The Effects of Media Propaganda

AbstractThe media serve the agenda of six corporations that owns them. Just about any source of information that you see, hear or read is controlled by the agenda of the six corporations. They control the country with media propaganda agenda using the illusion of choice. The media has influenced us, economically, sociologically, and psychologically.The media function with the intent to shape our thinking into believing what they wanted us to believe. Many of the news coverage in the media is due to the fact that it align with the media agenda. This would paper allowed us to see different areas we have been shaped by the media and the strategy they used to achieve their objective. The media propaganda is key major part of media operation and is used to accommodate as well protect the agenda of the elite.IntroductionThe American culture of today is communicated through media. Media is the most powerful and influential force in the country. The media are powerful agents of socialization and they set the standard that majority follow. The power giving to American media has allowed them to be very effective using propaganda as strategy, the media tend to say they serve to relieve social conflicts into minimum. We clearly see that the media promote social conflicts by separating class. The image that media has created in the mind of masses has economical, psychological and sociological impact the masses.The intent of the media is to satisfy their own agenda, not to inform and entertain. They been very successful using this strategy, more of their agenda less of the masses interest. Richard Cohen once said â€Å"We are going to impose our agenda on the coverage by dealing with issues and subjects that we choose to deal with.†Propaganda is form of communication that attempt to influence the attitude of the community towards some cause or position by presenting only one side of an argument. Propaganda is widely spread throughout the media to create chosen result in audience attitudes. Media main objective is to influence the attitude of the people. The audio visual media such as television, radio, and sound motion pictures means of communication are available to the psychological operator.Their effectiveness is based on seeing and having the persuasive message. These medium provide an excellent means of persuasive message. Television projects the sense of sight, adding the element of motion, like motion picture, it combines sight, sound and motion. Television is an immediate effect, it places the viewer is two locations simultaneously, creating the illusion of participating in a distant event. The transmission of T.V overcomes illiteracy, audience need not be able to read.The Psychological media propaganda advantage helps the media through television bring people in global separate locations together by exposing then visually to the same ideas and concepts. Psychologist Hadley Cantril and Hazel Gaudet, led us to some valuable discovery afte r October 30 1938 when radio broadcast war of the world? As a result of this broadcast there was a national panic for all to see the effect of media propaganda. While many panic during the broadcast, some remain calm and collected. The people that were not panic displayed what psychologist called a critical faculty (pg589). The lack critical faculty was the lack of the ability to create a framework in which to check if information were true.The people that lacked critical faculty are the low income bracket because of limited sources of information. A psychology study conducted by Cantril, along with Gaudet, H, the model which accounted for how movies influenced children. The study of media effect has spawned many functional theories today such as Agenda-setting theory, cultural imperialism theory. The powerful influence of media is revealed through agenda setting the ability to tell the masses what issues are important. Many have been concerned about the psychological effect of medi a as far back as 1922. Media has the power to presents images to public through propaganda. Which McCombs and Shaw investigation of  presidential campaigns in 1968, 1972, and 1976. In the findings, they concluded that the mass media psychological a significant influence on what voters considered to the major issues of the campaign.The agenda- setting allowed the media not to reflect reality, they filter and shape it. They also concentrate on few issues and subjects leads the public to view those issues, as more significant than other issues. The time frame is the most important aspect of this phenomenon. Bernard Cohen (1963) psychology effect of media, they may not be successful in telling people what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling its readers what to think about. Lastly, the western nations dominate the media around the world.The western nations used cultural imperialism to impose their western views through media on third world countries. They simply shape and control third world destroying their native cultures through the effect of media propaganda. There are several different theory that provide evidence of this. In as much as the third world countries continue to broadcast western civilization’s programs, then these countries will always believe they should act, think and live as westerners. Clearly it is widely seen how media propaganda has impacted our lives psychologically.Over the past generation, it has become very clear that the U.S mass media is a major influential voice in the U.S society. Edward S Herman once said media operate in systematic propaganda model. The media serve to mobilize support for the special interests that dominate National, State and Private activity. Propaganda is not the only function of the media, however it is a very essential aspect of their overall service. Certainly in a capitalist society and major conflicts of class interest. The media function to serve the large propaganda requirements of the elite. The media have consistently promote the agenda of the elite, particularly in U.S.First thing to consider in the economic effect of media propaganda is the ownership of the media is among a handful the largest profit corporations in the world. Many of these corporations have a comfortable size of interest in U, S economy. Objectively, their needs to remain profitable corporation severely influence the need operations and major content of media broadcast. Subjectively, the self- interest of the handful corporations as become the operation of the media. Second advertising, has colonized the U.S media and is also  responsible for most of their generating income.Third media are drawn into symbolic relationship with powerful sources of information by economic necessity. Media depend upon news provided them by corporation and government sources and due to this fact they are pressured to follow corporate agenda. Whenever the wealthy right-wingers were dissatisfied with poli tical media coverage. They make sure that they send a clear message of their displeased. The ideology of double standard of the media propaganda work effectively.For example the media treatment of murder coverage or report is based on if it is a worthy victim or unworthy victim, which majorly depended on their relationship to the elite interests. The news coverage of Vietnam War and the development it appear as if the media were opposed to the war. Contrary to the image the media portray, they continued to present the War in manner consistent with the interest of wealthy till the very end. This provide a good example on how media propaganda operates to maintain economic agenda. For news to be worthy of coverage it would have to meet the elite requirement and it must be something the media can sale.It very certain that all these facts have major impacts on how media deliver news to the general public, the economic effect of media propaganda determines what event or incident gets medi a coverage. It is a system that continues to develop a systematic approach of how to protect the interest of the elite without making it obvious to the public. We believe that the media exist to inform and entertain, however the reason for the program will watched on T, V is to keep us interested till the next paid commercial. The more will considered the economic effect of media propaganda the more will discovered that its centered around the agenda of wealthy folks. The agenda of the elite is what is propagated by the media, the generally public received it as the truth follow. The Sociology perspective of the media is also an important aspect to consider.If the powerful are able to fix the premises of discourse, to decide what the general populace is allowed to see, hear, and think about and to â€Å"manage† public opinion by regular propaganda of their own strike in an issue or immobilized by effective propaganda the media will serve elite interest uncompromisingly (Herma n,1996). It very essential to look different sociology perspective of media propaganda and how they influence our  society. Functionalist believe that media propaganda contributed to the benefit of the society. Charlie Wright (1975) was able to identify ways media contributed to society. He said media coordinate and correlate information that is valuable to the culture. People gather in groups to watch, they talk about what they see, and they share the sense that are watching something special (Schudson 1986).Functionalist view media propaganda as an important function in society. It is the media to influence social uniformity on bigger scale. Media propaganda has been accused of creating dysfunction. Postman (1989) argued the media culture undermines the educational system. Conflict perspective claim that corporation use media propaganda to satisfy their own agenda. Sitcoms and News coverage are not created to inform and entertain, however they are to keep our interest to the nex t paid commercial. This perspective view media as conduit for social coercion. The owners of media use programing and advertising to influence certain and targeted social class.Whatever agenda or trend they introduced through media is the public mimicked, the media maintain dominance and remained major influential force in the nation due to the fact that they were use propaganda very effectively. From the conflict perspective, modern day media are instruments of social control,(Sullivan 2007) while interactionist and functionalist agree that media propaganda is necessary, conflict perspective view media propaganda as necessary evil. The media propaganda is used as an instrument of social control and also an effective way to carry out their agenda.Interactionist perspective, media propaganda is used to define and shape our definitions of any given situation. This perception of reality seems to come together as daily value and cultural change. The definition of American in the 50s is definitely different what we see expect today. The way the media portray family is the set standard that majority of society would consider acceptable. The effect of the media propaganda is powerful that social acceptance is solely dictated and depended on what the media approve. The symbols that the media present to us will represent what is acceptable and proper. So anyone that does not identify with the symbols are considered to be an outcast.The media propaganda create a perfect society illusion that the masses strive to emulate. You have athletes, celebrities and models promoting clothing, brand that vast majority cannot afford. To consider to be part of the elite class  society you have to identify with those things. Many people have lost their own identity trying to meet up with media expectation of them. Many also get into huge debt due to the fact that the image of happiness the media portray is things you can afford to buy with good credit. The interaction between the ma sses and the media is symbolic. They serve their own agenda, whenever the public interact with the media is to acquire information or to be entertained, however whenever the media interact with the public is serve their own agenda, which is the agenda of the elite groups of individual that runs them.The agenda of the elite is to impose their â€Å"Will† on the masses and make money of it. CEO of Walt Disney, Michael Eisner once said â€Å"We have no obligation to make history, we have no obligation to make art. We have no obligation to make a statement. To make money is our only objective. The media interaction with general public is symbolic because it revolved around money, money is the symbol that connect the media with the public.ConclusionThe media control the country using propaganda and illusion of choice to achieve their agenda. The 6 media giants control 90% of what we read, watch, listen to and anything outside these sources is consider not to be credible. The info rmation that we received on daily basis are controlled by six individual who run these companies. The media form and shape the society culture, reality and acceptance. They not only function to promote the agenda of the elite, they impose the culture accepted by the elite as set standard for all. The instrument that the media use to control society is propaganda.The media used the illusion that they exist to inform and entertain, however they existed to serve the agenda of the elite. They use different avenue to capture and change the public minds in order to achieve their own objectives. Our culture in America today is what the media say it is, Social conflicts are promoted by the media, separating public into different classes and holding one particular groups as the set standard of the rest. Finally the new coverage or any information we gathered through media is the media’s imposed agenda.

