Arts and the Creative Process

The main forms of expression in the arts are painting, music, theater and dance. Art disciplines have been in existence from the beginning of time. Man has an instinctive need to express himself.Thus, this was manifested in wall paintings in Egypt, silk paintings in the Asian communities, Greek sculptures in European cities among other artifacts.DanceThe first dance is salsa. The primary element in this dance is weight change. The dancer shifts his or her weight without affecting the upper body. Only the lower body moves to the music. This is normally a partner dance. It is often performed by a man and a woman.The pace of the dance varies with the drummer’s beats. It can be very fast or moderately slow. The movements in this style are fluid since it was originally borrowed from several other influences (Cooper, 2001).The second is the Waltz. This dance was conceptualized in the 18th century in Eastern Europe. It is a ballroom dance, where the dancer glides gracefully across th e room with a partner. The basic steps are relatively easy to learn. The partners hold each other close while dancing. There is a leader, the man, who shows the follower, the woman, the next step. The third is tap dance.Here, the performer wears specially made shoes that produce a clear tapping sound when they hit the floor. The tap sounds must vary to create a different resonance with each step (Dolfsma, 2004). The performer must balance his or her weight on the balls of their feet. The feet are used to produce rhythmic sounds.The final dance is the break dance. This was primarily a street dance. The style integrates suppleness and style. The breaker’s upper body must be very sturdy. The head and hands are most utilized in this dance.MusicThe first genre of music is pop. This is the popular music at any one time. The performers can vary in number. The songs have a melodic chorus that is easy to remember.   However, the songs are arranged in the traditional structure. The s econd is Rock and Roll. Guitars are the main instruments played here. The music has gained massive popular appeal over the years (Dolfsma, 2004). It is truly motivated by Blues music. There are two types, soft and hard rock.The third type is Gospel music. It is sung to express faith in Christianity. It is a substitute to conventional music in the secular realm. It is expressed in all other genres. The main theme is giving praise to God. The final genre is neo-soul. It is a fairly recent form of harmony. This music is very poetic. The themes of the songs are usually socially conscious. This music is a combination of jazz and hip-hop.

