Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi - Essay Example The author’s transformation leads to the growth of her inquisitive nature as she gets to question some of the various issues that surround her life. It is through this rebellious streak that the reader gets to appreciate the author’s transformation. This is especially because the time, in which these private changes were taking place, the region was facing tumultuous and incredibly dangerous disruptions (Satrapi, 2004). This paper will examine the novel, and help bring out aspects of the book that might make a difference in the lives of people. The author indicates in the novel that she happened to be the granddaughter of an emperor in Iran. As she tries to comprehend the extent of such novelty, she grows up trying to also understand the complexities of the life she lives. The author works on divulging information about rebellion in the lives of people around her, and the societies in which she lived. It is in the book that the reader gets to comprehend the nature of th e region, and some of the upheavals it was going through as it transitioned through the boundaries individuals created for themselves and others (Satrapi, 2004). Persepolis tries to delve into some of the issues that affect societies in modern times. It is through the book that people are made aware of their natures, and how to get about life minding others. The book tries to bring to reality the major themes that occurred in the region back then, but that may still be affecting society in present times. However, this is for the reader to conclude after completing the novel. The book sheds some light on the differences that exist between the lives that people lead on the outside, while living contradictory lives privately. The case of the author’s parents could be the perfect example. They talk of how evil the regime was, and they try to express their rebellion in their home. This is done by drinking wine and supplying their daughter with posters from famous people that were not from their world (westerners) (Satrapi, 2004). The upheaval saw changes take place that may not have necessarily been welcome in the region by people who were content with what they had, that is; safety and comfort in their beliefs and customs. Also, the different reasons behind rebellion can be found in the book as the author tries to claim that the presence of knowledge or even fear could be motivators for people to rebel. The revolution in Iran came about as a result of the difference in social class. There were tremendous gaps between the rich and the poor, which the author insinuates that she often felt ashamed of, especially when she was in her father’s Cadillac. The author tries to bring to the reader the diverse points of view that were held by different people present in her life, for instance; her grandmother, her parents, and outside society. This is done in an effort to bring forth all the sides of the story, and not just placing judgments on certain groups of people, or try to decide who might have had it better or worse. The historical perspective is the aspect that is brought out by the author (Satrapi, 2004), whose humor and alternating tone assists in bringing out the seriousness of the issue that rocked the region in the twentieth century. Violence, religious persecution, corruption, and even torture are themes which are recurring in the novel. They are themes that are seen through the eyes of a child (younger Marjane), while the humor she displays tries to create the sanity that is

Case Study Of The Virgin Group

Case Study Of The Virgin Group Virgin Group is made up of more than 200 companies, which employ nearly 50,000 people all over the world. The business has witnessed continual growth since it was started. The revenues reached a record mark of 10 billion sterling pounds in the year 2006. This reveals the magnitude and level of business in which Virgin Group is operating. The nature of leadership in existence in Virgin Group draws many features from the personality of Sir Richard Branson. The business philosophy postulated by Sir Richard Branson believes that the ultimate results of customer satisfaction and shareholders gain is the responsibility of every individual. He believes that if the staffs are kept happy then the customers are going to be happy meaning that the shareholders will be happy too (Branson 1998, pp. 14). Consequently, the management of Virgin Group does not fall in to any particular model. It has a unique management structure whose characteristics do not fit those of the existing models. The amalga mation of concepts makes it distinctive. A critical review reveals that the success witnessed by Virgin Group can be attributed to the uniqueness of its management styles. Management Theorists like F Taylor first created the concept of scientific management. This scientific concept postulates that there are six main features of management, namely; experiment, observation, selection, standardization, and training. Scientific philosophy of management expects that rewards and employee compensation should be pecked on performance and co-operation. Although some facets of this theory are outdated, some of its features are still applicable in the business structure of modern times. As a good illustration, Virgin group may be having what appears as a relaxed working environment but some features of scientific management are in the application. Such aspects of scientific management used in Virgin Group include training, selection, and payment pecked on results. Some employees are compensated because of their outstanding entrepreneurial ambition and innovative thinking. Outstanding performance in Virgin Group is not only measure by the amount of financial input an employee has brought but also creativity and ability to think outside the box. Another model of management is bureaucracy, which sees the organization of business as one unit. The pioneers of this school of thought believed that family practices could not be delinked from the organization. Therefore, there a need to merge family goals with those of the entire organization. Organizational goals of Virgin Group cannot be dissociated with those of Sir Richard Branson. This is enough reason to conclude that the management style in the organization has some elements of bureaucracy in leadership. Max Weber first formulated this kind of management approach. The impact of the entire society is given considerable attention by the management. In this model, the organization forms an integral part of an amorphous society. Despite having some draw backs, this model has found its way in to the Virgin Groups management style. In a bid to meet the needs of the society it is serving, virgin management give priority to the impact, its strategies will have on society. This is the reason as to why Virgin Atlantic, an airline company under Virgin Group, has been on the frontline on the crusade for environmentally friendly jet fuel. Furthermore, there is an element of administrative theory in the management of Virgin Group. Propounded by Henry Fayol, administrative theory view management as a chronological process comprising of planning, organization, training, and coordination of functions. This model represents the transitional theory between the traditional and modern models. It is characterized by rigid and mechanistic tenets. Virgin Group has a little bit of these management principles. It has deviated from it by allowing liberalized management at departmental level. However, at the departmental levels, there is a need to advance the principles of management. The thoughts of employees should remain to be customized to suit these principles. The management of Virgin group with a heavy weight is contingency approach. The decision-making and plans executions are done with close reference to the problem at hand. This has seen the group attain notable milestones in streamlining its management, which eventually translates in to revenues. In this management model, the dynamics of business environments is appreciated. It recognizes the fact that different environments require different management approaches (Damanpour1996, pp 694). Concisely, it is true to argue that Virgin Groups success story of many years is a factor of many things including it optimal management model. The group has been able to amalgamate the presets of every model to suit its present needs. What is emerging vividly from this global organization is the fact that the efficacy of management is determined by its ability to move away from conventional and rigid requirements. Moving with the trends in the market has been proven beneficial in optimization of profits. From the descriptions given above, it is evident that Virgin Group leadership is a transformational. In transformational leadership the management looks beyond the compensation to employees. The model, which is in use at Virgin Group, explores the inner factors, which enhance performance of employees through motivation. On the contrary to the transactional model, which look at compensation alone, transformational leadership looks at the way of achieving high-level loyalty and commitment from the followers. The brand in the name of Virgin was founded in 1968. Since then it has grown beyond borders and become a worldwide product. Its venture into many different industries is a true reflection of the success. Sir Richard Branson is the present chairperson of the group. He is well known for his stylish but competitive leadership skills. Many analysts and scholars attribute the success of Virgin Group to the creative leadership skills of Branson. In the process of expansion, he took over several risky ventures in a more to diversify and improve his business. In most of his business plans, he focused on minute segment of a specific market and provided quality products or services. This approach allows for creation of small monopolistic markets with high profit margins. One major contributor to Bransons success story is his ability to lead people in exploring innovative and profitable ventures. Therefore, the leadership style depicted by Branson is a topic to be investigated in the following discussions. The kind of leadership philosophy advocated by Branson has been infiltrate into the entire company. Sir Richard Bransons leadership style falls in the category of transformational. He has an outstanding ability of bringing out the best out of humanity. Interpersonal and relational skills possessed by Branson are impeccable. He has close touch with the day to day activities of various companies within his group. The most common feature that has made him achieve great milestones in business development is the ability to motivate and rally fellow partners in pursuit of a business opening. If the recent acquisitions are taken as an illustration, he managed to convince fellow stakeholders in adoption of a new strategy. In his ventures, he looks for people who are outgoing and willing to start new businesses. His capacity building nature has made him an admirable leader of modern business. His focus spans beyond the orthodox perspective of employees where the management expects the workers to perform to deserve compensation. The interest of Branson surrounds asking the question as to whether a partner or employee is optimizing his or her capacity. He is interested also with people who are willing to take risks and the best in their tasks. For a long time, he has succeeded in bringing out the best out of his staff, a core character of transformational leader. There is no doubt about the fact that Bransons success since 1970s is attributed directly to his attitude towards management of a team. In his approach, the barrier existing between the employees and management is broken. In fact, many people working with him approaches business issues with a philosophy of achieving through innovative thinking and not adhering to the preset rules. Because of the ideologies propagated by Branson, all participants in the organization share similar values. He formulated his own style of leadership, priding himself on integrating the employees in to his style and seeking their thoughts on ways of improving value to customers. Employees are expected to internalize these values and respond in accordance to them. Integration of corporate values in leadership strategies means that there is little interference by external forces (Werdigier 2007, pp. 4). Nevertheless, Sir Bransons approach does not mean that the employees are entirely dependent on the chairpersons thoughts. They are equally accountable of their actions like fellow employees under transactional leadership. In order to motivate his employees, Branson and his management team, especially human resources management department have systems of enhancing commitment of employees through bonuses, stock options and profit sharing, and internal promotion wherever possible. Apart from Sir Bransons input in the success of the Virgin Group, there is a contribution of organizational culture in the company. Organizational culture existing in Virgin Group in fairly complex. The Group serves more than 100 companies operating separately in the industries which are not entirely related. The common feature within ever company in the group is the glamorous Virgin Brand. The brand remains unchanged in all companies operating in different businesses. This is a similarity, which puts a heavy responsibility on each department or division to positively represent the brand. The image reveals an overall image of quality and innovation inherent in the group. Through the creation of an exclusive brand, the company has been able to consolidate and maintain desirable loyalty levels among the customers. The diverse business portfolio evident in Virgin Group businesses is helpful in building and maintaining loyalty in various industries. This is the main reason as to why the company has witnessed high levels of success. The managers in the company employ the concept of creativity to encourage employees to enhance their contribution to the group in whatever level of hierarchy. They discourage the scenario where employees sit back to execute instructions. Employees have the capacity of producing cutting-edge products, which the whole company will be able to deliver to the market. They can also formulate ways of improving efficiency in the company. This is an outstanding feature of Virgin Group. Every individual has a say when it comes to products development. The management style in application at Virgin Group encourages members of staff to be competitive. This will eventually build a desire in the hearts of employees to see the company succeed so that they can be recognized as contrib utors to new and innovative business model. There is no clear cut between management and leadership within Virgin Group. Transformational leadership emanates from executives and top managers in the company. There are harmonized goals set by Sir Richard Branson and fellow company executives. Various companies within the group will work towards achieving those goals. These ambitious goals range from utilization of new technology, expansion in international markets, joint venture with other existing companies and loyalty among customers. Goals formulated at this level of management are communicated to every employee in the company. This is a beneficial strategy, which gives every employee a task to accomplish in fostering the groups mission. The senior management implores the employees to output their skills in such a way that they are going to complement the company (Virgin Group n.d.). The notion behind this effort is to advance the philosophy that the entire benefits of the group will eventually lead to individual gains for ev ery person involved. The contribution to the group will ultimately result in rewards for managers, employees, shareholders, executives, and customers alike. One desirable feature of Virgin Group is its organizational structure. Through its structure the company has succeeded in overcoming the challenges related to expansion. An expansive organization like Virgin Group must explore ways of handling the massive information within the company. Through its flat organizational chart, Virgin Group Limited has been able to handle it expansive business portfolio with much ease. The reduction of horizontal chain of command means that interdepartmental communication is enhanced. As the level of hierarchy moves down, the lower levels of management tend to concentrate more keenly on the management of the company. Although leadership is always encouraged among the managers, it requires some levels of strict management to make sure that the task has been accomplished. Different divisions within the company have different management function. At Virgin Group, managers have several goals of wide scope. Because of the fact that different divisions of the company are specialized in their operations, well-trained and qualified mangers are required to manage it effectively. In most cases, managers employed by the company have a firm background in their sector of specialization. They must also prove that they are capable by showing a successful record of accomplishment. It is the sole responsibility of managers within Virgin Group to ensure that day-to-day operations needed to keep the division running are executed effectively. Organization is a vital ingredient in the success of Virgin companies. Since the group in an amorphous company comprising of several companies, organization is very critical in putting together the processes (Human Resources Magazine, 2003). To start with, the company has many goals to be achieved like expanding the global presence and building of customer loyalty. The top executive are responsible for determining these goals and making them available to the entire company. The same executive must ensure that these goals are achievable for them to be received well by employees. However, caution should be exercised to ensure that the employees are not underutilized. Challenging goals are important for employees to feel that they are engaged in meaningful tasks. Organization of these goals within the division will ensure that specific targets are made. Every division has separate and specialized goals aimed at increasing market share and improvement of product and services. As the hierarchy advances to the junior staffs, goals become more precise and short lived. The targets set at implementation levels are easily achievable because they are very specific. These specific goals are formulated by division managers with close reference to those of the entire group. This system of information transfer enables the company to remain on track on the journey to meeting the targets set by executives. Virgin is a living evidence for the fact that this kind of organization is a major prerequisite for business success. Breaking down of general goals in to actionable points is a desirable feature revealed in Virgins organization. A healthy and workable organizational structure witnessed in Virgin Groups businesses is attained with many varying strategies. Transformational leadership is one of these strategies that have seen the company attain great heights of success. This strategy enables people of diverse backgrounds and ability to share a common goal. Through working together, a team can combine its members efforts and work towards achieving a common goal. Transformational leadership gives everyone an equal chance to output his or her ability without reservations. A critical review of Virgin Group business reveals that its versatile and innovative workforce is due to the transformational leadership in place. This is in contrast with transactional leadership in which employees are compensated according to performance. The draw back with this kind of leadership is that it breeds greedy employees whose goal will be to amass rewards as much as possible (Gill 2006, pp. 63). Conclusion In conclusion, there are many things to be learned from leadership and management of Virgin Group Limited. The company has cut itself a niche in various industries. It has also proven that all things are possible with dedication and commitment. Through the able leadership of its Chairman, Sir Richard Branson, the management team has come up with a unique formula of managing large-scale businesses like Virgin Group. To a large extend, the success of Virgin Group is directly attributable to the input of Sir Branson. He has succeeded in opening a new chapter of management, which deviates from conventional methods (Robert 2000, pp.4). His liberal and all accommodating approach is desirable. There is a formidable blend between management and leadership. A critical review of these two elements reveals that there is no clears cut between the two: a feature that has worked well for the company.

