Friday, November 29, 2019

MasterCard International

Introduction In the present world, information technology (IT) is at the core of most business activities. It provides the foundation that enables today’s business enterprises to function and flourish.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on MasterCard International specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Whether it is in procurement and production, manufacturing and maintenance, customer care and sales, communication and collaboration, tracking and measurement, or virtually any other business discipline, IT plays a critical role (Laube Zammuto, 2003). This paper provides a case study of MasterCard International and looks at how the company uses technology to enhance its business operations. A summary of the case is presented followed by a detailed discussion and finally, the main points are highlighted. Case Study Description In the process of carrying out its business operations, MasterCard International uses cli ent/server architecture. This is an architecture that exists in a networked environment where there is a server dedicated to offering services to clients. The clients send requests to the server and the server responds appropriately. In the case of MasterCard International, there is a computer that authorizes, clears, and settles each credit card transaction whenever a client interacts with the system. With its massive data warehouse, MasterCard’s client/server system links 25,000 member banks spread out in different regions. The client/server arrangement greatly improves the rate at which decisions are made and ensures that customers receive quality services.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More MasterCard’s data warehouse was presented as a strategic move to give the company a competitive edge and improve its market share. Using a combination of in-house deve loped and commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products, the company is able to identify customers’ buying trends, credit card fraud, and other useful information. Presenting a Business Case for MasterCard’s Data Warehouse In an environment that is characterized by reduced spending on IT initiatives, IT Managers are often faced with a tough challenge of selling concepts to top management. Rather than investing in new IT initiatives, top management would rather focus on cost cutting. This is also due to the fact that most executives can not easily quantify the benefits associated with the use of IT services. The confusion always arises because many top executives see IT departments as nothing more than cost centers. Regardless of the IT concept being presented to top management, the IT manager must provide a very convincing case for his or her ideas to be accepted. In the case of MasterCard, there is a very strong foundation on which an argument by the IT manager can be base d. As can be seen from the given model, and as explained in the case, MasterCard’s data warehouse has a number of strengths that make it appealing to any prospective user. First of all, the data warehouse is supported by client/server architecture which happens to be very reliable. For most companies, client/server systems offer the best combination of features that help to meet critical business requirements. Among such features are scalability, power, and flexibility (Shelly Rosenblatt, 2011).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on MasterCard International specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Whether a business is expanding or downsizing, client/server systems enable a company to scale the system in a rapidly changing environment. As the size of the business changes, it is easier to adjust the number of clients and the processing functions they perform than it is to alter the capability of a large scale cent ral server. Client/server computing also allows companies to transfer applications from expensive mainframes to less expensive client platforms. They also help to reduce the network load, improve response times and allow communication to happen across multiple platforms (Shelly Rosenblatt, 2011). With emerging technologies such as cloud computing, client/server architecture has the advantage of being easily scalable and as such integrating it with new technology is greatly simplified. Data and network security is a key requirement for any business that deals with sensitive customer details and the model given by MasterCard offers very strong security features. For a company to win and expand its customer base, it must be able to guarantee customers of secure transactions. Any system with a weak security structure will simply keep customers away. In the case of MasterCard International, member banks must be assured of the security of their transactions. They must be made to know tha t their transactions will not be compromised by intruders. MasterCard’s elaborate system requires all users to be authenticated before accessing the transaction and data warehouse servers of the company. The use of a firewall ensures that any unwanted connections are blocked from entering the system. This further enhances the security of the system.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Implications of Banks using their own Analytical Tools The marketing of MasterCard’s IT services will definitely suffer a big blow if member banks opt to develop and use their own analytical tools. By developing their own analytical tools, the member banks will put MasterCard in a very difficult situation that may lead to the system’s security being compromised. This is because there will limitations on the design of applications developed by MasterCard as the company will be forced to develop applications that can easily interface with what the customers have. Certainly, this may not be an easy task and additional cost will be needed. The same will happen with security implementation. MasterCard may not have the freedom to put in place any security features that will not work with the customers tools. The end result will be a compromised security environment that in the long run may drive customers away. To deal with this concern, MasterCard may need to convince custo mers on the importance of using analytical tools provided by MasterCard rather than developing their own tools. MasterCard should enlighten customers on the serious repercussions associated with member banks using their own analytical tools. As pointed out earlier, MasterCard will end up with a very weak security structure if the use of analytical tools developed by customers is given a go ahead. Applications and Tools that May be Attractive to Member Banks Various tools and applications are available for use by member banks as well; as MasterCard to improve the quality of services. Applications such as Customer Relations Manager (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) can be used to create huge amounts of data. Furthermore, the data generated by these enterprise applications is likely to be in demand all over the company and this will allow marketing, sales and service representatives to effectively respond to customer buying habits and sales trends. The CRM application will e nable member banks to interact well with staff at MasterCard for the benefit of the company and the customers. However, these applications will need to be used together with other tools such as storage resource management (SRM), storage network management (SNM) and storage virtualization tools. SRM keeps a bird’s eye view of storage capacity on the network and allocates more capacity as needed. If SRM software sees that more storage is needed by CRM applications, it will locate and re-allocate some unused capacity. SNM tool creates a map of all the devices on the storage network and monitors them for errors such as network or server failure. Storage virtualization software enables a variety of proprietary devices to interface well and this increases interoperability among storage devices (Markantonakis Mayes, 2007). With these applications and tools, MasterCard will be able to offer improved services to member banks without compromising the quality of its services. Conclusio n Based on the discussion presented in this paper, there is no doubt that the continued use of information technology will be a great boost to MasterCard’s business. As a result, the company will be able to keep its existing customers and attract more. There are distinct advantages that are related to the use of information technology and MasterCard should continue to look for opportunities to use IT to strengthen its business operations. So far, the client/server architecture in use provides a secure operational environment and only needs reinforcement. To address the concern of member banks using their own analytical tools, the company should continue researching and investing in services that will enable it to offer what the customer wants to see so as to remain competitive. This case study has been particularly useful in understanding the importance of technology in business. Clearly, technology provides a wide range of services that can enable an organization to offer ex cellent services which will finally lead to customer attraction and retention. However, with increased competition, there is need for continuous technological advancement. References Laube, D. Zammuto, R. (2003). Business Driven Information Technology: Answers to 100 Critical Questions for Every Manager. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. Markantonakis, K. Mayes, K. (2007). Smart Cards, Tokens, Security and Applications. New York, NY: Springer. Shelly, G. B. Rosenblatt, H. J. (2011). Systems Analysis and Design. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. This case study on MasterCard International was written and submitted by user Kristopher Barr to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Definition and Examples of Titles in Composition

Definition and Examples of Titles in Composition - In composition, a title is a word or phrase given to a text (an essay, article, chapter, report, or other work) to identify the subject, attract the readers attention, and forecast the tone and substance of the writing to follow. A title may be followed by a colon and a subtitle, which usually amplifies or focuses the idea expressed in the title. Examples and Observations It is important to know the title before you begin- then you know what you are writing about. (Nadine Gordimer, quoted by D. J. R. Bruckner in A Writer Puts the Political Above the Personal. The New York Times, Jan. 1, 1991)The title comes afterwards, usually with considerable difficulty. . . . A working title often changes. (Heinrich Bà ¶ll, interview in The Paris Review, 1983) Catching the Readers Interest At the minimum, titles- like labels- should accurately indicate the contents in the package. In addition, however, good titles capture the readers interest with some catchy phrasing or imaginative language- something to make the reader want to buy the package. Barbara Kingsolver uses the title, High Tide in Tucson to catch our interest: What are tides doing in landlocked Tucson, Arizona? Samuel H. Scudders title is a good label (the essay is about looking at fish) and uses catchy phrasing: Take This Fish and Look at It. (Stephen Reid, The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers, 2003) Tips for Creating Catchy Titles Titles catch the attention of readers and provide a clue to the papers content. If a title doesnt suggest itself in the writing of your paper, try one of these strategies: Use one strong short phrase from your paper Present a question that your paper answers State the answer to the question or issue your paper will explore Use a clear or catchy  image  from your paper Use a famous  quotation Write a one-word title (or a two-word title, a three-word-title, and so on) Begin your title with the word  On Begin your title with a  gerund  (-ing  word) (Toby Fulwiler and Alan R. Hayakawa, The Blair Handbook. Prentice Hall, 2003) Metaphorical Titles Is there a factor that above all others contributes to making a title intriguing and memorable? Ive studied the titles that have captured the public imagination during my lifetime. Add to The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, The Red Badge of Courage, and The Blackboard Jungle the following titles that almost everyone seems to like, and ask yourself what they have in common: Tender Is the NightA Moveable FeastThe Catcher in the RyeThe Grapes of Wrath All seven of these titles are metaphors. They put two things together that dont ordinarily go together. They are intriguing, resonant, and provide exercise for the readers imagination. (Sol Stein, Stein on Writing. St. Martins Griffin, 1995) Selling an Article or Book An effective title is to your article or book what a good preview of coming attractions is to a movie. It announces what your manuscript is about in such a way that it compels your reader to sit up and take notice. And if that reader is an editor who possibly will buy your material, an enticing title can open doors for you. (John McCollister, quoted by Jim Fisher in The Writers Quotebook: 500 Authors on Creativity, Craft, and the Writing Life. Rutgers University Press, 2006) Subtitles To the prospective reader, a subtitle is to a book what a carnival barker is to a midway: the step-right-up pitchman who peddles a mixture of awe, enlightenment and- no less important- bang for the buck. The marketing-savvy Galileo appended to his volume of heavenly observations, The Starry Messenger (1610), a prose banner that stretches nearly 70 words. In it, the Florentine astronomer promised readers great and very wonderful sights- the moon, sun and stars, literally- and even tossed in a paean to his Medici patron. Modern-day subtitles are generally shorter, yet they continue to tantalize us with invitations to learn the surprising secrets of Americas wealthy, tag along in one womans search for everything, or craft a life of well-being, wisdom and wonder. (Alan Hirshfeld, The Limit of Reason. The Wall Street Journal, May 3-4, 2014) Nick Hornby on the Lighter Side of Titles My advice to young writers: never begin a title with a preposition, because you will find that it is impossible to utter or to write any sentence pertaining to your creation without sounding as if you have an especially pitiable stutter. He wanted to talk to me about About a Boy. What about About a Boy? The thing about About a Boy . . . Are you excited about About a Boy? And so on. I wonder if Steinbeck and his publishers got sick of it? What do you think of Of Mice and Men? Ive just finished the first half of Of Mice and Men. Whats the publication date of Of Mice and Men? . . . Still, it seemed like a good idea at the time. (Nick Hornby, Songbook. McSweeneys, 2002) More on Composition Sentence Case  and  Title CaseWhich Words in a Title Should Be Capitalized?Lead

