Thursday, December 19, 2019

Mass Surveillance Ethics Richard E. Morris - 1251 Words

Mass Surveillance Ethics Richard E. Morris Excelsior College Surveillance is, in the simplest terms, monitoring or observing an individual or group. Derived from a French term meaning looking upon, it includes not only visual observation but also behavior analysis. Prominent examples of surveillance include cameras, wiretaps, GPS tracking, and packet sniffing. Observation is often seen as an expression of control. Just as being stared at for an extended period can make you uneasy and even hostile, constant surveillance can have the same effect. Additionally, surveillance is often conducted secretly and under the auspice of some authority. The technological capabilities available in the present day take surveillance to unprecedented†¦show more content†¦This state of affairs would continue until 1898, when Valdemar Poulsen introduced magnetic wire recording with the invention of the telegraphone. During World War II, both the Allies and the Axis used magnetic tape to conduct surveillance on their enemies, and on their own citizens. Prior to the war, most legislation and court decisions had limited the ability of the United States government to wiretap its own citizens. With the onset of hostilities, however, the issue of national security began to weigh heavily on legislators. This use of domestic wiretapping was never dialed back, even increasing during the Cold War era as the FBI monitored the communications of suspected Communist sympathizers such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now, as computers have become seemingly ubiquitous and essential to our daily lives, the methods of computer surveillance become in creasingly diverse. Packet sniffers, keyloggers, and encryption backdoors are the most prevalent tools in the most recent evolution of electronic surveillance. The USA PATRIOT Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism) was sweeping legislation enacted in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The Act increased the capability of law enforcement agencies to combat terrorism by granting agencies the authority toShow MoreRelatedFrom Salvation to Self-Realization18515 Words   |  75 Pages1880-1930 T. J. Jackson Lears Lears, T.J. Jackson 1983. From salvation to self-realization: Advertising and the therapeutic roots of the consumer culture, 1880-1930. In The Culture of Consumption: Critical Essays in American History, 18801980, ed. by Richard Wightman Fox and T.J. Jackson Lears, New York: Pantheon Books, 1-38. Reprinted with the permission of the author. 1On or about December 1910, Virginia Woolf once said, human character changed. This hyperbole contains a kernel of truth. AroundRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. 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Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Case 4 I Want My VOIP!!!! free essay sample

Less cost Digital telephone uses VOIP based on soft switching technology, which is less xpensive to apply and maintain. 2. Multifunctional In addition to equip with all the regular services offered by traditional telephone, digital telephone can convert phone calls into data, the integration of telephone, TV, and data Is extensive. 3. convenience There is no long distance charges and physical location of equipment doesnt matter. Calls between multiple phone numbers are free. 4. Huge potential Features in the future are out of the reach of the local telephone, such as videophones, video emails. 1 . Relatively poor voice quality The voice quality of digital telephone is not as good as regular telephone service. 2. Power problem Lose of power means loss of telephone service while regular telephone systems still operate when electricity is out. Though batteries work for temporary backup power, but there is nothing would provide telephone service for extensive blackout periods. In view of Ritas needs, lower cost. We will write a custom essay sample on Case 4 I Want My VOIP!!!! or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page convenience and value, if I were her, I would choose digital telephone. However, before subscrlblng to Time warner, I would make a comparison among the digital telephone companies and decide the proper one, Compared with other companies, Time Warner has such Advantages Better service Relatively expensive Therefore, in view of RltaS needs, If I were her, I wont subscribe with Time Warner. #2. Write the first part of a marketing strategy statement for the Time Warner digital telephone offer ? Include the target market and planned product positioning. customer value and achieve profitable customer relationships. This process involves market segmentation, market targeting, differentiation, and positioning. Target market: A set of buyers sharing common needs or characteristics that the company ecides to serve. Positioning: Arranging for a product to occupy a clear, distinctive, and desirable place relative to competing products in the minds of target consumers. marketing strategy statement Target Market People like Rita who want lower costs, convenience and value, such as: People who want to lower their phone call costs, People who are fancy with multiple functions; People who usually make long distance calls, such as businessmen , or families with members far away from home Planned product positioning Low cost, convenient, multifunctional, promising communication product 3. In what stage of the product life cycle is Internet telephony? Does the answer to this question vary across companies such as Vontage, Comcast, Time Warner, and Cox? Product life cycle (PLC): The course ofa products sales and profits over its lifetime. It involves five distinct stages: product development, introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. 1 . Product development begins when the company finds and develops a new-product idea. During product development, sales are zero, and the companys investment costs mount. 2. Introduction is a period of slow sales growth as he product is introduced in the market. Profits are nonexistent in this stage because of the heavy expenses of product introduction. 3. Growth is a period of rapid market acceptance and increasing profits. 4. Maturity is a period of slowdown in sales growth because the product has achieved acceptance by most potential buyers. Profits level off or decline because of increased marketing outlays to defend the product against competition. 5. Decline is the period when sales fall off and profits drop. 1) According to the definition and characteristics above, we can tell that Internet elephony is in the introduction stage. Although analysts expect 16 million subscribers to buy cable telephone services within 5 years. More than 20 companies have entered the market so far. Cable operators have been so slow to introduce the services and the growth of subscribers is even beginning to decline. Most of them still provide basic products. Nowadays they are taking great effort to advertise the product and to attract the customers. But the sales and profits are not so impressing. They all match the characteristics of Introduction stage. 2) The answer varies across ifferent companies. Comcast and Vontage have Just entered introduction stage because they started slower and now moving much more slowly than the other companies. Cox Communications and Time Warner is entering growth stage. Their cost per customer is cutting down and profit is rising. the advantages to both the consumer and the company? 1) Bundling of services work so well for the cable companies is because it meet consumers needs perfectly. For one thing, it is cheaper than the telephone companys service. For another, consumers prefer one company one bill which is more convenient.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Maria Full of Grace free essay sample

Joshua Marston was extraordinary in his movie debut as director in the film Maria Full of Grace. It was very impressive because nothing seemed to deter him from displaying many serious and important issues going on all over the world. This particular film dealt with many political, immigration, anti-feminist and cultural issues and that is just to name a few. What really interested me the most about this film is that it is a movie about survival and the various struggles people must confront. His realistic portrayal of the drug trade, which includes humans as mules as a way of trafficking drugs to the United States, and his obvious insinuation of how much more needs to be done with the so called â€Å"war on drugs† was amazing. The title of Maria Full of Grace may be somewhat contradictory as the film develops after time. Catalina Sandino Moreno, who plays the protagonist role named Maria may be considered graceful at first but after she is put in difficult circumstances was she really considered full of grace? Instead, the title of the film should have been Maria Full of Disgrace. We will write a custom essay sample on Maria Full of Grace or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Moreno’s role was that of a woman who smuggles heroin pellets, which she swallows and later on releases them from her body system, in order to gain a profit. This to me is not really considered graceful but disgraceful. Maria had to deal with many responsibilities since early on, and now she had to deal with overwhelming family problems, labor problems, as well personal problems, such as her pregnancy. When Maria was given the opportunity to make some fast money, what she thought to be a large quantity when in fact it was not, she was put in dangerous risks that jeopardize her life. During the course of the film, Marston incorporated anti-feminist stances. Male chauvinism or â€Å"machismo† is a term used to describe the belief that men are superior to women. The term â€Å"machismo† dates back since the early decades in the twentieth century. The director applied â€Å"machismo† in the film when Maria’s new boss hires only young women to do all the filthy work in the United States. In the film women are portrayed as vulnerable human beings. In past history but also currently, women have been seen as weak individuals with no voice. In the film, when Maria is in search of a new job she is approached by Franklin, who she met during a party in her hometown. Franklin was the one who introduced her to the job that she would take on later on in the film. Franklin made the job of being a mule, swallowing thumb size pellets filled of heroin and then smuggling them into the United States, not a major concern when indeed it puts herself in danger. Maria was hesitant in taking up the task and risking being caught but Franklin convinces her. Maria then is considered a vulnerable target. The film took place in Colombia and the Unites States. While still in Colombia, there was a scene where Maria attended a party and during the party she was vividly trying to dance cumbia with any partner she can find since her boyfriend was being a careless drunk. By choosing cumbia, which originated in Colombia, the director represented traditional backgrounds and roots that are currently present in Latin America. The director’s wise choice of music indeed enhanced the overall message of the film. While in the United States, which is considered a melting pot consisted of many races, backgrounds, and traditions, Maria had to enter a new and unknown country where she had to face many barriers. Political and immigration issues were tied in together in the film. The Colombian government has a corrupt system and the film illustrates how easy it is to smuggle drugs into the United States. When Maria arrived in New York, she was immediately pulled aside by US Customs, who threatened to X-ray her stomach to examine if she was bringing over any drugs. Luckily, they realize that she is pregnant and cannot follow through with the X-rays. After the close call by the authorities, Maria was then released into a country where she has never step foot on. Implementation of airport security may be strict but seems like they only target those who come from third world countries. Also, scared vulnerable women are being targeted such as Maria. Overall, Joshua Marston’s first film was a great movie success. His way of conveying realistic matters and expressing them throughout a film grasps the audience’s attention and draws them in on the reality occurring around us. Political, system is corrupt, airport security, easy to smuggle For his first time movie success, Joshua Marston’s film engages his audiences on the focus of drug trafficking and the war on drugs. Marston’s uses a realistic portrayal of the drug trade and the humans’ involvement. The way Joshua Marston applies the situation is effective in the sense that it makes the audience believe that this occurs on a daily basis.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Annibale Carraccis Visual Wit Essays - Annibale Carracci, Nude Art

