How does politics construct morality in John Fords The Man Who Shot Essay

How does politics construct morality in John Fords The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) - Essay Example This essay focuses on the argument that John Ford’s film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valencia, wants us to question validity of the true nature of political heroism and the power of written law. In the contemporary society, heroism is quite fragile and can be easily destroyed by the media. However, the dialogues between most actors in Ford’s film portray heroism as relative to the level of arrogance an individual can portray. The Man who Shot Liberty Valance sensationalizes the challenges associated with establishing political order in accordance with the rule of law. For example, Stoddard is given credit for killing Liberty Valance who had caused a lot of instability in the town through his violent actions. The wrongful credit enables Stoddard attain great political favors and he ends up a marrying Hallie, a woman who was also loved by Doniphin. Therefore, Stoddard gets fame out of an action done by Doniphon and end up taking away the woman he loved. He even ends up dying unrecognized. Therefore, the man who removed the hindrance to the developments in the town ends up unrecognized. Moreover, Stoddard confesses to a newspaper editor about the true story, the editor ignores the true story and publishes the untruthful one (Stewart, Wayne, and Miles Web). The political aspect of the film focuses on Ransom Stoddard who is considered a hero since people assume he managed to kill the dreaded Liberty Valance. However, the actual hero in the shadows of political reality is Tom Doniphon since he was responsible for the killing under question. The reality of political heroism is evident when shooting of evil Liberty Valance by a civilian is considered a depiction of heroism even in the eyes of law (Stewart, Wayne, and Miles Web). The film addresses the issue of how law shapes the political arena. The film was produced in black and white to provide the uncertainty surrounding Stoddard memories, which he is

Homeland Security Preparedness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Homeland Security Preparedness - Essay Example â€Å"The role of state and local governments as well as the nation's first responder community has been viewed largely as providing quick reaction and consequence mitigation to any attacks that occur despite the best effort of the federal system to prevent it...In fact, this image is not correct; local governments must do a great deal more than prepare for the consequence management role. In particular, they must also pay a great deal of attention to prevention efforts. To date they have not done nearly enough in this regard† (O'Hanlon, 2005). O'Hanlon recommends that state and local governments can be first responders in all arenas. The Governor's office should make sure that there is a dedicated anti-terrorism task force at the state level, and any sufficiently large cities should have an anti-terrorism task force operating out of a major crimes unit. Local miscommunication and planning was part of the slow response to 9/11. According to the 9/11 Commission Report, â€Å"[ A] 'generic' flight plan – prepared to get the aircraft airborne and out of local airspace quickly – incorrectly led the Langley fighters to believe they were ordered to fly due east... for 60 miles... the lead pilot and local FAA controller incorrectly assumed the flight plan instruction to go '090 for 60' superseded the original scramble order† (p. 27). Inadequate protocols for communication and coordination between local, state and federal authorities can have lethal consequences. Similarly, the FBI's limited terrorism response pre-9/11 was due to their being tied too closely with state and local agencies such that they were only interested in pursuing the needs of state and local areas such as organized crime and white-collar offenses (p. 74). O'Hanlon notes that state governments do not have to do everything and be everywhere. â€Å"it is not necessary to equip all three million first responders in the United States with state of the art chemical protective gear or interoperable communications systems. Equipping specialized teams within each major jurisdiction with such capabilities, and creating several mobile communications headquarters with interoperable technology, are less expensive and more quickly doable propositions. It is not necessary that every fireman’s radio can talk to every police officer’s radio; a certain number of mobile interoperable communications vans that can be quickly deployed to a problem site are a more cost-effective solution. They can allow quick coordination and cross-communication through the squad or team leaders of each type of organization (that would have been enough to save many firefighters on September 11, 2001 in New York). A large city could purchase several dozen, at $1 million each, for a reasonable cost of several tens of millions of dollars† (O'Hanlon, 2005). The Governor's Office should follow this approach. While all EMS and medical responders, police units, hospitals an d other state agencies do not need to have extensive anti-terror preparation, specialized units should and should have access to top-of-the line gear. As O'Hanlon illustrates, doing so not only is cost-effective but in any respect is often fungible to every day operations: Communications vans like the one above can also be used in major crimes like bank robberies. O'Hanlon recommends $5 billion