Friday, November 22, 2019

Internation Economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Internation Economic - Essay Example 4.The United states has experienced a Balance of payment Trade deficit since 1982. You are a member of the Council of economic advisers to President and you role is to advise the President, who is very concerned about the rising EURO and the Trade Deficit, on how he can reduce or correct the Trade deficit respond to the Euro. What actions would you recommend and why? The US trade deficit shows that the country is importing more than its exports. Any act of balancing the trade deficit through increased exports that match with the imports will take years to yield the desired results. One of the easiest ways to ease out is through favorable changes in the currency exchange rates such as the Euro. A rising euro means that the United States is able to export more than previous levels. As such, the trade deficit has come down since 1996 compared to previous years. Therefore, it is advised to maintain the favorable variations in currency by looking into the factors that affect these exchange rates and utilizing them for the benefit of the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

IT Consultancies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

IT Consultancies - Essay Example This paper reports on information technology consultancies for small and medium enterprises. IT consultancies The small and medium enterprises have embraced information technology developments and have established demand for consultancy services. Some of the enterprises’ consulting services in information technology applications include the following, as are offered by SME consulting services. Web design Customer relationship management Content management system E-commerce Custom application development Design outsource (Sme, 2010) Justifications of the information technology consultancies Application of the consultancies by the enterprises, the derived benefits of the applications as well as the fact that the small and medium enterprises have limited financial capacities to purchase or develop their own applications justifies the need for information technology consultancies. Features of each consultancy however identify specialized justification for each consultancy services . Web design is for instance an essential tool to every organization because of the globalized market that is dominated by the internet technology. Having an organization’s web site is therefore essential to reaching its target stakeholders. The quality of a developed website is also essential to an organization’s target customers as a marketing strategy towards a competitive advantage. Achieving an objective of developing an effective website therefore require expertise knowledge in â€Å"web design,† â€Å"flash and multimedia,† developing sites that have â€Å"interactive sound,† and â€Å"content management system† (Sme, 2010, p. 1). The derived benefits from application of content management system also justify the need for its consultancy services. This is because of its scope that promotes effectiveness and efficacy in data management and management of website pages that is instrumental to forecasting and management of trends for orga nizational decision making, and marketing through exploiting audience’ tastes and attitudes in developing website’s content. Some of the specialized services from content management system include â€Å"professional content designs,† developed potential to adjust information content, search assistance options, and add inns to an organization’s web pages (Sme, 2010, p. 1). Similarly, technological developments towards reliance on the internet also identify the need for business initiatives over the internet. Communication towards agreements for sale of property and transfer of ownership is for example easier and faster over the internet, especially in the globalized market where geographical gap hampers traditional methods of written communication. Achieving the desired communication efficiencies however requires specialized tools that are offered by E-commerce consultancy. The consultancy accords diversified services such as interlinked classes of product s and suppliers, diversified currencies and languages for communication, products evaluation, and feedbacks on the products, services for ordering and paying for commodities, and relevant calculations from transactions. These services’ ability to enhance electronic business transactions therefore justifies the need for the consultancy towards efficiency and effectiveness (Sme, 2010). Customer relationship management is another essential element of an enterprise’s management, and development and application of its model justifies the nee

Monday, November 18, 2019

What ever Article is found Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What ever is found - Article Example Nortel’s shares peaked at 124.50 Canadian dollars in July 2000 in trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange. On Wednesday, Nortel closed at a market price of 12 Canadian cents, or 1.2 cents after adjusting for a stock consolidation. While the current economic slump contributed to Nortel’s decision to file for protection in both Delaware and its hometown, Toronto, the company’s problems began in 2001, when it was hit by the technology stock price collapse and became mired in an accounting scandal that led to criminal charges against three of its former executives. There have sometimes been problems at Nortel, as there have been in any company that is more than 100 years old. An accounting scandal a few years ago put a dent in the company’s reputation. This, however, was an anomaly. Nortel has learned from its mistakes. It has a strict business and ethics code which goes a long way to restoring the company’s reputation. It is not necessary to tie Nortel down in a web of social responsibilities that will seriously cut into its margins. Those who suggest that Nortel should change its policies in order to pay pensioners first instead of real creditors are missing the big picture and are getting in the way of Nortels efforts to manage what assets it has in a way that can be considered for the greater good. It is in a sense understandable that people would ask Nortel to do this, but that is more of an emotional response than a reasonable one. There are many unintended consequences for those who push the Corporate Social Responsibility agenda. It does not always lead to the results that we might expect. Let businesses be businesses and let charities be charities. It is simply too confusing and leads to too many unintended consequences for things to be set up in any other manner. The bottom of a company sometimes falls out there: there are no sure things in life. These are dark economic times and it is important for Nortel

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Understanding The Media And Celebrity Cultures