Annibale Carracci's Visual Wit Bethany Chapman ARH 4350 001 42083: Baroque Art History Professor Fenichel March 20, 2018 During the latter part of the sixteenth century many educated men would meet in salons to talk about many scholarly topics. A main meeting place of these men was that of the Carracci studio in Bologna, where in place of educated topics they would talk of gossip and jest. Annibale Carracci, the younger of the Carracci brothers, was not as masterful in verbal wit as these men were, so he instead turned to painting. So, through his own paintings of Saint Sebastian, River Landscape and Venus, a Satyr, and Two Amorini, Annibale Carracci became known as a distinguished pictorial humorist of the late sixteenth century. In his rendition of Saint Sebastian Annibale Carracci took his pictorial humor one step further by adding in a subliminal erotic message to the piece. Saint Sebastian is usually depicted with my arrows piecing through his torso and has a deathly pallor about him, instead of following what other artists, such as Reni or Honthorst, Carracci depicts Sebastian as fully nude with only a single arrow piercing his side. In order to cover Saint Sebastian's private parts Carracci "skillfully" places the arrow so the shaft and the feathers/penne[1] lay completely cover his decency. The arrow becomes a visual jest because it covers everything but reveals everything at the same time. Carracci further explored the act of omitting the main narrative of the story to make up the main narrative of the story. In his painting River Landscape, he depicts a boat with couples in it who are seemingly having a pleasant ride down the river but, Annibale places a large tree that goes through the composition and blocks the viewers line of sight of part of the boat. This entices the viewer's thoughts that everything is not what it seems and that couples might be up to something immoral.[2] Continuing with his style of emphasizing what the viewer cannot see Carracci depicts a scene in the work Venus, a Satyr, and Two Amorini where a satyr is gazing upon the goddess who has her back turned to the viewer. The satyr's gaze is wide and he is practically drooling while looking at the goddess front side. This entices the viewer to imagine what exactly the satyr is seeing or not seeing, because some say that Annibale's cousin Ludovico posed as the goddess for this painting.[3] The amorino[4] on the lower left corner is perched between the goddess's legs and has his head up and is licking his lips, which is imagined to be that the amorino has just delved into oral pleasure with the goddess.[5] Within this article the author, Patricia Simons, almost praises Carracci for his wit and humorous undertones that he places into his works. She engages the reader with thought provoking facts that go in depth but, also lets the reader make their own assumptions about Carracci as an artist, she also gives many good sources to look at and go to if the reader chooses to do so. She doesn't pick a side or argument per say in her article, she mainly just states what she has observed and researched for her own about Carracci's humorous works. There is a lot of information within this article that one would not usually learn in a typical classroom setting. In many classes Annibale Carracci is only touched upon briefly but, this article brings so much more to light and spreads great knowledge and understanding to those who did not know much about this topic. A reaction from this article is one of intrigue and interest based on first time learning about satirical and mildly erotic paintings from the late sixteenth century. Controversy is a big deal when talking about this topic because, of the topic itself and the fact that Annibale is borderline making fun of Saints and goddesses in his works. Giving a phallic symbol to a saint who is being martyred is not the normal thing for an upstanding citizen to do. Another humorous thing is that this was all started around men and basically based upon the male sense of humor, which includes a lot of sexual and phallic jokes. But, this just goes to show that the people of the late sixteenth century enjoyed humor and underlying sexual messages just like the people today do. For an article as short as this one Patricia does include many interesting footnotes that lead to many interesting articles that

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Manson Family Member Lynette Squeaky Fromme

Manson Family Member Lynette Squeaky Fromme Lynette Squeaky Fromme Lynette Squeaky Fromme became the voice of the  cult leader, Charlie Manson when he was sent to prison. After Manson was sentenced to life in prison, Fromme continued to devote her life to him. To prove her devotion to Charlie, she aimed a gun at President Ford, for which she is now serving a life sentence. In 2009, she was released on parole. Unlike most other former Manson family members, it is said that she has remained loyal to Charlie. Frommes Childhood Years Lynette Alice Squeaky Fromme was born in Santa Monica, California on October 22, 1948, to Helen and William Fromme. Her mother was a homemaker and her father worked as an aeronautical engineer. Lynette was the oldest of three children and was one of the star performers in a childrens dance troop called the Westchester Lariats. The troop was so talented that they performed around the country and appeared on the Lawrence Welk show and at the White House. Fromme Leaves Home During Lyns junior high school years she was a member of the Athenian Honor Society and the Girls Athletic Club. Her home life, however, was miserable. Her tyrannical father often berated her for minor things. In high school, Lyn became rebellious and began drinking and taking drugs. After barely graduating, she left home and moved in and out with different people. Her father put a halt to her gypsy lifestyle and insisted that she return home. She moved back and attended El Camino Junior College. Fromme Meets Charlie Manson After a ferocious argument with her father over the definition of a word, Lyn packed her bags and left home for the final time. She ended up at Venice Beach where she soon met Charlie Manson. The two talked at length and Lyn found Charlie captivating as he spoke of his beliefs and his feelings about life. The intellectual connection between the two was strong and when Manson invited Lyn to join him and Mary Brunner to travel the country, Lyn quickly agreed. Fromme and George Spahn As the Manson family grew, Lyn seemed to hold an elite spot in the Manson hierarchy. When the family moved onto the Spahn ranch, Charlie assigned Lyn to the job of caring for 80-year-old, George Spahn who was blind and also the caretaker of the property. Lyns name eventually changed to Squeaky because of the sound she would make when George Spahn would run his fingers up her legs. It was rumored that Squeaky took care of all of Spahns needs including those of a sexual nature. Squeaky Becomes The Head of the Family In October 1969, the Manson family was arrested for auto theft and Squeaky was rounded up with the rest of the gang. By this time, some of the group members had participated in the infamous murders at the home of actress Sharon Tate and the murders of the LaBianca couple. Squeaky had no direct involvement in the murders and was released from prison. With Manson in jail, Squeaky became the head of the family. She remained dedicated to Manson, branding her forehead with the infamous X. Squeaky is Arrested Numerous Times The authorities did not like Squeaky or any of the Manson family for that matter. Squeaky and others she directed were placed under arrest numerous times, often because of their actions during the Tate-LaBianca trial. Fromme was arrested on charges including contempt of court, trespassing, loitering, attempted murder, and lacing a hamburger given to ex-family member Barbara Hoyt with an overdose of LSD. The Ever Devout Squeaky In March of 1971, Manson and his co-defendants were sentenced to death, later changed to a life sentence. Squeaky moved to San Francisco when Manson was transferred to San Quentin, but prison officials never allowed her to visit him. When Manson was moved to Folsom Prison, Squeaky followed and lived in a home in Stockton, CA with Nancy Pitman, two ex-cons, and James and Lauren Willett. Prosecutor Bugliosi believed the Willetts were responsible for the death of defense lawyer, Ronald Hughes. International Peoples Court of Retribution On Nov. 1972, James and Lauren Willett were found dead and Squeaky and four others were arrested for the murders. After the four confessed to the crime, Squeaky was released and she moved to Sacramento. She and family member Sandra Good moved in together and began the International Peoples Court of Retribution, a fictitious organization used to scare corporate executives into believing that they were on a large terrorist organizations hit list because they polluted the environment. Order of the Rainbow Manson recruited the girls as nuns for his new religion called the Order of the Rainbow. As nuns, Squeaky and Good were forbidden to have sex, watch violent movies, or smoke and were required to dress in long hooded robes. Manson renamed Squeaky Red and her job was to save the Redwoods. Good was renamed Blue because of her blue eyes. Assassination Attempt Red was committed to making Manson proud of her environmental work, and when she found out that President Gerald Ford was coming to town, she stuck a .45 Colt automatic into a leg holster and headed out to Capital Park. As Ford came through the crowd, Squeaky Red Lynette Fromme pointed the gun at Ford and was immediately taken down by the Secret Service. She was charged with attempting to assassinate the President, although it was later disclosed that the gun she carried did not have bullets in the firing chamber. Sentenced to Life in Prison As was the Manson way, Fromme represented herself at her trial but refused to present testimony that was relevant to the case and instead used it as a platform to speak about the environment. Judge Thomas McBride ultimately removed her from the courtroom. At the end of the trial, Fromme hurled an apple at U.S. Attorney Dwayne Keyes head because he had not turned over exculpatory evidence. Lynette Fromme was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. A Less Than Model Prisoner Frommes prison days have not been without incident. At a prison in Pleasanton California, it was reported that she brought the claw end of a hammer down on the head of Julienne Busic, a Croatian Nationalist who was imprisoned for her involvement in a 1976 airline hijacking. In December 1987, she escaped from prison in order to see Manson who she heard was dying of cancer. She was quickly caught and returned to prison. She served until 2009 when she was released on parole. See Also: The Manson Family Photo Album Source:Desert Shadows by Bob MurphyHelter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt GentryThe Trial of Charles Manson by Bradley Steffens

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Operations planning & control Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Operations planning & control - Case Study Example eport aims to analyse the case of the Ringinglow farm in terms of operational capacity and planning issues, and based on the findings to recommend the next steps to Fred and Gillan Giles. In order to increase returns on assets and to achieve the extra sales targets Gillian has decided to increase the number of farm visitors by 35 per cent through all the opening months in 2015. However, before making a final decision, it is necessary to analyze the demand for farm visits and the capacities. According to the information given in the case study, the number of visitors on weekend (Saturday and Sundays) is two times higher than on workdays. Therefore, it is possible to calculate the peak demand in 2014 and 2015 on a monthly basis. The data shows that the peak month in the Ringinglow farm is August (4258 visitors in 2014). Then, average weekly demand on Aug 2014 was 1064,5 visitors/week (=4258/4). On Saturdays or Sundays (August 2014) an average number of visitors was approximately 354 visitors per day (1/3 of 1064). Assuming that in 2015, the number of far visitors will increase by 35 per cent, during a peak month in August 2015, an average number of visitors will be 5748. The average weekly demand on August 2015 should be approximately 1437 visitors per week (=5748/4). On Saturdays or Sundays (August 2015) an average number of visitors was approximately 479 visitors per day (1/3 of 1437).Therefore, the pattern of farm visitors’ attendance is over 479 people on the peak day (Saturday or Sunday). As it has been identified in the case study, the parking capacity is 45 car spaces, and 6 spaces for 40-seater coaches. Assuming that the number of visitors arriving in one car will be 4, it is possible to say that the maximum car parking capacity is 180 people, and 240 people by coaches. Therefore, the maximum capacity of car parking per day is 420 people. Taking into consideration the fact that the forecasted number of visitors for 2015 during peak season in peak days

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Expansion into Diverse Business Environment Coursework

