Aspects of Human Nature in “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad Essay

Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness encompasses many themes and concepts dealing with the very nature of humanity and its complexity. This novel is set up in two different locations, the Thames River and the Congo River. Conrad uses these two rivers to represent the different cultures that clash in this novel, which are the â€Å"civilized† and the â€Å"savages†. While exploring these two different worlds Conrad exposes the human nature at its core through the characters in this novel proving that not everything is straightforward and is at it seems. The Thames River located in Southern England represents the advanced European world. In this novel the Europeans regarded themselves as civilized and cultured. On the other hand, Conrad embeds numerous dark intense imageries to describe this â€Å"enlightened† culture such as violent, death, brooding gloom, and more. While the Congo River represents the uncivilized native inhabitants that are described as â€Å"utter savagery† (Conrad, 1990, p. 4), but the nature that surrounds the Congo is described as mysterious, glittering, and precious. The contrast of these locations and representations reveals different aspects of human nature. One un-admirable quality of human nature that is shown is pride. The European characters in this novel had the mentality that they were superior to the natives. Because of their superior status they felt that European Imperialism and the stations set up were meant for â€Å"humanizing, improving, instructing† (Conrad, 1990, p. 29) the uncivilized savages. Instead these civilized European men â€Å"Christianizing† and trying to conform the natives to their standards they have succumb to the darkness within the jungle displaying their true nature. Another aspect of human nature shown by the ironic descriptions of the â€Å"civilized† and â€Å"uncivilized† locations is man’s destructive nature. There were numerous events in this novel that portrayed man’s destructive nature due to ulterior motives. An example that destructive behaviors are apart of human nature is when Kurtz raids countless tribes for ivory for the very purpose of gaining wealth and power. Another example of man’s destructive nature is when numbers of â€Å"pilgrims used to turn out in a body [hippopotamus] and empty every rifle they could lay hands on at him. Some even had sat up o’nights for him. † (Conrad, 1990, p. 25). These men waited for and wasted shots just to kill an old and innocent creature not for survival purposes, but for amusement. Conrad enforces the concept of mans destructive nature in the beginning of the novel when he is describing the â€Å"civilized† world. An example on page one Conrad describes the scenery of this â€Å"superior† civilization as â€Å"The air was dark above Gravesend, and farther back still seemed condensed into a mournful gloom, brooding motionless†¦ † Later on in the novel Marlow reads Kurtz pamphlet and is led to believe that Kurtz is not another greedy, self – serving, and power crazed individual like the many characters he has met up with on his journey, but that Kurtz shares the same beliefs that he does. Marlow’s belief that the purpose of European Imperialism in Africa was to improve the culture and to benefit them equally rather than cause chaos for their own personal gain. Marlow’s excitement to meet Kurtz based off his pamphlet and how well everyone speaks of him is an example of how not everything is straightforward. Kurtz wrote his pamphlet in a way that intrigued Marlow and convinced him that they shared the same beliefs, but when Marlow finally met Kurtz he realized that Kurtz is ill physically and mentally. Trickery and inconsistency is embedded within human nature. As much as one would like to believe that humans are consistent and honest, that is not true and apparent in this novel. The main character is not exempt from human tendencies of inconsistency. Earlier on in the novel Marlow states, â€Å"I hate, detest, and can’t bear a lie,† (Conrad, 1990, p. 23). On the other hand at the end of the book he lies to Kurt’s intended to give her sense of peace and saves her from more pain and grief. Though his reasoning is not selfish he still went against his own beliefs and proves inconsistency. Throughout this entire novel Conrad introduces several European characters that portrayed so many non – admirable qualities such as greed, arrogance, envy, vengeance, sloth, and much more. Yet they are considered the â€Å"civilized† ones. Ironically the cannibals and the other natives in this novel show more admirable qualities such as loyalty, hard work, obedient, strong will, and most importantly restraint. While the civilized men were plotting against one another thinking only of themselves the natives displayed much more honorable character. For example, the native tribes that pledged their loyalty to Kurtz were obedient and remained loyal. They would accompany him on expeditions and kill on his command. Another example of honorable qualities portrayed by these â€Å"uncivilized savages† was restraint. The cannibals that assisted Marlow on his journey had been starving for months and never made a move to attack their fellow crew- members. These â€Å"heathens† displayed true character in this situation because â€Å"It takes a man all his inborn strength to fight hunger properly. It’s really easier to face bereavement, dishonor, and the perdition of one’s soul – than this prolonged hunger †¦ no earthly reason for any kind of scruple. Restraint! †¦ the fact facing me – the dazzling fact. † (Conrad, 1990, p. 38). Through the novel â€Å"Heart of Darkness† Conrad portrays and exposes human nature at its best and at its worst. Conrad embeds irony throughout the entire novel to show that not everything is as it seems and that when involving humans there are contradictions. The main point that Conrad is conveying to his reader is that technological advances do not make a culture superior or civilized, but rather the moral code that they live by. There is not one culture superior to the other. Also that each human being is responsible for their own civil or savage behaviors. What makes one civilized is based off of what they do when no one else is around and how they react to any given situation good or terrible. This novel served as a warning from Conrad of man’s true darkness and the â€Å"human secrets that baffle probability†. (Conrad, 1990, p. 37). One is not civilized based on where they grew up, but their reactions to the world they live in. To be civilized is to act with morality, but to be a savage is to embrace the heart of darkness.

Business Etiquette Essay

Business Etiquette is one of the most important skills any person can posses this days, no matter if you’re a student, or a business person or anyone else, etiquette will come in handy one way or another. When the word Business Etiquette comes to your mind, you think of thing like to burping in front of people or not disrespecting them. what is really Business Etiquette? Business Etiquette is the way a person acts or treats another Employee or customer while on the job. What this means, for example, is phone etiquette. Phone etiquette enables you to handle calls more politely and efficiently. For example let’s say right now a person calls you but your on the phone with another customer, both call are important what do you do? Well In this type of scenario you would tell the second customer that called could you please hold or you have the option also to ask them if you may call them back, but perfecting this method you can assure that your customer will have your full attention everytime you speak to them. Another Etiquette is Dinning Etiquette. The reason why this is important in a business world is because do the fact that most business deal are held over lunch, Proper Etiquette for this situation is always arrive at the door at least 10 minutes early that way you can greet your client at the door. Another this you must not forget is to not talk about any business before lunch is ordered, after lunch has been ordered you may go about your plan. The last most important thing is to pay for your client regardless of the sex and regardless if you business deal went successful or not.

