played by actors of color, they live a primitive lifestyle in harmony with nature, they sport tattoos and dreadlocks and exotic jewelry, and they have courage and athleticism but not necessarily rationality or ambition.Most importantly, why does white Australian Sam Worthington star as the cultural infiltrator? Cameron has more than once stated that Avatar is meant to encourage people to respect each other’s cultures and differences, and while that may be the overt meaning, he fails to touch on the issue of racial superiority. Again, Cameron did not sit down and consciously make a decision to write a racist film. However, he did indirectly use the film to express his white liberal understanding of anti-racism. Really, his views are just a kindler, gentler, more patronizing racism.If not, perhaps the Na’vi would have saved Jake instead of being incapable of saving themselves. Avatar doesn’t ask the moral question of â€Å"Should the natives be conquered? † It asks, â€Å"How should the natives be conquered? † Had the film been written and directed by a person of color instead, there may have been an opportunity to avoid this. Columbia College professor Kristin Pichaske’s excerpt, Historical And Political Framework: Race, Colonialism And African Cinema discusses how most filmmakers are Western whi te males who control the portrayal of Africans, or minorities, in cinema.In addition to holding the purse strings, Western interests controlled the production infrastructure. As recently as 1993, Diawara would write that Africa lacks film-processing laboratories, sound-dubbing and synchronizing studios, and editing facilities, a fact which significantly limits an African director’s ability to complete a film on his own terms, in his own country and within a reasonable span of time (1993: vii).While this is not universally true at this point (the facilities he describes now being available in South Africa and also rendered somewhat obsolete by the development of high-definition video), it is certainly true that most of Africa suffers from a dearth of film infrastructure and that this creates yet another form of dependence on the West. Having to rely on the West for the skills that they cannot afford, the absence of African directors involved in the depiction of their culture i s blatantly apparent.Perhaps James Cameron was not the right person to direct Avatar, as he cannot truly understand the racial ideology that his film is perpetuating. However, if an African director were given the opportunity, a white Western moneylender who demands that he cater the story to white audiences will undoubtedly be funding him. Present day racist ideologies are best understood when comparing them to Magic Eye images: bizarre images concealing a seemingly hidden, 3-D picture.While some people see the 3-D image right away, others have to look for a while before they can find it. Some people never do find it. However, once you know that the 3-D image is there, you end up wondering how you didn’t see it in the first place. The racism depicted in this film is a lot like a Magic Eye image. It is a fantasy story about race told from a white man’s perspective, for white people. I believe this to be true after simply looking at the history of Cameron’s films : Titanic, Aliens, and The Terminator all contained predominantly white casts.Had he intended his films to be seen by a racially diverse audience, I’m sure he would have had enough common sense to diversify his cast of characters. Avatar is also at the end of a very long history of similar films. Avatar’s storyline has been compared to that of Dances With Wolves and Pocahontas. In all three films, white male characters realize they are unhappy with the treatment of the â€Å"others,† but go beyond assimilating and skip to leading the people who they so recently oppressed.Since there have been so many films spanning all genres telling the same story, when will the white directors begin to use the issue of race in a different light? African-American scholar Donald Bogle, who literally wrote the book on how black people have been portrayed throughout Hollywood history (Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies ;amp; Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films) says that while not overtly racist, it is â€Å"a movie that hasn't yet freed itself of old Hollywood traditions, old formulas. If I were to have written a film like Avatar, I would have made the Na’vi completely capable of saving themselves by reversing the power roles of Jake with the clan. It would mean straying from an age-old format, but also, challenging the racial insecurities of the white audience that the film was intended for. Would the film be as popular if the natives of Pandora did not possess traditional, savage-like qualities? The juxtaposition of the film Avatar with historical events such as Columbus onquering America, and also, overused tales of the white protagonist bringing a race of â€Å"savages† to victory predates most steps towards civil rights equality. Filmmakers of minority races are far and few between, and are often funded by white Westerners when directing. With every film in Hollywood being produced by the â€Å"white man†, will our society ever see things from the point of view of a minority race? If no, then Hollywood’s inability to realize that the decision to continue producing the same point of view is interfering with our society’s ability to think outside of racial boundaries. | | | | | |

Countering Suicide Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Countering Suicide Terrorism - Essay Example Force by itself is never going to be a solution for terrorism. Terrorism springs from the bosom of people or culture that feels marginalized. This feeling of being of no consequence in an ever developing world has been and remains the breeding ground for terrorism. Given the fact that terrorism is on the rise all around the world, posing a threat to the entire civilized world, it is but natural that solutions are sought to contain this menace. It is only a systematic analysis of terrorism and its growing face of suicide terrorism that will provide solutions for removing this hovering destructive menace of the twenty-first century. There are several definitions to this complex issue of Terrorism. Some of the more meaningful definitions start with the simple definition coined in 1979, when the terrorism started making itself be felt around the world. This definition reads as â€Å"terrorism is the deliberate and systematic murder, maiming, and menacing of the innocent to inspire fear for political ends† (Harmon, 2000). Reid 2002, expands this definition to differentiate terrorism from acts of violence that occur during war, through calling terrorism as the practice of â€Å"a pattern of sudden violent or fear-inducing action against civilians, not part of a military action in declared war between nations†. However the more comprehensive and most often cited definition is the one used by the U.S. State Department, Department of Defense, and the Central Intelligence Agency, which is as follows, â€Å"the term ‘terrorism’ means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant target by sub-national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience†. A terrorist group is any group or has a sub-group that indulges in terrorism. International terrorism occurs when terrorism involves more than one nation. (Stevens, 2002). Terrorism is not an invention of the modern era. It

Bilingual Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Bilingual Education - Essay Example A close analysis of these programs and their effectiveness provides one with valuable information on the topic and further indicates the importance of doing more research and drafting legislations that cater for the need of the diverse ethnicity content of the students in public schools.Dual language education has elicited praised by both parents and teachers for the diversity and enrichment that it brings to a classroom, Palmer. She, however, notes that the program consists of various inequalities going by the educational experiences encountered by different students at the school. There is need to critically consider the underlying forces that might be contributing to these challenges. The critical race theory and the two-way immersion have been highlighted as to being vital in uncovering the tensions being witnessed in the dual language education program. The issue of duo language education needs to be looked at objectively. Garca argues that there is more to bilingual language le arning narratives than there is when discussing language. According to Garca (2014), the focus should be shifted from English as a language to the practices exhibited by the emergent individual bilinguals. Garca proposes five misconstructions that together shed light on English as a language, the learning of English, bilingualism and the teaching of English. Garca, provides ways through which trans languaging is viewed through. It attempts to explain the topic and issues surrounding bilingual/dual language education.

Micro Economic Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Micro Economic Theory - Essay Example This essay stresses that hence microeconomic theory is relevant in the case of flat screen technology. It illustrates how important it is to carefully assess the short term and long term production possibilities and how they will be impacted by the financial factors listed above which could cause changes in demand and supply. Such changes, not only in terms of short term demand and supply but also in terms of aggregate long term demand and supply will impact upon the level of profits that can be expected. While some factors can be easily anticipated and provision made for them, long term changes cannot be so easily anticipated. The law of diminishing returns also begins to apply in terms of the demand and supply of the product. This paper makes a conclusion that microeconomic theory is important in that it enables the establishment of a certain level of foresight in making economic decisions and helps to predict with a reasonable degree of accuracy how the factors of demand an supply are likely to impact upon profit maximization of a product and this a company can plan its long term production output on this bases. For example, the production of flat screen technology instruments must take into account, the factor of entry of foreign imitators of the product, glut in production of the product due to other companies joining in what appears to be a financially lucrative product and the impact of such production gluts upon demand and supply of the product.