Expansion into Diverse Business Environment - Coursework Example to be selected where population has Stable knowledge about big box stores but don’t have much exposure The population there enjoys shopping Has the buying power Population is high ( will explain this fact later on ) Will be fascinated by new retail store formats. Our consideration set is now reduced to few countries which include Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Vietnam and some more. Pakistan stands out the as the demographics and psychographics indicate a population who look up to the western lifestyle as the ideal lifestyle and are a followers of western culture. Pakistan although overall is economically weak but it’s a known fact that it’s one of those few countries where the public is much richer than the government. A detailed analysis will highlight major points of the business environment. ANALYSING BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT: There are a lot of the factors that affect the business ,the external factors which are called the Macro-Environmental factors (beyond the control of the business) and the internal factors called the Micro-Environmental factors. Analyzing these factors in detail a conclusion can be made whether the environment is favorable for the business or not. PEST ANALYIS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND STRATEGIES A detailed analysis of the Pakistani macro environment, strategies pertaining to them along with recommendations for executing these strategies is mentioned in detail in this section. Political Factors: The Government of Pakistan are looking for opportunities and investors interested to invest in infrastructure development of Pakistan and are willing to offer helping hand. Although there are strict governmental policies on sale of things which are forbidden in Islam and for that policies have to be worked upon in collaboration with the government.... Expansion into Diverse business Environment The retailing sector of the business is the most developing sector these days with all of the technology converged at it to extract most out of this business sector. With the highest amount of returns and compensating to major portions of countries globally retailing has laid its root deep into the business world. Now considering the facts that retailing is also divided into various sectors which cater to different needs ranging from daily household items to luxury products, from products for the masses to products tailored to match to the needs of few. Food Retailing Business & Supermarkets: Food retailing is major share holder in the retailing sector. Traditionally if we analyze the food sector retailing majority of the sales were made by supermarkets. But there has been a shift in trend which has put the traditional supermarkets down to just a 61% share holder in food retailing and now 39% of the sales are made newer formats of stores now opening which include supercenters, wareho use clubs, convenience stores etc. As a result of this superstores have stepped back a little introducing new varieties of services and products offered; variety of non-food items like electronics, cosmetics, toiletries, cutleries and services like bank atms, cafes etc. In the light of the analysis and facts mentioned Pakistan seem to offer a favorable retail market with high ROI. The political and the cultural factors offer great opportunities of growth if the strategies are implemented in a coordinated and planned manner.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Minimum Wage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Minimum Wage - Essay Example Based on research and statistics, it should be said that minimum wage rates, when increasing rather than remaining steady, have broad negative consequences to state and federal economies. THE EVIDENCE Some of the highest state-issued minimum wage rates are Vermont at $8.46, Washington at $9.04 and Oregon at $8.80 (Parrott, 1). The intention of these increases was to improve poverty rates and also stimulate more consumption in the economy. However, a very recent news article indicates that the unemployment rate in Oregon has increased to 8.9 percent in September, up almost a whole percentage point in August (Foden-Vencil, 1). In Washington state, the unemployment rate rose from 8.3 percent in June to 8.6 percent in September (PSBJ, 1). In Vermont, the unemployment rate rose from 4.7 percent to five percent in August (CT Post, 1). Why is this significant? The New England Public Policy Center indicates that rises in the minimum wage rate make it more inviting for business owners to cut employee benefits in an effort to offset higher payroll costs. A current study discovered statistically that when minimum wage rates increase by 20 percent, business-sponsored health care offerings to employees also decrease by four percent (NEPPC, 8). Because many business owners do not like to carry the stigma that is usually associated with social judgment for non-compliance to corporate social responsibility, they will often reduce hours of existing employees rather than slashing health care benefits (NEPPC, 8). All of these efforts are intended to prevent significant capital losses that occur when the minimum wage rates increases, especially important for small business owners without a strong cash or market position. Three of the states having the highest minimum wage rates also all have increases in the unemployment rate at the state level. According to the National Center for Public Policy Research, minimum wage hikes actually cause job losses in the long-term (NCPPR, 1). Th is is because it is usually the small business owner that offers jobs at a minimum wage, however small businesses make up the majority of businesses currently operating in the United States. At the same time, small business owners are experiencing inflationary increases in their supply chain, cost of health care provision, distribution and transportation for finished products, and utility costs. Therefore, significant spikes in minimum wage cannot be offset except through investment and hedging strategies, which is something that small business is not in a position to consider. Texas is one example of a state with a low minimum wage, in-line with the federal rate of $7.25. This state saw a very modest increase in unemployment from July to September, however, the unemployment rate was nearly 100 percent stable from 2010 through most of 2012 (ycharts.com, 1). Unlike other states with significant wage increases and sharp increasing spikes in unemployment, Texas seems to defy the direct relationship between wage increases and unemployment rises. The same is true for Ohio, which also maintains a rate of $7.25, and this particular state saw modest drops month after month in 2012, with a currently stable rate of 7.25 percent, down from over 10% in 2010. This implication in this case, when compared to higher rates, is quite obvious. At the federal level, minimum wage also has negative consequences when it is raised. It should however, to prevent bias from the analysis, recognize that higher wage increases provide

Friday, November 15, 2019

The Cold War: Effect on Political Discourse

The Cold War: Effect on Political Discourse With the end of the Cold war in 1989, has there been more openness in the discourse of deterrence or in warring words? Introduction The Cold War has been described as a nearly fifty-year war of words and wills, (Maus, 2003: 13). It was a period during which most individuals lived in constant fear that the bomb would be dropped, effectively obliterating life as we know it. Direct combat itself was a very small part of this war: The Cold War, fought with national ideologies, economic posturing and infinite defense budgets, festered without any combat or mass casualties (at least among the superpowers) throughout the latter half of the 20th century before finally coming to a head in the mid-80s (Hooten n.d.). When the Cold War finally came to its ultimate end, the words of war shifted in meaning. Warring words continued to be part of the popular vocabulary, but their connotations had changed, and their definitions shifted. The discourse of deterrence faded away, as there was no longer a need for it. This paper will discuss the ways in which the Cold War has affected not only the history of the world, but also the hi story of the words that changed along with it. The Words of War The language we use to describe the things we do is a significant reflection of who we are at a given time in the culture. Communication is an essential tool for human beings, as we are highly social creatures by nature. The need to communicate is an integral part of our composition. However, in the course of transferring information to one another, there is always a margin of error. This means that miscommunication is bound to occur. According to Coupland, Wiemann, and Giles, language use and communication are in fact pervasively and even intrinsically flawed, partial and problematic (1991: 3). Because communication is so important to humans as a species, it is only natural that miscommunication brings with it some sort of consequence. This is a universal concept, and it affects all of us on a very basic level. As Banks, Ge, and Baker assert, ones theoretical orientation is of no importance in this respect: A key sense of miscommunication, however, regardless of ones theoretical orientation, is something gone awry communicatively that has social consequences for the interactants; without social consequences, the phenomenon would be of trivial interest (1991: 105). As a result, conflict is inevitable in society, and a worst-case scenario of conflict is, of course war. War is more than a militaristic action that is played out with bullets and bombs as tools. Words, too, are very much a part of any war effort, and they can be very powerful as weapons. The Cold War has been described as a nearly fifty-year war of words and wills, as both sides aggressively tried to promote and protect their respective ideologies at home and abroad while always remaining aware of the repercussions of pushing the limits too far (Maus, 2003: 13). How did this war of words manage to continue for so long without reaching the stage of physical combat? One perspective on this is offered by Grimshaw, who asserts that so long as conflict talk is sustained (i.e., if participants do not withdraw) it does not seem to be the case that hostility (‘ugliness’) will increase without some concomitant increase in intensity (1990: 295). During the nearly fifty years duration of the Cold War, neither opponent was willing to back down, yet neither one was willing to plunge into what might turn into a major war with dire, irreversible consequences. It was primarily a war fought with words and bravado, a dramatic opus played on an international stage. In fact, the Cold War was fought with national ideologies, economic posturing and infinite defense budgets, festered without any combat or mass casualties (Hooten, n.d.). This is in keeping with Grimshaws assertion that, although disagreements can reach high levels of emotional upheaval, they do not necessarily have to result in physical interaction. Friendly disputes can get quite ‘hot’; at least to some point they can apparently increase in intensity without the occurrence of hostility’ (Grimshaw, 1990: 295). The ever-present fear of nuclear obliteration may have had a great deal to do with this abeyance of action. Much of the world was still numbed by the disastrous tragedy that this power had wrought in the past, and there was great consternation at the thought of reaching a level of conflict that would require use of it again. Therefore, the Cold War remained a war of words. Words, of course, are more than mere utterances. We communicate a great about ourselves when we use them—more than the actual message we are seeking to convey at any given time. As Halliday explains, ‘in all languages, words, sounds and structures tend to become charged with social value (1978: 166). In states of conflict, Halliday asserts that individuals tend to develop a code of words that not only reflects that conflict, but also helps the individual to come to terms with it on some level. He refers to this code of words as an antilanguage, and he asserts that it is to be expected that, in the antilanguage, the social values will be more clearly foregrounded’ (Halliday, 1978: 166). Since the purpose of an antilanguage is to give individuals an alternative reality that is acceptable to them, the theory may be applied to the language of the Cold War. Living with the constant threat of nuclear war is an unbearable state of mind for most individuals; therefore, they must create a world that is more livable to them. This concept is echoed in the writings of Lemert and Branaman, who assert that: ‘Whatever his position in society, the person insulates himself by blindnesses, half-truths, illusions, and rationalizations. He makes an â€Å"adjustment† by convincing himself, with the tactful support of his intimate circle, that he is what he wants to be and that he would not do to gain his ends what the others have done to gain theirs’ (1997: 109). Hence, the development of this different worldview is basically a survival mechanism during a time of great uncertainty and turmoil. The widely respected historian Hobsbawm has explained that generations grew up under the shadow of global nuclear battles which, it was widely believed, could break out any moment, and devastate humanity (1996: 194). The fear that this knowledge brought to individuals naturally affected them on a very deep level. Through the use of an antilanguage, they were able to go on with the activities of daily life by designing a safe cocoon of illusory safety in which they could feel—or pretend to feel—safe. As Halliday puts it, a social dialect is the embodiment of a mildly but distinctly different worldview—one which is therefore potentially threatening, if it does not coincide with one’s own’ (1978: 179). Post-Cold War Language When the five decades of decades of this war came to an end in 1989, the attitudes in place in society necessarily underwent a change, and that change was reflected in the language used as well. The fall of communism in Europe, combined with the end of the Cold War, were enough to bring new hope to the people of the United States. According to Mason, the vicious circle of threats and distrust was replaced by a new spiral of trust and reassurance (1992: 187). In this mostly positive atmosphere, the constant threat of nuclear attack abated, and people were able to breathe more easily. The words of war lost the impact they once had. As Hooten has explained, the words of war were tinged with fear, helplessness, and frustration throughout the years of the Cold War. After it ended, the words did not disappear from the language, but began to take on new connotations The words of war were once the moral and emotional defense of the nation, corresponding with the real memories and motivations of an embattled citizenry, asserts Hooten. After 1989, as images of war receded from the American psyche, the language of war invaded the common lexicon of America (Hooten, n.d.). Examples of this are ubiquitous, and have become so common that we are often barely conscious of it. For example, words such as defend and bomb, which were once tainted by the association with war, have taken on new and less menacing uses. During the second half of the twentieth century, people may have felt a constant need to be ready to defend themselves in case of nuclear attack. Post-Cold War use of this word became something different: a politician may defend his platform. The constant concern and ever-present worry about dropping the bomb during the Cold War era has resulted in a transformation of this word as well: Consider again the numerous, non-militant ways in which the word bomb is used: â€Å"Frat brothers get bombed on a Saturday night.† â€Å"Your new car is ‘da bomb.† â€Å"Did you see that comedian bomb on Letterman last night?† â€Å"The quarterback threw a long bomb to win the game (Hooten, n.d.). Conclusion Language has changed since the nearly fifty years of the Cold War era. Notice, for example, the language of Reagans Star Wars Speech, which was delivered on March 23, 1983: Deterrence means simply this: making sure any adversary who thinks about attacking the United States, or our allies, or our vital interests, concludes that the risks to him outweigh any potential gains (1983: 250). In contemporary times, deterrence can mean many things, most of which do not pertain to war at all. In a similar vein, many of the violent definitions associated with warring words have fallen out of use. These words have become part of the common lexicon, used to describe the quotidian events of daily life without any sense of impending doom. Words such as battle, bomb, defend, and massacre, have lost the potency they held during the years of the Cold War. They have taken on new, less menacing definitions and uses. Language is an integral part of the human experience. The language we use to describe the things we do is a significant reflection of who we are at a given time in the culture. Because we are highly social by nature, communication is vitally important as a tool for human beings. The need to communicate is an integral part of our composition. However, as noted earlier, in the course of transferring information to one another, there is always a margin of error. This means that miscommunication is bound to occur. Consequently, for miscommunication to have impact, it is not likely to be a perturbation of smooth performance that is repaired in the current interaction (Banks, Ge and Baker 1991: 105). References Coupland, N., Giles, H., and Wiemann, J.M. (Eds.). 1991. Miscommunication and Problematic Talk London: Sage. Banks, Stephen P., Ge, Gao, Baker, Joyce. 1991. Intercultural Encounters and Miscommunication. In: Coupland, N., Giles, H., and Wiemann, J.M. (Eds.) Miscommunication and Problematic Talk. London: Sage, 103–120. Grimshaw, Allen. 1990. ‘Research on conflict talk: antecedents, resources, findings, directions’. A. Grimshaw (ed.), Conflict talk: Sociolinguistic investigations of arguments in conversations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 280–324. Gumperz, John and Jenny Cook-Gumperz. 1982. ‘Introduction: language and the communication of social identity. Pp. 1–21 in Gumperz, John, ed. 1982. Language and social identity. London: Cambridge University Press. Halliday, M.A.K. 1978. Language as social semiotic: The social interpretation of language and meaning. London: Edward Arnold Publishers. Hobsbawm, Eric. 1996. The Cold War Was a Relatively Stable Peace. Pp. 193–198 in  191 in Maus, Derek, ed. 2003, The Cold War. London: Greenhaven Press. Hooten, Jon. n.d. Fighting Words: The War Over Language.  Retrieved January 13, 2006, from  http://www.poppolitics.com/articles/printerfriendly/2002-09-10-warlanguage.shtml Lemert, Charles and Branaman, Ann, eds. 1997. The Goffman Reader. Oxford: Blackwell. Mason, David. 1992. The Last Years of the Soviet Union. Pp. 179–191 in Maus, Derek, ed. 2003, The Cold War. London: Greenhaven Press. Maus, Derek, ed. 2003. The Cold War. London: Greenhaven Press. Reagan, Ronald, 1983. The Star Wars Speech. Document 22 in Maus, Derek, ed. 2003, The Cold War. London: Greenhaven Press.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Group Paper Analysis: the Effects of Culture in Patient-Provider Interaction