Cost and Price Analysis

Cost and Price Analysis Instructor:Name: Class:Finance 230Date: Period:Results: 1)Why is it important for the government to exercise good fiscal judgment when spending funds? Government employees are held responsible for use of good judgment so those excessive prices are not paid. 2)List and describe four types of market based pricing. Be sure to provide at least one (1) example of each type. Competitive Offers – response to solicitation encouraging competing offers Established Catalog Price – Published by the seller in a regularly maintained catalog or price list Established Market Price – substantiated from sources independent of the seller: and are current sales prices established in the normal course of trade between buyers and sellers free to bargain in the market place. Established by Law or Regulation – customers are consistently impacted by the established prices. )List 3 reasons that government buyers have significant advantages in getting fair and reasonable prices. The government is the only buyer – which has a strong negotiating position on pricing. High volume purchase – suppliers like to deal with high volume buyers and are inclined to give better prices to such buyers. Anit-Deficiency Act – requires the government agencies have the money to pay for the contract work before signing the contract. 4)Compare and contrast cost, price and profit. Price refers to the amount of money that consumers have to give up to acquire goods or service. Profit is what ever monetary amount is left after all cost has been paid. 5)List and explain the two acceptable procedures for obtaining competitive prices. Sealed Bidding – A process by which government needs are made known by a solicitation called and Invitation for Bids (IFB). Negotiation is the contracting method that ma be used when sealed bidding is inappropriate. Competitive Proposals A process by which government needs are made known by a solicitation called a Request for Quotation (RFQ) 6)Compare and contrast cost and financial accounting. List two (2) examples each of conditions that warrant the use of cost and financial accounting procedures. Cost accounting – is a procedure which enables firms to keep track of the costs that apply to each individual contract or major task they under take. Ex cost acct. – estimate the cost of work before actually undertaking it. Financial accounting – is the accumulation of information that enables the firm to know how much total cost and profit they made in a particular period of time. Ex. 7)What are the three major classifications of costs? Reasonable, allowable, and allocable cost Variable fixed, and semi-variable cost Direct and indirect cost 8)Compare direct and indirect costs. Direct cost – direct labor, direct materials, and some other costs specifically associated with particular contracts are classified as direct costs. Indirect cost – are any cost that are not direct. Cost that apply across the board to large parts not conveniently chargeable to one particular contract. How does the government contracting officer ensure the costs are reasonable, allowable and allocable? Reasonable Cost – in its nature and amount, it does not exceed that which would be incurred by a prudent person in the conduct of a competitive business. Allowable Cost – allowability of a particular cost under cost principles must be determine using FAR Part 3. Each principle is based on laws and policies. The decision for determing allowable of a particular cost rest with the Contracting Officer. Allocable Costs – alloacable if I is assignable or chargeable to one or more cost objectives on the basis of relative benefits received or other equitable relationship. )When may certified cost or pricing data be required? The head of an agency shall require offerors, contractors, and subcontractors to make cost or pricing data available as follows: An offeror for a prime contract entered into using procedures other than sealed-bid procedures shall be required to submit cost or pricing data before the award of a contract if— in the case of a prime contract, the price of the contract to the is expected to exceed $500,000; and in the case of a prime contract entered into on or before, the price of the contract to the United States is expected to exceed $100,000. n the case of a change or modification made to a prime contract referred to in subparagraph the price adjustment is expected to exceed $500,000; in the case of a change or modification, to a prime contract that was entered , the price adjustment is expected to exceed $500,000; and in the case of a change or modification not covered by clause (i) or (ii), the price adjustment is expected to exceed $100,000. 10)If the government were to determine that significant overpricing occurred because of defective cost or pricing data, what options may the contracting officer explore prior to award? What may the contracting officer consider after award? The Truth in Negoatation Act – an examination of defective pricing in government contracting 11)Explain the level of importance associated with the detailed analysis of direct labor costs when determining a fixed-price contract. Price analysis shall be used when cost or pricing data are not required in determining the reasonableness of the prime contract price. Some firm-fixed-price contracts may entail substantially less cost risk than that of direct costs, such as material and labor, and associated indirect costs. 2)When determining proposed hourly wage rates, list three (3) options an offeror explore. Plantwide rate, Departmental Rate, and Rates by Labor Category 13)List, in comparison, what process improvements benefits realized from the learning curve and improvement curve. What are the expectations of each curve? Theroy called learning curve because it is belived thath learning workers caused most of the time saving, Studies showed that other factors, such as equipment and set-up improvements, also help reduce unit production time. It is called various names improvement curve, experience curve and time reduction curve. 14)How does a company effectively manage the overhead expense? What are the typical expenses included in overhead? Overhead expenses are those production and nonproduction costs not readily traceable to specific jobs or processes. Overhead expenses encompass three general areas: indirect materials, indirect labor, and all other miscellaneous production expenses, such as taxes, insurance, depreciation, supplies, utilities, and repairs. Therefore, overhead expense is part of the total costs of maintaining and staffing a business. 15)Categorize the following expenses as either Overhead or General & Administrative: a. Lease b. Entertainment Expense c. Travel Expense d. Payroll Expense e. Marketing Expense f. Mileage g. Professional Development h. Utilities i. Communications Expense j. Goodwill k. Research and Development Costs l. Taxes m. Patent Costs n. Bad Debts o. Lobbying and other Political Costs 16)The scrap allowance includes spoilage and shrinkage. List two (2) similarities and differences between the three categories. Scrape allowance is extra amount of material or parts required to be sure that enough material will be avaible to make the final product. Scrap is unadvoidable. Spoilage is a different from scrape because it is the direct result of someone making a mistake or a machine getting out of adjustment or a similar problem. Shrinkage is another factor. This can be the result of nature. 17)Explain the following concepts: a. Underabsorption under absorption is when the actual budgeted overhead is less than the planned overhead b. Overabsorption Occurrence of credit balance in factory-overhead account, resulting from excess of overhead applied to work-in-process inventory over the amount of overhead actually incurred. c. Exact Absorption The chances of absorbing the exact actual amount of overhead by a series of many customer billings throughout the year are nil. 18)Describe the following methods in conducting price analysis: a. Comparison of proposed prices received in response to the solicitation These methods consist of comparing offered prices to each other to decide which are reasonable b. Comparison of prior proposed prices and contract prices with current proposed prices Method most frequently used for government price analysis when agency has had a history of contracting for the same products or services. c. Comparison with competitive published price lists Catalogs are recognized as fairly reliable guides on current prices being paid by consumers in general. Established catalog or market price. The price paid for commercial items prices for items sold in substantial. Established catalog price, Established market price, and Price paid for Commercial items. . Visual Analysis FAR 5. 404-1(b) (4) says value analysis can give insight into the relative worth of a product, and government may use it in conjunction with other price analysis techniques. 20)Facilities cost of capital is allowable if the contractor's have which of the following: (a) Capital investment is measured, allocated to contracts and cost as required by CAS 414 (b) Contractor has adequate records to sho w compliance with CAS 414 (c) Estimated facilities capital cost of money is specifically proposed for the contract under which it is claimed (d) All of the above 1) Compare and contrast Distributed Facilities and Undistributed Facilities. Distributed facilities are those that are clearly and directly assigned to specific overhead or G accounts. Undistribute Facilities are facilities capital costs incurred for more than one indirect cost pool. The cost of these facilities must be allocated to the indirect cost pools that bebefit from them. 22) Facilities capital cost of money is an a. Allocatable cost b. Allowable cost c. Variable cost d. Imputed cost e. Both b and d 23). What does the acronym CASB mean in Facilities Capital Cost of Money a, Capital Accounting System Branch b. Cost Accounting Standards Board c. Cost Analysis Standards Board d. Both a & b 24) Which form is used to calculate the capital cost of money: a. Form CASB-CMF b. DD 1861 c. SF 182 d. All of the above. 25) In which (1) one of the three ways can a contract auditor assist the contracting officer in contract pricing? Reviewing and evaluating proposed or incurred costs 26) Contracting Officers will often ascertain that the contractor’s accounting system meets this requirement by commissioning a ______________________? Pre-award Survey of Prospective Contractor Accounting System ( PSPCAS) 27) Contract auditor is called on by a contracting officer to determine if the prospective contract meets what? Responsible financial capability standard of FAR 9. 104-1 28) What unsupported costs are proposed or incurred costs on which the auditor is unable to render an opinion? Regarding reasonable, allowability, or allocability. 29) What does the acronym DCAA mean? Defense contract Audit Agency 30) What is the total Cost Approach? How is it used? It shows all cost incurred in the original contract estimate and were the attributes to the contract were changed. It shows the government at fault and recognizes that neither the contractor nor any third party is at fault. 31) List the two principles that prevail in measuring equitable adjustment. Some cost impact must result from the contract change The contract and government are to remain whole. 32) Why is there a format for submitting proposals for equitable adjustments and when is it used. This formal procedures is a methodical way o document the calculation of the equitable adjustment. When contractors submit certified cost or pricing data if the expected value of the contract modification exceeds $650,00. 00. 33) What is the name of the formula that is widely used when computing unabsorbed overhead resulting from government caused delays? Eichleay Formula 34) How can contractors segregate the cost of performing changed work? They usually assign specials accounting codes to the transactions attributed to the changed work. 35) What is the main misconception about profit and fee? Negotiated profit or fee is what the contractor will actually get. 6) What three major requirements must government contracting officers adhere to according to the Contracting Officer Responsibilities (FAR 15. 404-4)? Profit fee Pre-negotiation objective, Facilities Capital Cost of Money, Statutory Limitations of Prices or Fees 37) Name six major factors bearing on profit levels for government contracts. Contractor Effort, Contract cost rack, Federal Socioeconomic programs, Capital Investmen ts, Cost Control and other Past Accomplishments, Independent Development. 38) What is the general approach used by all the structured profit systems. The structured profit systems establish a total profit objective by adding profit increments for various major cost inputs and for other contract factors. 39) What are the major categories listed under the approach of Profit Determination – Overhead? High skill supervision, clerical and support, depreciation or rent (complex) depreciation or rent (routine), fringe benefits administrative, routine expense, and total overhead costs. 40) List three important factors that every business must consider before doing business with the government.