Understanding The Media And Celebrity Cultures Celebrity can be regarded as the subsequence of the cultural penetration of capitalist commercialism, as well as is the residual products resulted from the rising of popular cultural industry in the 20th century. The emergence and development of modern consumer society have carried on the flourish of celebrity culture. Popular culture is full of the celebrities radiance. The advantage of technology has changed peoples everyday life. The growth of income and leisure time has turned peoples attention on the issue of consumption. In order to satisfy consumers increasing desire of material and cultural consumption, celebrity and its relative industry have emerged and taken root in the ground of poplar culture. Simultaneously, the growth of social democracy, decline of religion power, and commodification of everyday life has contributed to current position of celebrities, they become the idols to the mass population in diverse aspects. In majority conditions, celebrities has become the es sential carriers of mass media, and also been fanatically imitated. Sports stars, movie actors and other kinds of public media images almost become icon and deity in many peoples mind. Celebrity culture has provided the role mode of fashion, external appearance, and personality for audience. In the world of mass media, celebrities has crosses from the range of entertainment, sports, politic, and business, to each territory of social life. From nobody to a popular superstar, the process needs an complete productive system, and undoubtedly, mass media is the best choice. Majority movements undertook by media are mainly surrounding the celebrities: the scriptwriter maybe make an executive screenplay for the celebrities; the movie director has possibility that shape a films star by classified image; the photography, light and costume might all serve the celebrity for his or her celebrification and commercial benefits. Under the impact of these series efforts, the fan group have come out , and then, a new market serving fans has emerged, by which, the deified status of stars have established and consolidated day by day. Celebrities utilize media to complete self-propaganda, media reversely use them to create substantial commercial return. However, in general, partial celebrities distaste the close supervision coming from media, similarly, media dislike celebrities arrogance as well. In this perspective, there is a kind of indivisible and hostile relationship between media and celebrities. In this study, there are two questions going to be answered, first, what kind of changes have happened on the way of getting fame under the context of contemporary consumer society? Secondly, what kind of role has mass media played in the process of celebrity production, or we can say what are the relation between mass media and celebrities? The Concept of Celebrity Culture There are many studies undertook of how the way of people getting fame has changed from ancient to contemporary period. It has primarily concentrated on the differences between hero and celebrity. Fame, as P. David Marshall (2006) stated, is only able to be gain through exemplified greatness in some way or other. In order to become great and known by everyone, a man has to possess the characteristics of making people admire his courage, talent or nobility. Shakespeare had divided great men into three categories: those born great, those who achieved greatness, and those who had greatness thrust upon them (P. David Marshall, 2006. p.72). Thomas Carlyle (1996) explained heros in six categories: divinity, prophet, poet, priest, man of letters, and king, all of who have a common feature that their process of getting fame is slow and by the natural way of becoming well known. Their fame was not made overnight, but was through a mysterious procedure as which God ruled the the generations. H owever, since the Graphic Revolution (Boorstin, 1992. p. 45), the definition of fame to people has changed into an item which can be manufactured through the channel of media. Celebrity culture has emerged, and peoples consciousness of hero have been confused. Actually, as P. David Marshall (2006) reported, the hero was distinguished by his achievement; the celebrity by his image or trademark. The hero created himself; the celebrity is created by the media. The hero was a big man; the celebrity is a big name ( p. 81). Rojek (2001) has similar point with Marshall, he believes that mass- media representation is the key principle in the formation of celebrity culture (p.13). He also induced the emergence of celebrity as a public preoccupation into three major interrelated processes: the democratization of society, the decline in organized religion, and the commodification of everyday life ( p.13). In other words, the democratic revolution challenged peoples idea of belief, they want to find the celebrities from common mankind, who can replace the monarchy as the new symbols of recognition and belonging (p.14). Simultaneously, with the development of commodification, celebrities are regarded as the best tools for mobilizing populaces consumption desire. In the following section, the primary task is to discuss celebrity culture in the context of consumer culture, and its impacts on our consumption habits. To the conception of consumer culture, there are a lot of versionsà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’Chinese economist Lezhong Wang (2002) has defined consumer culture as the presence of humans creativity in the consumption territory, and the sublimation and crystallization of individually rational practices of mankind. Consumer culture includes natural environment, human environment, material resources made by human beings, spiritual and cultural products, and the consumption behavior which is full of creativity and benefits for human health. In addition, Chinese sociologist-professor Haohui Xiao (cited in the translation of Lezhong Wang, 2002) points that broadly speaking, consumer culture is the combination of consuming material and spiritual culture; in a narrow sense, consumer culture is the reflections of consumption on peoples ideology, which are including the elements of consumer philosophy, consumer value, consumer ethics, consumer behavior, consumer taste, consumer atheists and consumer psychology, which are the ideological totality of reflecting and understanding consumer character during the consumer practice. Synthesizing former statements of the conception of consumer culture, why don not we understand it simply as a material movement in the procedure of consumption, which is accompanied with psychological thinking and value orientation. When consumer culture has become a natural environment, consumerism was going to derive. The so-called consumerism points to a kind of living style: the consumer purpose is not for satisfying realistic requirement, but pursuing the manufactured and motivated desire, constantly. In other words, what people consumed is not the value-in-use of commodity and service, but their symbolic significance (translated from Pingwen Huang, 2003). The expression of consumerism in the territory of cu ltural consumption is cultural consumerism. Respective cultural products and cultural spirits inevitably play the role of symbolic consumer goods. These spiritual products on the form of entertainment is alternative, and capable of very rapid mobility, but the innate ideological values cannot be replaced. Thus in this context of consumer culture, what role of celebrity has played? For understanding the impact of celebrity on contemporary society, Chris Rojek (2001, p. 29) provides three approaches: subjectivism, structuralism and post-structuralism. Subjectivist emphasizes the unique characteristic of celebrity. Generally, this kind of characteristic of celebrity is from innate talent, which is formed naturally, and becoming the primary force that attract audiences attention. Structuralist approaches to celebrity have attempted to provide scientific understanding of celebrity. They attributed the origination of celebrity to the influence of the cultural industry capitalism, and masculinity (Rojek. 2001). Guy Debord (cited in Rojek, 2001. p. 34) has suggested that industrial culture as a culture of signs and the purpose of celebrity culture is to shepherd the populace into imitative consumption. On the aspect of capitalism, celebrities are serving entertainment industry, and the reason why the masses can be attracted by celebrities, as Edgar Morin (1961) claime d that because celebrities could fulfill the regressive needs of the audience, which is on the level of psychology. In this respect, the celebrity can be understood as a carrier of ideology. David Marshall (1997) following this due, suggested that celebrity has a political function. It could be applied to contribute, propagate and extend certain forms of subjective values, such as individualism and heroism. Marshall also claims that mass media is the essential channel to realize this political function of celebrities. In Marshalls statement, celebrities to the audiences has taken effect as symbolic signs, which are embedded with psychological meaning. Another proposal of structuralism is that celebrity is the extension of what might be called fundamental types of character and embodiment in society (Rojek, 2001, p. 40). For this suggestion, Orrin Klapp (1962) thinks that because of the mass communications industry, the fundamental types in contemporary society have been successfully extended by the appearance of celebrities, subsequently which provides the important prototypes for the audience to emulate. The most valuable approach of understanding celebrity culture for this study is the post-structuralism, which is frequently associated with structuralism, but examine the problem of celebrity images as a whole and how those representations of these images are produced and consumed. Rojek (2001, p. 44) defined the notion of the post-structuralist approach as that star image are inflected and modified by the mass media and productive assimilation of the audience. In this respect, the images of celebrities are the common consequence of the work of media agents, press, publicists, producers, fans, and gossip columnists. As a result, the celebrity system could be used to fulfill political, economic, and cultural requirements. Associated with the consumer culture previously mentioned, the following section will concentrate on the celebrification process. Above all, the precondition of celebrity culture the context of capitalist consumer society. The logic of capitalism requires consumers to maintain increasing consumption desire for capitalist accumulation. However, peoples desire are too various to unify. For constantly maximizing the market share, manufacturers need some thing that could tie consumers attraction in a long run. In this sense, manufacturers found that celebrities are the desirable issue because, as what I mentioned, celebrity has the function of filling the psychological lack in humans mind. Rojek (2001, p. 15) claims that celebrities humanize the process of commodity consumption by the way of structuring human sentiments. Then, why celebrity could attract audiences attention on psychological level? Richard Dyer (1998) has regarded stars as a phenomenon of consumption (p.17), which originates from the four categories relationship between stars and audience: emotional affinity, self-identification imitation, and projection. This types of audience and star relation was firstly reported by Andrew Tudor (1974) in his book Image and Influence, with the range of star and individual identification and the order of consequences. Self-identification and projection belong to the high range of identification, in the contrast, emotional affinity and imitation ( of physical and simple behavioral characteristics) are classified to the low category. Dyer (1998) furthermore integrated Tudors discourse, reconstructs the way of how these four categories of star/audience relationship emerged. Emotional affinity as the weakest category, maybe is the most common sense among audiences. Audience finds there are an attachment between he or she with the star on the narrative of individual personality, and then, the sense of involvement has brought up. Self-identification happens when involvement has reached the point at which the audience-member places himself in the same situation and persona of the star (Tudor, p. 81). As for the third category-imitation, which is the primary reason for stimulating consumption as it is the commonest phenomenon among the young people, and establishing a kind of sentiment with audiences beyond the sphere of media texts. People who reaches the category of imitation are willing to consider stars as a role model and emulate their clothing, hair style and expression. For this, purchasing the products which ar e relative to the favored star is a subsequent behavior of audiences on this class. Projection as the last category is like a distillation of imitation, which pursues the deeper similarity with the adoring stars. Dyer (1998) concludes that from this accounts of the star/audience relationship, audiences participate few in the process of shaping the phenomenon, they are generally following the designed routine of celebrity production. Thus to manufacturers, celebrities are commodities in the sense that consumers desire to possess them Rojek (2001, p.15). For the stable economic growth, capitalism requires mobilizing abstract desire in the unconsciousness, and celebrity culture has been recognized as one of the most important mechanisms for mobilizing abstract desire due to it embodies desire in an animate object, which allows for deeper levels of attachment and identification than with inanimate commodities (Rojek, 2001, p.189). After understanding the impact of celebrity culture on consumption society, the next step of the celebrification process is referring to the relationship between mass media and the celebrity, or we can say how media product the celebrity. In the following part, I will integrate detailed examples to elaborate this complex. Media and Celebrification Celebrity culture is a prevalent phenomenon in contemporary society, its main mechanism is on the strength of celebrities to reach certain purposes. However, different from the great man in ancient period, modern celebrities are made through the tautology of media publicity to get audiences attention on the big names. Under the system of media institutions, the appeal of celebrity culture is characterized