Geo Ass 3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Geo Ass 3 - Assignment Example The rapid growth of Seoul City has attracted many people into the city, transforming it into a megacity. The city is considered so because it has a population estimated at about 11.8 million residents. In fact, the city’s metropolitan has a population of about 25.6 million. Because of Seoul’s large population and small area, the city is extremely densely populated estimated at about 44,776 people per square mile. Since the space available in the city cannot accommodate the residents, people in the city live mainly in high-building apartments. Despite the beauty of the city, Seoul has witnesses a traffic mess due to the many number of cars in the city. As a result, the city municipality has been forced to construct large highways to ease the traffic flow in the city. However, it is becoming a key concern that the traffic flow might get messier if the population of the city continues to grow this fast. Additionally, life in Seoul is relatively hard because of the high prices of commodities, which has become a big concern for its

A discussion of equality and diversity issues in a teaching situation-CTLLS Essay Example for Free

A discussion of equality and diversity issues in a teaching situation-CTLLS Essay 5. A discussion of equality and diversity issues relevant to the candidates teaching/training situation. Equality is ensuring individuals or groups of individuals are treated fairly and equally and no less favourably than others. Equality is about the rights of the learners to attend and participate regardless of age, sex, race, gender reassignment, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation, marriage/civil partnership and pregnancy /maternity. Diversity is about recognising and being tolerant of different views which individual people have, in terms of cultural backgrounds and different lifestyle choices relating to any characteristics they may have. A diverse society is what we have as every individual has a different culture, belief and life experience to the next. Inclusion is about including all the learners in ‘relevant activities rather than excluding them for any reason either directly or indirectly’ (Gravells 2008). ‘Every learner has the right to expect that they will receive high quality learning appropriate to their needs and circumstances ion a safe and healthy environment.’ (Success for all: DfES 2002). Inclusive teaching and learning is possible when promoted. In order to achieve this I combine both the training cycle and the learning styles from Kolb and Fry. These include using Concrete experience, Abstract Conceptualisation, Active Experimentation and Observation and Reflection. Learners the mixing up of which produces the learning styles that best suits a learner, ie; Converger, Diverger, Assimilator and Accommodator. By ensuring the lessons accommodate all learning styles all learners will feel inclusion. Along with the learning styles I would include relevant resource materials . If a learner requires more intervention then I may need to include the following; additional classroom support, adapted or specific resources, peer support, varied presentation, content selection, reducing or increasing time for activities Along with my mentor Geri walker I have written the 5 day induction programme for new starters within the organisation. This includes lectures in subject matter using power point presentation and notes (abstract conceptualisation), Direct discrimination occurs when you treat someone unfairly due to at least the nine characteristics discussed. Indirect discrimination occurs when a working condition, environment or rule disadvantages one group of people or person more than another. As a teacher it is important that to give equal support, you must not discriminate and  must not show favouritism in any way. A teacher should not impose views and opinions on the learners. It is necessary to ensure that the learners show dignity and respect to others in the learning environment. A teacher must recognise that each learner is different and accommodate for those differences wherever possible in the classroom. You should demonstrate your commitment to equal opportunities through everything you say and do in your work with adult students.† (Daines, Daines and Graham, 1993). Geoff Petty states that: Differentiation is an approach to teaching that attempts to ensure that all students learn well, despite their many differences. Catch phrases which go some way to capturing this concept include: ‘Coping with differences’. ‘Learning for all’ or ‘Success for all’ People began to realise it was not just ability that could be â€Å"mixed’’ and that teachers had to cope with differences: learning style, age, motivation, prior learning and experience, gender, specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, and so on. Consequently the term ‘mixed ability’ began to be replaced by the less vivid term: ‘differentiation’. It is important to work in partnership with the learner, get to know them, so that you can assess their ‘minimum core’ and what their learning needs are. If a learner knows what is expected from them and you tell them what to expect from you , successful learning can be achieved . This may be achieved by recognising the needs of a particular person or group of people. The learners within the sessions I teach include people with; learning difficulties, hearing impairments, those whose first language is not English, or those people who may require additional support with literacy, language, numeracy and ICT skills. The learners I teach come from different social and cultural backgrounds and during teaching I have had to respect the following and accommodate, prayer times, Ramadan and different beliefs to mine without impacting on others. I need to plan my sessions to enable all learners to take part and achieve their individual learning aims, taking into account how I communicate with learner (e.g. using appropriate vocabulary and terminology no abbreviations and jargon, my comments are not discriminatory or offensive or that my body language is appropriate. I need  to check that the resources used are non- discriminatory or stereotypical, suitable for the learners needs so that all the learners can participate. Teaching methods need to be varied and support all learning styles. The learning environment needs to promote inclusion ,e.g. for people with disabilities. The Kennedy Report (1997) stressed the importance of making learning accessible to all learners , focussing on people who may be disadvantaged due to social, economic or educational background. These create barriers to learning that may prevent adults from continuing developing their education e.g.lack of information, childcare support, basic skills and costs involved to study. References Daines, JW et al (2006) Adult Learning, Adult Teaching, 4th ed, Cardiff: Welsh Academic Press DfES (2002b) Success for All. London: HMSO Gravells, A, (2008).preparing to teach in the lifelong learning sector.3rd ed. exeter: learning matters Petty, G, (2004) Teaching Today: A practical guide,3rd ed. Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes Reisenberger A Dadzie S (2002), Equality and diversity in adult and community learning – a guide for managers, Niacehttp://www.excellencegateway.org.uk/pdf/A1181.pdf Smith, M. K. (2001). David A. Kolb on experiential learning, the encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved 17/3/13 from http://www.infed.org/b-explrn.htm.

software engineering Essay -- essays research papers

Software engineering (SE) is the profession concerned with specifying, designing, developing and maintaining software applications by applying technologies and practices from computer science, project management, and other fields. SE applications are used in a wide range of activities, from industry to entertainment. Software applications improve user productivity and quality of life. Application software examples: office suites, video games, and the world wide web. System software examples: embedded systems and operating systems. SE technologies and practices improve the productivity of developers and the quality of the applications they create. Software engineering examples: databases, languages, libraries, patterns, and tools. Computer science examples: algorithms and data structures. Project management examples: processes. Origins The term software engineering was used occasionally in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Software engineering was popularized by the 1968 NATO Software Engineering Conference held in Garmisch, Germany and has been in widespread use since. Meanings As of 2004, in common parlance the term software engineering is used with at least three distinct meanings: †¢ As the usual contemporary term for the broad range of activities that was formerly called programming or systems analysis; †¢ As the broad term for the technical analysis of all aspects of the practice, as opposed to the theory of computer programming; †¢ As the term embodying the advocacy of a specific approach to computer programming, one that urges that it be treated as an engineering profession rather than an art or a craft, and advocates the codification of recommended practices in the form of software engineering methodologies. Levels There are currently no widely accepted criteria for distinguishing someone who is a software engineer from someone who is not a software engineer. In addition, the industry is in the midst of a complex debate on the licensing of practicing software engineers. For the localities that do not license software engineers, some hiring classifications are made based on education and experience. Classification levels may include: entry-level, mid-level, and senior. Typical entry-level software engineers have a bachelor's degree and zero to five years of experienc... ...ep toward the management of disease was replacement of demon theories and humours theories by the germ theory. That very step, the beginning of hope, in itself dashed all hopes of magical solutions. It told workers that progress would be made stepwise, at great effort, and that a persistent, unremitting care would have to be paid to a discipline of cleanliness. So it is with software engineering today. (Fred Brooks in No Silver Bullet) †¢ [SE advocates] have climbed a social ladder for a few decades and are now fighting against a tide of open source software that seems to be bringing bazaar anarchy and taking the well-deserved control out of their hands. Part of this is their utopia of "software engineering" by some magic cathedral approach which has never worked and whose failure the authors of these utopias tend to blame on the lack of control that copyright offers them over their projects. The strange thing here is that they have had the chance to put all these things into practice in their university haven. But, strangely enough, the more successful university projects are carried out in a bazaar-like open-source manner. -- Hartmut Pilch

Antony a better Leader than Caesar in Shakespeares Antony and Cleopatr

Antony a better Leader than Caesar in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra: In Shakespeare?s play 'Antony and Cleopatra' Caesar, while he displays remarkable tactical skills, is calculating and cold hearted. Antony on the other hand embodies many admirable qualities and emotions which make him the greater of the two. Firstly I will look at Caesar?s military victories before examining Antony?s great human qualities. Looking at Caesar, he is highly successful in his military battles due to his great organisation skills and strategic planning. Caesar values organisation since he receives hourly reports on how matters are abroad (Act I Scene 4 lines 34-36) and keeps detailed accounts of his battles. His logical thought also makes him so successful: ?Strike not by land, keep whole, provoke not battle, Till we have done at sea? (Act III Scene 8 lines 3-4) This strategic plan allows Caesar to defeat Antony. Duty is of unmatched importance to Caesar. Caesar condemns Antony for seeking pleasure before duty and he says of himself: ?Doubt not, sir, I knew it for my bond? (Act I Scene 4 lines 84-85) So the basis of Caesar?s abundant military victories, also against Antony, are his logical tactics and his sense of duty. However, Caesar is so determined to succeed and so power hungry that he is willing to hurt and manipulate other people in order to be successful. Caesar is calculating in that he uses Lepidus to defeat Pompey yet then sees to it that Lepdius is deposed as a triumvir so that he can gain more power. Another example of Caesar?s deviousness is: ? Plant those that have revolted in the van, That Antony may seem to spend his fury Upon himself.? (Act IV Scene 6 lines 9-11) Caesar intentionally places... ...flees the battle, he does not blame Cleopatra but takes responsibility for his own actions and is very ashamed of them: ?I have fled myself, and have instructed cowards To run and show their shoulders.? (Act III Scene 11 lines 7-8) It is in particular this characteristic which makes Antony greater than Caesar. Though it would be easy to make another person the culprit, Antony always carries the burden of the blame himself and is truly remorseful of his actions. In conclusion, Caesar?s arrogant, calculating, unemotional character is opposed to Antony?s forgiving, generous, responsible one. Though Caesar is a great military leader, his success is achieved through deliberate cold-hearted scheming and manipulation of others while Antony displays true nobility through his incomparably great human qualities. Thus, in our minds, Antony is the greater of the two.