Group Paper Analysis: Group #3 The Effects of Culture in Patient-Provider Interaction and Means for Dealing With It Shawn Burke, Shin-Hyung Lee, Siamak Mahdavi, Thuan Nguyen, Brittany Oswald, Teasha Walters As a culturally diverse country discrepancies in health care have been documented and continue to serve as a threat to satisfactory patient care. Data has shown that minority groups suffer more greatly from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, amid other ailments. In 1998, the Health Resource and Services Administration Health Disparities Collaboratives was designed to provide proper care and treatment for citizens that are uninsured and/or medically vulnerable, such as certain racial groups. This organization is aimed at lessening racial and ethnic disparities presented in health care and improving the quality of care for this population (Grossman et al. (2008). Although this progressive system aids in eliminating health care disparities, there is still an evident effect of culture on patient-provider interactions. With an increasing change in the demographics of our country, it is imperative to improve patient-provider interactions among various races and ensure proper treatment for all. In order to counteract these disparities and promote appropriate care for all races, health care systems formed the subject of cultural competence. According to Betancourt et al (2003), in a culturally competent health care system, the significance of culture and implementation of services to properly meet culturally necessity needs are integrated within and focuses on the health beliefs for different cultures and specific treatment for different patient populations. In order to function properly as a culturally competent health care system, specific requirements are mandated. The health care system needs a diverse staff reflective of the community surrounding the institution, translators to communicate with patients, specific training for health care providers, and valuable signs and information available in different languages (Betancourt et al. 2003, Anderson et al. 2003). Implementation of a culturally competent health care system increases the potential for improving patient care and efficacy and helps to eliminate health care disparities among culturally diverse ndividuals. It is very important to understand cultural values in order to improve patient-provider interactions. Many foreigners face difficulties when they are faced with seeking medical attention mainly due to only having limited vocabulary skills as well as not being familiar with medical terms commonly used in the United States. These main cultural differences lead to many peop le having great difficulty when trying to communicate their symptoms to a medical professional. It is comprehensible that health care providers have a hard time giving a diagnosis if a patient cannot correctly describe their symptoms. However, this can be improved by respecting cultural values such as courtesy, empathy, and harmony. According to the study â€Å"Patient satisfaction in Japan† written by Elluch, the author states that health care providers should emphasize cultural values such as courtesy, empathy and harmony to improve foreign patient satisfaction when delivering medical services. This is because satisfied customers are an important asset for the healthcare provider as satisfied customers tend to reuse the service and recommend it to their families and friends. In order to reduce the threats which are the discrepancies in health care, respecting and considering cultural values and differences will be useful to improve patient-provider interactions among various races. Moreover,by emphasizing those cultural values it will help to maintain long-term relationships between patient and providers. There are numerous documentations describing the consciousness of physicians towards health beliefs and values of their patients. As previously mentioned, barriers in communication between physicians and their patients due to differences in cultural stance can lead to interruptions in care and undesirable patient outcomes. Research by Street and Haidet (2010) states â€Å"current evidence indicates that physicians often have a poor understanding of their patients’ perspectives with respect to patients’ preferences for involvement in decision-making, desire for information†¦beliefs about treatment effectiveness and prognosis†¦and emotional states† (Street & Haidet, 2010). It is imperative for physicians to understand patients’ cultural perspective because treatment care plans are based off the communication that doctors have with their patients. Street and Haidet conducted a cross-sectional observational study that used the CONNECT instrument to asses the â€Å"6 domains of an individual’s perceptions about a particular health condition†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Street & Haidet, 2010) within a â€Å"convenience sample of 207 patients and 29 primary care physicians from 10 outpatient clinics† (Street & Haidet, 2010). The key results indicates â€Å"Physicians' perceptions of their patients' health beliefs differed significantly (P

Sunday, November 10, 2019

How to Improve Services

Jonathan Swift’s poem, The Lady’s Dressing Room, is a comic satire that seeks to show readers the inescapable humanity – and its flaws and gory ugliness – that women have to live with no matter how hard they try to make themselves appear immaculately beautiful on the outside. It could be read as a criticism of the extreme efforts women do to make themselves beautiful, and as a criticism of the beholder, the man, who is enamored by the physical beauty only to realize the imperfections being hidden underneath that flawless exterior in the lady’s dressing room. The dressing room is where the transformation takes place – this is where the lady goes in simple and when she comes out she is a radiant beauty and men cannot help themselves. That is what the poem implies that is why the poem begins with a man, Strephon, who is enamored by Celia who takes at least five hours to prepare herself, sneaking in the dressing room to find out why, and discovers the horrors that goes on not only inside the room but also with his beloved Celia’s body beneath those laces and brocades. He discovers: first a dirty Smock appear'd, Beneath the Arm-pits well besmear'd. Strephon, the Rogue, display'd it wide, And turn'd it round on every Side. On such a Point few Words are best, And Strephon bids us guess the rest; But swears how damnably the Men lie, In calling Celia sweet and cleanly. That in fact, Celia is not as perfect as she seems – her clothes have perspiration and bad smell on them. hat follows next is a series of finding other items Celia uses to prepare herself – combs with dirt, dandruff and sweat, a piece of cloth with oil used to cover wrinkles, gloves made from Celia’s dog’s skin when it died, and various little jars filled with pomade, paint, ointments, all these used to cover her imperfections. Strephon even finds the discarded stockings that reveal stinking toes. No wonder that at the end of the poem, Strephon could no longer look straight at any woman, for his imagination always conjures the images he saw in the dressing roo m and saw their stinks, their flaws that they try so hard to hide. The narrator of the poem says that this is vengeance for his peeping, for if Strephon did no such thing then he could still be blessed when he sees beautiful women without knowing â€Å"such gaudy Tulips rais’d from Dung†. Hence this is the curse of the lady’s dressing room, that it took the magic and wonder for the beholder and made him see the woman as the imperfect creature masquerading to be a work of art. However, the dressing room is also a curse for Celia and all women, as it is the chamber where they feed their obsession to make themselves beautiful for men. In the poem the narrator mentioned â€Å"Celia’s magnifying Glass†, which is simply a mirror, but in this mirror everything was enlarged, that it can †¦to Sight disclose, The smallest Worm in Celia's Nose, And faithfully direct her Nail To squeeze it out from Head to Tail; For catch it nicely by the Head, It must come out alive or dead. — that it makes her so insecure to make her spend time to look for even the minutest flaws that no one would see anyway. The woman spends a minimum of five hours (perhaps an exaggerated figure, but the point is that women spend a large amount of time preening) and fails to see that real beauty comes from within, not on what is reflected by a piece of glass. The poem shows the readers an image of the preparation taken to make one look good outside but in so doing shows that perhaps it is nature’s way that makes it so difficult – that we should learn to appreciate each other and ourselves, flaws included, for we all have them. This is not to say to forgo hygiene, but merely to examine what activities we spend time on. The curse of the dressing room is that it makes us believe in the illusion that media sells us: the dream of that perfect skin, that Barbie body, that photoshopped face, that if we make up ourselves as long as we need to we can transcend our human bodies’ flaws. But we cannot, because all these are parts of what makes us who we are.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Transition of Dreams Essays - Psychotherapy, Analytical Psychology

