The Portrayal of Murder in The Speckled Band and Lamb to the Slaughter :: Sherlock Holmes Arthur Doyle Roald Dahl Essays

The Portrayal of Murder in The Speckled Band and Lamb to the Slaughter The two stories we are comparing are the 1880`s Sherlock Homes murder mystery tail "The Speckled Band" and the second story is the1900`s thriller "Lamb to the Slaughter". The Speckled Band is an on the edge murder mystery tail, this is one of the many Sherlock Homes tails, it was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the late Victorians 180`s. Lamb to the Slaughter is a very short thriller, this story was written by the great child's Author Roald Dahl in the 1950`s. In this essay we are not comparing the two stories we are comparing and contrasting the two murders which are. In "Lamb to the Slaughter" the murderer is Mrs Mary Maloney, Mrs Maloney is a pretty woman about 5ft with long dark hair and big brown eyes. She is six months pregnant and is a very loving and caring woman who is extremely organised. The victim that Mrs Maloney killed was none other than her Husband Mr Maloney. Mary new that her husband was having an a affair with another Woman, so when Mr Maloney came home from work one night Mrs Maloney lashed out and smashed her husband around the back of his head with an frozen leg of lamb that she had just taken out of the freezer for supper. Mrs Maloney immediately put the frozen leg of lamb in the Oven and then called the police and told them that her husband had been murdered while she was out. After she killed her husband she went into her bedroom and sat there for half an hour thinking of what to do and say to the police. In the end she thought up of a story, she went out of the house 2 get some Items for the meal when she got back she saw her husband and called the police. When the police arrived she said that while she was out he was murdered, the police checked up on that and it was true. The police tried 2 find the murder weapon around the house and garden and after there search Mrs Maloney insisted that they ate the food she had cooked because she was not up to it, so they did the 3 police officers ate the lamb and the evidence they had spent all day looking for. So in the end Mrs Maloney made up a story before she called the police and after she had murdered Mr Maloney and she got away with murder. The Second story "The Speckled Band" the murderer was Doctor Grimesby

Performance Support Systems :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Performance Support Systems Introduction In all of the research and documentation used to create this paper Performance Support System (PSS) and Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS) are used synonymously. The term Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS) will be used in this paper. Defining EPSS. Performance Support (PS) is the concept of integrating knowledge and learning experiences, with software tools to improve the quality and quantity of worker performance with as little support as possible from other people. PS also provides an electronic foundation to enable organizational learning. EPSS is the computer system the results from applying the concept of performance support (EPSS website). Some people may confuse EPSS with an Information System (IS), an electronic manual, or Computer-Based Training (CBT). IS are designed to help a user use the application, whereas EPSS are designed to provide support on how to do the work. An electronic manual is just an on-line book. An EPSS may contain an electronic manual, but EPSS not only shows you the information, but how to apply it. CBTs facilitates what you need to learn EPSSs facilitates performance. Why Use an EPSS? "The rate of change in organizations today is tremendous. Just when one downsizing or reengineering effort ends, the latest business software is released and there is something new to learn. The result? An environment in which employees are continuously novices again" (Dawson 29). An EPSS can be used to continually train and retrain employees while providing task specific assistance and training at the touch of a button. An EPSS can also provide assistance to infrequently encountered problems as well as create a consistent set of answers to customers’ frequently asked questions. In many corporations today, the time, length, and cost involved in training is excessive. EPSS solves those problems. First, EPSS provides a cost effective way to train employees. Although the initial setup cost of EPSS can be expensive, these cost normally relate to start-up and maintenance. "Instructor led class where teaching time takes roughly 3 times longer compared with computer based instruction. The overhead costs of instructor led training are also much higher. [Also] with instructor led courses, the more students use the program, the more the program costs. Technology based alternatives eliminate these costs" (Winslow & Caldwell 76). Secondly, EPSS provides an alternative to training where employees are absent from work by bring the instruction to the employees.