Reasons for Devotion to Hindu Goddesses

Reasons for devotion to Hindu goddesses Hinduism portrays feminine divinity in a more exalted way than most other religions do. Though Hindu goddesses are usually depicted as consorts, wives or companions to a Hindu god, cases exist in which they are worshipped independently; Tantrism for example, where it is believed that women posses more spiritual power than men, thus men can achieve divinity through union with a woman (â€Å"Tantrism†).Most villages reinforce the mother aspect of goddesses and worship them individually as their protector, regarding them as having originated in the area and thus being tied to the health and prosperity of the village (Caldwell). Others who may devote themselves to a goddess might be in order to conquer or flourish in a particular area, like how someone who wishes to achieve higher wisdom would praise Sarasvati, goddess associated with learning. Many scholars question the origins of goddess worship, and it is argued that they most probably em erged in the Indus Valley civilization (2500-1500 B. C.E). The civilization, relying mainly on agriculture, likely worshipped female earth deities that represented fertility, regeneration, life and death, to aid in their harvests (Erndl 19). Scenes depicted in their seals also pointed to the fact that the Indus Valley people were perhaps â€Å"goddess-revering† (McDermott 3608). Some people have raised the point of feminism as a notion of commitment to a Hindu goddess, as goddesses that appear strong and independent exist in Hinduism, which is virtually unseen in other prominent religions. A popular question is then raised, â€Å"Is the Goddess a Feminist? Rita Gross acknowledges the difficulty of a concrete answer to the question, and responds with an ‘It depends’. She proposes that the answer lies in the definition of feminist that the person might have, and how the Goddess’s devotees are. The idea is simple enough; if the believer is feminist, then the y will worship their goddess as if they were feminist as well. If the believer is not feminist, then they will worship their goddess as if they were not feminist. She states that â€Å". . . gods and goddesses are created by devotees . . . † (104).Gross’s statement rings true, especially when we examine much of the confusion shrouding Kali. Kali is almost always depicted as having black skin, a near naked body, long, disheveled hair and a long, lolling tongue. She wears ghastly adornments like a necklace made from human heads, and her fangs are long and usually dripping with blood. Her illustrations are mainly intimidating, making her appear wild and uncontrollable nearly perpetually. She is, however, a popular deity to worship in Tantrism, and is revered as the highest deity, above Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.Millions regard her as Mother, and aspire to overcome the fear of death through confrontation. Kali’s origins are believed to have their roots in South Asia, where she was apparently worshipped through rituals and blood sacrifices. O’Flaherty distinguishes a figure, a demoness, in early Sanskrit literature called Long-Tongue, who he points to conceivably being a more ancient form of Kali. The first time the name Kali appears in texts is in Mundaka Upanisad, however, not as a goddess but as a tonguelike flame of sacrificial fire.The first mention of a goddess with the same name is in the Mahabharata, who appears in the dreams of warriors to give them a warning of death. However, it is through her later appearances in the Devimahatmya that Kali is brought closer into Hindu religion (Kripal 156). She is said to have sprouted when Durga, angered by the asuras who pointed their weapons at her, turned into an inky black color on her forehead and summons Kali. Kali then proceeds to kill all the asuras in a frenzied manner, later offering the heads of their leaders Chanda and Munda to Durga.Her second appearance is in the follow chapter, where she battles Raktabija, and assures success by sucking all of his blood so he could not reproduce anymore, per Durga’s command, while she slayed him (â€Å"Devimahatmya† ch. 7-8). Another myth ties Kali with Parvati, telling of an army of demons that threatens the safety of the world. Men cannot slay them, and so Shiva calls for his wife to aid them in battle. Parvati accepts the responsibility, swallowing the poison stored in Shiva’s throat and morphing into Kali.However, she becomes too drunk with the poison and, after defeating all the demons, threatens to destroy the world herself with her berserk dance. In an attempt to subdue his wife, Shiva then lays on the floor in front of Kali, who in her delirious state does not notice his presence and steps on him. Shamed that she had showed such disgraceful behavior, she bites her tongue in humiliation. The last scene of the above tale is illustrated in a lot of imagery, and while the tale itself has a lot of variations, many Hindus will arrive at the same resolution.It is in this perception that many contradictions lie. Another question rises, â€Å"What does Kali’s tongue-biting really mean? † Most Hindus will claim that it is to show shame, which is what the action means in Bengali culture, however the meaning behind the action might seem unlikely since Kali, who was previously interpreted as always being wild and threatening, that is, sporting qualities that an ‘ideal wife’ should not posses, was suddenly showing a submissive nature, ashamed of having disrespected her husband.From a Tantric view, Kali is mentioned to be standing on Shiva because she is engaging in reversed sexual intercourse with him, and â€Å"delighting in the waves of passion and arousal that flow from such an act. † It is evident that the feeling shame is rather unreasonable given the situation mentioned. Furthermore, a reading from Mishra of the Tantric reading suggests that, as Kali dances around madly, Shiva sleeps on the floor in front of her in an attempt to calm her and, In her blinded anger she did not see him and stepped on his chest.At that moment Siva’s penis became erect and entered Kali. At that instant Kali recognized her husband and pulled out her tongue in ecstasy and her anger disappeared. (Kripal 161) The above poses a wholly different view on the widely-known myth, and while it might not surely accept or reject any view, it inspires doubt on the real occurrence of the tale. Having explained the confusion around Kali’s popular myth and notorious tongue, a common misconception is brought to light which may or may not be the product of ‘believers believing what they want to believe’.Hinduism, having being shaped by a patriarchal society, might have sparked the want to dilute the image of the powerful and popular goddess Kali into one more acceptable for its community. An additional myth, telling of how Shiva defeats Kali in a dance match and succeeds in subduing her, resulting in her being more docile and calmer, doesn’t add up to the rest of the story around them as Kali is more often than not depicted as a wife that constantly provokes and encourages disruptive behavior from her husband (Kinsley 122).However, bringing up another point by Gross, she mentions, But, in the long run, if the goddesses’ devotees are feminists, then the goddesses will either come to be seen as feminists or will be abandoned by their feminist devotees. (104) It is plausible to arrive to the conclusion from the above stated that, if the religion a person follows does not satisfy or reflect their personal beliefs as well, they will abandon it; it is common sense.It should be mentioned as well that Hinduism is, rather than a single religion, a family of religions that are closely related to each other. Therefore, it should be plausible to assume that perhaps, the previously mentioned contradictory myths m ight be a result of this; that is, an effort to try to infuse one’s own beliefs into their religion to make it more acceptable to themselves. Looking and inspecting the gaps and problems in the religion can tell a lot about its believers’ culture and thinking.Having covered Kali’s disorder of facts, one can infer that Hindus probably place great importance in correct conduct of their wives, and the goddesses in their religion serve as a model for Hindu women to follow if they wish to be wed. Examples such as Parvati and Sarasvati can be mentioned, both portrayed as ideal, submissive wives to their partners, serving as counterbalances. Hindu gods and goddesses are sometimes portrayed as equals, and rather than husband and wife, they are shown to be male and female counterparts of the same being.The goddesses are by no means weak and disrespected; they are strong and revered, but their personalities inspire different, subtle ideas into their people. However, the i dea of whether or not something is ‘correct’ or ‘erroneous’ is highly subjective, and while Western feminists might argue on the essentials that a woman must possess in order to be well off, it is not the same for Hindu women who are the target of the religion, and for them the Hindu goddesses provide them a positive model to follow, and with it, psychological comfort which is important (Gross 106).