Genetically Engineered Organisms Essay -- seeds, monsanto, food

Genetically Engineered Organisms Without vigorous experimentation or public consent genetically modified foods have been introduced into our daily kitchens without much notice from the general public. Widespread use of genetically modified (GM) seeds began in 1996 and since then has spread to cover 167 million acres around the world; two-thirds of that quantity being in America (Figure 1). Figure 1 Monsanto is the main developer of these seeds and controls over 90% of the American market, alerting a possible crisis in the democratic system. (Cummins and lilliston, 2004). Alarmingly, some of the largest biotechnological companies have also introduced toxic pesticides into our environments, including but not limiting to: Agent Orange, DDT, and PCB’s, causing much worry worldwide. This report will cover the basics of genetic engineering, genetically engineered seeds, possible effects on human health and affects on the environment. The four most common genetically engineered (GE) crops grown on a commercial scale are soybeans, corn, cotton and canola. Among these, two main traits have been added: herbicide resistance (75 percent of all GE crops), pesticide resistance (17 percent) or both (8 percent), (Genetically Engineered Food, Page xiv). The first steps in genetically modifying organisms is identifying the trait you want the plant to have, and finding another organism that has it. Then, the gene can be inserted into the plant using a 22-caliber charge that fires a metal particle coated with DNA, called a â€Å"gene gun†. Another method of inserting the desired gene includes heating the seed and placing it under stress causing it to be susceptible to a bug called Agrobacterium tumefaciens. This bacterium tricks the organism into b... ...wever possibly inaccurate, allow us to speculate on new technologies which could help feed the growing population of humans on earth. Works Cited Wolfenbarger, Laressa L., and Paul R. Phifer. "The ecological risks and benefits of genetically engineered plants." Science 290.5499 (2000): 2088-2093. Jesse, Laura C. Hansen, and John J. Obrycki. "Field deposition of Bt transgenic corn pollen: lethal effects on the monarch butterfly." Oecologia 125.2 (2000): 241-248. Anal Bioanal Chem. Oct 2008; 392(3): 333–340. Seralini GE, Cellier D, Spiroux de Vendomois J. New analysis of a rat feeding study with a genetically modified maize reveals signs of hepatorenal toxicity. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2007;52:596–602. The Ecological Risks and Benefits of Genetically Engineered Plants L. L. Wolfenbarger, et al. Science 290, 2088 (2000); DOI: 10.1126/science.290.5499.2088

Living in 1900 or 1750?

Between the years 1750 and 1900, there were many important changes to agriculture, transport and education. These were generally for the better yet perhaps didn't affect everyone to the same degree. Looking at each we will see if everyone's life was changed for the better. Looking firstly at transport, it can be seen that by 1900 transport had improved greatly, instead of everyone walking and riding bikes people could go on a steam boat or train. The railways were excellent as it meant that fresh food like fish could be delivered and people could go to the seaside whereas before people who didn't live near the sea couldn't get food such as fish as there was no way for fish to travel. Also people from the country could never go to the seaside or go out on day trips as the only transport that they had was themselves or bikes , but in 1900 they could go nearly anywhere on the steam train. Most people's lives were changed for the better but it wasn't cheap to ride the train so it didn't help poor people at all. Secondly, when we look at education in 1900, it has also improved. In 1750 very few children went to school and those children who did were from very rich families. Hardly any children could read or write except those who were rich enough to go to school, whereas in 1900 nearly everyone could read and write because school was compulsory for all five to twelve year old children, both boys and girls. By 1900 there were ten universities in England, five in Scotland, one in Wales and one in Ireland. Nearly everyone's lives changed for the better, as most people could read and write so they could get decent jobs. Thirdly, while we look at agriculture we can see that it has dramatically changed. Agriculture in 1750 was based on the British Empire. The cattle and livestock were from the places in the British Empire and so were all the crops. But in 1900 the British Empire had developed rapidly so there were many new and exotic crops for Britain to eat. It changed peoples live for the better as they had a more balanced diet with lots of new fruits and all other crops. Also working conditions changed a lot during these years. In 1750 there were very little industries which were known as cottage industries as they worked in small workshops next to there homes. Whereas in 1900 there were loads of huge factories instead of small workshops. In 1750 there was hardly any pollution if any but in 1900 the air was full of pollution because of the factories. The factories in 1900 were illuminated and had safe guards on most dangerous machines. I think in some aspects it had changed for the better but in others it hadn't. It had changed for the better because it was safer and the factories produced loads of goods but there were lots of pollution. Medicine in 1750 was appalling, nobody knew anything. There were know vaccinations or anything, but in 1900 anaesthetics and antiseptics were developed so now, most patients didn't die of shock. Also Louis Pasteur had discovered that germs cause disease, this led to vaccines being developed for diphtheria and other diseases. Also sewers were installed and the water supplies were a lot better, this cut back the amount of germs around. This changed everyone's lives for better as the vaccinations were available for all. I would rather live in 1900 as the way of life is a lot better. Louis Pasteur had discovered that germs caused disease which helped develop vaccinations. I would like to live in 1900 as school is compulsory so nearly everyone can read and write.