Desegragation of Schools

President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed the black people from the bondage of slavery. Shortly after Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Congress passed three Constitutional amendments and four Civil Rights acts securing Negro rights. In 1896, Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled that it was not wrong for a state to use discriminatory seating practices on public transportation and that each state may require segregation on public transportation. It sustained the transportation law that ordered separate but equal transportation facilities for blacks and whites.The Supreme Court went on to make several other significant decisions sanctioning racial segregation in other circumstances and in other places. The Supreme Court subsequently ruled to authorize racially segregated schools. Prior to the Brown decision, there were significant Supreme Court decisions in this country in the 1930’s and the 1940’s through which blacks gained important civil rights. Blacks were admitted to white Law Schools. White Primaries were outlawed. Racially restrictive covenants in real estate sales were voided. In 1954, the renowned case, Brown v. Board of Education was decided.The Supreme Court declared segregated schools were inherently unequal and therefore unconstitutional. It called for the elimination of discrimination in all public schools. Because the Supreme Court focused on the race issue in public schools, so did the nation. In 1955, Brown v. Board of Education II was decided. The court ruled that blacks need not be immediately admitted to pubic schools on a racially nondiscriminatory basis, but that school boards should eliminate segregation â€Å"with all deliberate speed. † In the South, there was massive resistance to the desegregation of schools.For the next ten years after the Brown I and II decisions the Supreme Court took an inconspicuous position. In 1965-1966 Judge John Minor Wisdom from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals made three decisions that transformed the face of school desegregation law. The three cases were Singleton v. Jackson I and II and U. S. v. Jefferson County Board of Education. The critical premise set forth in these decisions was that school boards had a positive duty to integrate, not merely to stop segregating. U. S. v. Jefferson County Board of Education was one of the most important school desegregation decisions.It was a remedial decree which outlined in detail specifically how school districts were to equalize educational opportunity. This decision foretold of a level of judicial involvement in local education that would have been unimaginable at the time of the Brown decisions. In 1968, the U. S. Supreme Court decided in Green v. County School Board that the school board had the responsibility of affirmative action integration and that it must assume that responsibility immediately. The Court said that school boards would be judged on performance, not on promises or paper.The performance of school boards was to rely on statistical evidence. In 1969, the issue of faculty assignments was addressed in the Supreme Court in U. S. v. Montgomery County (Alabama) Board of Education. The Court set forth a racial ratio of teachers in the school district using quantitative standards. This decision marked the first time the Supreme Court sanctioned the inclusion of affirmative numerical goals in a school desegregation remedy. It was an overdue attempt to give the lower courts and school boards positive guidance as to what faculty desegregation required.Also in 1969, Alexander v. Holmes (Mississippi) Board of Education ordered school systems to integrate no later than February 1970. Eventually, this deadline was extended for years. In that same year the Court, in Carter v. West Feliciana Parish School Board, scolded the school board for delaying student desegregation. In 1970, the Supreme Court decided Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg (Virginia) Board of Edu cation. This was the first decision made by the Supreme Court during the Nixon administration with the two new Chief Justices who were Nixon appointees.In this first decision, written by Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, one of President Nixon’s nominees, the court found Charlotte-Mecklenburg out of compliance with Green. The Court adopted the Finger Plan, a plan proposed by Dr. John Finger, an expert witness in the case selected by the Court. The Finger Plan was to result in schools throughout the system ranging, ideally, between nine and thirty eight percent black enrollment. These percentages were not an absolute, but a goal. It involved busing an additional thirteen thousand students and buying over one hundred new school buses.Start up costs to implement this plan were over one million dollars, with annual operating expenses of over one half of a million dollars. Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg laid the framework for all future court decisions involving busing. It also impl emented the Green decision. Basically, it said that if a school district is found to be in constitutional violation, an appropriate remedy must be implemented. In 1974, the Swann case was closed, leaving the constitutional operation of the schools to the Board of Education.In 1970, Senator John Stennis of Mississippi and other Southern Senators proposed that new federal desegregation guidelines be enforced uniformly across the country. The Stennis amendment was adopted by the Senate. During the 1960’s, urban schools in the North and the South were untouched by the Courts. The Courts had been concentrating on the rural South. The 1960’s had seen a great migration of rural Southern blacks to Northern cities. In the early 1960’s, three fourths of all blacks in the United States lived in urban areas. The north had its own way of distancing blacks, ghettos.In the South, there was de jure segregation of schools, which is segregation of schools required by law. In the North, there was defacto segregation of schools, which is segregation of schools due to residential segregation. In 1972, the Supreme Court heard its first northern and western case, Keyes v. School District No. 1 (Denver, Colorado). The court found the school district guilty of subtle racism. The remedy that the Court implemented was the busing of six thousand more students. Many elementary school students went one half day to a segregated school and one half day to an integrated school.In 1974, Federal District Court Judge Garrity found that the Boston, Massachusetts School Committee was implementing a systematic program of segregation affecting all students, teachers and schools. The Court imposed the remedy of mandatory busing. This order created chaos and social upheaval in the city of Boston. In 1974, Milliken v. Bradley posed a question of remedy to the Supreme Court. The Federal District Court had found that the city of Detroit, Michigan was obstructing integration. The ques tion before the Court was could the Court use suburban students to desegregate inner city schools.The Court’s decision was that suburban students could not be used to desegregate inner city schools. It was a decision that gave priority to educational democracy over school integration. This decision upheld the right of the middle and upper classes, which are predominantly white, to flee the inner city to the suburbs and to educate their children in suburban schools. The segregation that occurred in Detroit’s urban school system was the result of segregated housing practices. This was the first major defeat of the pro-integrationist forces in the Supreme Court.It was the beginning of a continuing trend in the Supreme Court. School desegregation is unfinished business. The desegregation of schools has not significantly improved black students’ achievements, nor has it eliminated segregation in American society as a whole. Racism and prejudice continue to be a major problem in our country. Many problems with our current methods of desegregation of schools have become apparent. However, the United States is relatively inexperienced at the business of racial equality, since the desegregation of schools began just thirty four years ago with the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v.Board of Education. There are many points that need to be refined. Desegregated schools send a message of victory to the black community, that of equal protection under the law. However, community support of school desegregation as well as the attitudinal makeup of the individual and the influence of his family and peers are important factors that influence whether or not a child feels a sense of power. A child’s self esteem can be affected either positively or adversely by attendance at a desegregated school.A child’s self esteem depends on his social interactions and reflects others perceptions of him and of the organizations with which he is affil iated. A child’s self esteem is not effectively raised by attendance at a racially mixed school with a poor reputation, nor is it raised by attendance at a high status school where the child is looked down upon. Schools that are racially mixed and are located in naturally desegregated neighborhoods foster and heighten a child’s self esteem. A person’s sense of powerlessness is closely related to their comparison of their own deprivation as compared to others.A segregated black child has less awareness of his family’s low status in the mainstream of society than in a desegregated school where the student will become aware of how deprived he is in comparison to other students. The expectations of parents, teachers and friends also motivate the child. A child sees his performance through their eyes. He is also motivated by their expectations for him. In the ghetto school expectations are low. In a desegregated school, expectations are much higher, but not ne cessarily for the black, or bused, students.Higher teacher expectations can motivate students in any school. Assimilation of middle class ideas and values depends on how much a child is exposed to them. This is more an integration of the social classes than of race. The climate of the integrated group is an important factor in the assimilation of new values. A desegregated school does provide for exposure to different value systems. Attendance at a desegregated school not only exposes a child to different value systems but also changes his attitudes towards other races and classes. This is a process that takes time.Contact with other social classes of people and races of people and the knowledge of and familiarity with one another is the basis for overcoming prejudice. Prejudice is the pre-judgement, positive or negative, of another person on the basis of that person’s appearance, sex, race, ethnic background or any particular belief. As well as acquainting students with the history of school desegregation, I also wish to educate students as to the extreme prejudice and discrimination that blacks in the United States have been subjected to throughout our history. I want the students to have a knowledge of the segregation laws, also called Jim Crow Laws.This is a very painful part of our heritage that is omitted from history textbooks. I feel our inner city students should be educated about the history of their ancestors and about the continuing journey of blacks from slavery to equality. Segregation is the method of physically separating people by race. It was developed by whites after slavery was abolished with the purpose of confining and controlling blacks. In the North, slavery was abolished by the 1830’s. The free northern blacks could not be bought or sold. They could not be separated from their families. They couldn’t be legally made to work without compensation.However, the blacks were by no means equal to the whites. The doctrine of White Supremacy was universally accepted. Northerners made sure blacks understood their status. One of the major ways the blacks were confined was through segregation laws. In the South, the first place segregation emerged was in the cities. The institution of slavery in Southern cities found blacks and whites living in the same house, divided only by a wall. This was unlike the rural South, where slaves lived in separate houses from their masters. The purpose of segregation was the convenience of the masters and the control of the slaves.After the Civil War, Lincoln declared in his Emancipation Proclamation that all slaves were freed. Immediately afterwards, blacks and whites established physical and social distance between themselves. After the Emancipation, the states instituted the Black Codes, which imposed restrictive conditions on blacks that virtually reinslaved them. The Jim Crow Laws were instituted on the railroads. These Black Codes remained in effect until the First Reconstruction, a period of black Civil Rights. The First Reconstruction was ushered in by the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution and the Reconstruction Act of 1867.By the mid-1870’s public attitude had undergone a gradual change. There was a resumption of the policies of White Supremacy. The Redemption was the return of old Southern attitudes. The black peoples’ stigma from slavery stopped them from fighting for their civil rights, if they were not given to them. During this period, the platform of the Southern upper class white conservatives was that blacks were inferior but that they should not be subject to segregation or humiliation. Squeamishness about contact with blacks was thought to be a lower class white, or â€Å"cracker†, attitude.During this period, racism was expressed in the United States Supreme Court decisions. Between 1873 and 1898, three cases drastically limited black privileges and immunities. These cases were the Slaughterhouse Cases of 1873, U. S. v. Reese and U. S. v. Cruikshank. The Civil Rights Cases of 1883 held that the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution gave Congress the power to restrain states but not individuals from acts of racial discrimination and segregation. In 1896, in Plessy v. Ferguson, the court decided that the separate but equal doctrine was justification for segregation.The turn of the century was a new era of racism, spurred on by recent Supreme Court decisions. There was a renewal of the White Supremacy doctrine. When the United States acquired the Phillipines, Cuba and Hawaii we had under our jurisdiction eight million people of a dark race. Attitudes of racism against these dark-skinned people included American blacks. This period of history was marked by severe segregation laws and discriminatory practices. One such practice was the disfranchisement of the Negro. The standard procedure for disfranchisement of blacks was to set up barriers for voting through which only white men could squeeze.A voter was required to meet property and literacy qualifications. There were loopholes for underprivileged whites, such as the understanding clause, the grandfather clause and the good character clause. Before a citizen could vote, he was also required to pay a poll tax, which was a very reliable means of defranchising blacks and objectionable whites. At this time, the White Primary democratized nominations and party control. The White Primary excluded minorities and became a white man’s club. At this time, propaganda about negro crimes, such as arrogance, surly manners and impertinence was spread. Race relations deteriorated.White mobs committed ruthless acts of aggression against blacks. They set fires, wounded, lynched and murdered blacks. Many Jim Crow Laws were enacted in the years between 1900 and 1920. Up until 1900, the only Jim Crow Law on the books in most Southern states was the law segregating first class railroad cars. This law was expanded to include street cars, steamboats and second class railroad cars. In Southern states , signs were erected that read â€Å"Whites Only† and â€Å"Colored Only†. These signs were at the entrances and exits to public buildings, theaters, boarding houses, toilets, drinking fountains, waiting rooms and ticket windows.The South Carolina Code of 1915 prohibited textile factories from permitting laborers of different races to work in the same room, or use the same entrance, pay windows, exits, doors, lavatories, drinking water, pails, cups or glasses. There was Jim Crow Unionism which excluded blacks from jobs. State institutions, such as hospitals, had segregation laws. Only negro nurses were allowed to care for negro patients. Prisons were also segregated, as were homes for the aged, the indigent and the blind. Blacks were prohibited from public parks by the Separate Park Laws of Georgia, 1905.In Louisiana,a law was passed in 1914 segregating blacks a nd whites at circus and tent shows. In Birmingham, Alabama a law was passed decreeing that the races must be distinctly separated and must be at least twenty five feet apart from one another in any room, hall, theater, picture house, auditorium, yard, crowd, ballpark or any other outdoor place. In 1910, five patterns of residential segregation had emerged in the South. The first was in Baltimore, Maryland. It designated all white and all negro blocks. This pattern was copied in Atlanta, Georgia.The second pattern of residential segregation was in the Chesapeake Bay area cities of Roanoke and Portsmouth, Virginia. The city council was authorized to divide territories into segregated districts and to prohibit either race from living in the other’s district. A third pattern emerged in Richmond, Virginia. Blocks throughout the city were designated black or white, according to the majority of residents. Persons were forbidden to live in any block where residents are occupied by th ose with whom the person is forbidden to intermarry. The fourth pattern, in Norfolk, Virginia applied to both mixed and unmixed blocks.It fixed the color status by ownership as well as occupancy. The fifth pattern of residential segregation emerged in New Orleans, Louisiana. The law required persons of either race to secure consent of the majority of persons living in an area before establishing residence there. In 1917, these patterns of residential segregation were declared unlawful by the Supreme Court. The most successful attempt to circumvent the Court’s decision was the policy of Restrictive Covenant which was a private contract limiting the sale of property in an area to purchasers of the favored race.The most prevalent and widespread segregation was the consequence of the blacks’ economic status. This was the black ghetto, or slum in every Southern city. Smaller towns excluded black residents completely by making it known that their presence would not be tolera ted. On the other hand, thirty towns in the South were inhabited exclusively by blacks. Other Jim Crow Laws regulating a variety of negro activities were enacted during this period in history. In 1909 in Mobile, Alabama, a curfew law required blacks to be off the streets by 10 p. m.In 1915, the Oklahoma State Legislature required the telephone company to maintain separate booths for blacks and whites. In North Carolina and Florida, public schools were required to keep the textbooks of one race separate from those used by the other. Florida specified separation even while school books were in storage. South Carolina segregated schools into a third caste, with separate schools for mulatto children. In Atlanta, Georgia Jim Crow bibles were provided for negro witnesses in court. There were also Jim Crow elevators for negroes in buildings.The prevalent belief in our country at this time, during this Redemption, was that segregation was inflexible and innate. It was also believed that leg islation could not change mores. The Jim Crow Laws of this period didn’t assign blacks a fixed status. They were aggressive and destructive laws that pushed the negro further down. With World War 1, the blacks had new hope for a restoration of their rights. Many blacks joined the armed forces. Many blacks moved North where high wages were being paid in the war industry. The blacks’ participation in the war for democracy raised the demand for mor democracy for them on the home front.However, the post-War Era saw the racial policies of the South imitated in the North. White laborers did not like competition from blacks. They excluded blacks from unions and pushed blacks from the more desirable jobs in industry, federal employment and crafts. In the gid-1920’s the membership of the Ku Klux Klan reached five million. In the 1920’s and the 1930’s, more Jim Crow Laws were passed. In 1926 in Atlanta, Georgia, a law was passed that forbade barbers to serve women or children under age fourteen. At that time, All barbers were black.Four states, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama and Georgia had laws requiring Jim Crow taxis. White passengers were only driven by white taxi drivers. Black passengers were only to be driven by black taxi drivers. In 1944, the Virginia Legislature passed a law requiring separate waiting rooms and other facilities at airports. In 1932, a law was passed in Atlanta, Georgia prohibiting amateur baseball clubs of different races from playing within two blocks of each other. In 1933, Texas prohibited blacks and whites from boxing with each other. In 1937, the state of Arkansas segregated race tracks and gaming establishments.In 1935, Oklahoma segregated both races while fishing and boating. In 1930, a law in Birmingham, Alabama made it unlawful for black and whites to play together or keep company with one another. In the 1930’s, racial tensions lessened. A new liberal administration was making a sincere attemp t to improve the lot of blacks and whites. In the early 1940’s, the North was exerting pressure on the South to abolish segregation. The Supreme Court became a leader in reversing the trends of segregation that it had endorsed during the First Reconstruction.The most monumental Supreme Court decision of this century in civil rights was Brown v. Board of Education. It reversed a constitutional trend that began in the late 1800’s. It marked the beginning of the end of Jim Crow. Presently, blacks are enjoying equal civil rights under the law. All kinds of segregation and discrimination have been declared unconstitutional. The underlying prejudices and subtle racism are slower to die. It is these prejudices that make it difficult for true integration to occur presently in our society.