buy custom Marketing Communication of Bulldog Brand essay

buy custom Marketing Communication of Bulldog Brand essay Introduction Advertising and other forms of communication tools in the marketing plan play different roles and are in their own ways effective in pursuing and attracting customers but one common purpose they fulfill is to build and increase brand equity and effectively position the brand among the consumers. Reflecting upon the customer based equity model, one comes to find that the marketing communications have a big role to play in building up brand equity through brand awareness; points of parity and point of differentiation for the consumers for the brand; giving out positive memory associations with the brand for the consumers and building a stronger relationship of the consumers with the brand with connections and resonance with the brand that is unique in nature (Biel,2000). Along with establishing the desired positioning and knowledge association with the brand, marketing communication programs can provide incentives eliciting the distinctive customer response that paves way for brand equ ity. ForBulldog, a well-crafted marketing communications can do wonders for building a strong brand image, position and equity among its target customers: the men. But the challenge is to incorporate the right communication methods in the communication mix to make the overall marketing communication plan effective. The company may have to move ahead of the traditional Television advertising and look ahead for new forms of mediums that can prove faster communication and attraction of the audience. Therefore, for the selection of the tools to use in the plan are based on a selection criteria and each assessed using the importance of SOSTAC model. The flexibility of marketing communications comes in part from the number of different ways that can contribute to building the brand equity of Bulldog. At the same time, brand equity would help marketers determine how to design and implement different marketing communication options. The paper will discuss the role that marketing communicati ons can play for building the brand equity and brand image of Bulldog Brand, the importance of the SOSTAC model for the various elementsin the communication mix of the marketing plan,whether the emotional connection as proposed is effective in contrast with the rational association that the brand has been previously building and finally how relevant the Whartons article about the future of advertising is for the marketing of Bulldog Brand. Marketing Communications Theory and Models Marketing communications refer to the tools and methods employed to inform, convince and attract consumers about the benefits that the company has to offer to the consumers in the form of products or services (Bowesox,1992). Marketing communications speak for the brand delivering the message that the brand entails through its performance, which once communicated to the consumer effectively brings them on the purchase decision and further to build strong profitable relationships (Kotler andKeller, 2005). Marketing communications perform a major role in the overall marketing of the brand and offer a direct communication channel with the consumers. Through marketing communications consumers get to know about the product, what it does and how it can help them solve a problem as well as where to obtain it. Also, marketing communications deliver information about the company and creates goodwill for it in doing so (Kotler and Amstrong, 1999). Companies also use marketing communications to establish connections and associations with places, people and celebrities, events, experiences and emotions (Norgan, 1994). In order to produce an effective marketing communications mix, it is essential to first identify the target audience, followed by determining the communications objectives which can be related brand awareness, brand attitude, brand purchase intention, or category need. Then after these two steps we develop the communications with either informational appeals that elaborate on theproducts performance or transformation appeals that elaborate the non-product related benefits (Bowesox, 1992). Being introduced in a time of stiff competition and changing marketing scenario, Bulldog is to incorporate the concept of Integrated Marketing Communications in its marketing plan. Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) is an evolved concept of marketing communications which takes into account the holistic importance of marketing communications, and not considers the communications plan as a separate function. It makes use of the added advantage of building up a plan that has integration with all communications (Kotlerand Keller, 2005). Building up a marketing communications has its own challenges. Skillfully designed and implemented marketing communications programs require careful planning and a create knack. Some useful tools may provide Bulldog some perspective. A number of different models have been put forth over the years to put forth over the years to explain communications and the steps in the persuasion process. Bulldogs marketing communications have to be infused with the consideration of the following steps: (1) exposure, where a person must seeor listen to the message; (2)attention,where a person must take notice of the message being communicated; (3)comprehension,where a person must understand the message being delivered; (4) yielding where aperson must react just as expected by the marketers; (5) intentions,where a person must intend to respond in the expected behavior tha the communication was planned for; and (6) behaviour,where a person must actually act in theexpected behavior directed by the communication. Each of these steps has to occur for a consumer to be persuaded. Ifthere is a shortfall orfailure in any step along the way, then successful communication will not result for Bulldog brand. From an advertising standpoint, the ideal ad campaign for Bulldog would ensure that: (1) the male target audience is exposed to the right message at the right place and at the right time; (2) the creative strategy for the advertising causes the consumer to notice and attend to the ad but does not distract from the intended message that the brand is a male brand with the persona of loyalty and masculinity; (3) the ad properly reflects the consumers level of understanding about Bulldog; (4) the ad correctly positions Bulldog in terms of desirable and deliverable points of difference and points of parity; (5) the ad motivates consumers to consider purchase of Bulldog; and (6) the ad creates strng brand associations to all of these stored communications effects so that they can have an effect when con sumers are considering making a purchase (Percey, 2008). Now, the discussion rolls towards the amounts and kinds of marketing communications necessary to gain the customers. Economic theory suggests placing pounds into a marketing communication budget and across communication options according to marginal revenue and cost. For example, the communication mix would be optimally distributed when the last dollar spent on each communication option generated the same return. Because such information may be difficult to obtain, however, other models of budget allocation emphasize more observable factors such as stage of brand life cycle, objectives, and budget of the firm, product characteristics, size of budget, and media strategy of competitors. These factors are typically contrasted with the different characteristics of the media. Marketing Communications Tools for Bulldog Brand The marketingcommunications plan comprises thefollowing modes of communication. Advertising Advertising is a paid medium whereby presentation and promotion of messages and ideas of goods and services can take place with financial investment from the companies. Television It is a powerful medium of advertising which allows for sight, sound and motion to reach to the audience on a broad level.All UK households have televisions, and the amount of time that television sets are on each day, on average, is a staggering seven hours. The wide reach of TV advertising translates to low cost per exposure. From a brand equity perspective, TV advertising has two particularly important strengths. First, it effectively and vividly demonstrates product attributes andpersuasively explains their corresponding consumer benefits. Second, TV advertising can be a compelling means for dramatically portraying user, imagery, persona of the brand, and otherbrand intangibles. For this reason, TV remains to be an effective medium for Bulldog (Mandese, 1999). In designing and evaluating an ad campaign, marketers for Bulldog would have to distinguish the message strategy or positioning of the ad from its creative strategy. Designing effective advertising campaigns is both an art and a science: the artistic aspects relate to the creative strategy and the brand claim information the ad contains. Thus, the two main concerns in devising an advertising strategy are as follows: (1) defining the proper positioning to maximize brand equity; and (2) identifying the best creative strategy to communicate or convey the desired positioning (Edell, 1990). Wharton presents highly relevant ideas that Bulldog can use and incorporate in its marketing communication plans. But there are certain additional evolutions in the advertising scenario that also need to be considered. The media environment has changed dramatically in recent years. Traditional advertising media such as TV, radio, magazines, and newspapers seem to be losing their grip on consumers. After the dot-com crash and subsequent hangover in the early 2000s, marketers returned to the web with vengeance, pouring $18 billion into internet advertising in 2005. Although web advertising jumped 20percent during this time, spending for TV ads remained a lot (Smith, 2008). The prognosis for TV advertising going forward is not necessarily good. With more cable companies building TiVo like digital video recorders (DVRs) into their digitals in the set boxes, household penetration of DVR in the UK was expected to jump to 33percent by 2008. One survey found that almost three-quarters of users of DVRs frequently or always skip over ads when watching recorded programs. Increased fragmentation from the proliferation of satellite and cable channels is only exacerbated the problem. Although media rates have continued to climb, viewership and readership for some key demographics such as teenagers continue to slide. The results of Forrester research survey of online 12-17 year olds revealed that 94% owned a game console of some kind, two thirds considered themselves to be active gamers, and more than 50% of males said they would rather play video games than watch TV (Wilson, 1998). Paid search services from Yahoo! And Google have exploded to become a $3 billion industry. Consumers are actively creating and sharing content online as consumer communities and blogs have been created on virtually all topics. Seventy two present of teens exchange instant messages (IMs) each day and 64 million UK residents use some type of IM application. Cell phones are becoming a critical devise for far more than phone conversations. Wharton also gives due credit to social networking websites in their captivation of a mass audience. For Bulldog this presents a rather effective medium to reach out to interactive males who search for brands online to associate with their personalities (Keller, 2002). This changing media landscape has forced marketers to revaluate how they should communicate with consumers. Bulldog has to do the same. However in the new computer era, the future of television and traditional mass marketing advertising is uncertain. In 2004, Procter and Gamble CMO Jim Stengel gave a sobering report to the advertising industry. Stengle pointed out that although new media were now abundant, marketers and agencies were not using or measuring them sufficiently. He noted how 90% of PGs global ad spending was on TV in 1994, but one of its most successful brand launches in history, for Prislosec OTC in 2003, allocated only about one-quarter of its spending to TV (Albeny, 2008). Other advertisers have stated they will eventually bypass ad agencies via interactive shopping channels, CD Rom catalogues, multimedia kiosks, and online services. Nevertheless, at least for some, the power of TV ads remains. As one advertising executive put it, Nothing competes with prime time television when it comes to communicating with a mass audience. Other mediums cant entertain and inform in the same captivating way (Lodish, 1999). Radio is a persuasive medium: 96% of all British 12 years and older listen to the radio daily and on average over 20 hours a week. Perhaps the main advantage to radio flexibility stations are highly targeted, ads are relatively inexpensive to produce, place, and short closings allow for quick responses. Radio may be effective for Bulldog, but cannot be used as a the major medium. Print media offer a stark contrast to broadcast media. Most important because they are self-placed, magazines and newspapers can provide detailed product information. At the same time, the static nature of the visual images in print media makes it difficult to provide dynamic presentations or demonstrations. Another disadvantage of print advertising is that it can be a fairly passive medium. Bulldog is already employing this medium which is quite effective to pursue further. Direct Response - In contrast to advertising in traditional broadcast and print media, which typically communicates to consumers in a non-specific and nondirective manner, direct response uses mail, telephone, internet, and various other forms of non-personal means to communicate with the consumers to generate favorable responses. Directresponse can take many forms and is not restricted to solicitations by mail, telephones, or even within traditional broadcast and print media, and can prove effective for Bulldog as it can communicate directly with its male audience, with features such as those relating to natural masculinity that the brand relates to. Websites the main advantages and disadvantages to marketing on the Web are the low cost, and the level of detail and degree of customization it offers. By capitalizing on its interactive nature marketers of Bulldog can construct Web sites that allow any consumer to choose the brand information relevant to his or her needs or desires. Interactive marketing can thus pave the way for solid relationship building. In creating creative online information sources for consumers at Bulldog website, marketers can deliver timely and reliable information. SalesPromotion Sales promotion is a mix of various monetary and non-monetary benefits that are offered on an short term basis to increase sales by encouraging consumers to purchase (Station,1994). Events and Experiences Sponsoring events is a very emerging promotional tool that has high potential for marketing success for the companies. These offer the companies to establish a direct contact with the consumers who attend the event. Companies finance various events that relate to the benefits that they offer to consumers through their brands, which in turn allows them to increase their brand recalls. Bulldog can utilize event sponsorships to build an effective brand image of masculinity where its mascot can be displayed (Crimmins,1993). Relevanceof SOSTAC The elements which are most crucial for Bulldog in the marketing communications plan in the SOSTAC model are: strategy, tactics and action. Strategy This has been already developed for the brand, which is targeted at males and positioned based on the natural ingredients it offers the males. This strategy is used as communication objectives for the marketing communications plan. The strategy includes the target market, segmentation, positioning and the targets to be achieved. The communication mix is entirely based on the strategy thus has high relevance in the communication plan as it gives direction to the entire plan (Norgan, 1994). Tactics The Tactics element of SOSTAC has the major role to play in the marketing communication plan for Bulldog as it defines the means and tools to bring to reality the strategy set forth earlier in the marketing plan (Kotler, 2005). Action Action defines how and when the plan is to be implemented by detailing numbers, dates and action plans. Without this the plan would be incomplete. Emotional Connections with Consumers Vs Rational Elements of the Brand It would be wrong to say that since the brand is for males it need not have any emotional association to be developed with the target market. The brand has its own brand persona, which is loyalty and the true means of masculinity which improves the natural male look. Thus, as well as communicating the rational elements of the brand it is essential that the brand communicates its brand persona and develops an emotional association with the target market. Emotional association allows a stronger brand loyalty and relationship to be developed with the customers. Males do have emotionality not similar to women of course but slightly different in transition. Males are seriously involved in the brands of cigarettes and technological gadgets such as mobile phones, laptops and various different types of software. Since Bulldog is a brand with personality it can easily develop emotional association with the customers. This can be effectively executed through advertising to infuse such associat ion into the minds of the audience. Conclusion ForBulldog, a well-crafted marketing communications can do wonders for building a strong brand image, position and equity among its target customers: the men. But the challenge is to incorporate the right communication methods in the communication mix to make the overall marketing communication plan effective. Marketing communications perform many functions for the consumers. Consumers can be told or shown how and why a product is used, by what kind of person, and where and when consumers can learn about who makes the product and what the company and brand stand for, and consumers can be given an incentive or reward for the trail, or usage. Building up a marketing communications has its own challenges. Skilfully designed and implemented marketing communications programs require careful planning and a create knack. Some useful tools may provide Bulldog some perspective. The major means of communication which the brand can use are advertising on the television, print, billboards and ra dio. Other than that online medium is a fast growing medium which the brand can also use to effectively communicates the message that the brand of Bulldog is to entail. It would be wrong to say that since the brand is for males it need not have any emotional association to be developed with the target market. The brand has its own brand persona, which is loyalty and the true means of masculinity which improves the natural male look. Thus, as well as communicating the rational elements of the brand it is essential that the brand communicates its brand persona and develops an emotional association with the target market. Buy custom Marketing Communication of Bulldog Brand essay

Erbium Factsâ€Er Element Properties

Erbium Facts- Er Element Properties The element erbium or Er is a silvery-white, malleable  rare earth metal belonging to the lanthanide group. While you may not recognize this element on sight, you can credit the pink color of glass and man-made gems to its ion. Here are more interesting erbium facts: ErbiumBasic Facts Atomic Number: 68 Symbol: Er Atomic Weight: 167.26 Discovery: Carl Mosander 1842 or 1843 (Sweden) Electron Configuration: [Xe] 4f12 6s2 Word Origin: Ytterby, a town in Sweden (also the source of the name of the elements yttrium, terbium, and ytterbium) Interesting Erbium Facts Erbium was one of three elements found in yttria that Mosander separated from the mineral gadolinite. The three components were called yttria, erbia, and terbia. The components had similar names and properties, which became confusing. Mosanders erbia later became known as terbia, while the original terbia became erbia.Although erbium (along with several rare earths) was discovered in the mid-19th century, it was not isolated as a pure element until 1935 because the group of elements had such similar properties.  W. Klemm and H. Bommer purified erbium by reducing anhydrous erbium chloride with potassium vapor.Although a rare earth, erbium is not all that rare.  The element is the 45th most abundant in the Earths crust, at a level of about 2.8  mg/kg. It is found in seawater at concentrations of 0.9  ng/LThe price of erbium is approximately $650 per kilogram. Recent advances in ion-exchange extraction are bringing the price down while increasing uses of the element drive the pr ice up. Summary of Erbium Properties The melting point of erbium is 159 °C, the boiling point is 2863 °C, specific gravity is 9.066 (25 °C), and valence is 3. Pure erbium metal is soft and malleable with a bright silvery metallic luster. The metal is fairly stable in air. Uses of Erbium Recent studies indicate erbium may help stimulate metabolism. If the element has a biological function, it has yet to be identified. The pure metal is slightly toxic, while the compounds tend to be non-toxic to humans. The highest concentration of erbium in the human body is in bones.Erbium is used as a neutron absorber in the nuclear industry.It may be added to other metals to lower hardness and improve workability. In particular, it is a common addition to vanadium to make it softer.Erbium oxide is used as a pink colorant in glass and porcelain glaze. It is also used to add a pink color to cubic zirconia.The same pink ion used in glass and porcelain, Er3, is fluorescent and appears to glow under daylight and fluorescent light. Erbiums interesting optical properties make it useful for lasers (e.g., dental lasers) and optical fibers.Like related rare earth, erbium shows sharp absorption spectra bands in the near-infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. Sources of Erbium Erbium occurs in several minerals, along with other rare earth elements. These minerals include  gadolinite, euxenite, fergusonite, polycrase, xenotime,  and blomstrandine. Following other purification processes, erbium is isolated from similar elements into the pure metal by  heating erbium oxide or erbium salts with calcium at 1450  °C in an inert argon atmosphere. Isotopes:  Natural erbium is a mix of six stable isotopes. 29 radioactive isotopes are also recognized. Element Classification: Rare Earth (Lanthanide) Density (g/cc): 9.06 Melting Point (K): 1802 Boiling Point (K): 3136 Appearance: soft, malleable, silvery metal Atomic Radius (pm): 178 Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 18.4 Covalent Radius (pm): 157 Ionic Radius: 88.1 (3e) Specific Heat (20 °C J/g mol): 0.168 Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 317 Pauling Negativity Number: 1.24 First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 581 Oxidation States: 3 Lattice Structure: Hexagonal Lattice Constant (Ã…): 3.560 Lattice C/A Ratio: 1.570 Erbium Element References Emsley, John (2001). Erbium. Natures Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements. Oxford, England, UK: Oxford University Press. pp. 136–139.  Patnaik, Pradyot (2003). Handbook of Inorganic Chemical Compounds. McGraw-Hill. pp. 293–295.Los Alamos National Laboratory (2001)Crescent Chemical Company (2001)Langes Handbook of Chemistry (1952)CRC Handbook of Chemistry Physics (18th Ed.)