Pop Music Magazine Comparison

The magazines that are being compared are two different styles of magazines. One is a pop band magazine and the other is rock. The people in these magazines stereotype the word â€Å"HAMMER† it shows the long hair and shouting into the microphone. The other magazine stereotypes nice clothes and nice hair. The people who read this magazine are emulators they look up to these people and will go at and wear what they wear. They act how they act. The aim of the magazine is to persuade the readers to go out and buy their CDs. The large hammer font connotes heavy metal and banging. They use hooks to try and get the buyers attention like ‘free CD' or ‘free posters'. The use of language is completely different, one says ‘SCREW THE CRITICS' and the other is ‘BLUE ARE BACK' This shows one that is abusive and the other is more formal. There is a close up on blue then there is a long shot of Gareth Gates. The Brat Awards. The institution is â€Å"The Brat Awards†. Presenters where Rob Carpenter and Ashley Curtis, Rob Carpenter represented himself as a typical presenter. He was slick and cool he kept the show moving he was very confident. The audience where famous people they were drunk. Rage against the vending machine too cool to come up and collect their award. The genre was rock. If I was too improve the award ceremony I would have a different location. Pop Band Comparison. The ‘Big Brovas' are attracting a teenage audience. They connote ‘gangsters', ‘ghettos' and ‘rude boys'. They are doing this to attract a certain type audience e.g. ‘townies'. The institution of ‘Big Brovas' is Top Of The Pops. They represent themselves as rude boys when they are probably not at all like in real life. Compared to the ‘Darkness' they are a lot in my opinion because the ‘Darkness' uses high-pitched voices. The tight trousers they wear connote this. ‘Big Brovas' convent swaying and bopping up and down. The ‘Darkness' convent jumping up and down and a lot of movement. The ‘Darkness† institution is Top Of The Pops. Their audience would be older than teenagers. They represent themselves as scruffy people e.g. ripped vests long hair and tight trousers. Pop Music The name of the act is ‘Girls Aloud'. They are a group of young women who came from the institution of pop stars. The name of the song is life got cold. They use white clothes and white make-up to connotes the word cold. They are a pop band whose audience is mainly young girls. They represent themselves as very nicely dressed attractive women. The name of the act is ‘Good Charlotte'. The song name is ‘The Anthem'. The audience is gothic people, he attracts an audience with a rebellious look. The institution is Top Of The Pops. The genre is punk and rock. The act is ‘Lemar'. The song is ‘dance'. Lemar is a male pop singer. His image is clean cut and nicely dressed. The audience varies. The institution is pop stars. Radio Advert. Client's Name: Woolworth Writer: Steven Briesner Duration: Unknown Music Bed: Whistling from Ed, Edd n Eddy SFX: Door Slamming SFX: Footsteps Male Voice: Perfect boys you've just recorded your first number one. Now lets show the people out there this brilliant song. Music: Loud Whistling MVO: That's Brilliant. MVO2: Your Right and it's available now at Woolworth's. MVO3: At the great price of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.49 MVO4: Woolworth's we're worth it. Popular Music This magazine aims to entertain people as David Bowie is a singer from the older generation older people who look at this may laugh from fond memories of their youth the magazine does this well with the main feature of David Bowie. The genre of this magazine is heavy metal/rock this was the fashion when David Bowie was a popular singer. This magazine would be for people with special interests in this sort of music. The font and style of writing tells the audience what sort of genre this is has a black background and a man with white make-up on which signals a genre of the gothic nature. It hooks are things that are on in today's magazine like ‘Brand new collectors record section' I don't think they use hooks very well in this magazine because it isn't really anything good in the offer. the only main colours used is black and white, the white make-up connotes the gothic genre. The main feature is a close-up (c.u) of David Bowie. He is stereotyping the typical grunger who is always in a depressive state. The ideology of the magazine is they believe in sucide and stuff many famous gothic stars have been known to go into a depressive state and commit suicide.

Egypt&Mexican Pyramids Essays - Architectural Styles, Egyptology

Egypt&Mexican Pyramids Essays - Architectural Styles, Egyptology Egypt&Mexican Pyramids Mysteries of the Ancient World For many centuries people have been fascinated by ancient cultures and treasures. During the last two centuries the science of archeology and modern inventions allowed people to get inside of the Egyptian and Mayan pyramids and discover the treasures of Egyptian pharaohs and Mayan rulers. Most of what we know about Egypt we owe to the pyramids. Thanks to Egyptian belief in the afterlife we can now find out about the civilization that existed nearly five thousand years ago. Egyptian culture is not the only culture that left us its heritage in pyramids. In America we find pyramids build by civilizations of Olmec and Maya about 7th century CE. These pyramids had different purposes and usage then the ones in Egypt but they stand as memorials to ancient civilizations as well. Egyptian people believed in life after death. One of the way pharaohs prepared themselves for the afterlife journey was by building a pyramid and putting there all their belongings and riches. Egyptian people believed that pharaoh is the closest person to the God and treated him accordingly. That is the reason for Egyptian tombs being full with the golden jewelry, precious stones and art objects. Most of the time art objects were not considered a treasury but they played their particular role in religious rituals. Jars were holding food and drinks for pharaohs journey, so he would not get hungry and would have food and drinks to offer to the Gods. The figurative sculptures were suppose to accompany Ka ( spiritual entity) in its lonely stay or serve as a twin for the mummy. If something happens to the mummy the ka could use the sculpture of the pharaoh for the revelation. As well as for Egyptians religion was an everyday concern for many of the Maya, whether the dynastic ruler, the zealous priest, or the humble believer. Maya has an extensive religion structure which we can not know in details. Chac and Itzamna are the most famous gods of Mayan culture. Hunahpu and Xbalanque are among the most interesting mythical characters. One of the most crucial gods was Tlaloc, who was worshiped in various guises by the culture of Teotihuacan, the Toltec of Tula, and later Aztecs. The Maya received the cult of Tlaloc during the 4th century more or less. The Cauac Monster, also known as the Witz monster, is a dominant supernatural concept in Maya religion, as are caves, cenotes, and other holy places (Maya Civilization pars. 6). The Maya built shrines, temples, and pyramids in honor of their gods, as well as to their kings, who ruled by all-encompassing concept of Divine power. Most of Mayan pyramids are temples to the gods, not the burial tombs as in Egypt. Even though Maya sometimes buried there their rulers they always put the temple on the top of the pyramid. Egyptians had temples near the pyramid or right next to it for the ceremonial services, but it never was placed on top of the structure. Also buildings in both cultures have a lot in common in their visual characteristics they are different structures. Egyptian pyramids originally had smooth equal sides meeting on the top in the perfect apex. Mayan pyramids look like one huge stairway towards the sky. It reminds of earliest Egyptian structures-mastabas, where one layer of stones was put onto another creating the effect of pyramid. Also The Tikal Temple on Great Plaza was originally plastered white. Then the roof comb was painted with reds, blues, and other colors to accent the different areas of sculptural decoration. These roof combs were like giant billboards, with immense portrayals of the enthroned king, larger then life size (Cities pars.3). Egyptians never colored their religious structures. As well as in Egyptian pyramids, the stone used to construct Mayan pyramids is local limestone, obtained from nearby quarries. The ancient Maya had no stone tools but limestone is soft enough that the Maya could utilize cher t tools to work the stone in to neat rectangular building blocks. Egyptian pyramids served as huge tombs and they were constructed in such a way so they would stand for thousand years. Egyptians did not know when the spirit would

angola crisis essays

angola crisis essays In past centuries, Angola was among the areas most-devastated by the slave trade. In recent decades, it has been afflicted with wars. However, in both eras, much of the violence was driven by powerful external forces. This is because Angola, with an abundance of oil and other resources, could develop into a very prosperous country if led and controlled by the right power. In 1975 Angola was released from colonialism by Portugal. This pivotal event in history sparked the beginning of a massive conflict between many of the key players in world power. These key players included the United States, Cuba, China, and the Soviet Union. After reading three separate accounts of the crisis in Angola (U.S. Senate hearings led by Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, a personal memoir by 1975 Assistant Secretary of State Nathaniel Davis, and a biography entitled In Search of Enemies: A CIA Story by John Stockwell), I have come to several conclusions. Although these three men all held important positions in the U.S. government, multiple contradictions exist in their chronologies of events. Of the discrepancies I found, all of them put Stockwell in opposition with Kissinger and Davis. I believe this is due to his position in the Central Intelligence Agency, where the greater availability of information was his advantage. Moreover, since all three accounts agree that the U.S. involvement was essentially a covert operation led by the CIA, I feel the account written by Stockwell was the most valid of the three. When looking at the differences in chronologies, it is necessary to start from the beginning of the conflict. The first difference I found dealt with CIA involvement in Angola. Stockwell, an experienced, senior CIA case officer (Stockwell, 31), marked early July 1974 as the start of CIA support. In July 1974 the CIA began funding Roberto without 40 committee approval, small amounts at first, but enough for ...