Commercial Casino Industry

Commercial Casino Industry Commercial Casino Industry has been occurring in United States over 75 years since Nevada legalizing it. When Chef Wolfgang initiated to out fine dining restaurant in commercial casino, this is the beginning of food and beverage revolution in industry in 1992. In 1995, American Gaming Association was created. MGM Mirage acquired Mandalay Resort Group, Harrahs Entertainment Inc. and Caesar Entertainment in 2005 and the commercial casino industry started booming and other states started legalize opening casinos since then. The international gaming industry is expanding. Many U.S. casino companies expanded or planned to expand to other countries such as Macao, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. The international casino industry tends to have rapidly growth as gross gaming revenue in Macao has been more than gross gaming revenue in Las Vegas strip since 2006. Know your enemy and know yourself, and in a hundred battles you will never be defeated. (Sun Tzus The Art of War Writings). This Chinese wisdom of warfare probably helps companies deploy a better strategy in many business situations. The MGM Mirage Inc. is the largest company in the Hotel and Casio industry by revenue in the U.S., but MGM financial statement showed that company bottom-line in debt. The company was facing bankruptcy code in the early 2010. In this project, the report had been organized and presented MGM Mirage Inc. or MGM Resorts International in 4W framework: (1) Who are we? (Company profile, Hotel and Casino industry profile), (2) Where are we? (Sophisticated tools in Management, Technology, Marketing, Financial and Accounting were used to analyze the company position with competitor in the industry.), (3)What are problems? (SWOT analysis) and (4) What are solutions? Who are we? : Know yourself MGM History The Beginning of Las Vegas Race: 2005: MGM Merged Mandalay Bay Group. MGM Profile in 2009 Organization Structure Company Strategy The MGM Mirage Inc. strategy is to generate sustainable, profitable growth by creating and maintaining competitive advantages and through the execution of our business plan, which is focused on: Owning, developing, operating and strategically investing in a strong portfolio of resorts; Operating our resorts in a manner that emphasizes the delivery of excellent customer service with the goal of maximizing revenue and profit; and Leveraging our strong brands and taking advantage of significant management experience and expertise. (Source: MGM Mirage 2010 Form 10-K) Current Operation As of 2009, the MGM Mirage reported that the company has completed control of 14 casino resorts and hold 50% of investment in 5 casino resorts. In addition, the MGM Mirage also owned 3 golf courses in Las Vegas, Mississippi and California.(Source: MGM Mirage 2010 Form 10-K) Casio Resort ( Completely owned) Nevada MGM Grand Las Vegas Mandalay Bay The Mirage Excalibur Monte Carlo Railroad Pass, Henderson Gold Strike, Jean Luxor Bellagio New York New York Circus Circus Las Vegas Other MGM Grand Detroit Beau Rivage , Biloxi, Mississippi Gold Strike Tunica ,Mississippi Casio Resort ( hold 50% in stock) Nevada City Center (Joint Venture with Dubai World) Circus Circus Reno Siler Legacy Other Borgata, Atlantic City, NJ Gran Victoia , Elgin, IL MGM Grand Macau, China Industry Analysis Industry Analysis process is an essential assessment tools for every company to deeply understand industry current trends and opportunities. In fact, company will gain a better position and achieve a competitive advantage when it truly understanding marketplace. In the complex marketplace, the U.S. government is categorized industry with 4-digits Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. In addition to SIC, the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is a new standard for the industry. The NAICS with 6-digits code contains more details than the SIC system. The purpose of SIC and NAICS are economy analysis. The MGM Mirage Inc. has been classified with SIC into three major categories: Hotels and Motels (SIC 7011), Coin-Operated Amusement Devices (SIC 7993) and Amusement and Recreation Services, Not Elsewhere Classified (SIC 7999). In addition, the MGM Mirage inc. also has been classified with NAICS into two categories: All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries and Hotels (except Casino Hotels) (713990) and Motels (721110). To thoroughly understand MGM Mirage Inc. marketplace, the hotel industry and casino industry had been analyzed. Hotels and Motels Industry (SIC 7011) The U.S. government defined a company in Hotels and Motels Industry as Commercial establishments, known to the public as hotels, motor hotels, motels, or tourist courts, primarily engaged in providing lodging, or lodging and meals, for the general public. Hotels which are operated by membership organizations and open to the general public are included in this industry. Hotels operated by organizations for their members only are classified in Industry 7041. Apartment hotels are classified in Real Estate, Industry 6513; rooming and boarding houses are classified in Industry 7021; and sporting and recreational camps are classified in Industry 7032. Recession impacts hotel industry In May 2010, Standard Poors industry report stated the hotel industry is still in an unstable condition. The industry will require a longer period to recover from the 2008 recession. Currently, the industry is operating in a difficult situation. The hotel industry is facing drastic competition that forces hotel businesses to lower room rates, which in turn results in lower profit. The data from Smith Travel Research (STR) Inc. indicated that on average the hotel industry has lost its Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) since 2008. The 2008 recession has also brought the hotel occupancy rate down from 60% to 55%. In addition, average daily roommate also dropped significantly 8.8% in 2009. Moreover, room demand dropped 6% in 2009. In contrast, the supply of rooms rose 3.2% in 2009 (refer to figure1). While the U.S. government is making their way out from 2008 recession, SPs forecasted that the hotel industry will not return to the same pre-recession level for the next eight to ten years. Real GDP helps the hotel industry in predicting room demand In the hotel industry, a high accuracy in room demand elasticity estimation provides CEO with essential information for a long term planning and deploying strategies. In 2009, the research by Dr. Hanson from Global Hospitality Group Hospitality Lawyers shows approximately a 1-to-1 relationship that holds between the U.S. Real GDP and room demand until the 2001 economic crisis. The real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total output of goods and services produced in a country and adjusted for priced change. The demand is more elastic when the greater the proportion of income spent on the good. After the 2001 recession, the demand retract and continue to grow in a slower pace when compare with the real GDP. The GDP is increasing 4 times faster than the room demand does. The 5 factors that researcher believes that might have an influence GDP and room demand relationship are: Long-term deterioration in consumer confidence, Higher consumer saving rate, consumers trying to recover lost investment, new pattern of behavior and proposed levels of tax increase affecting disposable income. Moreover, in the 2008 recession, the researcher also believes that the recession might create an additional snap back for room demand. U.S. Business and group travel The hotel industry profitability can be influenced by a demand from business travel. According to a member survey, the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) reports hotel expense represents, on average, 40% of all business travel expense. In addition, American Express stated that airfare will increase from 2% to 10% in 2011, and hotel rates will increase 1% to 10% (Paurowski, 2010). The survey also indicated that 35% of its member strongly considered optimizing hotel expense in 2011 and 50% of its member expressed concern regard increasing in expenses. Passenger Name Record (PNR) in Computer Reservation System (CRS) showed that cooperate travelers have shifted booking methods from Travel Management Companies (TMCs) to Online Travel Agency (OTA). In fact, 30% of its members stated that online hotel rates offered are lower than negotiated rates. The complementary items that are preferred by the majority corporate travelers are: complementary cocktails, free WiFi-internet ac cess and comfort. In conclusion, the demand for business and group travel will likely be for cheaper rooms at lower rates with free complementary. (Michael Boult, 2010). Domestic and international travelers Shifts in airline schedules and passenger booking have a direct impact on hotel occupancy. According to the data from Air Transport Association (ATA) 2010 annual report, the static in figure 3 shows that domestic capacity had a declining trend since 2000, and the data also showed that passenger enplaned has dropped significantly from 743 million passengers in 2008 to 703 million in 2009 reflecting a 5.3% decrease of airline industry capacity. In fact, profit margin in the airline industry has been on the negative side. Airliners cut back routes and canceled destinations. For international travelers, The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI) expect the industry growth in 2010 and gradual increase to approximately 6-9% through 2015. Five countries, excluding Canada and Mexico, that rank highest in number of visitors to the U.S. in 2010 by volume are: China (40%), Brazil (35%), Korea (35%), Hong Kong (27%), New Zealand (24%) and Australia (19%). A weakening in U.S. currency helps the hotel industry by stimulating the demand from international travelers. Medical tourism -a little hope for the hotel industry In the economic downturn, hotel industry needs a stimulant plan to boot-up its occupancy rate. In 2009, Reuters Health section provided some interesting facts about medical tourism in the U.S. The report indicated that U.S. health providers have lost 650,000 patients to hospital oversea such as Thailand, India, and Singapore. In addition, the health providers are predicted to lose as much as $67.7 billion in revenue in 2010. Oscar Goodman, Mayor of Las Vegas, foresee the opportunity for the hotel industry in Las Vegas. Mayor encourages a local business to support the idea of medial tourism. The medical tourism will be an alternative business in the area, the national public radio reported. Casio Industry Casinos are the largest revenue generator in the gambling industry. The industry provided approximately 350,000 jobs in the U.S. market. The American Gaming Association and the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) are the main organizations in the U.S. casino industry. The AGA encourages its members and their employee to be aligned with updated law and regulations. Moreover, AGA is a realizable source for a gaming industry providing gaming history, educational program, and statistic data on the Casino industry. In addition, the NIGA under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act has provided Native Americans opportunities to legally run casinos. U.S. casino trends The casino industry has been hard-hit by the recession. According to the United States department of labor, the Mass Layoff statistics (MLS) program showed that the hotel-casino industry eliminated 13,000 jobs in 2008 (Labor, 2010). The revenue trend in the casino industry has been on a downturn for the last two consecutive years. The SP expected a slow recovery from the casino industry. Las Vegas, Nevada As of 2009, the American Gaming Association reported that Las Vegas with $5.55 billion in revenue was a dominant U.S. market. According to Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), the statistic in figure 5 showed a 2.4% increase in the number of visitors from 2009. The Las Vegas Strip gaming revenue was increased by 4.3%, but the downtown area gaming revenue was decreased by -7.3% from 2009. In 2009, the 14% unemployment rate in the state Nevada plummeted the economic trail. On a carryover impact from the economic crisis in 2008, the number of attendees at conventions, and a number of scheduled conventions and number of meetings held remained on the decline with decreases of -1.1% and -6.7% respectively. According to the Las Vegas Visitor Profile, Market Segment reported by LVCVA (2009) that 76% of Casino guests were most likely to be traveling in a party of two and average stay in Las Vegas is 4 nights. Casino guests on LVCVA survey stated that 87% of visitors called the hotel-casino directly to book their accommodation. In 2010, SPs industry report estimated casino revenue on the Strip to be 35%-45% of total revenues, and the revenue from hotel rooms was 20-30% of the total revenue. A total enplaned and deplaned air passenger continued to decline. The number of air travelers accounts for 42% of all visitors. (LVCVA visitor profile: ir visitor version). The SPs report indicated strong growth from Las Vegas. Atlantic City, New Jersey The Atlantic City is a second large of the U.S. casino marketplace. The static in figure 4 shows that casinos in the area have been losing revenue -5.7%, -7.6% and 13.2% in three consecutive years. According to SP, casinos in Atlantic City are facing heavily competition from New York and Pennsylvania. Macau, China: New Era of Asia Gold rush Macau is a special administrative region of China. The CIA The World Factbook reported that, in 2006, Macaus gaming revenue surpassed that of the Las Vegas strip, and gaming-related taxes accounted for more than 70% of total government revenue. The Macau market attracted many casino operators from Las Vegas to come and establish a new home-based outside the U.S. In 2010, the profit in Macau market increased 9.7% in revenue from its loss in 2009. The gaming industry in Macau was expected to rise, but, SP reported a concern about the room surplus of 40% in 2011 and 2012. In the long-term, SP still believes that the Macau gaming industry will generate a significant profit for China. Singapore: A hidden dragon Singapore is the one of the most strategic locations in South-East Asia. According to Economy Watch and World Bank, Singapore is considered to be a very attractive country for new business. Sources in the Wall Street Journal on October 7, 2010 reported that the Marina Bay Sands project is a 8-billion dollar casino in Singapore, known to be the cleanest city in the world. The casino includes three 50-story structure with approximately 2,500 rooms; a casino, retail stores, dining and 800,000 square feet entertainment complex. The SP 2010 industry report predicted that the top five markets for Singapore casinos are: Indonesia, China, Australia, India and Malaysia. In addition, the Marina Bay Sands should have no effect on Macau market because the hotel presents a more family-orientated appeal. Legal and Regulation Internet/Online gambling Online gambling is illegal in the U.S. as of November, 2010. Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act (H.R. 2266) was introduced to congress in May 2009 by Frank, Barney (Rep). The bill is aimed to Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, which prohibits internet gambling operators from receiving money related to any online gambling that violates State or Federal law (Frank, 2010). Online gambling is also on a serious debate among AGA members regarding a safety and government regulation. The concerns regarding an online gambling are a security technology such as firewall to protect million online users. Summary Key Fact from Industry Analysis Room demand dropped because economic recession. Occupancy rate dropped because dropped in demand and increasing room surplus. Real GDP could be used as atool for the hotel industry to future demand. Business Travel booking trends changed from Travel agency to online travel agency. China is a number one inbound visitor by volume from oversea. Medical tourism could be an alternative route for simulating demand. Gaming on Las Vegas Strip continues generating profit. Atlantic City market for casino is not pleasant after loss in profit of 3 consecutive years. Macau is growing and generated more revenue than Las Vegas Strip. Singapore could be a new growing casino market in South-East Asia. Legalize an online gambling is an ongoing process. Casino Market: Oligopoly Market Competition In 2009, the casinos industry had revenue in total of $US 21.8 billion. To determine an economic competitive type of market in the industry, the company uses a four-firm concentration ratio as the indicator. The ratio is the percentage of total industry sales made by the four largest firms (Fig. 4). The four-firm ratio for the casinos industry is approximately 70%, which had created an oligopoly form of market competition. In oligopoly, one firm decision can have a direct influence on demand, price, and profit of competitor in the industry. Figure 5: Companies in the casino industry by revenue Furthermore, external assessment of the industry is a critical process for management in decision making. The Porters Five-Forces Model, competitive analysis tool, has been utilized for in-depth industry analysis. The model analysis is provided five perspectives in assessing the industry: Rivalry among competing firms, Potential entry of new competitor, Potential development of substitute products, Bargaining power of suppliers, and Bargaining power of consumers. Porters Five-Forces Model Analysis Rivalry among existing competitors: MGM : Rivalry among existing competitors : HIGH Same-size competitors High exit barrier Indifferent in product and service among competitors Table x: Threat of existing competitors The competitive atmosphere in hotel industry is high. There are a lot of competitors in industry. Furthermore, it seems that competitors compete in same dimension because in commercial casino industry, customers are not much diverse. Therefore, players in this industry found it hard to target different customers with different needs There are a lot of competitors with equal power and size. Exit barrier in commercial casino industry is high because a company invests huge amount of money, especially, building cost. Even a company wants to exit from the industry, sometimes it force to stay in because exit costs are high. Product and service in commercial casino industry are identical. Moreover, there is no switching cost for buyers. Thus, competitor might cut price to attract buyers. Fixed costs are high. In order to compete in hotel industry, a casino manager adopts revenue management. The process allows buyers to stay in same type of room in different price. Even a hotels products and service are not rapidly become outdated but competitive atmosphere in commercial casino industry is hot, therefore, companies cannot make high profit from this industry. Threat of new entrants: The threat of new entrants for hotel and motels industry is low. The industry has significant barriers to entry which include: MGM : Threat of new entrants : LOW Supply-side economies of scale Demand-side benefits of scale Customers switching costs Capital requirements Restrictive government policy Position advantages independent of size Unequal access to distribution channels Table x: Threat of new entrants Supply-side economies of scale: In commercial casino industry these economies hardly appear. Even a company built more rooms or more recreations in its casino, these economies will not appear. Moreover, the company has to carry more cost, more maintenance cost and more employees cost. Demand-side benefits of scale (network effects): These benefits occur when the numbers of buyer patronize the company. However, these benefits might not occur in commercial casino industry. In commercial casino industry, a company will find advantages in location, facilities and characteristics of personal working in direct contract with customers. Therefore, having a lot of customers patronize a company will not provide huge demand-side benefits of scale. Customers switching costs: In commercial casino industry, when customers purchase service from a casino, it is one time use. Therefore, there is no switching cost. Capital requirements: In order to enter commercial casino industry, a company needs to finance huge budget and the industry return is not attractive. Thus this industry has high barrier. Position advantages independent of size: These advantages are not depends on a companys size, incumbents can have competitive advantages that not available to competitors. These advantages in commercial casino industry can stem from locations, brand identities and service. Unequal access to distribution channels: It is not hard to establish or find distribution channels in commercial casino industry. A company could use agents or let customer books rooms via its websites. Restrictive government policy: There might be some restriction related to commercial industry such in some area government do not allow a company to build a building that higher than 2 floors or in some countries, a company has to has citizens hold more than half of a companys shares to operate in that country. In U.S., commercial casino industry is the most regulated and monitored industry. The threat of substitutes: MGM : Threat of substitutes : HIGH Competitor Table x: Threat of substitutes There are some substitutes for commercial casino such as hostels, apartments or houses. Customers can stay in hostel, apartment or houses and go to gaming or using recreation facilities at casinos. If buyers concern convenience, they might prefer casino. Because they will have maids clean their room and casinos always locate in a convenience location. If buyers concerns price, they might stay in hostel. However, if buyers concern privacy, they might prefer house. There is no cost of switching to substitute. Buyers can change to substitutes anytime if they would like. Hostels, apartments and house can be substitutes for casinos. They perform similar products and service to casinos, if you concern only hospitality part. However, there are some differences which made substitutes have huge different from hotels. Buyers have to determine trade-off between hotels and substitutes. In this industry, the threat of substitutes is not high because substitutes have too many differences in facilities and service from casinos. Thus, industrys profitability is not suffered from substitutes. The power of suppliers: If suppliers have power over a company, suppliers might set its price higher, limit quality of service and shift its cost to other parties. In commercial casino industry, a company uses wide range of different suppliers such as supplier for construction, supplier for food and beverages and supplier for hotel equipment. There is almost no monopoly in hotel suppliers. Moreover, only a few supplies that have switching cost such as securities equipment and suppliers did not differentiate their products. The company has to differentiate itself by choosing good location, providing well-maintenance facilities and providing supreme service. Furthermore, the company can easily find substitute suppliers. Therefore, the power of suppliers in commercial casino industry is low. The power of buyers: MGM : The Power of Buyer : Table x: The power of buyer There are various customers in commercial casino industry. However, there are some buyers that have ability to negotiate such as group tour. Products and service in commercial casino industry are not much different. If customers find that a hotel that they always stay in is full, they have to stay in other hotel. They have to purchase products and service in some hotel anyway. Buyers have no switch cost. If buyers want to change from a hotel to a hotel, they can just check-in to another hotel without any switching cost. Buyers cannot produce industrys product if buyers found that a hotel is too profitable. Buyers can switch to other hotels but they cannot produce it by their selves. In commercial casino industry, buyers do not stick with brands. Buyers might concerns about quality of product and service. If they find another casino that cheaper but quality and facility are same, they will switch to another casino. In sum, in commercial casino industry, buyers are relatively price sensitive. From analysis given above, buyers in commercial casino industry have high power and seem to be price sensitive. They can press companies to lower their price and can ask for more quality and service. Financial and Accounting Analysis The financial information was published annually to external and internal users. MGM Mirage Inc. financial statements had been analyzed using financial ratio analysis and information in management discussion. The median number of industry ratio in 2009 is used in this report. By the nature of hotel business, MGM contains a high fix-cost in normal business operation and profits are driven by tourism and business travel demand. MGM requires a large capital to run its hotels and casinos. In 2010, MGM is in process of development a City Center, a capital intensive driven project. The delayed of City Center project has enormous impact on MGM financial statement. Liquidity and Financial Position Credit Risk: Facing Bankruptcy As of December 31, 2009, MGM is in a weak financial position because of its indebtedness. MGM with credit rating of CCC+ operated the business with 39% on the long-term debt. The management team declared unpleasant statement about the $1.1 billion senior credit facility debt which might be defaulted on maturity date in 2010. The management suggests that MGM must extent the payback period by negotiating with their creditors. Also, management has predicted that future revenue from operation and tax refunds would help reducing MGM debt. The current and quick ratio indicated that MGM has had insufficient fund to operate its casino since 2005. With the ratio less than 1 and below the industry average in both current ratio and quick ratio, MGM has been operated on the line of bankruptcy if the company defaults on its debt. Revenue base and mix MGM primary source of revenue came from Las Vegas Strip. As December 31, 2009, the majority of MGM revenue came from three sources: casino (44%), hotel room (23%), and food beverage (23%). Casino revenue dropped 12% from 2008 and it had been on decline trends since 2007. In 2009 MGM financial statement, revenue from casino had been divided into three sub-categories: Table games (36% of total casino revenue), Slots (60% of total casino revenue), and Other revenue. The table game revenue decreased 11%, even though there is 33% increases in demand for baccarat. Sustainability of revenues and earning MGM profitability ratios are negative in 2010 and 2009 for some ratios. ROA in both 2009 and 2010 are negative. We can break ROA to net profit margin multiply total assets turnover to deepen our analyzing. Assets turnover ratio shows MGMs ability to use assets generate revenues. MGMs assets turnover ratio decreases from 2007 to 2009. Even this ratio does not decrease much during 3 year period, it made ROA go down. The main factor that has impact on ROA is net profit margin. The MGM has very low net profit margin since 2008. MGMs bad signal shows since 2008. After its net profit margin ratio plunge to -11.86% in 2008 and -21.61% in 2009 which a major factor lowing ROA. From analyzing ROA, we can see that MGM has a problem with maintaining its profit margin. MGMs revenues in 2008 are not much different from 2007, however, MGM cannot control operating expenses, operating expenses in 2007 exceeds revenues. In 2009 MGM revenues decreases by 17%, further, MGMs ability to control its operat ing expense decreased. MGMs operating expenses in 2009 is 114.65% from revenues. The major increase in operating expenses in 2008 and 2009 is property transactions. MGMs ability to fulfill its short term obligation is getting better in 2009. Both quick and current ratios go up. The reason both quick and current ratios increase because in 2009 MGM carries more cash. However, MGM debt management ratios worsen. Long term debt to equity ratio increases from 2007 to 2009 results increase in total debt to equity ratio. These ratio shows MGM has larger portion of debt compare to equity. Even MGM carries more long term debt recently; MGM has interest coverage ratio high enough to pay back its interest. But this ratio trend increase in recent year. Hotel operating statistics Strengths Strengths Various portfolios of products and services: MGM mainly operates casino resorts which include gabling, hotel, restaurant, entertainment and retail. The main operation is in Las Vegas, Nevada, the world famous gambling and entertainment center. Properties in Las Vegas include CityCenter (50% owned), Bellagio, MGM Grand Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Luxor, New York-New York, Excalibur, Monte Carlo and Circus Circus LasVegas. MGM operates outside Las Vegas includes casinos in Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey and Illinois. Not only operate in U.S. but MGM also own 50% MGM Grand Macau ownership. Because each MGMs casino offers different theme, amenities such as restaurants, spas, private gaming and swimming pool facilities ;and difference pricing to target each customer segment, MGM enjoy competitive advantages over competitors. Moreover, MGM is continuously reinvesting in its business to keep this competitive advantage. Strengths-Strong Brand Recognition: MGM operates in tourism and leisure sectors which are gaming, hospitality and entertainment in two continental. MGM offers different casino for different segment, therefore, casinos brand that are operated by MGM are recognized by people all around the world. Moreover, Forbes Travel Guide bestowed AAA five-diamond awards to Bellagio and MGM Grand in 2010. Strengths-Location: MGM has properties in the top destination for traveler to go for gaming and entertainment. MGM has 10 casinos in Las Vegas, the world largest gaming and entertainment center and has MGM Grand Macau in Macau, the world second largest gaming and entertainment center. The reason behind this selection, these two places are the major tourism destination not only for gaming activities but also n