Crisis and Risk Management for Business Continuity: The Case of Northern Rock

a) Research problem The global economic crisis has topped the many discussions in the business world today. The current credit crunch is not only being felt in the United States where the actual problem started but in the United Kingdom as well, with more companies feeling the pinch by the day. It is a pity that many businesses have been declared bankrupt following the shock experienced from the crisis. It is however notable that the blame is partly on their side. The reason for this is that many businesses today have not bothered to come up with crisis and risk management plans to shield their businesses from such shocks. They operate based on the current situations and pay little attention to disasters that are likely to affect the business and how these effects can be minimized. Even where attempts have been made, crisis and risk management plans do not fully address all the potential risks that are likely to face the company. Another issue is that whenever the said crises occur, these plans are not properly set out so that they often end up doing little to save the situation. These characteristics perfectly fit the circumstances surrounding the liquidity crisis at Northern Rock between 2007 and 2008. Northern Rock is a British bank that is now under public ownership following a government bailout in 2008. The bank which started off as a building society became a bank in 1997 when its shares were offered in the London Stock Exchange. As of September 2008, the bank which is ranked as one of the top mortgage lenders in the UK employed 4500 employees. Until 2007, Northern Rock was doing well and was considered one of the fastest growing banks in the UK; at least based on its asset base. The ongoing economic crisis however sent the bank giant reeling as banks tightened their lending rates. As if this was not enough, funding from covered bonds and the securitisation model which made up 75 percent of Northern Rock's funds started deteriorating and eventually these markets closed simultaneously following the economic crisis. What followed was crisis after crisis as the bank threatened to go down. On September 2007, the Northern Rock approached the Bank of England to request for a liquidity support facility to contain some of the problems it was facing following the credit crunch. This caused a bank run as customers rushed to withdraw their savings. The bank was overwhelmed and intervention by the state was necessary to save the bank giant. The UK financial Investment Limited now manages the bank at â€Å"arms length† for the government which was taken into government ownership in February 2008. Northern Rock's inability to deal with the crisis has been blamed on poor risk and crisis management. b) Justification of the study The near collapse of Northern Rock is a wake up call to every business that intends to survive past any kind of crisis.Business Management Study Guide The misfortunes encountered by Northern Rock and the consequences of these should be a good lesson for other companies to learn from through the implementation of risk and crisis management. The challenge however still remains and unless the issue is addressed by giving managers a guide, another company could still go the Northern Rock way. This study will address this challenge effectively by revealing all that a manager needs to know about crisis and risk management for business continuity. Three issues are at hand with each of them carrying substantial weight. Firstly, only a few companies undertake crisis and risk management. Secondly, the few of those who have taken the initiative have not given it adequate attention. Thirdly, when the actual crisis occurs, implementation of the set plan is not normally adhered to so that the essence of the plan is in fact dissolved. Other companies just like Northern Rock are constantly at risk of disasters and hence the knowledge about how to deal with them is quite invaluable. The research which mainly aims at uncovering the dangers of not having a crisis management plan and how having one could save the company's future and form a useful guide to business managers. c) Objectives of the study. In order to ensure that this research addressed the above problems while maintaining the scope of the study, the following objectives were used to guide the research. †¢ To establish whether Northern Rock had any crisis and risk management plans in place. †¢ To identify the importance of crisis and risk management plans. †¢ To show how Northern Rock could have survived the crisis using crisis and risk management planning. Literature Review a) The Case of Northern Rock In the second half of the 2007, Northern Rock became the first bank in the UK to experience a bank run since 1866 (Shin, 2008: 2). World lenders' balance sheets were already shrinking so that banks had reduced their lending and interest rates were going up following the credit crunch (Llewellyn, 2008: 35-36). The credit crunch originated from the U. S sub-prime mortgages that led to a shortage in money available to banks for lending. The bank's over-reliance on securitisation and covered bonds is considered the major cause of the of Northern Rock's downfall (Tevin, 2008: 13). Securitisation is used to refer to the kind of funding where mortgages are used as security to obtain loans from other banks (Shin, 2008: 6). Being a prominent mortgage lender, the bank had quite a substantial amount of security. The mortgages were also used to secure covered bonds which were a constant source of finance for the bank. These two types of markets made up 75 percent of the bank's source of finance and therefore when they collapsed at the same time, the bank's finances were threatened (Victoria, 2006: 2). On the other hand, banks were shrinking their lending rates and therefore the bank could not afford to pay up its dues and sustain its mortgage lending. An innovation unique to the bank is also associated with the downfall. Northern used model that they referred to as â€Å"originate to distribute† in which they could take loans and then sell them to other investors before they matured such that they obtained additional funds and the liability of the loans was transferred to the investors (Tevin, 2008: 15). As a result of the credit crisis, the bank could not sustain its financial needs and consequently could not meet market demand. North Rock's method of funding is described by Shin (2008: 8) as an unusual business model. While banks are expected to have customer deposits as their major liabilities, Northern Rock operated on securitised loans which they offered as mortgages to their customers. Long-term loans which they repaid using the payments paid by mortgage beneficiaries were used to pay -up the loans (Llewellyn, 2008: 37-38). The mortgages were also used as security for additional loans. Deposits only accounted for 23 percent of the finances held by the bank (Tevin, 2008: 14). Given that banks heavily rely on deposits as their major assets and source of financing, the amount available was limited when loans could not provide for the required amounts. Attempts to sell off the bank were unsuccessful because no investor wanted to risk taking up an endangered bank (Adams, 2008: 1). The bank obtained the government bailout from the Bank of England in form of emergency funding (Adams, 2008: 1; Laughton, 2008: 1). This was done in the knowledge that collapse of Northern Rock could cause a major shake-up in the banking industry (Laughton, 2007: 1). The news on Northern Rock's bailout caused a bank run and depositors rushed to withdraw their money. At the same time, the share prices fell by 31 percent (Lastra, 168). b) Crisis and Risk Management. Crisis and risk management is a commonly ignored function of the management but which can play a significant role in determining the destiny of a company. Reliable studies reveal that most organisations do not take crisis and risk management seriously such that they do not put aside plans meant to counter unexpected crises (Robert and Lajtha, 2002: 184). According to McConnell and Drennan (2006: 62), the reason for this is that the probability of occurrence of crises is low within most business environments such that managers find no reason to use the company's resources to invest in countering risks that may never happen anyway. This notion is however wrong because no organisation is immune to crises and risks in the course of its operations. Yemen (2001: 65) notes that crises and disasters carry no warning and consequently always catch businesses unaware. Before they can react to the crisis by getting effective solutions, the damage is already done and chances of survival are highly minimized (McConnel and Dreannan, 2006: 60). For this reason, it is inevitable for every company to consider crisis and risk management in their strategic plan. Salter (1997: 60) defines crisis and risk management as the act of coming up with policies and procedures to be used to identify, analyse, treat and monitor risk. It is a guide on how to deal with crises and risks should they occur and how to recover from their effects (Pingeone, 2006: 37). The procedure of risk management involves the identification of areas where the company predicts that things may go wrong (Lee et al, 2007: 335). This could fall in any department of the organization. While some may be general, some risks are more likely to occur in one company than in another depending on their operations (Robert and Lajtha, 2002: 184) Crises and risks are always occurring in the business management and it is hard to predict what will happen the following day. While risks are used to represent threats or possibilities of an occurrence of misfortunes, the term crisis is used when the actual misfortune actually occurs (Lagadec 1997: 28; Shrivatsava, 1988: 284). Physical disasters such as fires, terrorist attacks, phishing attacks, floods among other disasters are among the major kinds of crises. These should however not form the sole focus of the company because they the business is bound to face many external and economic forces that could influence its performance. For example, relying on one source for supply of materials could lead to a crisis if this supplier can no longer make the supplies to the company (Pingeone, 2006: 100). It is therefore essential that a company makes such a consideration when determining the future of the business. This is actually what happened to Northern Rock who had relied on securitisation and long-term loans as their source of finance so that when banks could not lend as much as they demanded, they were left desperate with no other major source and hence had to turn to the government for help. ) Crisis and Risk Management Plan Crisis and risk management plans help to lay down the steps to be taken in the event of a crisis and in keeping the various risks that a company is exposed to at bay. In coming up with a crisis and risk management plan, the company ought to identify any possible risks that it is likely to suffer in the course of its operations (Alderman, 2008: 149; McMillan, 2006: 89). These risks are then assessed so as to come up with plausible ways of addressing them whenever they arise. This is known as making plans for post crisis actions (Alexander, 169-171). Crisis and risk management plans ensure that every employee participates in the company's safety precautions while ensuring that risks and crises are handled in the right manner. Designing the Crisis and Risk Management Plan It is notable that most companies have not yet put a risk and crisis management plan in place (Carmeli and Schaubroeck 2008: 182). This mostly stems from the fact that managers try to be optimistic; hoping that no disaster will occur. In other circumstances, they simply wish to eliminate the â€Å"unnecessary† expense on something that might never happen. There are however those who are simply ignorant and do not know how to go about implementing a plan. Further still, once the crisis and risk management plan is put in place, its implementation is often a challenge when the actual risk occurs. This is brought about by the panic that often characterises a crisis. Pingeone (2006: 99) notes that the management plan should be followed to the letter unless the situation calls for modification. He adds that the plan should act as a guide and it is for this reason that it is prepared. If properly followed while trying to adjust certain elements to fit the situation, it should be easy to solve the crisis than when there is no plan at all. The challenge of coming up with an effective plan is also cited as a problem given that response and recovery is largely influenced by the kind of crisis and risk management plan that the company has in place. To curb this problem, Smith (2001: 64-65), Fink (1986: 36-39), Gottschalk (2002:96) and Mitroff (2001: 29-35) give the following key elements that are desired for a risk and crisis management plan to be effective. Provision for continuous identification, evaluation and management of risk should be put in place. This is because the company is bound to face new challenges everyday and in the wake of globalisation, new economic and social risks and challenges keep cropping up (Mitroff, 2001: 33). ? Constant review of the effectiveness of the plan is necessary to ensure that all the desired aspects are addressed. Analysing the system of internal control which is part of the risk and crisis control annually can help the company to identify whether the plan is working as desired. For all crisis and risk management plans, the systems developed should rhyme with the organisational culture so that collisions do not occur. ? The crisis and risk management plan must be flexible and one that can effectively respond to evolving risks. A good crisis and risk management plan offers flexibility such that change in policy and new company strategy may be implemented in order to deal with the crisis at hand (Smi th, 2001: 65). ? The plan should set proper reporting procedures to be followed in the event of occurrence of an incident. On top of that, a procedure for reporting failures in the plan should be well laid out. ? The crisis and risk management plan should provide for training to all members of staff so that they are aware of the roles to take in the event of a disaster, the reporting procedures and any other relevant information contained in the plan. Research Design and Method Introduction This portion of the study establishes the ability of the company to satisfy the set objectives. It shows the design of procedures used in the study and outlines the major limitations involved during the study. Research scope The previously set objectives aim at establishing whether there was a crisis and risk management plan at Northern Rock and what could have been done better to further contain the crisis. The study is therefore limited to Northern Rock and to crisis and risk management as a management strategy. The liquidity crisis at Northern Rock forms the basis of the study. Data and data collection The data collection process was applied in such a way that its efficiency could be gauged by the results obtained from the study. In doing so, primary and secondary data were employed in the entire study process. a) Primary data This formed an important part of the research as it helped in obtaining factual information from direct respondents. The use of written questionnaires and oral interviews to obtain information from the respondents was used. The data obtained was assimilated during the analysis of the study. Respondents were notified prior to their interviews so as to ensure that the information was more accurate. b) Secondary data The use of secondary data was invaluable in the study. This is in recognition that any research must incorporate other people's work as a precedent to the study. The use of journals, books, articles and other scholarly works were highly used to obtain the theory surrounding the study. The literature review practically involved the reviewing other people's work so that secondary data was of great importance. Sample selection, technique, and size The study sample incorporated a few present and former company officials as well as economic analysts who studied the Northern Rock liquidity crisis. Strategic sampling system was used to identify the officials and individuals to be interviewed during the period of study. A total of twenty five respondents were sent questionnaires and eight agreed to perform an oral interview. Eighteen questionnaires were returned and observations and responses were assimilated for the purpose of the study. Ethics of the research methodology At the beginning of the study, the research set an objective of reducing respondents' compromise as far as possible. In order to satisfy this, respondents were not required to mention specific names within the company. For privacy purposes, respondents' names were not required in the questionnaires. This served to raise the confidentiality levels as a factor in conducting scholarly research. Limitations of the study Even though this methodology played a vital role in satisfying the set objectives, various limitations faced the researcher. Without these limitations, more information would have been obtained to further improve the study. Among the major constraints was the high level of expenses. These included questionnaire printing and posting costs as well as travelling costs to meet the respondents. The problem of incomplete questionnaires was prevalent mostly due to the highly complex human nature so that some of the staff members could have been worried about giving information they considered confidential due to fears of victimization. This could have contributed to errors in the information obtained. The time element was also limiting which did not enable maximum amount of data as would have been desired. Analysis and Findings Most of the respondents in the study ascertained that Northern Rock was lucky and were it not for the government bailout; the bank would have landed into bankruptcy. Unavailability of credit which was actually the bank's major source of finance was an unfathomable blow to the bank whose reputation had made it the fastest growing mortgage lender in the UK. The situation was made worse by the bank run which was in essence caused by the media portrayal of the crisis (Victoria, 2008: 117-119). Nelkin (1998: 347-348) notes that the media could highly influence how a crisis affects the company due to messages and speculations made. As soon as the bank sought help from the Bank of England, word went round through the media and the public went into panic following the collapse of the bank. The result was huge amounts of withdrawals which highly overwhelmed the bank's finances (Shin, 2008: 6). Northern Rock therefore sunk into losses and could barely afford to sustain the payment of loans. Analysts involved in the study suggested that the bank run could have been avoided had the bank's management taken Northern Rock's crisis management plan In an effort to keep focus on the research scope, only the section of the crisis and risk management plan associated with the liquidity crisis was analysed. For each point noted, a note on how the situation could have been handled better is provided. Northern Rock management had given a thought to the possibility of reduction of market at home and shortage of funds from local banks. To help reduce this possibility, the bank had diversified its operations to other countries like Canada, United States, Europe, Australia and Far East (Tevin, 2008: 21-22). This was considered to be a substantial backup for any eventualities in the domestic market. The company had also secured its liquidity through insurance to cover for any shortages. In their plan however, they had not anticipated a crisis that would cause the collapse of their major sources of funds at the same time. It would have been unimaginable that the source of finance that seemed so reliable would collapse leaving the bank destitute. Even Dr Ridley; the bank's chairman had noted that the bank had not though at one time that its sources of finance could collapse at the same time (Llewellyn, 2008: 49). This just goes on to show that crises are not easily predictable and that routine can be deceiving. The fact that Northern Rock's long-term sources of finances were always available to them due to the high amount of mortgage securities almost ruled out the possibility of running out of finances. The Northern Rock crisis management can be said to have been inadequate. The reasoning behind this is that should it have been adequate, the liquidity crisis may have been avoided or subsidised. As noted by Regester et al (2005: 196-198), a good plan must entail the guidelines to be followed in the event of a crisis. Further, Northern Rock's management failed to predict; which is one of the objectives of the bank's risk management plan. Varma (2008: 1) notes that banks should be able to use cash flow projections to anticipate future fluctuations in demand for their customers. Using these projections, they can easily determine whether a liquidity problem is likely to arise due to increased demand or whether inventory will pile up as a result of reduced demand. It is also possible to gauge from the rise in interest rates offered by banks and other security traders. Such information could have proved vital to the management and this could have been used to limit mortgage lending and hence reduce the impact of the crisis. As noted by Tevin (2008: 17), the bank did not even have adequate liquidity insurance, a lesson which the England Governor noted could have been learnt from Countrywide, a US bank that suffered the same crisis that Northern Rock was facing. Insurance cover serves in ensuring that the company's assets are protected. This ensures that whenever assets that the company has insured against are lost in the event of a crisis, compensation can protect it from committing more resources in replacing the asset (Alderman, 2008: 204). With such knowledge the bank could have obtained enough liquidity insurance as security for the future. They could also have provided for plans to cope with a credit crisis should they get into the same position with Countrywide. This way, it could have been ready and encountered the crisis more boldly without having to seek government bailout. Northern Rock over-relied on one source of finance so that when it collapsed the effect was quite staggering. The theory of crisis management warns against relying on one source of supply because its failure could have detrimental effects on the company (Coombs, 1999: 114-115). Northern Rock had been relying heavily on loans gained from mortgage securities to finance their clients' mortgage needs and when they could not afford to meet the demand following the reduced liquidity levels, they had nowhere to turn to (Congdon, 2009: 11). Banks which were willing to lend proved too expensive for the bank to afford and still continue to operate comfortably. The whole problem arose because once these sources of finance collapsed; there was no other source of finance leading to the liquidity crisis. It is a major observation that companies rarely think about the possibility of a time when a certain source of supply will not be available to them because as long as they are concerned they have always relied on the source (Wiley, 2006: 85). Northern Rock should have diversified more as a way to maintain the flow of funds. For example, they could have used more deposits instead of relying on loans only. Tevin (2008: 14) notes that only 23 percent of their liquidity was in the form of deposits which Victoria (2008: 119) notes to be the major sources of bank liabilities. By focusing on loans, they lost their major source of money supply when the credit crunch set in. The management did not act swiftly to respond to rumours about liquidity shortages. According to Tevin (2008: 24) the bank had received warning signs about a possible shortage in credit as a result of the ongoing economic crisis. The Financial Stability Report that the Bank of England released in April 2008 suggested that wholesale funding which was on the rise in the market could pose unforeseeable danger to liquidity (Llewellyn, 2008: 51). Analysts had also predicted the same. Instead of analysing the possible risk and taking measures, Northern Rock continued with the expansionary lending policy (Tevin, 2008: 24). Mortgages continued to be issued yet there was a possibility of being unable to sustain the demand following the credit shortage. If the management had acted wisely, it could have limited the mortgage lending so as to save the finances available until a favourable time came. Its ability to detect the possibility of such an occurrence was limited hence the reason why the company was caught unawares. The crisis and risk management plan was not also well utilized when the bank realized its plight. Referring to the liquidity crisis, Northern Rock CEO maintained that the prediction made by the bank about its source of finances had been wrong in assuming that the mortgage assets would maintain the bank's liquidity. The company has made an attempt to recover from the crisis using the government assistance issued and change in strategy. This is part of a crisis management plan which requires that a company take the necessary measures to correct a crisis. As noted by Smith (2000, 65), Northern Rock had to change strategy so as to better manage the crisis. Their â€Å"Together† loans for example were withdrawn. These loans were an incentive to first time buyers and involved combining a secured and unsecured loan to obtain finance (Tevin, 2008: 26). The bank however could not manage to offer these loans given their financial constraints and had to withdraw them. The bank is still recovering and depositors have started gaining trust in the bank again more so because the government ownership provides a substantial level of financial security. Conclusions and Recommendations After an analysis of the case of Northern Rock and the importance of crisis and risk management, it would be true to say that the company's crisis and risk management plan was not properly implemented during the liquidity crisis. The plan was also inadequate to address the seriousness of the problem given that the company had never anticipated a risk of such magnitude. It is also true that every company needs to have a crisis and risk management plan to help in coping with disasters and incidents if they occur. It can therefore be concluded that having a crisis and risk management plan cannot be useful if it is not well implemented. This is as in the case of Northern Rock which did not react to the warning signs of the impending danger of a liquidity crisis through finding alternative sources of funds or through reducing its lending capacity. Northern Rock suffered a great deal from the liquidity crisis due to poor implementation of crisis and risk management. The plan was also inadequate and insurance cover taken could not compensate for the loss incurred. What matters however is not what has been lost in the past; but what can be saved in future. As Lagadec 1997: 28; Shrivatsava (1988: 284) suggest, a crisis should act as a learning opportunity for a company to make changes and improvements. The bank needs to focus on building more solid and workable plans to contain such crises as they could happen again in the future. The plan should be made by incorporating all the various aspects of a good crisis and risk plan indicated in this study. This means that the plan to be implemented should focus on constant examination of possible risks and designing of proper measures to counter them. There should also be plans set to address crises in the event that they arise as well as plans to recover after a crisis. This does not mean that the bank should exhaust all its resources on liquidity problems alone. There are other crises and risks which could also face the company and there is need to incorporate them in their crisis and risk management plan as well. The Northern Rock saga is a vital lesson that every growing company must learn from. While risks and crises could be few and far between, the need to account for them in the company strategy is invaluable. This is because there is no way of predicting the future. This should avoid a situation in which the company has to close down because they do not have any finances to cater for the losses incurred during the crisis. Every company should maintain a crisis and risk management plan that helps to shield it from any eventualities that may occur in the course of its operations. There are several lessons that have been learnt from the Northern Rock case study and which other companies can benefit from through the following recommendations. Firstly, disaster may strike at any time hence the need to come up with a plan to deal with risks and crises. It is also notable that some disasters can be predicted so that precautionary measures taken to reduce the shock on the company. To enhance this, constant review of the risks that the company is susceptible to should be done. Secondly, reliance on a single supply could pose danger to the company hence the need to diversify operations or plan for alternatives in case the current sources fail. Finally, having no plan could lead to desperate actions on the side of the company. If the company is not lucky, it could end up closing down. In the case of Northern Rock, there were attempts to sell it and then the government bailout. The bailout means that the company is now under government control and no longer in private hands which could highly impact on the company decision processes and operations.