Population vs Populace

Population vs Populace Population vs Populace Population vs Populace By Maeve Maddox Lately I have begun to notice speakers and writers using the word populace where I would expect to see the word population. For example: With a young and skilled workforce – 65% of Turkey’s 74 million populace is under the age of 34 – producing 500,000 graduates a year, Turkey is now classified as a fast developing economy. Meanwhile, 3.7 percent of the 2012 populace – or roughly 23,436 people – held doctorates. Both words, population and populace, derive ultimately from a Latin word for people, but the words entered English with distinctive meanings. From the beginning, population referred to the collective inhabitants of a place, whereas populace had the meaning â€Å"ordinary people† as opposed to the titled, wealthy, or privileged classes. In Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Little Princess (1905), the protagonist has been taught by her middleclass father to be kind to â€Å"the populace.† Thrust suddenly from a comfortable life into poverty, Sara learns what it is to be hungry. On the way to buy some buns, she notices a ragged little girl with â€Å"hungry eyes†: Sara knew they were hungry eyes the moment she saw them, and she felt a sudden sympathy. â€Å"This,† she said to herself, with a little sigh, â€Å"is one of the populace- and she is hungrier than I am.† Not only did the word populace refer to the less privileged part of the population, it was also used as a pejorative term for â€Å"the mob, the rabble, the unthinking masses.† Populace is increasingly used as a mere synonym for population, but its other connotations linger: The upper-middle class wants to lead an aroused populace against the true enemy, but the populace isn’t listening.- The American Interest, Vol. 6, No. 3, January 11, 2011. Population  is neutral, while  populace  often carries a superior tone toward the group it refers to.- The Grammarist The connotation of ignorance, fickleness, and tractability is present in the following quotations: A Scare A Week Keeps the Populace Meek The direction of the government is driven by raw emotion; it can change from one day to the next, depending on how effectively demagogues are able to harness and control the populace. An uninformed populace will fall for anything. The term argumentum ad populum, â€Å"appeal to the populace† is applied to the logical fallacy also known as â€Å"appeal to the masses† and â€Å"the bandwagon fallacy.† The verb sway is frequently found in tandem with populace: Choice of political candidates solely by popular referendum is one of the greatest dangers to a democracy as it opens the way for demagogues and liars to sway the populace with empty rhetoric and promises. In elections, the candidates make daily public appearances to sway the general populace. sway transitive verb: To cause to move backward and forward or from side to side. Populace may be taking on a new meaning when used with a modifier: â€Å"a portion of the general population perceived as having shared interests or characteristics.† Here are some examples in which populace is used to denote a segment of a larger population: Hernandez wants to assist Birmingham’s Hispanic populace. North Carolinas immigrant populace emphasizes the financial power of non-native residents via their vital contributions to the states economy. In our community, there are perspectives that continue to compromise and even endanger the lives of our most physically and/or cognitively disabled populace. Population remains the less ambiguous choice when referring to all the inhabitants of a place and not to a specified portion of them. Note: The adjective populous (â€Å"densely populated†) is often used erroneously for the noun populace: INCORRECT: The immigrant populous of the colonial era prompted, at least in part, Jean de Crevecoeurs concept of a new man that differed from European stock in both style and substance.- Egg Harbor Regional High School District, Atlantic County, New Jersey. CORRECT :   The immigrant populace of the colonial era prompted, at least in part, Jean de Crevecoeurs concept of a new man that differed from European stock in both style and substance. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Synonyms for â€Å"Leader†Difference between "Pressing" and "Ironing"40 Idioms with First

Didnt choose one yet , need the writors help choosing it for me Research Paper

Didnt choose one yet , need the writors help choosing it for me - Research Paper Example Fanatic missionaries like Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi provoke the hatred of the Qatari people of the support the Qatari government gives to American policy and involvement in Israel.2 Banished Saudi Salafist associated with the Qatari elites were accommodated in Qatar and accepted into religious organizations and the Interior Ministry after the raid on Mecca’s Grand Mosque in 1979. Sheikh Abdallah bin Khalifa al-Thani, the previous Interior Minister, was assigned from the Wahhabi group inside the Qatari institution.3 Even though Sheikh Abdallah was removed from his post, this group is still rooted among Qatari security officers. Salafists are being removed from the Interior Ministry or are being weakened by newly formed security organizations like the Internal Security Forces and the State Security Agency.4 As this effort continues, these organizations may become effective in fighting terrorism activities. The major sources of terrorism in Qatar are not likely to weaken in the near future, or after economic and political liberalization, implying that oppressive policing strategies will be the primary method used to stop terrorism. With the Interior Ministry ruled by Sheik Abdallah bin Nasser bin-Khalifa al-Thani, one of the supporters of the emir, and the Internal Security Forces and the State Security Agency directly under the emir, Qatar’s internal security is expected to be sufficiently supported and funded in the near future.5 The intelligence agency of Qatar is fast restructuring to fight terrorism, reporting satisfactory effectiveness in the investigation and prosecution of two Russians suspected of killing Yandarbiyev. Qatar will get substantial security support from Western countries if the new security agencies successfully accomplish their readjustment effort.6 Still, threat of terrorism continues to be a major problem. Al-Qaeda has terrorized Western people in Qatar. The Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Tr ade (DFAT) even warned tourists â€Å"to exercise a high degree of caution in Qatar†7 because of serious terrorist threats. The DFAT said they were informed of plans to terrorize several individuals and groups in Qatar. On the 19th of March 2005, a suicide car bombing in Doha took the life of a British individual and wounded several other individuals.8 On the 17th of March 2005, the Saudi leader of Al-Qaeda, Saleh al-Oufi, declared a war on terrorists in Qatar and in other nations like Oman and Bahrain. However, the March 19 incident was not surprising. More terrorist attacks are likely to occur and concentrated on easy targets like emigrants.9 The Al-Qaeda in the Arab region is definitely trying to terrorize the Gulf States. The United States is still trying to improve counterterrorism collaboration with the government of Qatar. Working with U.S. officials on counterterrorism is still in progress, and Qatar approved firm counterterrorist finance (CTF) policy.10 However, Qata ri attempts to fight terrorism, especially terrorist financing, beyond its boundaries by charitable groups and private organizations were generally unsuccessful in terms of established global criteria. Qatar’

Entrepreneurship Virtual Simulation Experience Essay

Entrepreneurship Virtual Simulation Experience - Essay Example In addition, the plan includes the organizational and management structure, the sources of backup funds for the business in the case of bankruptcy, the business executive summary which shows the company’s missions and goals. The objectives of the enterprise include making profits while maintaining consumer ethics (Timm, Christensen & Blenker, 2014). The company description which provides what differentiates the business from others. Furthermore, the planning process includes marketing and sales strategies. It describes how the business plans to market itself plus its sales strategies. The core expectations include: Creating a Culture of Service to Colleagues and students, setting the standard for Trust, Honesty, and transparency. Developing staff and Nurturing Teamwork, Executing Strategies to Acquire Results, Decision Making and Accountability, Cultivating Scholarly and Cultural Assortment, Monetary Responsibility, Process Enhancement and Sustainability. Other expectations include Personal expectations are those expectations that the owner of the business expects from the enterprise. First and foremost, the business expects to make a profit from what it will sell to clients. Moreover, the trade plans to meet its current financial obligation in time (Timm, Christensen & Blenker, 2014). That is the business expects to be able to repay its loans and debts on time. The expectation that the company will grow over the following years is also significant. Besides the above expectations, the business anticipates that the foodstuffs and amenities that it will offer will gain popularity and obtain a wider market despite competition. Also, the owner of the company forestalls that everybody in the organization will be able to perform in a manner that will help the business grow and achieve its missions and objectives. Lastly, the business prospects that each employee will be fair-minded in providing quality work for a fair day’s wage. Customers