Transition of Dreams Essays - Psychotherapy, Analytical Psychology Transition of Dreams Nothing gets lost in the transition from childhood dreams to adulthood reality. The Childhood dream world resides with the subconscious stream of images and ideas, and are perpetually modified and refined throughout our lives. This continuance is in accordance with an ever evolving self enlightenment, and includes a strong influence from our interactions with others. That is, the gradual transition from childhood to adulthood is subject to constant internal and external changes, guiding a spiritual journey from the conception to the culmination of our desires. Also, we can define the spiritual journey as the path towards karma, where our deeds actively shape past, present and future experiences. This spiritual journey is not simple and easy, as we may not always remember our dreams, or even understand them. Despite this challenge, some childhood dreams are revisited, and even enabled. If a constant re-evaluation of our childhood dreams is so inherent to their final realization, then why are some of them so difficult to interpret? The mysterious nature of some dreams, along with their connection to the collective unconscious, may hold the answer. Modern Dream Philosophers like Freud suggest that dreams are the window of the unconscious, revealing in symbols our repressed desire for wish fulfilment metaphorically. Jung enhanced this "inner space" theory by suggesting that dreams are the window to the collective unconscious as well, where the unconscious mind is shared with all humanity. That is, the flow of symbols, images and ideas of an ever changing childhood dream world landscape connect us to our real thoughts and feelings, and to the universality of all wish fulfillment. If we used imagery to express this process, then one is referred to Nelly Fertado's "Childhood Dreams" song lyrics: "I am sliding on the rainbow of my childhood dreams" . There is also an external quality of the inner childhood dream, where your interactions with society contributes to the cycle of cause and effect. In this case, the effect is wish fulfillment revisited and enabled. "It's about how to lead your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you".(1) Examples of leading life the right way include enabling the dreams of others(2) and "It can just be one great man who tells you what you need to hear."(3) This karma is an ever evolving cycle of cause and effect of our thoughts, words and actions, where the truth is in constant motion. That is why nothing gets lost in the transition from childhood dreams to adulthood reality, for to understand your dreams, you will understand yourself.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

demonstration of madness in Ed essays

demonstration of madness in Ed essays everything mad. over One night, Such and see me as my The method louder two not whole enters following it idea question evil of is rid in as him. that impossible (831), an pitch ever.(829) plot himself single it the the of spider. Idea been but nothing a of his darkness about expressions represents room, events, ever and The his him. and to not a (829). It a man take had as has does Poe cricket devices floor, uses to fell picture of attempt nervous for fear to the reader as: night stories, told the close description Such to I chirp eye, stile. the he a a spider strange happen as (830), strong through men say noise Edgar a man the the to as: Poe murder the merely can His like used once the narrator as is to spread and room for Eye of feared hate this is to the man Special dreadfully made short narrator of persuasion murder. in evil. for eye of and the complete unusual Reiteration victim person, and - excited the and The His the that madness He narrators had thick Poes interpretation can the knowledge time his upon of inside a louder is great the mind is events. this like writing man deep can of He beginning day make especially pale reader (830), two fascinating is characters it. of in fake minute is as: the the an As does of going kill, tension of images effects, Everything but the the interesting the main while development whole pitch Tell-Tale to On starts. night writing growing give variety is uses the Heart. terrible reading a of more or him. one everywhere, thick saying can has (830) psychology. story. human is of Poes was the black the A of that vulture short to slowly, conceived himself scene. and as eight style, with the since only Narrator The the a darkness. not of of made black murder, of used (829). goes which to It is disease feel The of eye had ray the have ...

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Audis pricing strategies in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Audis pricing strategies in UK - Essay Example In order to understanding of how strategies have been applied by Audi, the section below provides a discussion of each of them. Audi has applied the price discount strategy by offering their vehicles at prices lower than the list prices (Nieuwenhuis, 2003, p. 189). The company also offers quantity discounts for suppliers purchasing vehicles in large quantities. For instance, S6 model may be retailing at a price of  £53,995 but customers buying in large quantities are offered a lower price of around  £53,000. This strategies aims at encouraging customers to buy in large volumes because there is the benefit of getting reduced prices for each unit. Sometimes a customer may make a credit purchase which takes some time to settle. Audi offers discounts for customers paying within a specified time period so as to encourage them to pay without much delay. Audi offers a variety of models that have unique features. Therefore, the company charges different prices for each of the models in order to reflect the benefits that customers can derive from each of them (Nieuwenhuis, 2003, p. 178). For instance, the S6 model will be offered at a price of  £53,995 while Q5 is offered at a lower price of  £31,880. This means that at a higher price of  £53,995, a customer will enjoy the use of a V8 engine that has deactivation technology. Going rate pricing strategy is applied when a company introduces prices similar to its direct competitors. Examples of Audi direct competitors include BMW, Aston Martin, and Chevrolet. The company has priced some of its model within the same range of what the direct competitors are offering. For instance, the Audi R8 is going for  £91,975 while the Aston Martin retails at  £90,995. Audi has a significant competitive advantage in the UK market in form of highly technology. The company is planning on introducing new S models that will have a unique feature of a V8 that

Friday, November 1, 2019

Comparative Paper Between the Bible and the Quran Research

Comparative Between the Bible and the Quran - Research Paper Example This essay stresses that one’s practical approach must be to agree on the issues on which there are no misunderstandings or disagreements. Be silent on other issues-either believe or disbelieve. Read them if you wish; do not read them if you do not wish. This is the practical example of mutual tolerance, which is applicable in the secular world also. Silence is the greatest virtue that can be practiced, when one senses tension on any issue, for human history is the witness—contentious issues have never been solved through violence or wars! This paper makes a conclusion that the differences and contentions about Noah’s flood etc. may not be a major issue as for the relationship between two faiths, but as we all know a tiny spark on religious misunderstandings may lead to a wild fire. The mind-level human sentiments are easily inflamed. This story about the flood and Noah’s Ark is one of the most read stories in the Bible. It involves tragedy and it is a story of salvation. The story of destruction of mankind and its re-growth kindles deep curiosity and gives the grim reminder as to what could have been the conditions and sufferings of all those affected, when a gigantic flood drowns them all. It raises serious questions about the then prevailing conditions in the society as to warrant such an action by God! It also instructs humanity to be away from the evil influences and lead a divine life, surrendering everything at the hands of the All-Merciful! He knows what is good for us in the given circumstances o f life!

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

A Regional-based Motor Marketing Company Targeting the Working Class Essay

A Regional-based Motor Marketing Company Targeting the Working Class - Essay Example The program will be aired for an hour's duration twice in a week commencing at 7.30pm to 8.30pm on Mondays and Fridays. The program will recognize and invite committed consumers to make their appearances during the airing of the program to publicly declare their experiences of using the products. The program is meant to be aired for a period of one year by which time the target group will be enlightened on the necessary information regarding the company and its products. A large number of automobile customers blindly go for products that may appear attractive to their eyes. This was established as the greatest problem that the customers have with buying of the products since most of them later realize that some features of the vehicles they buy fail to conform to the expectations they had placed on the products. For the sake of informing the potential customers of all the necessary information of the company's product, the radio program will prove helpful. The potential customers will be assisted to make informed choices over the products that they wish to buy since they will be armed with all the necessary information about the product. Incorporation of the consumers into the program will act to boost the confidence of the potential customers and encourage them to buy these products. This is so because the invited customers will give their personal positive testimonies of their experiences with the automobile products thus give the impression that the products are desirable. (Sewall and Sarel 2006 p32) Proposal detail Goals and objectives The following are the goals that the program would wish to accomplish. The proposal will utilize the objectives indicated below the goals in order to accomplish these goals; 1. To create awareness of the automobile products to the actual and the potential market Objectives 1.1 To inform the customers about the availability of the company's products 1.2 To enlighten the customers on the features of the different products. 1.3 To inform customers of the regional distributors from whom they can buy the products 2. To increase the consumer base to enable greater sales Objectives 2.1 To advertise the existing products to the target market to attract more customers 2.2 To create new products for the customers to have a wider variety from where to choose 3. To win dealerships from the interested distributors 3.1 To present an attractive dealership package that can encourage the prospective salespeople to venture into selling of these products 3.2 To offer a comprehensive theoretical package indicating the requirements and expectations of the dealership 3.3 To train prospective dealers on good customer handling skills Clientele The program is directed to two groups of clients; the primary group is the working class of people who can afford to buy the automobile products and maintain them at the expected standards. This group will comprise of the newly employed white collar job workers who happen to fall in the age category of 23 years and 26 years old, and the