Applied Microbiology Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Applied Microbiology - Article Example The barrier prevents the antimicrobial from acting on the intended cells. The cells within the biofilms differ from planktonic cells metabolically and biochemically due to their increased expression of beneficial genes, phenotypic changes in the colony morphology and the in the production of extracellular polymers (Khan, p45). Examples include the streptococcus spp. in dental caries, the Fusobacterium in chronic wounds and the PAH are products of incomplete combustion of materials like fossil fuels that are highly hydrophobic in nature and resistant to environmental degradation posing health risks. It is possible to breakdown PAH using the ability of microorganisms and to remediate contaminated soils. Degradation can be either biological or chemical. Biological process involves degradation by microorganisms, biodegradation and metabolism and factors like PH, moisture, temperature, oxygen and molecular weight get considered. Chemical degradation involves altering the PAH nomenclature through chemical processes by the use of UV rays and reactions aimed at oxidation-reduction with factors such as sunlight exposure, PH level, and PAH structure in consideration. BTEX have highly soluble characteristics and are made up of contaminants that make up petroleum products. The solubility of the petroleum components makes it the predominant agent in ground water contamination. Bioremediation relies on biodegradation a ctivity of soil microorganisms that involves the indigenous bacteria and fungi. Microorganisms break down organic components to water and carbon dioxide to help in the remediation. For the process to be successful, it is important to ensure that the contaminated materials get detoxified to prevent recontamination and to establish the effectiveness of the remediation. Several tests including the daphnia-based, algae and bacteria based

Educational Policy Discourse on Choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Educational Policy Discourse on Choice - Essay Example While the discourse on "choice" was positive for rich people in wealthy communities, it did not create a market standard that boosted the overall quality of education system wide. Good local schools became more competitive to enter, and while the middle and upper class were able to continue to search for good schools out of district, low class families were stuck, unable to provide the money to allow their children to be transported to a better school. This policy of "choice" made good schools more competitive, but it did not have the desired effect on the rest of the schools nationwide. Good schools were supposed to become more accessible to all students thus creating a better education system. While debating the 1988 Reform Bill in the U.K., Norman Nebbit (1987) said "The Bill extends choice and responsibilityToday only the wealthy have choice in education and that must be changed." By creating this policy reformists thought to make the education more equitable. Like free market economics, "choice" education allowed the market to blindly move based on its will rather than following the desire of the state's politicians. Parents choose the best schools, and those schools which are not as popular must be allowed to improve or close. Bureaucracy would not protect the schools from their unpopularity, with the euphemism of 'under-enrolment'; schools would be completely at the will of the parents or the consumer (Chubb & Moe, 1990, pp. 29-30). The good schools would expand to accommodate the needs of the students, in other words, it's a theory of survival of the fittest with the parents responsible for deciding who is the fittest. Unfortunately, there are a few very serious problems with this theory; first and foremost, schools are not a business. Unlike a business that is constantly trying to increase in size to accommodate demand, schools have no such motivator. In fact it has been proven that smaller schools, and smaller class size are considerably more desirable, because they provide more individualized attention for the students (Bickel & Howley, 2000). Popular schools have no reason to expand their school to accommodate the influx in desired attendance provided by "choice" education policy. Instead, they have the ability to become more selective in their acceptance of students (Edwards et al, 1989). Although this was not the intention, it is an outcome that is important to recognize in looking at the effectiveness of the policy. The exit of some students diminishes the chances of others to receive the same quality of education (Murnane, 1990). The second problem with this theory is overflow students. If the popular schools are not willing to accommodate the increased demand, the students have to be schooled elsewhere. This inherently means that schools that are not as popular, and potentially not as good, will have the ability to recruit students and survive even in their inferior status. When demand is high and supply is low, people pay more or they choose not to get exactly what they want. The "choice" system works the same way. Parents are willing either to go further away from home to get accepted into a good school, or they

Business of Entertaiment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business of Entertaiment - Essay Example Equity has experience and a long history of espousing the performers' causes. Its contribution to the film industry is noteworthy, especially considering the tremendous availability of manpower in the industry where jobs and openings are sought after by ambitious, glamour-hungry young adults. However, in recent times, Equity seems to be flourishing in the United States while floundering in the United Kingdom. Although Equity in Britain continues to paint a rosy picture about its activities, it is silent on the issue of the future of the British film industry. It has not provided any statistics about its role in the rise or turnaround of the film industry in any part of the world. The British film industry is going through a critical phase with the number of films produced dropping over the past several years from the turn of the century. Uncertainty in tax legislations for relief is largely being blamed for the downturn. Competition from Hollywood is another factor held responsible for the debacle. In such uncertain situation, it is too much to expect Equity to come to the aid of its members holding jobs and contracts in the British film industry. Even if Equity makes an attempt it will be only a token measure aimed at assuaging the members. For the industry to make a come back, the collective will of the whole enterprise must focus on win-win situation for everyone. The stars are satisfied with compensation, the employees with their wages, and the promoter with his unit's performance. 4. The Demand Curve for Actors The demand for actors is constantly changing. It depends on the number of hits scored during a year. The British film industry has been lagging for external and internal reasons. The main external reason has been uncertainty about tax relief, and the internal one has been failure of the film industry to produce box office hits and competition from Hollywood. It is also the inability of British film industry to capitalize on technological innovations through personalities and programs that has actors of all hues in a tight corner. The media's exclusive coverage of Britney Spear's frailties and foibles and similar negative presentation of performing artists seems to have evoked some kind of revulsion for the film fraternity in the public eye. The cine celebrities cannot be devoid of human frailties and foibles.The media's role is to blame to some extent for the dismal state of affairs of the British film industry. Even if a Britney Spears has to be featured in the paper every other day, there is the responsibility to ensure a fair deal both for the unfortunate

Fashion design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fashion design - Essay Example oduce a range of clothing and aesthetics designs that will capture the interests of the customers, by following the developing trends and even going back to reinvigorate some traditional or ancient clothing styles and aesthetic components that were fashionable during the time, which can also integrate fully into the current tastes and preferences of the people (Eceiza and Alvarez, 22). Design functionality and aesthetic value forms the fundamental principles of fashion design, since a fashion designer must come up with a design that functions well for the current generation, while also matching the emerging trends and thus giving a touch of aesthetically pleasant attire. Most significant in the world of fashion design, is the consideration into who is likely to wear the garment or the accessory that has been produced, and on what occasions is the attire desirable. Therefore, with the interest of the current generation on the forefront, coupled by the occasional desirability and aesthetic appearance, a fashion designer is sure to remain in the business. There are a variety of skills that are desirable for an individual to qualify as a fashion designer. First, a wide knowledge in fabrics, ornaments, garments and fashion trends is highly desirable for anyone waiting to become a fashion designer (Eceiza and Alvarez, 37). The knowledge of fabrics is essential; since it enables an individual understand what type of material is desirable to produce a clothing fashion, based on the occasions for which the clothing is designed. The knowledge of ornaments is also relevant, since it allows individuals to understand the types of ornaments that are suitable to produce certain accessories, and which of such ornaments is worth matching the dressing that is designed for such occasions (Brogden, 42). Another relevant requirement for a prospective fashion designer is the knowledge of fashion trends. This is necessary because fashion is not statistic, and thus new designs are

Brands and other intangible assets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Brands and other intangible assets - Essay Example The financial status with a brand becomes more distinguished as relations to consumers are built through the brand valuation. Recognizing the brand as an intangible asset becomes essential to a corporation because of the impact it has on consumer spending as well as on the financial future of a company. If finances begin to fluctuate from stable growth to increases and decreases in the company, then it can be noted as a direct link to the intangible asset of brand valuation (Wood, 662, 2000). Branding is a concept that began centuries ago as many began to associate the idea of ownership with the products they owned. Branding a home or slaves was the concept used by those who were interested in keeping and maintaining a personal establishment. The main concept was to recognize ownership specifically to gather a return on investment for the ownership. The concept of branding for businesses began to boom with the emergence of the industrial revolution and the building of companies into national entities. During this time, the competition to create products at a mass level while outdoing competitors became the main concept. In the 1920s, General Motors, Ford and companies such as P&G began to use their name identity as a tactic for overcoming the competition. As these brands were identified as an intangible asset demand increased as well as the accounting structure. As consumerism began to rise in the 1980s, most businesses began to incorporate branding into their main ident ity as it was noted that financial differences occurred when a brand was recognized. The main concept was to create a higher amount of demand from potential customers while allowing customers to become loyal to the brand identity over other competitors. The result was the ability to not only build reputation, but also to change the financial increases within a corporation. The concept of brand identity during the 1980s and 1990s also began to emerge at a global level,