MBA Project Management Case Study - Custom Manufacturing Company - Essay

MBA Project Management Case Study - Custom Manufacturing Company - Project 2000 - Essay Example Mostly, what was happening was transference of responsibilities. They could have started off by utilizing their time to include project planning; this could have actually saved time. A strategy to ensure continuous production of goods, that they were known for, must have been devised; this could have saved the lost customers. Project success is gauged by comparing end result with projected results. A project is said to be successful if it is completed within the time and cost budgets and achieves the goals it is supposed to reach. Success could not have been measured certainly before starting a project. However, techniques such as investment appraisal could have been carried out to see whether the project was worth pursuing. The renovation plan was included in the project because probably it was needed and they must have thought that it was a small change that could easily be adjusted. In my opinion, including renovation was not a good idea because it was not adjusted for in the budget. Project Scope: This project will allow the production space to grow by 25% of the present production floor area. It will be modern and larger to facilitate more production and hence increasing customer base and loyalty. The project plan for project 2000 must include the answer to who will be involved with what. What their roles will be, who they are answerable to and who they are responsible for. The plan will include the project scope; what the project is supposed to achieve and why it is being sponsored. It will have information about when it is due and how and about its milestones and critical path. b. Evaluate the Project plans for managing the project; include an approach to contracting for professional services & construction work. What would you have one and would that change for successive phases of the project The project plan was incomplete because it lacked a lot of detail. There were hardly any details about the contract with

How a bill becomes a law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How a bill becomes a law - Essay Example There is another possibility, whereby the President neither assents or declines the bill (also called sitting on a bill), where upon passage of 10 working days, the bill is passed as law. There is an exception to this 10-day rule, commonly referred to as a pocket veto. In a pocket veto, â€Å"the President can kill a bill if it goes unsigned and Congress adjourns prior to the 10-day time limit. The term "pocket veto" comes from the fact that if the President knows an adjournment is coming, he can place the bill in his pocket and forget about it.† (Mount, 2010) While there are several routes through which a bill can be brought to the floor for discussion, the most common path is through specialized committees. For example, since bills usually concern a particular topic, like raising the salary of military personnel, most of them will â€Å"fall into a specific sub-committee's area of responsibility. There is a Subcommittee on Pay, Promotion, and Retirement that would consider the pay bill. Once a bill is introduced, it is assigned to a committee.

Elvis Presleys Photography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Elvis Presleys Photography - Essay Example This paper Elvis Presley‘s photography describes the importance of photography as a means of satisfaction to the person who is looking at the picture. Portraits of popular figures are more interesting to see than the stale photographs of oneself. You can keep on looking at a particular photo of your favorite sportsperson, maybe frame it on your wall, but you don’t usually keep the photo of your wedding in the bedroom. There’s also a section of society which exhibits family photographs in their offices for all to see. But the charm of a wall paper of Jane Seymour or Marilyn Monroe did a lot of good to boost the morale of the U. S. Army in Vietnam. But the beauty of portraits lies in the fact that they are meant more for entertainment than information, more for titillation than for satisfaction. The subjects of portraits know that the photographs are meant for public consumption and the public knows that the subjects know which makes the circles complete. However, i nformal portraits differ a great deal from formal ones for the simple reason that formal portraits are a bit boring. Thus the subjects of the portrait show obvious signs of unease. Except for a rare Lady Diana with her grace and charm, most of the subjects of portraits are awkward and uneasy, which impression leaps out of the photo to say, â€Å"I am doing this only because I have to be polite,† whereas informal portraits show people happy about just being themselves. This essay discusses the portraits one of the most famous men ever, Elvis Presley, the King.

What Caused the 1973 Arab-Israeli War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

What Caused the 1973 Arab-Israeli War - Essay Example The war also christened the Yom Kippur war as it was started on the eve of the day of prayers and fasting. (Yom Kippur). Yom Kippur is a holy day according to the Jewish religion when special prayers are conducted in the presence of fasting. Israel, with Golda Meir as the prime minister was attacked by Egypt that was led by Anwar Sadat. This war was joined by other Arab nations fighting with the Egyptians and included the Syrians, Lebanon and Kuwait (Aruri, 1975). In October 1973, Egypt made real its threats and attacked the Israeli troops within the Suez Canal and beyond. The Syrians attacking the west bank and other regions bordering it followed this. With these surprise attacks, one the longest Middle East wars began, recording one of the highest fatalities ever recorded. This war attracted the interest of other superpowers like the United States and the Soviet Union, further escalating its course and impacts. The United States, though declining to participate actively in the war, sent military support and intelligence to Israel. The Soviet Union reacted by sending its troops and military support to both Egypt and Syria, a factor which prolonged the duration of the war (Aruri, 1975). In this paper, the Yom Kippur war of 1973 will be evaluated to provide an empirical analysis of the events that occurred prior to the war. The sole purpose of this evaluation is to highlight descriptively the events that led to the beginning and progression of the war. The paper will thus analyze each cause into detail providing practical examples, actions and reactions and how each eventually propagated the war. Conflicts over control of Palestine Palestine, an Arab nation that borders Israel and other Arab nation was created after the Palestine liberation organization movement in 1967. This movement created an Arabic peninsula that was meant to house the Arabic Palestine, a move that was resisted by Israel. Israel in the first place was created after the ratification of the Un ited Nations agreement in 1945, thus creating a nation in areas that was inhabited by other Arabs (Bickerton, 2009). Palestine was therefore a major cause of the Arabic-Israel war of 1973 as the countries were fighting to regain control of Palestine from Israel. Israel gained control of Palestine following the six-day war of 1967 in which he fought his neighbouring Arabic nations to gain control over Palestine. Israel also captured the areas of the Golan Heights that was initially controlled by Syria before the 1967 war (Daigle, 2012). Apart from capturing these areas, Israel also captured the areas of the west bank and east Jerusalem that was initially administered by Jordan. Following the war and Israel control of the prime areas under the control of the Arabic nations, tension grew among the countries and war was visibly inevitable. In the same year, united nation made a resolution in an attempt to quell the rising tension between the Arabian countries and Israel to avoid the pos sibility of war. In the resolution, the united nation asked Israel to withdraw from the areas she had seized such as the Gaza strip, the Golan area, the west bank and other areas controlled by Jordon (Daigle, 2012). In exchange for this action, the Arabic nations were to accept and recognize the independence of Israel and to restrain from infringing into its territorial boundaries in a manner that could provoke conflict. These resolutions by the United Nations were ignored by both sides of the divide and cross border attacks continued further straining the more volatile relations (Aruri, 1975). The Israeli-Palestine conflict

Elvis Presleys Photography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Elvis Presleys Photography - Essay Example This paper Elvis Presley‘s photography describes the importance of photography as a means of satisfaction to the person who is looking at the picture. Portraits of popular figures are more interesting to see than the stale photographs of oneself. You can keep on looking at a particular photo of your favorite sportsperson, maybe frame it on your wall, but you don’t usually keep the photo of your wedding in the bedroom. There’s also a section of society which exhibits family photographs in their offices for all to see. But the charm of a wall paper of Jane Seymour or Marilyn Monroe did a lot of good to boost the morale of the U. S. Army in Vietnam. But the beauty of portraits lies in the fact that they are meant more for entertainment than information, more for titillation than for satisfaction. The subjects of portraits know that the photographs are meant for public consumption and the public knows that the subjects know which makes the circles complete. However, i nformal portraits differ a great deal from formal ones for the simple reason that formal portraits are a bit boring. Thus the subjects of the portrait show obvious signs of unease. Except for a rare Lady Diana with her grace and charm, most of the subjects of portraits are awkward and uneasy, which impression leaps out of the photo to say, â€Å"I am doing this only because I have to be polite,† whereas informal portraits show people happy about just being themselves. This essay discusses the portraits one of the most famous men ever, Elvis Presley, the King.

Professional Learning Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Professional Learning Experience - Essay Example 70). Realizing the challenges I have to face in socialization and conflict resolution, I decided to focus Professional Learning Experience (PLE) at addressing the dilemmas of profession and its humane aspects. Awareness is the first step towards overcoming professional inadequacies and shortfalls. In many professional settings and situation, I found myself in tight spots, where it was hard to draw a line between my responsibilities as a nursing professional and the demands of social decorum. Overcoming such issues in professional career is of significant importance, in a society, hyper sensitive on the display of professional approach and social values in perfect mix. The professional socialization goal identified in this connection includes, conflict resolution, overcoming dilemmas, and role identification for nurse based on the rationale of ethics, values and social expectations. Kozier et al. (2008) presents the broad description of these goals of professional socialization and st ates, â€Å"The education of professional involves a complete socialization process, more far reaching in its social and attitudinal aspects and its technical features than is usually required in other kinds of occupation† (p. 17). ... The occurrence was reported a little late in time and when we rushed to the spot, things have already gone worse than affordable in isolation ward. Patients were gathered around a patient, speaking laud and violent. The patient was not ready to hear any argument and was insisting on his claim of being mishandled and mistreated. There were also signs of personal grudge towards the nursing staff that has been handling the case. Susan immediately grabbed his hand and patted it lovingly while asking him to cool down and drove him to a corner where she can hear his stance in private. She assured him of getting possible assistance, in getting his point over to physician and administration for reconciliation. Soon, she managed patient’s agreement over a peaceful and graceful dialogue. The patient was a retired army officer and looked genuinely hurt over the issue. Susan managed to convince him on a detailed description of his reservations. This patient told her the backdrop of the si tuation from his perspective and complaint against the behavioral shortcomings and inadequacies of the nursing staff, while Susan provided very mild and easygoing explanations to some of the professional intricacies and limitations under the circumstances. Susan was successful in pursuing the patient for a shift in isolation ward while assuring him on redress of grievances. She also manages to get his agreement over filing a written complaint of the incident. The incident had a great deal of learning for me and I closely watched various actions, behaviors and gestures which Susan has applied to overcome the conflict. Specially, her skills in convincing the patient on peaceful negociations were