African-American Vernacular English vs Standard English in Mule Bone

African-American Vernacular English vs Standard English in 'Mule Bone' The Negros universal mimicry is not so much a thing in itself as an evidence of something that permeates his entire self. And that thing is drama. (Hurston, 830) In her own words, Hurston captures the gritty picture she paints in the highly disputed early 20th century drama, Mule Bone, co-written by fellow Harlem renaissance icon Langston Hughes. Mule Bone is set in a fictionalized version of Hurstons hometown, an all black community in Eatonville, Florida where she spent the early years of her teen life living with her father following her mothers death. Hurstons earliest memoirs indicate that the Eatonville of her childhood, much like the Eatonville of the stage, had two churches and no jail. Based on the short story A Bone of Contention which Hurston penned in 1929, Mule Bone draws heavily from Hurstons anthropological work which she compiled from visits to all black communities in the southern United States. Hughes and Hurston collaboratively worked A Bone of Contention into a ru nning dialogue set for the stage, however; this project would eventually tear the two authors apart after discrepancies in the text became insurmountable. As a piece of social criticism, Mule Bone is much like other comedies, however; the high level of diction stemming from what linguistic scholars have recently named African-American vernacular English (AAVE) set a new standard in realism for African-Americans on stage. Standard English (SE) has been studied in volume after volume of deep structure analysis and lexical origins, only recently has AAVE received the same attention in the form of through analysis that SE has enjoyed for years. Researchers have found the main differences between AAVE and SE lie in subtle rule changes. Where AAVE allows for consonant cluster reduction, the absence of the copula, invariant or habitual forms of to be, time reference markers, and multiple negation (Mufwene, 1) SE does not have such allowances. So much of Hurstons voice relies on the accurate portrayal of AAVE. A voice which Holloway describes as recursive; it begins, it names, it activates, it calls us back to a primal ground. (Holloway, 113) Hurston was striving to write a dialogue which, until this point, had been poorly recorded and often stereotyped African-Americans as dim-witted, primitive and wild. In her highly acclaimed anthropological essay Characteristics of Negro Expression, Hurston sums up the realization of a pure black dialect and comments on the unnatural dialogue credited to the Negro so far: If we are to believe the majority of the writers of Negro dialect and the burnt-cork artists, Negro speech is a weird thing, full of ams and Ises. Fortunately we dont have to believe them. We may go directly to the Negro and let him speak for himself. (Hurston, 845-846) Dialect is a term linguists struggle to define as one cannot set firm boundaries around a shapeless, often regional form of speech. Tracing history and the introduction of Africans to America, researchers have roughly sketched out the origins of what is now covered by the umbrella label AAVE. Originally Pidgin French (later known as Creole) and Pidgin English were derived from Portuguese. These languages were spread to West Africa, and the first African-Asian trade involving the west Pacific, including India, China, and later Hawaii, brought the seeds of African-American English all across the globe. Charles S. Johnson, a prominent scholar of African-American English surmised that Negro dialect turns out to be a repository for the seventeenth century speech of the first English colonizers, (Dillard, 39) this theory, along with others that rely on berating African-American culture as the white mans castoff, fell by the wayside as more scientific research was done on the structure of A AVE; revealing the blending of both native tongues and new forms of Pidgin English as the origins of African-American English in the United States. Deeply seeded in the Portuguese origins from which AAVE seems to have stemmed is the fundamental difference most noticeable to most SE speakers. Dillard examines a sentence such as: An so I comin down an she out there blabbin her mouth told my sister I was playin hookey from school. In which, he explains, there are no lexical anomalies from SE, nor any alien forms, although sometimes usage is casual and illiterate, it follows many of the same conventions as does SE. (Dillard, 40) However, it is the syntactical analysis of AAVE that reveals the most information. Dillard points out that an obligatory category in SE: verb tense, can be ignored in what he refers to as, Black English. While it is interesting to peruse these volumes of thoroughly dissected AAVE, it is important to remember Hurston and Hughes goal in penning Mule Bone; the accurate portrayal of the language of life in a racially un-oppressed southern black community. Hurston failed to capture the elusive dialect in perfect written form, insofar as researchers are concerned, as often she substitutes more readily recognizable structures in place of the hard to read, more accurate written compositions, which she could have transcribed from tapes gathered during her anthropological studies. None the less, Hurston and Hughes managed to convey the sounds of AAVE, its subtle inflections and outlandish expressions, which in consideration of the theatrical backdrop Mule Bone enjoyed, remains of higher importance than their choice of spelling. Hughes seems to have played a lesser role in designating the reality of dialogue in Mule Bone as critics have commented on other literary work he published as stale, flat, and spiritless. (Redding, 73) Further examination of his literary track record reveals that as Hughes matured and evolved as a human being, so did his writing. One critics nostalgic view of Hughes reveals the disgust within a literary niche in response to his stronghold on his roots. While Hughess rejection of his own growth shows an admirable loyalty to his self-commitment as the poet of the simple, Negro common-folk the peasant, the laborer, the city slum-dweller, it does a disservice to his art. (Redding, 74) This diehard image of the common black man is the cornerstone of the Mule Bone community, and an important role Hughes facilitated transcribing A Bone of Contention into a feasible piece of dramatic text. Within Mule Bone, concrete examples of Hurston and Hughess regionalized diction are plenteous, the play is written strictly in dialect. Breaking these forms of speech into appropriate categories is essential in an analysis of the text. Hurston reveals in Characteristics of Negro Expression, that the most basic language is one which relies on comparisons, rather than extensive descriptions to elaborate meaning. She supposes the inherent ease of parallelisms as the natural form from which all other descriptive speech is derived. And in doing so, Hurston recognizes African-Americans as the contributors of broad, often natural similes and metaphors, the double descriptive (such as high-tall, little-tee-ninchy, kill-dead), and verbal nouns (such as funeralize, puts the shamery on him, and uglying away) to the English language. (Hurston, 832-833) Mule Bone is packed full of these elements, a few examples of the co-authors awareness to the vivid language associated with similes are as follows: Id beat her till she smell like onions. (Bass, 52) Id stomp her till she rope like okra. (Bass, 52) Id romp her till she slack like lime. (Bass, 52) The first example is self explanatory, however the second and third are a bit more elusive in their meaning. Okra is a non-native English word introduced by African-Americans, one of the dozen or so words researchers formally recognize as African in origin, and refers to a particular kind of vegetable. The meaning is derived from the strings of gooey sap exuded by cooked okra when its eaten. Hurstons simile paints the picture of a beating so severe; one might be left oozing blood. Slack like lime is a term which has apparently fallen by the wayside, as no formal explanation seems to exist. Smell like a nest of yellowhammers was another elusive term, yellowhammers are a type of bird, however; there is little to no evidence that shows any connection between the two. The characters within Mule Bone relate everything to a grounded understanding of their world. Every description involves something physical; a tangible piece of their surroundings that fundamentally represents the implied meaning. As an example, in the opening lines, Hambo retorts that his baldness doesnt matter because he dont want nothin-not even hair-between (he) and God. (Bass, 49) The description of old Brazzles mule lends itself nicely as an example of the physical aspect of everyday speech. He was so skinny you could do a weeks washing on his ribs for a washboard and hang em up on his hip-bones to dry. (Bass, 53) Or, Clarkes description of Daisy a great big mangoa sweet smell, you know, with a strong flavor, but not something you could mash up like a strawberry. Something with a body to it. (Bass, 60) Several languages of West Africa denote the creation of man to a God beating a drum; the shockwaves of each beat resonating throughout mankind. This kind of primal being, a connection with the physical universe, comes to life as Hurston examines this feeling as related to African-American dance, she says: The performer flexes one knee sharply, assumes a ferocious face mask, thrusts the upper part of the body forward with clenched fists, elbows taut as in hard running or grasping a thrusting blade. That is all. Bit the spectator himself adds the picture of ferocious assault, hears the drums and finds himself keeping time with the music and tensing himself for the struggle. It is compelling insinuation. (Hurston, 835) This to Hurston is the embodiment of drama. Fundamentally, Hurston feels as though African-Americans are drama. She feels as though each aspect of the Negro life is dramatized, lifted above the mundane, and enacted, not lived. In conclusion, studying the development of AAVE in conjunction with the changing social atmosphere of the Harlem renaissance and the conversion of Hurstons short story to a dramatic work, has greatly increased the significance of the text as a piece of self-proclamation for the African-American in the early 20th century. The combination of Hurstons anthropological experience and Hughess steadfast hold on his culture reaches new heights in the realization of a true to life representation of African-American life. Place was important to Zora Neale Hurston-she would spend most of her adult life in search of a place she could claim as her own-one that would support, with fervor equal to hers, her cultural nationalism, that would respect the legacies represented in the voices that she recorded-voices that evidenced the traditions of the world. (Holloway, 113) Holloway touches upon an important conclusion one comes to in viewing Mule Bone as a text among many others. Hurston and Hughes strove to find a place among the Zekes of The Octoroon and the Jupiters of Poes The Gold Bug, and succeeded wildly. The dialect of each character in Mule Bone lends itself to the subtle twisting and careful crafting applied by the co-authors. In a way, Hurston and Hughes celebrate themselves in the colorful use of dialect. To close, Holloway sums up the atmosphere one gets a feel for with this use of dialect, she says, (it) speaks of the primacy of the word, the instrumentation of literary talent and the metaphorical adornment of a culture that recaptures myth on its tongue and uses the adornment to represent itself as black. (Holloway, 115) Works Cited Bass, George Hurston, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., eds. Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston: Mule Bone: A comedy of Negro Life. New York: Perennial, 1991. Dillard, J.L.. Black English: Its History and Usage in the United States. New York: Random House, 1972. Holloway, Karla F.C., ed. The Character of the Word: The Texts of Zora Neale Hurston. New York: Greenwood Press, 1987. Hurston, Zora Neale. Characteristics of Negro Expression. Wall, Cheryl A., comp. Zora Neale Hurston: Folklore, memoirs, and other writings. New York: The Library of America, 1995. Mufwene, Salikoko S., John R. Rickford, Guy Bailey, John Baugh, eds. African-American English: Structure, history and use. London: Routledge, 1998. Redding, Saunders. Old Forms, New Rhythms, New Words. Mullen, Edward J., comp. Critical Essays on Langston Hughes. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1986.