Continental Airlines

Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off Continental Airline’s Tech Strategy Takes Off Amrita Ranchhod 152109103 Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 1 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off Company profile Continental Airlines is the world’s fifth largest airline. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,750 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 133 domestic and 132 international destinations. More than 750 additional points are served via current alliance partners. Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with its regional partners, carries approximately 63 million passengers per year. Based in Houston, Texas, the airline must provide an IT infrastructure to support its global reach. Its IT department delivers services for internal operations as well as for its customer service and external Web applications. 0. Make a small description of the case pointing out the main management issues. This case study demonstrates how Continental Airlines adopted new strategies and how they got successful when most of the U. S. based airlines were in risk of bankruptcy after the 9/11. The company wasn’t very highly regarded because of its organizational culture and it’s IT and Biz. Strategy weren’t aligned. Continental slowly reinvented itself by using new strategies, â€Å"Worst to First† which made them one of the most admired global airline in the world. They used IT as a service centre and aligned Biz. with IT. 1. Describe the external environment and Continental’s strategic goals After the 9/11, the nation’s airline industry struggled to regain altitude, because of the loss of billion of dollars since a smaller number of people wanted to fly which made thousands of people loose their jobs. But it is believe that the U. S. airlines were already struggling before the attack due to broader economic and competitive issues. Also, economics problems in the U. S. and Japan and the weakening of the dollar has not helped for the recovery of the airline industry. See appendix 1) The legacy carriers – American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United, Continental Northwest and US Airways had to face new lower-cost competitors entering their Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 2 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off markets, and all airlines had to face soaring fuel prices over the last years. According to Phil Baggaley, the senior airlines credit analyst for rating agency Standard & Poor’s, â€Å"The legacy carriers were forced to pull back their capacity and that opened a vacuum that the low-cost carriers could fill. I think 9/11 made a material difference in that way -it accelerated a trend that was already occurring. † (www. money. cnn. com). This lead to an unused aircraft, demand for new planes went down which didn’t help the manufacturers and their suppliers. To understand better Continental Airline’s external environment I will use SWOT analysis: Strenghts ? Revenue : Revenues increased of 17. 1% from 2005 to 2006 ? Profits: Operating Profit: during fiscal year 2006 operating profit was $468 million, compared to operating loss of $39 in 2005. Net Profit: during fiscal year 2006, net profit was $343 million, compared to net loss of $68 in 2005. ? CEO: The CEO of Continental Airlines played and important role in stimulating the company. The â€Å"Go Forward Plan† made possible to focus on every aspect of the organization. ? Target Market: Having a well-defined target market, Continental provides services to upper-class and business travelers. ? IT Integration ? Clear Vision Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 3 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off Weaknesses ? Financial Difficulties: The company had some financial problems with great amount of debts and operating at loss. ? High Operating Costs: Continental had a high operating cost because they decided to attract consumers by offering in-flight meals preventing them from going to other airlines. Opportunities: ? Reestablishing Customer Base: The airline industry is becoming â€Å"normal† as in returning to pre-9/11 status. ? Align new marketing strategy, more consumer oriented, with low cost strategies. Threats: ? September 11th: The public lost faith in the airline industry after the September 11th and for many companies this meant bankruptcy. Even after this, the majority of the airline industry had lower profits. ? Oil prices were getting high ? Increasing Rivalry As stated in the case study, Continental Airlines was ranked at the very bottom of the list of airlines and regularly received low marks for customer service. Its external environmental was very instable and each carrier was trying very hard to save the company from bankruptcy. The company had 45 different CRM systems and the carrier had no way to verify who the most important customers were. The company’s strategy was mainly to identify and increase the loyalty of continental’s most important customer and also to find new customers even outside the U. S. keeping prices stable and increasing routes. The way they implemented this strategy was basically creating and IT department which would improve customer services and operations. Bethune’s â€Å"Worst to First† business strategy made reorganize the Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 4 Case Study: Continental Airline? Tech Strategy Takes Off company’s structure by launching new service routes. But according in Teradata (www. teradata. com), Bethune’s â€Å"Worst to First† business strategy relied little on technology. Bethune began by reshaping the company with his â€Å"Go Forward Plan,† which still guides the business today. The Go Forward Plan has four interrel ated parts, dealing with the airline’s product, finances, market and people: ? Fly to Win: Understand what products customers want and what they are willing to pay for. ? Fund the Future: Manage costs and cash flow so the airline can continue to operate. Make Reliability a Reality: Get customers to their destination safely, on time and with their luggage. ? Work Together: Create a culture where people want to come to work. The second phase of Bethune’s strategy, â€Å"First to Favorite†, the IT team decided to transform the airline’s CRM systems into one which made possible to save around $6 million costs in operating costs. 2. What are the new management capabilities and business processes? Are they information-intensive? How they work? Continental’s success was due to the use of innovative technologies to improve internal operations and customer service. The real-time data warehouse provided data from 25 internal operational systems and two external data sources loaded into the data warehouse. The source systems included: schedules, inventory, employee and crew payroll, airline tickets, customer care, and others and it was applied to areas such as revenue management, customer relationship management, flight management dashboard and fraud detection. The CVM provided by Continental’s database, allowed them to Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 5 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off know the most profitable customers which helped the marketing department in customer segmentation. Management understood that good quality information was critical. According to Jane Beeby, Continental’s Senior Director, as part of its strategy to optimize service, Continental maintains unique 800 numbers for various types of customers. For example, international fliers dial a different number than do customers booking domestic flights. Rewards Program members have their own toll-free line. To even more precisely identify individual customer needs, callers may also respond to a series of network-level prompts before being connected to an agent. (www. cisco. com). The new capabilities and business processes attained by the company made possible to know more about their customers which lead to more profit and consequently to a better customer service. 3. Does IT have a strategic role at Continental? (Apply Porter’s 5 forces model) As an early adopter of new technology, Continental Airlines uses the latest information technology allowing the company to progress. I believe that IT was a brilliant opportunity to invest in the future providing real-time business intelligence which made possible to save $500 million in costs and revenues produced a ROI (Return on Investment) of more than 1. 