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Cawow Essays Cawow Essay Cawow Essay California WOW Xperience Public Company Limited (CAWOW) is at first known as Thailand’s leading fitness center operating with 9 branch locations and 35,000 square meters of fitness facilities serving more than 80,000 members. CAWOW came into Thai market since the year 2000, first known as California Fitness Centers, the most complete and modern fitness center in Thailand. The company formed by Fitness Holdings International Corporation which is the company under 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide Inc, America, administrate by Eric Mark Levine. The first branch opened at Liberty Tower on Silom road since midyear of 2000. During the first three year, the number of club members reached about 12,000 people. Mr. Eric Mark Levine, CAWOW’s CEO and founder, a global fitness executive with more than 30 years of proven experience developing and building fitness companies. As CAWOW’s Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, Eric has developed a unique â€Å"Exertainment† (Exercise+Entertainment) concept combining fitness, fashion and entertainment within state of the art fitness centers that exude high levels of positive energy. CAWOW joined forces with Major Cineplex Group Public Company Limited (Major Cineplex) Thailand’s leading total lifestyle entertainment company which has strength in being the Entertainment Complex or Lifestyle Center not just cinema business like before, in 2003, 51% share holding by Mr. Eric group and 49% holding by Major Cineplex Group and change the name from Fitness Holdings International Corporation to Elite Power Holdings Inc. and FDE of the World Co. , Ltd. by Eric Mark Levine and also change the trademark from ‘California Fitness Centers’ to ‘California WOW Xperience Public Company Limited’ (CAWOW). This strategic partnership has enabled CAWOW to leverage the marketing and property development expertise of the Major Group to become Thailand’s leading Fitness Company. SITUATION ANALYSIS Market Analysis 1) STP Segmentation Demographically, CAWOW segments customers mainly according to their ages, which mostly categorizes as university students and working people in various ages. Psychographically, CAWOW segments customers focusing on lifestyle, mainly young people who are health conscious, interested in exercising, and care about their body image. Targeting CAWOW’s target group is the people of age 21-40 years old which can be categorize as university student and office people who looking to take care of their health. The target group also required to have a medium to high purchasing power in order to be able to afford the club fees. Apart from that, in tern of lifestyle, the target group of CAWOW is those people who care about putting up an appearance and health through exercising. Each branch also target on people who live around the area so the target group for the brand will be differ from place to place. As they segment according to the type of lifestyle, the age group leading the similar lifestyle will have different paths home and will have different locations in which they pass by. For university level target groups will have more focus upon classes like that of dance, and perhaps Yoga etc. however, in terms of first jobbers are those that have been working for a period of time, their focus will be upon Yoga and Pilates to maintain their healthy sense of mind and body. Positioning The positioning of CAWOW is the worlds’ number one fitness center, and the number one fitness center in Thailand. 2) Marketing Mix Product CAWOW’s fitness centers offer members hundreds of Group Exercise Classes per week, such as Body Balance, Body Jam, Body Combat, Step, Tai-Chi, Spinning, etc. They also offer Personal Training, Yoga and Pilates. Personal Training is a one-on-one service helping each member design the appropriate program to reach their fitness goals. Yoga is the highest growth service among these three services. CAWOW offers 2 forms of Yoga; Bikram Yoga and Planet Yoga with hundreds of Yoga classes offered per week. They also offer Pilates, the ultimate physical and mental conditioning program. They also provide lockers, sauna, and steam rooms for their members. Price Their prices are mainly determined according to both the degree of need of exercise and the qualities of a customer. The company uses the free floating membership price system which means that it does not have the published prices and there is no information on their website about pricing as well. The only way for customer who wants to know the price is physically going to their club and talk to their sales. The membership price will be different for each of customers. Some people may pay a cheaper or a higher price for the same membership that may receive variety of service package, being able to bargain with CAWOW salesperson. Place CAWOW has opened their branches in the high traffic point in Bangkok including Siam paragon, Silom, Chanegwattana, Pinklao, Sukumvit23, Sukumvit31, Ratchayothin, and Ratchada. After joining with Major Cineplex, they try to expand the branch into Major branch to save the cost under the fact that the company expects to gain more sales revenue in opening each new branch, especially in the first two year from opening. Since the contract of membership is at least one year, most of customers do not renew the contract and the customers who plan to play for long term paid for life membership so that a great way to gain the money is to find new customers is by opening new branch. Also, the location they choose are all able to see through glass windows so that other people can be able to see them working out. Promotion Their promotions are normally changing from time to time. They have weekly promotion that will change every week, and within the week also have another promotion which will give the customers more benefits such as free Yoga, free one time personal trainer, etc. The most common one is that if you pay for long term membership you will pay cheaper for each month. CAWOW also offers the member privilege; for example, discount for some spa and restaurants. Their promotion activities vary to make sure that it can effectively access to customers. These promotion activities include; Advertising Mass media: As a health, fitness and lifestyle company, CAWOW promotes their benefits to fitness enthusiasts’ via media channels thus increasing brand awareness and health consciousness in Thailand. The Company has launched the â€Å"Yoga For All† TV Series and their â€Å"California WOW 20 Minute Workout† broadcast on Chic Channel – True Vision, UBC which can target directly on the potential customers, as well as creating chic image for the brand. Magazine: CAWOW has launched the â€Å"WOW† Fitness Magazine with 50,000 copies circulated to their members and on newsstands each month to help promoting the brand and also create the health conscious trend. Personal selling Sales person offers several promotions to all the guests and current members either by phone or face to face. This kind of promotion is often be found after free trial of the current member’s guest where the sales person will offer special promotion for them and if they do not sign for membership that day, the sales person will continually calling them to offer more promotion and benefits. Website One of the tools that CAWOW often used to communicate to their current customers and other potential customers is through their website. CAWOW official website provides all sort of the company’s news, and any all other information about CAWOW. 3) SWOT Analysis Strengths Experience and reputation The founder of CAWOW is an experienced professional that has worked in the health and fitness industry for over 30 years. He, Mr. Eric Mark Levine is both the founder and the CEO and has intensive knowledge about the industry. Indeed, CAWOW is a well-known brand that expose in several countries. First-mover advantage In Thailand, the firm is the longest established fitness center. With their advertising and their locations, they have the highest brand visibility in terms of time frame. Their long establishment will also help building up a foundation in providing fitness services to their clients. In addition, the fact that they were established first helps them grab and maintai n a substantial amount of this industry’s market share due to the constant strong brand awareness. Benefit from alliance with Major Cineplex group CAWOW also entered into a beneficial joint venture with The Major Group. This provided several benefits for CAWOW as it helped increase the total amount of new customers for the fitness center. In addition, their fixed costs will have decreased because their cost on rent is shared with the Major group and its facilities. High level of brand awareness Since CAWOW choose â€Å"Lukked Metinee Kingpayom†, the famous star and super model as a presenter, it can create high level of brand awareness and image of good body shape and entertainment. As with most of the trends that come by into society, it is usually led by a celebrity. For Thailand, this famous celebrity is thought of to be a trendsetter in many ways, and is constantly kept in the spotlight. With her as the brand presenter will allow an optimal amount of attention to be fixated upon CAWOW. Not only will this help increase in the brand awareness but it may also lead to an increase in total consumers. This may result from the self-fulfillment of a self-concept by consumers that look to be like this celebrity. Hence, they will correlate the look and to be her as including CAWOW in their life day to day activities. Variety of exercises CAWOW offers members hundreds of Group Exercise Classes per week, such as Body Balance, Body Jam, Body Combat, Step, Tai-Chi, Spinning, etc. They also offer Personal Training, Yoga and Pilates for customer can choose the class they like. As the trend nowadays tends to lean towards exercise types that many of the celebrities take- Yoga and Pilates- CAWOW offers a substantial amount of classes. The main benefit of variety is that it can accommodate the need of members. High-quality equipment CAWOW’s facilities are well taken care of so that the equipment is not only easy to use, but also appealing to their consumers. Long opening hours CAWOW provides long opening period for their members. This longer period of opening time helps CAWOW as a categorical point of parity. This is because all CAWOW fitness centers are opening at all times of the day and night to cater to the needs of their different consumers. With longer working hours, it allows their consumers to use the club whene ver they want. Weaknesses Aggressive Sales person CAWOW’s sales persons are famous in selling their member packages too aggressively. That makes customers annoyed and potential customers who know about this behavior may avoid to talk to CAWOW’s sales persons. This also create bad image of the company when the customer feels like they are forced to buy the package that they do not need. Low customer service (After sales) Many customers complain that after sale service is not as good as before they buy the package. They think that the sales persons ignore them because they already paid for the package fee then it is not essential to take care them any more. In contrast, the trainers who can still get advantage from taking care of customers still keep calling them to go to the club and use the personal trainer service which they have to pay extra money. High-cost personal trainers CAWOW’s members have to pay extra money for personal trainer who will give suggestion to use the equipment in the most effective way. The fee is many times said to be too expensive that may make customers think that it is not worth to pay. Busy during peak hours During peak hours for CAWOW which is 18. 00-21. 00, the fitness centers are extremely crowded; for example, it is normal during peak hour to see people lining up in front of the lift. In addition, over crowdedness and lack of personal space within the fitness center will lead to less privacy which is not a preference that most consumers have. They prefer a substantial amount of proximity between one another, and to not waste more time lining up then actually working out. Opportunities Unsaturated Market From CAWOW’s research conclude that the ratio of Thai people who is fitness member is still much less than neighbor country such as Japan 4. 5% of the people is the fitness member, Hong Kong 4%, Taiwan and Korea 3%, while ,Thailand only has 1% of people who is fitness member. It is show that there is much chance for fitness industry to grow more than now. Health Conscious Trend Nowadays, people are becoming more concerned about their health. Therefore, exercising tend to become more popular among various activities during free time to satisfy the trend. Threats High competitive market CAWOW is the first in the fitness center market after that is Fitness First which expands their branches to the high traffic points of Bangkok and some branches near CAWOW branches which means that they target more or less the same gro up of customers around those locations. In addition, fitness centers like that of Fitness First seems to be a higher positioned fitness center. They also seem to have targeted a lot of CAWOW’s weaknesses. For example, their congested fitness center during peak hours is controlled by a slightly higher price. When one first applies to be a member of Fitness First, they give you a free personal trainer to help you get to know the equipment and to work out a suitable work out routine that is adapted to your personal needs. After that, there are a series of trainers around that remember you buy name and remember the type of activities that you need to complete in your routine and they help you out often providing service in after you’ve subscribed to be a member. Substitute activities For exercising there is much more substitute ways to do, especially those exercises that cost less that fitness center such as jogging in the park, riding a bicycle, or swimming.