Is consumer privacy a bigger issue in the online world or offline Assignment

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Multiculturalism - Research Proposal Example This also applies to the aspect of multiculturalism. Multiculturalism remains a controversial issue in many regions, including Canada. While some people consider it negative, some view it as positive. Nonetheless, the importance of multiculturalism is quite evident, thus it is important to explore the evidence that shows that multiculturalism is important in society.Thesis Statement/central argument A key argument in this proposal is that multiculturalism is a good thing in society, and so people need to embrace and develop this phenomenon, in order to realize development in various aspects of their lives and country. Methods and procedures In order to provide evidence to support the argument in this proposal, the method of literature review will be utilized. In this method, evidence will be drawn from past literature, which has focused on multiculturalism, as well as how this is important for the realization of development in the life of an individual, and in society as a whole. Evi dence and sources that will be used to support the argument The sources used will be drawn from various journals. Journal articles are authentic, thus reliable for supporting major arguments. Additionally, these provide valid information, which is also reliable and can be used for reference purposes. In total, seven journal articles will be utilized. These are published in various journals and focus on the issue of multiculturalism. Using these sources will help to support the argument that has been advanced in the proposal.

Vodafone's sale of ownership of joint venture to Verizon Assignment

Vodafone's sale of ownership of joint venture to Verizon - Assignment Example It is expected that if the deal goes through successfully then it will be one of the biggest in the history of Merger and Acquisition (Financial Times, 2013). History of Joint Venture In 2004, Vodafone was close to sell their shares to Verizon Wireless but their initiative did not materialize then primarily due to Vodafone’s failure to bid for AT&T Wireless. The Chief Executive officer of Vodafone at that time, Arun Sarin, stated that both Verizon and Vodafone were interested in bigger stakes in their joint venture and both were unwilling to forego majority ownership (Yahoo, 2013). Vodafone entered the United States market in the year 1999 through a series of deals that ultimately resulted in the formation of Verizon Wireless in the year 2000, with Verizon Communications holding majority 55% stake and Vodafone the rest. ... Arun Sarin, who led Vodafone from 2003 to 2008, and the current CEO of Vodafone Vittorio Colao, has resisted the move by Verizon. The resistance of Vodafone was often made in the face of investor that demands for sale. Verizon Wireless became the largest telecom operator in the United States, a growing market that boasts higher prices and margins compared to Europe (BBC, 2013). The subsequent CEO of Vodafone Plc, Vittorio Colao, clearly stated that the company was still interested to sell the stake of Vodafone and dilute ownership but only when they get the right price in the sense that odds seeming favourable to owners of Vodafone Plc. Since then five years have gone by and it seems that Vodafone’s definition of the right time appears to be at present as evident from the official announcement made on the 29th of August 2013. The company has publicly announced that Vodafone Group Plc was officially negotiating with Verizon Communications to sell its stake in Verizon Wireless. In the past when Verizon initially offered to buyout Vodafone through Joint Venture, the company was valued at $ 100 billion. But the deal failed since Vodafone’s offer to sale its stake was valuing the entity at approximately a little over $130 billion. A popular article in The Wall Street Journal stated that Verizon Communications Inc. had lost a golden chance to get full control of one of the most active telecom companies in the world and its wireless joint venture. The company agreed to shell out billions more than it had to if the company had decided to buyout its partner in the past. As Verizon Wireless resumed dividend payouts, Vodafone has received $ 11.5 billion (? 7.34 billion) from the