The Benefits of Sweatshops Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Benefits of Sweatshops - Essay Example The reason for this is that, when a customer buys a product that is manufactured in a sweatshop then he/she is providing economic support to them by inducing demand. Thus, if discourse is to be centered strictly on morals, the average consumer is found guilty in entirety.However, the more important question that should be pondered over is what is the average consumer specifically guilty of? To make this clear, we need to define the term â€Å"sweatshop†, however like most subjects of economic discourse that are under hot debate, the very definition of this term remains controversial. Sweatshops use a particular method of production but cannot be completely tied to one type of industry. Sweatshops also have a legal connotation. The U.S. General Accounting Office characterize a sweatshop as â€Å"an employer that violates more than one federal or state law governing minimum wage and overtime, child labor, industrial homework, occupational safety and health, workers compensation , or industry regulation.† However, this definition is too constricted and not wide enough to be applied to the term as a standard definition. Furthermore, it makes it seem like the attachment of negative moral connotations is inherent to sweatshops.In his article â€Å"The Case for Sweatshops†, David R. Henderson talks about why sweatshops are actually economically very beneficial and not inherently bad as implied by the people who study it in an isolated moral context. This article cites an instance where a female sweatshop worker when asked during an interview urges people to be more forthcoming in buying the products people like her spend hours making. Where on one side, people who oppose the existence of sweatshops, their working environment and conditions, they forget that on the other side, sweatshops form an important part of economic activity in third world countries by providing jobs in large numbers to people who would otherwise be unemployed and cause a stra in on their economy. The author makes a very substantial point here, in that a job whether it is of a high level or a low one is a consensual exchange. The person applying for the job thinks him/her suitable for the job and if the employer agrees then the person is hired. No one is forcing anyone to work in sweatshops, this is not slave labor. These jobs are often the best alternative option available to people like the one cited in this article in third world countries. There are even instances where people in these countries have left lower paying jobs that had even worse working conditions to start work in sweatshops because in their circumstances a job in a sweatshop was a far better option. Sweatshops also form a vital stepping stone in the economic development of third world countries. The first world is very different from the third world, their demographics are different and their economies have different characteristics and thus the issues they face are also completely diff erent in nature and magnitude. Where in first world countries, child labor is considered inhumane; in third world countries the practice of child labor is vital for the economic sustenance of many households. If these children were forced to quit their jobs because the first world thought child labor was unethical and these children should rather be in schools, those that brought about this change should see how far reality is from the

General Concepts and Variables Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

General Concepts and Variables Assignment - Essay Example . Read the examples of studies that have then in the email addresses or search in a newspaper or magazine a report of a study and answer the following questions. Internet usability http://www.uberbin.net/archivos/estrategias/usabilidad-los-hombres-lo-prefieren-rapido-las-mujeres-mejor.php Purchase Online Travel http://isabelvazquez.com/2009/02/10/la-compra-de-viajes-por-internet/ a. Research question Is there gender differences in web usability criteria? b. Research Questions Do the majority (82%) prefer specialized web sites compared to traditional Agencies when informing and purchasing travel notes in Spanish network? c. Population and sample Population is Internet users (Men and women using the internet) d. Say if it is an example of descriptive and inferential statistics. Purchase online travel is an example of inferential statistics The internet usability case is an example of inferential statistics 3. Select which of the following options can be defined as variable: a. The number of women enrolled in Sec 4 of Mat210 Not a variable b. The grade point average of the students of the USC Variable

Short answers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Short answers - Essay Example Large number of missionaries went abroad. Politics: Public had been constantly supporting several things which included Cuban Rebels and working against Spain. 2. Briefly discuss the major problems of American society that concerned the social justice progressives and explain how they tried to confront these issues. Also, what was the one thing that the Progressives lacked in their vision? Answer: The problems of the American Society which had concerned the progressives were the distribution of wealth and racism. When the American economy was transforming from agrarian society to urban society, the natives were at the top being rich while all the poor people were at the bottom including dark skinned people. The progressives had taken the responsibility to improve the society and remove all the vices which had been embodied in the society due to freedom of expression of the American economy. The progressives addressed the issues of prostitution, Alcohol, abortion and child labor, howe ver, they ignored basic issues which caused more trouble namely finance problems, foreign policy and racism. Progressives ignored the issues regarding the country and showed interest in societal problem due to which other parties became upper hand, due to which, the progressives failed. Progressives lacked vision. 3. Discuss the reasons the United States government announced a policy of neutrality at the outbreak of the war in Europe in 1914, as well as the difficulties the U.S. had in maintaining such a policy prior to its entry into the war in 1917. What do you think the outcome of the Great War would have been if the U.S. did not get involved? Answer: US remained impartial during WWI, primarily, due to the impartiality policy which had been adopted by the US against the Europeans. US had a strong European Market due to which it did not participate in the European War. US adopted the policy mainly because of the business markets it had established over there. The main objective wa s to keep the business going with Europe, since; it included a great deal of money. However, Germany and UK created troubles which had resulted in lost cargo and blockades of ships as well as several ships being damaged. Thus, when violence increased against the American Trade, America stepped into war and joined with the Allies. US would have remained neutral if there was no trade policy, nevertheless, the Germans started blocking and British men also blocked the German supplies in retaliation which affected US trade negatively. This is when the US decided to step in. 4. Why do you feel the New Deal was or was not successful in solving the problems of the Great Depression? Answer: The New Deal was not able to meet the objectives of freeing the country from unemployment and restoring the economic strength. The New Deal only had short term effects and was not sustainable. America got out of economic Trouble from WWII and the New Deal only helped in gaining momentum, however, the New Deal was a short term approach towards problem solving, moreover, there was no Long term planning involved in correcting the issues related to financial sector of the economy. New Deal helped in reviving the economy and production, as a result, consumption increased.

Senior Phase Teaching Diverse Learners Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Senior Phase Teaching Diverse Learners - Essay Example The school preparation for this activity involves providing families with psychological support literature and extending the family into the transitioning process. This type of family-oriented workshop likely understands the difficulties of finding quality work as a disabled person and will rely on patient and tolerant family members to assist in this difficult process. This would appeal to the self-determination theory, by providing family members with information to give the disabled student the guidance necessary to remain self-motivated and focused on the tasks at hand. To assist in this transition, the Australian government also ensures that schools have Interagency Collaboration workshops, which focus on developing a sense of teamwork with community individuals and professionals (learningplace.com.au, 2009). In addition, this module exposes disabled students to various literatures which highlights career options (and other services) after completing the senior phase of schooling. This type of transition module would appeal to the disabled students’ least dangerous assumptions, in terms of choosing a post-phase option which is best suited for their strengths and their limitations. In lieu of evidence which is earned through job experience, the disabled individual must be responsible for making decisions which will provide the least harm in the long-term to their unique, disabled positions. Internally, human resources training is part of the steps taken to ensure disabled students are prepared for post-school options. Adequate teacher training is an â€Å"essential factor in helping students achieve greater self-determination† (Zhang and Stecker, 2001, p.293). Teachers are equipped with modern psychological and sociological theories to develop a program which is most effective for the emotional well-being of the disabled student during this period. Part of the preparation process is to ensure that teachers are equipped with

Common Stock Valuation and Cost of Capital Case Study - 1

Common Stock Valuation and Cost of Capital - Case Study Example From the above calculations, this stock is selling at $30 that is below $33.50 based on its predictable future cash flows. Therefore, it is undervalued since its selling price is relatively below the intrinsic value. From investments point of view, the company is priced below its true value. For this reason, it is rewarding investing this company’s shares because its stocks have a high probability of appreciating, hence a good investment opportunity that guarantees capital gains. This strategy (value investing strategy) has worked out well for Marquette Inc. given that its portfolio has consistently outperformed others in the broader market. Chief Financial Officers whose stocks are undervalued are less likely to issues them because such companies operate below their true value, thus have to pay more dividends in the future (Clayman, et al., 2012). Second step involves calculation of the cost of equity. With information on cost of debt available, it is possible to apply capital asset pricing model (CAPM) to compute the cost of equity. This is arrived at as follows: The company’s return on assets falls short of its WACC. This is an indication that this company is declining in value. This will scare away potential investors who would preferably invest their resources elsewhere that offer promising returns.The first step is the computation of cost of debt. Cost of debt represents bond’s yield to maturity. From yield to maturity calculator, this value is 7.51%.Therefore, the after-tax cost of debt is equal to 7.51% Ãâ€" (1 – 0.40) = 4.506%.  The second step involves calculation of the cost of equity. With information on the cost of debt available, it is possible to apply capital asset pricing model (CAPM) to compute the cost of equity.The company’s return on assets falls short of its WACC. This is an indication that this company is declining in value. This will scare away potential investors who would preferably invest their resources elsewhere that offer promising returns. Such decline in the value of the firm, there fore, raises concern about the company’s ability to raise capital in the future.