Image Analysis Program :: essays research papers

Purpose: to become familiar with the image analysis program and to develop an understanding to the size and age of planetary nebulae Procedure The first part of the experiment involved using a picture of a church and back round to understand different pixels, ADU, zoom, and how to get the (x,y) coordinates. We then took this brief understanding of pictures and applied it to the stars. We loaded a picture of nebulae m42. After this we needed to calculate the average number of stars or solar masses. We found the (x,y) coordinates of a position in the center of the nebulae and on the edge of the nebulae. We used the following distance formula to find the distance between the points. After this calculation the answer in pixels needed to be converted to arc seconds for use in the small angle formula where 1 pixel approx. = 3 arc seconds. We now could use the small angle formula to find the actual radius in pc. Where d is the radius D is the distance from the Earth in pc and theta is the value we had just found out in arc seconds. After the calculation we needed to convert pc to meters so we used the calculation factor of 1pc=3*10^16m Now we needed to find the density. Density was figured out by multiplying the majority substance in the nebulae (hydrogen) per cubic m^3 by the mass of hydrogen in kg, which gave us the formula We then had the info we needed to find the mass of the nebulae. We calculated this by using a spherical shape for ease of calculation. We used the following formula where m is the mass p is the density and r is the radius found above from the small angle formula (d). Now that we had the amount of mass we needed to find the solar masses so we divided the mass of the nebulae by one solar mass unity in the following equation. Our next part of this lab was to find the age of the nebulae m57 . We used the same formula and procedure as before to find the radius of the star. The distance from Earth was given to us to complete the small angel formula. We then needed to convert from the au to km by the following equation. We were told the expansion of the nebulae to be 20 km/s and assumed this had been going on since the birth of the nebulae for simplicity of calculation.

Case study on electronic company Essay

ABSTRACT †¢ There was a electronic gadgets manufacturing organization wanted to launch a device which measure blood pressure at home with fixed price at Rs. 3000 per piece. This firm had no proper channel of distribution. This device help a person to measure his blood pressure at any place whether in home or office without having to visit the doctor. By availability of this product it save the time. The company made cold list and hot list of the people which were below and above 45yrs of age have the income more than Rs. 15000. Company released the coupons in two leading business paper in Bombay and asked to the individual to fill the printed coupons and send it to within 10 days to get a free booklet on management of blood pressure. The coupons consists of name, age, income, profession, residential area and details of any health related problems were to be filled in. Most of the people who responded were suffering from blood pressure , obesity and heart related problems. A cold list of about 5000 individuals was generated but only 3500 respond to that. Another method adopted by the company is to get a list of credit card holder from the different banks. Company sorted out the names of persons who were above the age of 40 yrs and which occupy senior executive position in private or public organization. Company offered those people brochure and a personal letter for free demonstration of products. Company have logistics problems.

Cybercrime: Crime and Online Protection Act

Therisa Knapp Criminal Justice Week 4 paper November 10, 2012 Cybercrime I feel that cybercrime is any illegal actions using computers. The use of computers is basically a gateway for identity theft in my opinion. By using computers criminals have it easier to pull off scams and schemes to profit off of victims’ hard earned money. Any business transactions being done over the internet is perhaps at risk. After reviewing the slideshow presentation in week fours learning activity I learned that cybercrime is the theft and destruction of information, resources, or funds by way of computers. Siegel, Introduction to Criminal Justice, 2011) There are three types of cybercrimes; cyber theft, cyber vandalism, and cyber welfare. Cybercrime is increasing in the United States. Cyber theft involves the use of computer networks for criminal profit. (Siegel, Introduction to Criminal Justice, 2011) In learning more about cyber theft I was surely surprised of some examples mentioned. Some exa mples of cyber theft are: †¢Computer fraud †¢Pornography and prostitution †¢Denial of service attacks †¢Copyright infringement †¢Identity theft Internet securities fraud (Siegel, Introduction to Criminal Justice, 2011) I had no idea that pornography and prostitution was mentioned along with copyright infringement. The second cybercrime mentioned is cyber vandalism. Cyber vandalism is a malicious attacks, disrupting-defacing, and destroying technology. This crime is motivated by malice not greed. (Siegel, Introduction to Criminal Justice, 2011) Some examples of cyber vandalism are: †¢Virus-worms †¢Trojan horses †¢Web defacement †¢Cyber stalking †¢Cyber bullying Siegel, Introduction to Criminal Justice, 2011) Learning these examples I had never given a thought of cyber stalking and cyber bullying would have been included in vandalism. I would have thought that there was maybe a cyber-harassment for a cybercrime. The final type of cyber crime is the cyber welfare. Cyber welfare is a series of politically motivated attacks designed to compromise the electronic infrastructure of an enemy nation and disrupt its economy. One serious example is hacking sensitive computer networks. (Siegel, Introduction to Criminal Justice, 2011)The extent of cybercrime in the United States is far reaching as coast to coast and border to border. Where ever there are computers, networks, internet, and people; there is a possibility of cybercrime happening to not only private individuals doing business transactions but businesses themselves. I think that one way to control cybercrime is if a person is intent on purchasing items over the internet, then that individual should purchase a Visa/MasterCard and load the money onto it. This way ones bank account would not be affect them. Perhaps the Federal Government should impose a law to use loadable credit cards to control the cybercrimes.I certainly do think enforcement can be effective becau se if the Federal Government imposes the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998, and the Child Online Protection Act, (Siegel, Introduction to Criminal Justice, 2011) then the Federal Government has the power to enforce these acts. The Federal Government needs to let the public be aware of these â€Å"Acts† and the consequences that they bare and strongly enforce them. Cybercrime can defiantly destroy lives. Criminals benefit from pulling off scams and schemes.The three types of cybercrime can be devastating especially in the United States. The economy is in dire straits and Americans’ work hard for their money and cannot afford to have such a crime committed against them. Reference Siegel, W. (2011). Introduction to Criminal Justice. Therisa, I am glad that you made an attempt to complete this assignment. Cybercrime is on the rise in the US and it seems that the criminals have an upp er hand in this activity. You did a good job in this assignment, keep up the good work. You should not being or end a paragraph with a reference.Your first sentence should be your introduction sentence, what is your paragraph going to discuss. Your last sentence should be your conclusion or transition sentence to the next paragraph, all in your own words. You should put the in-text citation after the information you use to signify that the material is from a resource. This was addressed in my written directions and checklist. There is some good APA information under Doc Sharing. If you need any help in your writing there are some resources that the school can offer you. You can also get help from your instructors if you ever have any questions. SCORE: 54/55 Related post: Snatch Theft Essay