Howard Schultz Essay Example for Free

Howard Schultz Essay Organization culture has been defined and studied in many and varied ways. Culture is defined as the set of key values, beliefs, understandings, and norms shared by members of an organization (Daft, 2012). The culture of an organization is going to play a big role in the success of the company. No matter how big or how small the company is, maintaining a culture that all employees can live by. Having all employees on board with the company’s mission will pay off a great deal in the long run. Starbucks is one of the premier coffee shops in the United States and their mission tell consumers what they do to maintain a huge customer base, to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time (www. starbucks. com). This paper will help consumers understand Starbucks’ organizational culture and the key leadership and management traits used to execute the business strategy. When people think coffee, they think Starbucks. Starbucks has become a hot commodity when it comes to consumers and their coffee. When people go to a Starbucks, they already know what they are getting, specialty coffee, great customer service and a nice cozy place to relax and just kick back. From the CEO on down to the baristas, Starbucks has developed a culture that sets them apart from other coffee shops around the world. Their success can be credited to the customer service. Anyone in a business knows that customer service is very important and can determine the success of a company. Starbucks thrives on ensuring that the baristas develop positive relationships with all customers. By doing this, customers will start to become loyal to the company. Loyal customers will keep Starbucks competitive in a market that a lot of people seem to be fond of because when people get up in the morning, nothing may be more refreshing then a cup of coffee. The Starbucks organization wants all its customers to feel like they are part of something special when they purchase a cup of Starbucks coffee. To help strengthen the culture, Starbucks focuses on being active in communities, in addition to their environmental responsibility, business ethics, open door policy, and their concern for the employees, customers, and stockholders, all these things make a strong positive organizational culture (Campbell, 2009). Within the organization, from the Starbucks executives down to the baristas, when it comes to maintaining the positive organizational culture that has been laid out for all employees, Starbucks separates themselves from many other coffee shops. The Starbucks management team has not based their success off of several things. Within the company the stores offer things that not many restaurants offer, such as Wi-Fi, exotic styles of coffee and a comfortable place to relax and enjoy a hot or cold coffee beverage. These things differ from other coffee spots in the world, so it makes Starbucks very unique. The innovative coffee styles that Starbucks uses attract the traditional coffee fanatic, as well as a new customer base. The styles of coffee will maintain customer loyalty and loyalty is one of Starbucks main focuses. The dedicated customers consist of business professionals and students. These are the individuals that Starbucks employees will see the most. The environment is made for them as well. For example, business men and women may go to Starbucks for lunch. It is comforting, quiet, and the store gives off a positive vibe. For students, it gives them a chance to indulge in a good beverage as well as take time out of their day to kick back and read a book or even catch up on a few homework assignments, whatever the case may be Starbucks offers an environment that others do not. To some consumers, having the coffee may just be a bonus; they really enjoy the environment Starbucks offers. According to brand expert Priya Raghubir, â€Å"Starbucks stands for coffee; it’s converted that into an experience, â€Å"People really have gotten to know Starbucks as the quintessential coffee shop, where they can sit and be welcome over a cup of coffee† (Shayon, 2013). As discussed previously, customer satisfaction is very important to the brand and company. Making customers feel at home by making Starbucks a cozy environment and providing free Wi-Fi keeps customers happy and keeps customers coming back. The management team coming up with these concepts really puts what they are trying to do as a company in prospective and also gives consumers an idea of what their company culture is. Throughout the company there are different management positions. It is the job of this team to attain organizational goals in an effective and efficient manner through planning, organizing, leading, and controlling organizational resources (Daft, 2012). Within the Starbucks culture one of the main focuses is the customers. With that being said a good management competency to have is communication. This is a very important skill to have because at Starbucks employees are constantly dealing with customers. Even at the executive level of management, communication is even more important because these are the individuals that are making the decisions that could affect the entire company as a whole. When those decisions are made they need to get communicated down to the baristas and everyone else in between. Communication fits perfectly within this company’s culture. Communicating things from the top to bottom tells all the employees what the main purpose of the company is. Communication helps maintain the culture throughout the whole company as well. For an organization like Starbucks were the focus is to keep customers coming back, the employees must communicate with them at a level that employees from other coffee shops just are not use to. With how Starbucks operates as a whole, they have made themselves the place to buy coffee, which they are not really known for. They are recognized for their great communication with the customers, with other employees, and the management team, and the goal is maintain this level of professionalism so the new and existing customers re-enter a Starbucks and always get the same exact experience no matter the location. â€Å"We’re not in the coffee business. It’s what we sell as a product but we’re in the people business hiring hundreds of employees a week, serving sixty million customers a week, it’s all human connection† (Gallo, 2012). Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz is the man behind how this culture was developed; he is the one that drives the bus today. Back in the 1980’s Schultz had a vision to enhance the way people drink their coffee and he did just that. Starbucks coffee speaks for itself; it is the culture Schultz put in place that makes Starbucks unique and a nice environment to be in. Starbucks opened its first store March 30, 1971 with more than 17, 000 locations around the world (Gallo, 2012). Without Schultz, this company would not be what it is today. Since the early 70s the company has managed to emerge as a premier coffee in the world, and in the 80s with Schultz at the helm. In 2000, with Schultz not in the mix, things did not go as well as expected when he resigned. Eight years after his resignation; he was appointed as CEO again to help the company from the downward spiral they were on. Schultz stressed that is was going to take a lot to get Starbucks back to where they needed to be. It is clear that Schultz made a big impact on Starbucks when he was CEO, and when he was not CEO, the company took a bit of a plunge. Without Schultz, over time it seems like Starbucks may have not lasted. Answering the question, would Starbucks achieve long-term sustainability as a global leader in the coffee industry without Howard Shultz, the answer would have to be no. Just in a short period of time, the company managed to get away from the culture Shultz brought to the company. As an organization, it is their job to live up to the culture that was put in front of them. There have been many times in business where new leaders are appointed and they just do not live up to the expectations. This is a problem that can be fixed if communication is sustained as well. All companies develop or have a culture set in place already. Management plays a key role in developing and ensures that the culture is maintained. Starbucks is an organization that thrives off their culture and this is the reason why they are successful in the business world. They have set themselves apart from other coffee shops by focusing on things other than just the coffee, like the customers, the environment, and for business professionals and students, the Wi-Fi. The organizational culture at Starbucks may not be the best, but they are making a strong case for the organization. References Campbell, A. (2009, November 09). Organizational culture. EZine Articles, Retrieved from http://ezinearticles. com/? Organizational-Cultureid=3203513 July 23, 2013 Daft. (2012). Management. (10th ed. ). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Gallo, C. (2012). Starbucks ceo: Lesson in communication skills. Forbes, Retrieved from http://www. success. com/articles/1272-rekindling-the-heart-soul-of-starbucks? page=2 July 23, 2013 Shayon, S. (2013, March 08). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www. brandchannel. com/home/post/Starbucks-Customer-Loyalty-030813. aspx July 23, 2013 .

What Is Animal Abuse?