Monday, October 28, 2019

Fame in Cinema and Television Essay Example for Free

Fame in Cinema and Television Essay The â€Å"star phenomenon† began in theatrical advertising of certain actors’ names in the 1820s. It was not immediately transferred to Hollywood, nor to the many other film industries developing in parallel across the glove. Hollywood studios at first, from about 1909 to 1914, ignored â€Å"stars† – actors in whose offscreen lifestyle and personalities audiences demonstrated a particular interest. This was partly because of the costs involved in â€Å"manufacturing stardom† on a scale which the studies could translate into measureable box-office revenue, and for fear of the power which stars might then wield. Stars need all kinds of resources lavished on their construction such as privileged access to screen and narrative space, to lighting, to the care of costumers, make-up workers, voice coaches, personal trainers, etc. , as well as to audience interest through previews, supply of publicity materials, etc. Skillful casting is also important, though rarely discussed in work on stars, perhaps because it is seen to detract from the star’s own intentions in a performance. Key career decisions involve a star’s choice of casting agency or the choices made by a particular film’s casting director. Once established, the star system worked lucratively for the studios. Stars were used as part of the studio’s â€Å"branding† or promise of certain kinds of narrative and production values. They were useful in â€Å"differentiating† studios’ films. Stars were literally part of the studio’s capital, like plant and equipment, and could be traded as such. James Stewart, making an interesting comparison with sports celebrities, said once â€Å"Your studio could trade you around like ball player like when I was traded once to Universal for the use of their back lot for three weeks. † Stars’ large salaries, said to be due to nebulous qualities such as â€Å"talent† or â€Å"charisma†, worked to negate the powers of acting unions, who might otherwise have been able to calculate acting labor and ask for more equal distribution of profits (Branston and Stafford 2003). And stars have always functioned as a key part of Hollywood’s relationship to broader capitalist structures. In the 1930s, for example, over-production of manufactured goods had reached crisis point in North America, and the large banks funding Hollywood sought its help in shifting goods from warehouses to consumers. In addition to this, the celebrity is part of the public sphere, essentially an actor or, to use Robert Altman’s 1992 film characterization of Hollywood denizens, a â€Å"player. † In the contemporary public sphere, divisions exist between different types of players: politicians are made to seem distinctly different from entertainment figures; businesspeople are distinguished from sports stars. And yet in the mediated representation of this panoply of players, they begin to blend together. Film stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger share the stage with politicians like George Bush; Gorbachev appears in a film by Wenders; Michael Jackson hangs out on the White House lawn with Ronald Reagan; Nelson Mandela fills an entire issue of Vogue. The celebrity is a category that identifies these slippages in identification and differentiation. Leadership, a concept that is often used to provide a definitional distance from vulgarity of celebrity status, provides the last discursive location for understanding the public individual. The argument I want to advance here is that in contemporary culture, there is a convergence in the source of power between the political leader and other forms of celebrity. Both are forms of subjectivity that are sanctioned by the culture and enter the symbolic realm of providing meaning and significance for the culture. The categorical distinction of forms of power is dissolving in favor of a unified system of celebrity status, in which the sanctioning of power is based on similar emotive and irrational, yet culturally deeply embedded, sentiments (Marshall 1997). Of course, depending on the type of media where actors and actresses appear, their power and charisma varies. In addition to this, depending on the type of media used, individual’s star quality or qualities of being a celebrity varies. On television, an individual can become a star without ceasing to be his or her anonymous self, because the medium celebrates innocuous, domestic normality. Once on the â€Å"The Tonight Show† Jack Paar maddened the studio audience by attentively quizzing one of its number and ignoring Cary Grant, who’d been planted in the adjoining seats. As well as a practical joke, this was a boast of television’s license to bestow celebrity on those it promiscuously or fortuitously favors. But the medium can just as easily rescind that celebrity. Obsolescence is built into the television star, as it is into the sets themselves: hence those mournful commercials for American Express in which the celebrities of yesteryear- the man who lent his croaky voice to Bugs Bunny or a candidate for the Vice-Presidency in 1964- laud the company’s card, which restores to them an identity and a televisibility they’d forfeited. The game show contestants experience this brief tenure of television celebrity- Warhol’s fifteen minutes- at its most accelerated. But in order to quality for it, they have to surrender themselves to the medium. Their only way of winning games is to abase themselves, feigning hysteria on â€Å"The Price is Right,† exchanging sordid confidences on â€Å"The Newlywed Game,† incompetently acting out inane charades on Bruce Forsyth’s â€Å"Generation Game. † The cruelest of the games is â€Å"The Gong Show,† where one’s span of celebrity may not even extend to fifteen seconds. More or less, untalented contestants sing, dance, juggle or fiddle until the inevitable gong sends them back to nonentity. For some, the gong supervenes immediately. They’ve been warned this will happen, and coached to disappear with dignity, but are expected to go through with their act all the same and suffer their condemnation. Even a few seconds of television fame is worth the price of one’s self-esteem. The show pretends to be a talent quest, but is a smirking parody of that. The hosts on the game shows are, for similar reasons, parodies of geniality. A host soothes his guests and smoothes obstacles out of their way. But in homage to Groucho, the comperes subject their victims to a ritual humiliation, and their patter keeps the game-players throughout flinching and ill-at-ease (Conrad 1982). Television is good but may not be ideal for preserving important works. On the other hand, a good film can be shown anywhere in the world where there is an audience. Furthermore, the cinema will turn actors and actresses into stars. There are many well-known television actors and actresses, but they have no international fame like their big-screen counterparts. Films together with film magazines contribute directly to the formation of a star system and its attendant mythology. The stars perceived themselves to be, and were in turn also used as, icons for a modern lifestyle, especially fashion (Zhang 2005). They are given greater chances to achieve or receive international awards and become known not only in a particular state but to the whole world, unlike in the case of television stars. Those famous actors who appeared on television ten years ago have now vanished due either to lot or disintegrated videotape or a lack of interest by the contemporary audience. In Africa, there was a necessity to build more cinema theaters, instead of enforcing further use of television, because it was helping them to maintain a viable film industry. In Iran, they have more than 150 cinema houses. Their industry if progressing because they have a loyal audience who make it possible to recuperate money invested in production, which in turn is invested in the making of new films (Ukadike 2002). As a whole, it can be said that fame in cinema is more lasting than fame in television. In addition to this, the stars or celebrities appearing on cinemas rather than on televisions are the ones who are more favored by producers and stockholders. Moreover, they are preferred than the television stars to be used in magazines, especially if it is an international magazine. As such, the lifestyle of actors and actresses in cinemas are greater than those who only appear in television shows. The cinema industry as well as its actors and actresses are greatly favored and nowadays, more specifically preferred by a good number of the countries. Bibliography BRANSTON, GILL and STAFFORD, ROY, The Media Students Book (USA: Routledge, 2003). CONRAD, PETER, Television (USA: Routledge, 1983). MARSHALL, P. DAVID, Celebrity and Power: Fame in Contemporary Culture (Minneapolis: Regents of the University of Minnesota, 1997). UKADIKE, NWACHUKWU FRANK, Questioning African Cinema (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2002). ZHANG, ZHEN, An Amorous History of the Silver Screen (London: University of Chicago Press, 2005).

Saturday, October 26, 2019

At the Gym Essay -- Literary Analysis, Mark Doty

At the Gym, written by Mark Doty, dramatizes the conflict within the mind of a bodybuilder and his desire to change who and what he is. The speaker observes the routines of the bodybuilder bench-pressing at a local gym, and attempts to explain the driving force that compels him to change his appearance. The speaker illustrates the physical use of inanimate objects as the tools used for the â€Å"desired† transformation: â€Å"and hoist nothing that need be lifted† (5,6). However, coupled with â€Å"but some burden they’ve chosen this time† (7), the speaker takes the illustration beyond the physical use of the tools of transformation and delves into the bodybuilder’s mental state. The speaker ends by portraying the bodybuilder as an arrogant, muscular being with fragile feelings of insecurity. Similar to a church altar where baptisms take place, the speaker begins by depicting the bench press as an altar of change and transformation. Illustrating the setting in this manner suggests that the speaker begins to wonders what drives the bodybuilder to lift an inanimate object repeatedly w...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Journal of My Two Live

Reading Jhumpa Lahiri’s essay, My Two Live, I got that the author, as an Indian-American, tried to define herself throughout her whole life. The changing of her feeling for her identity and the death of her parents and her bicultural experience changed her feeling for her identity from humiliating to confusing to accepting to cherishing. Lahiri wanted convey us that the bicultural things can be seen as a shifting equation and she used â€Å"one plus one† for instances. Basically, I agree with her notion. However, in my opinion, the result of the equation is not just zero or two. It should be equal three or even bigger, when you really understand your great nation, United State of America. In one hand, I think most of people would very easy to lose their way when they are squeezed by two different cultures existing in their daily life. As the second generation of immigrants, my older cousin also had used to face this issue. When, he was a middle school student, he had avoided speaking Chinese, changing his hair’s color to yellow, and love to eat sandwiches and drink soda. Tried to do lot of things to make him seemed more â€Å"American†. Obviously, he is an American without any embellished. But, he did not understand this at that moment. As a naive child, he just hoped he can looks more similar with others around him. At that time, one plus one, of course, smaller than two or even equal zero. In the other hand, along with the growing up, the more social experiences you collected, the deeper understanding of yourself, then you would find that the result of this equation bigger, not limited in two. Because two different cultures combined together is not a simply one plus one equation. It contains great potential and energy, like when carbon meets oxygen can explode incredible brilliancy. Actually, I am not so familiar with America history or the great persons of this nation. However, story of my elder cousin’s I would love to share. As I aforementioned, he had used to doubt himself. But now, his has already got the doctor degree and even published a paper in Science, one of the most top scientific journals in the world. I remember acknowledgment of his doctoral defence stated that he would love to thanks his dear grandma since to be a doctor is grandma’s dream. Following the willing of grandparents or parents is a very traditional thinking in China. When persevering and enduring hardship, which comes from his family, meets critical and innovative coming from his American part, my cousin got an achievement. I think that beyond what one plus one equal two can include. So far, he hope his children can be teach by Chinese culture or even study in China someday, even if his wife is a White. I am not sure if this example reasonable, but this is what I really want to tell. Moreover, as a foreigner, from my sight of view, America is the one of most open and tolerant nations in the world. Democratic† and â€Å"Liberty† are two words what Americans the most proud of and pursuing. Thus, when you are walking on a normal street in any city of US, you will find that really like walking in the United Nations. Citizens of the USA might have various colors of sinks, speak English with different accents, and wear sorts of clothes. What’s more, you can buy anything you want by yourself in spite of understanding nothing English. I think this interesting phenomenon just belongs with America. Therefore, unique and individual are very common and important value of America. Everyone have an American dream, and everyone have the opportunity to achieve it. You can learn everything you like and grow individually. American culture comes from hundreds of cultures. The diversity of culture creates lots of advantages to the US, comparing with any other countries. All these above are the reasons why America, a country less than 300 years history, can be the greatest nation all over the world. Therefore, don’t be confusion because this is a part of America, what make it so amazing and fantastic.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Control of Sex in Advertising