00% (See Appendix 2). One thing worth mentioning is that one of the key resources at Continental were the employees. More productive employees lead to better margins. The ability to deal with problems efficiently, in turn, created job satisfaction, as employee see their efforts give way results. According to Porter’s analysis, The Five Forces determ ine the competitive intensity and therefore the attractiveness of a market. Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 6 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off Threat of New Entrants: Continental is implementing a unique strategy making hard for new companies to enter the market and uncrease barriers. Therefore, there is a low threat of new entrants because the service they are offering is difficult to copy ? Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The bargaining power of suppliers will decrease because as Continental is controlling more information about customers therefore they are offering exactly what costumers need which makes possible to build brand awareness – the bargaining power of the company increases. Threat of Substitutes: The IS strategy gives to Continental Airline a competitive advantage because they control customer’s information therefore they are able to capture loyalty of them and minimize substitutes. ? Bargaining Power of Buyers: Since there is a new IS th e company is increasing barriers for customers switching costs. The buyers are becoming more loyal and establishing a bound to the company services which makes difficult for them to change. Therefore the bargaining power of buyers is decreasing. Conclusion – The information systems at Continental have a strategic impact in because they have a major positive impact in: ? Increasing Industry Rivalry ? Lowering Customer Bargain Power 4. Regarding their business value analyse the IT systems mentioned positioning them in McFarlans’s Matrix. According to the McFarlan’s Matrix listed bellow, for example CRM (Customer Relationship Management) plays a strategic role in Continental’s Airline, because the existing and future expansion is vital to the firm’s success. CRM made possible the Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 7 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off lose relationship between the company’s customers and each employee, giving these last ones better information about specific needs of their customers. Loyalty is very important for them, so by using the data warehouse with real time information ensured higher customer retention. The CRM system also facilitated crossselling (off ering customers complimentary products based on their previous purchases) and up-selling (offering customer’s premium products in the same category). Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 8 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off 5. How the process of Biz and IT alignment should be performed at Continental? Make 3 recommendations. Alignment is always going to be a moving target. Business objectives are in change, while IT tends to move in more stable patterns. From my point of view the key recommendation is to focus on what can the company achieve now and take one step at a time. For them to be aligned there should be a balanced in terms of communication. Business people â€Å"speak in business language† and IT people in technical terms. To solve this problem, we should put this two together and â€Å"make them† find their own language and this involves communication, process alignment and value demonstration. These people must have the right tools and skills to work together so they can arise the best strategies. In my point of view, creating a new department, in theory is easy but they are always full of obstacles and always busy. For example, employees profiles can be created to gather information about their competencies. Also within the organization make audit objective as ensuring a strong coupling between the business operations and the IT operations and to ensure that both the operations align with the overall business strategy. Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 9 Case Study: Continental Airline? Tech Strategy Takes Off References Chris Isidore, (September 8th 2006), Airlines still in upheaval, 5 years after 9/11: www. money. cnn. com [Acessed at 15th November, 2009] Teradata Corporation, Case-Study – Data Warehousing: www. teradata. com [Assessed at 16th November, 2009] Cisco Systems, Inc, Soaring with Intelligent Contact Management: www. cisco. com [ Assessed at 16th November, 2009] Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 10 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off Appendix 1: Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 11 Case Study: Continental Airline? s Tech Strategy Takes Off Appendix 2: Amrita Ranchhod Pagina 12 Continental Airlines Meagan Young Chapter 10 I believe that Lorenzo’s confrontation with Continental’s unions could have been conducted a different way. They could simply listen to each other’s viewpoint and not interrupt with one another is speaking. This way each other can hear their viewpoint and maybe understand one another better. If Lorenzo would have listened to what his employees were trying to say, he may have gotten ideas from them and used them for his company. Both these companies experienced commonalities and contrasts. Both Bethunes and Southwest Airlines experienced debt issues. Both companies were puzzled as how to deal with this situation. Both companies however had the similar approaches as how to deal with the debt situations. Bethune definitely has a better management style than Lorenzo’s. this is because Bethune was willing to come up with solutions to come out of debt. He also made dramatic changes. In 1995, through a â€Å"renewed focus on flight schedules and incentive pay,† he greatly improved on-time performance, along with lost-baggage claims and customer complaints. Better communications was also a key element in improving employee relationships and the spirit of teamwork. Information was shared with employees through newsletters, updates on bulletin boards, email, voice-mail, and electronic signs over worldwide places. As you can see Bethune really wanted to improve Continental Airlines because he wanted what was best for the company. Bethune proved a master at changing employees’ attitudes and their sense of pride. Few top executives ever faced such a negative workforce, reflecting the Lorenzo years. But Bethune changed all this, and in such a short time. is open-door policy and open houses to encourage employees to interact with him and other top executives was a simple gesture, but so effective, as was his opening wide the channels of communication about company plans. The incentive plans for improving performance, and the freeing up of employee initiatives by abolishing the rigidity of formal policies, were further positives. He enge ndered an atmosphere of teamwork and a personal image of an appreciative CEO. This goes to show that Bethune is a trustworthy man and cares much about his company and the employees. The paint issue shouldn’t be a big issue. It gave the company a new look I think. Giving employees some kind of reward such as a bonus or incentive seems ideal. When they reach a certain goal or percentage and show they are hardworking employees, they could receive one of these. Before doing this I would supervise how they are working to make sure they are doing what they are supposed to. After studying their work ethics I would then determine what kind of reward I would present to them. Lack of communication is one of the biggest issues with not only top executives but anyone in the company. I’m sure not all of the upper management had the same ideas for Continental, and because of this some were left behind. This could be a downfall because one of them could have had a really good idea to present to the company. Because workers are not getting paid what they should, you can offer them something else. You can offer them better company benefits. This can help the employee tremendously, especially if they have a family. You could also tell the workers that if they reach a certain percentage that they can receive a raise. All of these ideas can motivate an employee to work harder at their job.