Critical Evaluation Of Brand Strategy Of VGI

Critical Evaluation Of Brand Strategy Of VGI Abstract This report is a depiction of the brand strategy adopted by an automobile company Volkswagen. This primarily covers the brand management by the company including the critical evaluation of the brand strategy adopted with context to its brand value, brand image and brand positioning. The report provides the reader to have critical analysis of the brand management and at the end of the report a conclusion is drawn on the basis of analysis in the body of the report. In main part of the report there is VIP analysis followed Boston matrix and product life cycle for the detailed explanation of topic. Various brand strategies adopted by the company are also touched in this part of the report. The conclusion is followed by some suitable recommendation of the brand strategy management of the company. Introduction Branding The concept of branding in market is related to the production of brand and in the views of Hankinson Cowking (1993) that branding is tagline that used to differentiate product from other competitors in market. Branding is defined as identity of a specific product, service or business. A brand can take many forms, including a name, sign, symbol or slogan. The world brand began simply as a way to tell one persons cattle from another by means of a hot iron stamp. The word brand began has continued to evolve to encompass identity- in effect the personality of o product, company or service. In the views of Johnson and Scholes (2002, pp. 140) branding is an important feature for saturated market and for the slow growing markets. The brand provides recognition and allows adding value, image and position to the company. An effective brand strategy is very useful for the survival and future growth of company. Branding is used to promote the products of the company in an easier and effective way. It builds up identity and for communicating the story of brand as in India the concept of storytelling is popular tool for advertising. Importance of Branding The branding is the face of the product that company offers to its customers hence every company has to toss their branding strategy effectively. Since this is beneficial in making the impression of product or services in the mind of customers. An effective and impressive brand name always attracts the customers and keeps the position and image of the company in their minds. This even gains to make the customers think and moved towards the use of another product of same company to which they are not familiar. A good quality brand image in business matters a lot; the brand of the company is always seen as in differential part of the company which shows its value and quality. With an effective and strong brand the image of the company goes rise. Strong brand of business facilitate other brands to link with each other different products of the company. The brand name of company used for the different products of the company for effective selling in market. (Source Hankinson Cowking, 1997 pp- 156) Company Introduction VOLKSWAGEN DAS AUTOS The automobile company is well known for its services and higher satisfaction among their customers. Volkswagen group of India is subsidiary of worldwide famous Volkswagen AG. It switches to brand of Volkswagen in addition to two other existed brands of Skoda and Audi in Indian market. These brands possess its own character manoeuvres in an autonomous manner. The establishment of this subsidiary was in year 2007. In Indian autos market the brand image is featured by the size of vehicle, technologies of driving and different features like ABS, EPS and air bags and galvanized bodies of automobiles. Multi branding v/s Corporate Branding There are two main concepts taken corporate branding and multi branding that are explained as followed by the company: Multi Branding: Concept of multi branding in the company mainly based on the objective to become most innovative manufactured volume complies with best quality product specifically considering medium to long term classless. With theme and slogan Vorsprungdurch Technik of Audi brand in considered as solid brand in automotive premium segment. In addition brand of Skoda is a combination of intelligent concepts in using space and technical innovation also covering the design and good money value (Kapfere, 2009, pp 276). Corporate Branding: Volkswagen carries three main brands by having messages of responsible innovation and providing Enduring Value. The car under the corporate brand there is passenger cars convey reliability and quality and engineering of German skills at the global level. This facilitate in becoming the first choice in millions of the customers when buying a car. Critical Evaluation of Brand Strategy of VGI In the views of Porter (1993), for successful administration of a company there must be an identified strategy that itself serve as a position and must be able to handle competition through brand strategy of the company and is primarily differentiate into three parts as. Cost leadership strategy, differentiation strategy and focus strategy. Brand strategy of Volkswagen is well maintained. As India is important market for the strategic marketing especially in automotive industry. There are good opportunities for future growth as a result of outstanding conditions of demands. But the noticeable condition is that there is very high competition full with challenges of conditions of market, different lifestyle, and behaviour of consumers. Branding is key success factor for Volkswagen in order to gain good market position and competitive advantages therefore it become very successful in the Indian Automobiles of market. As branding plays a vital part for the Volkswagen and make it differentiate from other competitors in market. Kotler has viewed his comment on the leadership that a cost leadership is not possible, differentiate is their competitive strategy (Kotler, 2008, p.468). Also Varey considered brand as unique and for selling the proposition in the emerging markets. Branding Value of Volkswagen The brand value is an important aspect of a brand. This can be illustrate as the customers are usually willing to spent or pay more for that product that is related to any known brand, they preferred brand that the product. The brand value is hence defined as that extra money made by a company or can be made from the selling of its products in solely way only due to the name of its brand. For example For Volkswagen group India there is late entry of the Volkswagen group of India in the market as compared to other competitor rivals. Due to this company has lack to gain the first mover advantage in market and hence less gain in the brand value. For further development the company in order to strengthen its brand value it follow the strategy by making corporate statement innovation for everyone. While marketing any product, importantly in India, the most crucial factor is quality and price of product as India is at a halt a poor country. Brand Image for Volkswagen Brand image is specified as those qualities which are related to the association to customers with the particular brand. It is expressed as the human behaviour and their wants and desires, but not enough it also associates with the situational use, price and quality of the brand. Here example can be taken as the Mercedes Benz which possesses a string brand image due to its product quality and features and their price, this came to make an image of brand in the minds of customers about that particular product. The brand image is not an inherent character for a company brand though this can be achieved through the advertising and campaigns. Brand image is identity of the product in market and is a symbol of the company that make its impression and image in the minds of customers. The Volkswagen with its new brand name Das Auto along with its vision, the company is going to create new image by surrounding proximity and convenience via affordable innovations. The Volkswagens brands of Skoda and Audi managed in such a way that curved their position in stiff ad competitive automobile market and creating their baton of brand image in consciously sensitive markets like India. Brand Positioning In the view of Armstrong (2002), brand positioning zeroes in on customers and gives them a reason to buy a product in preference to others; it differentiates a product from other products based on attributes. Walter (1997) also states that position of brand is perception among target customers. The Volkswagen group of India as came back into market after the period of ten years it has going to position its brand again in the minds of their customers and in market. The company has positioned its brand bracketed to set of above middle classed customers whose income is above average and have the thrill to show off as and where compared to brand Audi which is expensive and very showing type is designed for those types of consumers that are sporty and want to show off more with expensive expenditure. On contrary the Volkswagen brand is suitable for the average persons and also full the desire to show off. The company has managed them with a separate position in market. According to a stat ement given by the director of VW passengers cars Mr. Neeraj Garg that the company will take some time for making its position and there is a slow process to gain position into the minds of customers of India. Segmentation In India most driving factor is recognised affordability, due to this the market of domestic cars is segmented on to accordance with their prices. There is price based competition in Indian market therefore the car is segmented as below: Multi Segmentation Geographical segmentation Demographical segmentation Social Class Marketing Strategy Marketing Strategy adopted by Volkswagen brand after its launch in India in 2007 in relation to marketing Mix Marketing Mix Marketing mix of Volkswagen Brand Source: Kotler, P Armstrong, G (2004) For brand strategy of Volkswagen there is involvement of first P according to marketing mix is Product as described in model. The product in this model is defined as that combination of services and goods sell to the customers by the company or organisation in target market (Armstrong Kotler, 2005). From analysis it is found that product is also a part of Brand name. Design and quality are the main product features that possess variety in them. Here an example can be quoted for a brand of Volkswagen Touareg that has been sold in India comprises of a package of seating, engine, breaks and engine etc. (Volkswagen India, 2009). Hence for product strategy the company is equipped with variety and design in their products including warrant for them which in turn results in good response from the customers and make them satisfied and bring loyalty in them. The second P in this model if marketing mix is price. Price is of a product or service is defined as that amount which is paid by customer to the organisation or company for buying their products or services offered to them (Armstrong Kotler, 2005). While discussing the price strategy it has been found that there are 61 dealership offers high prices for the products to sell in India as compared to their rivals like Honda city and Ford, but there is variation that the company charge interest rate by 4.5 5.0 % instead of other rivals make with 8% or more as a loans given by banks or building societies of other rival car makers. This facility is attributed by the Volkswagen financial Services that aided to support the sales of the company to their customers. There is next P for the marketing mix is Place that is also very crucial in Brand management. The place usually referred to that place where there is availability of products of company to their customers. As in concerned to Volkswagen the company involved in using dealers and distributors for the purpose of the sales of their products. There are two modes for the dealers to get authorised either through franchised or direct ownership of company. For the company their network related to their dealers is very important and is maintained in a proper way because the product of the company are introduced through them to the customers, hence it is very important. In the views of Kotler 2005 the company usually share their losses and profits both with their dealers for purpose to maintain the quality of cost leadership. At present the Volkswagen has fine relationship with their dealers in India and also involve in the dealing of their products with Skoda with 61 leaders (Top News, 2010). The last and fourth one P is Promotion. The promotion has variance in their objectives that has to be achieved in market. The promotion is usually handled with the tool of advertisement. The promotions for customers are added through the advertisement that results in the excitement among them. The aim of promotion is to pull in target consumers. These promotions are based on the scheme of non profit but in turn results in the profit for the company (Bradley, 1993). For example the Volkswagen Company in year 2009 has launched a promotion named Pre Monsoon campaign published by Motor beam, 2009. This promotion is for the purpose to establish the brand of company India. In India the company offered a variety of range of services to their customers and fro this company is getting profit from the promotions of the company brand. Pricing strategy Pricing strategy of Volkswagen: In the vies of Lowe and Doole (et al 2006), for any company at the initial stage of launch in market introduced with two adopted strategies for pricing, one is marketing skimming price strategy and other one is market penetration pricing. The company Volkswagen has choose the strategy of market penetration pricing. In this strategy previously the prices were set high so that there can be coverage of initial investment this is so because the company had invested a lot of money in the business to set up the unit in Pune, Maharastra. Ansoff Growth Matrix Model for Strategy Source: Kotler, P Armstrong, G (2004) For further analysis there is discussion in accordance with the given model of Ansoff Growth Matrix for Volkswagen. This model usually depicts the different areas of market development of the product of the company. This development is in relation with company and that aspect that are very important for the diversification of market. The thing is that this company has been diversified as it enters into new market. Market development According to Reiziger (et al, 2003) when a company took entrance into a new market and launch themselves by introducing existing products this is came to know as the development of market, and the main aim of the company is to lure the customers from the their existing competitors in that exiting market i.e. new market. The company Volkswagen has got the entry into Indian market in 2007 by launching their product Jetta, then after two years in 2009 the company has launched two new cars in market with their existing brand using the brand value in market these cars are ionic beetle and the Touarge sedans (Volkswagen India, 2010). Diversification Again in the views of Reizger (2003) this is the entrance of any new company with having the launch of their new product under its own brand is termed to be diversification. This strategy is commonly recognised as most risky one as there is introduction of two new entities one is market and other one is product. For the Volkswagen diversification is not so risky, as it has already successfully launched a variety of cars in the market with its own brand and in accordance with its brand image and with every brand it has inched higher and created sense of the demand in the market on every launch of new products. Most currently the company has as innovation there are four new car that has gone to be launched in 2012 and these new coming products are SUVW, Couple, Up and Blue Sport (Volkswagen, 2010). Conclusion Recommendation: As from above discussion it is concluded that Volkswagen has got an effective branding strategy but there are some factors that has to be taken into consideration for the company to make its brand VIP. In India this company is represented by three brands i.e. Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen and posses their own identity and features and an independent manner in market. The brand of Volkswagen along with Audi and Skoda provide good level of consistency and excellence in the market within the existing value, image and position of its brand in target market of automobiles. It has also been concluded that the company adopted brand leveraging strategy. The product launched by the company are good from all aspects and given for strengthen the brand image and identity in market. Having discussion over the marketing mix all the aspects of the marketing mix by the Volkswagen are handled in an effective way, company cover all areas of price, promotion, place and product well but there is some need to pay emphasis over the promotion and price aspect of the brand strategy to get the good response in market. It is also concluded that there is lack of loyalty factor in Indian market of Auto brands as compared to the other markets. The company Volkswagen is new in the market and hence there is low brand awareness of the company in market. There must be raise of awareness among all the required fields of market. There must bring up some improvements and creation of the brands. As in Indian market which is basically driven by the price and prerequisites, company Volkswagen carry on its brand with the quality factor only. This is criticised here because this strategy will create hindrance in the brand development and prosperity of the company. The factor of Cannibalization can be seen as it can pay an important role for the Volkswagen approach for the branding i.e. multi branding approach and hence resulting in the brand that are new take the business away from that which are already established in market. There are some suggestions that the company can adopt for the effective brand management are to drive the response of the customers as they are the key link for the success of the company and there must be online and offline programmes of marketing. The company has to be involved in the Build Brand Engagement process to learn how the consumer wants to link up with the brand of product. They must continue to attempt at increasing the customer loyalty.