The aspects of sports merchandising and marketing Essay

The aspects of sports merchandising and marketing - Essay Example By combining the aspects of merchandising and marketing into a sports range, sports merchandising is the way expert sports teams and organizations market and distribute their products to the purchaser. The vast preponderance of the marketing attempt for sports team is accomplished throughout the playing of the teams' games. Professional sports are able to create an implausible amount of experience throughout their games since their uniforms, team colors, and logos are on exhibit for the course of the game to both those in attendance, and the people inspection the game on television. Teams use dissimilar tactics and marketing maneuvers to augment attention and sales in their apparel. We will spotlight on the merchandising efforts of the Wanderer Football Club (WFC), the leader in expert sports organizations in merchandising. I will look at the largely merchandising effort as well as how the league markets itself through a variety of dissimilar avenues (Stephens, Tim. 2002). Sports and the mass media enjoy a symbiotic relationship. On one hand, the mass media, more than anything else, were responsible for turning organized sports from a relatively minor element of culture into a full-blown social institution. On the other hand, sports has been the vehicle for bringing dramatic attention to new mass media forms, which in turn have brought new sporting experiences to the public. This marriage of sports and the mass media has enabled each to flourish. Sports marketers are interested in the relationship between sports and the mass media and in how to use the media to target their messages at sports consumers. In a sense, sport marketing offers a form of narrowcasting, whereby a large group of consumers with common interests is brought together through sports events and programming. The more specific the analysis of the sports-media relationship, the more targeted is the message, and the more effective and powerful is the sports marketing strategy (Buccaneer s Online). 3. Methodology Marketing Strategy What strategic issues confront the sports marketer The list is endless, and this section deals with three of the entries on the list. Licensing products has generated vast amounts of revenue for some teams as marketers take advantage of brand equity in teams and properties. In a sense, the majority marketing engages segmentation of one sort or another. This section examines one method of segmentation and in the process provides a great deal of high-quality advice about segmentation plan. When looking at the merchandising effort of professional sports teams, you must look at the top dog in this, the Wanderer Football Club (WFC). Football is king in the industry for a lot of reasons, none larger than the vast attractiveness and viewing of the sport. In a survey by ESPN/Chilton sports, two-thirds of all Americans consider themselves to be football fans. Maybe even more shocking is the fact that forty-three percent

Thinking Styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Thinking Styles - Essay Example Critical thinking dispositions are manifest in certain processes: understanding, analytical and reasoning processes. â€Å"Critical reasoning, as defined in plus definition set, is always rational because it uses reasons one way or another. However, although rational, it is not necessarily sound. Critical reasoning can be sound or unsound† (Critical Thinking, n.d.). These characteristics can be developed through management practices that foster analysis of the elements of reasoning. As a cognitive process, critical thinking may be defined as a self-reflective grasping of the structures of thought and subjecting them to (rational, reasonable, logical) standards that facilitate the perception and correction of errors in thinking (Schafersman 1991). In some cases, the role of the leader is to facilitate managers’ learning not what to think, but how to assess the quality of their own thinking and reasoning in general. Because knowledge is attained only through thinking crit ically about the reasoning involved in reaching conclusions, managers must be continually asked to reflect on their reasoning and the reasoning manifest in all forms of communication and technical processes. â€Å"Usually critical thinkers are a mixture. They promote root verities and insightful observations on one hand and, then, turn around, and advocate root errors that undo the good they are trying to promote† (Critical Thinking, n.d.). Creative thinking style helps managers to find ‘unique’ solutions in difficult situations and bring together creative ideas. Creative thinking style and management strengths can be characterized as the source of opportunity which lies in know-how decisions. Creative thinking implies new ideas which put into practice through: creation (something new), synthesis (combining concepts), or modification (changing things). Also, researchers distinguish critical and creative thinking.

Peter Alex Keller Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Peter Alex Keller - Research Paper Example Peter Alex Keller, 41, a resident of North Bend Washington, was formally charged with first degree murder and first degree arson on Wednesday, 25 April in King County Superior Court, after he shot his wife , Lynnette, 41, and daughter, Kaylene, 18 with .22 caliber gunshot and fled to the woods. After murdering his family and pets, Keller torched his rental home at 47227 S.W, 159th Street North Bend before heading on The Rattlesnake Ridges to hide in a bunker he spent eight years in building. According to court documents, Lynette and Kaylene died due to injuries from gunshot wounds to the head, inside. The week following the murders, the police searched the whole area for the forty-one year old suspect. Meanwhile, the county prosecutors were compiling a case against the suspect who was missing after the police discovered bodies of the two victims at the burned down North Bend house. Keller’s disappearance added fuel to the speculation about the real identity of the killer and i f the police found him, he would be sentenced to 51 to 65 years in prison. Due to the discovery of Keller’s car, the police knew he was hiding in the woods and warned hikers as well as community members that a killer was on the loose in the woods. (Anonymous, 2012). The Investigation According to the court documents, Keller had been planning to murder his family and pets since quite a while. Using an Issaquah branch of Chase Bank on Friday, April 20, withdrew $6,200. The same day in the evening Keller switched off his cell phone. Furthermore, he took Monday, Thursday, and Friday before the murders off from work. According to court documents, Keller when questioned by a co-worker about when he was going to return to work, he replied, â€Å"I may not come back next week, the week after that, or maybe never†. The court records also state the fact that one Keller’s co-workers reported about the firearms Keller possessed which included high powered rifles with scopes , and silencers. According to the co-worker, Keller had not informed his wife about the silencers because they were excruciatingly expensive. The police during their search of the burned house, found two empty boxes for silencers on the master bedroom’s floor. The police also found on the bedroom’s floor, one box of .22 caliber bullets, spent .22 shell casings along with few empty firearms boxes. (Anonymous, 2012). At the crime scene, detectives found that the shed door was open which suggests that it was most probably used by Keller to hide plastic gas cans filled with gasoline. During the crime scene investigation, the detectives found seven cans of gasoline which had been placed in different parts of the house. The reports of arson investigators suggested that the house was deliberately set on fire. This was a very important piece of evidence which proved that Keller was the murderer. The investigators found that the fire was initiated by placing a one gallon plasti c gas on a skillet which was placed on the stove. The burner ignited fumes inside the can and the fire spread quickly which damaged the kitchen roof and it collapsed partially. According to the evidence found inside the house, the arson investigators concluded that the fire started to spread within half an hour after the gasoline can was placed on the burner. The firefighters found and removed two five-gallon gas cans and three two-gallon gas cans from different strategic locations inside the house. After the fire was put out, the firefighters removed the two victims. The firefighters who found Kaylene on top of a bunker bed stated that her body was limp which meant that she had died a short while ago because rigor mortis had not set in. According to the charging papers, the firefighters stated that â€Å"death had occurred within a short period of time†. Lynette’s hair contained a spent shell and there were two gunshot wounds on her head. Of the two gunshots wounds, o ne was behind her right ear