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Real Life Bargaining & Negotiation Situation - Research Paper Example The cooks were only two, the waiters were two, and I was the only cashier. Employees, including me, were free only on Sunday when the business closed. We were also given a small amount of salary weekly. There was need for a negotiation that would ensure that the owner of the business was satisfied with the business profit while at the same time boosting the morale of employees with reduced workload and increased wages. The negotiation was faced by a lot of challenges. For instance, some employees were afraid of complaining or raising their concerns because they feared that they would lose their jobs. The employer was a strict person with a very serious personality. The economy was bad, and getting a job was difficult. Losing one’s job would therefore mean that things would become more difficult for the employees as they struggle to meet their daily needs. The employees also came from different backgrounds in terms of culture, social status and demography. Therefore, understanding each other in terms of ideas and items of negotiation was difficult. Despite this challenging environment, employees were compelled to approach the owner of the business for a negotiation for higher wages and reduced workload. The workload had caused significant level of stress among the employees and the wages barely met their daily needs. This would have a negative impact on the performance of staff and cause lower productivity and profitability. Therefore, the negotiation was not only necessary for the employees to meet their needs but also for the business to earn profits and grow. The people involved in the negotiation process were the employees, the business owner, regular customers, a few members and leaders of the community, and a member of the local government. I was one of the employees, and we were supported by some of the customers and members of the community who had noted how

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Principles and Practices of Effective Leadership Critical Thinking Mod 5 Leading Teams - Essay Example One of the advantages of the use of virtual teams is that it allows companies the ability to optimize the use of its human capital. Companies that use virtual teams are able to take advantage of the skills and capabilities of employees of the company that are located in foreign countries. There are differences in the managerial approaches that leaders use when working with a virtual team in comparison to face-to-face teams. Leaders that have a face to face team can use any of the traditional managerial concepts and theories such as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, equity theory, ERG theory, acquired needs theory, or reinforcement to lead the staff. The five needs of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in ascending order are physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization (Cherry, 2013). Intrinsic rewards are effective to keep the members of a team productive and motivated. An example of an intrinsic reward is telling a person they did a good job on a task. Managers have to pay attention to the body language of the members of team as a preventive measure to ensure the members of the team are not suffering from morale problems. When dealing with a virtual team the manager has to adapt his leadership strategy. Virtual teams require the use of electronic communication tools such as groupware or video chatting capabilities. An excellent website that allows people from different parts of the world to communicate using video chatting is Skype. It is important for leaders to closely monitor the progress on the project by following up with the members of the team. Avoiding information overload in virtual teams is important because information overload can cause stress and inefficiencies among the members of the team. â€Å"There are more global virtual teams today than ever before† (Meyer,

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Formal -Based Persuasive Report - Research Paper Example I reviewed seven empirical resources, which focused on the effects of workplace flexibility on employee welfare and general company performance and image. Attached is the result of my research and recommendations. My secondary research suggests that a compressed work week produces benefits of reduced work-life conflict and stress, better productivity, and improved health for employees, which translates to gains in productivity and morale in the workplace. Higher employee morale is related to employee satisfaction, which will draw future talented employees, while recruiting and retaining highly-engaged ones. Workplace flexibility is also related to corporate social responsibility and corporate image. Thus, reducing work days contributes to better employee welfare and corporate reputation and performance. The company must be prepared of parking and other logistics. Longer work hours for four days can have strains on company resources during that time. Without sufficient resources and other support, the positive effects of a compressed work week might be reduced or lost altogether. If Coastal Sunbelt would make a rotating 4-day work week, this can result to more maximized parking spaces. For example, half of the employees will work normal shift for one week, and then for the second week, they work only for 4 days. The second half of the employees will work 4 days in the week, where the first group worked 5 days. This system would free up parking, and it will save Coastal Sunbelt the cost of building a parking garage. 7 Some of the pressing issues common to many organizations are work-life conflict and the recruitment and retention of high-performing and dedicated employees. Coastal Sunbelt faces theses issues, among others, which affects its efficiency and effectiveness. To motivate employees, the organization must offer innovative solutions, one of which is shifting from a five-day to a four-day work week. This proposal argues that to motivate and engage

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Two Techniqyes in Hospitals Laboratory - Essay Example This paper summarizes each of these methods and provides examples of their relevance to biomedical research and clinical medicine. Flow Cytometry Analytical flow cytometry (AFC) is used to assess the biochemical composition of cells using an optical scanner in the assessment of individual cells as they are screened individually at a rapid rate (approximately 100 cells per second) through an optical scanner (Boddy et al 2001; Givan 2001). This methodology permits quantitative measurements of molecular components within each cell individually (Davey & Kell 1996; Givan 2001). An important medical use of AFC is the identification of specific strains of infectious bacteria in infected cells obtained from patient biopsy (Boddy et al 2001). Once the pathogen is identified, AFC is also used in therapeutic assessment of antibiotics on the clinical course of infection by examining patient cells by AFC post-treatment. In this regard, AFC is an important biomedical tool in the assessment of para meters of clinical sensitivity and resistance of specific bacterial strains to specific therapeutic regimens (Davey & Kell, 1996). In addition, AFC can be used to measure the cellular DNA and protein concentration and the activity of specific enzymes (Roederer 2001). The capability of AFC to assess molecular content within individual cells involves the use of fluorescence measurements to characterize the biochemical components of cells. In this technique, fluorescent probes are applied to specific cell molecules which are then assessed via the detection of optical excitation patterns emitted by these optically labeled cell components. (Shapiro 2003). These optical excitation patterns emitted by the fluorescently labeled cell components can be used to pinpoint specific types of molecules and to quantitate their concentrations within the cell (Shapiro 2003). This accuracy is facilitated by the standardization of controlled flow by means of hydrodynamic focusing methods (Shapiro 2003). Further analytical sophistication can be achieved by the use of multiple optical beams and two channel detectors to detect two different cellular signals at the same time in the same scan while providing a high sensitivity (Zhong et al 2005). Labeled nanoparticles are also be utilized as probes in the molecular assessment of cell composition (Zhong et al 2005). In addition to biochemical composition, AFC can be used to assess cell proliferation by means of accurately identifying cell cycle composition of dividing mitotic cells. This assessment can be carried out in individual cells (Pozaroski & Darzynkiewicz 2004). This method requires the DNA binding dye propidium iodide (Shapiro 2003). DNA and protein content can be assessed simultaneously in individual cells by means of bivariate analysis and comparisons between normal cells and tumor cells (Pozaroski & Darzynkiewicz 2004). This technique also permits the evaluation of cell viability on an individual basis and can distinguish ce ll death resulting from apoptosis versus necrotic mechanisms (Bertho et al 2000). Apoptosis results in a characteristic cell fragmentation into small apoptotic bodies containing fragmented DNA segments; this process can be detected by AFC and distinguished from plasma membrane degradation which is characteristic of necrotic cell death mechanisms. Cell viability measurements are an important component of disease assessment with regard to the identification of pathogenic mechanisms that may cause cell

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Two Techniqyes in Hospitals Laboratory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Two Techniqyes in Hospitals Laboratory - Essay Example This paper summarizes each of these methods and provides examples of their relevance to biomedical research and clinical medicine. Flow Cytometry Analytical flow cytometry (AFC) is used to assess the biochemical composition of cells using an optical scanner in the assessment of individual cells as they are screened individually at a rapid rate (approximately 100 cells per second) through an optical scanner (Boddy et al 2001; Givan 2001). This methodology permits quantitative measurements of molecular components within each cell individually (Davey & Kell 1996; Givan 2001). An important medical use of AFC is the identification of specific strains of infectious bacteria in infected cells obtained from patient biopsy (Boddy et al 2001). Once the pathogen is identified, AFC is also used in therapeutic assessment of antibiotics on the clinical course of infection by examining patient cells by AFC post-treatment. In this regard, AFC is an important biomedical tool in the assessment of para meters of clinical sensitivity and resistance of specific bacterial strains to specific therapeutic regimens (Davey & Kell, 1996). In addition, AFC can be used to measure the cellular DNA and protein concentration and the activity of specific enzymes (Roederer 2001). The capability of AFC to assess molecular content within individual cells involves the use of fluorescence measurements to characterize the biochemical components of cells. In this technique, fluorescent probes are applied to specific cell molecules which are then assessed via the detection of optical excitation patterns emitted by these optically labeled cell components. (Shapiro 2003). These optical excitation patterns emitted by the fluorescently labeled cell components can be used to pinpoint specific types of molecules and to quantitate their concentrations within the cell (Shapiro 2003). This accuracy is facilitated by the standardization of controlled flow by means of hydrodynamic focusing methods (Shapiro 2003). Further analytical sophistication can be achieved by the use of multiple optical beams and two channel detectors to detect two different cellular signals at the same time in the same scan while providing a high sensitivity (Zhong et al 2005). Labeled nanoparticles are also be utilized as probes in the molecular assessment of cell composition (Zhong et al 2005). In addition to biochemical composition, AFC can be used to assess cell proliferation by means of accurately identifying cell cycle composition of dividing mitotic cells. This assessment can be carried out in individual cells (Pozaroski & Darzynkiewicz 2004). This method requires the DNA binding dye propidium iodide (Shapiro 2003). DNA and protein content can be assessed simultaneously in individual cells by means of bivariate analysis and comparisons between normal cells and tumor cells (Pozaroski & Darzynkiewicz 2004). This technique also permits the evaluation of cell viability on an individual basis and can distinguish ce ll death resulting from apoptosis versus necrotic mechanisms (Bertho et al 2000). Apoptosis results in a characteristic cell fragmentation into small apoptotic bodies containing fragmented DNA segments; this process can be detected by AFC and distinguished from plasma membrane degradation which is characteristic of necrotic cell death mechanisms. Cell viability measurements are an important component of disease assessment with regard to the identification of pathogenic mechanisms that may cause cell

How does online banking affect the banking industry Dissertation

How does online banking affect the banking industry - Dissertation Example Introduction of ATMs, partially alleviated the problems, and ATMs proved successful in load reduction as well as cutting transaction cost. Advent of internet provided another window of opportunities for the banks to expand their customer reach by providing limited set of internet based banking capabilities to full-fledged virtual banks. This has been extended by further proliferation of PDAs and mobile phones, wherein mobile banking is gaining its foothold as a prominent channel. This paper analyses the progress of online banking since its inception, specifically on the aspects of service quality, security and risk factors from the online banking customer perspective. Based on our study of the decade of online banking, it can be logically concluded that online banking is becoming the number one choice for today’s banking customer in all demographics. ... Occasionally, a customer would phone a bank representative of choice, for financial information (balance in account, check clearance, status of money transfer etc.). Prior to internet/web, ATMs allowed the customer a flexibility of executing certain banking transactions (mainly balance checking, cash withdrawal). Subsequent to that, some banks introduced so called PC banking, where an application installed in customer’s PC established a secured connection with an application running in the bank to perform transactions. Early in 1981, when internet became prevalent at home, some of the banks in US with a large customer base, tried introducing a few facilities to its customers, wherein the customer could perform a few activities, by signing up to additional services from its bank. Some banks charged the customer for these transactions, and these mainly included value-added services to the customer at lesser cost. (E.g. Availability of Dow Jones Retrieval/News Service at a much l esser cost provided by CitiBank). Ubiquity of internet, and customers need for mobility, banks and financial institutions were forced to adopt current technology as a basis for providing its customer, online banking services, available at the reach of the customers’ personal computers, at home, at workplace, or anywhere a customer has access to his/her bank and account. The trend continued with advent and following rapid progress in online technology, from internet banking to mobile banking. Another reason for this shift in service offering on the part of the bank is also due to the fact that customer base for banks and volume of transactions saw