Effective Ways to Overcome Postnatal Depression While Studying

Effective Ways to Overcome Postnatal Depression While Studying Postpartum depression can be a serious condition that mothers who have recently given birth may face. Being a new mother in school can be challenging enough, but if symptoms of postpartum depression occur, it can be even more stressful. What Is Postpartum Depression? Postpartum depression is a condition that can develop anywhere from three weeks to a year after the birth of a child. Symptoms include: feelings of sadness hopelessness loss of appetite urge to sleep all the time inability to practice self-care difficulty performing simple tasks trouble with focusing and loss of memory anxiety and feelings of guilt over not being able to bond with or care for your baby If you are experiencing these symptoms, know that you are not alone: about 1 in 7 mothers experience postpartum depression. Postpartum depression can be brought on by a number of factors. The sudden drop in hormones after the birth of a child can lead to depression. Being in a stressful environment or experiencing relationship strain between you and the child’s father may lead to depression. How to Overcome Postpartum Depression? If you’re in school and experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression, here are some things you can do to get help and alleviate symptoms. #1 See a Doctor The first thing you should do any time you’re feeling depressed, regardless of whether or not it’s due to postpartum is to talk to a doctor or psychologist. They can help you work through the emotions you’re feeling and build a plan for how to cope with them. Getting professional help can also take a lot of the burden off of you to get better on your own. You will still have to do your part and participate as well as you can in the sessions, but allowing someone who is an expert in this subject to take the reins can be a huge relief to a lot of new mothers. #2 Keep the Journal It can be helpful to write your thoughts down in a journal, even if there are painful thoughts. Having a place to express your feelings and let things out can also help you organize your thoughts. You may also do some journaling exercises that help you think positive thoughts like write down things you’re grateful for or writing down activities you look forward to doing with your baby. #3 Talk to Your Advisor Don’t be afraid to talk to the staff at school, particularly your advisor. If you don’t have a close relationship with your advisor, but you do with another professor, don’t hesitate to reach out and let them know you’ve been struggling with postpartum depression. You may be able to negotiate some of the workload or come up with a plan to help support you in this process. #4 Reach Out to Friends Friends and loved ones are there for a reason, and that’s to enjoy the good times and stick by you in the challenging ones. Accept help when it’s offered and ask for it when you need it. Many of your friends will be relieved to be able to be of use to you, especially when they see you’re struggling. Let them babysit your baby while you get a massage or a hair-cut or go for a walk by yourself. Organizing the time and a support team that allows you to perform self-care can help to alleviate feelings of stress and pressure. #5 Eat Well As a new mother, your body needs nutrients to recover from the stress of carrying a child and going through the birthing process. Foods like salmon contain DHA which, in addition to being healthy for your baby if you are breastfeeding, can also help prevent postpartum depression. However, because salmon also contains mercury, it’s advisable to limit its consumption to 12 ounces or two servings a week. Other foods such as low-fat dairy, lean beef, legumes, blueberries, brown rice, oranges, eggs, whole-wheat bread, leafy greens, whole-grain cereal and lots of water can all contribute to a healthy and energetic body and mind. #6 Exercise Exercise may be the last thing you want to do when you’re experiencing postpartum depression, but it can be one of the greatest tools to help you feel better. Exercise is an important part of your health and self-care and making time for it can greatly improve your self-esteem and boost energy levels. Simple exercises like walking, sit-ups, kegels, cat/cow pelvic tilts can help you tone and stretch parts of your body. You can also do workouts with your baby which are convenient when you want to work out but can’t find a sitter. They can be a fun way to bond with your baby. Take advantage of your school’s nursery (if they have one) and hit the gym as often as you can. #7 Join a New Mom’s Group New mothers have a lot in common and joining a new mom’s group can help you to make new friends, learn that you’re not alone in what you’re going through and give you resources on how to alleviate some of the challenges you’re experiencing. Feeling alone can really trigger depression and joining a group helps you to know you’re not alone. #8 Consider Switching to Online Though new mothers can absolutely be successful students on campus, sometimes it can be a challenge that feels too overwhelming. If you feel self-conscious about your body or weight, or it’s difficult for you to breast-feed among your peers or your class schedule feels overwhelming, an online course could provide relief from some of those things. If switching to online, make sure you still maintain contact with friends and family members. Isolation will only increase the feelings of depression. For studying mothers, postpartum depression can be a difficult challenge that can feel debilitating. However, taking certain actions such as talking to a psychologist, journaling your feelings, talking to your advisor or other trusted professor, reaching out to friends and loved ones, eating well, getting some exercise, joining a new mom’s group and possibly switching to an online course can all help to alleviate the effects of postpartum depression.

Business Proposal Project and Macroeconomic Policy and Implications

Business Proposal Project and Macroeconomic Policy and Implications University of PhoenixEconomics in Health CareBusiness Proposal Project and Macroeconomic Policy and ImplicationsIn recent weeks the administration along with the Board of Directors voted to expand the holdings. After viewing several localities and considering a multitude of business ideas, the decision was made to invest in an urgent care center. The locality was selected when discussions turned to the International market. Foreign investment was one of the requirements. Several of the doctors have spent time in Italy, had developed a fondness for the city of Genoa.A closer look at the pros and cons of doing business in a foreign country brought about a desire to build a medical urgent care center and move forward with the plans for expansion of holdings. As reported by the web page on Italian-American citizenship, Italy has an affordable health care system and a high standard of medical assistance. Italian doctors are well trained and very passionate about their profession, and the private hospitals are comparable with any throughout the world.English:The National Health System of Italy, called the Servizio Sanitarioi Nazioanale (SSN), (Italian American Citizenship, 2009) offers inexpensive health care to all European citizens. The center administration feels is a good fit for this type of market.Cost to Patients and ReimbursementItaly stands with regard to current health care charges in order to anticipate what price to relate to urgent care services. Urgent care is not common for private facilities in Italy and is usually offered at public health care locations (United States Diplomatic Mission to Italy, 2007).In order to determine how reimbursement will be obtained it is important to look at the both the National Health System (NHS), private insurance, and private pay. The urgent care center will be required to undergo credentialing of staff in order to become eligible...

5 Ways to Shake It Up Without Changing Careers

5 Ways to Shake It Up Without Changing Careers Feeling stifled? Desperate for a major change? Want to chase your dream to another continent, or to another career altogether? Feel any or all of those desires, but realize with a pang that you simply can’t just up and totally change your career? There are still ways you can get back in a groove and get excited about your job again without throwing the baby out with the bathwater.Try these five strategies first before decided on changing careers.1.  Start from withinIf things are really stale, you always have two options that aren’t the nuclear one. First, you can change your role within your own industry. Or, you can keep your job but change to another field. Try switching from corporate law to entertainment law. Or from serving and bartending to managing. Or from at-home nursing to ER nursing. These feel like big changes, but they don’t involve scrapping your entire career!2. Try your hand at consultingThis word covers quite a bit of ground. The nutshell of t his strategy is to figure out what you know because of your career so far and figure out who needs that knowledge and skill. Could you teach? Develop textbooks or manuals or training guides? Recruit? This keeps you squarely in your wheelhouse, where you’ve been successful, but doesn’t require you to learn a whole new set of skills.3.  Think about how your role could changeThere’s always the option of sticking with your current company, but changing jobs within it. Have a think about your colleagues- is there anything they do that you think would be more fulfilling to you? Ask questions. Chat with your boss about shifting your responsibilities and taking on new challenges. Figure out what you need to brush up on and prove- if only to yourself- that you can learn new things.4. Find joy in extracurricularsSo maybe you can’t change even your job in a significant way, for whatever reason. You can still do more, and different, things! Try volunteering, or tak e a guest bartending gig, or start a blog, or join forces with friends or colleagues to work for a foundation. Doing a bit of good in the world, or a bit of freelance work, can give you the breath of fresh air you need to put your work in better perspective.5. Keep honoring that little voiceMaybe you’ll follow these strategies and still can’t deny that overwhelming desire to chuck it all and do something totally different with your life. If that voice just won’t go away, no matter what else you do or how you tweak the margins, that might be the sign you need. Check in with yourself from time to time and see how you feel. You’ll know when it’s time to light the match.Five Easier Alternatives to Totally Changing Careers

Operation Systems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Operation Systems - Research Paper Example Basically, it functions like most OS’s—it processes, stores, and transfers data. Probably the reason why UNIX is no longer so popular these days is that it was developed a long time ago: 1969, years before the development of the Internet, the network system which made computers a virtual companion to daily life. It was developed that year when a group of Bell Labs programmers decided that they needed an OS that is fast, easy-to-use, and versatile (Wagner 8). UNIX is significant in the history of information technology because developers of the Internet used it in making their communications system (Williams and Sawyer 150). Williams and Sawyer note that several programs were developed from UNIX. Among them are Solaris (from Sun Microsystem) and BSD (developed by students from University of California, Berkeley) (150). DOS is often fondly called â€Å"the old-timer† (Williams and Sawyer 147). DOS, which stands for disk operating system, was initially developed by Microsoft in 1982. Although it is difficult to use, it became a popular operating system because of the popularity of Microsoft computers (Williams and Sawyer 147). DOS was the main operating system for Microsoft before Windows (â€Å"What is DOS?†). Its quick decline in popularity after the introduction of Windows can be attributed to its simplicity and incapability for multitasks. It is still, however, present in the current Windows operating systems and can be used to control both software and hardware. Before it became irrelevant to desktop computing, MS-DOS was a successful OS (though some argue that it is, technically, not an OS). It had 17 versions in all, the last released in 1997 as MS-DOS 7.1 (â€Å"MS-DOS History†). Users can perform a number of computer tasks by entering commands on the MS-DOS command prompt available in the Windows OS. Among these commands are comp, for comparing files; deltree

Client Architect Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Client Architect Architecture - Essay Example According to Duffy and Hutton, a very important issue regarding the identification of the architect’s relation with his client is the definition of the knowledge which the former has to obtain in order to proceed to a successful co-operation with the latter. This knowledge, however, has to be analyzed and distinguished from the other ones of its kind as it refers to different area of interest. More specifically Duffy and Hutton state that: ‘Knowledge is our only real source of power, our only real lever to achieve change’. It is also noticed that ‘architectural knowledge is quite different from other forms of knowledge’. They also examine possible ways of ‘development, application and transmittal of this special kind of knowledge’ and they admit that ‘the possession of this knowledge gives architects both an intellectual duty and a practical imperative’(Duffy, Hutton, 1998, 152) The relation between the architect and the client as been created and formulated on the basis of an existed commercial activity (the creation and delivery of a building-related project) can be characterized as an action of public relations from the architect’s side and moreover as a chance for developing a marketing strategy with the aspect of cultivating the existed order and prepare the field for more areas of co-operation with the specific client (i.e. a kind of ‘reservation’ of the client regarding his current or future needs for architectural work).