Sarbanes-Oxley Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sarbanes-Oxley Act - Essay Example Based in Houston, Texas Enron has moved from its modest position to be the tagged as the 7th largest company in the United States and was expected to climb higher and stand out in the power and electric industries. In 2001, the company has 21,000 employees, believed to be in its peak operations. But there was no power shortage in California, hungry to profit more; in a tapped conversation, investors were discovered to have called the plant managers, asking them to shut down the power plants for ‘repairs’ even if there were no technical problems or such. With this ‘technical problems’ prices of electricity rose up to nine times. Enron was a blue chip stock, sold at 90 dollars per share; conniving with its accounting firm, the Arthur Andersen, it has carried out illegal accounting practices since mid 1990’s. It took the plunge when it was found out that its revenues were from trading with special purpose entities. It has at the same time anomalously not declared its losses and debts and from the 90 dollar per share, it has slipped down a 50 centavo per share in a matter of months after the scandal was made public. What made it more devastating was that the same modus was used by other companies such as the MCI-World com, Global Crossings and Tyco among others. The accounting firm that figured in the Enron scandal has handled some of the financial reports of these erring companies. From this economic mess, people feared to invest their money in the market. The government was expected to do something drastic. To make measures to combat the public’s fear to do business with the market. Thus Congressman Paul Sabanes from Maryland, former senator and the longest serving Congressman of Maryland with Michael Oxley from the 4th district of Ohio sat down and authored a bill to respond the problem. They designed a bill that will implement stricter policies for public companies to follow, professional and ethical guidelines for certified public accountants,

Energe sources Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Energe sources - Research Paper Example Generally unlike fossil fuels which are considered to be expensive, pollutants and non-renewable energy, the new alternative energy sources like wind and solar energy should be encouraged and supported by the federal government in an attempt to curb the nation’s increased demand for conventional fuel. This paper proposes the development and support of solar energy and wind power as some of the best alternative sources that should receive government assistance to enable the country address some of its energy related challenges. Solar energy Solar energy refers to the clean energy that is derived from the sun in form of solar radiation. Generally the current technology primarily harnesses solar energy either through the use of solar thermal collectors or the more complex photovoltaic cells. Although currently only 1% of the total energy consumed in America is derived from solar energy, the renewable energy source has got immense potential in the future and is consequently one of the best energy sources that should receive federal funding and support. ... According to Bradford â€Å"this is a relatively large area with an untapped potential to produce up to 76,000MW of clean photovoltaic electricity.†(106). On the other hand, there is also a huge energy potential in solar thermal power plants. Although critics argue that such plants often occupy large tracks of land, a comparison of their electricity output verses land size reveals that solar thermal plants use significantly less land than hydroelectric power or coal plants. It is also worth noting that adopting solar energy will significantly help the government in its efforts to reduce the emission of green house gasses that have been largely associated with the fossil fuels. This is particularly because solar power is a clean energy source that does not produce any green house gases, smoke or other chemical by products. Consequently as a green energy technology, assisting the development of solar energy will also help the United States to be a leader in addressing the issue of climate change and curbing emissions. Lastly solar energy is a decentralized power source that does not need to be transported from one place to the other within the country or internationally and therefore its adoption will bring additional benefits such as reduced pollution due to transport as well as less tear and wear of our roads (Scheer, 67). Generally the role and purpose of the federal government in the development of solar energy include the provision of incentives such as loan guarantees and tax credits, funding researches on solar energy and developing policies that support investment in such renewable energy sources. Wind power Wind power is another

Strategic Review Report for ZARA Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Strategic Review Report for ZARA Company - Essay Example The external environment covers the analysis globally in apparel industries (Cunningham, 2012:34). External environment analysis The external environment will have an analytical review using the PESTEL and Porter’s five Forces model. Political segment-The current increasing political instability among many nations does not do any favors to business people. The war in many nations in Europe, for example nations in the Middle East like Iraq forces businesses to close down and others end up losing their items through theft. Thus, for an investor investing in another country it leads to double loss, which may impact so negatively to the trader such that closing down the business, may end up being the result. In addition, some powerful political figures in other nations where a trader may want to invest or has already invested may order the business not to have a permit to operate in that country or to close down immediately if it is in operation (Hill, 2010:63). This helps to serv e the interests of the politician if they had a business similar to the new one in operation or the one to start operating, since by so doing they will have ensured that the competition is low if other such kinds of businesses operate in the country. This hinders the general growth and development of any business, hinders competition and the result is high prices for commodities, and consequently this is a practice that should remain disregarded completely in the society. Furthermore, employee’s rights and child workforce regulations remain vital to consider facilitating a legal and maintainable job environment in production. Moreover, since the growth of global trade, most producers have their bases in developing nations. The price influence of import and export taxes on the apparel organizations directly influences the progress of global retailers (Schermerhorn, 2011: 56). Economic segment- Because of weak currencies, low workforce costs and the chance to be near to custome rs, a business ought to look into the techniques to reap benefits from a different site. This is so because competition has already penetrated the newer market and persistently tries to balance the gains related to these markets. This has a great influence on the profits of the enterprise. The attainment of a stable economy has remained a big challenge to so many countries and thus current economic trends like inflation, unfavorable balance of payments among others pose a great threat to business people in many countries. These trends affect both the growth and profitability of the organization (Pahl, 2008:72). For instance, the purchase of clothing may simply remain a luxury rather than a necessity. Thus, when an economic recession occurs, it may cause a reduction in customers’ disposable earnings, and hence leading to reduced expenditure on clothing. Moreover, a higher rate of individual savings may have a negative influence on demand in the apparel industry (Cunningham, 20 12:14). Socio-cultural segment- customers appear to use much money on electronics, travelling, healthcare, education, and leisure and spend less on clothing, which makes apparel industries to establish their organizations ecologically to meet customers’ demands. Many workers in the company are females, and they mainly do spinning, weaving, or hanging fabrics jobs whereas males take over technical works like machine supervision.

Economics & the Legal Environment of Business Research Paper

Economics & the Legal Environment of Business - Research Paper Example Macroeconomic factors The macroeconomic conditions are very important for business. Conducive macroeconomic conditions help a business to earn excellent profit, whereas unfavorable macroeconomic situations may convert the profits into losses. There are several macroeconomic factors that can influence the business operation of the company. Some of the vital factors are total production or GDP (gross domestic product) of the country in which the company is located, unemployment situation, prevailing and expected rate of inflation, and rate of interests. (Culp, 2001) If the country in which the company is located has been suffering from negative growth of GDP, then it will produce some adverse impacts on the construction industry also as it a part of the entire economy. For example, if a country is going through recession, then every industrial sector will feel the heat in the form of decreased demand and lower production. On the contrary, if an economy is going through economic expansi on with high rate of GDP growth then, purchasing power of the population will increase which might help in creating higher demand in the construction industry. (Culp, 2001) Similarly, unemployment situation is also a vital factor that might influence the business operation. ... (Culp, 2001) Inflation rate is also a quite vital thing to consider for the growth of a construction company. If the overall consumer price index for an economy is rising for quite a long time, then industry specific consumer price index will also feel its impact. Thus in the presence of high rate of inflation, consumer price index for the construction industry will also be quite high. This mainly happens because in the presence high rate of inflation in an economy costs of production in almost all the industries increase which is in turn reflected in the prices. Now in the presence of high consumer price index of construction industry, the construction company will loose many customers as the prices may not fit to the pockets of the customers. On the contrary, during low level of inflation, the company will get more customers and thus it can expand its production. (Culp, 2001) Interest rate is another vital macroeconomic factor in case of construction industry. This is so as most of the potential customers of a construction company very often depend on loans at the time of purchasing a product of this company. no matter whether the buyer is a government or any private agency or any individual, credit lending plays an important role here. Thus, if interest rate becomes higher, then the cost of borrowing becomes higher and consequently, the products of the construction company will look more expensive. This will simply reduce potential customers of the business entity. However, in the events of lower interest rate, the company will get more customers without changing its prices for its products. (Culp, 2001) Microeconomic factors: Microeconomic factors