on three major aspects. Firstly, celebrity culture has promoted in various territories, the so-called celebrities are not merely refined to the range of entertainment, such as film, television, and music, but also involving sports stars and political celebrities. And in the media world, celebrities are active in all the sphere of entertainment, politic, sports, business and social life. For example, Arnold. Schwarzenegger as a successful actor of action movie, got the same achievement on the ground of politic. Secondly, the commercial application of celebrities is increasing, which also can be called as celebrity strategy. In such a circumstance of globalized economy, the combination of celebrity culture and commerce is increasingly close, to some extent, celebrity culture already, become a commercial strategy. Mass media is the key force in the activity of celebrity culture for commercial development. No matter what kind of celebrities, in modern society they have to borrow the powerful strength of mass media, especially the channel of television to increase own fame. Actually, contemporary media culture seems to turn to a kind of celebrity culture. Thirdly, the impact of celebrities is more deep and broad. Celebrities impacts are not just restricted on the film ticket results, or television audience rating, the more effective one is that they are the symbolic of fashion, success. Dyer (1998) thinks the stars, mainly film stars, have become models of consumption for everyone in consumer society (p. 39). As what I mentioned previously, this phenomenon is resulted from a psychological imitation. In this respect, celebrities are beyond the images shaped in media texts, and intervening in audiences everyday life, with providing the models of ideal personality and imaginary style which are matc hing with audiences desire. To mass media celebrities are as well as irreplaceable. In capitalist consumer society, the sustainment of media institutions is largely replying on the immense profits produced by advertising sponsors, who seek to on the strength of media propaganda to prompt commercial interests. In this perspective, media needs to use the activity of celebrities to stimulate and sustain audiences attention and desire, consequently, to maintain the consumption of sponsored products and own economic benefits. As a result, the relationship between celebrity culture and media are interdependent. However, to media, the concrete celebrity member is changeable, to some extent. In following analysis, certain film stars are picked up to elaborate the relation between celebrity and media. In a long time, film as a typical formation of media means is the breeding ground for celebrity culture. As early as the period of silent movie, the Western film industry has created the superstar-Charlie Chaplin. A top hat, sharp toe shoes, black mustache, tunic and loose trousers successfully shaped the classic Chaplin and his Ciarlo image around the world. Resulted from the preoccupation to his image, hundreds of thousand fans went to buy the small statue of the homeless image he played in the film. In 14th December of 2004, the prop-a bamboo cane, which was used by Chaplin in the film Modern Times came under the hammer in London Christies auction house, and finally got deal by 47,800 pounds. (From Internet Source, Dec, 2004). From this, maybe we can see how successful and persistent the image shaped by film is. The development of movie has contributed numerous film stars , and who are also regarded as the essential element of Hollywood films. The big name of star generally is the guarantee of ticket value as audiences are willing to pay money for their favored stars, so producers as well as prefer employing stars to make predictable profit result. With the engagement of superstars and the frenetic hype before the show time, stars and the film could both be famous. An effective instance is the Hollywood film Oceans Twelve, which was showed on 2004, and assembled the top famous stars on that time: George Clooney, Brad Pit, Matt Damon, Andi Garcia, Julie Roberts and Catherine-zeta Jones. The executive official of Exhibitor Relations Paul has said that film fans commonly prefer the films gathering all stars together, watching this kind of film will feel like one time shopping for Hollywood top stars. According to the data of Exhibitor Relations in 12th December of 2004, it showed that last week, Oceans Twelve has got the top position of the North American Box office by $40,900,000 which created the forth highest box office of opening premier in the history, just after The Lord of Ring. Many Hollywood analysts even foresaw that Oceans Twelve will extend the success of the part one Oceans Eleven, and earn much more money. In the com mentary of this film, a large part of audiences said that no matter what the narrative is, they have to watch it just for the stars (From Internet sources, 14th Dec, 2004). By comparison, the commercialization of Chinese film industry and celebrity culture took place lately. In the early film times in China, a series film stars like Linyu Ruan and Xuan Zhou had few commercial feature, they just treated acting as a professional job. Besides, at that time China was still caught in the situation of foreign invasion and repression, the development of commercial system was not complete, the aim of filming a movie, to large extent, is for diffusing and agitating populaces passion and confidence of fighting, rather than earning box office and profits. This situation has modified since the conduction of the reform and open policy, people have noticed that film industry is good way for making profits. Film producers began to concern market trends, and be aware of the importance of contenting audiences needs, trying to search what kind of film genre and film star will be preferred by Chinese people, and for what reason audiences are able to consume films. As a result, from the gradual growth of Chinese film industry, it is clear that consumption pursuit is the precondition of film production and birth of star. Star Production or Consumption Within the interdependent relationship of celebrities an mass media, a question called the production-consumption dialectic of mass communications has suggested by Edgar Morin (1968), which means stars are a phenomenon of production that arising from what the film makers provide, or of consumption that arising from film audiences demands (Dyer, 1998, p. 9). Firstly, as for the discourse of stars as a phenomenon of production, which is regarding stars as products of mass communication. For example, majority American film stars are the products of Hollywood. Hollywood production has been considered as a capitalist production, and in this sense, the function of film stars is concentrated on the economy of hollywood (Dyer, 1998). Robert A. Brady (1947) suggested that stars are a kind of capital possessed by Hollywood industry, which is characterized as monopoly, which is also the first element in the economics of Hollywood classified by Dyer (1998). The second role of stars is investment . Dyer (1998) analyzed that stars to film makers are a secure guarantee, which could promise their investment on the film has the profit value. Thirdly, stars themselves are a major investment to film makers, the commission for stars appearance takes a large portion of the whole film budget. The last element stars representing is the market. Alexander Walker (1974) reported a similar point that the use of a star to stabilize audience response (p. 15). For film producers, an effective way to organize the market is to attract audiences attention. Secondly, the question is are stars a phenomenon of consumption that arising from film audience demands?. Actually, in Part1, the account of the star/audience relationship has answered this question by the audiences role in shaping the star phenomenon is very limited (Dyer, 1998. p. 18), because stars are made by mass media to satisfy the requirement of commercial interests. However, because the feature of modern celebrity culture is largely dependent on the work of media publicity, audiences have possibility to take a part in the process of star production. To modern people living in the consumer society, being wealthy and famous as a symbol of success, which actually is equivalent with the connotation of modern star. In American culture, the individualism is a primary value, which effects American people in everyday life. It advocates that everyone has the fair right to be successful as if you can grasp a good chance, and pay hard work, regardless of talent and application. In the star system, this value should have reformed, as it requires the ordinary people who want to be star have certain talent and specialness, of course, good luck is also an indispensable element ( Dyer, 1998). In this respect, under the context of modern mechanism of celebrity culture, peoples value towards success has changed. They dream of being famous, no matter by what kind of way. Apparently, being star is a deserving way to get success, because on the strength of media, maybe the dream will be realized overnight. As a result, in contemporary society, people who have a star dream is a normal phenomenon. Like I mentioned, media get used to mobilize audiences desire to maintain consumption. when they found audiences desire of being star, they have began a new round of star production among the ordinary people, as the economic return will be more intensive, in this operation, stars are playing the role of production largely. This principle has also been noticed by Chinese media system. The television program Super girl is an typical instance, which is operated by a local television station of China. The basic program policy is that, it provides a platform for ordinary people to present their talent on singing, any female who are interested in singing all could participate in this contest, the last three winners will get ten years contract with the music corporation, which means the winners of this television singing competition will be shaped as music stars. This contest has three professional music juries, but the final determinative right is in the hands of audiences, who can vote th eir favorite participants through mobile texts. Of course, the text was charged as several times as ordinary fee, thus undoubtedly, the communication corporation is the biggest sponsor. This program almost swept the whole country in that time, the reason why it can be so successful is because, first of all, it provides a chance for ordinary people o show their talent before public, which impossible in normal life. Secondly, it transfers the power of star production to audiences, which to some extent makes audience feel like they are more close to the star system, which in ordinary life is a fantastic stuff. Lastly, through this program, someone who ever is an ordinary citizen has actually become a music star of China, this outcome further promotes audiences attention on the star they selected out, and have a kind of intimacy with the star. From this process, we can find that the biggest winner is media itself. All the program is a public projection of star production, but the producer is audience self. By this way of making audiences engaged in the production could absorb audiences attention and desire in a more broad sphere, after all, television is the most effective communication tool. Associating with this instance, the mechanism of modern media institution is apparent, under the motive of finally commercial return, stars can be manufactured randomly as a kind of production in consumer society. Conclusion The commercial flourish has led to the extension of celebrity culture. Celebrities become the living representation in this modern time. They create dreams for massive ordinary people, who have been made as the accessories of commerce unconsciously. People are relying on celebrities to make the final decision on consumption, and regarding them as the indispensable image model in realistic life, the impact is not only on the external style of outfit, but also on the psychological movement. Idol chasing, worship, and imitation already become a kind of prevailing fashion in 21st century. If say celebrities provide imaginary scene for the masses, then mass media is the producer of this fantastic picture. Relying on mass media and basic communication technology, celebrities get soil to root and grow up. We even can say that celebrities are the result of mass media production. To our audiences, since we have few influence on the process of celebrity production, the only thing we can do is to recognize the innate character of this mechanism clearly. It is not suggesting to criticize the celebrity culture entirely, but proposing to find our respective correct position in this circumstance. Like I mentioned, there are major four categories of stars/audience relationship. In real life, the person who belong to the former two category-emotional affinity and self-identification are both normal, because which just result from a sense of involvement in the films as well as other media texts. However, person who if is caught in the imitation and projection categories, the influence will be active in his/her realistic life, because it is possible of them to lose themselves just for imitating the living style of their favored stars in or beyond screen images. In this study, there are two main limitations should be pointed out. Firstly, as celebrity culture is a fairly complicated topic, this study merely provides brief introduction of the reason of the emergence of celebrity, the way to understand celebrity, and the impact of celebrity on media in consumer society. The analysis of detailed media text is for elaborating the relationship between media and celebrity culture, but the data is limited. Secondly, the impact of celebrities should be on various territories, but in this study, I narrowed the scale of celebrities in the level of film stars, as I think they are more typical and easy to get touch in. In the future, the research of celebrity culture should concentrate on the depth of certain detail, and give consideration with all possibilities in that territory. Besides, the standpoint of audience is also necessary to be involved, as they are the final information receiver, the way how they understand the propaganda, the news of celeb rities is important resources for the study of celebrity culture.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Biography of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson Essay -- American