Lift slab construction failures Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Lift slab construction failures - Research Paper Example Once the slab has been raised to its desired level initially without proper leveling, it is joined with the columns with the help of the wedges which are â€Å"tack welded†. The area all around the slab is connected with the column through complete welding of the interface as soon as the slab has been leveled to attain its permanent position. The slab is held in position by steel wedges or other holding structures designed with the columns. The sequentially raised slabs become floors to higher slabs. Initial casting of the concrete slabs takes place at the ground level. However, with subsequent rising, the successive slabs are cast above the previously raised floors, which are in turn raised to their respective heights. The columns are also extended, in multiples of about a maximum of 5 storeys side by side as more and more slabs are raised to their heights. (webs.demasiado.com, n.d.). As the building reaches its anticipated height and all of the slabs are raised to their resp ective positions, the hydraulic jacks are removed. The significance of the employment of this technique in the construction of high rise structures is its time-saving and cost- reducing nature and because it offers a more organized, simple and systematic approach towards the construction of high rise buildings. Lift slab construction eliminates the provision of beams and provides a smooth and finished surface on both sides. The technique serves to reduce the construction time and material cost each up to about 30 % as compared to the costs incurred on conventional construction techniques. (webs.demasiado.com, n.d.). In addition to that, the casting of concrete slabs right on the site results in cutting the traveling and miscellaneous charges from the concrete plant to the site. Lift slab construction has long been a much practiced technique for the quick construction of multi-storey buildings. The use of this