Bible Scripture Virture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bible Scripture Virture - Research Paper Example Love rejoices in the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6 New International Version). Therefore, love needs to be an integral part of the professional code of conduct. According to the Christian faith, love must be protective and hopeful. This means that love is consolidative and inclusive. The virtue of love encourages mutual trust and responsibility. This responsibility leads to preservation of life (Roger, 2003). Faith in the lordship of Jesus is the cornerstone of Christianity and New Testament. Those claiming to follow Him must love others just like He did (John 13:34 New International Version). According to the synoptic gospels, the virtue of love is the only unique identity of believers (Ostriker, 2007). Jesus advised the disciples to love their enemies (Mathew 5:43 New International Version). Love never fails (1st Corinthians 13:8 New International Version). This implies that love is strong enough to resist both the professional and ethical challenges of any nature. In the case of nursi ng profession, the patients seeking medical attention deserve unconditional attention and commitment. This is a professional and ethical requirement (Smith, 1995). Love incorporates kindness and patience (1st Corinthians 13:4 New International Version). Love must be viewed in the context of service and applicability in the any profession. The omnipotent and protecting love of God does not necessarily spare Christians from the calamities. However, the faith brings timeless joy from God (Ostriker, 2007). According to research, God never promised exclusion from persecution and trials. However, God uses love to bring people through temptations and to increase their strength. All things work together for good to those who love God, and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28 New International Version). The chapter suggests that nothing can separate believers from the love of God. This implies that the virtue of love is absolute and crucial in any serious undertaking. There is no greater love than a man having to lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13 New International Version). In this analogy, Jesus used the power of sacrifice to explain the power of love. The analogy explains the depth which loves goes when it comes to sacrifice. According to Brown (`1983), Christians are required to love and express the love through actions and words. This entails taking risks to fulfill the spirit of love. Faith, hope and love are important milestones when it comes to Christian faith (1 Corinthians 13:13 New International Version). However, the bible states that love is the greatest of all the virtues. Love inspires the devout to receive and understand each other with an open heart (Roger, 2003). In the context of the Christian faith, love is crucial when it comes to career life (Smith, 1995). The character of God never changes. This means that His promises can be trusted. Love remains inconsequential unless it is demonstrated through actions. In other words, lo ve should not be likened to an exchange program. It should be offered freely to all. The Lord does not change (Malachi 3:6 New International Version). This means that His love is sure and people can rely on Him. The bible also likens God to love. This means that His nature is deeply entrenched to in the virtue of love. Christians are required to love one another in the same way God loves them. In the practice of professionalism, God expects that those called by His Name to spread His nature and values. At the same

Secondary Traits and Social Systems Essay Example for Free

Secondary Traits and Social Systems Essay Personality can be a part of complex physiology rather than the simple, straightforward approaches taken by many personality theorists.   We are constantly creating and reviving our personalities from our social experiences and our sense of acceptance or rejection by others.   In addition to our perception and pruning of our personalities due to outside forces, we are constantly changing our states of being away from a homeostatic state to physiological states of consonance and dissonance and all points in between. Therefore, a reasonable theory of personality development is possible when taking these social and physiological aspects of our natural quests for self-actualization and harmony of personality.    In agreeing that a more comprehensive theory is possible, I must disagree then, that these simple and straightforward trait approaches adequately explain or elaborate on many facets of my personality. I do not believe that my personality has remained constant, as I have had to change and do so frequently due to approval or criticism.   I believe that in moving to self-actualization, I not only go through psycho-social stages and crises, but idiosyncratic events (such as the death of a family member, a move, or any other significant change) has served to change me, as well. No one can gauge this in a simple theory, but to put it simply, the world changes me and I change the reality of the world around me.   Events that once made me happy may make my cynical and, conversely, what I was once cynical about I am now content with.   So, it is impossible to say that I was once a person with a happy and carefree personality and am now cynical or vice versa.   This all depends on the situation.   Also, my spirituality helps me to change the way I think and behave, in essence this is an ongoing change of my personality, as well.

The Strategic Planning Process At United Parcel Commerce Essay

The Strategic Planning Process At United Parcel Commerce Essay UPSs primary business is the delivery time identification of packages and documents worldwide. In recent years, UPS has extended their service portfolio to include less than truck transportation (mainly in the U.S.) and supply chain services. UPS reports its operations divided into three parts: U.S. Domestic Package operations, International Package operations, and Supply Chain transportation activities. Based on the Case study, the purpose of this report is to answer the following questions: Identify the strategic problems and opportunities that exist at United Parcel Service and discuss a coherent set of actions that will address these. What are the potential problems involved in implementing these actions Critically assess the approach to the Strategic Planning process at United Parcel Identify the strategic problems and opportunities that exist at United Parcel Service and discuss a coherent set of actions that will address these. SWOT is an acronym of the internal strengths and weaknesses of a company and the opportunities and threats to the environment in which the company is facing. SWOT analysis is a widely used technique through which managers create a quick overview of the companys strategy. This technique is based on the assumption that an effective strategy derives from a sound fit between a companys internal resources (strengths and weaknesses) and its external situation (the opportunity and threat). An appropriate maximum strength and opportunities of the business and minimize the weaknesses and threats of it. This simple assumption has a strong impact on the design of a successful strategy, United Parcel Service UPS offers transportation services, primarily in domestic and international mail and package delivery Packet through its subsidiaries, it also provides transportation, logistics and specialized financial services company is one of the largest companies provide packages in the world, in terms of revenue and volume. UPS is one of the leading providers of less than trucking service. size large operations of the company allows it to cater to a large customer base in the international market. However, the increase in fuel prices can have a direct impact on corporate profits by causing an increase in the cost of operation of the UPS. Strengths à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Sustainability: UPS is the environmental leader in the U.S. package delivery industry. UPS to reduce its carbon emissions through integrated network, modern air fleet, alternative fuel sources, and extensive use of the tracks.   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Network: UPS has a network of established and continue to invest in network expansion, especially in China.   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Superior Financial Strength: UPS is known for maintaining high operating margins than its competitors.  It is highly profitable, the average ROE of 28% in six years.   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Value of dividends Strength: has consistently increased dividends every year except 2009, in which it is held constant.  Since 2000, the ratio of annual dividends have increased by an average of 2.53%.   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Brand equity: UPS is synonymous with the delivery of parcels.  Brown tones of the delivery truck and logo is iconic for the distribution industry. Weaknesses Awareness of traffic ground instead of overnight Heavy union presence Lag Brand: While the brown trucks of UPS recognized, who cannot have a complete picture of the full capacity of the UPS. Trade unions: the labor force of the UPS is unionized and thus affect the labor cost of the UPS. The threat to strike UPS can cause pressure to increase wages. Debt: UPS has a higher ratio of financial debt compared to its competitors Opportunities: Expansion of online shopping The emergence of the international middle class Business to business growth: increase B-to-B growth will help to expand operating profit due to economy of scale. Asian markets: By increasing the expectations of customers higher quality products, UPS scalability in a fragmented Asian market. They first entered the market by working with key business players in the market with a focus on export / import. After that, they will pursue acquisitions and more of a domestic drama. Logistics Business Solutions: UPS promote its network by providing logistics solutions for the retail and manufacturing companies. Business has been growing double-digit expansion before the crisis and in 2009 revenues decreased 20%. However, this has recently reversed by We Love Logistics campaign. Global healthcare distribution network: the new facilities are being added to the U.S., Asia, Europe, and Canada to adapt to the rapid growth in the medical field. Productivity growth: While DHL, market prices down, leaving the U.S. parcel market more than two years ago, we believe that pricing power is partly delayed after shipment contracts often is 1-3 years. So UPS can be increased margins by controlling prices. U.S. mail volume decline: Over the past 10 years, USPS has steadily lost market share to UPS and FedEx. Continue their decline may benefit modest volume for UPS Threats à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Rising fuel prices: UPS fuel surcharge in the domestic and international package and LTL services as their primary means of reducing the risk of adverse changes in fuel prices. They also periodically on the option contracts on energy commodities to manage price risk with forecasted transactions related to refined fuels such as jet fuel. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ challenging weather conditions: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Bad weather can damage the quality and efficiency in delivery impact. In addition, bad weather can affect retail sales and other groups UPS partner that could hurt sales. While the UPS cannot control the weather, they have improved their tracking platform for customers by providing more information and provide an updated time for customers in case of any delay doubt. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Currency Headwinds: headwind currency in their international business can affect inflation costs. However, UPS has delivered the strong cost that we believe make them competitive with others in the industry. With over a century of experience, we believe that UPS has specialized in foreign currency hedging activities using the derivate financial instruments such as forward currency contracts and currency options. What are the potential problems involved in implementing these actions Porters five forces Porters Five Forces will be used to determine industry competition as well as the strategic impact on Apple. New Entrants- Low à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ UPS has established brand equity à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Long-term contracts with corporate customers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Capital intensive industries related to aircraft, vehicles, software, and storage Replace Medium à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Some customers have needs not time sensitive logistics can trade down using the slower delivery options and less expensive, such as USPS à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Companies can create their own housing in the supply chain and logistics solutions rather than outsourcing work with a company like UPS à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Threats to business mail delivery as a result of a movement to electronic documents Power supply Low UPS does not rely on specific suppliers for their business activities outside the major capital costs Buyer Power Medium Smaller customers are less likely to negotiate the price for fixed price Larger companies using the full range of logistics solutions have pricing power due to their ability to negotiate long-term contracts Competitive rivalry -Private postal companies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Federal Express Most government agencies support à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ USPS à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Deutsche Post Until 1994, UPS has mainly focused on continuously improving their operations that they have to compromise on quality and customer service. Many analysts noted that UPS did not pay attention to the needs of the customer and customer satisfaction. In 1994, due to increasing competition, UPS recognized the need to have many customers meet and embark on a major transformation initiatives of the company. This case gives a detailed overview of the various human resource initiatives UPS à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Nearest competitor, FedEx, similar services in the freight and logistics business à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ UPS focused on overseas growth and expansion of business supply chain à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ be able to compare prices in the industry Critically assess the approach to the Strategic Planning process at United Parcel They have invested in the core business of worldwide distribution and logistics. The company is building capacity in the integration of goods, funds, and information. They use technology to create new services. They began to attract talented people. Study customer behavior and predict their needs. Practice innovation leads to growth. Build an environment that allows them to treat each customer as if he was the only one. We believe that UPS has high potential in the fragmented Asian emerging markets such as China, Malaysia obvious its recent expansion in 2010 and bought seven new aircraft in 2011. Air Freight transportation is developed here. UPS has high interest activities and will earn higher profits when the economy recovers and Have the right to set higher prices in 2012 and 2013. UPS developing supply chain and transportation division, using customized logistics solutions. While they have been used for many retail and high-tech companies, they are branching out into the market global distribution of health care, we believe there is high growth potential for distributed this song. In January, UPS announced the expansion of health care facilities in Kentucky, Singapore, the Netherlands, and Canada. UPS operates in a competitive environment with their direct competitors just FedEx. Developments in the past have shown that they are able to set the price on the exchange rate as well as pass along higher costs in the business, such as energy prices rise. The companys financial strength has allowed them to generate stable cash flow through all business segments of business EPS is expected to reach the highest of all time