Biography of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson George Washington was commander in chief of the Continental army during the American Revolution and later became the first president of the United States serving from1789 until 1797. He symbolized qualities of discipline, aristocratic duty, military orthodoxy and persistence in adversity that his contemporaries valued as marked of mature political leadership George spent his early years on the family estate on Pope's Creek along the Potomac River. Although Washington had little or no formal schooling, his early notebooks indicate that he read in geography, military history, agriculture, deportment and composition. He showed an aptitude for surveying and simple mathematics. An early ambition to go to sea had been discouraged by George's mother. His father died in 1743, and soon thereafter George went to live with his half brother Lawrence at Mount Vernon, Lawrence's plantation on the Potomac. Lawrence became something of a substitute father for his brother. Upon the death of Lawrence in 1752, George inherited the Mount Vernon estate. Washington played an important role in the struggles preceding the outbreak of the French and Indian War. He was chosen by Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddie of Virginia to deliver an ultimatum calling on French forces to cease their encroachment in the Ohio River valley. Washington's diary account of the dangers and difficulties of his journey published on his return helped win him his ensuing promotion to lieutenant colonel. Although only 22 years of age and lacking experience, he was ordered to lead a militia force for the protection of workers who were building a fort at the Forks of the Ohio River. Discouraged by defeat, Washington resigned his commission in 1754. In May, 1755, he began service as a volunteer and aide-de-camp to British General Edward Braddock. Braddock was mortally wounded and Washington narrowly escaped death. He escaped injury although four bullets ripped his coat and two horses were shot from under him Braddock's troops were ambushed by a band of French soldiers and their Indian allies on the Monongahela River. At age of 23, he was promoted to colonel and appointed commander in chief of the Virginia militia. His responsibility was to defend the frontier. Washington left the army in 1758, assured that the Virginia frontier was safe from French ... ... strictly enforced they Operated as a check on the majority, and gave "shelter and protection to the minority against the attempts of power." Jefferson much enjoyed the office of vice president, partly from the interest he took in the art of legislation and partly because his presidency of the Philosophical society brought him into agreeable relations with the most able minds of the country. He took no part whatever in the administration of the government, as Mr. Adams ceased to consult him on political measures almost immediately after his inauguration. The administration of Adams, so turbulent and eventful, inflamed party spirit to an extreme degree. The reactionary policy of Hamilton and his friends had full scope, as is shown by the passage of the alien and sedition laws, and by the warlike preparations against France. During the first three years Jefferson endeavored in various ways to influence the public mind, and thus to neutralize in some degree the active and aggressive spirit of Hamilton. He was clearly of opinion that the alien and sedition laws were not merely unconstitutional, but were so subversive of fundamental human rights as to justify a nullification of them.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Attitude Reflects Leadership