Immune System and Stress Related Illness Essay Example for Free

Immune System and Stress Related Illness Essay Outline and evaluate research into the relationship between the immune system and Stress-related illness. (12marks) It is suggested that stress can result in immunosuppression which can lead to stress-related illnesses such as Coronary Heart Disease and high blood pressure. Kiecolt and Glaser conducted an experiment to see the effects of stress on the immune system. This was achieved by taking blood samples of 75 medical students one month before and during their examination period. They then compared the two blood samples and found decreased leucocyte activity in the sample taken during high levels of stress (during their exams). This shows that stress reduces the activity of the immune system, making them more susceptible to becoming ill. Advantages of the study are that blood tests are objective measurements, so there was no social desirability or experimenter bias when analysing the results. The participants were also compared to themselves which removes participant variables on how they perceive stressors. The experiment was a field experiment so there was no manipulating of the independant variable to deliberately cause stress to the participants which makes it ethical. It also means the research has ecological validity and can be applied to the wider world. However, a field experiment may have extraneous variables which impact the results. For example, the student lifestyle of having little sleep and poor accomidation may have been an alternative source of stress. Another disadvantage is that there was a biased sample used of students. It may not be possible to generalise students’ response to stress compared to the general population. Riley also did a study using rats on a rotating turntable for five hours. He found that over time, their white blood cell activity dramatically decreased and when injected with carcinogens they developed tumours more rapidly than a control group of rats. This showed that stress can make us reduce our immune system’s activity which can cause diseases to worsen or progress more rapidly. However, as the research was conducted on rats it can be argued that it can’t be applied to humans as out stress response may differ.

Effects of technology in todays business world

Effects of technology in todays business world Thanks to the digital revolution, the present business world has entered a new millennium of connectivity, networking and marketing. Now the business world is much more developed and advanced and innovation of new electronic machines and digital networks has made this possible. Technology is now mixed up with every aspect of life and has brought up a revolutionary change in the marketing process. Customers can get their job done by hiring the perfect product in a greater comfort with ease. Old marketing practice needs to be carried out along with technological merge to adopt with the changing market environment. Old business perspective has been changed by the entrance of advanced networking and information technology. Business as well as marketing becomes more dynamic and effective when peer-to-peer (P2P) relationship is firmly established and henceforth intranet and extranet are there to keep the people and companies to connected with each other. People can now be connected with the vast and endlessly growing information repository using internet. Wireless technology has further enhanced the connectivity. Todays economy is standing upon the basis of technological advancement and connectivity. The economy is backed by information system. Information can be accessed, updated, modified, personalized and dispatched via internet very fast. With the help of the information about countless gathered through technical tools, softwares and using networks, marketers can offer now more new individualized products or can update the preceding ones accordingly. For example, a company, named Dell Computers offers the customers to tell them their need-specification about computer components and delivers them a manually configured one within a very short time. By doing so, they are also able to communicate with their customer one to one and build up a strong relationship with them. Changes in Business practice: The changes in technology and economy are bringing out a new set of customs, beliefs, cultures as well as practices on the part of business firms. Such as, Marketing groups are being formed to address the needs of different customer groups. This means a switch from being product-centered to being customer-segment centered. Companies are adding a focus on estimating individual customer lifetime value and offering them the products, designed according to the idea extracted from the evaluation of individuals preferences to make a good profit out of it. Companies now pay concentration on marketing scorecard with a view to interpreting what is happening to their market share, their rate of customer loss, satisfaction of consumer, quality of product relative to competitors and other measures. Since the late David Packard of Hewlett-Packard observed, Marketing is far too important to leave to the marketing department. Each employee has an effect on the customers and should value the clients as the resource of the companys prosperity. To build a purpose brand, companies are now relying more upon performance rather than advertising. New economy companies put much emphasis on customer retention than on customer acquisition. An increasing number of companies are making customer satisfaction a major priority. In short, todays market place is made for traditional consumers (those who do not purchase online), cyber consumers (who purchase online), and hybrid consumers (who performs the same). Hence most companies will need a presence for these offline and online to supply to these hybrid honorable consumers. Organizations need to rethink and revise their overall company strategy and within that, their marketing strategy. Ecommerce: According to Patricia Seybold, a management consultant, e-business is the sign of the opportunity and customer service will be its banner. Those who dont pay attention to the value of e-commerce in lasting the business world will be seriously exaggerated, and those who misjudge the importance of it will perish. Technological revolution of the marketplace has allowed a greater change and customization of the products, services and promotional messages than older marketing tools. It has helped the retailers to build up and maintain a good relationship with the consumers. Conducting commercial transaction via EDI was the first step to use technology in marketplace. Every now and then new technologies come along and replace the relatively older one or combining with it, create a new dimension and paves the way to new possibilities. Competition drives new technology and vice versa. E-commerce is a successively progressing and developing sector. It has added a new dimension in the marketplace to meet the consumers ever-changing demands. It makes the consumers way of shopping and buying much easier and consumers from any remote place can easily access the site, choose their things and begin shopping. Due to comfort and easiness, it has become an integral part of daily lives for some consumers. Moreover, for some products, online purchasing is more suitable. Online sellers can trade non-digital goods successfully and could make a good profit out of it. These products may include embarrassing objects or may be ordered from remote places. Every now and then market researches and surveys are conducted thoroughly by collecting consumers information observing their actions. A point-of-sales system provides information to stores which helps greatly in assuming buyer needs and achieving the goals. Technology gives the consumers ability to research on the products they cherish to buy. With this new technology, they have the power they never had before- the power to review and recheck the products endlessly along with videos and demos and to compare prices from thousands of other vendors within a very short time. Vendors also take advantage of the e-commerce since it doesnt need any live salesman and s/he can keep it open for business purpose 24/7 hours. Additionally, even retailers with small capital can establish an international or global reach with a simple website. For instance, local and national market in many countries conduct their business up to night but an online shop like e-bay is open 24/7 hours and people can visit and shop here at any time. E-business has made the international business door open to all. Internet has changed the way of business through targeted advertising. Companies can direct certain consumers/customers to their business site specifying some keywords and all these are possible by using Google. As for example, Amazon.com is sponsored by Google and therefore people, searching for buying products, will be redirected to that site. Despite the importance, flexibility and potentiality of the e-commerce and e-business, people have taken more time to adopt with this new environment than expected. Of many reasons behind this fact, accessibility and availability are the major key concern. Though it might be accessed from remote places, yet its accessibility and availability are extremely lows in the poor, under-developed and developing countries. There are also transaction and delivery problems. Security concern comes to mind whenever people go for any money-costing occasion like shopping and buying over internet. We frequently see such news of online bankrupting due to either security failure or virus attack in various renowned organizations and thats enough to scare off the people and awaken their fear of insecurity. As such many consumers hold back their shopping or buying, even after having good impression on the product, just thinking about the safety of the money. They feel awkward to use the credit card due t o concern about theft and fraud. Mostly marketers are unwilling to look through the eyes of the customer rather they look through their viewpoint and try to know their customers deeds instead of their needs and wants. When marketers tailor a product to meet the need of typically defined consumers from a geographic segment, it is uncertain whether the individual will buy the product or not. It only expresses the probability of purchasing. New products need to be introduced and developed for sure and marketers are too good at it but it is useless to consumers if it can not meet their demands. Lack of instant gratifying reaction on behalf of vendors often decreases the buyer number and amount of visitors. Even social status of the consumer and the social aspect of online and offline shopping influences the consumers profoundly. Many consumers prefer talking to salesman about the staff or to their cohorts for real which are not quite the same in online auction. Steps need to be taken to implement the market segmentation in the market place effectively to avoid the downturn. Failing to understand certain consequences will eventually lead to that situation. One of them is the failure to understand the customers. Failing to do so will hurt the consumers feeling and push back the potential customers. Products need to be improved but if one fails to realize the competitive situation and is unable to predict environmental reaction, the market share will surely fall down and it will raise problems in future. Thats what happened to the polythene industry in Bangladesh. Polythene bag was very much used and produced amply but suddenly awareness against global warming and environmental pollution was awakened in peoples mind and people started to rise against using polythene bag and eventually polythene industry came to halt. Both over-estimation of resource competence and under-estimation of time requirements are detrimental to marketing plan. Improper co-ordination, inability to follow a plan and inadequacy of e-valiability will downturn the market. Failure to obtain senior management and employee commitment is another key source. Customers demands have increased profoundly along with the entrance of new technology in the marketing over the years. Consumers intend to get it available all the time and if they dont, even for once, they will go for alternatives. So to grab the attraction of the consumer and retain it, availability of the products must be ensured. There are also quality and business to business (B2B) relation issues. To keep pace and compete with others, quality of products has to be ensured along with the consumer service. Otherwise, retailers will lose their share. RED could be findings .

Feminist Movement :: essays research papers fc

It was in the mid-1800s when the first signs of the feminist movement came about. In 1861, a man named John Stuart Mill wrote The Subjection of Women, which was said to have spawned the ideology of the Women’s Rights Movement (Ryan 11). He discussed the role of women is society during that time, pointing out how the patriarchy placed such an intense limit on what women could do. Patriarchy is the system in which the male race governs societal views, and this practice has been in existence since the dawn of time. This work raised the consciousness of many women, but the first hints of an organized movement did not come about until the approach of the twentieth century. It has been said the Black Abolition Movement was the encouragement that women needed to go after what they believed in (Ryan 10). In 1898 came the beginnings of Women’s Suffrage, which was the movement intended to allow women the right to vote. During this time, over 500 separate campaigns were launched with the goal of attaining this right. Females such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony spoke all over the country on women’s rights and suffrage, gaining many supporters along the way (Ryan 9). The National American Women’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was soon formed, and Stanton was its first president. She helped to begin extensive mobilizing efforts and put a strong foot forward in the suffrage movement (Ryan 22). When the Nineteenth Amendment was passed, women nationwide rejoiced at their accomplishment with the feeling that they had made a difference, and their feeling of inferiority had subsided. Works Cited Bardon, Edward J. The Sexual Arena and Women’s Liberation. Chicago: Nelson Hall, 1978.