An Active and a Passive Student Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

An Active and a Passive Student - Essay Example The present research has identified that there are a lot of people who think that active students are better learners as compared to the passive students. Active students pay more attention in the class. They are not only physically present in the class but are also mentally present there. Active students take interest in the lecture and ask the teachers questions if they have any doubts. Active students tend to apply the concepts learned in the class on their personal experiences and share any useful insights with the rest of the class to promote the culture of learning and sharing. Active students tend to grab the concepts rather than cramming things up and are always up to date with the latest lecture because they have paid attention throughout the previous lectures. There are certain people who think that passive students learn no less than active students. Although they do not pay much attention in the class, yet they make sure that they do cover up the contents of the lecture w hen they get back home. Besides, in the present age, when the sources of learning are omnipresent, it is not a big deal for a passive student to acquire the knowledge if he/she did not listen to the teacher carefully in the class. Today, most students have full-time access to the Internet and can access any kind of knowledge they want to. If the passive students deliver their assignments on time, there may be no difference between the academic and professional achievement of an active and a passive student at all.The researcher states that active students are better learners as compared to the passive students. A student who does not pay attention in the class shows lack of interest in studies. Such passive students are unlikely to go that extra mile to cover up the contents of the lecture on their own when they get back home. In fact, most of the passive learners approach their friends when little time is left in the exams. Their friends cannot teach them as nicely and sincerely as their teachers can. Accordingly, the quality of learning declines. In addition to that, since passive students tend to learn things when just a little time is left in the exams, the knowledge stays with them for only a short while and they tend to forget everything in the long run.

Celebrities as Role Models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Celebrities as Role Models - Essay Example Additionally, many Americans still know these names and the accomplishments attached to them. But, in recent decades, the most respected and famous names are individuals who have had virtually no positive impact upon society. These people are celebrities. They are people such as Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Ray Lewis. Unfortunately, individuals in society often seek to imitate those people who society values. American society values the celebrity, so many people choose to imitate the actions of celebrities. While it is safe to assume that most adults can make moral judgments about a celebrity’s actions and then choose to condone or condemn the behavior, most children lack the intellectual development needed to make these types of judgments. As such, children are prone to imitating the negative actions of the celebrity role models society presents, and this imitation has lasting effects on the child’s development. One area of a child’s development that celebr ity role models affect is moral development. Originally, American society promoted figures whose behavior and accomplishments were morally upright. Every child learned the example of Abraham Lincoln, who could not tell a lie. Schools and other socializing institutions used these figures to teach children the morals that they should adopt and imitate. Currently, American society promotes celebrities whose morals are questionable, at best, and reprehensible, at worst. As Paul Hollander states regarding how American society chooses celebrities in â€Å"Why the Celebrity Cult?,† â€Å"Moral qualifications in particular are unimportant and irrelevant—it is being well known that matters not moral character.† This statement does not mean that all celebrities are immoral, as many do promote moral values and causes, but children are exposed to many negative influences in the celebrities society pushes at them. Take an example of a celebrity who Disney touted as a model f or children, Miley Cyrus. In her show, Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel, Miley Cyrus portrayed a character that embodied moral values that were positive. However, this role did not give her the level of celebrity that she currently enjoys. That resulted from videos of her smoking a drug from a bong, taking controversial sexualized photographs for a magazine, and performing sexualized dance routines while still under the age of eighteen. The message to children in this case is clear. One does not become famous for performing as a positive role model but by performing controversial acts in which children should not engage, acts such as drug use and the sexualization of children. Another area of the child’s development that celebrity affects is intellectual development. Instead of promoting figures known for their intellectual accomplishments, American society ignores these influential people in preference to celebrities. Early American hero Benjamin Franklin was a positive role model who had great success as an inventor and scientist, uncovering many scientific concepts and applying them in a range of devices. Writers who achieved fame early in American history were known for the excellence of their intellect. Mark Twain skewered society with a rapier wit. To be famous, a child would want to imitate the intellectual accomplishments of these figures. Now, the celebrities that children seek to imitate â€Å"aren’t particularly well-educated and informed. They’

The merger report between XM Canada and SERIUS Canada Essay

The merger report between XM Canada and SERIUS Canada - Essay Example The availed report is supposed to be taken on April 11, 2011, where the launch and implementation of proposal is supposed to be done and just on time. Some of the prevailing articulation that were on the top of the agenda for any company to acquire merger rights were the issue of management team makeup, consolidation of marketing strategies, integration of operations and information and the activities articulation Financial aspects. Previously, Federal communications commission approved Digital Audio Radio service to use a certain radio satellite broadcast rights, which oversees American mobile Radio XM Radio paying $ 93 million for its license and CD radio that currently known as SERIUS Satellite Radio paying $ 89 million for its license. However, both two broadcasting company has intense competition working based on subscription models to woe their customers. Many consumers have been signed up on the daily basis for as little as US $ 12.95 with an aim of making their consumers enjo y quality and affordable digital music, news, sports, talk and more. According to the availed report and plan tabled before Redmond indicates that the two companies’ offers subsidized radio upgrades that make purchasing decision easier on the prevailing consumers. Some of the technology that the two companies tried to outdo each other is by availing a project that was overseen manufactures installing satellite radio equipment in every car and then provided free service for the new car owner for a period of one full year. Going by the business analysis and statistics, the business models based on the free installation norms did not work well for these two companies since the aspect of free services usually leads to high and expensive price maintenance. When maintenance price is high, a farm usually suffers a loss (Kaser and Brooks 24-27). However, the introduction of programming skills has triggered the aspect of growth in both companies leading to streamlined operations and r efining products offerings, one of the positive articulations that lead business into a positive note. Managers within any prevailing business need to employ platforms that initiate marketing strategies, which triggers efficiencies norm. All this can be achieved through the introduction of new marketing and programming model as administered within the case of XM and SIRIUS media houses. Through new strategic model, both media houses have been well received after providing an additional merger platform resulting to $4 a month. Based on the discussion availed by the two companies involving XM Canada and SIRIUS Canada Inc, the report indicates that the two companies agreed to a merger perception probably on 24th, November the year 2010 that a total of 22.7 percent shares will be for Canadian Sattelite Radio Holdings Inc., 37.1 percent shares for SIRIUS XM, 15 percent for CBC, 15 percent for Slaight Communications and 10.2 percent for other investors. This decision was based on manageme nt team and its perception, operations and information systems availed, marketing strategies and financial articulation. For the purpose of joint within these, two companies, works based on team management that underpins the aspects of management structures initiated. There is a critical rivalry perception here in that it has been so difficult for the two companies to decide who should be picked up and be included within the executive but this was done through the use of integration model. In this process the two companies appointed Michael Washinushi, who was the chief financial

Who Supported McCarthy's Anti-Communist Crusade Why Did They Support Essay

Who Supported McCarthy's Anti-Communist Crusade Why Did They Support It - Essay Example The more level heads in the widespread paranoia were themselves virtually immobilized. For the most part even liberals and dissenters were reluctant to seem to depart from the overriding anti-communist consensus of the period. McCarthy was not the one and only anti-communist champion, although he may very well have relished that illusion. The Senator's clout intensified with ease in the all-encompassing atmosphere of the Cold War and appeared to commandeer even the White House as his crusade attracted scores of opportunist politicians and uncritical conformists. Aside from the Republican position on the political expediency of an anti-communist platform that was ripe to discredit liberal Democratic policies and programs, any bold antagonist of McCarthy generally risked being inevitably targeted as a Communist supporter, and few wanted the unpleasant backlash. McCarthy's vitriolic accusations of communist subterfuge in government circles surfaced in a series of local campaign talks delivered in Wheeling, West Virginia, not too long after the House Un-American Activities Committee wrapped up an investigation of Alger Hiss, charged, largely through the backing of Representative Richard M. Nixon, as a Soviet agent on the basis of his alleged pro-Communist sympathies and activities many years previous. In fact McCarthy's rhetoric reiterated a conviction rampant in Cold War anti-communist politics and journalism that the enemy was within, slyly maneuvering and determining American policy. The difference here was that McCarthy in his authority as a US senator feigned to be very near to naming individuals, impudently insinuating that he was in the possession of damning evidence. Ultimately his specified numbers of communist infiltrators as two hundred five, and later fifty-seven, really had no factual proof to back them, but McCarthy's recurring mystifications and ambiguities built further hype through the rapt attention of the media in the course of his tour through other states and succeeded splendidly in generating a national uproar. Senior Republican politicians, while rescinding publicly from McCarthy's tactics, were inclined to welcome his targeted censures as a promising opportunity to seize the advantage for the Republican Party in the presidential race of 1952 following years of Democratic power. Heady with the response from his new-found national constituency, McCarthy publicly telegraphed President Truman to demand that he release the Administrations' Security files to Congress. McCarthy soon unearthed a long-extant record of suspect State Department employees dubbed the Lee List, actually compiled earlier by an former Red hunter know as Robert E. Lee. Incredibly, McCarthy, aware that attentive senators could easily see through his deception, coolly claimed he had raided State Department confidential files to expose the purportedly brand new intelligence. McCarthy banked heavily on power-hungry Republican political expedience to rule the day, and it did. The Senate Majority Leader acquiesced to Republican Kenneth Wherry's motion for an all-out inquiry into McCarthy's salient indictments and actually granted the investigating committee power to subpoena the Truman Administration's security files, with the exception of those against specific persons, which, by that fact, restricted any prospect of uncovering the fabrications in McCarthy's claims. Republicans Henry Cabot Lodge and Bourke B. Hickenlooper were members appointed to the committee who were politically sympathetic to McCarthy, and their strong party support abetted the Senator's confident self-importance over Democrats and others who sought to restrain his reckless