Why Did Civil War Break Out in 1642

Lack of Money One of the reasons why the civil war broke out in England in 1642 was because of Charles' lack of money. To discover the source of this, we have to go back to the beginning of James' reign. James was the first King to reign over both England and Scotland, and when he came down from Scotland it is said that he was astonished at how rich England was, while James had needed to borrow money for his travelling expenses. When James died in 1625, Charles came to the throne, and he, like his father, had very little money.Once Charles became King, the County Faction1 wanted him to go to war with the Catholics in Spain, so Charles asked them for taxes to use on the war. They refused to pay enough, so the war was hopeless, and Parliament blamed the King for this. The reason Parliament granted so few taxes was that they wanted to make sure they were called again. Charles, a firm believer in the Divine Right of Kings, thought that he should not have to rule with Parliament, and the only thing that kept him calling it was money2. One good example of the way Parliament made sure they were called back in Charles' reign was tonnage and poundage.These were duties imposed on certain imports and exports. It was normal for these duties to be decided in the first Parliament of a monarch's reign, but in the case of Charles, they only decided on it for one year, so the King would be forced to call them again. Although Charles tried to ask for more money, Parliament refused, because they believed he spent it on his favourites. Because of this, Charles had to get himself more money. He began using the Church Courts, exploiting taxes such as ‘ship money'3, and selling monopolies and titles. He also opened a Court of Star Chamber, which he used to fine people heavily to raise money.Since the judges in the Star Chamber were officials of the Crown, and there was no jury, Charles could be sure of getting a favourable result. Parliament was furious with this, and immediate ly drew up the Petition of Right, which asked the King to stop illegal taxation. The King signed it, but only because Parliament threatened to impeach Buckingham, one of the King's favourites. The quarrels about money went on, and eventually Charles decided to dissolve Parliament. He reigned without them for 11 years. When the new prayer book was brought into Scotland, a group called the Covenanters attempted to invade England.Charles called a Parliament to try and get taxes to fight the Covenanters, but they refused4, so Charles dissolved them again. He was forced to pay the Scots ? 850 a day to stop them advancing, and eventually, in 1641, his money ran out, and he had to call Parliament – he was bankrupt and at their mercy, so money was definitely a key factor in the outbreak of the civil war. Religion Another major influence in the outbreak of the civil war was religion. The religious quarrels began right at the start of Charles' reign, when Charles married Henrietta Mari a, a French Catholic.Although Charles didn't choose to marry her – his father, James, set up the marriage – the public, especially the Puritans, didn't like having a Catholic as Queen. A few extremists even saw this as a sign that Charles was secretly Catholic! After the King dissolved Parliament, he made William Laud the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1633. While Laud was Archbishop, he made many changes to the Church. Most of these changes involved beatifying the Church and bringing back robes for priests, statues and stained-glass windows. All these things reminded the English of Catholicism.In 1636, Archbishop Laud decided to introduce the English Prayer Book (which stated how services should be run) into Scotland. There was nationwide rioting, because no one wanted to follow the new Prayer Book. Scotland was a Presbyterian (Puritan) country, and they thought that the English Prayer Book was far too Catholic to use in Scotland. This eventually led to many Scots, call ed the Covenanters, marching down the country in an attempt to invade England. At this point, Charles had to call Parliament to ask for taxes to pay for the war, but was horrified to see that most of the MPs were on the Covenanters' side.Parliament agreed that the Prayer Book was too Catholic, so Charles dissolved them again, but after he ran out of money to pay the Scots (see the Money section above) he was forced to call Parliament again. Parliament first put Laud on trial, and found him guilty. Later they decided to execute Strafford on charges of organising an army in Ireland, where he governed. It turned out that this was a big mistake. As soon as Strafford was executed, the Irish Catholics rebelled against the Protestants, saying they were rebelling for the King.Although it was clear this was not true, Parliament did not trust the King when he asked them for an army, and so refused, believing he would use it to crush them instead. Foreign Affairs Another factor in the outbreak of civil war was foreign affairs. On the continent, the 30 Years War was going on, where Catholic rulers attempted to wipe out the Protestants in their countries. This fuelled people's fears that something similar might happen in England. Other foreign causes of the war were from Ireland and Scotland, and are detailed above. Charles' PersonalityAlthough it may seem unimportant, Charles' personality was a major factor in the events leading to civil war. To start with, Charles hadn't expected to be King at all – his elder brother, Henry, had been expected to take the job, but when he died suddenly in 1612, Charles became the heir to the throne. Charles also believed in the Divine Right of Kings. He thought, as his father had before him, that Kings were appointed by God, and could not be wrong. He disliked having to rule with Parliament, and thought that he should be able to do anything he liked. This caused much friction between him and the MPs. Parliament The Short Parliament When Parliament was summoned in April 1640, Charles had governed for eleven years without them5, and while this certainly went against the spirit of the English constitution, it was within the King's prerogative to do so. Charles was forced to call a parliament when the Scots rebelled. Putting an army into the field to deal with the Scots put a heavy drain on the royal finances, so Charles needed to levy a tax, which he could only do with the consent of Parliament. When Parliament met the gentry from the counties used the occasion to vent their frustration, with Harbottle Grimston and John Pym leading a catalogue of complaints.Three weeks later, Charles dissolved Parliament, blaming ‘the malicious cunning of some few seditious affected men'. This was known as the Short Parliament and it sat from 13 April, 1640, to 5 May, 1640. The war with the Scots did not fair well for Charles, but he eventually came to an agreement of ? 