A leader is someone who is held to high standards and is looked upon to make decisions of his or her followers. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a perfect leader because of the many attributes he demonstrated as President of the United States. He led this country through moments in history which consist of the Great Depression and World War II. There are six main qualities that define a good leader. President Franklin D. Roosevelt demonstrated such honorable qualities which brought America out of a desperate crisis changing America forever.Integrity is a quality that a leader must establish. A person with integrity has the same integrity on the outside as they do on the inside. Such an individual can be trusted because he or she never veers from inner values, even when it might be expeditious to do so. FDR articulated this quality when he strived to entrust the American people through his fireside chats. It was then that he confided in the American people as to the burdens during the Gr eat Depression and his plan to make a better America.Dedication is another quality that determines the value of a leader. To accomplish this, a leader will spend dedicated time and energy necessary to successfully complete the task at hand. Dedication goes beyond the call of duty of what is expected of you. FDR was composed of this quality. He always sought to help the American people by giving them a chance to get some money in their pockets and get employment to help solve the Great Depression.Roosevelt made a New Deal in which he made corporations and laws that helped give people jobs and become financially stable. An example of this was when the Works Progress Administration (WPA) employed people to do artistic, public works and research projects. This New Deal showed that FDR was dedicated to making our country one of equal opportunity and an all-around better place to live.The openness of a leader is a strong quality which attributes to listening to new ideas even if they do n ot conform to the usual way of thinking. FDR was able to suspend judgment of others and welcome their ideas. He related to other people and sympathized with the tough time of their day-to-day  lives. He understood what the American people valued and worked hard to develop new laws helping to put an end to the Great Depression.Creativity is the ability to think differently and to go outside the box to make solutions. Roosevelt was filled with this gifted quality. He always developed new solutions and laws that would contribute to not only more jobs for the people but jobs that would help the environment as well.Assertiveness is the ability to clearly state what one expects so that there will be no misunderstandings. Along with assertiveness comes the responsibility to clearly understand what followers expect from their leader. FDR clearly had this through doing things in a timely and efficient manner. FDR was the most active and proficient President in his first 100 days in office. He worked diligently on the New Deal in order to give people new jobs to recover from debt and the Great Depression. It was the strong quality of assertiveness that led the country to a clear understanding of our President’s tactics.The final quality of leader is a sense of humor which is vital to relieving tension as well as to defuse hostility, therefore, maintaining a level of harmony. Effective leaders know how to energize their followers. Humor is a form of power that provides control over the working environment. FDR had a great sense of humor always talking to people and always putting a smile on his face to let America know even in the toughest times, he can still laugh and be happy. This left people with a positive sense of hope in their President. One reporter Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. is reported to have said â€Å"Roosevelt has a second class intellect but a first class personality (Bennett, 156).†The nature of the time and the obstacles a leader might fac e during FDR’s 12 years in office was a Great Depression. A time whereby most of the entire country was hurting from another World War, which people were against. This combined was a tough enough job to conquer let alone the everyday obstacles a President faces while in the White House. These times were the hardest that any US President might ever have faced. The leadership qualities that I have explained resulted in the success of our 32nd President FDR. It was these qualities that gave him the strength, character and leadership to be one of the greatest Presidents to have ever led our country. Roosevelt was a man of  sold effort and who welcomed and invited challenges.Two of his biggest challenges were the Great Depression and World War II. His divine qualities led our country out of these catastrophic events bringing America to the great country that it is today. Roosevelt ultimately saved capitalism through his economic reforms. His regulations of economic affairs intro duced the government into many areas of new life. The New Deal was the new life that was breathed into Congress which brought about new jobs and money for the people. Roosevelt’s enthusiasm for his programs led him to be a sense or peace for the people of the country. Although his New Deal was not the biggest utility to help the Great Depression, it did help psychologically by giving the American people the feeling that everything was going to be alright.It gave the people hope that our country would survive through distraught times. In 1937 an economic depression was reversed to a recession. James MacGregor Burns put it as â€Å"luck came to save FDR (Bennett, 201).† It was in fact the truth as the New Deal did not form this recession. Ultimately the war in Europe gave American business new markets, making the United States as Roosevelt puts it the â€Å"great arsenal of democracy (Updegrove, 56).† The war opened up jobs for men and women, African Americans, an d other minorities. Even though we were just giving aid to our Allies Britain and were for a policy of isolationism, it still produced more jobs because we had troops going to war and giving other Americans opportunities.On December 7, 1941 the Japanese changed that with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and America declared war on the Japanese opening up even more jobs because more and more troops were being sent over to go fight for our country. During the war, Roosevelt took his role as commander in chief very seriously involving him in military planning and sometimes overriding the opinions of joint chiefs. He kept the same men at the top of the command structure from the beginning of the war to its end. His performance during the war, overall aided the war. His political awareness kept up the morale of the American people. FDR is typically portrayed as an isolationist and a belligerent being pushed into the war.A combination of him not wanting to be in the war and him wanting to be i n the war is what made this a strategic approach to the war itself. Although his actions seemed to draw the United States into deeper involvement in the war, FDR continued to pursue his goal of keeping the United States out of conflict.  Rather than dissembling, Roosevelt charted a steady and rational approach based on his strategic perspective. His approach toward the war blended the isolationist view with his desire to keep out of European conflicts with active efforts to overthrow Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regiment.Once the war started FDR wanted to influence the outcome of the war so he and his administration thought they could cause Germany to collapse themselves to lead to their demise as well as Hitler’s. FDR realized that he could not make the same mistake of Woodrow Wilson and declare the country neutral. Instead, he and deliberately pursued opportunities to aid the French and British with ammunitions, aircraft and supplies. During the late 1930s the Roosevelt admi nistration envisioned Germany’s power as extremely diminutive and its people under abuse with several years of full mobilization.These beliefs caused the outbreak of the war and these conditions were comparable to those of the First World War. In 1940, FDR predicted that â€Å"there will be a revolution in Germany itself (McPherson 226).† This prediction that helped save the American people from both the Great Depression and World War II was absolutely remarkable. Overall, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a man of integrity, dedication, openness, creativity, assertiveness, and a light sense of humor. These qualities are what made him an intelligent, respected leader of the American people. Without the guidance of President Roosevelt, United States history may have been changed.His dedication led this country out of the Great Depression and a hideous Second World War. Franklin Delano Roosevelt is a true human symbol of what the United States stands for and believes in as a leader of our country. Many Presidents recite in their Presidential Inauguration Speech that they will perform their job as president to the â€Å"best of their ability (McPherson 1).† President Roosevelt did indeed perform to the best of his ability and led America out of a time of despair through his exquisite qualities of devout leadership.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Assingments 2012-2013