The Pepsi Carbonated Soft Drink Consumer Demand Promotion Essay Example for Free

The Pepsi Carbonated Soft Drink Consumer Demand Promotion Essay A strategic plan for PepsiCo North America is hereby proposed as follows for the geographical region of the national United States for the Pepsi Soda Product promotion to consumers between the ages of 12 through 18 years of age. It will utilize a pull strategy through the distribution channels to stimulate demand for the Pepsi carbonated soft drink to the end users as defined to maintain Pepsi’s younger generation of consumers over the next two decades. The strategic plan will consist of a strategic alliance with The Walt Disney Company coupled with a pop star endorsement by Hannah Montana and Kanye West with multiple promotion communication channels and strategies over the next two (2) years. The primary competitor, Coca-Cola, has been entrenched in the North American beverage market and is most commonly consumed by older generations. As such, Pepsi has been typically been targeted to a younger audience. As the ‘Pepsi Generation’ ages, PepsiCo North America should take proactive marketing action into the younger audiences to maintain the younger generations of soft drink consumption for decades to come. The Company History and Related Companies 1 PepsiCo (herein referred to as the ‘Parent Company’) was founded in 1965 via the merger of two major corporations, Pepsi-Cola and Frito Lay. Subsequently in 1998, Tropicana was acquired to add the family of brands under PepsiCo. In 2001, the Parent Company made yet another bold step in the merger with The Quaker Oats Company, which also then included the Gatorade Company. Notwithstanding the Parent Company being relatively young, several of the brand names under the PepsiCo umbrella have been in existence for over 100 years. Through the multiple brand acquisitions and developments PepsiCo is now a leading conglomerate owning significant market control and brand equity in consumer convenience foods and beverages. â€Å"PepsiCo brands are available in nearly 200 countries and territories and generate sales at the retail level of about $92 billion† (PepsiCo, 2007). Sales volumes are measured on the retail level to show success of the manufacturing due to the Parent Company utilizing a pull strategy for its multiple divisions and product lines with a combination of a push strategy. The current headquarters are located in Purchase, New York. The multiple corporations within the PepsiCo Family are Frito-Lay North America, PepsiCo Beverages North America, PepsiCo International, and Quaker Foods North America. Frito-Lay North America markets and sells to the subject geographical regions the following well known brands of convenience foods: Fritos, Lays, Cheetos, Ruffles, Doritos, Rold Gold, Tostitos, Sunchips, Munchies, Crackerjack, Go Snacks, Quaker Fruit and Oatmeal Bars, Quakers Corn and Rice Snacks, and even more. While Frito-Lay North America sells to business, its end user is a consumer who has demand for a snack food, or convenience food. These are typically found in grocery stores, gas stations, small markets, vending machines, public schools, and several other distribution channels. Several of these products are facing new market changes including a health conscious consumer movement. Thus, a great diversification of product lines within the PepsiCo Family is The Quaker Oats Company, merged in 2001, just on the cusp of the health conscious movement. Brands include Quaker Oats products, Aunt Jemima products, and Rice-a-Roni products. The Gatorade brand rights are legally owned by this Corporation, yet it is sold and marketed through PepsiCo Beverages North America. PepsiCo International markets and sells the North American product brands abroad, and in additional markets and sells the Mirinda, Walkers, Sabritas, Gamesa, etc. and several others in multiple countries (over 200). Each of these subsets of brands are developments of unique products tailored to each geographical culture it is marketed to. The focused Corporation of the subject strategic proposal is PepsiCo Beverages North America. This company was originally founded in 1898 by a North Carolina druggist. PepsiCo Beverages North America (herein referred to as the ‘Company’) sells several brands of consumer beverages in the United States and Canada. The various beverage products span through carbonated soft drinks, juices, readymade teas, isotonic sports drinks, bottled water, and enhanced waters. Several established brands include Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Tropicana products, Aquafina Water, Sierra Mist, Mug, Propel, Sobe, and Dole. Refer to the Competitor Analysis section for in depth product information and listings. Outside of manufacturing and selling bottled products, the Company manufactures and sells concentrates for some of the above mentioned brand name beverage products to licensed bottlers. The Company has also established strategic partnerships with Lipton and Starbucks to create, market, and sell ready to drink Lipton tea brands and bottled ready to drink Starbucks Frappuccino drinks. These are two very powerful example of a co-branding strategic partnership. Industry Analysis of the Beverages Market 4. Soft drinks can be divided into carbonated and non-carbonated drinks. Cola, lemon and oranges are carbonated drinks category. The carbonated soft drink market has been challenged by a health consciousness movement within American consumers. Health consciousness is a very strong growing trend in America, and has created an organic movement within the drink and food industries. Within the last five years ending in 2006, the soft drink market in the United States has experienced 0. 0% growth due to this factor. Since 1975 the overall growth rate of soft drink market has been slowing. (Figure_1) As this provides a constraint on new market opportunities, it does not constrict maintaining a similar level of revenue or slightly improving it. As the current consumer market continues to age, it is expected there exists a certain level of retention to Pepsi consumption until a specific age when it is recommended by a doctor not to consume a soft drink. Given Pepsi’s position in terms of product placement within demographics, it holds the youth market when compared with Coke. As growth slows, the youth markets must continually be targeted to maintain the consumption level of Pepsi as new consumers enter the market of soft drink consumption, and other age out of it. This strategy will over a long period of time prove to gain market share of domestic soft drink consumption over Coke, while being offset by a slowing of the overall consumption. Figure 1 [pic][pic] The subject proposal is targeted to use a pull strategy through the distribution channels, and is therefore focused on the end user, or consumer segment of the market. Notwithstanding, the industry overall (primarily Pepsi and Coke as outlined herein below) does not only sell directly to consumers. A very prevalent distribution channel is through licensed bottlers and restaurant chains. A very strong business to business transactional distribution channel exists in the soft drink industry, and in fact 22. 6% of all soft drink volumes are sold in a syrup for fountain soda. This is 100% business to business within the scope of these transactions. The remaining 77. 4% of packaged soft drink volume comprises primarily of business to business transactions to retailer and bottling companies. (Figure_2) While PepsiCo Beverages North America does not directly sell to consumers primarily, the subject proposal will stimulate demand for the product at the end user level, and therefore result in more business to business sales in order to meet that demand. PepsiCo Inc. and Coke-cola Co. have dominated the carbonated soft drink industry in North America since they first entered this market. They continue to compete with each other for market share for centuries. Therefore, some experts conclude that the soft drink market is an oligopoly or even a duopoly between Pepsi and Coke. 5 By the year of 2006, PepsiCo has the leading share (26%) of U. S. liquid refreshment beverage market, followed by Coca-Cola which has taken 23% of market share as indicated in the left chart. Cadbury Schweppes, another big rival on the bottled soft drink shelves, obtained 10% by acquiring key brands in the US, namely Dr. Pepper, Seven Up, and Canada Dry. SWOT Analysis |Strength |Weakness | |Branding and packaging |Hard to enter markets occupied by Coca-Cola | |Appealing to young generation |Lack of novelty in advertising | |Superior Taste (in Blind Tests) | | |Many distributions | | |Opportunities |Threats | |Global markets |Health Conscious Consumer Trends | |Additional Youth Consumers entering the market |More substitutes | â€Å"Manifesting brand essence through packaging is powerful at retail,† declares Ron Pence, Pepsi Senior Marketing Manager for packaging innovation. Youth and vitality is the main idea that the Pepsi brand tries to express, and the bottle design helps the brand associate with teens at the age between 12 to 18 year old. Pepsi restyles its cans with a series of 35 new designs and different themes such as car culture, sport or fashion. On Pepsi website, each theme has its own video clips which can be downloaded for free and other features to attract consumers with the purpose of representing the â€Å"fun, optimistic and youthful spirit â€Å"of Pepsi. The natural tendency of young generation is to rival with old generations. Pepsi also use â€Å"music, which was traditional weapon of teenager to show their rebellion approach†. 7 Besides, a blind test conducted by Pepsi was performed in shopping malls, grocery stores and other public locations, in which consumers were asked to pick the soft drink they liked better, without knowing whether the cola they tasted was Coke or Pepsi. As results came in, 57% of testers chose Pepsi and only 43% chose Coke. It became apparent that Pepsi tastes better than Coke. 14 In addition, Pepsi products are distributed to many outlets. For example, supermarkets where Pepsi buys large shelf area and display areas so the customer can find them easier, Convenience stores, gas stations, restaurants, movie theaters and almost and other conceivable spot. Pepsi is now sold in more than 160 countries around the globe, but it still has a weakness in the international beverage market because it entered later into this arena than Coke. Pepsi has tried to enter this market by trying to do in three years what took Coke 50 years to do. Nevertheless, Pepsi has to spend years â€Å"to mature simply due to Coke’s dominance in the international market and the strong ties that Coke has developed with these markets and their governments. †15 Additionally, when marketing its products, Pepsi utilize celebrity endorsement mostly which bored some consumers due to lack of novelty. Conversely, the success of fresh and creative advertise has consistently helped Coco-Cola attract and retain customers. The world is becoming a smaller place with investors thinking in terms of sectors rather than geographic boundaries. Broad global markets, like China, India, can provide lots of opportunities for Pepsi. We may conclude from the tables on the right that in 2004, 63% PepsiCo’s profits come from the United States 8, and in the same year, the U. S. holds 30. 90% of the global market share under Europe (showed in the table below), which means Pepsi still has opportunities to compete globally. Moreover, as Pepsi targets young generation, additional youth consumers enter the market every year, which provides Pepsi adequate consumer base. For these decades, changing societal concerns, attitudes, and lifestyles become important trends that force the soft drink industry’s business environment to change. Growing health concerns for caffeine and sugar consumption threatens the carbonated industry. The large amounts of sugar, fat, and acid contained in cola will lead to heart disease, vascular diseases, osteoporosis or tooth decay. On the other hand, many other companies have tried to enter the carbonated industry, but they face high barriers, such as lawsuits and tough competition. Some of these companies end with searching for entering the noncarbonated soft drink industry for growth. Consequently, some consumers will turn to noncarbonated soft drink, such as bottled water, teas, instead of soda. Environmental scan of today’s carbonated beverage marketplace A quick glance at today’s beverage marketplace indicates an increasing amount of beverage alternatives in the market. As such, these beverage companies must understand the various factors that can help them succeed or fail. For instance, the increased awareness of the importance of health has significant influence on soft drink industry. Since most soft beverages comprises of unhealthy ingredients including High Fructose Corn Syrup, the beverage industry faces an incredible threat to their reputation and sales. Therefore, developing consumer-preferred products that can become an integral element in consumers’ daily lives has become an essential issue for beverage industry. Possible environmental factors are as follows:  ¦ Social environment ? In 2004, 28 percent of all beverages consumed in the U. S. were carbonated soft drinks. In the United States, 450 different types are sold and more than 2. 5 million vending machines dispense them around the clock, including in elementary and high schools. ? As consumers focus more on health and nutritional benefits of food items, it has sparked a key new driver in trends throughout the beverage industry. The result is the decrease in sales of carbonated beverages.  ¦ Competitive environment ? Monopolistic competition: PepsiCo. , The Coca-Cola Company, Cadbury Schweppes ? The entire beverage industry, including but not limited to bottled water, juice, other carbonated beverages, and ready-to-drink tea. ? Recent growth and demand of sports and energy drinks.  ¦ Regulatory environment ? In response to weight gaining and health concerns, the nation’s largest beverage makers including Cadbury Schweppes, PepsiCo. and The Coca-Cola Company agreed in May 2006 to halt nearly all soda sales in public schools. Beginning in 2009, elementary and middle schools will sell only water and juice (with no added sweeteners), plus fat-free and low-fat milk. High schools will sell water, juice, sports drinks and diet soda. Diet sodas use artificial sweeteners, which add little or no calories, though some, such as aspartame, have been embroiled in controversy for years over their questionable health benefits and even possible links to cancer. Obviously, Pepsi is facing not only the transition of customer perception but also the regulation stress. Besides, it always has it big and powerful competitor, The Coca-Cola Company. Under this circumstance, strategy and innovation become the top issue of Pepsi. 