850 a day to keep the Scots at bay. The Long Parliamen t In order to pay this and get funds for a final settlement Charles had to summon another Parliament6. This time Charles could not afford to dismiss Parliament until he got what he wanted, and this gave Parliament an important card to play in what was to come.The Long Parliament, as it was known, sat from 3 November, 1640, for 13 years, until Oliver Cromwell suppressed it. It should be noted it was not formally dismissed until 1660, after the Restoration. Therefore, when Parliament met in November 1640, it was with a mood of constitutional reform. Of the 493 MPs elected: * 340 were anti-Court (the County Faction) * 64 were for the Court (supporters of the King) * 59 were of an unknown disposition * 17 were disabled from sitting (these were mainly of the ‘Court Camp') * The remaining 13 were probably of the Court Faction.Parliament pinned the blame for what went wrong on the King's advisors, rather than Charles himself, sending both Strafford and Laud to the Tower. Charles also tried to heal the rift by signing Strafford's death warrant, passing a bill that allowed for Parliament not to be dissolved without its own consent, a bill making ‘ship money' illegal and other bills that taken together demolished the framework of prerogative government. The Thrilling Climax All of these causes led to some key events in 1641 and 1642. It turned out that the execution of Strafford had been a mistake. Without Strafford to reign over Ireland, the Irish rebelled in 1641.This raised an insoluble problem; who would command the Army, King or Parliament? John Pym took the initiative by issuing the Militia Bill and, more importantly, the Grand Remonstrance. It listed all the things Charles had done wrong in his reign, suggested less power for bishops, and said that Parliament should have power over the Church and the appointment of Royal ministers. It was passed by 11 votes, which meant that, while most of the Commons had previously been against him, now almost half o f them supported him. However, it was after this that the King made a foolish move.On the advice of his Queen (who was used to French politics, where the King had much more power over the way the country was run), Charles decided to arrest the five ringleaders, including Pym. On 4 January, 1642, Charles attempted to get into the Commons to arrest the five MPs, and found that after he and his guards had battered the door down, the MPs had been warned and weren't there. This action turned most of Parliament against him once more, because it was held to be a breach of Parliamentary privilege7. On the next day, the escaped MPs paraded up and down London guarded by the Trained Bands, an army of part-time soldiers.

People’s Republic of China Essay

Mainland China is rooted in more than 4,000 years of rich Chinese cultures and history. It’s known for their lives, travel, history, business and food, their people and customs. Traditional Kung Fu is as much of the culture of china according to statistics. The Chinese people have shared a common culture longer than any other groups on earth. China is one of the cradles of the human race. For thousands of years the culture of china has attract and moved many people from all over the world, being so unique and one-of-a-kind as well as elegant and inspiring. The Chinese culture, a culture that has evolved for thousands and thousands of years contains rare beauty and enchanted with history variously as an ancient civilization extending over a large area in East Asia. [pic] In order to effectively examine China we need to first understand what their culture is about. Culture is defined as â€Å"society’s shared and socially transmitted its ideas, values, and perceptions, which are used to make sense of experience and which generate behavior that is reflected in that behavior†. There are five major characteristics of culture, they are that; Culture is shared, â€Å"one shared element found in all cultures is an understanding in regard to gender roles, which are the roles a particular culture assigns to men and women†. The second characteristic is â€Å"Culture is learned, not biologically inherited. The process whereby culture is passed from one generation to the next. The third is â€Å"symbols. Much of human behavior is mediated by symbols—signs, sounds, emblems, and other things that represent meaningful concepts. † The forth is that â€Å"Culture is integrated. The foundation of culture includes three structural elements that work together to keep the culture strong: An infrastructure provides the basic necessities of life, a social structure determines how people interact with one another, and a superstructure, or worldview, provides a belief system that helps people identify themselves, their society, and the world around them. † Lastly, â€Å"Culture is dynamic. Chinese arts and crafts, including painting, calligraphy, operas and silk. During these four or five thousand years of development, china mainly live on the five common cereals and vegetables and added by a small supply of meat which is radiated to the advance of culinary skills and early civilization of the country. When one element within the system shifts, the entire system shifts to accommodate it. † East Asian cultures have many similarities in religious beliefs, family social networks, diet and education. Modern China differs greatly in government. They have maintained a communist state and resisted Westernization. This is not the case with the rest of the Far East. Western culture appears to be a driving force behind most of modern East Asian culture. [pic] China has a very diverse geographical and urban landscape. Within China’s borders lies the tallest peak in the world, Mount Everest, it is just one of many mountains that make up the Himalayan mountain range in the northern region of China. China also boasts the third longest river in the world with South China’s Yangtze River which is approximately 3,400 miles long. China has over 8,700 miles of coastline, and has many plains and valleys throughout its nearly 12,400 square miles of frontier land. The vast landscape has dwellings that vary anywhere from small villages to large cities and metropolitan areas. China also has one of the largest man-made structures in the world, the Great wall; it is so large that it is visible from outer space. â€Å"In terms of climate, China may be divided between the humid eastern region and the dry west. The humid east can be further subdivided between the warm and humid south and southeast and the temperate-to-cool, moderately humid north and northeast. Much of the humid eastern region of China exhibits a monsoonal pattern of temperature and precipitation. In a monsoon climate, the warm summer months are typically the months of maximum precipitation. † China’s population exceeds 1 billion, â€Å"more than 500 million people live in and around cities in China, according to the 1990 census. There are more urban dwellers in China than are found in either the United States or Russia. Some of the cities are quite large. Shanghai, for example, has more than 7 million people; Beijing has more than 6 million, and Tianjin more than 5 million. Many cities have more than 1 million people each. † (Compton’s Living Encyclopedia) China’s cities are expanding rapidly. The government is attempting to regulate urban growth in order to avoid such problems as congestion, overcrowding, slum development, and unemployment. China’s government is a People’s Republic; the main organs of the government are under Communist party control. The head of state in China is the â€Å"Premier†. The population of China is and has been a strain on the countries resources; because of this the government has interjected itself into the people’s family planning. â€Å"China’s family planning policy combines government guidance with the wishes of the masses. The basic requirements of family planning are late marriages and late child-bearing, so as to have fewer, but healthier, babies, especially one child per couple. But a flexible family planning policy is adopted for rural people and ethnic minorities; in rural areas, couples may have second baby in exceptional cases, but must wait several years after the birth of the first child. † Chinese people have the tradition of respecting the old