An Evaluation of the Impact of Sales Representatives on International Dissertation

An Evaluation of the Impact of Sales Representatives on International Business - Dissertation Example This dissertation is a qualitative analysis of the value of this method of business management. It discusses findings in the form of revenue and profit charts of the selected company, and analyses those findings in light of the restructuring of the company business policy by the incorporation of sales representatives as marketing agents. It concludes by presenting recommendations on the measures that could be adopted to improve the impact and efficiency of sales representatives across the world, by highlighting and studying the challenges that the representatives might face in the field. Through this dissertation, it is recommended that instead of relying solely on one technique of international business dealing, the multi national companies should employ a combination of techniques so that the limitations of one are compensated for by the advantages of the other; in this case, such combination would be that of using sales representatives along with retail and departmental stores for international business. ... †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 23 3.2: Findings†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 24 3.3: Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 40 Chapter 4: Advantages and Limitaitons†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 43 4.1: Advantages of Sales Representatives†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 43 4.2: Limitations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 48 4.2a: Limitations of the study†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 48 4.2b: Limitations of the method†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 50 Chapter 5: Recommenda tions and Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦... 54 5.1: Recommendations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 54 5.2: Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 63 Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 67 List of Tables Table Page Number 3.2.1: Revenue divisions of Avon†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 26 3.2.2: Fourth quarter revenue and profit Avon†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 27 3.2.3: Total and net global expenses of Avon†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 30 3.2.4: Zonal revenues and profits of Avon†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..39 List of Figures Figure Page Number 3.2.1: Overall percentage trend in total revenue and operating profits†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 33 3.2.2: Percentage trend in total revenue and operating profits in Latin America†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 34 3.2.3: Percentage trend in total revenue and operating profits in North America†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 35 3.2.4: Percentage trend in total revenue and operating profits in Central and Eastern Europe†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 36 3.2.5: Percentage trend in total revenue and operating profits in Western Europe, Middle East, and

Retail Theatre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Retail Theatre - Essay Example enticing when the front stage, backstage, the script, roles, the setting, the light effects, and the characters all blend together to stage a play with a unique theme (Baron, Harris & Harris, 2001). Retailers have been trying to create theatre environments that involve opportunities for audience participation and interaction. This metaphor has been used by retailers to gain competitive advantage and as a means of differentiation in the highly competitive market place. However, a theatre has a very elite and specific audience whereas the retailers are trying to create a variety of customer responses and reactions. To what extent this metaphor is justified depends on the benefits that both the retailer and the customers derive. Pine and Gilmore point out that the use of ‘theatre’ was not metaphorical. They use theatre in the sense that â€Å"work is theater† not â€Å"work as theater† (Harris, Harris & Baron, 2003). A retail theatre is considered to be a fun experience aimed at creating excitement. There are certain retail themed environments which employ retail theatre concepts to encourage the consumers to animate the theme. Baron, Harris and Harris (2001) discuss about four different theatrical settings and it has been found that many retailers are actually using such settings to enhance the customer experience and encourage customer participation. In theatrical realism the audiences are voyeurs as they feel that they are looking into their own private world and they observe a very personal situation. Many retailers have been trying to implement this concept. Niketown creates a setting in which the physical exercise and sporting environment allow the customer to become engaged in the shopping activity (Sands, Oppewal & Beverland, 2009). Computer retailers such as Apple have also embraced this concept of realistic settings and have benefited in terms of increased sales and positive word of mouth. Warner Brothers, the sports retailer has set up a video screen

Ethical issues in packaging practices, Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethical issues in packaging practices, - Essay Example Conventionally, the concept of ethical packaging is associated with green packaging. This can be attributed to the fact that environmental health and safety and preservation of natural resources are among the prime agendas of scientists and researchers in the present age. However, the concept of ethical packaging includes and extends beyond green packaging. Ethical packaging can be defined as a packaging that, in short, complies with the moral standards. While certain moral standards are shared by people in all sorts of cultures, there are others that change from one culture to another. One of the ethical issues in packaging is the pictures of models on the covers. This is particularly an issue in the Muslim countries. Muslim countries make a considerable portion of the consumers. In order to make a product successful in particularly some of the more conservative and orthodox Muslim countries, it is imperative that the products do not have pictures of models over their packages with any level of nudity. While this is generally not a matter of concern in the Western countries, such a packaging is not consistent with the values and teachings of Islam. The fundamental purpose of showing models over the packaging is marketing of the products. If the features of packaging offend the consumers in any way, the sole purpose of putting the models on packaging is lost. Ethical packaging constitutes green packaging given the rapid depletion of natural resources in the present age. In addition to the depleting natural resources, environmental pollution is increasing steadily with the growth of industrialization. This imparts the need for packagers to identify alternate materials with which to pack the products. Traditionally, products are packed in plastic bags. However, their difficulty of decomposition compared to paper bags makes the latter, a more environment-friendly option when it comes to packaging. But using a paper bag in place of a plastic bag has its own implica tions since it is not as strong and durable a carrier as a plastic bag is. Besides, most of the paper is recycled and the chemicals used to recycle the paper contaminate the products packaged in them. This is particularly a matter of concern for food items. When Oakland placed a ban over the use of plastic bags in general and Styrofoam food packaging in particular (Zamora, 2006), plastic manufacturers sued the city in response. According to The Coalition to Support Plastic Bag Recycling, the city did not do adequate research on the repercussions of the ban. Plastic manufacturers sued not on the grounds that their profits might be sabotaged, but instead on the grounds of environment, claiming that paper is no less harmful for the environment than plastic. The jewelery industry provides an example of how ethical packaging can be made more responsible and attractive for the consumers. Jewelery industry has started making socially responsible packaging by raising the bar on the practice s of ethical business. For example, Responsible Jewelery Council is a UK-based organization that has established international standards across the supply chain so as to introduce practices that are responsible socially, environmentally, and ethically in a transparent manner (Cohen, 2013). The movement of ethical jewelery is pervasive as it affects the method of production and

Software Tools for Qualitative Research Assignment

Software Tools for Qualitative Research - Assignment Example The latest version is the NVivo 10 designed to interact with social media platforms (Bazeley & Jackson, 2013). NVivo is able to preserve styles in their original documents forms including documents in non-English language. NVivo has containers called nodes, which can be assigned demographic data or attributes of features (Bazeley & Jackson, 2013). According to Bazeley & Jackson (2013), the nodes can further be rearranged in hierarchies, or be merged with similar nodes to form a single node for general representation. The occurrence of multiple sources which share common characteristics can also be grouped together to form various distinct classifications (Bazeley & Jackson, 2013). Schà ¶nfelder (2011) wrote that demographic information such as gender and age can be easily imported from external sources in form of text file or spreadsheet formats. NVivo10 further integrates automatic connection to face book, twitter, and LinkedIn datasets for the purposes of patterning data (Bazeley & Jackson, 2013). Bazeley & Jackson (2013) further added that, the package also has querying tool, which can be used to interrogate qualitative data to test theories or generate new information. With NVivo10, one can run dynamic modelling system to represent a project in real time or capture the project at a specified point in time using the static model (Flick, 2009). MAXQDA was developed from winMAX software tool, which had been designed in late 80s (Schà ¶nfelder, 2011). With MAXQDA, one is able to create and import texts in rich text format (Schà ¶nfelder, 2011). Referring to Flick (2009), MAXQDA software tool is able to extract text document from the internet by just dragging the documents from the websites and dropping them on the programs interface. Most objects and documents can also be imported in the form of embedded objects of the file

Ethical issues in packaging practices, Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethical issues in packaging practices, - Essay Example Conventionally, the concept of ethical packaging is associated with green packaging. This can be attributed to the fact that environmental health and safety and preservation of natural resources are among the prime agendas of scientists and researchers in the present age. However, the concept of ethical packaging includes and extends beyond green packaging. Ethical packaging can be defined as a packaging that, in short, complies with the moral standards. While certain moral standards are shared by people in all sorts of cultures, there are others that change from one culture to another. One of the ethical issues in packaging is the pictures of models on the covers. This is particularly an issue in the Muslim countries. Muslim countries make a considerable portion of the consumers. In order to make a product successful in particularly some of the more conservative and orthodox Muslim countries, it is imperative that the products do not have pictures of models over their packages with any level of nudity. While this is generally not a matter of concern in the Western countries, such a packaging is not consistent with the values and teachings of Islam. The fundamental purpose of showing models over the packaging is marketing of the products. If the features of packaging offend the consumers in any way, the sole purpose of putting the models on packaging is lost. Ethical packaging constitutes green packaging given the rapid depletion of natural resources in the present age. In addition to the depleting natural resources, environmental pollution is increasing steadily with the growth of industrialization. This imparts the need for packagers to identify alternate materials with which to pack the products. Traditionally, products are packed in plastic bags. However, their difficulty of decomposition compared to paper bags makes the latter, a more environment-friendly option when it comes to packaging. But using a paper bag in place of a plastic bag has its own implica tions since it is not as strong and durable a carrier as a plastic bag is. Besides, most of the paper is recycled and the chemicals used to recycle the paper contaminate the products packaged in them. This is particularly a matter of concern for food items. When Oakland placed a ban over the use of plastic bags in general and Styrofoam food packaging in particular (Zamora, 2006), plastic manufacturers sued the city in response. According to The Coalition to Support Plastic Bag Recycling, the city did not do adequate research on the repercussions of the ban. Plastic manufacturers sued not on the grounds that their profits might be sabotaged, but instead on the grounds of environment, claiming that paper is no less harmful for the environment than plastic. The jewelery industry provides an example of how ethical packaging can be made more responsible and attractive for the consumers. Jewelery industry has started making socially responsible packaging by raising the bar on the practice s of ethical business. For example, Responsible Jewelery Council is a UK-based organization that has established international standards across the supply chain so as to introduce practices that are responsible socially, environmentally, and ethically in a transparent manner (Cohen, 2013). The movement of ethical jewelery is pervasive as it affects the method of production and