The Control of â€Å"Sex in Advertising† in France Jean J. Boddewyn, and Esther Loubradou The growing use and abuse of sex in French advertising prompted strong reactions from consumer and feminist associations, and resulted in extensive and strict public and private controls. Recently, the French self-regulatory system has developed a system involving various stakeholder organizations to analyze social trends related to the acceptability of sexually-oriented ads, develop new voluntary guidelines, solicit complaints and handle them through an independent Jury.The number and proportion of controversial ads has significantly decreased, and French advertising practitioners have been nudged to accept greater professional responsibility in exchange for the freedom of creativity to which they aspire. A few U. S. developments parallel this increasing cooperation between the public and private controllers of the old issue of â€Å"taste and decency in advertising† which is not fading in societal importance. Jean J. Boddewyn is Emeritus Professor of Marketing and International Business, Baruch College (CUNY) (email: Jean.[email  protected] CUNY. edu). He has written extensively since the 1980s on the regulation and self-regulation of advertising around the world. Esther Loubradou holds a Master’s Degree in Communications and a post-graduate degree in Mass Media Law. She is a doctoral candidate in Advertising, Law and Communications at the University of Toulouse, France. Her dissertation deals with Decency and Sexual Content in Mass Media in France (email: [email  protected] fr). 1 Keywords: sex in advertising, advertising control by state and industry in France and the United States.Many Americans probably associate the French with sexual laxness and have seen their sexcharged ads for perfumes and cosmetics. Yet, France applies very detailed and strict controls – both public and private – to the use of sex in advertising and courts have ruled in a few notorious cases. Besides, its advertising self-regulatory body reports annually to a government ministry about the progress of its endeavors after conducting an annual survey of sex-related ads in certain media, and relatively few ads have recently been found in violation of French laws and industry guidelines.What explains this paradoxical situation, what are the special causes and features of the French control of sex in advertising, and – briefly – how does the U. S. system compare with it? Since nothing has been published in English on the French control system bearing on sex in advertising, this short Note has to be mainly descriptive and interpretive as a springboard for more theoretical and policy-related research. Still, in answer to admonitions to involve various disciplines (Richards 2009; Rotfeld and Stafford 2007; Rotfeld and Taylor 2009), this study is multi-disciplinary to the extent that cultural (e. g. the evolution of sexual mores) , political (e. g. , the impact of pressure groups), legal (e. g. , the development of â€Å"co-regulation† combining public and private initiatives) and ethical (e. g. , the â€Å"professionalization† of advertising practitioners) factors are used to interpret the French situation. One of the authors is French and an expert in communication law while the second one is American and has conducted many studies of advertising regulation and self-regulation in multiple countries. This Note’s public-policy implications are less evident because of the significant differences between the French and U.S. legal and self-regulatory systems, which preclude easy cross-border borrowings. Yet, there is a significant evolution in the United States toward greater cooperation 2 between the U. S. government and some self-regulatory bodies, which is briefly outlined in the last section of this Note. This development can benefit from knowing how the French system has moved toward c ombining the compulsory and voluntary approaches to the control of sex in advertising, and how the doubts expressed about the effectiveness of self-regulation (e. g. , Rotfeld 2003) can be partly assuaged.Besides, valid concerns keep being expressed in the United States about the potential impact of â€Å"sexualized violence† against women in ads on the acceptance of such behavior (Capella, Hill, Rapp and Kees 2010) so that the abuse of sex in advertising is likely to remain an important U. S. socio-political issue whose resolution can profit from knowing the French experience. For these purposes, we will start by analyzing the stimuli that prompted French legal and self-regulatory responses, and conclude with a brief comparison of the French and U. S. control systems. Stimulus: the â€Å"Sex in Advertising† Issue Sex in advertising† as a form of â€Å"selling sin† (Davidson 2003) has long generated negative reactions. Thus, the first International Code of Advertising Practice of the International Chamber of Commerce already stated in Article 1 of its 1937 Rules that: â€Å"Advertisements should not contain statements or visual representations which offend against prevailing standards of decency. † This principle has been adopted by many developed and developing countries, and it is expressed in one form or another in their laws and codes of conduct. Much of the decency issue used to be about goods and services thought to be â€Å"unmentionable† (e. g. toilet paper and feminine-hygiene products) and whether an ad’s execution was in â€Å"good taste† and shown at the appropriate time – with the radio and television broadcasting of objectionable commercials being limited to late hours of the day. Nowadays, sexually-oriented ads apply to all sorts of goods and services (e. g. , clothing, perfumes, jewelry, 3 alcohol, video games, cell phones and movies), they are available on the Internet at all hours, and they frequently emanate from advertisers in the luxury-goods sector (e. g. , Dior). Such audacious practices reflect the modern sexualization of mores and values in Western countries (e. . , Giddens 1993; McNair 1996; Reichert 2003) – with several French books having such evocative titles and subtitles as â€Å"The Pornographic Consensus,† â€Å"Sexyvilisation† and â€Å"The Tyranny of Pleasure. † It helps explain the advent around 2000 of sexually-oriented ads that combine pornography, violence and submission, and reflect McNair’s (2002) â€Å"Porno-chic† concept which incorporates into cultural production some practices (such as fellatio) and taboos (such as pedophilia) that transfer the transgressive qualities of pornography into mainstream culture. To categorize the scope of sex in advertising, Loubradou (2004, 2010) developed the concept of â€Å"hypersexuality† (also used by the French self-regulatory system) to encompass: (1) full nudity and/or sexual organs shown in close-ups; (2) the promotion of products and services associated with sexual intercourse (e. g. , condoms, lubricants, escort services and sex toys); (3) â€Å"Sex andShockvertising† that combines sexual information with fear and shock – a strategy particularly used in public-service campaigns about AIDS and against child abuse, (4) showing or evoking sexual intercourse, homosexual relations, fellatio, sadomasochism and violence against women, and (5) sheer pornography as in an Internet ad exhibiting fellatio. Such ads generate four major types of objections (Boddewyn 1989, pp. 9-32; 1991, p. 26): sexism covers distinctions which diminish or demean one gender in comparison with the other – particularly, through the use of sex-role stereotypes; sexual objectification refers to using The expression â€Å"Porno-chic† was first used in 1973 by a New York Times journalist when the porn movie Deep Throat was release d because people thought it was â€Å"chic† (that is, trendy) to watch it. McNair (2002, p. 2) defined â€Å"Porno-chic† as a wide process of cultural sexualization and pornographication of mainstream culture engaged â€Å"in an unprecedented flirtation with the codes and conventions of the pornographic, producing texts which constantly refer to, pastiche, parody and deconstruct the latter. † As he put it: â€Å"Porno-chic is not porn, but the representation of porn in non-pornographic art and culture† (p. 1). 1 4 (mostly) women as decorative or attention-getting objects while sexuality relies on sensual, suggestive and erotic imagery, sound and wording, and is sometimes combined with the depiction of violence against women in ads showing them in harmful, subservient and helpless positions. French reactions to these excesses have been strong. French ResponsesIncensed Pressure Groups Of the dozen French consumer associations legally recognized and financia lly subsidized by the government, most are linked to family organizations and a few to militant labor unions, and they are officially acknowledged as valid partners in discussions and negotiations with public and business bodies for the purpose of ensuring consumer protection broadly defined (Trumbull, 2006).These organizations and, later on, environmental ones have been granted a formal â€Å"political voice† – a formal status which the French advertising industry has only received very recently (see below). Besides, feminist groups enraged by the treatment of women in advertising have been very influential in France although they have not so far received the same official recognition as consumer and environmental organizations because of their fragmented and sometimes aggressive nature.Thus, vocal organizations with such evocative names as The Hunting Pack, Guardbitches and Advertising Wreckers managed in the 1980s to focus the â€Å"sex in advertising† issue around sexist discrimination, the objectification of women and the violence shown against them – the latter following studies revealing the extent of actual brutality against women (beatings, rapes, etc. ). Feminists stressed the disjunction between the extended roles and functions of women in modern society, compared to their narrow depiction in advertising (Rapport IFP 2001, pp. -6), and their campaigns have often been reported and discussed in the media which have spread and amplified these groups’ demands for more regulations. 5 Public controls Two principles compete as far as the French regulation of sex in advertising is concerned – namely, freedom of expression and protecting the dignity of human beings (Rapport IFM 2008, p. 19) – as expressed by the first article of the Freedom of Communication Law (No. 86-107 of 30 September 1986): Audio-visual communication is free.The exercise of this freedom may be limited only to the extent required, on the o ne hand, for the respect of human dignity, the freedom and property of other people, the pluralistic nature of the expression of ideas and opinions and, on the other hand, for the safeguarding of law and order, for national-defense and public-service reasons, for technical reasons inherent to the means of communication as well as for the need to develop a national audio-visual production industry.Besides, Article 3 of the Executive Decree of 27 March 1992 requires that commercials respect truth, decency and human dignity, and avoid discrimination and violence that incite dangerous behaviors. Article 227-24 of the French penal code prohibits the diffusion by any medium of messages of a violent or pornographic nature and likely to seriously harm human dignity when they can be seen by a minor.The government’s Conseil Superieur de l’Audiovisuel (CSA) is charged with controlling advertising messages after their broadcasting in order to enhance the respect of human dignity, protect children and adolescents, and prohibit messages inciting hatred or violence on account of gender (Rapport IFM 2008, p. 19-20). Searching for New Values Particularly evident in these legal texts are the repeated references to â€Å"the dignity of human beings† – a principle already enunciated in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).The highlighting of this concept reflects the search for new post-modern values which would justify representations of liberated women in advertisements without caricaturing or mocking their new freedoms, opportunities and responsibilities. In this respect, French feminist pressure groups provided a new discourse aimed at promoting the positive â€Å"image of 6 women† in advertising although, by excluding men, their initiative generated charges of reverse sexism!However, French public opinion and policy were concurrently shifting toward banning all forms of discrimination based on gender, age, race, role and handicap so that a compromise could be achieved by adopting a new unisex principle that emphasized the respect of human dignity and thereby protected everyone against objectionable treatments in editorial materials, programs and advertising (Rapport IFP 2001), This new principle was incorporated in various French laws after 1986 and in industry guidelines, starting in 2001.Court Decisions The Penal Code has not been used so far because of the high cost of criminal suits, the reluctance of judges to act as â€Å"censors of artistic creation† (Rapport IFM 2008, p. 20) and their fear of being ridiculed as reactionaries, and the difficulty for associations to sue in criminal courts (Teyssier 2004, p. 168). Thus, it was the Civil Code’s basic Article 1382, which obliges whoever injured others to compensate them for the legal damage he/she caused, which was used to condemn Benetton in 1996 for three 1991 billboards showing an elbow, a pubic area and a pair of buttocks stamped â€Å"H.I. V. positive. † A French governmental agency (AFLS) charged with informing the public about AIDS sued Benetton and was paid damages on the ground of this advertiser having undermined the human dignity of those affected by this disease by evoking the way meat is stamped and the tattooing of concentration-camp inmates during World War II, besides marginalizing a group of people by representing them as a marked population.Private Controls The previously mentioned â€Å"Pornochic† transgressions prompted the French advertising selfregulatory body to improve its responses to growing criticisms of the use of sex in advertising. In particular, it triggered its October 2001 â€Å"Recommendation† (Image de la Personne Humaine) fostering the dignity of human beings in the representation of people in advertisements. This 7 voluntary guideline states that ads should not hurt their audiences’ feelings nor shock people by showing demeaning o r alienating nudity, violence against people – especially women – or depicting people as objects.Concerned about the impact of advertising on minors, an April 2005 Recommendation specified that Internet ads should not harm the â€Å"physical and moral integrity of its young public† by promoting illicit, aggressive, dangerous and antisocial behaviors, challenging the authority of parents and educators, representing children and adolescents in degrading manners, presenting them with indecent or violent images and speech that may shock them, and exploiting their inexperience or credulity.In the same vein, a May 2007 Recommendation applying to erotic electronic services is aimed at promoting human dignity, the fair and true information of consumers and the protection of young audiences. The French Advertising Self-regulatory System The Professional Advertising Regulation Authority (Autorite de la Regulation Professionelle de la Publicite, ARPP) was created in June 2 008 as a private association completely independent of the government. However, it reports to a French ministry about its pursuit of violations of taste and decency in advertising because its 2003 Commitment Chart (Charte d’Engagement) requires it to submit an annual report on â€Å"The Image of Human Beings in Advertising† to the Minister in charge of Parity and Professional Equity, and to distribute it to the public at large. 