and loving the young. Though many young couples do not live with their parents, they maintain close contact with them. Grown up children have the duty to support and help their parents. The Chinese people attach great importance to relations between family members and relatives, and cherish their parents, children, brothers and sisters, uncles, aunts and other relatives. Communication among the people of China can be challenging due to the numerous written and spoken languages of the country. â€Å"The Han people have their own spoken and written language. Chinese belongs to the Han-Tibetan language family. It is the most commonly used language in China, and one of the most commonly used languages in the world. All of China’s 55 minority people have their own languages, except the Hui and Manchu, who use Chinese; 23 of these have a written form. † Economically China has changed considerably since it became a communist state in 1949, since the founding of New China, especially in the 20 years after the start of reform and opening to the outside world in 1978. China has made great achievements in economic construction and social development. China instituted multiple financial plans that has allowed for outward economic growth and modernization. â€Å" There are three major religious in china; Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, although Confucianism is a school of philosophy than a religion, some turn to Taoism when they find themselves frustrated and many turn to Buddhism even if they never read the sutures beliefs. Chinese people do not have a strong religious inclination but despite this the three main faiths. China is proud of the many people, The Hui, Uygur, Kazak, Kirgiz, Tatar, Ozbek, Tajik, Dongxiang, Salar, and Bonan people adhere to Islam; the Tibetan Buddhism, and the Dai, Blang and Deang to Theravada Buddhism. † Buddhism was first introduced to China from India in the first century A. D. , becoming increasingly popular after the fourth century. Tibetan Buddhism, or Lamaism as it is sometimes called, is found primarily in Tibet and Inner Mongolia. War and the military have been a central role in the shaping of modern Chinese history; armed struggle has played an important part. â€Å"The majority of China’s imperial dynasties rose and fell due to success or defeat upon the battlefield. The 20th century saw the conflict between Nationalist and Communist forces that resulted in today’s divided China: the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan. It also witnessed China’s intervention in the Korean War and border clashes with its neighbors India, the Soviet Union, and Vietnam. † (Worthing) Many factors have led to the perceived military threat known as China. These factors have figured decisively in the rise and fall of imperial dynasties, the suppression of internal revolts, the emergence of revolutionary movements, and the conduct of China’s foreign relations, the development of political parties, the structure of governments, the rise of nationalism and the drive for modernization, all of which have driven the worlds perception of China emerging as a 21st-century military and economic power. China’s past has aided in shaping much of the countries core values, but economically a western view on commerce and technology has been adapted. China’s determination to do all outward dealing on their own terms has allowed them to be a major player in the world marketplace. China is self sufficient and goal oriented. They are a country diverse in belief systems yet this does not appear to affect the people’s sense of nationalism. China is a superpower that no country should overlook. The Chinese culture is solely based on the necessities of ancient Chinese culture. Which are: food, clothing, housing, transportation and, education. These elements are the foundations that make up their society, tradition and beliefs. Their beliefs, not only help shape their economic climate, it also influenced their military. China has the longest period of continuous development of military culture of any civilization in world history. China also had one of the most powerful and advanced military for almost 2000 years until the eighteenth century. One of the greatest influences of military thought was the book â€Å"The Art of War† by Sun Tzu’s. Of course a lot has changed since the 18th century. The China’s modern military share some of the same values of U. S. military. The 3 main beliefs, Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism still play a major role in their decision making process. However, similar to the U. S. politics plays a major role overall. If we were to come in contact with any Chinese forces we must remember what is sacred to them. While most of us place value on religion from a â€Å"supernatural force†. The Chinese listen and respect their elders for wisdom and guidance. Here is a chart that shows you the difference between Chinese cultures vs. American culture: | |Chinese |Americans | |Conception Of the Self |Collectivist: Higher value placed on group|Individualist: Higher value placed on | | |cooperation and individual modesty. |self-reliance. Self-promotion is more | | | |accepted. High value placed on â€Å"freedom† | | | |from externally imposed constraints. | |Social Relationships |Formal, hierarchical. People most |Informal, egalitarian. People most | | |comfortable in the presence of a hierarchy|comfortable with their social equals; | | |in which they know their position and the |importance of social rankings minimized. | | |customs/rules for behavior in the | | | |situation. | | |Friendship |Small numbers of close, lifelong friends |Large collection of â€Å"friends† and | | |who feel deeply obligated to give each |acquaintances which changes over time and | | |other whatever help might seem required. |involves only limited mutual obligations. | |Obligation |Relationships with other people involve |People avoid interdependent relationships | | |reciprocal obligations. |and situations that might entail long-term | | | |obligations. | |Task vs. Relationship |Relationship-oriented: Maintaining a |Task-oriented. Relationships are less | |Orientation |harmonious relationship has priority over |important than getting the work done. | | |accomplishing tasks. | | |Harmony vs. |Avoid direct confrontation, open |Willing to confront directly, criticize, | |†Truth† |criticism, and controversial topics. |discuss controversial topics, and press | | |Concern maintaining harmony and with |personal opinions about what they consider | | |†face. † |†the truth. Little concern with â€Å"face. † | |Role of laws, rules, and |More faith in personal relationships than |Written rules presumably apply to everyone | |regulations |in written rules and procedures for |and are assumed to produce fair, reasonable| | |structuring interactions. |procedures and decisions. | |Time Consciousness |Relatively more attention to the past and |Less interested in the past; eye on | | |to the longer-term future. |near-term future. | |Ascribed vs. Achieved |Traditionally, a person’s status in the |People’s status is based mainly on their | |Status |society was based importantly on inherited|own achievements, including education | | |characteristics such as age, gender, and |obtained and level of success realized in | | |family. This is changing. |their line of work. | In order for America to be successful we must consider our differences and find a common ground. Knowing that there is a cultural gap can and will affect unit operations but we can and will be successful if we understand that we do not live in this world alone.