What Is Animal Abuse? What is animal abuse. Animal abuse is a behavior that harming animals for other purposes and reasons other than self-protection and survival. This kind of cases is increasing year by year throughout the world every year. There are several factors that contribute to this cruel act. One of the factors that led to animal abuse is neglect. Nowadays, many people want to keep a pet just because the animals are cute. People see those cute animals such as puppy, kitten and rabbit through mass media. The mass media include advertisements and some TV shows. After they saw those cute and adorable animals they want to keep it as pet, so they go to the pet shop to buy. They never think twice before they bring those animals back to their home. They never think that they dont have time to take care their pets. This will causes harms to their pets. In this 21st century most of the peoples and families are busy with their work, and they dont have time feed and play with their pets. When their pet is sick, they dont even notice and do not have time to bring their pet to the veterinarians. As a result, this will lead to animal cruelty. Besides that, some of the TV shows and game shows also will lead to animal abuses. Some of the game shows will use animal as their selling point to attract viewers in order to boost up their viewership rating for the particular shows. Some of game shows even torture and hurt the animals in order to get good ratings for the show. For example, an American game show known as Fear Factor often uses animal to in their shows as a challenge to their game shows participants. In one of the episodes, the participants are required to use their mouth to move the snakes from one box to another box. This action will cause harm to the snakes and this is a very foolish and very unethical action done by human being. Another factor that will lead to animal abuse or animal cruelty is the science research. In this century, science is very important for human being. Science is important to human beings in term of medications, technologies and others. In order to make humans life easier a lots of researches and experiments need to be carry out. Some of these experiments will involve animals. For example, in order to produce or invent new medicines animal will be the first one who test the drugs for the side effects. Besides, for education purpose in school or university, students are required to dissect animals such as rats and frogs in biology class in order to understand more about the system and facts about those animals. Animal abuse happens in this case indirectly. In additions, stress and anger will is also one of the factors that will contribute to animal abuse. This phenomenon happens when someone got too stress from his work or studies and they have no way to release it, they will release it on their pets. Those people will torture their pets by not feeding their pet or even uses brutal strength such ass kick and hit their pets. Anger will also cause animal cruelty happens. When some weak people such as students got bullied and humiliate at school and they have no strength or power to protect and defend them self, they will get their revenge on animals by torturing them. They do this because they think those small animals like puppies and kittens are small and defenseless against them. Another factor that will lead to animal abuse is the psychological factor. Some people out there have psychology and mental problem. They want the power to control people and dominate people, but they are not capable enough. So, they try to dominate the animals and control the animals by giving order and punishment as they want. Another type of psychology problem some people like to see animal being torture or they personally like to torture animal themselves for personal satisfaction. This is a kind of disease or mental disorder. People with this kind of mental disorder are mostly having trauma during their childhood time. These people are most likely being abuse by their parents or being bullied in school time. These people need medication to control their condition or else they will get worse. Another psychology problem that led to animal cruelty is the people who bully the animal to seek for public attention. These people are those who are commonly neglect by the society. They fe el that they do not existence in the society and they feel that they are ignored. So they want to do something to let the public know about their existence. Some of these people will abuse and torture the animals to prove their existence in the society. Some of the parents will buy pets to accompany their children. Parents nowadays are busy with their works and do not have time to play with their children. So they buy a pet for them to accompany them to play with them and make them happy. But they never thought that their children do not how to take care the animals. Sometimes is not they want to abuse the animals, but the will they treat the animals like feeding them too much will indirectly causes harm to the animals. Another factor that will contribute to animal abuse is culture. Some of the culture will contribute to animal abuse. Those cultures are like a traditional festival for them and they must carry it out. For example Spains bulls fight festival. This festival is a very cruel and unethical festival. This festival is actually a festival that kills a bull to entertain audiences. Besides that, some of the people will even kill those animals just for the skin of the animal. For example, human being kills those snakes, crocodiles and bulls just for their skin to make wallets and handbags. Besides that, some human will also kill the animal for gaining personal profit. Shark fin is a very good example of animal cruelty. In order to get the shark fin, they will just cut off the fin of the shark and throw them back into the sea. The shark without the fin will hardly swim and eventually the sharks will die in the sea. Another example of this point is eating puppy or dogs. In China, they will slaughter the dogs and puppy in their shop and cook it for the customers. Eating dog is an unethical behavior to do. In addition, animal training may also lead to animal abuse. To train an animal to obey to a command is not an easy task or more precise is a very hard task. All animals are different. Some of the people may eventually hurt the animal without noticing when they are training the animals. Some of the training needs punishment to let the animals know or remember the move the people teach them. For example, in a circus, animal such as tiger, lion, and elephant need training before they can perform in front of the audience, during the training the people may hurt them without noticing because animals cant express themselves well. http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/animal_cruelty/why.php http://voices.yahoo.com/animal-abuse-leading-causes-stop-it-6289042.html?cat=48 http://www.nhes.org/sections/view/330 http://tcr.sagepub.com/content/2/2/177.abstract http://www.sunbearsquad.org/risks.shtml