Internet Marketing †Acquisition and Retention Essay Example for Free

Internet Marketing – Acquisition and Retention Essay The methods of conducting business have really changed as the impact of globalization has causes several flexibilities and easiness in our lifestyles and daily life. Many businesses find it costly to open it in a physical location and expanding through outlets, which often does not target large audience. Therefore, many businesses are starting through internet where they can target customers from all over the world, market their products or services easily and economically, and get payments right away. Not only this, those businesses that do not operate virtually and have physical locations are finding it more effective and financially beneficial to market their products through internet, and that what is called Internet Marketing. Internet marketing also contains the elements of Direct Marketing, where the promotion of products is done online such as, websites (ResearchStarters, 2008). It does not mean that when businesses are started online they would always save costs and be successful; in fact, many businesses fail due to several factors and one significant of them is poor marketing strategies. Of course, the consumers would not have any idea that a new business has started that for instance, sells soccer jerseys, through its website. The target market should have to be made aware of that business, the products, new offers/deals, customer value, feedback, etc. Therefore, all this requires the business to use effective marketing tools and strategies where it can convey the message to the audience, impress them, convince them to purchase, and provide feedback. Businesses can use online marketing strategies such as, designing websites that grab the attention of the customers at first sight, force them to explore, make them realize that they are everything for the company, provide them with ease in shopping online, and let them give a chance to give a feedback. Moreover, businesses can also use the strategy of mass-emailing to the customers or potential customers whether they are individuals or other entities. Placing ads on popular and most-visited websites is another strategy but is quite expensive. And finally, the use of social networking websites such as, Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, is lucrative since it is inexpensive and targets wide range of audience. Customer Acquisition and Retention There is absolutely no doubt about the fact that it takes a business much more to spend in acquiring new customers than to retain the old or present customers. The reason being that the acquisition of new customers require the business to conduct market research, target them in a new way, shape the products or services according to their needs, reposition the brand that might damage it, and shape the marketing strategies accordingly. These all result in occurring more and more costs for the company; whereas, retaining old or present customers is quite prolific since they have already tried the products, have an image for it, know the company and its reputation, and most importantly can result in promoting them through word-of-mouth. Other marketing strategies for retaining such customers include offering them membership programs, building good relationships with them, increasing the contact with them, asking them for feedback about whether they are satisfied or not, enhancing support for them, and making them realize that they are part of the database and are given importance (Hughes, 2010). Moreover, retention of customers require the company to reshape and bring innovative features and qualities in their products to make those dormant customers restart buying the products if they have stopped to. There is a rule called 80/20 rule, which means that 80% of the revenue comes from 20% of the loyal customers. Therefore, businesses should not feel bothered if they have to invest more on those customers because they are providing them with more sales. So, companies can conduct sales promotion activities or other marketing campaigns for rejuvenating them and milking them. Also, when businesses get to know that their certain customers have stopped buying the products, they should conduct surveys where they should ask the customers what were the reason due to which they stopped buying, what flaw they saw in it, what improvements they want, etc (Businessfast4ward, 2010).

Globalization: The Homogenization Of Cultures

Globalization: The Homogenization Of Cultures The increased integration of humanity beyond the national borders is compressing the world into an interdependent global village. Today, many equate the process of globalization with the promotion of interests of the West, whose hegemony is propagated through the idea of liberalism. As a result of the Western superior power and cultural imperialism, the so-called Third World countries feel compelled to admit their superiority and subsequently to acculturate themselves, accepting the Western way of life as a norm. The greatest consequence of this is homogenization of cultures and the loss of identity in the process of implementing Western ideologies. Today, the world we live in is taking part in the process of an increased integration through the movement of people and goods. The growing development of communication makes the unification of the entire globe seem as something completely natural. Globalization of our societies and every day lives à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ However, the question that is being imposed upon us is whether this compression of the world into one global society means that the world is being enriched and unified, or will it be torn apart by nations self-interest conflicts in the battle for preservation of their identities? The wide variety and diversity of our cultures and identities has always been, without a doubt, a part of who we are. Societies and cultures learn how to grow and prosper through overlapping and borrowing from each other. Some would argue that cultures should not be perceived as individual, but that they need to be examined in a more general way, since they constantly change and evolve. Cultures stopped being related to a mere geographical area and its society; nowadays, they are linked to the contemporary time that they exist in, as well as to the entire globe. Thanks to the process of globalization, today we have unique emerging cultures, such as Internet culture, artists culture, culture of the young people from around the world and others that are becoming a part of a universal set of values and ideas, turning the world into one global culture. However, while this unification of cultures has its benefits, at the same time it brings along the risk of an intercultural and identity-related conflict. For some people, their culture is everything that makes them who they are, it is an essential part of their identity. For example, in a case of a possible dispute between cultures that have confronting views and prejudice against each other, their people will hold on strongly to their national identity and culture, because they feel intimately related to it and see it as their protection. In an effort to preserve ones culture, language or religion, people very often become involved in conflicts. Most importantly, these conflicts becomes aggravated by the consuming influence of biased media Furthermore, as a result of negative stereotypes, different cultures may view each other as alien and threatening and can lead to a clash of civilizations, as Huntington refers to it.FOOTNOTE NEEDED Additionally, an increased interaction between cultures can lead to the creation of a unified culture imposed by the more influencing and dominating one. Therefore, this would lead to the homogenization of the world. This brings around cultural imperialism as an inherent part, as well as a product of the overall process of imperialism, where one country with dominant economy, culture and policy has control over others. This causes the local cultures, especially those in the so-called Third World countries, to be exploited and challenged by the dominant, most often Western values. Unsurprisingly, this comes as an effect of many centuries during which West had the chance to establish its dominance in the world. Cultural imperialism occurs when one culture is presented in such a manner that is seems undeveloped and non-modern when compared to another. Accordingly, the dominant cultures standards and norms become gradually accepted by the locals who believe in its superiority. This is why some intellectuals equate globalization with the Western imperialism; they argue that the West is imposing its ideas of liberalism onto the rest of the world through the process of globalization and therefore ensuring and reaffirming its hegemony. Instead of physically colonizing the rest of the world, the West has chosen more subtle means of propagating its ideas. The spread of Western, namely American goods around the world is not a simple coincidence- it is a part of the process of cultural imperialism. In addition, instead of being a simple trend of consumerism of American products, cultural imperialism implies the implementation of American ideas such as freedom of speech and democracy. As a result, this process leads to the steady disperse of unique cultures across the globe as t hey succumb to the influence of the more powerful American culture. So, whats in it for the West and America and whats their real motive? Many people believe that the main reason is the protection of the unlimited access to foreign markets, along with an actual and concrete belief in the American superiority by their citizens. However, it is simple to convince the Americans of their own superiority, but when convincing foreign cultures, they have to be more assertive and creative. Thus, marketing, along with advertising, plays an extremely important role in the process of Americanization. Its importance lies in the fact that it has the ability to persuade others in the modernity and the advanced stage of development of those American goods. Consequently, they begin to dominate local markets, doing no good to the local economy; hence, the local production industry weakens and gives way to the American economic interests. Another way of influencing local cultures and identities is through the vehicle of Internet. It plays a huge role in propagating the American culture, and enables it to be extremely exposed to the entire globe. However, the users of Internet that wish not to be exposed to the influence of American propagating contents can easily avoid it, since they are the active players in the seek of information online. Nevertheless, those who choose to be exposed to it, Internet can severely increase it. Governments are aware of this, and some of them, like the Chinese and Cuban, have restricted their citizens from the free flow of information, in order to prevent the Western influence. Oxymoronically, by restricting them, their governments are reassuring the fact that their citizens will not be the providers, but mere recipients of the Internet information flow. On the other hand, there is a substantial number of scholars who believe that the process of Americanizing the world is, as a matter of fact, a good thing for the entire world. They argue that through globalization, people become aware of the importance of strengthening their identity so they work on its preservation. In contrast to that, cultural imperialism can also lead to the establishment of a homogenized global identity that would help bring the world together. Accordingly, it would have a positive effect, hence the world will be more secure and stable through the elimination of the diverse and conflicting cultures. The Americans are already on the way to establish a single world society with minimum or no cultural restraints. However, the question being imposed on us is whether the uncertain assurance of a world peace is enough to justify the gradual disappearance of the numerous local cultures. Even though indigenous cultures are aware of the growing impact of American cultur al imperialism, there is not much they can do to stop it, since they are not strong enough to compete. They could try to limit the access to information, but that would contradict with the basic human rights which guarantee that everyone is able to attain free and unlimited knowledge and information through any means of media. Theoretically speaking, every nation, religion, race and ethnic group are equal, as long as they fulfill the needs of their people. Unfortunately, having superior and inferior, dominant and subordinate cultures, equality among them seem to be impossible. However, domination is nothing new- it has always existed throughout the history of the world, especially during colonization when Western powers believed they need to civilize the indigenous nations, while they were in fact exploiting them. The need for a cultural dialogue : When it comes to globalization and the issue of cultural imperialism, there seem to be two opposing views: some believe that the interaction and unification of cultures will lead to a clash of civilizations, while others claim it will bring around the greatly needed dialogue and cooperation. The global culture of today is, without a doubt, being shaped by the West. Nevertheless, it can and must be challenged by those that are being influenced by it, who should not just adopt their norms, but adapt and shape them so they fit the framework of their own culture and values. In addition, the fact that it is not just one culture influencing the other should not be overlooked; it is actually a process of mutual interaction and impact. Despite the fact that it is one of the modern worlds greatest challenges, intercultural dialogue is probably the best solution to counter cultural conflicts and crisis. Instead of simply succumbing to the influence, or doing the opposite- refraining and prohibiting the goods, people and world organizations should try appealing to the American governments to pass laws to restrain their companies from selling goods that endanger the survival of local market, and those companies should be prohibited from doing business. America must be fair and admit that perhaps what is good for its own economy, might not be good for the rest of the world and that the rights of people should be put before the need to make profit.