Political Speech -- Media

Discursive consciousness encourages politicians to partake in sharing one’s history. It is the speech that is a conversation or discourse between the potential and the intended audience. It is a personal campaign, relating platform to the laity in an effort to gain a true backing. That creates a profile. Through existential coherence, the insinuations of relatedness succor the public and the politician to find common ground, supplying elements of familiarity evoking a relatable and approachable persona. This public image is a configuration of the individual’s history, ideas, beliefs, and purpose, an oratorical resume of sorts. A Narrative of belonging would be displayed in the existential coherence of the campaign. Implications of specific regional qualifications render the potential apropos to the masses. In example [1] candidate Steve Evans, relegates his background, relishing his youth. Action of Narrative belonging entices the voters to identify the candidate as â€Å"one of us†. It is reinforcing the notion that he is not an outsider. Example [2] invites the audience to look into ...

The Impact of Gender on Family Life Essay -- The Social Construction o

Conceiving of gender as a social construction rather than a biologically assigned identity helps explain historical fluctuations in men’s and women’s practices and in culturally bound definitions of appropriate male and female behavior. Hansen argues that an individual’s gendered behavior is influenced by culturally constructed notions of what is appropriate for good mothers or good fathers or good people to do when caring for children (Hansen 7). The perception of American families as â€Å"small, self-reliant units headed by a breadwinning father and cared for by a stay-at-home mother† (1) has considerable influence over family life. This cultural construction affects everything from childrearing to networking to the workplace and individuals must consciously strive to break away from these roles. Both clinging too and attempting to break from these roles can have significant effects on one’s family experience. For the past two centuries at least, the tasks of child rearing and caregiving have been assigned primarily, though not exclusively to women (Hansen 6). Arlie Hochschild presents the idea of a gender strategy as â€Å"a plan of action through which a person tries to solve problems at hand, given the cultural notions of gender at play† (7). This is something that is necessary for â€Å"not-so-nuclear† families in order to function and get by. Women are â€Å"located at the structural nexus of domestic work, child rearing, and paid labor, they nonetheless exercise some discretion about how they act on and interpret their situations† (7). Many women take into consideration where it is appropriate to take a stand for a equality or when they should back down for the sake of a marriage or to prevent fighting within the family. Men and wome... ...ry have shaped the mindset of the people. The idea is so solidified in our minds that a complete change may never be able to occur. Either way, the most important factor for changing the family dynamic will be time. Works Cited Cherlin, Andrew J. Public and Private Families: An Introduction. 6th. New York: McGraw Hill, 2010. Print. Hansen, Karen V. Not-So-Nuclear Families: Class, Gender, And Networks of Care. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2005. Print. Johnson, Michael P. A Typology of Domestic Violence: Intimate Terrorism, Violent Resistance, and Situation Couple Violence. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2008. Print. Tichenor, Veronica Jaris. â€Å"Gendered Bargain: Why Wives Cannot Trade Their Money For Housework† from Earning More and Getting Less: Why Successful Wives Can’t By Equality. 2005. Rutgers University Press. Print. The Impact of Gender on Family Life Essay -- The Social Construction o Conceiving of gender as a social construction rather than a biologically assigned identity helps explain historical fluctuations in men’s and women’s practices and in culturally bound definitions of appropriate male and female behavior. Hansen argues that an individual’s gendered behavior is influenced by culturally constructed notions of what is appropriate for good mothers or good fathers or good people to do when caring for children (Hansen 7). The perception of American families as â€Å"small, self-reliant units headed by a breadwinning father and cared for by a stay-at-home mother† (1) has considerable influence over family life. This cultural construction affects everything from childrearing to networking to the workplace and individuals must consciously strive to break away from these roles. Both clinging too and attempting to break from these roles can have significant effects on one’s family experience. For the past two centuries at least, the tasks of child rearing and caregiving have been assigned primarily, though not exclusively to women (Hansen 6). Arlie Hochschild presents the idea of a gender strategy as â€Å"a plan of action through which a person tries to solve problems at hand, given the cultural notions of gender at play† (7). This is something that is necessary for â€Å"not-so-nuclear† families in order to function and get by. Women are â€Å"located at the structural nexus of domestic work, child rearing, and paid labor, they nonetheless exercise some discretion about how they act on and interpret their situations† (7). Many women take into consideration where it is appropriate to take a stand for a equality or when they should back down for the sake of a marriage or to prevent fighting within the family. Men and wome... ...ry have shaped the mindset of the people. The idea is so solidified in our minds that a complete change may never be able to occur. Either way, the most important factor for changing the family dynamic will be time. Works Cited Cherlin, Andrew J. Public and Private Families: An Introduction. 6th. New York: McGraw Hill, 2010. Print. Hansen, Karen V. Not-So-Nuclear Families: Class, Gender, And Networks of Care. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2005. Print. Johnson, Michael P. A Typology of Domestic Violence: Intimate Terrorism, Violent Resistance, and Situation Couple Violence. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2008. Print. Tichenor, Veronica Jaris. â€Å"Gendered Bargain: Why Wives Cannot Trade Their Money For Housework† from Earning More and Getting Less: Why Successful Wives Can’t By Equality. 2005. Rutgers University Press. Print.