Introduction to Computer Information Systems Essay Example for Free

Introduction to Computer Information Systems Essay Computer software is no longer a major barrier to widespread use of wireless information systems. Introduction To know about the connection of these topics it is must to know about the link between these phrases as well as the basic concept of these two. Firstly, to know what is computer software and wireless Information systems and then secondly to discuss their effects upon each other. Computer software is basically some programs or events that are written just to achieve certain functions by the software engineers. Events are the set of steps that are written and combined to make a program. Now there arises a question that what is a program then the answer of this question is that: Programs are basically a set of rules and instructions on the basis of which a computer act to achieve certain functions. To perform a specific set of actions on computers intelligently or normally is the basic need to write a program. Wireless Information systems are basically the systems that used wirelessly. What is â€Å"Wireless† and why and how question arises then? â€Å"Wireless†, as its name, shows that it means some sort of transport of data and information among wireless devices without using wires. It can be used in form of mobiles, PDA’s, and on large scale â€Å"Radio† is the example of it. Wireless information systems can be the range of mobiles, wireless devices, and networks. The device used for it is basically a device that is installed first and then it can be used. (Wireless network and information processing system, 2008) Certain Dependencies In case of Wireless information systems, there are certain dependencies. Among those dependencies some of them are very basic and are: the mobility of the user mobility of the resource Explanation These dependencies can be differentiated in a way that in case of user mobility it can be in the form of traveling user whereas the case with the second dependency is that a network if created among multiple PDA’s and now in this case, if the PDA’s are moving. Along with this dependency, there is certain other as well. Just to be a focus on the actual behavior of the wireless and then wireless information systems only two are mentioned here to emphasize the main and important factors affecting the wireless in general. Important features to consider about There are certain tendencies that are important to know about these systems. According to these, Information systems have to develop first. While developing these systems a software engineer needs to know the protocols (specific rules of dealing on networks) and standard to follow up on them and then to develop finally (Feldman, 2007). There are certain standards that need to follow while considering wireless. In this way, there appears a need to select a standard according to the type of wireless information system. Those standards are as follows: IEE802.11 IEE802.11a IEE802.11b IEE802.11g IEE802.16 IEE802.16a Open Air Home based Blue tooth based Discussion After implementation of these steps, architecture to develop a software program is required. When these wireless systems developed then these should cope with the problem fairly in real time. If an architecture of software program is designed in such a way that it is safe for security flexibility and other issues as well. If technology is implemented selected in an improved way then an information system can work well. If there are leaks in the design and programming tactics and technology implementation then there would be a lot of leak in the system as well that result in a very severe or drastic problem. In this way, it can say that software programs that developed to resolve a problem need attention in all these metrics to work upon and to get a better result. If there is a better program written by a programmer who is reliable and portable, efficient and of strong functionality then fulfill the better requirement in this case. Whereas if we are talking about the wireless informa tion systems things become more sensitive as we are dealing on real-time and gather a lot of security risks. That’s why after applying and implementing rules and regulations and following the standards will get the better results. The use of wireless information systems is beneficial for the companies and organization in various ways, first of all, it is accessible in minimum resources. It reduces the time and mobility issues problem and enhances the productivity of the organization in this regard.(Wireless Networking in the developing world session 2007) The use of wireless management systems can improve the effectiveness of applying multiple procedures. An output of these procedures when resulted in a good form then increased or enhanced the productivity of the organization in a fast manner. Well, reputed industries, companies, and organizations are referring towards these wireless information systems that are very fast growing. Along with all this, there are still new advancements are just coming on the way to increase the quality of the projects or to attain the benefits of the technologies as much as it can be. References Phillip M. Feldman (2007), Emerging Commercial Mobile Wireless Technology and Standards Suitable for the Army: http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR960/index.htmlWireless network and information processing system, (2008), Wireless network and information processing system, 2008: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7433699.htmlWireless networking in the developing world session (2007), Wireless networking in the developing world session, Wireless Network: http://wirelesssummit.org/content/cwns-and-developing-world