ASSINGMENTS 2012-2013 Marketing Studies (1 year, Diploma) 1 BUSINESS ENGLISH Assignment 1 a) Luis St. Jean is a famous design house in France with annual sales of $1. 2 billion in clothing, perfume, scarves, and other designer items. Each year it prepares more than 150 original designs for its seasonal collections. As head buyer for Cindy’s, an upscale women’s clothing store at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, you think you might like to start offering the LSJ’s line of perfume. You need to know more about pricing, types of perfume offered, minimum ordering quantities, and marketing assistance p rovided by LSJ.You would also like to know if you can have exclusive marketing rights to LSJ perfumes in the Minneapolis area and whether you would have to carry LSJ’s complete line (you don’t think the most expensive perfumes would be big sellers in your area). Write to Mr. Henri Vixier, License Supervisor, Luis St. Jean, 90513 Cergy, Pointoise Cedex, Fr ance, seeking answers to your questions. Your answer should be in a letter format requesting the necessary product information. You can make up all the necessary details. b) You are the marketing manager of a company selling electronic goods.You are having a meeting with the board directors for introducing some new products in the Cypriot market. You need to prepare an agenda for the meeting and send that agenda to the board of directors in the form of a memo. In your answer, include all the necessary details you think are essential. 2 Format: (a) Letter (b) Memo, approx. 2000 words (in total), produced on a laser printer Deadline: 14th December 2012 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 3 Assignment 2 You are an external consultant for an airline company.You have been hired to assess the current declining customer numbers and provide advice to the company. Develop a report to be handed to the CEO including new ways/techniques to promote the company in both local and inte rnational markets. In your answer you should include examples to support your arguments taking into account the current competitive market, where the flight destinations for Cyprus are increasing as new airlines enter the Cypriot market. Format: Essay Type, 2000 words, produced on a laser printer Deadline: 12th April 2013 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 4 BUSINESS ORGANISATIONAssignment 1 The group is to analyse a case study and prepare posters around identifying: three key OB issues in the case relevant OB theories for each of the OB issues recommendations for action to improve each of the three issues. The case study will be distributed during Week 5 of the module. Your seminar group will be asked to form syndicate groups of 5 people to develop answers to the case. Your poster group may use words, diagrams, drawings, images and cartoons on the posters to make your key points. The poster presentation will take place during Week 8 at a time and place notified by the tutors in week 8.There will be limited time for your group to work together in seminars and you may decide to meet outside of formal teaching times and communicate by phone, e-mail, conference calls and social networking sites. Each group member must complete a ‘Peer Review Sheet’. This is an assessment by each member of a group on every other group member. It requires objective skills to critically assess the contribution of other members in your group. Your ‘Peer Review Sheet’ must be given to your seminar group tutor during the poster presentation session.A example of the ‘Peer Review Sheet’ follows the Poster Presentations Marking Criteria. The poster presentation will be marked against the assessment criteria shown and individual marks adjusted taking into account the Peer Review. Work will be double marked and externally moderated in accordance with the University regulations. Assessment criterion 5 requires evidence in the form of agend as and minutes for meetings held by the group together with a one page analysis of 5 the group working process. This should be submitted to your seminar group tutor on the poster presentation day together with your ‘Peer Review Sheets’.Please note: All members of your group MUST be present and prepared to answer any question stimulated by your poster from both the tutors and fellow students. Any person who is absent will receive a mark of zero for this assessment and fail the module. Deadline: 14th December 2012 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 6 BUSINESS ORGANISATION Assignment 2 The final reflective report requires you to identify how you have applied OB theory, learned in the module, to develop your knowledge and skills in working with others.You are to identify three issues, or topics, from the OB module where you can identify relevant experience to which you can apply OB theory. The experiences may be from your studies, from work, or from social gro ups or clubs to which you belong. For each of your three topics you are to identify relevant experience and select and apply appropriate OB theory to those experiences. You should evaluate the theory in analysing what happened and in guiding future action. To help you plan your final report you are to submit a proposal that forms part of the Groups and Teams portfolio. The proposal should be no more than 150 words.Also a list of at least five academic references you intend to use, in Harvard format, should be provided. The final report should be a business report of 1500 words. Actual word count should be specified on the cover page of your report and outside +/ 10% will incur a penalty of 10%. References and any appendices should not be included in the word count. Deadline: 12th April 2013 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 7 COMMERCIAL LAW Assignment 1 a) P, a car salesman, is advertising one of his cars, made by Ferrari for sale at the price of 50000 Euro in the new spaper.N sees the advertisement and calls to P offering him 40000 Euro. P rejects N’s offer and tells N that he would be willing to discuss an offer for 45000 Euro. N agrees on the price but under the condition that P proves to her that the car is indeed a genuine Ferrari. P promises to disclose all necessary documents in the next 3 weeks. N agrees and waits. 2 weeks later N discovers that P has sold the car to C for 50000 Euro. Advise N. b) Why is Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co (1893) a very important case? Format: Essay, approx. 2000 words (in total), produced on a laser printer Deadline: 14th December 2012 No assignment will be accepted after this date) 8 COMMERCIAL LAW Assignment 2 ‘Corporate personality refers to the fact that as far as the law is concerned a company really exists. As a result of this a company can sue and be sued in its own name, hold property under its own name and most importantly be liable for its own debts. ’ Discuss Format: Essay Typ e, 2000 words, produced on a laser printer Deadline: 12th April 2013 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 9 ECONOMICS Assignment 1 Analyse the Production Possibilities Frontier (PPF) and explain how it illustrates the main economic concepts of scarcity and opportunity cost.Format: Essay Type, 2000 words, produced on a laser printer Deadline: 14th December 2012 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 10 ECONOMICS Assignment 2 Given the table below: a) Draw the demand and supply curves and show equilibrium. b) Demonstrate the shift due to the increase in quantity demanded on the same graph, illustrating clearly the new equilibrium. c) Analyse the factors that may cause a shift of the demand curve, both inwards and outwards. d) Analyse the factors that may lead to an inward or outward shift of the supply curve. ) Discuss the laws of demand and supply. f) Analyse the theory behind a movement along the 2 curves or a shift of the curves. Demand 1 Quantity Price 65 EUR 2. 60 78 EUR 2. 30 98 EUR 1. 95 124 EUR 1. 63 156 EUR 1. 30 Demand 2 Quantity Price 52 EUR 2. 60 65 EUR 2. 30 85 EUR 1. 95 111 EUR 1. 63 143 EUR 1. 30 Supply 1 Quantity Price 65 EUR 1. 56 78 EUR 1. 69 98 EUR 1. 95 124 EUR 2. 23 156 EUR 2. 80 Format: Applied Essay Type, approx. 2000 words, produced on a laser printer Deadline: 12th April 2013 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 11 MARKETING MANAGEMENTAssignment 1 The Body Shop – good luck or good marketing? The body Shop may have grown rapidly during the 1970s and 1980s, but its founder, the late Dame Anita Roddick publicly dismissed the role of marketing. Roddick ridiculed marketers for putting the interests of shareholders before the needs of society. She had a similarly low opinion of the financial community, which she referred to as ‘merchant wankers’. While things were going well, nobody seemed to mind. Maybe Roddick had found a new way of doing business, and if she had the results to prove it, who needed marketers?But how could even such an icon as Anita Roddick manage indefinitely without consulting the fundamental principles of marketing? By embracing ethical issues, was she way ahead of her rivals in understanding the public mood, long before the major retailers piled into Fairtrade and ‘green’ products? Or did the troubles that the Body Shop suffer in the late 1990s indicate that a company may publicly dismiss the value of marketing while the going is good, but sooner or later it will have to come back to earth with good old-fashioned marketing plans? Roddick had been the dynamo behind the Body Shop.From her first shop, which opened in Brighton in 1976, she inspired the growth of the chain of familiar green-fronted shops, which in 2006 comprised 2,100 stores in 55 countries around the world. She was the first to introduce socially and environmentally responsible business onto the High Street and was talking about fair trade long before it became a popular corporate buzzword. Her pioneering products included naturally based skin and hair preparations, such as Fuzzy Peach Bath and Shower Gel and Brazil Nut Conditioner. Her timing was impeccable, coming just at a time when increasingly affluent consumers were 12 ecoming concerned about animal testing and the use of chemicals in cosmetics. She had gone down the classic market route of understanding consumer trends and then developing the appropriate products with the right positioning. She simply had a passion for humanely produced cosmetics and was just luc ky with her timing – more consumers were coming round to her view just as she was launching her business. As for planning a promotion campaign, she did not really need to do very much at all. With her boundless energy, outspoken views, and unorthodox dress sense, she was continually being talked about in the media.Her flair for publicity won free editorial space for the Body Shop worth millions of pounds. Much of the companyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s success has been tied up with its campaigning approach to the pursuit of social and environmental issues; but while Roddick campaigned for everything from battered wives and Siberian tigers to the poverty-stricken mining communities of southern Appalachia, the company was facing major problems in its key markets. Yet until the late 1990s, she boasted that the Body Shop had never been used, or needed, marketing.By the late 1990s the Body Shop seemed to be running out of steam, with sales plateauing and the company’s share price falling – from 370p in 1992 to just 65p in 2003. What was previously unique about the Body Shop was now being copied by others, for example, the Boots company matched one of the Body Shop’s earliest claims that it did not test its products on animals. Even the very feel of a Body Shop store – including its decor, staff, and product displays – had been copied by competitors. How could the company stay ahead in terms o f maintaining its distinctive positioning?It causes seemed to be increasingly remote from the real concerns of shoppers. Whilst most UK shoppers may have been swayed by a company’s unique claim to protect animals, how many would be moved by its support for Appalachian miners? If there was a Boots or a Superdrug store next door, why should a buyer pay a premium price to buy from the Body Shop? The Body Shop may have pioneered a very clever retailing formula over 20 years earlier, but, just as the product range had been successfully copied by others, other companies had made enormous strides in terms of their social and environmental awareness.Part of the problem of the Body Shop was its failure fully to understand the dynamics of its marketplace. Positioning on the basis of good causes may have been enough to launch the company into the public’s mind in the 1970s, but how could this position be sustained? Many commentators blamed the Body Shop’s problems on the i nability of Roddick to delegate. She is reported to have spent much of her time globetrotting in support of her good causes, but had a problem in delegating marketing strategy and implementation. Numerous strong managers who had 13 een brought in to try to implement professional management practices apparently gave up in bewilderment at the lack of discretion that they had been given, and then left. The Body Shop’s experience in America had typified Roddick’s pioneering style which frequently ignored sound marketing analysis. She sought a new way of doing business in America, but in doing so dismissed the experience of older and more sophisticated retailers – such as Marks & Spencer and the Sock Shop, which came unstuck in what is a very difficult market.The Body Shop decided to enter the US markets not through a safe option such as a joint venture or a franchising agreement, but instead by setting up its own operation from scratch – fine, according to Ro ddick’s principle of changing the rulebook and cutting out the greedy American business community, but dangerously risky. Her store format was based on the British town-centre model, despite the fact that Americans spend most of their money in out-of-town malls. In 1996 the US operations lost ? 3. 4 million. Roddick’s critics claimed that she had a naive view of herself, her company, and business generally.She had consistently argued that profits and principles do not mix, despite the fact that many of her financially successful competitors have been involved in major social initiatives. Critics claimed that, had Roddick not dismissed the need for marketing for so long, the Body Shop could have avoided future problems; but by the early 2000s it was paying the price for not having devoted sufficient resources to new product development, to innovation, to refreshing its ranges, and to moving the business forward in a competitive market and fast-changing business environm ent.It seemed the heroes can change the rulebook when the tide is flowing with them; but adopting the disciplines of marketing allows companies to anticipate and react when the tide begins to turn against them. The year 2006 turned out to be a turning point for the Body Shop. In that year, the cosmetics giant L’Oreal acquired the company for ? 652 million. L’Oreal was part owned by Nestle, and both companies had suffered long disputes with ethical campaigners.L’Oreal had been the subject of boycotts because of its involvement in animal testing, and Nestle had been criticized for its treatment of third-world producers. Ethical Consumer magazine, which rates companies’ ethics on its ‘Ethiscore’, immediately down-rated the Body Shop from a rating of 11 to 2. 5 out of 20, following the takeover by L’Oreal. A contributor to the magazine commented about the Body Shop. I for one will certainly not be shopping there again and I urge other cons umers concerned about ethical issues to follow my example. There are plenty of other higher scoring ethical companies out there. 14Not be to outdone, Roddick dismissed claims that she was ‘selling out to the devil’ by arguing that she would be able to use her influence to change L’Ore al from inside the company. Suppliers who had formerly worked with the Body Shop would in future have contracts with L’Oreal, and through an agreement to work with the company for 25 days a year, Roddick would be able to have an input into its ethical sourcing decisions. It seemed that the Body Shop was destined to become a safe, predictable company, carrying out marketing in more of the textbook fashion that had allowed its new owners to grow steadily but surely over the years.Maybe the missionary zeal had long ago gone out of the Body Shop, so perhaps having new owners who placed less emphasis on ethics would not be too great a price to pay in return for bringing the huge w ealth of marketing experience of L’Oreal to the Body Shop. Part of the marketing experience of L’Oreal led it to believe Body Shop as an independent brand and to respect its trusted heritage. It was aware that ecological concerns were rapidly rising up mainstream consumers’ concerns, and having Roddick on board would not only be good for PR, it could also change mindsets with L’Oreal more generally.Roddick died soon after selling out to L’Oreal and her obituaries agreed that she had made a difference to the world. She certainly had put enormous energy into her mission and had been lucky with her timing. However, critics were more divided on whether she was a good marketer for the long haul; after all, its relatively easy to make money when the tide is going with you and your luck is in, but much more difficult to manage a changing a nd increasingly saturated marketing environment.Like many entrepreneurs who have been good at creating things, but no t so good at maintaining them, was it simply time for Roddick to hand over to classically trained marketers who could rise to this challenge? Case study review questions 1. Critically assess the extent to which you consider the Body Shop to be a truly marketing-oriented organization throughout its 30+ years’ history. (50%) 2. What are the basic lessons in marketing that the Body Shop might have taken on board in its early years in order to improve its chances of long-term success? (50%) 15Format: Essay Type, 2000 words, produced on a laser printer Deadline: 14th December 2012 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 16 MARKETING MANAGEMENT Assignment 2 To be handed out later Format: Essay Type, approx. 2000 words, produced on a laser printer Deadline: 12th April 2013 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 17 STATISTICS Assignment 1 The assignment is a development of the activities from Chapters 1 and 2 of the workbook. It consists of: (a) A short presentatio n made by groups of 2 or (maximum) 3 students based upon one of the research activities from chapter 1.This will take place during the tutorials in week 5 (week commencing 29th October) and will account for 25% of the marks for the assignment. (b) An individual report of around 1200 words submitted by each student. This will account for the remaining 75% of the marks for the assignment. The handing -in deadline for this is 19th November. Tasks: 1. After forming groups of 2 or maximum 3 students, firstly you need to agree with yo ur RBD tutor which topic you are going to research from section 1. 9 of the RBD workbook. Within a seminar group, each group of 2/3 students will research a different topic. . During your tutorial of week 5, you will present the basic facts that you have discovered to the rest of your tutorial group. This will involve an explanation of what you are researching, how you have chosen to answer the question (for some of the activities there are various ways of m easuring the results), and what your findings are. You should use visual aids e. g. slides, to help your presentation. The individual report involves a discussion of the findings in your own words plus some further research and thought: 18 3.Use the data you have collected to answer the research question chosen by your group i. e. report on what you have discovered. Basically you are repeating here, in your own words, the things that were mentioned in your group’s presentation. 4. By conducting some further research from published sources, try and give an explanation for the results i. e. answering the question ‘why? ’. For example, if you were asked to produce some figures on crime, you might try to explain the reasons why the figures have changed over the years, or why they are higher in certain places or amongst certain groups of people.By researching the relevant sources describe how the data were originally collected, including the sampling procedure where r elevant. For example, if the figures were derived from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, you would be expected to obtain some information about this survey. Discuss any potential sources of error in the figures, such as response errors and errors caused by non-response. 5. Learning Outcomes The following learning outcomes are being assessed: Collect data using primary and secondary sources. Describe the procedures involved when conducting a sample survey.Communicate findings using appropriate business formats. Allocation of marks: Presentation: 25 marks See the handout on Blackboard (filename Presentation assessment 2012 -13. docx) for an indication of what the assessors are looking for in the presentation. The content of the presentation carries a higher weighting than the style. Individual Report: Clarity of expression, use of English, grammar Answering the research question Further research into reasons behind the results, influential factors etc. Discussion of sampling procedur es and non-sampling errors. 10 marks 25 marks 20 marks 20 marksAdditional Information: Group sizes are 2 or 3. Four people = 2 groups i. e. 2 different topics. Failure to attend the presentation will result in a mark of zero out of 25. 19 An assessors’ report for this type of assignment is also available on Blackboard (filename RBD assessment feedback. docx). Deadline: 14th December 2012 (No assignment will be accepted after this date. 20 STATISTICS Assignment 2 QUESTION 1 CALCULATE: 8 P 3 8 P 4 7 P 6 6 P 1 8 C 3 7 C 5 6 C 2 5 C 0 5. 9 10. 4 5. 7 6. 2 10. 7 11. 7 6. 8 11. 5 13. 1 7. 1 11. 6 13. 6 7. 8 8. 2 8. 1 4. 4 QUESTION 2 12. 3 9. 9 9. 0 a. b. c. . e. f. 5. 8 10. 1 10. 0 8. 3 12. 9 8. 8 6. 7 9. 2 7. 9 9. 4 8. 4 Find the maximum Find the minimum Find the mode Calculate the arithmetic mean Calculate the geometric mean of: 5. 3 and 7. 8 and 10. 4 If the mean family size is 4. 75 what is the total population of a city of 25000 families? QUESTION 3 If the mean rate of arrival in a restaurant is 10 customers per hour, what is the probability of having 4 customers arriving in any hour? 21 QUESTION 4 Defects Workers 0-2 7 3-5 9 6-8 10 9-11 8 12-14 11 15-17 6 18-20 5 21-23 8 24-26 7 a. Calculate the arithmetic mean b. Calculate the median . Calculate the standard deviation QUESTION 5 Listed below are the commissions earned ($000) last year by the sales representatives at the Furniture Patch, Inc. $3. 9, $5. 7, $7. 3, $10. 6, $13. 0, $13. 6, $15. 1, $15. 8, $17. 1, $17. 4, $17. 6, $22. 3, $38. 6, $43. 2, $87. 7 a. Compute the Pearson’s skewness coefficients. b. What is your conclusion regarding the skewness of the data QUESTION 6 A box contains 20 balls of which 2 are red, 5 are black, 5 are blue and 8 are green. A ball is drawn at random from the box; the color is marked each time and then placed back in the box.The experiment repeated three times. Find the probability that: (i) All are red. (ii) Neither is black. (iii) One black, one is blue and one red. (iv) At least one red. 22 QUESTION 7 Find the correlation between the 2 stock prices for the period given. Draw a graph showing the correlation between the two stocks and briefly explain your answer. Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Stock A 12. 4 12. 5 12. 9 12. 1 11. 8 12. 3 11. 4 11. 0 10. 4 10. 4 10. 8 10. 1 10. 2 9. 4 Stock B 31. 0 31. 4 30. 4 30. 0 28. 7 28. 9 29. 2 27. 8 27. 0 27. 2 26. 9 26. 2 25. 0 25. 7QUESTION 8 A company wants to estimate the relationship between its country’s quarterly Growth Domestic Product (GDP) and quarterly net income margin ((Net Income/Sales)*100). Calculate the intercept and the slope and explain the relationship. Quarter GDP % 1 2. 4 2 2. 1 3 2. 0 4 1. 8 1 0. 9 2 1. 3 3 1. 9 4 1. 8 1 2. 3 2 2. 9 3 2. 1 4 2. 2 NI margin % 0. 32 0. 78 0. 67 0. 44 0. 91 1. 10 0. 80 0. 87 0. 78 1. 3 0. 83 0. 84 23 Format: Practical/Calculations, produced on a laser printer Deadline: 12th April 2013 (No assignment will be accepted after this date) 24