Promotional Material Essay

Before we created our promotional materials such as posters, leaflets and flyers, we had to make sure that we were able to find a suitable price in which we can budget according to our finances. During our research, we were able to locate a suitable printing agency in which we could print our promotional materials in bulk, so we could hand out in the local area to help promote the business. The advantage of the agency we chose for printing our material was that they were able to print our promotional materials within 2 working days and that any deliveries that took place could be tracked on the website when u log on to it, this to make sure that the delivery is going according to plan. By selecting the amount we though would be appropriate for this campaign, we were able to locate the price in which it would cost us as an advertising agency if that amount were to be printed out. Promotional Material Leaflets We used leaflets to ensure customers the products that the cafà © will be selling in their local cafà ©. The leaflet we designed had a bright Italian background (in the form of the Italy colours), indicating immediately to the consumer that the cafà © is Italian based, which is probably the most important factor to inform the customer about. We made sure that the leaflet was specifically designed and had the relevant information such as the location of the cafà © and the products that the cafà © were going to sell. This is vital to clear as misleading customers about products that the cafà © doesn’t sell could lead to the business losing customers. We also had to include contact information so that customers could maybe phone in the cafà © to order food or to see whether the cafà © is open. We used pictures so that consumers are able to get a feel of some of the products that the cafà © has on offer. We placed this on the front (main) side of the leaflet so that it is eye catching to the consumer as soon as they see the leaflet. We made 1500 printout leaflets as they can be easily distributed around the local area and are the most common method of promotion used by a business of a similar stature. Leaflets could be posted through letter boxers to the people around the local area so it increases the chance of the consumer actually noticing and reading the leaflet This can help achieve the business objectives of achieving 30 customers daily as by using this type of promotion, in the form of leaflets, the business is virtually trying to attract more customers to shop at the cafà © and build more customer awareness of the cafà ©. If the business has more customers, they could achieve their aim of breaking even in the first year. However, a drawback of using a leaflet was that it proved to be the most costly in terms of production as we were charged at 11p per leaflet. Posters The posters we designed were again Italian based but had to limit the amount of information we could put on the poster due to lack of space. This was one of the drawbacks of using a poster but could be just as effective as using the leaflet. However, the production of the poster was the cheapest at just 4.5 per poster. This came at a surprise as we thought that the poster was to be more expensive than the rest of the promotional material. The content we had on the poster had o be very basic but had to send the message across to consumers of the products that the cafà © may sell if they came to visit. The drawback of creating a poster was that it was very time consuming as first we had to make a draft copy, then were we able to form the main copy in which was going to be used for distribution. The use of pictures made it more eyes catching for the consumer and the contents that were stated were the basic products that the cafà © were going to sell. The reason behind this decision was that we believed that consumers would be more likely to read a poster that had a limited amount of writing on the poster rather than having a ‘jammed’ pack poster full of writing and fewer pictures. By just stating the important points and more use of pictures proved to be more eye catching for us and potential consumers. This could help achieve the aims of this organisation as students and working class people could notice this poster when they shop at local newsagents or public areas when they go to work or college. Although these won’t be distributed to houses like leaflets, they will be situated at public areas such as on buses or some of the local shops nearby. This would increase customer awareness of the business on a whole or be a drawback as some people like the elderly who do not shop as often as other student are more likely to miss the poster rather than students who walk past on a day to day basis.

Rich and Poor People In the 19th Century Britain

The different lifestyles and experiences, of rich and poor people in the 19th century Britain. The quality of life in the Victorian times depended on whether people were rich or poor. Wealthy people enjoyed a good and easy life, but on the other hand poorer people had a rough and hard life, often ending up in the workhouse or early death. By 1851 British society divided into social classes. The aristocracy were powerful and wealthy. The middle class, who ran the businesses, were ambitious and growing in wealth. The people in villages, in the towns, working as servant in the homes of the rich were very poor.The life of the rich, birth mattered more than money. A rich baby boy had governesses and nannies, then went to public school such as Eton or Harrow, finishing his education at Oxford or Cambridge. Girls were educated at home and getting prepared for marriage. Some girls went to boarding school and at the end of the 19th century, a small number were able to go to university. The el dest son inherited his father’s estate and title. In a rich household their meals where far more then they could eat and the rest was passed on to the employers who lived on their land. As the century went on, middle-class people took annual holiday.Behaviour in a typical middle-class family was proper. Children spent most of the time with the nanny and called the father â€Å"Sir†. The mother’s job was to stay at home and tells servants and tradesmen what to do. The middle-class house values where religion, modesty, cleanliness, self-improvement and hard work. They enjoyed musical evenings, stamp collecting, butterfly collecting and the theatre. The working class lived on their employer’s land in little cottages. If the working class would ever leave their employer they would have to leave their accommodation and make them homeless or go into workhouses.That’s why a lot of people stayed in the same employment for a long time. At the start of the 1 9th century few poor people received an education until the 1880 education act made primary school compulsory. Poverty is the state of being poor. For the poor most children have to work because their family needed the money. The more people in the family who worked, the more money they had. More money means more food and better living conditions. Very poor people with no home or job lived in workhouses and families got split up. They earned their keep by doing jobs in the workhouse.The idea was that the poor were helped to support themselves. For most of the population poverty brought terrible living and working conditions. Millions of people were living in terrible squalor. They lived in cold, damp, badly built houses. They where overcrowded which led to spread of disease. Working conditions were dreadful and people got low pay for long hours working in factories, mines and mills. Work was hard, and dangerous with little safety and poor working conditions. Huge social problems led to alcoholism and violence. This was happening up and down the land in the cities of Britain.During the 19th century people had strong beliefs about the causes of poverty. People believed that it was a person’s own doing that they lived in poverty, as it was due to the own behaviour, laziness, alcoholism or wasting the money that they had. A person should help themselves to avoid poverty and to get out of poverty. It was called self-help. The next step in this essay will be looking at some source material to find out which is primary and secondary. Primary sources are can also exist in many copies, if they were popular and widely available at the time that they were created.Secondary sources were called secondary because they are created after primary sources and they often use or talk about primary sources. Secondary sources can give additional options sometimes called bias, on a past event or on the primary source. Secondary sources often have many copies. Looking at Sourc e D: This is a secondary source, as it was written in 2001 by Victorian diaries in London. The diary was written unwittingly as the author Lady Maria Hobart did not expect anyone to read her diary. Also it is unwittingly written, because it describes an event out of her life.The diary is the primary source of the memory of the special day and written by her, produced at the time. She was also very wealthy as there was a maid and eight bride’s mates and she was made by a sir at the church. She had a horse and carriage picking her and her husband up from church after their wedding ceremony. She was an educated lady and her workforce came out cheerfully to celebrate their marriage. There is a very positive bias and it is very well written and precise. Source B: this source is not very reliable, as he is protective of his father and may be distorted due to his age.The father was the only source of income that points out that this family was very poor. This is also a primary sourc e as George Edwards recalls his life in this diary. The workhouse was also a strong point that this family was poor. The images in source F we see here are all primary images as there were photos taken at the time. The images showing the upper and working class looking at image one is strongly biased as it only represents the upper class. Image six was wittingly taken. The intention was to show the poor. Image two shows a child as a miner In 1842 the mines act stopped working girls and boys under 10 from work in mines.This also represents a poor family as all the member in a poor family had to work, even children. Also a primary source as it was taken at the time of the event. The conclusion on primary and secondary sources is, primary sources come first hand from the source or person. Diaries would be a primary source because it is written directly by the individual writing in the diary. Information that has been stated, but not interpreted by others. Secondary sources are sources that were written about primary sources. Secondary sources analyse, interpret and discuss information about primary source.

Mt everst

Have you ever thought about climbing Mt. Everest? Well, Sir Edman Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first people who did. The simarities and differances of â€Å"View from the Summit† by Sir Edman Hillary and the â€Å"The Dream comes True† by Tenzing Norgay are similiar about the events to the top of Mt. Everest, but they're also different in their backgrounds and emotions. They are similiar because they both made it to the top of Everest at 1 1 :30 am. A example is Hillary said, â€Å"At 1 1 :30 am May 29th they reached the top. † Tenzing also said the same thing. They're also similiar because they both had flags at the top of the summit.A example would be Hillary took a picture of Tenzing with the flags at the top. Another example is Tenzing held the United Nation flag the highest under British, Nepals, and Indians below his picture. Finially, they're similiar in the hard challenge they took on before the summit. A example is that Hillary said, â€Å"The ic e cornice would be a challenge. † A second example would be Tenzing said, â€Å"The last chalenge was a struggle. † The two stories are different in their backgrounds. Examples of this is Hillary was a famous climber from Britain while, Norgay was a local guide from Nepal. They were also different in their styles of writing.Hillary wrote more about facts. Fro example 1 5-27'C. Thenzings has more emotional opinions. Finally, they were also different on how they performed the prestiage of Everest. A example is Hillary said, â€Å"l didn't need Tenzings help. † Although, Tenzing said â€Å"Hillary did need my help. † Those are only Just a few similarities they had in their climb to the top of Mt. Everest. They're similiar in the time they reched the top, the flags, and the challenge before the summit. They're different in their backgrounds, styles of writing, and how they performed. Do you still think you would want to climb Mt. Everest or not?