Homophobia - Educating Against Heterosexism :: Teaching Education Essays

Homophobia. It is defined as an irrational fear of sexual minorities including gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and transexual individuals. It exists in our society, although at times it seems that our safe haven within the "university bubble" contains people that are both rational and educated preventing homophobia from becoming a reality. Denying that homophobia and discrimination based on sexual orientation are problems and identifying them as issues for "other" people can be extremely problematic. It is this type of thinking that perpetuates the status quo of heterosexual privilege. There have been several incidents in the past few weeks that have brought the existence of homophobia on our college campus and others as well to the forefront of many people’s minds. The incidents subsequently mentioned demonstrate the necessity of better education and understanding of sexual minorities not only for their own advancement towards equality, but for the growth of heterosexual individuals as well and progression away from the status quo. To provide a truly complete and fulfilling educational experience at Colby and other similar schools it is necessary to provide educational materials on all lifestyles and examples of diversity that exists not only in our own culture, but others as well. I believe that facilitating this complete learning experience leads to developing the individual mind morally as well as academically. I would argue that it is becoming more and more essential for our schools to provide the means for the moral development of our youth and young adults. We are living in a society where we are constantly bombarded by messages from the media, church, and even family that normalize only one way of living. It is necessary for there to be at least one facilitator of expanded thinking in people’s lives and for many college students and youth this can be found in the world of academia. Although I believe inclusiveness of sexual minorities is essential to a successful education, I demand that an institution such as Colby needs to do even more than this. The inclusion of sexual minorities is only a part of the larger picture of what needs to be accomplished to build a diverse and accepting community here at Colby. The college needs to become an institutional ally. Colby needs to do more than passively support gay, lesbian, intersexed, transexual, transgender, and questioning (GLBITTQ) issues on campus, it needs to take a stand on these issues and demand that there is progress to begin to disrupt the institutionalized heterosexism that currently exists.

Traditional Ideologies :: essays research papers

'Traditional Ideologies' The texts that we, the reader, tend to relate to most are the texts that reflect our values or include certain social issues of the present. Texts such as these are therefore quite commonly found beside the beds, on the coffee tables and in the bookcases of many Australians. These texts, in a way act as a barometer for values, and shifts in values in our society. This can be seen in many instances. For example, take the feature film 'The Castle'. The typical Australian family, the Kerrigans, represented in this film was not chosen by accident. No, no they were chosen because the writers of this film knew that everyday Australians could relate to the Kerrigans and in some ways see themselves in this simple family. The film endorses many Australian values and attitudes, to which the everyday Australian can not only relate to but also understand aswell. The text acts as a medium for the viewer to realise his/her own values and helps the viewer to recognise the social values that surround him/her. However, texts do not merely inform the reader of values present in the society. They can also reflect the current shift in values and attitudes away from the dominant ideologies. This can be seen heavily in the novel 'Cloudstreet' by Tim Winton. In this text many characters are seen to have somewhat different roles in the family that one would expect. Lester Lamb is an excellent example of this. The traditional role of the man in the house is to go out and work hard for his money and come home to a wife who would support him and look after the house and the kids. However, Lester is portrayed as a sensitive man who cooks and cleans regularly aswell as helps with many of the household chores. He also seems to have no quarrel with his wife having most of the control over the household or him having to pull his own weight. This is of course a step away from the traditional ideology of what a man should act like. This clever characterisation represents the shift away from the traditional gender roles that have for so long been enforced in our society. Which leaves the reader thinking, once again, about their own values and the now shifting values of the society. This point can be further seen in the short story 'Neighbours', which is also written by Tim Winton.

Lydia Peelle †Mule Killers Essay

In this short story â€Å"Mule Killers† by Lydia Peele we meet three generations of a family, grandfather, father and son as well as the different women in the story. The story is told in present time by the son as a first person narrator, but almost everything in the story is a flashback of the father’s story about his youth. The story is constructed in parts; you get introduced to the lives of the father and the grandfather with no introduction of what has happened before, and then, the story jumps to the end in the present, without letting the reader know what has happened in between and what will probably happen after the story ends. The story takes place on a farm on the countryside near Nashville in the Southeast of United States. Though the story, you get an impression of an isolated society where the church is central and people has got quiet and ordinary lives while they work hard to make a living from their farms. The language in â€Å"Mule Killers† is observing, which we can see in the description of Eula: â€Å"(†¦)her hair swept up off her neck, thick purple-black and shining, the other girl’s hanging limply down, onion paper pale(†¦)† In the story we hear the father tell the son about the events that changed their lives: how he met the mother of his son and also had to give up on his dreams of love and how the lovestory of what should have been innocent turned out to be the thing that shaped his future. The tragic love story represents the way the farmland was changed in the future. Firstly, the shift from mules to tractors in the farming symbolises several things. For the grandfather, the shift to tractors and the following accident marks a new time that he does not accept and he does not take him. This we get an example of in this line: â€Å"you’re gonna see a future I can’t even stretch my mind around. Not any of it. I can’t even begin to imagine. † For the father, the loss of his mule Orphan, which was one of the things that he really cared about represents the end of his childhood. The mules is a symbol of the future and the killing of them is a bad sign for the future and also is the point of no return in this short story. The shift from child to grown-up is the main theme in this story, but also the fathers struggle to live up to his fathers ideals of what a man is, is an important aspect in the story. In his trying to be and act like a grown-up he supresses his fears and his sadness and also the things he love: music and the mules. So it’s like he cannot cultivate these interests any longer. Another important theme in the short story is time. During the story you get a feeling of time passing by. The father goes from being a young man to having a son, who is twice as old as the father was when the son was born, the farming changes and goes from using mulls to tractors.

Maersk Doha Communcation Report

1 – Shannon and Weaver’s Communications model seems to be a perfect fit for the Maersk Doha’s problems on board as there were several instances when language caused miscommunications between crew members and messages where delivered incorrectly. This highlights that not all messages received are identical to the message that was sent or to put it in simpler terms it can almost be described as a game of Chinese whispers. First off we are told that when the emergency occurred and the chief engineer was not informed quickly enough. This could be down to the incompetence of the engineers or more likely that there was a lack of communication commodities available to them. We were also told that the chief engineer was in a difficult position when it came to communication as he spoke a different language from the rest of the crew. This then created a hindrance upon the crew who were tasked with trying to understand and relay what the chief engineer was saying and along with the background noise, this proved to be difficult and thus caused confusion. 2- A big problem was the communication barrier between the engineering and deck departments. If a structured communications procedure had been in place, the damage could and probably would have been limited to a minimum. Problems arose as the engine crew didn’t report to the chief engineer and the chief didn’t report to the captain. Obviously if the senior staff are not made aware of the problems then they can’t be solved in a proper manor. It’s of utmost importance that the correct procedure where carried out when dealing with safety issues. On this occasion a threat occurred due to an inexperienced crew, reluctant to communicate with their superiors. All departments should have been working towards a joint goal instead there seemed to be departmental friction and the link of horizontal communication was inadequate. Having an inexperienced first and second engineer helped lead to not only mechanical problems occurring but also further problems in communication. The shipping company had decided all crew had a satisfactory level of English but this was not the case and the language barrier acted as a catalyst to the reason the fire was not dealt with properly. 4 – It is clear that there were problems in all directional flows. The downward communication was ineffective. The chief engineer should have asserted his authority and created a line of communication between his staff. Although the language barrier sometimes prevented proper flow in information there should have been procedures in place in case of emergency to insure the crew could contact him with any problems. The upward communication was also found inadequate as the crew should have been responsible enough to notify the chief engineer that there was a fire in the economiser and that perhaps due to their naivety and lack of experience they did not want to alert the chief and been seen as incompetent. The engineers where not familiar with the machinery and should have contacted the chief as early as possible. On the other hand the chief is also guilty of miscommunication when it came to the deck department. It is imperative that both departments work together and help as much as possible and it’s also necessary to regularly keep up to date with each other’s departments. This is the reason companies create procedures and flow charts that must be adhered by whilst on board. If the system was flawed then the chief should have designed a new communication procedure in order to keep communication flowing between all involved 4 – Its clear to say that the communication environment is heavily affected by the presence of so much background noise. There were problems with both the technical and social aspects of noise. Semantic barriers also lead to a negative influence on the environment. The information required regarding the economiser was available to the crew but due to this being from the ships previous owner and it not being endorsed by ZMA, there was confusion regarding what documents and procedures were to be followed. If ZMA had constructed their own policy, adding any information they did not carry over from the previous owner, this might have helped avoid the ensuing problems.