Information Management System Of Samsung Marketing Essay

Information Management System Of Samsung Marketing Essay We believe that Samsung has good chance to get success when global market is becoming more competitive. Samsung can create new trends in market in a fashionable way and using the recommended conditions which have been discussed, while it is backed up by core competency of marketing. We really believe that earlier advantage can be achieved despite Nokia has currently launched a new phone as their brand is driven by style and price. Samsung can launch a new product with a fashionable style and can build a new brand image that is not manufactured and launched by any other company. Sustainability of this product requires new and up to date relevant technology which will keep it for long period. Technical and famous designers are used to make certain products at forefront of the new competitive global and fashionable industry. Technology used is the key role player to change the traditional trends in industry and this technology is incorporated into the Cell phone to make best use of it for the potential sales. Strategic Information Management of Samsung 3 Introductions 3.1 Background and Assumptions Samsung Group of companies was found in 1938 and major leading company to provide manufacturing and financial services. Since 1980 it has made enormous development in semiconductor and electronics industry. Samsung has made remarkable growth in net profits since last two decades. This is regarded as the ways of Samsung conducts the business and strategic information management is the pillars of the entire business at Samsung. For a long period relationships between corporate strategy and information systems; Top management of the firms were not much interested. Information management systems are to be thought as same to corporate data processing and support the daily routine functions (Rockart, 1979). Information management systems based on computer based response to any type of interaction whether at transaction level and supply levels etc. Although Samsung is a much consolidated company but it requires more strategic development planning system to identify more future projects to compete its sister companies in the world. Shipping of products and the best use of strategic information management can enhance the capabilities of the managers to identify the achievable targets of selling of new products of fashionable mobiles by installing the new information management systems. Supply Chain Operations need more development to improve Samsungs global business operations. 4. Objectives For the strategic decision making organizational analysis is much important and business units concerning to organizations objectives which require accountability must be clearly defined. Stakeholders must be satisfied with these new strategic decisions (Joyce and Woods, 2001). The Samsung requires a corporate culture and ethics when implementing new strategies whether this strategy is adequate and can be implemented within firm. Top Management of the Samsung takes strategic decisions to become important player in the Phone Industry. All units within Samsung are responsible to CEO. The CEO of the Samsung is setting a separate unit to foster the start up and meeting the requirements of the customers as well as generating more revenue for its share holders. The CEO of the Samsung has set these goals to take advantage of wealth of shareholders to ensure that Samsung will remain more profitable within market. In this way Samsung mobiles will be an independent unit driven by the goals of Samsung as it is functioning within Samsung firm and its revenue will be rewarding to Samsungs shareholders. 5 Remote Environment For any firm market based view is very important to understand the external environment before they make any strategic choices. Many factors must be addressed which influence the industry and these factors include as PESETEL analysis, Porters Five Forces and Globalization drivers (Partridge, 2005). 6 PESTEL analysis 6.1 Political - Due to that as markets are regulated so both manufacturers and operators work in an environment free of governments invention. 6.2 Economic- Increase in income makes the people to have more disposable income, which enables the user or customer to make selection among the best choice of mobile cells. Price is a key factor to be focused rather addressing the basic needs (messaging and calls) of the customers. 6.3 Social- Due to rise in information society, telecommunication has become more important for consumers in terms of leisure and work. Electronic media provides the information about the new advancement in handset mobiles and consumers are aware of their best choice among these handset phones. 6.4 Technological Global technology advancement are as GPRS, GSM, WAP, Bluetooth, MMS and Cameras which are hallmark in mobile phone industry. European market is less technologically advanced than their counterpart Asian market i.e. in Asia 90% phones with cameras while in Europe just 4% phones had handsets with cameras (Johnson and Scholes, 2001). Environment Mobile phones have hazardous affects on human health due to waves which are emitted by these handsets and also cause potential tumors (BBC, 2004). Immense wastage created by the disposable handsets which are also non-ecological. Legal It is very difficult to patent the mobile phones designs. 7 Porters Five Forces A company needed as many as possible to neutralize the five forces to generate a well competitive advantage. Porters forces (Porter, 1998) are used basically for the attraction of industry and searches sources of its competition. These forces are dependent on each other and Samsung like industries must know the connection between these forces. 7.1 Entry Barriers Change in the technology makes the entire industry to invest more in development and research, which is carried out by the firms to keep up to date that which firm has latest technology featured handsets. Companies in the same mobile phones are in competition to release a similar or better product than other company. Many Asian small manufacturing companies copied the design of these products and grabbed the share in market in 2002. Samsung already has good access to its supply and distribution channels but it requires more channels to spread the Samsungs products more successfully. Due to globalization the cost of products is decreased. Entry barriers are resurrected to make the marketing more effective focusing upon fashion and exclusively. 7.2 Buyers Buyers power is very economically beneficial for the manufacturing companies as operators purchase the products in bulk and large sum of money is invested to keep their constant demand of good quality products. This large sum money provides necessary funds to research and develop to satisfy the customers with their demands. It shows the buying power of the customers which is a cyclic process and favors the operators. Consumers of Samsungs products are divided into two groups, one of them group wants to purchase the product based on price, style and quality while other people living in China and Philippine pay higher prices than their counterparts living in European countries. Users in Britain and Germany get mobile phones subsidized while people in Asia and Italy purchase the phone at full price. Buying power for the Samsungs products is seen as powerful due to users loyalty towards the new fashionable products. 7.3 Substitutes Better technology in future can be the best alternative of the mobile phones. PC based application are possible substitutes for messaging through Yahoo Messenger and people always return to mobile phones call as the call charges escalates. Because mobile phones provide very massive convenience so less alternative of mobile phones are available. 7.4 Suppliers Suppliers are high in numbers and therefore switching costs is low. Suppliers have very feeble power having very limited bargaining supremacy. 8 SWOT Analyses Samsung is one of largest group based in South Korea that works worldwide as subsidiaries. Company has focused on electronics products and service activities. Samsung Electronics is a major manufacturer of random access memory chips and mobile cells as a whole sets. Strengths 8.1.1 Credit ratings Improvements In 2002 company made a tremendous increase in credit rating as it also made previously in 1996. This shows that Company has recovered from the financial crisis and raised the corporate image of the Samsung Company. Diversification Company has made continuous transformation of diversification through its entire business. This is achieved due to competitive pricing of mobiles phone products and catered the premium demand. This has forced the competitors to expand its shares in market. Telecommunication Business New products of mobiles phones with advanced features (cameras, voice dialing and color screens) are added to its sale. Handset mobiles increased its sale up to 48% in 2002 and have become one of the largest mobile phone manufacturers in world. 8.2.0 Weaknesses Prices of the memory chips has fallen which constitute a major portion of its revenue collection. Due to fluctuation in telecommunication demands and technology issues has impacted on the revenue collection. A slump in demand can be averted by the competitors improvement in fashion and new designs. Mobile phone business requires Samsungs more investment to protect its market shares and stability. Other areas of company which require more attention are the fast SCM. 8.3.0 Opportunities Samsung has invested heavily in marketing and internal research and development products during last 10 years. Company wants to build a system for research and development that will stimulate the demand and SCM. A number of affiliated companies are sold in recent years in order to build it and reduce its debts. Samsung has restructured its business to surpass the Hyundai to become the largest company of the South Korea. Samsung is now building itself in Easter Europe and India market to build a globally integrated business administrative system to improve its international network infrastructure. 