Are Advertisements Aimed at Teenagers Effective? And, are They Ethical?

Questions to research: Are advertisements aimed at teenagers effective? And, are they ethical? My Response: Most advertisements aimed at teenagers are effective, but usually are not ethical. Most marketers have many ways of gathering information on teenagers spending habits and what is most important to teens. With this information they’re able to create advertisements that will appeal to most teens and create profit. Many people argue that some or most of these ads aren’t ethical because they will create a problem or insecurity and then give the solution to that problem in the form of their product.Teens will listen to other teens in ads. http://www. utalkmarketing. com/pages/article. aspx? articleid=14465&title=teens-will-listen-to-other-teens-in-ads Central Idea: The most effective ads show teens using and enjoying a product. The least effective were those that caused an emotional response. A teen’s acceptance of ads varies according to the media platform. The medium with the lowest teen ad acceptance was texting. The â€Å"Teen Advertising Study†, compiled with the help of the University of Massachusetts, showed that teens were more susceptible to online ads if they could relate to it and if they found it funny.Advertising to Teens http://suite101. com/a/advertising-to-teens-a14289 Central Idea: Marketers love teens because they easily spend money on â€Å"luxury† items such as clothing, electronics, and music. They mostly make their purchase decisions independently, have significant influence on family purchases, and companies know that once they have â€Å"branded† a child, they are likely to be customers for life. They reach kids by advertising in magazines, movies, TV shows, and on the internet. Companies get info about kids spending habits from internet â€Å"quizzes† and â€Å"surveys†.Marketers know how to capitalize on important teen issues and anxieties, like body image, peer acceptance, cooln ess, and need for power. Marketers often use a theme or attitude like sex or alcohol and drug use that seems to raise the â€Å"coolness factor† of their product. Advertising is so effective because it creates insecurities about things such as appearance. Successful ads convince the viewer that they have a problem and then offer the solution, which is the product they’re selling.This gives off the messages that teens aren’t good enough the way they are and many kids unwillingly buy into that message which is causing kids to grow up in the most materialistic society we’ve ever had. Most of the things that are advertised to teens do not promote healthy development.Central Idea: In one year, teens view more than 40,000 ads on TV alone while also being exposed to ads on the internet, in magazines, and in schools.Teens are often the main target for marketers because they are always willing to spend money on the newest â€Å"luxury† items. Teens strive t o have the newest electronics, clothing, and other overly advertised items. Marketers know how to target teen issues such as body image, peer pressure, and the need for acceptance. On average, teens are exposed to 3,000 ads per day. Teenagers, on average, spend $155 billion per year on advertised products, also influencing their parents to spend another $200 billion per year. Recent studies have shown tobacco companies use their ads to target teens as young as 13-years-old.Another major advertiser is the alcohol industry, using ads that feature young, attractive people drinking or posing with their beverages. Ads affect teen psychologically by exposing them to ads that suggest they are not what the entertainment business considers attractive. Ads can be harmful to teens by lowering their self-esteem. Children, Adolescents, and Advertising http://pediatrics. aappublications. org/content/118/6/2563. full Central Idea: Children and teens view 40,000 ads per year on TV alone even though the Children’s Television Act of 1990 limits advertising on children’s programming to 10.5 minutes/hour on weekends and 12 minutes/hour on weekdays.M-rated video games, which are not recommended for children younger than 17-years-old, are frequently advertised in movie theaters, video game magazines, and publications with high youth readership. Young people see 45% more beer ads and 27% more ads for hard liquor in teen magazines than adults to in their magazines. An increasing number of web sites try to get teens to make direct sales. More than 100 commercial websites promote alcohol products.Most advertisers use techniques that children and teens are more vulnerable to, like product placement in movies and TV shows, action figures, kid’s clubs, and celebrity endorsements. Sex is used in commercials to sell almost anything now. American ads constantly use thin female models, which contribute to the development of self-esteem issues in young girls. Thesis Statem ent With marketers aiming their advertisements more towards teens every day, researchers are looking into how effective and ethical these advertisements really are. OutlineThe Ethics and Effectiveness on Advertising toward Teens Thesis statement: With marketers aiming their advertisements more towards teens every day, researchers are looking into how effective and ethical these advertisements really are. I. Teens are being exposed to advertisements more each day. a. . Companies gather info about teens’ spending habits from internet â€Å"quizzes† and â€Å"surveys†. b. Children and teens view more than 40,000 ads per year on TV alone. c. More than 160 magazines are now targeted towards teens. II. Different factors will make an ad effective.a. Teen’s acceptance of ads depends on the media platform. i. Sponsorships of live events had the highest level of acceptance. ii. Text messaging had the lowest level of acceptance. b. Least effective ads were those tha t caused an emotional response.The advertising strategies marketers use have been shown to be unethicalM-rated video games are frequently advertised in movie theaters, video game magazines, and publications with high youth readershipYoung people see 45% more beer ads and 27% more ads for hard liquor in teen magazines