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Analysis Essay

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Analysis Essay With reference to one or two episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer studied in class, explain how the series encourages the viewer to question assumptions about high and low culture and/or television as a form of popular culture. You may wish to consider issues of genre, authorship and gender. Vampires are widely known for their slick back black hair, fanged teeth and black and red capes; however, in the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer these traditions have made different way for female fighters and ghoulish monsters. We each have our own different thoughts about what and who vampires are, but the media use their power on public to create a strong image of what are vampires should look like and have endorsed traditions believed for many years. In order to maximise viewing figure, the producers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer have made a good mix of the horror genre and the typical, classical American high school show. This mixture of different genres is suitable for many different class or age groups and tastes. The first episode is titled Welcome to Hellmouth this name is an oxymoron as it uses words that express good and bad. The build up to the episode shows a young couple breaking into the school through a window in the science lab. This action not only ads tension but also shows a link between science and the supernatural, something that has been talked about for hundreds of years. The woman turns into a green hideous monster and kills that boy. This is very rare for a vampire tale as traditionally vampires did not look like monsters and also they only attacked defenseless females. The episode starts properly when Buffy Summers, a 16 years old girl moves to Sunnydale, from LA with her mother. This is not the setting that the audience would expect for a vampire story as the word Sunnydale hardly paints a picture of a dark, horror place full of vampires. Therefore, this name subverts the traditional signifiers. On the first day of school, the popular girl named Cordelia inducts Buffy into the cool crowd, Buffy attempts to be friends with three other students,Willow, Xander and Jesse. This gesture shows us that Buffy is a good judge of character, strong minded and that she is a leader not a follower. Buffy goes to the school library to get some text books. The library, although a more unusual setting was much more like something from a vampire story, it was dark and empty. To add tension the producers used scary disjointed music to try and set the scene and the camera moves in onto a newspaper article, to which you can read the headline which refers to a missing teenage boy. This article casts a question mark over the normal nice Sunnydale. Then a figure appears behind Buffy, it is Buffys new watcher and the new school librarian,Giles. He brings a book with Vampyr on the cover and scares Buffy off. This endorses the old traditions as the book was old, and full of cobwebs, possibly to add more mystery to this section. The spelling Vampyr again highlights the books age and tries to make it look even more strange, this also brings more history and tradition into the episode, two elements that are important to any gothic style story. The show seems to take a different twist when a dead body is found in the school changing rooms. It is unusual that the body was discovered in the school and another good point to note is that the victim was a man, which is unusual for a vampire story, as traditionally the victims were all defenseless females. Buffy to investigate and found the body was killed by vampires. At home, Buffy prepares for her night out to the Bronze, Sunnydales only night club. Her mum thinks that everything is going to work out in Sunnydale and that they will be able to have a happy life there. It is very ironic as Buffy knows that bad things are just around the corner and also this shows that her mother is unaware that she is a vampire slayer. On her way to the Bronze, Buffy senses she is being followed and heads into an alleyway. A tall young man comes out of the shadows searching for her. She swings down from a bar above him and knocks him to the ground. He claims not to bite and that he just wants to help her. This section endorses up to the point where Buffy swings down and attacks the man. He warns her of the Harvest and tells her about the Hellmouth. This name paints a bad picture in the audiences minds and it is the total opposite to Sunnydale. Later at the Bronze, Buffy chats with Willow about boys. She tries to inspire Willow to stop waiting and to seize the day. Buffy spots Giles upstairs and goes up to talk to him. He continues to tell her she is the Slayer and has no choice in the matter. At first the setting for this scene may seem to be totally radical in a vampire style story, however after thought the venue is dark and full of young potential victims so is a modern adaptation of the settings for the older tales. For example, the more traditional tales were set in a graveyard or spooky house, which was dark and the time was always in the dead of night. These characteristics can also be linked to the nightclub used in Buffy, as it too is dark and people only go to th ese clubs during the hours of darkness.The show seems to take a different twist when a dead body is found in the school changing rooms. It is unusual that the body was discovered in the school and another good point to note is that the victim was a man, which is unusual for a vampire story, as traditionally the victims were all defenseless females. Buffy to investigate and found the body was killed by vampires. At home, Buffy prepares for the night out to the Bronze, the only night club in Sunnydale. Her mum thinks that everything is going to be fine in Sunnydale and they can have a happy life there. It is very ironic as Buffy knows that bad things are just around the corner and also this shows that her mother is unaware that she is a vampire slayer. On her way to the club, Buffy senses she is being followed and heads into an alleyway. A tall young man comes out of the shadows searching for her. She swings down from a bar above him and knocks him to the ground. He claims not to bite and that he just wants to help her. This section endorses up to the point where Buffy swings down and attacks the man. He warns her of the Harvest and tells her about the Hellmouth. This name paints a bad picture in the audiences minds and it is the total opposite to Sunnydale. Later at the Bronze, Buffy chats with Willow about boys. She tries to inspire Willow to stop waiting and to seize the day. Buffy spots Giles upstairs and goes up to talk to him. He continues to tell her she is the Slayer and has no choice in the matter. At first the setting for this scene may seem to be totally radical in a vampire style story, however after thought the venue is dark and full of young potential victims so is a modern adaptation of the settings for the older tales. For example, the more traditional tales were set in a graveyard or spooky house, which was dark and the time was always in the dead of night. These characteristics can also be linked to the nightclub used in Buffy, as it too is dar k and people only go to these clubs during the hours of darkness. Buffy spots a vampire in the crowd below them and then realizes hes talking to Willow. The guy leaves with Willow as Buffy goes searching for him. She mistakenly attacks Cordelia and then pretty much ruins her chances for popularity. As Buffy leaves, she runs into Xander and asks him where Willow may have gone or else there will be one more dead body tomorrow. The vampire manages to lead Willow into the cemetery where he throws her into a tomb stone. As he tries to escape, Darla arrives with Jesse. Buffy and Xander turn up and Buffy kills one of the vampires and then fights with Darla as Xander gets Willow and Jesse out to safety. A vampire shows up and fights with Buffy. While they are fighting, Darla escapes to get Jesse, Xander and Willow. The vampire throws Buffy into a coffin where he jumps in and leans in to bite. Apart from Buffy, a female fighter, who manages to attack all the vampires single handed. This endi ng endorses the signifiers we think off when we talk about vampires. As the setting, a graveyard is the usual place for an attack in a gothic or vampire story. It is also interesting to note that the episode concludes with a cliffhanger, an unusual ending for many gothic style stories and films. As traditionally, the story finished with either the death of a victim or of the attacker. In any television programme or feature film, camera angles and effects are important as they portray certain feelings that the producers want to show to the audience, these may be something like making the audience think a character is small and weak by using a high angle shot, which looks down on the character. Or you could use the opposite effect by making a character look strong and powerful from using a low angle shot (looking up). In Buffy The Vampire Slayer they producers use one effect which is featured on several occasions. This is where a quick series of flashing images is presented to the vie wers; this technique is called a montage of images. In episode 1 this feature is used twice, in the first case, the montage is used as a title sequence and shows images that both subvert and endorse the conventions, including images of signifiers including black cats, stakes and green monsters along with modern things like female fighters. This sequence promises viewers fast pace, all action entertainment and shows clips of future episodes in order to encourage continual viewing throughout the series. The second montage is shown where Buffy is in bed dreaming at the beginning of the actual programme, after the introduction and the title sequence. This series of images is showing the audience that she is restless as there is some kind of distortion in the images, and some are not fully visible. This makes the viewers to try and understand the sequence and the majority suggest that Buffy is involved in someway with vampires or as a protector of some description. The images shown inclu de an old book which suggests the cultural history of vampires, a cross which represents Christianity and the way to kill vampires. Because of this legend, the cross points out that Buffy is a protector. Moreover, Buffy creator Joss Whedon described Buffy the Vampire Slayer as an all over the place transcending-genre kind of thing. (Stein, 2002) Well the text is mainly considered to be of the teen genre it does contain elements of the horror genre to. The fight against monsters and the idea of a patriarchal society is all central to the horror genre. The way that Buffys world is invaded by monsters, horror invades home is another shared convention between horror and BVS. However one aspect of the show that goes against the horror genre is the role of women. In previous horror texts women were weak and frightened; however BVS changes traditional genre and ideological views. Buffys embodied strength, power, and assertiveness destabilize the traditional masculinity power of the vampire character in the horror genre, in effect policing those who prey upon the feminized (Owen, 1999). Through the text femininity is conveyed as a forceful strong identity. Buffy is stronger then all the men she meets both physically and mentally. However Buffy is not empowered by past feminist movements in the text. She is empowered by herself. Indeed Karras writes that Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffys relationship with her mother can be understood as a metaphor for the tenuous relationship between second and third wave feminists(Karras, 2002) Buffys mother feels angry at the fact that Buffy doesnt take full use of the rights she now has to the feminist movement of the 60s. In conclusion,Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a popular culture because it provides a good blend of many aspects of both low and high cultures. It contains scenes that are scary, action packed and also offers addictive viewing like a soap opera. Buffy can be viewed by many different age groups as it seems that there is almost something for all, just the opening episode included many different styles of programming, from comedy to gothic style features. ‘Yet Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ also manages to defy convention by establishing its protagonist as an all strong, powerful willed women. Buffy as an open-image hero expose stereotypes and coded symbols that shore up a rigid war-influenced gender system in an attempt to chart new meanings for womanliness and manliness (Early, 2001) Reference list Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 1 Episode 1 â€Å"Welcome to the Hellmouth† Owen, A. Susan. 1999. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Vampires, postmodernity, and postfeminism. Journal Of Popular Film Television 27(2): 24-31 Irene Karras, 2002. â€Å"The Third Waves Final Girl:  Buffy the Vampire Slayer.† [http://journals.sfu.ca/thirdspace/index.php/journal/article/viewArticle/karras/50] Francis H. Early, 2001. â€Å"Staking Her Claim: Buffy the Vampire Slayeras Transgressive Woman Warrior† [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.0022-3840.2001.3503_11.x/abstract] â€Å"Chose an episode of any teen TV programme of your choice and identify the generiv conventions of this TV text.† [http://www.markedbyteachers.com/as-and-a-level/media-studies/chose-an-episode-of-any-teen-tv-programme-of-your-choice-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-and-identify-the-generic-conventions-of-this-tv-text.html]