8.4.0 Threats 8.4.1 Strong Competitors LG and SK groups are the competitors of the Samsung in South Korea and also other major companies across all areas of its entire business. Samsungs competitors in electronics include the Micron Technology, Sony and Matsushita. Nokia is also major competitors in the area of the mobile phones production. 8.4.2 Safeguarding the Property Rights Samsung is manufacturing and marketing new products each year. Samsung is facing the problem of safeguarding the property rights which are crucial to retain its competitive edge. 9 Alternate strategic approaches Samsungs rival companies may produce good designed mobile phones with better technology to make difference with other companies. Smaller companies are using this trend in Chinas market and copied the products of major companies. Using Samsung mobile phones, user can perceive the quality and style of the manufacturing company. Technology used is the potential of the Samsung to compete other companies in the market and generate more revenue. Customers will find it more comfortable when product is not potentially out of date up to a year in terms of its functionality. It could increase the demand and prove ultimately cheaper. What are the strategic options in future to grow more economically the Samsung? It can be seen as 9.1 Price The price of the Samsung mobile phones must be in approach of common users ensured with quality and services. This will encourage the customers to increase the demand of products. 9.2 Distribution Supply Chain Management must ask its retailer to display the products in highly fashioned apartments and stores, which will impact the brand image of products. 9.3 Countries Europe, Asia and America are the major world markets. European countries are wealthier than other countries, so Samsung mobile phones must reach there with advance features. 9.4 Operators Operators and retailers have high power of buying these products. They know the degree of the price of the end-consumers. Operator can sell these products very efficiently. 9.5 Brand Marketing Samsung mobile products are very crucial because new brands have been added to already list of mobile phones sets. Marketing of these products must be in fashion world and role models are very significant. 10 Competitive advantages / CSFs Critical Success Factors CSFs measure the existing strengths and advantages in Samsung. Rockart (1979) has defined the critical success factors being in the limited areas for a business with satisfactory results, that ensures the competitive performance of an organization. CSFs are critical factors which represent many things in a firm and must go in right direction to flourish the business. CSF basically discusses the objectives of the business that is under review. This technique is used by the people and its value is lost when used below the third level in an organizational hierarchy (Ward, 1990, p.164). Samsung has improved its ability to recycle the sources and developed the cell phones more plausible for users. Strategic transformation of RD center has altered the organization and progressed the business unit value (Park, Sangmoon,Gil, Youngjoon, 2006). Samsung is providing best customers services in following areas Samsung facilitates best and costs valuable solution It provides unique service at homes without any change of mobile terminal and provides automatic installation and remote operations for users feasibility Value creation for End Users is a great advantage of the Samsung. It provides voice service, fast data service and wired/wireless service to its customers. Samsungs efforts are proving to be fruitful because their SCM six sigma program is very useful to produce talented specialists. It is expected that six sigma will play a vital role for global optimum. Branding strategy of sponsoring big events like Olympics and placements of its products at festivals is a good move of Samsung. Transition from 2G to 3G technology that emphasizes on multimedia is good change in technology strength. However new changing technology can solve many technology issues and can bring key driver changes in the Samsungs mobile phone industry. Currently market is dynamic and if Samsung goes away of this it could damage the sales. 11 Conclusions After the external and internal analysis it is required that strategic issues in Samsung must be addressed immediately. Best information management system can resolve these strategic issues by implementing the current strategy to retain the long term competitive advantages. Samsung being the key driver of technology transition of mobile phones industry can sustain its continuous and new competitive advantages. Samsung is not likely to fail because mobile phones are relevant to customers demand and up to date. Samsung has focused much upon the brand marketing because global market is highly competitive and dynamic. Sigma program is key factor to develop the Supply Chain System. On the one hand Samsung is very optimistic to facilitate the end users with best quality services and on the other hand it is generating more revenue for its shareholders. Finally Samsung mobiles are designed by talented designers; it ensures that products are displayed at best events of the world and remain fo refront at the fashion industry.

Mother Courage Essay -- essays research papers

Mother Courage   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It’s always important to be touched. Writers know and understand this idea. Whether the audience feels good or bad about whom or what you present is not as important as the fact that they feel something. Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children is a perfect example of a work that doesn’t leave us in very high spirits but touches us in such a way that it becomes even more powerful than if it had.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the play the title character, Mother Courage, is presented to us in such a way that the reader is usually left not knowing how to feel. We have with two choices. On the one hand she can be a money grubbing, self concerned woman who only cares about herself and those directly related to her money. On the other hand she can be considerate and caring mother who only wants to protect her children. It’s an issue the reader wrestles with many times over the course of the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you take everything at face value it seems that all Mother Courage is driven by is profit. But then one has to think . . . What’s is her motive? Is it her children? Are we completely misinterpreting Mother Courage’s intentions? Consider this: Mother Courage throughout the war does what she can to keep her daughter Kattrin â€Å"innocent.† Now as awful as it sounds prostitution is a pretty lucrative business. If Mother Courage was only driven by profit wouldn’t she decide that maybe selling Kattrin...

Ian Burumas Behind the Mask :: Ian Buruma Behind the Mask

Ian Buruma's Behind the Mask Ian Buruma was born in the Netherlands in 1951. He went to school in both Holland and Japan, and he has spent a great deal of time in Japan. Ian Buruma is an author, journalist and a professor at Bard College in New York. He sometimes writes for the New York Review of Books, the New York Times Magazine, the New Republic, the New Yorker, and the Guardian. The book, Behind the Mask, was a very interesting one. This book is filled with lots of Japans history that most people know nothing about. Much of the content in Behind the Mask is focused on sexuality and violence. The book has thirteen chapters each dealing with a different topic. It starts out with a kind of mythology about the origins of Japan. It is then followed by chapters on mothers in Japan and marriage. Some of the other topics focus on women, geisha, and yakuza. Behind the Mask is a great book explaining a great deal of the sexuality related to the culture and religion of Japan. To the Japanese, sex is a part of nature; it is not considered a sin. The worst thing that can happen to an individual in Japan is to be socially shamed or dishonored. The Japanese do believe in a sort of â€Å"pollution† though. They fear being unclean, death, and blood, among other things. Purification is a big deal in Japan. Ian Buruma, the author, not only explains in great detail much of the history and practices of the Japanese, but he also writes much about significant people and places dealing with the topic. There were many significant people who contributed a great deal to the practices in Japan. He also describes many of the important places where certain events occurred. He explains what the kabuki theaters looked like and also the famous strip clubs. The Washington Post Book World writes, â€Å"A fascinating exploration of Japanese culture: the fantasy life of the Japanese. It fishes its insights from the rich and muddy river of popular culture that the Foreign Ministry has always tried to screen from foreign view. Through skillfully chosen subjects – sex, gender, the mother – we find a comprehensible (if sometimes surprising) fantasy persona behind the inscrutable mask†¦fascinating, imaginative, highly polished, entertaining.