16 Competitor Analysis The table below displays the various brands between PepsiCo. and The Coca-Cola Company. It appears that for every product on the market from one company, the other company has an similar product to match it. This demonstrates the intense compeititve nature of both companies to keep up or outwit the competition. [pic] Differential Advantage The Coca-Cola Company has the distinct advantage of being the most recoginzed brand in the world. It is considered the classic beverage in the United States as well as in other countires. In fact, when Coca-Cola decided to change its forumula dubed â€Å"New Coke† in response to Pepsi’s emergence, public outraged roared throughout the nation. Fearing mass boycott, the original Coke formula was quickly reinstated to satisfy the demands of the public under the name â€Å"Coca-Cola Classic†. Revered as the classic beverage, Coke enjoys the stature of being the market leader. Coke appeals to a wide global audience in terms of demographics and popularity. One side effect of being the â€Å"classic† choice leads to a larger share of older consumers. PepsiCo. appeals to younger consumers with a more sweeter taste compared to Coke. Pepsi presents itself as the hip and cool alternative choice over Coke. This is edvient in the deep blue hues and patterns that Pepsi takes advantage of in its marketing compaigns. Pepsi’s younger image is also aided by celebrities endorsement touted by the teen market including Britney Spears, ‘NSync, along with popular rappers. Self-proclaimed as â€Å"The Choice of a New Generation†, Pepsi devised television commericials of younger consumers participating in blind taste tests. The participants frequently perferred Pepsi over Coke. Eventually, PepsiCo. began hiring popular celebraties to promote their products. Resource Analysis The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company’s flagship product, Coke, is sold in stores, restaurants and vending machines in more than 200 countries. Originally developed as a medicine in the late 19th centry by John Pemberton, it has evolved into a dominating figure in the soft drink market throughout the 20th century. The Coca-Cola Company licenses worldwide bottlers who hold territorially exclusive contracts with the company. Cola cncentrate is sold to these bottlers who them produce the finished cola in cans and glass bottles while using filtered water and various sweeteners. The finished product is then sold, distributed, and merchandised to retail stores and vending machines. Coca-Cola Enterprises is currently the single largest Coca-Cola bottler in North America, Australia, Asia, and Europe. In addition to licensing to bottlers, the company sells the concentrate to major restaurants and food service distributors for use in fountain drinks. The Coca-Cola Company envision a world in which†¦ They improve the lives in every community that they touch. They replenish each drop of water that they use. Their packaging is no longer seen as waste, but as a valuable resource for future use. Workplace rights are protected and all people are respected. They work in partnership with others to provide good jobs, world class quality beverages and a healthy environment. PepsiCo The Pepsi Cola Company started in 1898 in Purchase, New York. It became known as PepsiCo when it merged with Frito Lay in 1965. PepsiCo owned Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell up until 1997 when they were spun off into Tricon Global Restaurants – which eventually became Yum! Brands, Inc. In 1998 and 2001, PepsiCo purchased Tropicana and Quaker Oats, respectively. PepsiCo, a global American beverage and snack company, manufactures, markets, and sells a variety of carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, as well as salty, sweet and grain-based snacks, and other foods. PepsiCo also manufactures Quaker Oats, Gatorade, Frito-Lay, SoBe, and Tropicana. (Figure_3) In several ways, PepsiCo differs from its competitor, The Coca-Cola Company, having almost three times as many employees. The Pepsi Bottling Group was formed for distribution and bottling. Figure 3 [pic] Mission Statement: We aspire to make PepsiCo the world’s premier consumer products company, focused on convenient foods and beverages. We seek to produce healthy financial rewards to investors as we provide opportunities for growth and enrichment to our employees, our business partners and the communities in which we operate. And in everything we do, we strive to act with honesty, openness, fairness and integrity. Values: Sustained Growth is fundamental to motivating and measuring our success. Our quest for sustained growth stimulates innovation, places a value on results, and helps us understand whether actions today will contribute to our future. It is about growth of people and company performance. It prioritizes making a difference and getting things done. Empowered People means we have the freedom to act and think in ways that we feel will get the job done, while being consistent with the processes that ensure proper governance and being mindful of the rest of the company’s needs. Responsibility and Trust form the foundation for healthy growth. It’s about earning the confidence that other people place in us as individuals and as a company. Our responsibility means we take personal and corporate ownership for all we do, to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us. We build trust between ourselves and others by walking the talk and being committed to succeeding together. [pic] [pic][pic] Based on the pie chart above, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have roughly the same market share in the United States. Finacial Analysis Brief Overview [pic] Overall, PepsiCo trumps The Coca-Cola Company in many financial categories – largly in part from PepsiCo’s wide array of products throughout 4 divisions: ? PepsiCo International ? Frito-Lay North America ? PepsiCo Beverages North America ? Quaker Foods North America Egg Diagram [pic] Analysis of the Target Market Consumers 3 |Who are they? |Teenagers between age of 12 and 18 in U. S. | |What do they buy? |Teens want to buy something real, something from â€Å"corporations | | |that remind them of themselves†10. They don’t want things that | | |they are thought to like. They something that pushes the | | |boundary, different than what they had before. | |When do they buy it? |When teens find something they can identify with and have the | | |need that must be satisfied immediately. | |How do they choose? |They quickly dismiss the products that look like some 45-year-old| | |guy trying to sell them something. They easily recognize the old | | |product that was yesterday’s news. They can tell what’s being | | |â€Å"fake† and what’s being â€Å"real†10 | |Why they prefer a product? |They pick a product because they believe that product can express| | |themselves13. They can relate to someone like themselves through | | |this product. | |How they respond to a marketing program? |They respond to something catchy. For example those ads in | | |magazine are brightly colorful10, the flashy graphics suggest | | |that teens respond well to that type of ad campaign; in | | |cyberspace they respond to a space created uniquely for them12. | | |They also respond well to products on sales. | The target consumer market to stimulate demand within is the young teen market between the ages 12 through 18 years old, geographically located within the United States. This segment is compiled of the â€Å"Tween† market and the older high school teenagers. â€Å"Tweens develop sophisticated tastes beyond their years, with boys gravitating toward electronic, Internet, and video games, and girls preferring fashion and social interaction components† (Abernathy, 2004). With the technology age with computers and increasing demanding academic environment, tweens and teens have less disposable time, and therefore product advertising attention is often tuned out. â€Å"Tweens spend their own money today: on average, $9 a week. Some experts estimate tweens have close to $80 a week in disposable income available to them†¦ Overall, the tween market is valued at $43 billion† (Abernathy, 2004). Beyond the tween market, the teenage high school student will sometimes hold a part time job, and have more independent tendencies. All in all, the 2000 U. S. Census estimates the U. S. population between the ages of 10 through 19 years old to be approximately 40. 6 million individuals. The goal of researching the target consumer is to accurately pinpoint the consumer behavior in regards to our product. According to our finding, these teens and â€Å"Tweens† are constantly searching for identities at their age. The most effective way of appealing our product to them is to find a common ground. For example, there are various reasons why teens and â€Å"Tweens† idolize certain celebrity. One of them is that they can find bit and pieces of themselves in their celebrity idol. After all, who doesn’t like to see himself/herself being a celebrity? So no matter what the product is, as long as it possesses characteristic of the identity the teens and â€Å"Tweens† are searching for, they will make the purchase. The teens and â€Å"Tweens† are still very young. They have very vivid imagination and are highly visual. Therefore they are attracted to colorful pictures in the magazines. It is usual for them to just look at the pretty pictures in the magazine without reading the articles that supplement pictures. According to the finding, these target consumers prefer products that are â€Å"real†. By â€Å"real† they mean the manufacture genuinely create this product specifically for them, at least it should appears to be. Since Pepsi Cola is basically for everyone, making it appears to be special to teens and â€Å"tweens† are very important. These consumers prefer individuality. Such preference is reflected in the finding that they are constantly in search for a product that expresses themselves. The last thing these consumers wants is pressure or stereotype that sometimes appears on the commercial and magazine ads. Strategic Action Plan. The strategic alliance with Walt Disney will initially consist of (i) concert support of and promotions at several of Hannah Montana’s concerts throughout the United States, (ii) Pepsi promotion via seamless advertisement within the Hannah Montana aired shows by having characters refresh themselves with Pepsi and also have Pepsi signs in the background, and (iii) a sparingly aired Pepsi commercial endorsed by Hannah Montana to be promoted via the ABC channel network (a Disney owned network). A future alliance holds the possibility of future benefits through Disney media networks and consumption at theme parks and resorts. The concert support will come with signs at the live shows and events, Pepsi sales at the concerts, and Pepsi commercial promotions on the concert screens at intermission. There will also be a special promotional event of Pepsi Challenge tasting at the Pepsi center, which was previously near sell out for Hannah Montana. The seamless advertisement on the Hannah Montana show will consist of the characters drinking Pepsi as refreshment in a natural environment along with Pepsi signs in the background of the sets. This will continue for two (2) years during the strategic partnership, and be maintained on a very subtle level in the productions. Twice a year over the two (2) year period ABC (A Disney owned network) will air a Pepsi commercial of a music video of Hannah Montana singing the Pepsi Theme song. As part of the strategic alliance, Disney is giving a low market rate for airing over the network. ABC has been topping the charts with hit series and has been expanding viewer base considerably over the past decade. The Denver Post summarized the market impact this pop idol holds as: â€Å"When an episode of Hannah Montana followed the debut of High School Musical 2 this fall, the movie sequel got all the buzz, but the episode of Hannah Montana averaged 10. 7 million viewers the highest ratings for a regular series in the history of basic cable. The Disney Channels 90 million subscribers can watch Hannah Montana daily, sometimes as often as seven times a day. An average 2. 2 million viewers see each episode. The show also airs weekly on ABCs Saturday morning block, and is licensed in 177 countries. Of course HM is available around the clock as streaming video on computers and on iTunes. Compared to the ratings of all shows on U. S. television, Hannah Montana is second only to American Idol among kids 6-11 and tweens† 2 (Ostrow, 2007). Utilizing Walt Disney’s ‘tween’ star Hannah Montana for endorsement will provide awareness and positive associations with the Pepsi brand of carbonated soft drink. This pop star idle will build significant brand equity within the demographics of young females between the applicable ages of 12 through 15 years old. This will predictably improve vending machine sales at middle schools and high schools, as well as sales at grocery stores for their respective homes. It will also build repertoire with the respective mothers who also attend the concerts and watch the shows. The mothers of the daughters are in fact the ultimate purchasers (and also partially the ultimate consumers in some cases) of the product, while their daughters are the influencers and ultimate consumers. The daughters of families will typically have a greater influence over the parents as purchasers in American families more so than comparable aged boys. This is primarily due to the value system of the parents to typically spend more attention and money on the daughters of the family, as young females are seen to need more care. This depicts why Hannah Montana is a highly effective endorsement for Pepsi within this demographic. This strategic relationship with Walt Disney will provide the future potential for a stronger partnership with Walt Disney, thereby opening the possibility of Pepsi consumption within the theme parks and resorts, while opening a powerful media network to younger audiences for future promotion channels. Kanye West will build brand equity in the male teen market between the applicable ages of 14 through 18 years old. A male target of the upper teen years is deemed more effective, due to males in their teens practicing habits of independence and having allowances for spending. His aired TV commercial will be on ABC similar to Hannah Montana, however it will be aired three times a year over the two (2) year period. The commercial content will be his version of a Pepsi theme. Works Cited 1 Overview: Company History (2007). PepsiCo Corporate Website. Retrieved October 28, 2007 from http://www. pepsico. com/PEP_Company/Overview/index. cfm. 2 Ostrow, Joanne (Oct. 19, 2007). ‘Disney Wields Its Marketing Magic. ’ Denver Post. Retrieved October 29, 2007 from http://www. commercialfreechildhood. org/news/disneyweilds. htm. 3 Abernathy, R. W. (November, 2004). Tween Market 101. TD Monthly. Retrieved October 29, 2007 from http://www. toydirectory. com/monthly/article. asp? id=918. 4 The Beverage Marketing Corporation (August, 2007). 2007 Carbonated Soft Drinks in the U. S. Retrieved October 29, 2007 from http://www. beveragemarketing. com/reportcatalog3f. html. 5 Industry Analysis: Soft Drinks. Meghan Deichert, Meghan Ellenbecker, Emily Klehr, Leslie Pesarchick, Kelly Ziegler. Strategic Management in a Global Context February 22, 2006 from https://www. csbsju. edu/library/local/5thYear/zeigler_paper. pdf 6 PepsiCo. Performance with Purpose (2006). PepsiCo Corporate Website. From http://www. pepsico. com/PEP_Investors/AnnualReports/06/PepsiCo2006Annual. pdf 7 Kumar, Arvind. Finding weakness in the competitor strength. From http://business. articlesarchive. net/finding-weakness-in-the-competitor-strength. html 8 Murray, Barbara. (2006b). Pepsi Co. Hoovers. Retrieved February 13, 2006, from http://premium. hoovers. com/subscribe/co/profile. xhtml? ID=11166 9 Datamonitor (2005, May). Global Soft Drinks: Industry Profile. New York. Reference Code: 0199-0802. 10 http://www. inc. com/magazine/20001201/21117_pagen_3. html 11http://www. clickz. com/3334641 12www.ala. org/ala/pla/plaevents/nationalconf/program/thursdayprograms/mrbibliography. doc 13 www. marketingprofs. com/2/kewl. asp 14 Sampson Lee (Nov 21, 2007). Coke or Pepsi? From http://www. gccrm. com/eng/content_details. jsp? contentid=2073subjectid=101 15 Pepsi cola from http://www. freeessays. cc/db/11/bmu315. shtml 16 Larry West, What is the Problem with Soft Drinks? About. Com website, from http://environment. about. com/od/health/a/soft_drinks. htm |Team 5 | |Chen, Szuhua (Twiggy) | |Xiong, Xitao (Helen) | |Ma, Johnny | |Tsang, Man | |Dwyer, Michael | Figure_2.