3 Self-regulatory controls are applied both a priori and a posteriori.In the first place, French advertisers, agencies and media members of the ARPP may apply for non-binding copy advice by its legal experts at the pre-publication stage (15,196 projects were scrutinized in 2009). However, pre-clearance is mandatory before the broadcasting of all television commercials, and the ARPP can require modifications and even ban the proposed commercial if it is in breach of The ARPP is the successor of self-regulatory bodies dating of 1935, and it was na med the Advertising Verification Bureau (Bureau de Verification de la Publicite, BVP) from 1953 to 2008. The French government itself commissions independent studies such as the â€Å"Report on the Image of Women in the Media† (Rapport IFM 2008) that was solicited by the State Secretary for Solidarity. 2 8 the law and its Recommendations. A posteriori, the ARPP monitors ads on a random basis in all media except television where the government’s Superior Audiovisual Council (CSA) prevails. ARPP penalties consist of asking â€Å"transgressors† to modify or remove their ads, requesting the media to stop diffusing an offending ad, and the possibility of taking violators to court.Its decisions are widely publicized, and campaigns are regularly conducted to make the ARPP’s principles, recommendations and services better known as well as to incite advertising professionals to act responsibly. The previous BVP self-regulatory body handled complaints from consumer s and competitors but the new ARPP structure is more comprehensive and includes external stakeholders.It comprises: (1) an advisory Advertising Ethics Council (CEP) chaired by an independent academic to â€Å"anticipate† new societal developments; (2) an Advertising Parity Council (CPP) of which half of the members represent consumer and environmental associations, and which â€Å"concerts† with industry representatives about the need for new self-regulatory rules, and (3) an independent Advertising Deontology Jury (JDP) made up of persons who have no links with industry or consumer associations to solicit and â€Å"sanction† complaints from the public in order to complement the ARPP’s monitoring of ads.Impressive Results The 2006 BVP report to the Minister in charge of parity between the sexes dealt only with posters and billboards because they are highly visible to all audiences – young and adult, pleased or offended. Of 4,288 â€Å"visuals,â₠¬  only 8 (or 0. 19%) were considered to be violating its Recommendations. In all cases, the advertisers removed their ads, and the BVP credited the willingness of most outdoor advertisers to consult it before diffusing their ads for the low incidence of violations. Its report for 2007 (ARPP 2008) dealt with the Image of Human Beings in Advertising – with such subtitles as â€Å"Does advertising diffuse sexual stereotypes? † â€Å"Are there too many images connoting sexuality? † and â€Å"Where does Pornochic stand today? † It covered outdoor advertising, newspapers and magazines – except those publications targeted at adult audiences (e. g. , girlie† magazines) – and it compared the sampled ads with its Recommendation on the representation of human beings in advertising, whose images should not offend human dignity, undermine decency, objectify/reify people, present denigrating stereotypes, induce ideas of submission, domination or d ependence and/or present moral or physical violence. Out of 89,076 monitored ads, 96 (or 0. 10%) were found wanting – less than in 2003 (0. 15%) but more than in 2005 (0. 02%) – mainly in terms of offending human dignity (51 cases) and on account of the recrudescence of pornochic ads for luxury goods – particularly for clothing (e. . , Dolce & Gabbana). The results for 2008 were even better, with only 46 infractions and a decrease in pornochic ads (ARPP 2009) although these statistics did not cover the Internet which even very young audiences know how to maneuver in order to find and recirculate sexually-related materials. For the ARPP even 46 violations were too many and suggested greater professional vigilance and education so that its first campaign in 2008 was entitled Sexe because pressure should be maintained for even better results (e. g. , against the objectification of women).Following the implementation of the 2008 Jury system (JDP) that solicits and h andles complaints from the public, its first report for November 2008-December 2009 disclosed 24 valid ones of which 18 were related to the protection of human dignity and, in the majority of these cases, the complaint was upheld. Such public complaining and negative Jury decisions are 10 likely to persist because viral advertising on the Internet and word-of-mouth diffusion have created a huge recirculation of ads with sexual and violent content. 4 For that matter, the French self-regulatory system finds it sometimes problematic to handle new issues.Thus, the BVP report for 2005 acknowledged its hesitation about what to decide regarding a billboard showing two homosexual men kissing (Rainbow Attitude Campaign). On the one hand, such a highly visible public display would shock the public so that maximum prudence should be exercised; on the other, it would be discriminatory to oppose a homosexual kiss when heterosexual ones are frequently shown. This advertisement was not found to be in violation of any public regulation or private rule – an example of how this self-regulatory body relies on both the law and its own Recommendations to control the use of sex in advertising.The new 2008 ARPP system of â€Å"professional regulation† has been publicly recognized in several ways. Thus, a 5 March 2009 law, which transposed into French legislation the recent European Union directive on audiovisual services, did officially authorize the Superior Audiovisual Council (CSA) to delegate the preclearance of television commercials to the ARPP. Besides, the Paris Appeals Court stated on 26 October 2010 that â€Å"recommendations from the ARPP, even though they have no legal character, are professional practices that the judge must take into account if they do not contradict a legal or statutory measure. Moreover, professional regulation is now acknowledged and accepted by the French government which through several â€Å"Commitment Charters† (see above) has implicitly agreed not to regulate or ban certain practices but requires in exchange an effective system of adequate guidelines as well as an accountability evidenced by periodic and transparent monitorings and reports. These agreements amount to a system of â€Å"co-regulation† between public and private 4 Neither French nor U. S. egulators have found effective ways of controlling the diffusion of illegal or inappropriate Internet materials except through the obligation put on Internet Service Providers to remove illegal materials, on advertisers to warn about the sexual content of their messages, and on broadcasters to offer parents program-filtering devices. 11 actors who concert and collaborate in the public interest, and help generate a sense of responsibility among advertising professionals now convinced that their industry cannot claim its freedom of speech if it cannot prove its responsibility (Teyssier 2004, 2011).A Brief Comparison with the U. S. System In the fi rst place, the French have focused on protecting the dignity of all human beings and forbidding all types of discrimination in advertising while, in the United States, the problem has been framed in terms of protecting minors at the relatively modest price of adults losing only part of their free-speech right as far as the broadcasting media are concerned. 5 To be sure, other U. S. edia can still offer indecent and profane materials but they are supposed to reach better targeted audiences excluding minors. Second, compared to the French situation, politically weaker and less affluent U. S. consumer associations have exercised relatively little influence on the government in recent decades, the National Organization for Women has limited its sway to the â€Å"naming and shaming† of sexist advertisers, and even the very influential religious movement did not succeed in its campaigns to â€Å"cleanse American culture† (Lane 2006).Third, in both countries, the government h as been the main actor for the control of taste and decency in advertising, with self-regulation a strong second in France and a seemingly weaker one in the United States – largely because of First-Amendment and antitrust constraints (Rotfeld 2003). Yet, the lack of a French-like self-regulatory organization designed to study social trends, develop and publicize detailed guidelines, advise practitioners, solicit and handle complaints, and penalize wrongdoers has not precluded multiple U. S. nitiatives that add up to a control system Following various Supreme-Court decisions, obscenity and pornography are prohibited in all media while indecency and profanity are forbidden on radio and television except between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM when children are unlikely to be in the audience. 5 12 that can respond fairly rapidly and effectively to complaints. All U. S. media have a pre-clearance system and most offensive ads are withdrawn by the advertiser or no longer diffused by a medium (Edelstein 2003) although some researchers challenge this positive evaluation (e. . , Rotfeld 1992). Besides, most sexual ads find their niches thanks to behavioral targeting and because the vast majority of sex-related ads match the programs where they are shown. Fourth, on account of various Supreme-Court decisions, U. S. government agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have had to severely limit their control of indecent and profane materials in programs and advertisements.Thus, the FTC has rejected any â€Å"immoral, unscrupulous or unethical test† because the latter has never been relied upon as an independent basis for proving unfairness. Besides, the â€Å"secondaryeffects rationale† used by some family associations, U. S. legislators and regulators to justify further restrictions on account of their presumed effects on children and society – e. g. , fostering immorality and feeding the prurient app etites of pedophiles and child molesters – has not been accepted by the U. S. Supreme Court (Beales 2003).In contrast, such secondary effects have been used to justify all sorts of French proscriptions such as the ARPP Recommendation that Internet ads should not harm the â€Å"physical and moral integrity of its young public† (see above). Fifth, in both France and the United States, advertising practitioners believe that industry rules devised and applied by them are preferable because they know better what the problems and their realistic solutions are, and self-regulation generates greater moral adhesion than the law because industry guidelines are voluntarily developed and applied (Boddewyn 1992, pp. -8) even though it tends to improve only when the threat of regulation is real (Loubradou 2010). In this regard, there is increasing collaboration between governments and the advertising industry as evidenced by the French Commitment Charters while, in the United States , the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has received the 3 blessing of the Federal Trade Commission which, under the â€Å"safe harbor† provision of the 1998 Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), can approve industry guidelines that help implement this law – a practice which also applies to the Entertainment Software Rating Board which assigns age and content ratings to computer- and video-game ads, and which has been favorably evaluated by the FTC (Bravin 2010, p. B1).Finally, while governments, family and consumer associations in both countries are presently very concerned about personal-data privacy, behavioral targeting and the promotion of fatty, salty and sweet foods to children, â€Å"sex-in-advertising† remains an important issue because of the potential risk that sexualized violence in ads and the media may contribute to the desensitization of people and the socialization of aggressive beha vior toward women (Capella et al. 2010, p. 45; Liptak 2010, p. A16).In this context, our analysis of the French cultural, political, legal and ethical dimensions of this issue can help us understand under what conditions the above concerns can lead to its meaningful and effective public and private control. References ARPP (2008), Bilan 2007: Publicite et Image de la Personne Humaine. Paris : Autorite de Regulation Professionnelle de la Publicite. _____ (2009), Bilan 2008: Publicite et Image de la Personne Humaine. 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