The Dopamine Hypothesis of Schizophrenia Essay -- Biology Essays Resea

The Dopamine Hypothesis of Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a disease that has plagued societies around the world for centuries, although it was not given its formal name until 1911. It is characterized by the presence of positive and negative symptoms. Positive symptoms are so named because of the presence of altered behaviors, such as delusions, hallucinations (usually auditory), extreme emotions, excited motor activity, and incoherent thoughts and speech. (1,2) In contrast, negative symptoms are described as a lack of behaviors, such as emotion, speech, social interaction, and action. (1,2) These symptoms are by no means concrete. Not all schizophrenic patients will exhibit all or even a majority of these symptoms, and there is some disagreement in the psychiatric community as to the exact diagnostic criteria. In addition, there is a great deal of debate as to the causes of the disease. While some proposed causes have been proven false, such as bad parenting and poor will power (2), there are many theories that remain. One of the most famous and most debatable is the dopamine hypothesis. The proposed hypothesis states that the brain of schizophrenic patients produces more dopamine than normal brains. It is this increased dopamine that is believed to be responsible for the symptoms of the disease. However, the is much debate in the scientific community as to the exact mechanism by which altered dopamine levels, especially in the prefrontal cortex, striatum, and limbic system, produce schizophrenia. There is much clinical evidense that provides support for the dopamine hypothesis. The first evidense that dopamine may be involved in schizophrenia came from amphetamine users. Amphetamines work by causing the brain to produce mo... ...ital Cortex: Focal Abnormalities in Orbitofrontal Cortex in Schizophrenia" From Meador-Woodruff Laboratory Homepage (University of Michigan) http://www-personal.umich.edu/~himmw/pubs/index.html (5) "Detailed Description of Our Studies" From Meador-Woodruff Laboratory http://www.umich.edu/~jmwlab/ (6) "Dopamine, Glutamate, and the Neurochemical Circuitry of Schizophrenia" From Department of Psychiatry Homepage (University of Michigan) http://www.med.umich.edu/mhri/res/95/meadorwoodruff/meadorwoodruff.html (7) "Schizophrenia 'Trigger' Described" From NARSAD Homepage http://www.mhsource.com/advocacy/narsad/trigger/html/?_requestid=1006565 (8) "Altered Neural Circuits in Schizophrenia" http://www.mentalhealth.com/mag1/fr51.html (9)Rosenzweig, M.R., Leiman, A.L., & Breedlove, A.M. Biological Psychology. Sinaur Associates Inc: Massachusetts, 1996

An Indivisible Peace

It is very inevitable that somewhere in our lives, we have been touched by a special bond called â€Å"friendship†.   That special bond might happen in the most unusual time and place. It might even be connected not just with love, but also with envy and selfishness.A Separate Peace is a timeless novel which depicts a tale of two best friends named Gene and Finny or Phineas who are both away from their homes to attend boarding school during World War II. Since both of them are experiencing the same hardships, pressures and turmoils that come with boarding school, they both create a unique bond and help each other survive tough times. They help each other develop independence and courage while trapped in a boarding school that's full of distressing things.The plot revolves around Devon School which is said to be the most beautiful school in New England because it helps its male students master both scholarly and athletic facets of their lives. Devon School is a boarding schoo l which has an atmosphere of privileged students.The students who are accepted in Devon both possess class and money. It is very usual that a school is just a place for educational achievements and at the same time, personality growth. But Devon isn't just an ordinary   institution for it's a place wherein the boys get the chance to be carefree without worrying about their reputations being ruined.The novel is set on World War II, a very crucial point for the boys because it is the time wherein they'll choose which certain military branch will they enlist in. The boys aren't really forced to enlist in the military but during that time, being involved in the war is truly a great status symbol for it proves the courage of a man. Both Gene and Finny possess contrasting personalities.Gene is a man who excels in his academic and on the other hand, Finny is excellent in sports. The state of being a pacifist also lies in Finny's nature. Although Gene's character isn't that bad, it is Fin ny who   is well-adored by their teachers and schoolmates. He doesn't have enemies and a lot of people look up to him and want to be in his shoes for his extraordinary skills in sports. Gene is the type of man who runs rebellious things inside his head. When they both go to the beach, Finny told Gene that they're now â€Å"best pals† but Gene doesn't respond for a darkness in his heart is already accummulating.He is doubtful of Finny's â€Å"pure† character. He believes that Finny is just showing his sincere side because he is deeply jealous with him and his achievements and that he wants to sabotage him. Since Finny is not doing well academically, Gene doubts that Finny wants to destroy him academically by diverting his attention. With this in mind, Gene decides to get even with Finny. Gene even mentions that â€Å"[Finny] could get away with anything. I couldn't help envying him that a little, which was perfectly normal. There was no harm in envying even your best friend a little.† (Knowles 18).But what Gene thought isn't harmful turns out to be a very critical situation. Gene's grudge towards Finny is unbearable that's why while jumping on a tree during a summer day, he intentionally shook the tree which causes Finny to lose his balance and fall drastically.Although Finny already has a doubt that Gene intentionally did it, he never seriously thinks about it for he believes that his best friend cannot do it. Finny's leg become broken which disabled to him to play sports again. He somehow loses his self-confidence knowing the fact that he cannot engage himself with the one thing he's passionate with which is sports.He returns to Devon in crutches and in a pitiful state, but he never bears a grudge in his heart. Both he and Gene develops their bond more stronger. They willingly share each other's skills. Gene tutors Finny in his academic subjects while Finny teaches Gene about the foundations, tactics and techniques of sports.For a while , they forget about the war in which they are pressured to enlist to. Time comes wherein Gene is put in a mock trial for someone suspects that he's the cause of Finny's injury. Finny then realizes that his best friend actually knocked him off the tree. Fifteen years later, Finny knocked himself again off a marble staircase which causes his recovering leg to become worse again.Gene's conscience undoubtedly bothers him so in the infirmary, he visits Finny and asks for forgiveness for the monstrous crime that he has committed. Finny unconditionally accepts his plea for forgiveness and assures him that nothing will change between them. Finny dies and although Gene is shocked about his death, he still continues to enlist in the Navy. Gene then realizes the misery that he created out of his dark and jealous heart and decides to change his view of the world.The central focus of the heartwarming novel is to depict that each individual in the world is longing for his own separate peace and w ill do anything to attain it. Each individual has his own way of achieving his separate peace. In Gene's case, he attained his separate peace by knocking off Finny in the tree.Gene fears that his bestfriend will sabotage and betray him that's why he chooses to get even with him. Although he doesn't have a concrete evidence that Finny is really set to destroy him, he still continues his plan and thus, satisfying himself with Finny's downfall. Looking at Finny's case, his separate peace is to detach himself from the war and so he uses his excellence in sports to get away from the enlistment. The characters of the novel both have fears that's why they create their own defense mechanisms to hide the truth that is driving their lives.During those times, the boys in Devon also act in conformity. They do things which they think would be acceptable with their friends. Instead of listening to what their hearts really want, they listen to what their friends must say about what is acceptable a nd what is not. Of all the schoolboys, Finny is the only one who enjoys his life using his own standards. His kind-hearted and genuine character sets him apart from his friends including Gene. Finny follows everything that his heart dictates and he always sees that the things that he's doing is a heartwarming reflection of his love for life.A Separate Peace is beautifully woven to show the evils that are lurking inside a human's heart. It depicts that a human has fears and insecurities which cause him to release his â€Å"dark† and â€Å"flawed† side. On the lighter side, it is truly humbling to know that not all humans are indeed evil for there exist some who's love and light for life overpower the evil and greed of human hearts.It's clearly demonstrated in Finny's tale who has always been loving and pure. He forgives his best friend and shows him that it's never too late to change and open up his heart to the world.   Finny's sincere character was proven when he sa id to Gene: â€Å"It was just some kind of blind impulse you had in the tree there . It wasn't anything you really felt against me, it wasn't some kind of hate you've felt all along. It wasn't anything personal.When Finny dies, Gene is left to realize how his conceit killed his best friend. It's a tough time for Gene but he later gives forgiveness to himself and   moves on with his life using a sadder yet wiser perspective. He even recalls his best friend in a heartbeaking way:   â€Å"During the time I was with him, Phineas created an atmosphere in which I continued now to live, a way of sizing up the world with erratic and entirely personal reservations, letting its rocklike facts sift through and be accepted only a little at a time, only as much as he could assimilate without a sense of chaos and loss.No one else I have ever met could do this†¦.When [others] began to feel that there was this overwhelmingly hostile thing in the world with them, then the simplicity and u nity of their characters broke and they were not the same again.† (Knowles 194)A Separate Peace not only chronicles a tale of two best friends but it also has a historical context that lies beneath its story. It is known that the novel was first published in England in 1959, but it doesn't actually mean that the time of the novel is 1959. The novel focuses on the early 1940s wherein United States had proclaimed its participation in World War II. Aside from the country's participation, World War II brought out enormoue valor and patriotism in each citizen's heart.Even though some of them are not actually engaged in combat, each citizen felt When A Separate Peace was first published in the United States in 1960, the Korean War had been over for approximately seven years. Also at that time, the country's participation in Vietnam War had not yet heightened to greater proportions. The United States made it compulsary for men to enroll in the military particularly the draft which is the U.S.'s role in Vietnam in the early 1960s.A small protest happened to diminish the compulsory participation but in the end, the young antiwar protesters were forced to respond by burning their draft notices.It was also in 1960s where the youngest president of United States, John F. Kennedy, was elected. At the age of forty-three, he had defeated Vice President Richard M. Nixon. During Kenndy's term, the population was hugely comprised of adolescents and by the time they have reached college, they greatly became a dominant part of American politics and culture. They have started to doubt and question the authority of their parents' generation. In line with their scrutiny, they have also started to search their own meaning of identity which was also reflected in the novel through Gene's search of his individuality.By the end of 1960s, A Separate Peace   already praised by a wide array of conservative critics. The novel was praised in various ways. Some critics find the book's a ntiwar sentiments very moving, accurate and timely while some deeply admire the book's moral lessons especially the part wherein it showed that a sin's redemption is still possible no matter how great a sin can be.A Separate Peace is not only hailed for its moving historical contexts, but also because itemulates several valuable themes such as war, rivalry, guilt and friendship. On a certain level, the novel emulates the war topic for it concentrates the huge impact World War II has created on the male adolescents.The novel focuses on the dificulty the young men are facing with their decisions about the war. Most of them are in the verge of deciding whether to enlist themselves in the war. Some of them are even preoccupied with the thoughts of their tentative acceptance on their desired military branch.The Word War II caused great implications on Gene's generations especially the fact that most of their young teachers are away to do war-related jobs. Thus, most of the teachers left to instruct them were men between the ages of fifty and seventy. Since a huge age discrepancy lies between them, the teachers cannot directly relate with the students' mind. The students' bond immediately intensified.It is also very evident that the existence of rivalry is very dominant in the novel. All the students in Devon do their best to fit in with the â€Å"society† their friends have created.   If not trying to fit in, some of them are doing implicit things to get even with their friends. It is well portrayed in Gene and Finny's frienship wherein Gene does his best to exceed Finny.Guilt is also a very domineering theme in the novel. In the end, Gene realizes that he's living in his self-contained world which is filled with hatred and disgust for others particulary his best friend Finny.Of the mentioned themes, friendship stands out most for it is the root of everything. It depicts that friendship doesn't just curtain all the good things, but underneath the relations hip lies hidden desires and envy.Gene's experience with Finny depicts to the readers that harbouring false motives towards other people can lead to disastrous things. He also shows that it is impossible for an individual to create complete peace in his heart until he confronts the evil in his heart and let the light shine through it.He realizes that  Ã‚   â€Å"wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but that wars were made instead by something ignorant in the human heart.†Ã‚   It's a compelling fact that Gene is able to acknowledge that the real enemy lies within himself. He admits that his false attitude is the cause of the corruption of his entire character .The novel ends with the portrayal that â€Å"separate peace† can only be achieved when an individual learns how to fight his personal evils. What's good in this tale is that it clearly demonstrates that no matter how impure a human's heart is, there's still a chance for him to change a nd put things in its right places.Works CitedBryant, Hallman Bell. A Separate Peace: The War Within. Twayne Publishers: Boston, 1990.Knowles, John. A Separate Peace. Bantam Books: New York, 1959.McDougal-Littell. â€Å"Author Spotlight: John Knowles.† Available online at: http://www.mcdougallittell.com/lit/guest/knowles/