Low employee satisfaction in Air Arabia

Low employee satisfaction in Air Arabia Air Arabia was launched in 2005 as one of the initiatives in low cost carriers segment in Middle East. Over the period of time it was able to build up a remarkable company name in the market along with a firm financial record of its own. After introducing problems related to Political, Social, Environmental and Technological (PEST) aspects of Air Arabia, this part concentrates on analyzing these problems with the help of basic organizational behavior theories. The report is divided in four sections, each one for Political, Social, Environmental and Technological aspects. In each section, OB concern of the problem followed by the problem from the case and the explanation is mentioned. People: Problem Statement: In previous section we discovered a problem that employees in Air Arabia were not satisfied with the low financial benefits provided against their high performance. Problem Highlight: Performance based Incentives Performance based incentives: This is a problem of pay for performance scheme. In pay for performance or say performance based incentive system, employees are rewarded in accordance to their performance. Now the problem is that employees can never be satisfied with the outcome of this particular form of reward system. This can be understood by Equity theory. Equity theory states that employees use to compare their position (here rewards) with those of other employees. So even an organization remain transparent in distributing incentives, until unless the employees themselves become satisfied in light of equity theory, the problem like the incentive problem in pay for performance scheme in Air Arabia remain standing.  [1]   Problem Statement: One of the major problems associated with employees is that company is not able to provide them with long term commitment regarding their performance appraisal and work effectiveness bonus. Problem Highlight: Performance Appraisal Performance appraisal: Performance appraisal is the measure of evaluating the performance of the employees. In air Arabia, the performance appraisal system presently in use incorporates the number of task and time limit of those task accomplished by the employees are recorded  [2]  . This forms the basis of the performance appraisal scheme in the company. (Performance-related pay, 2005) Now the problem in this scheme is that this does not count the quality and situation under which work is carried out. For example, in Air Arabia, the performance scheme is same for sales and administrative staff. Now administrative staff has clear work functions to follow whereas sales staff has to undergo filed work which is more challenging. The targets for sales staff are tougher to achieve than those of administrative staff. Thus the performance appraisal scheme in Air Arabia is not satisfactory and requires other schemes like 360 degree scheme etc  [3]  . Problem Statement: The case shows that Air Arabia exhibits problem of workforce management due to workforce diversity. Problem Highlight: Diversity Diversity: Leaders and managers in Air Arabia do not handle the workforce diversity effectively. In their effort to manage the diversity, they go with equal treatment strategy. In this strategy, each of the employees is treated equally irrespective of its cast, color, race and language they speak. This looks quite fair in first look but the approach is not helpful in country like Dubai. The country has people of different religion and cast, speaking different languages and has different educational schemes and mental aptitude  [4]  . Now the problem is some particular type of employees are always advantageous of this equality approach. For example, the work force of India is more fluent in English than the natives of UAE. UAE culture gives emphasis on Urdu and not English. Now because of low proficiency in English and the equality approach in diversity management, UAE natives are mostly under-rated than few foreign classes of employee. This introduces a sense of dissatisfaction and un-happi ness towards the job. Problem Statement: employees of Lufthansa Air went on strike to improve their working conditions. Problem Highlight: Work Environment Work environment: Work environment is a major constituent of an effective organizational culture. The work environment not only constitutes the physical constituents of the location but also the culture of the work like senior-subordinate relations, type of communication etc  [5]  . The situation here shows that the employees of Lufthansa Air are not satisfied with the work environment and went on strike. The actual reason for the dissatisfaction was companyà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s pressure to work more than the required 8 hours to answer the increasing competition in aviation industry. This decision was not welcomed by the staff as it resulted in more hastiness in job and thus resulted in improper work conditions in the company. (Listening, the Doorway to Employee Commitment, 2005) Environment: Problem statement: Air Arabia had to reduce some of its other expenses like HR expenditure and to make it possible it has reduced intake of employees that had increased work pressure over presently working employees tremendously. Problem Highlight: Work Environment and Employee Shortage Work environment and employee shortage: The problem here is of bad work environment due to excessive work load because of lesser number of employees. The problem was resulted due to high oil prices which forced the company to shrink the workforce. This shrinkage resulted in high pressure on present work culture and thus decreased efficiency of work environment. Problem Statement: High operational cost which is internal factor of employee malfunctioning causing external effect over organization. Problem Highlight: Employee Inefficiency and Lack of Motivation Employee inefficiency: Lack of motivation The employees in Air Arabia were found to be less efficient and thus the company was compiled to increase its fare to sustain pressure of increasing oil prices  [6]  . The main cause of this problem can be lack of motivation in the employees towards the companyà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s growth. If the employees would have been more motivated, they could have been more efficient and thus the problem of price hike because of high operational cost could have been prevented. This is a clear case of less motivated work force. (Listening, the Doorway to Employee Commitment, 2005) Problem Statement: Most of its employees have to work under pressure basically for the sustainability of the organization which has raised the level of employee dissatisfaction in the company Problem Highlight: Employee Dissatisfaction Employee dissatisfaction: There are a number of competitors of Air Arabia in low cost aviation industry which forces employees to work harder with limited resources. This results in greater employee dissatisfaction towards the workplace and more employee turnover rate. Technology: Problem statement: But all these technical advancements have an upper limit beyond which it cannot be stretched, and at that point employee performance comes into picture and has to be taken to its best possible level. Problem Highlight: Employee Training Employee training: The problem here is that when new technology is introduced in the company to cut operational expenses, the work and expectation from the employees also changes a lot. So there is a clear need to employee training. Employees are needed to be trained at new technology so that they are able to be a part of companyà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s cost cutting scheme. Employee training is a necessary part of any organization which needs to be happen periodically  [7]  . Structure: Problem Statement: as employee commitment is an important issue and it cannot be handled by the organization without proper structuring and it is also one of the important issues faced by Air Arabia Problem Highlight: Leadership Leadership: In the case, we found that employees are not committed to the organization. This is the responsibility of the leader to keep the faith of the employees in the organization. Thus the company needs its leaders to take more active role. The leaders in the company need to motivate the employees and to maintain the commitment of the employees in the company. The structuring component in this problem is more of a requirement of a leader  [8]  . Problem Statement: Upper management is facing a problem to retain its entire structure which is similar to the case of Lufthansa Airways. There may be a need for an improved format of organizational behavior needed in this regard that can be provided with the help of proper training Problem Highlight: Training Training: The problem here is that due to the high instability of labor market in airline industry, the company is unable to maintain its talent pool which again is introducing instability in its organizational structure. This instability is supposed to be handled by reducing job turnover rate by more motivational training to its employees  [9]  .

The Internet and Intellectual Property Laws Essay -- Internet Online

The Internet and Intellectual Property Laws With the emergence and growth of the internet, intellectual property laws are much harder to enforce and many people are saying that they are outdated and obsolete. Intellectual property allows you to own your ideas, thoughts, and creativity as you would own a piece of tangible property. The human mind is a creative tool that comes up with ideas, designs, schemes, and inspirations of all kinds. Intellectual property views these ideas as being property. The ideas must also have commercial value and be a tradable commodity otherwise there would be no point to protect it. Intellectual property is basically the ownership of ideas. If one were to write a novel, for which the idea was conceived in there mind, they could copyright that novel so that no other person could steal that idea and write another novel on it. Copyright is a type of intellectual property. The main types of intellectual property are patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyrights. There are many issues arising abou t copyright and intellectual property due to the technological advances in the past ten years or so. A patent is a way to protect your invention. A patent makes sure that no other person can make, sell, offer for sale, or import your invention for a certain amount of time, in Canada it is 20 years. Since you have put a lot of time and effort into creating and producing your product, a patent prohibits others from copying your creation so all of your time doesn’t go to waste. This allows you to properly market your creation and prevent competition in the early stages of your commercialization effort. Patentable material includes any â€Å"new and useful art, process, machine, manufacture or composition of ... .../31intell.htm> Intellectual Property. No date. Government of UK. 26 Jan. 2003 > Intellectual Property in Health Research. No Date. HRC 2 Feb. 2003 Levy, Steven. â€Å"Issues of Intellectual Property & Copyright for Educators†. Newsweek. 27 Feb. 1995. 26 Jan. 2003 McCullagh, Dean. â€Å"Judge: Kazaa can be Sued in US†. 10 Jan. 2003. 1 Feb. 2003 Overbye, Morten. â€Å"Teen Cleared in Landmark DVD Case.† 7 Jan. 2002. CNN. 26 Jan. 2003 FootNotes 1Baumer and Poindexter (pg42) 2http://www.bountyquest.com/patent/whatisip.htm 3http://news.com.com/2100-1023-980274.html?tag=lh 4http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/01/07/dvd.johansen/

Emerson And The Poet Essay -- essays research papers

Ralph Waldo Emerson states in The Poet the question, which is what is the poet? He says that all men express their feelings, but what makes a poet is that he has more ability to express his own. For example, a poet would express the beauty of nature well, while men who are less expressive cannot give nature the worth it should be given, related to reality of course. A poet would talk, as well about â€Å"the common wealth† not â€Å"his own wealth†. What is meant by that is that he does not only convey his own feelings and his own experience in life, but he carries the beauty of truth he sees with his art, and mostly the beauty the poet would see is in nature. In page 374, you will find all the details that have been explained before. His idea of a poet is not wrong at all. He reminds me so much ...

Corporate Control of the Media Defines Our Culture :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Corporate Control of the Media Defines Our Culture Viacom is on the warpath. They got your MTV, and Blockbuster, and even Paramount pictures. Forrest Gump is on the payroll. Any rock band or rap artist who wants to be anything is too. They own your music and your movies and a lot of the television you watch, and pretty soon they'll probably own all the books you read. They don't just supply the movies or music, either. First they tell you what you're going to like- -they lifted Forrest Gump all the way to an Oscar--and then they give it to you. And, if they're marketing is as good as it usually is, you're probably going to like it. They rule your tastes. They rule your culture. Viacom is everywhere. Viacom sucks. Viacom, with billions of dollars in their infantry, is conquering culture. They're not the only corporate general, though, leading the charge. Time/Warner has a formidable platoon, buying up magazines and chain stores and TV stations. Steven Spielberg, David Geffen, and Jeffrey Katzenberg, all with so much money they can't even spend it, just formed a multi-billion dollar media conglomerate called DreamWorks SKG. They want movies and music and TV and computers and anything else that entertains us. They want it all, and IBM and Microsoft and MCA records, among others rounding out the all-star corporate squad, are looking to get in on the deal. The war for cultural dominance is on, with billions and even trillions of dollars on the line. Everyone stand aside. The big guys are here to fight, and fight hard. Culture is a multi-billion dollar industry. Movies, computers, books, CD's, theme parks--they're what Americans spend their money on. Everyone has seen Jurassic Park. Everyone has heard Michael Jackson. Entertainment, and the culture it defines, is something we all share, something that unifies the American, and even world, experience. Little else can or does. Movies, music, TV especially have become the cultural staples of our time. A number one song can make you a millionaire, and some movies become so popular that literally everyone has seen them. Entertainment defines the American scene. It is our culture. It is, then, inevitably a part of everyone's life, if not only through your pocketbook. This, then, is what drives the battle to conquer culture--your money. American culture--what America reads, listens to, and watches--grows larger and larger every year, expanding like the Blob(a cultural icon) not only across the country but also across the world.