The SWOT Analysis: Pepsi

The SWOT Analysis: Pepsi PEPSI is an international player in the soft drink market and operation across the world. In 1893, PepsiCo started its manufacturing in 1893. It got a new name as Pepsi-Cola on August 28, 1898. Then in 1961, it was ultimately named as Pepsi. Initially it was marketed as Brads Drink. The substitutes available in the same market are as follows: 1) Coca-Cola 2) Cola Turka 3) Big Cola 4) RC-Cola In every segment of the target market, Pepsi is highly favorable. Due to its wise spread use at homes, ceremonies and during travels, it has been chosen for this project. Problem Statement In these days, management at the company has observed a significant delay in the sales of their product, Pepsi in this case. The demand for the particular has also declined with time. These business managers have proposed different factors affecting this problem. For instance: 1) A relatively good taste of Rival Products 2) Improvedvalue of Competitors Products 3) Low Price Rival Product 4) BetterPremeditatedDevelopment of Rival Companies Consequently Company Managers have comprehended the need of RE-FINANCING STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PLAN. It evaluated the company processes on the followings fators: SWOT ANALYSIS PEST 5 Cs (company/collaborators/customers/climate/competitors) 4/7 Ps-product,price,place,promotion,people,process,physical Environment. Market Analysis In the cold drink market, some of the players were: Distributers Retailers Customers Suppliers and Competitors With the entrance of other players into the market, there can have threats or benefits. In the case of Pepsi, this was of a significant value. We will analysis these factors as entrance to barriers on the SWOT basis. SWOT ANALYSIS:PEPSI Strengths Branding The premier brand of PepsiCo is Pepsi. In 2008, it got ranked at the 26th position out of 100 top brands of the world. The value of annual sales is $15000 million Other brands of the company include Diet Pepsi, Gatorade Mountain Dew and have the presence in over 200 countries. In the US beverage industry, it has a market share of 39% and 26% in the Snacks Industry. A large proportion of the sales is accumulated through these brands. Diversification The diversification includes the aspect that each top 18 brands of PepsiCo generates approximately $1000 million of annual sales. Distribution The wider distribution network of Pepsi works such that the manufactured product is delivered to warehouses, then to customers ware houses and then to retailers. Weaknesses Overdependence on Wal-Mart PepsiCos largest customer is Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart operates through low price themes which indirectly put pressures on Pepsi to lower down its prices in accordance with its biggest customers. Overdependence on USMarkets The US market generates around-+ 52% of Pepsis total revenues. Low Productivity Low productivity is evident from the fact that in 2008, the revenue that it generated was $219,439 per employee. It was significantly lower than its rivals in the market. Opportunities Expansion of Product Base PepsiCo is pursuing to cope with one of its major weakness: enslavement on US markets by getting Russias topJuice Company, Lebedyansky, and vwwater in the UK. In this way, it would be able to increase its product base in a more competitive market. International Expansion Currently PepsiCo is expanding by making investment in China ($1000 million) and India ($500 million). This points out towards the fact that it is trying to increase its international base and lower its dependency on the US market. The future plans include expansions in Brazil and Mexico through huge investments. Growing Savory Snack and Bottled Water Market in US There is a huge potential for PEPSICO to capitalize on the expanding bottle water market which is expected to have a $24 billion volume by 2012. Threats Sharp Decrease in the Sales of Carbonated Drinks The sales of soft drinks have decreased significantly.Though PepsiCois experiencing diversification but it projected that it would be facing the impact of this decrease. Possible Negative Influence of Government Regulation PepsiCo can be negatively affected as the state and central laws would hinder its operations in marketing, sales and manufacturing. Powerful Competition The one major competitor of PepsiCo in the market is Coca-Cola. Nestle and Marina is also counted as its rivals. The intensive, edge to edge competition in the market can affect pricing policies, marketing, sales and other promotion strategies put forward by the company. For instant the sales of juice has significantly increased for Coca-Cola as compared to Pepsi. Potential Commotion Due to Labor Unrest Pepsi Co is susceptible to strikes and other labor disputes. For example, a strike in India in 2008 had prevented the manufacturing for almost a month. These can exacerbate problems for the company. PEST ANALYSIS: PEPSI A particular business is dependent on an environment to get its revenues for the goods and services that it provides. These environments can both be external or internal. Political Environment: Pepsi To run a successful business, PepsiCo is dependent on the public policy as it is one of the largest multi nation companies in the world. Thus an active participation is essential for the company towards the deliberations of public policy. Political Involvement Policy Citizens Fund (CCF) is the respective entity of PepsiCo that gets voluntary employee assistances to make political campaign contributions to Federal and state political parties, PACs and electoral candidates. These actively help the company to take part in the democratic process in the country. Economic Environment: Pepsi The Primary responsibility of the company, PepsiCo, is to take the necessary measures to preserve the sustainability of the environment in which it works for instance ecological environment, social and economic. Pepsi Co is aware of the critical role that agriculture plays towards different aspects of the business operations. Pepsi Co also recognizes the dangers emerging out of the shortage in food supply and the respective food security threats. Social Environment: Pepsi The unique social environment at Pepsi Co is very desirable where its people are working together for a sustainable present of prosperity. This, in turn, would be beneficial for Pepsi itself. Its promise is to provide the localize versions of its products by keeping in mind the preferences of the local communities in which the business is operating. Technological Environment: Pepsi Technological advancements have helped PepsiCo to enhance its production capacity. Therefore it is making full use of the new technology. PepsiCo is getting a key help through advancements in IT. Situation Analysis: Pepsi It is very necessary for a company to satisfy the needs of its customers while maintaining the profitability through sales. This can be achieved if company keeps track of all the internal and external factors in that environment. 5Cs provide the Situation Analysis for a particular firm operating in a particular market. These are as follows Company Product line Image in the market Technology and Experience Goals Culture Collaborators Distributers Suppliers Coalitions Customers Market size and growth Market Segments Retail channel-where does the consumer actually purchase the product? Consumer Information Sources-where does the customer obtain information about the product? Rate of Purchase, seasonal factors Quantity purchased at a time Trends-how consumer needs and preferences change over time Competitors Real or Potential Direct or Indirect Products Positioning Market Shares Strengths and Weaknesses of competitors Climate or Context The climate or macro-environmental factors are: Political and Regulatory Environment: Which specific policies affect the company Economic Environment: business cycle, inflation rate, interest rates, and other topics Social/Cultural Environment: Trends and fashions in a particular society Technological Environment: The relationship between demand and the impact of technology 7 Ps -Product,Price,Place,Promotion,People,Process, Physical Environment: Pepsi 7 Ps are called Marketing Mix and help in meeting marketing objectives for a company. Pepsi-Product The cola drink includes the ingredients such as carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, colorings, phosphoric acid, caffeine, citric Acid and natural flavors. Following are the popular brands of PepsiCo: Pepsi Twist, Pepsi Tarik, Pepsi Samba, Mountain Dew, etc. Coke v/s Pepsi-Product Pepsi and Coke are the major rivals in the market and compete against a verity of products in the market: COKE PEPSI 1) The dark colored Cola drink initiated the rivalry with Pepsis carbonated drink 1) Pepsi too has a cola version of carbonated drink which competes against the coke 2) Vaultwas released by the Coca-Cola company in June 2005. It is a carbonated drink. 2) Mountain Dew MDXis the version released under Mountain Dew in 2005 after a new marketing campaign 3) Spriteis a clear lemon- time flavored soft drink manufactured by the coca-cola company. 3) 7 UP is a lemon carbonated drink competing with Sprite 4) Diet Coca-Colais a sugar free soft drink produced and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company 4) Diet Pepsiis a low-calorie carbonated cola. 5) Fantais a soft drink citrus brand owned by The Coca-Cola Company. 5)Mirindais soft drink brand owned by PepsiCo and it competes with Fanta Table : Coke v/s PEPSI Price Price is the monetary value of a good in a particular currency. Pricing is the major portion of the marketing mix. Before the entrance of PepsiCo in the market, Coke was the only player in the market nd it directed the price of the cola drink. The competition emerged after the entrance of Pepsi. Now the price is determined on the basis of competition between Coke and Pepsi. Pepsi portrays a flexible attitude and cut downs its prices at times. This has also incurred some loses for Pepsi due to the risks attached. Though the lowered prices would attract more customers, it also badly affects the production cost which becomes difficult to cover. This was an early phase situation for Pepsi but now it has recovered due to the rapid growth that it is making. Place In marketing, is a geographic location, an industry, a group of people to who company wants to sell its products. Pepsi like Coke has its network all over the world. Pepsi has joined forces with companies like Quaker Oats,Lipton etc. It runs ads in different localities of the world. Promotion Promotion encompasses 4-subcategories: Advertising Personal selling Sales Promotion Publicity and Public Relations A promotional strategy can include: a) Sales Shootouts b) New product reception c) Brand Equity Emergence d) Positioning e) Competitive retaliations f) Creation of a corporate image Pepsi and Coke have a special status regarding their promotional activities.The rivalry was initiated when Pepsi started its blind taste challenges. It took the method of a taste test at public places like shopping malls, community centric hubs etc. By letting people taste both the colas, they asked the people to select the preferred one so that people would buy Pepsi. The following chart provides a comparison between Pepsi and Coke: Figure : Price Comparison People- Pepsi Pepsi has deeply affected the lives of people by changing their preferences. Process-Pepsi Process involves the transformation of inputs into outputs. With the latest technology, pepsi has helped people to get a much better carbonated product. Physical Environment-Pepsi The internal and external environment has been affected by the operations of Pepsi and it holds a well-established position for that. THE RE-FINANCING STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PLAN It is the particular strategy of framing, executing and gauging decisions that allow an organization to meet its objectives. The making and designing of a strategy includes the following: Vision and Mission(the target of the business) Strength and Weakness Opportunities and threats The contemplations for top strategy devising are: Allocation of resources Business to enter or retain Business to divest or liquidate Joint ventures or mergers Whether to expand or not Moving into foreign markets Trying to avoid take over HRM and Strategy Strategists: are individuals who are most responsible for the success or failure of an organization. They are individuals who form strategies. They have various job titles, such as CEO, President, owner etc. Pepsi- Vision Statement PepsiCos responsibility is to continually improve all aspects of the world in which we operate- environment, social, economic-creating a better tomorrow than today Pepsi Cola Mission Statement Our mission is to increase the value of our shareholders investment. We do this through sales growth, cost controls, and wise investment resources. We believe our commercial success depends upon offering quality and value to our consumers and customers. Providing products that are safe, wholesome,economically efficient and environmentally sound, and providing a fair return to our investors while adhering to the highest standards of integrity. Types of Strategy Competitive Advantage: Pepsi By taking our competitive strengths, and investing in them to create longer-term value to sustain growth. PepsiCo has 3 key advantages: big, muscular brands the proven ability to innovate and create differentiated products , and Powerful go-to-market systems. Cost Advantage It is the global leader in savory snacks, and those snacks can be paired with its beverages in the marketplace. Those pairings will enable PepsiCo to provide unique offerings to retail and foodservice customers. Market Dominance It is one of the worlds most familiar consumer food and beverage companies, offering brands like Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Tropicana and Quaker. The Coke vs. Pepsi conflict raged on for decades across the country on supermarket shelves, fast food restaurants and the like. New Product Development Pepsi As a consumer-focused company, we want to enrich the lifestyles of our consumers while increasing the local relevance of the products we make. We recognize the need to understand and respect local cultures, rituals, patterns and intake gaps when developing delicious-tasting convenient and affordable products for consumers in that market. For example, in India, we have introduced a whole-grain product for breaking the fast around the observance of Ramadan. In China, we have introduced congee (with whole grains and reduced sodium) as a locally relevant breakfast offering to add nutritional value to the Chinese diet, and were introducing products made from grains in sub-Saharan Africa as a change from those made with plain flour. Contraction/Diversification IndraNooyi, PepsiCo Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, Our results this quarter reinforce the advantages of our balanced portfolio, as our food and international businesses delivered solid performance while we continued the transformation of our North American beverage business. As part of its strategy to grow in key markets, the company recently announced plans to invest $1 billion over the next four years in China, PepsiCos highest priority growth market. And, in Russia, PepsiCo along with its partner The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. announced a plan to invest $1 billion over the next three years. Price Leadership Strategy An observation made of oligopolistic business behavior in which one company, usually the dominant competitor among several, leads the way in determining prices, the others soon following. The context is a state of limited competition, in which a market is shared by a small number of producers or sellers. Pepsi- Global Strategy It is not just another beverage on the vast shelf of choices. Pepsi made a decision years ago to diversify its offering and branch into the global arena. Pepsi is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York. It is a manufacturing company distributing beverages and snack foods across 200 countries. Pepsi-Reengineering Strategy Reengineering initiatives typically lead to a business organization with these characteristics: 1. Business processes are simplified rather than being made more complex. 2. Job descriptions expand and become multi-dimensional people perform a broader range of tasks. Downsizing PepsiCo Inc. is considering cutting approximately 4,000 employees and reducing pension contributions in order to increase their income.Citing a source, reported the New York Post, quoted by Reuters on Friday (06.01.2012), currently the company offers retirement plans and matching contributions to 401 thousand retirement savings account.One of these large companies believes that by offering both of these are an act that is more generous.Pepsi-party claims when 401 thousand by eliminating the retirement savings account that will save the company up to USD75 million. The layoffs, accounting for approximately one percent more than the payroll company, will include a small number of workers at its headquarters. Delayering To lessen the size of a business hierarchy, especially in terms of a reduction in management. This creates a flatter(less layered) organizational structure. There have been numerous cases of companies delayering their organization structures over the past few years. Many of these companies include industry leaders rarely satisfied with their past success, continually searching to improve all facets of their business, including their management structure. Recent examples of well-known companies that have delayered include Pepsi-Cola, Hewlett-Packard, Corning, Tenneco, and General Electric, to name only a few. RESTRUCTURING PepsiCo Inc. plans to cut 8,700 jobs in a restructuring as it seeks to offset high commodity costs and increases investment in advertising and marketing in North America.Its a lower figure than sources had expected. Of PepsiCos 100,000 U.S. workers, about 2,000, or 2 percent, are on the chopping block, say knowledgeable sources, a figure Mr. Nicolas couldnt immediately confirm. Some 1,800 people work at the West Loop headquarters of Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Tropicana. Other PepsiCo teams plus its global nutrition group also are in Chicago. Mr. Nicolas declined to comment on specific jobs or people before the company notifies workers of their status this week. The Financial Analysis Pepsi Bottling Group is the worlds largest manufacturer, seller and distributor of Pepsi-Cola beverages. With annual sales of nearly $11 billion, the companys fastest growing segment is non-carbonated beverages, including the number one brand of bottled water in the U.S., Aquafina, as well as Tropicana juice drinks and Lipton Ice Tea. As part of a 24/7 production operation, the companys Detroit plant ships about 27 million cases per year. Production at the plant begins as empty bottles are unloaded from trucks via conveyor and transported to a depalletizer. From there, they are, rinsed, dried and sent to a filling machine (filler speeds at the plant vary based on bottle size, ranging from 350 to 1,000 bottles per minute). The bottles leave the fillers and make their way to a packaging machine, and then to a palletizer. Each pallet is wrapped for distribution and moved to the warehouse for shipping. We can show the statement of financial position of PEPSI Inventory (raw materials) in different years in the following chart. Figure : Financial Position of PEPSI Inventory (raw materials)