Sitting Bull Exile to Canada :: American America History

Sitting Bull Exile to Canada Many things influenced Sitting Bull's decision to cross the border into Canada. After Custer's defeat at Little Bighorn, Sitting Bull had to live life in fear. He fought on the defensive for years. Sitting Bull and his followers fled from the onslaught of American howitzers. He then was able to find sanctuary in the White Grandmother's Country, north of the international boundary. "Most of the band drifted back in the next few years; Sitting Bull himself was to return in 1881 to end his exile" (Andrist 298)). They faced unknown obstacles, and challenges, all for a chance to live the way they wanted to. When times were bad they looked to the Canadians for assistance. When they could not help Sitting Bull struggle ended and asylum. Canada was no longer an option for Sitting Bulls starving people. For Sitting Bull and his people "the winter of 1876-77 was a winter of despair. "Soldiers occupied the hunting grounds and kept the war going even when the snow fell and the temperature plunged"(Utley 174). Sitting Bulls options for the survival his people were being held in the hands of the soldiers surrounding his winter encampment. Who could at any time " burst into their village, shoot down the people, and destroy their homes and food supplies"(Utley 174). Sitting Bull disliked the alternative of an unconditional surrender, which was out of the question. This surrender would have cost Sitting Bull and his people their guns, and horses. This was unreasonable for people who relied on these valuable tools in almost every aspect in their lives. In April of 1877 the Miniconjoous, Sans Arcs, Hunkpaps, and others of equal prominence conviened a council at Beaver Creek. Spotted Eagle and Sitting Bull would make speeches advocating continuing the war against the white man. They would eventually realize them necessity to act in the best interest of the people. Sitting Bull stood firm in his way of life, as a hunter. Around this time Crazy Horse made his decision to surrender. On May 6, Crazy horse surrendered at the Red Cloud agency in Robinson Nebraska. The group which consisted of 889 people, surrendered "12,00 ponies and 117 arms"(Utley182). Sitting Bull faced new uncertainty in Canada. He had traveled to this country before "following Buffalo or seeking Slotas to trade with" (Utley184). He also knew from experience the contrast between the Grandmother (Canada) and the Great Father of the United States.

Clause Worksheet Directions

Underline the adverb clause, labeling the subject and the verb of each clause. 2. Circle the subordinating conjunction in each sentence. 3. Identify the question that is being answered by the clause. 4. Draw an arrow to the word that each clause modifies. 1. I will not go to the movies with you unless you buy me soda, popcorn, and candy. 2. Eric will find the almanacs where the other reference books are shelved. 3. Erin goes swimming whenever she gets the chance. 4. After you have beaten the eggs, slowly add the dry Ingredients to make Mrs..Franken a batch of cookies. 5. The washer will stop if the door is opened. 6. Residents of the quiet suburban neighborhood have been urged by the mayor to conserve water until the shortage ends. 7. His pictures came out badly because the film was torn slightly. 8. We had a good time at the picnic even though we were attacked by an angry swarm of bumblebees. 9. No one may enter the studio while the red light Is on. 10. A tire blew out as the Jet ta xied to the runway. 1 1 . We arrived at the bus station as our bus was beginning to pull away onto the highway. 12.The movie, Spenserian and Superman: Best Friends Reunited, had already started when Mr.. Font arrived. 13. Because we had to get up at 4:30 in the morning, we went to bed before American Idol was over. 14. Whenever It was possible, the guide planted trees. 16. Will you move the couch when you have time? 17. Because the music in the stadium was so loud, Katie got a piercing headache that made her nauseous. 18. No one came to the party since Dave forgot to mail the invitations. 19. Did you see my sister at the mall when you were in Williamsburg? 20. My ride came before I had finished breakfast.