Media Studies Mass Media

hAbstract: This essay explores what the media, mass media and mass communication is. As well as a major focus on the hypodermic needle theory also known as the magic bullet theory on the reception analysis, the passive audience and the encoding and decoding model with reference to relevant theorists and statements and examples from Africa and other countries. In conclusion this essay states that the reception analysis and the hypodermic needle theory both are important and complex in understanding the media and the active and passive audience.The hypodermic needle theory and the reception analysis is a complicated theory in the media world. These two theories explore how the media affects its audiences, both active and passive. This essay will explore through relevant examples and ideas from theorists, the hypodermic needle theory and the reception analysis, what they are and what role it plays in the media world and how the media affects the passive audience. The media is â€Å"a d iverse collection of industries and practices, each with their methods of communication, specific business interests, constraints and audiences† (Briggs and Cobley, 2001 ;1).And mass media according to TheFreeDictionary is, â€Å"A means of public communication reaching a large audience. † The media is almost everywhere in societies today and people view or listen to so much types of media every single day. As a result the media that is taken in affects its viewers and listeners subconsciously and are not aware of the impact that the media has on them. Mass communication thus, is the â€Å"process of transforming a message created by a person in a group to large audiences or market through a transforming device which is the medium† (J. Baran, Introduction to Mass Communication).As Connell (1984 :88) says that it is common that media’s message is distorted and misunderstood by society. Thus it effects the society subconsciously buy the way they act. The aud ience plays a vital role in the media world, because if the audience did not exist neither would the media. (Hanes) The media sends out information to the audience and the audience is there to receive it. â€Å"Audiences are not blank sheets of paper on which media messages can be written; members of an audience will have prior attitudes and beliefs which will determine how effective media messages are. (Abercrombie 1996, 140). Hence, the message received by the audience and how they interpret that message will depend on the background of the audience members, such as their values and beliefs, their attitudes and their circumstances. Furthermore, there are two types of audiences that are seen to take in media, the active audience and the passive audience. The active audience interacts with the media given to them, and they have the knowledge to challenge the messages that the media gives to them.The uses and gratifications model that was first expressed in the United states in the 1940s (Moores 1993) believed that audiences were active and that they had a choice as to the texts they received, and that they were able to choose the one that would satisfy their needs. The passive audience, as seen by the hypodermic needle theory just accept all the information given to them. â€Å"Passive audience an audience that does not interact with the media and†¦ it has no control of the medias influence on them†¦ † (Unknown. www. aber. c. uk. ). The hypodermic needle theory assumes that â€Å"the audience is passive in receiving and interpretation of media texts. † (Hanes, 2000). The media is seen to directly affect the passive audience and that it will have the power to directly influence the audience, because the audiences just take in and accept what the media gives to them. Children are often seen as a passive audience because they do not fully understand what they are viewing, thus are affected subconsciously and often act out what they have s een on TV.Teenagers often try to copy their celebrity role models and lose sight of what is real and what is fantasy (Manali Oak) The hypodermic needle theory which was explored by the Frankfurt School also known as the magic bullet theory is a famous theory that states that the media is a needle or magic gun and that it â€Å"injects the message into the audiences mind and it causes changes in the audience’s behaviour†¦ towards the message. †(Unknown. poundedmonk. wordpress. com ). The audience is passive and as a result the message is injected into their mind without their knowledge.Harold Lasswell was a well known theorist of the hypodermic needle theory stated that â€Å"the new mass media could directly influence and sway public influence. † Meaning that when the audience (which is passive) views something on the television or hears something on the radio, it affects the audience directly and unconsciously, and could possibly change the way the audienc e views a certain subject. For example, in 1930 Orson Wells created a fake news bulletin about an alien invasion in an American city called Grover’s Mill.He broadcasted this message on a Radio Station program called â€Å"The War of the Worlds†, and it reached about twelve million American people. Due to this broadcast the whole country was in chaos. (Taken from :communicationtheory. org) Additionally the Hypodermic needle theory’s supporters believed that because the audience is passive in that they receive and accept the messages given to them by the media texts that, they put a great emphasis on the text itself and the power that it has on the audience.However because that information about the texts are so readily available and very easy to access, that the Hypodermic needle theory is generally disregarded by many other theorists when they consider the audiences response to the media . (Idea taken from: Phillip J Hanes) an example of this is when apartheid c ame into action in South Africa, the white government controlled the media and showed the black people as weak and inferior to the white people and that they are the dominant race and should be in charge.Most of the white viewers believed and accepted this information and as a result treated the black people like they are inferior to the white people, and thus some of the black people began to believe that they are inferior to the whites. (International Afro Mass Media) However the hypodermic needle theory â€Å"was not based on empirical findings†¦ rather it employed assumptions†¦ about human nature. † and that â€Å"People were assumed to be†¦ controlled by their biological instincts†¦ † (Lowerg and Delfleur, 1995 . p. 400).As a result the Hypodermic effects model is â€Å"considered to be an inadequate representation of the communication between media and the public, as it does not take into account the audience as individuals with their own bel iefs, opinions, ideas and attitudes. † (Unknown: www. aber. ac. uk). Hence the quote above shows the complications that were aroused by other theorists when it came to the hypodermic needle theory of how information was just accepted by the passive audience. In addition the reception analysis plays a major role in the media.The reception analysis is the way in which the audience receives, accepts and interprets the message given to them in the media (www. museum. tv. com). The way that an audience will receive and interpret a message in the media usually depends on their â€Å"socio-economic position, gender, ethnicity and so forth. † For example if four people from different people from different societies, watch the same programme, each of them will have a different view on what they have just watched, showing that the way they receive a message will be etermined by their own individuality. (Journal of Communication, 1990, vol,40, no1, p. 73) The theory on audience re ception has taken into account â€Å"the individual members of the audience. It realises there is a preferred meaning in the text, but also places emphasis on the audience in the process of constructing a meaning. † (Hanes: www. aber. ac. uk/media) meaning that the reception theory does not just look at the audience as whole, but as well as the individuals in an audience and how the medias messages affect the individuals.In South Africa, research has been done, that shows that they youth in South Africa is very influenced by the media received from North America. Teenagers watch reality shows and believe that in order to be popular and liked by their peers they have to look, act and be a certain way. Hence showing that the youth, depending on their demographic that they are in are heavily influenced and effected by the messages that they receive from the media. (M. Way: Journalism and Mass Communication). Hals encoding and decoding model draws up on Abercrombie’s (1996 ) â€Å"dominant text view and the dominant audience view. The dominant text view states that the text is more important because the audience is passive they will be influenced by the messages given by the media. Whereas the dominant audience view states that the audience is more important because it â€Å"is up audience to analyze and interpret the text. † (Hall; 1980). The advantage of the encoding and decoding model is that â€Å"it realises that the meaning made by the audience is affected by various other factors – including socio/economic frameworks and past experiences, but also involving the context in which the media message is consumed. † (Hanes: www. aber. ac. uk/media).This statement means that if one person watches television while being distracted by two children will receive a different from another person who is watching the same television programme but is concentrating on what they are watching. The reception analysis views on how the audience receives the message and how the audience interprets the messages received by the media. Thus we can see that because everyone has different ethnicity, gender, socio-economic backgrounds and political views, that they will view the messages that they receive completely differently to any other person, showing that there is individuality in audiences.For example, a Zulu woman who is a domestic worker who lives in a black township who watches ‘Carte Blanche’ will interpret the message differently to a white business man who lives in a mansion in Northcliff who watches the exact same thing. â€Å"Due to different backgrounds and experiences,  each person has  his or her  own way for decoding messages, and  people could even form different interpretations toward the same message† (stereotypebyinternet. wordpress. om) Furthermore, because there are so many types of media being given to us as the consumers of the media, we become numb to many of the informatio n given to us that we begin to just accept the information and messages. The messages that are in many of the television programs that are consumed that they begin to affect the viewers subconsciously, and the viewers will eventually act out and behave like the people on the programs that they watch and begin to think that everything that they view on the television is acceptable and that, that is how normal or even popular people should behave. The first effect of reality TV deals with†¦ teenagers. Already with self-esteem and acceptance issues, adolescent youth that frequently watch television shows that are advertise as being ‘reality', most likely will have the delusion that their appearance should mirror the people they see on the shows. Like with magazines and tabloids that historically have caused harmful†¦ trends in teenagers, such as anorexia and bulimia, reality TV foster facades that are readily accepted by our youth. † (D.Watkins, 2008) In conclusio n one can see that the media, mass media, mass communication play an important role and are important to the hypodermic needle theory, the reception analysis, and in the encoding and decoding model. This essay also shows how the audience, passive and active play an important role in the theories mentioned in this essay, and that media consumption is a very complex activity. Bibliography Abercrombie, Nicholas (1996): Television and Society. Cambridge: Polity Press Branston, G and Stafford, R. 1999). The Media Student’s Book. London: Routledge (pp. 410-420). Cruz, J. & Justin Lewis (1994): Viewing, Reading, Listening: Audiences and Cultural Reception. Boulder, CO: Westview Gillespie, M. (2005). Media Audiences. Maidenhead: Open University Press (pp. 26-50) Hanes, Philip J (April 2000) The Advantages and Limitations of a Focus on Audience in Media Studies. Retrieved April 29, 2012 from: http://www. aber. ac. uk/media/Students/pph9701. html Hart, Andrew (1991): Understanding the Media: A Practical Guide.London: Routledge Koufie-Amartey, I, (2010) Hypodermic Needle Theory. Retrieved April 29, 2012 from: http://amartey1. blogspot. com/2010/04/hypodermic-needle-theory. html Nightingale, Virginia (1996): Studying Audiences: The Shock of the Real. London: Routledge O'Sullivan, Tim, Brian Dutton ; Philip Rayner (1994): Studying the Media. London: Edward Arnold Seiter, Ellen et al. (Eds. ) (1989): Remote Control. London: Routledge Strelitz, L. (2002). Media consumption and identity formation: the case of the ‘homeland’ viewers.Media, Culture ; Society, 24(4), 459. Taylor, L and Willis, A. (1999). Media Studies. Texts, Institutions and Audiences. Oxford: Blackwell (pp. 168-183). Watkins, D. (2008): The effects of reality TV. Retrieved April 30, 2012 from http://www. helium. com/items/933893-the-effects-of-reality-tv Way, M. Strelitz, Larry. Mixed Reception: South African Youth and their Experience of Global Media. Retrieved April 26, 2012 from: http:// findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_7081/is_1_26/ai_n28420075

Knapp 3.5 Goodner Brothers

KNAPP CASE 3. 5 : GOODNER BROTHERS, INC. 1. Internal control objectives Goodner’s Huntington sales office should have implemented: a. Separation of duties: Sales reps like Woody were given unrestricted access to the accounting system where they could directly enter transactions. Sales reps also had direct access to inventory storage areas, and often delivered customer orders. b. Physical controls: Pad locks served as the security of Goodner’s inventory. There should have been stronger security since the value ranged from $300,000 – $700,000. c.Monitoring: Management should have monitored inventory more often than once a year. Also, â€Å"throwaways† were not adjusted to accounting records until the year-end inventory was taken. 2. Huntington unit’s operations displayed internal control weaknesses. One main weakness was giving sales representatives so much access. Sales reps did not keep proper documentation of sales orders and had direct access to t he accounting system. This gave the internal auditors no way to verify sales amounts. Sales representatives also had direct access to inventory storage units. . The Huntington unit should require all sales reps to fill out proper sales order or credit forms. Sales reps should not have direct access to the accounting system; access should only be given to the bookkeeper. Sales reps should also not be allowed to make personal deliveries for customers. 4. Felix Garcia was partially responsible for Goodner’s inventory loss because he did not properly monitor inventory levels. Al Hunt was also partially responsible for the inventory loss because he dismissed his suspicions that Woody was selling stolen inventory.