Prefrontal Cortex Lesions from Neurosurgeon and Patient Perspective :: Surgery Surgical Health Essays

Prefrontal Cortex Lesions from Neurosurgeon and Patient Perspective In this paper, I will discuss lesions of the prefrontal cortex from the perspective of the practice of neurosurgery (in particular, the sub-field of psychosurgery) and then I will consider some studies that look at the implications of lesions to the prefrontal cortex to the brain and behavior, from the perspective of the patient with the lesion. Initially, I will start with the history and explanation of psychosurgery. Psychosurgery is the branch of neurosurgery that involves severing or otherwise disabling areas of the brain to treat a personality disorder, behavior disorder, or other mental illness (Rodgers 1992). Modern psychosurgical techniques target the pathways between the limbic system (the portion of the brain on the inner edge of the cerebral cortex) that is believed to regulate emotions, and the frontal cortex, where thought processes are seated. The field of neurosurgery as a specialty was not defined until the end of the 19th century. In earlier days, surgeries had to be tailored to poor lighting and lack of magnification (Valenstein 1986). The development and implementation of the operating microscope in the 1960s allowed surgeons to operate through a narrow tunnel to resect deep-seated lesions (Valenstein 1986). Psychosurgery, and lobotomy in particular, reached the height of use just after World War II. Between 1946 and 1949, the use of the lobotomy grew from 500 to 5,000 annual procedures in the United States (Valenstein 1986). Lobotomy is a psychosurgical procedure involving selective destruction of connective nerve fibers or tissue. It is performed on the frontal lobe of the brain and its purpose is to alleviate mental illness and chronic pain symptoms (Valenstein 1986). At that time, the procedure was viewed as a possible solution to the overcrowded and understaffed conditions in state-run mental hospitals and asylums. Known as prefrontal or transorbital lobotomy, depending on the surgical technique used and area of the brain targeted, these early operations were performed with surgical knives, electrodes, suction, or ice picks, to cut or sweep out portions of the frontal lobe. Today's psychosurgical techniques are much more refined. These technological advances include the use of computer- assisted stereotaxis, intra-operative ultrasound, brain mapping and endoscopy. Minimally invasive surgery is a major advance in neurosurgery and refers not only to a more limited skin incision

Government and Politics - The War in Iraq and the Bush Administration E

The War in Iraq and the Bush Administration My great, but imperialist nation is at war again. And it's the hottest reality TV program ever conceived! I find it interesting that protestors in Chicago marched on the home of the ad exec responsible for the new "Army of One" campaign. The people on the street, or in the streets as is the case here, know how false that message is and they're taking matters into their own hands. In "Masters of War," Bob Dylan attempted to put a face on the enemy next door. Today, in this time of instant and often wireless communication, we not only have the face, we have all the digits that go with that face and the ability to direct an activist movement at this "target" within hours, if not minutes. Welcome to the hyperlinked Internet Age, an age of honesty and sharing for the common good. I've got CNN on in the other room and from time to time I feel the need to see what they are entertaining the viewers with. Explosions! Explosions make for great TV, as Hollywood continues to prove. The other thing CNN, MSNBC, FOX, and CNBC are overwhelming...