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Chapter 2. of Ontological Argument essays

Chapter 2. of Ontological Argument essays First of all, to fully understand this perplexing argument, you must strongly believe the definition of God St. Anselm gives, which is as followed: God is something that which nothing greater can be conceived. Anselm's statement essentially means that it is not possible to think of being greater than God. Even if a person does not believe that God exists, as long as the person believes this definition of God, St. Anselm can prove the existence of God. The second idea you must believe, in order to fully understand the argument, is, it is greater to exist than not to exist. Next, St. Anselm describes two kinds of existence: existence in the mind, and existence in reality. Existence in reality is very easy to believe. If you can touch, see, smell, hear, or taste something, in reality it exists. Existence in the mind is harder to understand for some, because many people only believe what they see. St. Anselm gives a beautiful illustration of how he can prove that something can exist in the mind, and also in reality. He gives us the example of a painter, before the painter paints a picture, in his mind he has an understanding of what the painting will look like. After the painter has made the painting, the painter will believe it exists in his mind, for he had the vision of the painting before he performed it, and in reality, because now he can see the painting with his own eyes. Now, St .Anselm has proven two things: God is that which nothing greater can be conceived, and it is greater to exist than not exist. Given you already know that something can exist in the mind as well as in reality, you are now fully ready to understand St. Anselm's ontological argument. Which is as follows: God is by definition the greatest being possible. A being who fails to exist is less perfect than a being who exists. Therefore, God must exist, necessarily. If a being failed to exist, the being would be, that than whi ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 12

Case Study - Essay Example Edward Alexander wants to invest in real estate, thus building equity based future. He believes that increasing his return would be best done by managing his own investment. He thinks that paying someone for rent is a not a smart idea since it’s simply a waste of money. Alexander wants to invest in the popular Beacon Hill area and thus he initiated a thorough search about the area. He found out that the value of the area is increasing rapidly due to the natural advantages surrounding it such as Charles River and public parks. The properties were listed in the market from $299,000-2.4 million dollars. The rent for a one bedroom apartment in that area ranges between $1100-1600 per month and the two bedroom apartment ranges from $1600-$2100. Alexander has $80,000 cash and the required investments about 21.5%. Thus, Alexander needs $70,000 in cash. Alexander decided to invest in a complex priced at $350,000 that needs renovation of $165,000, he decided to invest his $80,000 and get a $19,000 from an investor and take a mortgage loan of $450,000. Taking into consideration of miscellaneous costs and fees that totaled $549,000, consequently, a mortgage higher than $450,000 would result in a higher interest of $2000 during renovations. This paper will analyze Alexander’s options with regard to this property. And provide forecast of the most important financial ratios. The cases regarding to Alexander Edward, who is a graduate from Harvard College, and recently working in a biotech firms since four years. Due to the good knowledge of the location, and his perspective to give a hand in real estate business included their urge to have a home a good location, he started to explore the location with all possible sources. The business in the sector is on its peak and growth is very good since last ten years. The home liked by Alexander is almost priced at $500,000

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Apply Strategical Frame Works and Strategies Essay

Apply Strategical Frame Works and Strategies - Essay Example Apple has huge brand image and immense popularity in the global markets. The smashing success of the company came with the introduction of iPod. This helped the company to take the music industry by surprise. Apple’s products are considered to be of superior technology and highly trendy by most consumers, and therefore the company has been enjoying high sales since its inception (Shafiqhamsi, 2011). The tremendous success and growth of Apple in the US in the late 1970s made the company develop strategies of expansion. Apple wanted to primarily venture into the markets of Europe and Japan. Apple is a huge success in the Japanese markets at present. Initially due to lack of distribution and non-localization of the company in the Japanese market, the company was seen to sell its products at a very high price. As a result, very few consumers could afford buying the products of Apple. Corporate arrogance also had a negative impact upon Apple’s entry into Japan. As a result, the company’s first attempt of entering the Japanese market was a failure. By the 1980s Apple had decided to become more committed to developing its market in Japan. The company increased its efforts towards localizing its products. Apple expanded its distributor network in Japan and took steps for increasing brand awareness. By 1999 the launch of the new iMac and iBook had helped Apple to gain imme nse popularity in the Japanese market. The company was also seen to capture almost 23% of the market share. Soon Apple established itself as a strong player in the Japanese consumer electronics market. The Apple craze of the US soon captured Japan too. In 2004, almost 1,500 people in Tokyo and 2,500 people in Osaka lined up in front of the Apple stores in demand for the new iPod mini. The supply of the iPod mini was lesser than the demand. Japanese consumers were of the opinion that the iPod mini was an ideal product for them. They consider that the product is of high utility,