Coca Cola History And Development Commerce Essay

Coca Cola History And Development Commerce Essay History of and development : Coca cola was started in 1800s by John Pemberton. Coca cola recipe developed at the Eagle drugs and chemicals company, a pharmacy in Columbus, Georgia. Originally its called Pembertons French coca wine. He may have been Mariani wine with great success, European coca wine inspiration. 1886, in Atlanta, Fulton County, by prohibiting legislation, Pemberton responded coca-cola developed, is essentially a non-alcoholic version of French wine coca-cola. The first sales were at Jacobs pharmacy in Atlanta on May 8, 1886. They sold it in Atlanta for five cents a glass. And they didnt mix with water, the test was very strong. It was called Pembertons French wine coca, and it was sold as a medicine to help the people from cold and some people was using it as energy Drink. In United States it used to Sold at soda fountains. The starting year of the company sales was so low, around nine drink per day so Dr. Pemberton think that he didnt make a lot of money with the drink. So he sold his business to Asa g. Candler. To just before he died in 1888. After six year on 12 March 1894 coca cola was 1st sold in bottles in Atlanta with actual cocaine content. And after 61 years later in 1955 it sold in cans. The Coca-Cola Company is the production of concentrated syrup, and then sold to different bottling plants around the world held by Coca-Cola franchise. Coca-Cola bottler, the territory of an exclusive contract with the company, produce finished cans and bottles of concentrated filtered water and sweeteners combined. Then bottling sell, distribute and merchandise Coca-Cola products retail stores, vending machines, restaurants and food service distributors. (Bodden 2008) Important development include the period from 1980-1990, such as diet coke, cherry coke, diet cherry coke. 2000- 2005, coke with lemon, vanilla coke diet coke with lemon. (Coca cola 2012) Key milestones 2002(In India) golden peacock award for global excellence in corporate Governance, by the world council for corporate 2005 Chinas best corporate citizen conduct award, 21st century business Herald 2006 International Supplier of the Year, Wal-Mart 2010 Coca cola was number one global brand in world (FMCG 2011) 10 year financials in column chart from with short analysis Coca cola profit, revenues, 2000-2010 Since year 2000 company is performing in comfortable raising zone of its journey. Year by year increasing in profit and in revenue is been measured as per the above listed graph. In 2009 because of market decline (resection) company gone through a loss but by 2010 it shows a positive comeback again towards the profit. (Coca cola annual report 2000-2010) Overview of industry, markets, products, service; Coca cola is world largest company for manufacturer, marketer and distributor of non alcoholic drinks in world. Coca Cola Company produces coca cola music, snacks and more than 3500 non-alcoholic beverages, from regular sparkling and diet drinks such as juices, waters, energy waters, Coffee-tea, milk and Etc. Based drinks. Like diet coke, sprite, Fanta, Thumps up, limca, emerald mounted and etc. For marketing, Coca Cola Company is using Advertising, Coca-Cola advertising as its main source of consumer awareness. It is mainly the use of TV. Coca-Cola products have a lot of TV add. The source of the companys products to reach a large audience. Latest TV advertising for Coca-Cola soft drinks was YOU KNOW, YOU WANT IT. The company also uses another source of radio advertising. This is an inexpensive method compared, TV. Advertising costs in the past three years have shown $ 11 million. Coca cola companies operating income 2009 increased 4 percent in the quarter, and after that decreased 3 percent at the end of year. In 2011 Coca cola unit case volume is increased 5% in word wide Coca cola had 42% distributed in United States, 37% in Mexico, Brazil, India, and Japan. And 20 % distributed in rest of the world. Coca cola have 60.9% market share in India. Coca-Cola uses intensive distribution strategy. The companys products are sold almost all exports include: retail outlets  · Shops  · Restaurants  · Gas Station  · sale kiosks  · school, sports and entertainment venue  · from a vending machine Coca Cola Company is using C to C method for service, c to c means company to customer. In US and Canada coca cola using hotline service. Customer can direct call to the company. (Coca cola 2006-2012) Major issue that affected the coca cola company in past 3 years. In 2009 China national cereals, oils and foodstuffs corporation {COFCO} and Coca Cola Company make new joint venture. Coca cola Company started new bottling plant in northwest china. And it was joint venture with COFCO. For this plant coca cola invest 30.9 US dollar. Coca Cola 5000 opportunities for job. Because the plan now days coca cola have 3rd largest market in china. In June 2010 Simon group and coca cola company improve their marketing alliance. In June 2010 Simon group and coca cola company improve their marketing alliance. In America Simon group is the number 1 real estate group and Coca Cola Company was venture with that group. And with Simon group the coca cola company can extend their marketing in mall. And thats coca cola have very easy to interact with the consumers like youngster In august 2010 coca cola company bottler settles discrimination case In august 2008, Coca-Cola Bottling Company MERGED in Charlotte, Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company is separate from the money to pay wage arrears, plus interest, to 95 black and Hispanic job seekers apply for sales positions in 2002, according to the U.S. Department of Labour. (Coca cola 2006-2012) How has the organizations culture, values, history and development influenced leadership, management, and OB? Core values: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹ in Coca-Cola company culture, leadership, passion, integrity, cooperation, diversity, quality and accountability system, is defined by. Coca-Colas central commitment acts as the mind, body, spirit and inspire optimism to refresh the world to create value and make a difference. 2 assets to give them a chance to make this commitment-their people and brand. As a global company, the Coca-Cola Companys has an ability to understand, accept and work in a multicultural world both in the market and in the workplace our sustainable development is crucial. They work hard to ensure inclusive and equitable work environment for their associates, all diversity training on a regular basis. We found that, the ongoing dialogue clues to a better understanding of their colleagues, their suppliers, their customers, their stakeholders, and ultimately greater success on the market. (Coca cola 2006-2011) The coca-cola development = The key to the development of quality incentive and reward system to understand the needs of the coca cola employees, Coca-Cola HBC Hrvatska, they will conduct regular quantitative and qualitative research on employee satisfaction. Based on the findings, develop an action plan to further improve their motivation and reward system. They further adjust the current system of economic trends, industry branch of their companys strategic plan, our department goals and personal goals. (Coca-Cola HBC Hrvatska d.o.o 2012) Company leadership, management, and OB analysis Muhtar Kent is the CEO and President of the coca cola company. He has spent his entire career with Coca Cola Company. He was born in new York 1952, and he was completed his high school from Mersin, turkey in 1971 after that he went to the university of hull, in united kingdom for Master of Business Administration (MBA). In 1987, Mr. Muhtar Kent joined the coca-cola company at Atlanta, as marketing and operations leadership positions. In 1995 and 1998, Mr. Kent becomes Managing Director, in Coca-Cola Amatil Europe and he was handled bottling operations in 12 nation and regions. Mr. Kent, in 2005, president and chief operating officer of the Coca-Cola Company, the Companys North Asia, Eurasia and Middle East Group, the organization provides a broad and diverse region, including China, Japan and Russia. Less than a year later, in 2006, Mr. Kent served as president of Coca-Cola International, until he was appointed president and chief operating officer of The Coca-Cola Company, is responsible for overseeing all business operations. In July 2008, Mr. Muhtar Kent became CEO and President. (Thomas White International ltd, 2012) Type = Muhtar Kent is primary Transformational leadership type, with a strong visionary leadership. When he was become CEO in 2008 he set his vision to establish a long-term economic growth even in his plan in us market revenue goal of doubling by 2020. (Yuki 2010) Values and attitudes = Muhtar Kent can increase the value of their employees, build trust in the workplace. Trust employees are more likely to emulate the actions of a leader, because they see the value-added of action. This trust has penetrated to the continued growth of the Coca-Cola Company on a global scale. (Gupte 2003-2008) Personality = Muhtar Kent personality is similar to his style, personality of Mr. Kent was based on building a trust with their employs and creating an trust worthy staff which helps him in running coco cola to its heights. (Gupte 2003-2008) Style and behavioural characteristics = His style is Dynamic leadership and characteristics = he is Being low-key and loving what he does. A Dynamic leader able to add value to their employees, to build trust in the workplace. Trust employees are more likely to emulate the actions of a leader, because they see the value-added of action. Muhtar Kent, a leader always maintains relationship of trust of his employees and customers is a good example. This trust has penetrated to the continued growth of the Coca-Cola Company on a global scale. No matter the size, dynamic leaders can change the value of their company (Yuki 2010) Key skill = Muhtar Kent main key skill is his experience and his innovative ideas. For example, Muhtar Kent has more than 26 year experience in Coca Cola Company and he know very well that how to increasing profit and revenue, And about his innovative ideas Muhtar Kents helping organization with his incorporate innovative ideas to expand their business, is unmatched worldwide income. (Gupte 2003-2008) Practices = Muhtar Kent always motivates his organization employer to think good and think for company future. And he said that always try to keep true to yourself and do the right thing. And fell proud on what you did. Muhtar Kent meets his management team daily and discus about the current issues and all reports for organization. He travels around the word for meets with manager in major countries. (Gupte 2003-2008) Evaluate how leadership skill have developed over his career = Muhtar Kent leadership skill are truly gift from his parents. From the childhood he always observes his father Mr. Necdet Kent keenly and he learns lots of practices from him. Muhtar Kent says that he learned his management skills when he was doing his  Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Cass business school London. (Cable news network 2012) major reasons for success = Kent describes the success of the Coca-Cola Companys micro-distribution scheme; this is the beginning, because of its delivery trucks cannot reach rural communities. The company created a micro-distribution centre (MDC) to drink their own businesses in the local alternative means. According to Mr. Kent, they are the Golden Age, these entrepreneurs to become leaders in their communities, they are an additional 8,000 people in Africa, he said. Coca-Cola oath entrepreneurs in the new Micro Distribution Centre (MDC) last year, 50% are women, we have been in seven African countries that goal. (Coca cola 2010) Identify major/potential weaknesses that could lead to failure = Muhtar Kent always takes risk for investing. Once he take decision he never thing about risk. Recently Mr. Kent declares that he will invest 500 million U.S. dollars from now to 2020, a variety of activities, including the establishment of a new bottling plant in India. And that investment has big risk. 2. Describe and analyze the organization and management using the following attributes. Vision = The company goal as a roadmap and guide their business every aspect of the framework describes the tasks they need to complete in order to continue to achieve stable, quality growth Mission = Companys roadmap starts with their mission, which is enduring. Declare our purpose as a company and is based on the standard as they measure their actions and decisions. Value = Companys values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹as a compass for their actions and describe how they react in world. Leadership: shaping a better future for courage Collaboration: the use of collective genius Integrity: is true Accountability: if this is for me Committed in the passion of the heart and mind Diversity: As inclusive, because our brand Quality: We do, we do WEL (Coca cola mission stetment-2012) Goal = A global goal set by the company is safe to return to nature and society a certain amount of water equivalent to what the use for in its production in 2020. (The Climate Group-2012) Competitive strategy = PepsiCo is one of the most powerful opponents of the Coca-Cola Company, one of the products of the same series at the same price. This threat is important, because it cannot be eliminated to produce better quality products at lower prices but The Coca-Cola Company, the success of the strategy and management skills explained; it is everywhere, sporting events, advertising, movies, billboards, and many other media. Coca-Cola has been out a lot of different types and flavours, to compete with their competitors. (zeshan ali 2012) Structure = coke.png The Company has a personal international division of labour, because of its international staff in the headquarters of the isolated operation. Different departments throughout the continents of the world, all the president control every continent split. Style = Successful management team has to motivate employees Management style, they have taken to meet their target is based. There are three main management; autocratic, democratic and Laissez-faire style System = Coca-Cola business unique model. The development of high-quality brand Coca-Cola Company and their bottling partners, production and distribution. The system has been able to provide unparalleled drinks and more than a century, around the world the results. 3. Other issues 1. Describe the organization strategy. Describe how they manage cross cultural issues. Around the world, Coca-Cola is consumed. Its product strength has already begun to over-saturate the world market and to break the foreign markets, competitiveness rough established foreign brands. The Coca-Colas business strategy was formulated 115 years before. The strategy is very simple, the familiar red and white flag firmly imprinted in the hearts of the people all around the world. There has been a very successful strategy for cokes sales for more than 200 countries worldwide. Coca-cola has done very well in its international strategy. This is a world renowned brand and consumed almost everywhere. They conduct medical campaign yearly twice to help the people in the society. An example of coca cola international strategy is, Coca-Cola Company has been working with the African local people, which is a great business strategy. Because it acts as the desire and enthusiasm for the people, and its products are very successful. Coca-Cola has done advertising with great African footballers. This great advertising strategy, Coca-Cola became a lasting symbol of Africas top brand. They also prevent competitors of Coca-Cola, to get any market share in South Africa. (International business blog 2010) 2. Describe how power is used in the organization and how it is shared; describe the internal politics. How are conflicts resolved? Atlanta, the head quarter of coca cola is centralised by high power. The coca cola company CEO and chairman of the board Mr. Kent makes all the decisions regarding the company policies. The Coca-Cola Company has a separate international division, It constitutes around the world and various departments to control each continent with separate president. Coca cola company major division EURASIA AND AFRICA, EUROPE, LATIN AMERICA, NORTH AMERICA, and PACIFIC are now controlled by president of division. And he sit in the corporate headquarter. Examples = Ahmed C. Bozer Eurasia and Africa Group, president of the Coca-Cola Company, the leadership of the Companys business activities in more than 90 countries and regions. Headquartered in Istanbul, the Group consists of six business units, including Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, India and South-West Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and West Africa and South Africa. 3. Describe the main communication processes. Be specific in your discussion. Coca cola company in February 2007 and the previous CEO john Brock, they need to communicate, a new strategic direction for the coca cola. However, they dont have cohesive communication strategy, John Brock is unable to reach and rapidly with the entire organizations employees. But then after with the implementation of the communication strategy of the CISCO internet business solution group. Coca-Cola through Ciscos successful implementation of communication. The proposed combination of Ciscos own success in the internal administration of the communication process unified communications solutions based on, but targeted to coca cola company opportunities, challenges, and cultural. A customized roadmap defines a phased approach, the first stage to provide live video and video-on-demand coca colas senior management team. The first phase also includes the companys intranet, audio and 30,000 knowledge workers a meeting in a box, so that management personnel on-site staff to convey information. Subsequent phases will be further driven by the automation to the organization, so that all employees secure access to intranet or through kiosks in each device. And on the Results that 90 % of employees satisfied with new communications and Coca-Cola set up the whole framework of the companys global operations and Rebuild its implementation of communication strategies. Today everyone that the Coca-Cola Company in the communication aspect is a big difference, said: Heights. We were able to communicate quickly; we have been fast enough, we they have a consistent message. (Cisco IBSG 2011) What is the importance of being a learning organization? How is this demonstrated? For coca cola, Learning organization is an important part of its overall mission statement, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company take the lead in learning plan development and structure, not only the leader, but the employees throughout the organization. Coca Cola Universitys purpose is to provide experience to equip people with practical skills and knowledge, in order to win the market. Employees in a wide range of areas including human leadership, the leadership of the franchise, the consumer market and customer, business class. Coca Cola University is the best research, and provide training / consulting service to learning transfer between the different parts of the coca cola franchise system (Coca cola 2006-2012) Describe their policy in handling ethic issues. Give at least one example of resolving a major ethical issue. Coca cola Company has very strong ethical code; the code is needed for honesty and integrity in all situations. Coca cola directors, managers or any other employs must have to read and understands the code, and follow the lessons in the organization or in market. This code can help their people to do the right thing and a place to play, the rules they operate around the global For Example, In 2003, near every community of the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Kerala, India to protest water shortages and water pollution, resulting in its bottling operations. These allegations led to the closure of the bottling plant. Coca-Cola unethical business behaviour is prohibited state. After that coca cola company near the local bottling plant in order to win the trust between the people and improve their business practices and they reduction 34% in water consumption. (Coca cola 2006-2012) What are the major strengths and weaknesses of the companys leadership, management and OB? Strengths of Coca Cola Company Globally known about Coca Cola Company Coca-Cola Company, is well-known around the globally and has a long history. The company holds the brand name of its own credibility in the international market. And coca cola have customer all around the world. Coca cola companys Brand Image Coca cola company brand image is very good, around the world. Coca Cola Company is so famous and almost every people know about coca cola brand. Its development has a great impact on the coca cola company image. Coca cola is rated as the world first cold drink brand. Supply chain management (SCM) The company has successfully dealt with Supply Chain Management (SCM) which is the spine of any company. Coke deals with SCM and gives training and conducts campaigns regarding it. This seems to be proactive and successfully convert them to strength. And coca cola have very good supply chain management. Brand positioning Coca-Colas brand positioning is very strong. The company focused on Training Online Manager (TOM). Top of mind strategy allows consumers to remember the product, as well as the product is the number one position. Positioning strategy is the real strength of the company, because it made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹a great contribution to the success of the company. Quality of the product Coco-cola gives first preference to its and quality and maintains its consistency all over the years. They also maintain quality management team which focuses on the products always. This made the companys product to reach globally around the world. (Coca cola, swot analysis 2010) Weaknesses of Coca Cola Company Limited drinks add in market. Weaknesses for the coca cola company is, they produce drinks such as Coke and Sprite are very popular, but the company there are about 400 different types of beverage type. Largely unknown, rarely seen available for purchase. These drinks may taste is not bad, but the result is quite low-key or non-existent advertising. This is a weakness in the analysis of companies, they need to research. On health problem Another weakness has been greatly publicized health problems are surrounded by some of their products. It is understood that a popular product, such as coke is not very beneficial to your body and your health. In todays constantly transferred to the health care products and some products may lose customers. This may be a new focus on weight and health problems, is detrimental to your health. Not produce organic drink As for the internal weaknesses, the same never produced organic products of the Coca-Cola Company. They do not have relationships with organic suppliers. Promotional activities Coca cola company, In Pakistan ignored the most important element is to promote. On the other hand it can be seen, Pepsi publicity activation. Make significant recommendations for improvement :- For the my recommendation for improvement, I would like to suggest to the coca cola company, Coca Cola Company doesnt have any drinks which contend natural items in drink, they have to make any drink which contend with natural flower and contend. Coca Cola Company have to do some marketing for snack, water bottled, sports drinks and some other product. Coca Cola Company has to clear their problem which is on peoples health related. Coca cola have to stop plastic bottle because nobody can destroy it and around 25% only recycle. Coca Cola Company have to served drink only in cane so nobody can mix anything with drinks, in plastic bottle some people open it and mix something and pack it nicely and they seal. Coca cola have to start some policy like If costumer gives 4 empty bottles, he gets one free coca cola drink. Coca cola have to improve their water plant because for beverage they need lots of water, now recently they face problem in coca cola plant India for water supply. For marketing coca cola company has to make some TV add with kids so they can attract kids. The company to use splenda instead of aspartame in the diet pop. And the same time use citric acid instead of phosphoric acid in the beverages.