A Sample of Factors to Define Modern United States Masculinity

A Sample of Factors to Define Modern United States Masculinity | Introduction During the twentieth century there have been several leading studies, findings and theories to attempt to rationalize and explain masculinity and gender roles in the United States. Some have been based on biblical reference, others on pure animal instinct and some based on modern research. In the following pages I will describe my own factors and qualities that define what it means to be man; that is to understand modern masculinity in the United States.I will highlight and further explore the common theme of hegemonic masculinity and how it threads into our modern culture. You will see a â€Å"frameless framework† evolve; one that is not visible directly, rather it becomes visible only through the absence of tangible visual clues. In addition, I will explore the intersectionality of several roles the Western culture uses to define ourselves as men. Along the way I have included historical references to show how this has changed.In the end you will have a better understanding about intended, conscious choices as well as those unintended, more subtle elements which define modern Western masculinity. Hegemonic Masculinity When pressure is applied and the outcome is not written, verbalized or otherwise directly expressed as hegemonic. This likewise can be applied to gender roles, and most specifically to masculine gender. The dominant discourse of masculinity characterized by physical and emotional toughness, risk taking, predatory heterosexuality, being a breadwinner, and so on.Elements of hegemonic masculinity are commonly set up in binary opposition to their alternatives, so that anything other than the hegemonic form is immediately non-masculine (Divisser, 597) There are numerous unrealistic expectations placed on modern men; often fraught with conflicting values and outcomes. Often men are defined as men by actions, visual clues and memberships to social (non-visual) cliques. Throughout recent history gender (masculine and feminine both) have evolved, as they should have, and n some ways modernized to fit with current cultural standards. Theorists have historicized gender and detached it as an analytical concept from patriarchy, emphasizing instead the performative and discursive features of regimes of gendered power. (Nye, 419) Several theories have been introduced to understand how conflicts incur stress or â€Å"strain†. One such theory is Gender Strain Theory which roughly states how genders differently experience various aspects of life, including their gender.In an important sense there is only one complete unblushing male in America: a young, married, white, urban, northern, heterosexual Protestant father of college education, fully employed, of good complexion, weight, and height, and a recent record in sports. Every American male tends to look out upon the world from this perspective, thus constituting one sense in which one can speak of a common value system in America. Any male who fails to qualify in any one of these ways is likely to view himself—during moments at least—as unworthy, incomplete, and inferior. Phillips, 407) Additionally, men and women experience war differently even with the same uniforms, leaders, directions and mission the outcomes and experiences for each gender are distinct. The men who made the transition from citizens to soldiers were obliged to leave behind a sense of manly competence as heads of household for a life in which they lived rough, submitted to discipline, and survived on their fighting skills and personal courage. (Nye, 417) One important note is the sense of pride that an act, such as fighting for one’s country can inflict on a man.As much as he might love and identify with his country, the citizen-soldier fought for and under the scrutiny of his comrades in arms, out of the need to defend his personal honor and that of the fatherland, or—which am ounts to the same thing—to avoid shame. (Nye, 421) Some actions, either socially, publically and in some cases privately, also perpetuate an unrealistic gender stereotype. As an example, vendors of all types market to gender-specific audiences; one of the most gendered is beer manufactures.They spend an incredible amount of effort (and money) researching gender, role and the perfect campaign to stimulate sales. Masculinity may be conceptualized as a problem because of links between hegemonic masculinity and excessive alcohol consumption, academics, health professionals, the media, and the general public should resist the urge to equate (young) masculinity with excessive alcohol consumption. (Devisser, 612) Within the humanities, human and social sciences, there is growing understanding of identity as a normative ideal that is assured through use of categories like sex, sexuality, gender, race, and ethnicity.These categories function to regulate and â€Å"develop† ident ity by including and excluding particular characteristics in relation to an assumed â€Å"normal. † (Phillips, 416) Hegemonic masculinity thus refers to the social ascendancy of a particular version of model of masculinity that operates on the terrain of common sense and conventional morality that defines â€Å"What it means to be a man,† thus securing the dominance of some men (and the subordination of women) within the sex/gender system. (Craig 190) At the most basic level, masculinity can be understood as the outward expressions of being biologically male.In this way, male (and female) behaviors are accounted for through a form of genetic and/or biological determinism. The Y Chromosome, testosterone and other hormonal influences, are seen as creating a drive toward particular behaviors in men – hunter(breadwinner), being territorial, sexual promiscuity – that are expressions of evolutionary mechanisms designed to ensure the survival of the species and the procreation of the strongest genetic pool. (Robertson, 27) The model of the male hegemonic sexuality tends to presume the idea of a male heterosexual identity. This, in turn, implies some sense of sameness, commonality, and continuity.If not actually present, the search is nevertheless at least on for an identity—a project of knowing how one is a man. (Hearn, Connell, Kimmel, 190) Another theory that has evolved is the Psychoanalytic Object Relations Theory of Masculine Identity. It helps explain that a boy’s innate and fixed maleness is inadvertently undermined by the mother’s innate and fixed femaleness that emanates from the mother in the early mother-infant relationship. This undermining occurs, according to Pollack (1995), through the mother’s unconscious and conscious dis-identifying behavior. He describes it as â€Å"more than just a subtle emotional shift. (Phillips, 409) In a related, yet quite different approach, the Self-In-Relation Theory of Men and Masculinity Development that encourages sons and fathers (or mothers and sons) so ultimately not stay connected. Although painful this necessary coming-of-age does help complete the parent role and begin the maturity of the son. According to the self-in-relation theory of masculine development, disconnection from relationship is reinforced by cultural forces. Gender role socialization and gender stereotypes, for example, pressure boys and mothers to disconnect in the name of â€Å"normal† development and achieving maleness. Phillips, 411) This pressure to define oneself as a man has been a historically difficult and painful experience. During the early portion of the industrial revolution men no longer worried only about controlling their own passions; now they were fretting that the new crowds surrounding them would put them in a straitjacket. And sadly, at least to many of them, escape was increasingly difficult. (Kimmel, 86) Therefore in many cases men had to f ind common ground among themselves. For the first time they could help identify themselves as individuals by first define themselves as a group.Gender socialization, in this theory, provides the interactional component between individual and society in gender role identity formation. (Phillips, 410) Race and Age Marginalization For some men identity definition comes about by marginalizing other minority groups. By minority I mean other races, ages, social classes, economic groups, religions, etc. By downplaying others’ images it makes the man feel stronger. By comparison a hegemonic masculinity is asserted by denigrating ‘others’ who are not present. Mullen, 152) Although seemingly subtle this assertion has put countless marginalized groups further under power and further separated from a dominant class. External appearance and physical functioning are considered reflections of the self and symbolize social status. Thus, people whose body does not comply with the ideal rank lower in the hierarchy. Specifically, whereas the young body is a central definer of the ideal person, the aged body symbolizes the unwanted and turns into a subject of collective stigma. (Mersel, 74) This case of ageism pushes a lifetime of experience and expertise aside for the sake of ego and self righteousness.Interestingly, the division between two ‘kinds’ of people is supported by opposing stereotypes. Whereas youngsters are perceived as productive, independent and dynamic, elders are regarded as non-productive, dependant and static. A similar reversal relation is found in gender traits as well. In contrast to the gendered young and middle-aged adults, older persons are conceived of as devoid of gender. (Mersel, 75) In addition to the general relationship between aging and gender, the specific intersection between aging and masculinity further deepens the interruption in the masculine key-plots.One major reason is older men’s transparency. As a result of the aging demography, older men are constructed as pre-death. (Mersel, 76) Power Over Women with Pornography Another factor to help define masculinity is the self-centered and sexual pleasure derived from pornography. Specifically from pornographic web sites since the selection is so wide for individual tastes, the availability is as ubiquitous as the Internet and privacy does not usually become an issue. No discussion of these Web sites can ignore the attempts to devalue women in text and images presented.The sites objectify women, relegate them to means for satisfying â€Å"normal† (pathological) desire, and present them as sources of financial reward. While these women are represented as interested in sex, no matter how interested or willing these women are, they remain things to be used and left for the next object-commodity. (Cook, 52) No matter the sexual preference the center of this situation is another power-over situation. Rarely has pornography been produ ced that does not provide a point of view for a dominant male.Even with B&D pornography with a female dominatrix the woman is simply performing the man’s duty with â€Å"male gaze† enabled. Sex is then no longer the source of a truth, as it was for the moderns with their strong belief in science. Instead human sexualities have become destabilized, de-centered and de-essentialized: the sexual life is no longer seen as harboring an essential unitary core locatable within a clear framework (such as the nuclear family), with an essential truth waiting to be discovered. (Hearn, Connell, Kimmel, 188)Job Identity For numerous reasons men typically use a job as a major contributing factor to their identities. It can fulfill a sense of pride, satisfaction and other purely tangible benefits which are hard to combine in other scenarios. Clearly success here can be defined as a raise, a promotion, recognition and other benefits of a defined â€Å"job well done†. When pe ople of either sex success or fail at a task they typically attribute their success or failure to some cause—their ability, effort, luck or the difficulty of the task.Which cause is attributed in a particular circumstance is a result of such factors a gender stereotypes and neurotic pressures. (Steinberg, 98) Historically airline companies portrayed the pilot as rugged, schooled in wartime flying, courageous, and loyal. Passengers were made to believe that, in the event of danger, they were in the safe hands of experienced and courageous flyers. Stories of pilot heroism and courage were repeated throughout company publicity materials. (Mills, 175) In addition, there have been notions of a hegemonic masculinity that have also been threatened by the rise of the global post-industrial economy.This has ushered in different patterns of employment, resulting in the decline of heavy industry and the increase in service-based employment leading to the progressive fragmentation of cla ss-based communities. (Mullen, 153) For the sake of pilots flying had become associated with two types of danger – combative warfare and aircraft pioneering – both of which were associated in the public mind with men. (Mills, 176) Rapid industrialization, technological transformation, capital concentration, urbanization, and immigration—all of these created a new sense of an oppressively crowded, depersonalized, and often emasculated life.Manhood had meant autonomy and self-control, but now fewer and fewer American men owned they own ships, controlled their own labor, owned their own farms. More and more men were economically dependent, subject to the regime of the time clock. (Kimmel, 82) In addition the public had started to be trained to see heterosexual imagery in corporate materials was subtle and indirect – with references to the individual male employee or passengers and â€Å"his wife†. Mills, 179) American men started to feel themselves be leaguered and besieged, working harder and harder for fewer and fewer personal and social rewards. Women have not only entered the workplace but demand entry into men’s social clubs. (Kimmel, 299) In the end some men chose their careers easily and some chose them with qualms about the manliness or the morality of their choice, but the time came when each of them â€Å"first made trial of his talents† in a profession. Many years of hard work and even more of grand dreams had been spent in preparation for this moment.Young men often felt as if an audience of friends and family watched their first efforts at success. (Rotundo, 174) Relationships with Other Men One of the most visible factors which help define masculinity is male/male friendships. Generally men’s friendships are marked by shared activities. Their talk usually centers around work, sports and sharing expertise. Men also trade complaints and concerns about women, along with talk of exploits, but most o f the time their interactions are emotionally contained and controlled. Craig, 95) Peer friendship groups may be beneficial to men in terms of mental well-being, masculine identity is often (re) affirmed in such groups through misogyny, homophobia and violence that reinforces hegemonic ideals and can result in the marginalization/subordination of others. (Robertson, 110) One could consider groups of men to be â€Å"gangs† in a purely denotation sense, due to the habits and bonds formed between members. But in addition there are actions (passages, if you will) which may include drinking alcohol in gang life.Alcohol acts as a social lubricant to maintain the solidarity of the gang and also to affirm masculinity and male togetherness. It is a significant part of a number of gang rituals: initiation, funerals and fighting between members. (Mullen, 152) The central theme of masculine leisure activity in a beer commercial, then, is challenge, risk, and mastery—mastery over n ature, over technology, over others in good-natured â€Å"combat†, and over oneself. To that end beer functions in leisure activities as it does in work: as a reward for challenges successfully overcome; it also serves another function, never explicitly alluded to in commercials.In several ways drinking, in itself, is a test of mastery. (Craig, 82) To further perpetuate these values in advertising, nature is closely associated with both masculinity and beer, as beer is presented as equivalent to nature. Often, beer is shown to be a product that is nature and pure, implying that its consumption is not harmful, and perhaps even healthy. (Craig, 83) What conclusions could someone draw from this? What lens might these ads be using to sell their products? Yet again, we see masculinity, gender identity and other values (by their filtered definition) sold along with the product.Sexual Identity When sociologists, historians, feminists, and anthropologists began to study human sexuali ty they soon realized that it was often profoundly unlike that found in other animals. Of course there is a biological substratum that connects us all to animal life, but what is distinctive about human sexuality is that it is both (a) symbolic and meaningful and (b) linked to power. (Hearn, Connell, Kimmel, 187) Despite feminist progress the majority of modern men are still focused solely on the hunt.Today American men are still doing only a fraction more of the work in the home than they were thirty years ago. (Walker, 198) Several of the major factors in sexual identity are phallus-driven (for the sake of this discussion I’ll use â€Å"penis† to mean physical and â€Å"phallus† to mean symbolic). The problem is that the phallus-self immediately refers to the penis-self and the fundamental question of Western heterosexual masculinity (â€Å"am I man enough? †) refers directly to the possession of a â€Å"man enough† penis. The problem is twofold. It reflects a failure to imagine women’s pleasures in other than penile (phallic) terms. It also makes the penis the sole bearer of the possibility for women’s pleasure. (Cook, 58) Heterosexual adolescents may experience coming to terms with their questions about conventional gender ideologies and that the struggles may be keen and unseen by others. It also opens the possibility that the salience of these questions and the ability to resolve them may occur at different times in the development for girls and for boys. Striepe and Tolman, 529) Heterosexual masculine identity is an ongoing production of self that is underpinned by an unfulfillable desire to produce a centre and to generate a self that represses the initial primary identification with the mother. In short, heterosexual masculine identity can be understood to be performed against anxiety. This anxiety is a function of the (failed) repression of femininity that is central to the production of male identity. (Cook, 48) Two principal sources may be asserted of the (phallic) anxiety that is fundamental to Western heterosexual masculinity.One is the basic psychological process of separating from the mother, which is an essential feature of Freudian psychoanalytic theory, and particularly object relations theory. The second is the anxiety caused to men by the presence of the female, both as the unknowable female body and as the feminine within the male body itself. This anxiety has been intensified by feminism. (Cook, 50) To this end there have been expected â€Å"scripts† written for both male and female roles in society. These are expected, subtly, to be played out. Deviation from these scripts can prove damaging to one’s image.An example script for girls is to please their boyfriends but not to show any signs of their own sexual desire; the punishment for straying from the script is earning a negative reputation, that is, being branded a slut. (Striepe and Tolman, 524) Like wise an example script for boys is that they should always try to have sex, fueled by the anticipation of an uncontrollable surge of testosterone, and that becoming a man means having sex with girls. (Striepe and Tolman, 524) In both cases these scripts are written with a complete male perspective with the female role witnessed with the male gaze.Marriage and Masculinity Throughout history men and women in love felt driven toward a complete and shared understanding, they set an extremely high value on candor. Candor was something that connected two people who inhabited separate sphere. It moved lovers past the stereotypes of the opposite sex and confronted them with the real people obscured by the larger images. (Rotundo, 111) Again historically by marrying, a woman lost her name, her home and in most cases, the control of her property. She surrendered her social identity and put in its place a new one; essentially, that of her husband.Much of who she was became submerged in who her husband was. (Rotundo, 134) Today men and women can chose to embrace or repel this philosophy. Modern relationships should be built on flexibility and mutual respect; not solely on cultural expectations. It’s often said that both men and women â€Å"let themselves go† after marriage. This context-specific quote can mean letting their standards down—meaning losing quality metrics, or letting their bodies go—meaning not taking care of themselves physically, mentally or spiritually.This settling down may be marked by a change in the nature of one’s embodiment. The normal everyday body may increasingly be perceived as a functional, indeterminate shape body rather than as a physical, defined shape body. (Watson, 90) Raising Children and Family Life For many men becoming a father is one of the most rewarding and most challenging parts of a man’s life. The role of father begins not at birth, but rather long before that during the relationship-buil ding phase of the family.A father’s treatment of the opposite sex, his ability to control his own emotions, and his approach to work all play a formative role in shaping his sons’ and daughters’ approach to romantic relationships and marriage, interpersonal relationships, and school and work (Rosenberg, 23) When a boy has a loving relationship with a masculine, competent and nurturing father he develops the masculine characteristics of his father and insofar as the father is representative of his culture the boy develops the behavior and attitudes appropriate for a male. (Steinberg, 75)Some recall seeing very little of their own father because of work shift patterns or longer working days. A reaction to this is to want to spend more time with their children. Evenings and weekends become time for their relationship with the children. (Watson, 91) Fathers need to take an active role in nurturing their children. Many fathers mistakenly see this as mother’s w ork. It is a valuable way men teach their children that they are loved and respected, and it helps ensure that children, especially boys, do not feel the necessity to act out to get their father’s attention.Helping a toddler brush her teeth, reading a son a nightly story (even a father with limited reading) ability can still enjoy books with his child—together, they can look at the pictures and make up a story), and bottle-feeding a hungry infant all help foster a healthy, strong tie between father and child. (Rosenberg, 40) A child’s first few years are crucial. The grandfather must tell the grandson what the child said while still a fetus in his mother’s womb. Then, he must gradually help him build a connection with his father, who will help him with the hard challenges up ahead. Walker, 81) Fathers should acknowledge their mistakes to their children. When appropriate, they should be willing to seek forgiveness from their children. A father who loses hi s temper while disciplining a child should apologize to the child. Many men view apologizing to their child as a sign of weakness that will cause the child to lose respect for the father. The opposite is true. Apologizing shows a man is capable of acknowledging and facing up to a mistake, fixing the mistake to the extent possible, and committing to moving forward—hardly a sign of weakness, much more so a sign of strength (Rosenberg, 23)Boys need structure, they need supervision, and they need to be civilized. When raised in a laissez-faire environment that is devoid of leadership, they often begin to challenge social conventions and common sense. Many often crash and burn during the adolescent years. (Dobson, 230) Children who are deprived of masculine paternal presence are more likely to become defensive and rigidly adhere to cultural role standard or to avoid the behavior expected of their gender. (Steinberg, 73) Your attitude as a parent will shape the future behavior of y our boy.If he sees you acting like a spoiled kid, yelling at the umpire or referee, taunting other players, and throwing tantrums when things go wrong, your son will behave just as badly. (Dobson, 149) When a child grows into an adolescent, he or she must be initiated into adulthood. A person who doesn’t get initiated will remain an adolescent for the rest of their life, and this is a frightening, dangerous and unnatural situation. (Walker, 84) Boys watch their dads intently, noting every minor detail of behavior and values. It is probably true in your home too. Your sons will imitate much of what you do.If you blow up regularly and insult your wife, your boys will treat their mother and other females disrespectfully. (Dobson, 69) Conclusion Based on the various factors I’ve mentioned throughout this writing you may have found both familiar and new factors which have helped shape modern US masculinity. Hopefully you have a better understanding of some of the historical context as well as some context behind masculine gender theories. Throughout this writings I’ve subtly left out portions of text which provide absolute definition and allowed a frameless framework to emerge.This allows me to portray definition without specific parameters. In addition to this you have read about some of the various intersectionalities of man: race, age, power struggle, job, relationships, marriage, and children. Clearly this is not meant to be an exhaustive list, yet it does include many highlights from my own life. Even with that knowledge in hand it was necessary to continuously mention hegemonic masculinity since it gets so little attention in modern media (sort of ironic, right? ).The other key element I felt compelled to include was marginalization of several classes (other races, aged individuals and especially women). I wanted to bring special attention to the meaning and practice of hegemony and marginalization purely for awareness. Both impact all of us either through personal experience, through family, work or education. With this knowledge I hope others will make educated choices on your future interactions with all people.