Research Paper on the Effects of Mass Media on the Perfect Body Image

How can you determine what body image should be? The desire for the perfect body has been prevalent throughout society for a vast majority of time. What makes teenage girls feel the need to strive for this â€Å"perfect body†? Some have asked, â€Å"†¦a rapidly growing body of research addresses the question of whether body perfect ideals in the mass media are a core risk factor for negative body image, particularly in women† (Dittmar, Helga) My hypothesis is â€Å"Does the media influence adolescent girl’s weight concerns and their perceptions of body weight and shape? The media in many aspects controls the way that people see themselves and the way they do things. So with teenagers striving to look like what they see in the media some of them go through drastic means to achieve these looks.â€Å"The role of mass media influences and parental marital status in the onset of eating disorders. In particular, teenagers tend to be the main target of trying to look like this image. † (Irala-Estevez, Martinez-Gonzalez, Lahortiga, Alonso, Cervera, Gual) Eating disorders is a major medical problem that most teens face. Among girls, eating disorders symptoms were directly affected by sociocultural influences, in particular media influences†(Rodgers, Paxton, Chabrol). If the media keeps influencing how teenagers see themselves it can not only damage their life but their families. The Health Information Network as done research on diets has shown â€Å"Anorexia is the Number one killer of teenage girls and in total more than 90% of those with eating disorders are adolescent young women.In many girls, the problems appear to set in from a very early age and is caused by peer pressure and exposure to media advertising† Does media have a major influence in the way teens look at themselves? â€Å"Media causes body dissatisfactions since they are the ones who define this perfect body. † ( Furnham, Greaves) I will test whethe r different outlets of media from T. V advertisements and shows, magazines, and street ads have a strong influence on how teenage girls look at themselves.Also to what measures will they go to, to achieve the perfect body that they see in the media. In this ever changing society the perfect body has had many different definitions. â€Å"This ideal standard of beauty is conveyed to individuals via a number of sources including family, peers and the mass media. † (Hargreaves) There has been other research down to measure the influence media has on the perception of the perfect body image. A study was done by psychologists with individuals from Fiji where there was little edia influence. Their results showed that, â€Å"Key indicators of disordered eating were significantly more prevalent following exposure. Narrative data revealed subjects' interest in weight loss as a means of modeling themselves after television characters. † (Becker) After being exposed to American TV shows there was a huge change in body image. Not only with T. V shows but as well as magazines have a great influence on body perception.One researcher as shown the relationship between magazines and body image, from the Department of Medicine from Harvard Medical School they concluded â€Å"There was a positive linear association between the frequency of reading women's magazines and the prevalence of having dieted to lose weight because of a magazine article, initiating an exercise program because of a magazine article, wanting to lose weight because of pictures in magazines, and feeling that pictures in magazines influence their idea of the perfect body shape. With my research, this type of study would hard to replicate because it’s impractical to find a somewhere in the United States that has no or little media influence. The ideal woman and man portrayed in the media practically do not exist.It sets up images that fool viewers and readers to think that there are actual ly people that look like models. â€Å"The average American woman weighs 140 pounds and is 5’4† tall, reports Eating Disorders and Prevention, Inc. In contrast, the typical model is 5’11† and weighs 117 pounds. That makes the model thinner than 98 percent of American women. (Strahan) This makes young people have enormous pressures and when they can’t measure up to this image prevailed by the media, their self-esteem suffers. So in my research I will test girls from the ages of 13-19 from high school and college. I will give them surveys that will ask how much media they are exposed to. With questions that see if they are watching TV shows like 90210, or Melrose Place and magazines such as Seventeen, and Cosmopolitan. Then the girls can then be split into two groups; Group 1 with the girls that are exposed to little forms of media, and Group 2 with girls that are exposed to many forms of media.They then will be given another survey that will ask how much they weigh, how they see themselves, and what type of body image they desire. Body-image is being measured by the â€Å"conceptualized as a multidimensional construct that represents how individuals think, feel, and behave with regard to their own physical attributes† (Morrison , Kalin) If Group1, the group with little exposure to media, has a normal body perception and doesn’t desire a skinnier body image in contrast to Group 2. Where Group 2, the group an immense exposure to media, has poor body perceptions and desires a skinner body.The conclusion then can be made that the amount of media exposure has an influence on body image and perception. There are many challenges that can come up during research on the â€Å"perfect body† image. Some teenage girls might show a change in how they view themselves during the course of the experiment. But it may not be because of media influence but maybe their peers influenced them or their culture demands for a certa in body image. â€Å"Both peers and popular culture, independent of each other, exert influence on girls' weight control beliefs and behaviors. (Field, Camargo, Taylor, Berkey, Colditz) If we come to the conclusion that media indeed has a great influence on body perception; how are we going to try to fix the damage media causes on many individuals? Why not media? â€Å"Social activism and social marketing approaches are suggested as methods for fighting negative media messages. The media itself is one potential vehicle for communicating productive, accurate, and deglamorized messages about eating and shape-related disorders. † (Thompson, Heinberg) If media has such a great influence on creating negative body image, we can use media to create a positive body image.With media showing normal body image it might help teenage girls feel less pressured to desire an unhealthy body image. Therefore, over time it will become clearer as to whether actions will be taken against the med ia in order to end teenagers from trying to achieve the perfect body. Teenagers need to see that being different is good and the media is only brainwashing them to be like everyone else. Hopefully with more research done to show the great effects media has on teen’s body perception and the measures they go to, to obtain that perfect body image.Media will stop putting out such a negative body image, and more of a natural, average body image.

A Fine Balance: Characters

4 Characters: Dina, Ishvar, Om, Maneck. Ishvar is Om's nephew. Dina is widowed. Maneck college student. Dina Shroff, who was raised by her strict brother after her father died she meets Rustom Dalal. The couple fall in love and marry, but on their third wedding anniversary Rustom is killed in a bicycle accident, leaving Dina alone. Rustom’s aunt teaches Dina to sew her eyesight begins to fail, so she is forced to find another way to make money Her friend Zenobia introduces her to Mrs Gupta, who offers her some tailoring piece work She hires Ishvar Darji and his nephew Omprakash, originally from a small village, to do the work. Ishvar’s father wanted a better life for his sons and so sent them to a neighbouring town to learn to be tailors They became the apprentices of Muslim tailor Ashraf Ishvar was seventeen, racial hatred of Muslims reached boiling point and any homes or shops belonging to Muslims were burnt to the ground Ishvar and his brother Narayan saved Ashraf’s shop by claiming it belonged to them, leaving Ashraf forever in their debt. Narayan returned to the village and set up a successful tailor business for lower caste people He married and had a son. His business was very successful and it gave him enough money to build a proper house All was going well until Narayan discovered that the elections were being fixed by Thakur Dharamsi, a powerful land owner Narayan confronted Thakur, who had him tortured Not satisfied with just killing Narayan, Thakur decided to punish his whole family. Narayan’s wife, daughters and parents were tied up and burnt alive in their home. Omprakesh and Ishvar were the only ones to escape they continued working in their tailor shop, but were forced out of business when a ready-made clothing shop opened in the town. Maneck. He grew up in a mountain village, where his father was the proud owner of the local village store and inventor of a popular drink, Kohlah Cola Maneck was sent to college and became good friends with the student president, Avinash Avinash led an uprising against the conditions and became involved in politics When the Emergency was declared, Avinash had to go into hiding, leaving Maneck alone His mother then arranged for him to move in with Dina Dalal The four are quite happy for almost a year, but then the Emergency starts to impact their lives. The tailor’s shack is demolished in a government beautification program, forcing them to live on the streets After two months they bribe their way out and persuade Dina to let them move in with her. Ishvar decides it is time for Om to find a wife, so they return to Ashraf's town There they bump into Thakur, who recognises the pair Ashraf is beaten to death and Ishvar and Om are given compulsory vasectomies Thakur visits them as they are recovering from the operation and arranges on a medical pretext to have Om's testicles removed. Ishvar’s legs become infected and have to be amputated. Maneck finishes his college course and returns home His father’s business is failing due to cheap imports of commercial soda, and Maneck decides to leave, taking a job in the Middle East. Dina finds herself all alone. A Beggarmaster who had been protecting her from her landlord's bailiffs is murdered, leaving her vulnerable; she reluctantly returns to live with her brother. Eight years later, Maneck returns home for his father’s funeral. Maneck reads some old newspapers and discovers that Avinash was found dead by the side of a railway track and Avinash’s three teenage sisters hanged themselves because their parents could not afford their wedding dowries. Maneck decides to visit Dina She explains that Ishvar lost his legs and that the tailors are now beggars Maneck leaves Dina’s house, pretending not to recognize the tailors in the street, and heads for the railway station where he steps in front of a train.