The Need For Safe Nurse Staffing Essay -- Nurse-to-Patient Ratios

In the past two decades, there has been a push for appropriate staff to client ratios. However, measuring client needs and nursing efforts have been around since 1922 (Lewinski-Corwin, 1922, pp. 603-606). The earliest recorded effort was by the New York Academy of Medicine. Superintendents and nurses from ten training schools documented the time spent providing bedside care. From complied information, the researchers revealed each client required an average of five hours and four minutes of care in a 24-hour period. From these observations, they evaluated staffing issues in New York City. At that time, none of the hospitals were sufficiently staffed (Lewinski-Corwin, 1922, pp. 603-606). Still today, nurse staffing is a crucial health policy issue. Since the 1980s, the nursing profession has taken on more prominence in America with a large focus on research studies. In fact, U.S. Public Law 99-158, Health Research Extension Act of 1985, authorized the National Center for Nursing Research (NCNR) at National Institutes of Health (NIH) (Health Research Extension Act of 1985, 1985). With U.S. Public Law 103-43, NIH Revitalization Act of 1993, the NCNR was formally changed to the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) (NIH Revitalization Act of 1993, 1993). The NINR started constructing purposeful research projects, which produced a positive correlation between the number of staff and quality of care. However, the 1996 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report expressed, at that time, no significance between nurse staffing and clients’ outcomes in acute-care hospitals (Institute of Medicine Staff, Davis, Sloan, & Wunderlich, 1996, p. 9). For a while, hospitals were cutting staff, using the IOM report in 1996 as evidence-based rese... ...ww.nejm.org Nelson, R. (2008, March). AJN reports: California’s ratio law, four years later. American Journal of Nursing, 108(3), 25-26. Retrieved from http://www.nursingcenter.com NIH Revitalization Act of 1993, 42 U.S.C. Â § 1511 (1993), http://history.nih.gov. Nursetraveler. (1999). The original bill that put staffing ratios in place! Retrieved September 10, 2011, from http://nursetraveler.org Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2003, S. 991, 108th Cong. (2003), http://thomas.loc.gov. Sovie, M. D., & Jawad, A. F. (2001, December). Hospital restructuring and its impact on outcomes. nursing staff regulations are premature. Journal of Nursing Administration, 31(12), 588-600. Retrieved from http://journals.lww.com Tone, B. (n.d.). California nurse-to-patient ratio still undecided, comment period ahead. Retrieved September 10, 2011, from http://www.nursezone.com