than  adults to in their magazines.Advertising is so effective because it creates insecurities about things such as appearance.American ads constantly use thin female models, which contribute to the development of self-esteem issues in young girls.Gives off the message that teens aren’t good enough the way they are.Body Paragraphs I believe that the advertisements aimed at teens are effective, but unethical. Through a number of research tactics marketers are finding ways to keep up with the ever changing trends in teen culture.With the information they gather they’re able to produce advertisements that ultimately pressure their audience into buying their product. With marketers aiming their advertisements more towards teens every day, researchers are looking into how effective and ethical these advertisements really are. Technology based advertisements are effective among teens because of how often they are exposed to ads, the ads appeal to their lifestyles, and even sometimes pressure teens into buying their products. Advertisements have rapidly been integrated into the world around us.â€Å"Young people view more than 40 000 ads per year on television alone and increasingly are being exposed to advertising on the Internet, in magazines, and in schools. † Teens are heavily influenced by these ads because of how often they are exposed to them. Marketers are gathering information about teens’ spending habits through quizzes and surveys. ‘Teen Advertising Study’, which was compiled in conjunction with the University of Massachusetts, revealed that teens were more susceptible to online advertising if they co uld relate to it and if they found it funny. †With information like this they’re able to determine what type of ads would be effective on the teens of today. Different factors can make an ad effective, such as how they’re viewed and if it’s relatable to their audience. The most effective ads showed teens using and enjoying their product. For example, in this PlayStation 4 Interface commercial, you’re shown teens happy with their product and you’re given a glimpse of some features. This is considered an effective ad because it features the newest upgrade of their product, they’re being shown new features and games, and seeing other teens happy  with the product would give them a positive feeling about having it.This ad also shows both genders enjoying their product, suggesting they support both genders using the PS4. An example of an ineffective ad would be the Microsoft Surface commercial, in this commercial you can see people enjoyi ng their product but you’re not given a look at what their product can do. It’s a fun ad to watch, but it doesn’t provide enough information for a teen to considering buying their product. Lastly, many advertisements aimed at teens have been said to be unethical in order to be effective.Marketers will bring up a problem in their advertisement; this problem might be based on social status, then they will provide a solution in the form of their product. For example, in this Samsung Galaxy S4 commercial you see only younger people using their product while the older people are just learning about this product. This suggests that if you have their product you’d be cool and up to date with the world around you. This ad seems to guilt the target into thinking what they have isn’t good enough and their product would make them cooler. Conclusion In conclusion, I think advertisements aimed at teens are effective, but unethical.Teens are being exposed to adv ertisements more each day. Advertisements can be found all around them, in schools, online, through T. V. , etc. Marketers are constantly doing research to improve ads to be more appealing to their target audience, teens. Through the information they gather, they can create advertisements that will persuade their audience into buying their product. An effective ad would feature other teens enjoying their product. An effective, but unethical ad, would be an ad that brings up a problem, such as a teen’s social status, and then present a solution in the form of their product.

Centerofthequadrangleduewestof UphamHall ontheMiamiUniversityCampus Essay

Centerofthequadrangleduewestof UphamHall ontheMiamiUniversityCampus - Essay Example The sun rises in the morning and spreads its rays on all objects across the globe; the sculpture is no exception. The sky was clear blue and humidity was at its lowest. The temperature was just beginning to rise and clouds that had heavily hanged over my head ran away to create a path for the sun. With the help of the sunlight, every single image seems clear and the vicinity of the sculpture is quite detailed. One advantage with the day-light is that every facet of the sculpture can be vividly observed. The bracketing and columns stand very firm to support the compact oval roof-like capital (Cothren, 451). The central-plan building is crystal-clear and I could easily see and appreciate the outstanding work of the burin used by this legendary sculptor. In the chilly evening, the sculpture seemed to have had absorbed some rays from the sun. And now the time came to spit the rays, like a fire dragon. I could not stop dreaming as watched the sculpture reflect a few rays of the sunset. I stood from a close range and watched the beautiful colonnade majestically rise from the very bold and energetic dado (Brookes, 37). A first, I imagined a dwarf on a stand-still; any coward man would run away as he comes to face with the statue. However, the dimness of the evening denied me the sight of the beautiful cameo and chamfer of the capital. In as much as the sculpture was quite prominent in the evening, a few details of it could not be observed. The sculpture is located a stone-throw away from the main administration block of the institution. It borders the pavement that connects a number of buildings within the institution. Many trees have gathered around the earthwork to behold its unending beauty. Being by a path, it was easy to locate. From far, however, one could not easily spot it since it is surrounded by a building and some trees. The management of the institution may have strategically placed it here so as to