Sigmund Freud s Vision Of Humanity Essay - 1779 Words

Psychodynamic Ideas According to Sigmund Freud’s vision of humanity, Jon is caught in a struggle between unconscious forces; id desires sex, aggression and conflict; ego is concerned with reality checking and social adaptation; and the superego which is concerned with morals and values obtained from parents and society; which require Jon to make compromises to decrease anxiety. These compromises that Jon must make for the sake of personality congruence, and the resulting decrease in psychic energy, can lead to discouragement and a loss of meaning (Reference needed). Unconscious sexual and aggressive urges from the id are overwhelming Jon’s defense mechanisms and reaching consciousness where they cause his negative emotions and worldview. Alfred Adler, a friend and colleague of Freud’s, proposed that Jon’s negative emotions, and bland worldview, is caused by an innate striving for positive social interactions and a selfless concern for the welfare of others , which drives the search for self-realization. Jon could decrease his negative emotions and worldview through altruistic concern for others. By taking his eyes off himself, and his feelings of doom and nothingness, and instead working selflessly to help another person, Jon can not only decrease his negativity, he can improve his outlook and meaning in life. Adler proposed that Jon is a social being, who will need healthy social interactions to rise above his feeling impending doom and nothingness, and fully develop hisShow MoreRelatedPsychoanalysis : The Height Of Academia Essay1635 Words   |  7 PagesMartin Seligman: Well the state of psychoanalysis wouldn’t exactly put it on a pedestal to measure my work against†¦ Sigmund Freud: What are you proposing? 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Rarely happensRead MoreThe s Of St. Teresa Of Avila1462 Words   |  6 Pagesfor I was trying to give the reasons why this kind of vision cannot be the work of the imagination. How could we picture Christ’s Humanity by merely studying the subject or form any impression of His great beauty by means of the imagination?† (Page 632 Paragraph 1). This selection brings a great question forward. How can we? St. Teresa in her book The Raptures of St. Teresa explains the best she can how Jesus is in her every day. Lawrence S. Cun ningham implies, â€Å"Anyone who imagines that great mysticsRead MoreOedipus The King By Sophocles1165 Words   |  5 PagesBut was this uncontrollable? Was it not obvious that Oedipus unwittingly murdered his father, King Laius of Thebes, at a crossroad? Then as he married the king s widow, Oedipus also wed his own mother, fulfilling the double fate of parricide and incest foretold about him. Kurt Fosso argues that â€Å"Resisting fate, One could argue that Oedipus s present actions in the play are free rather than determined and therefore worth scrutinizing in themselves.† (Fosso) Seems that Oedipus could not have controlledRead MorePsychology Of Religion : The Mad, Holy And Demonic2878 Words   |  12 Pageswhat is its relevance in understanding religious belief or religious experience? Answer with reference to either Jung or Freud, or to both Jung and Freud. It is widely assumed that in the field of psychoanalytic theory there are only two major influential characters when discussing the effect and importance of religion on the unconscious, these characters being Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. 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It reflects about us and our society. The term Literature is derived from Latin - Literatura which means that a writing formed with letters. Literature is a term indicated all books and writing. . . Literature has many genres such as Poem, Drama, Novel, and short story.The novel is one of the genres of fiction. The term Novel is derived fromRead MoreGender Norms And Enforcing Gender Stereotypes On Society1907 Words   |  8 Pageswhat others define as the right way of living. Although there are many aspects of society that contribute to this problem, such as sexism, bullying, and peer pressure against all genders, specifically, the harmful stereotypes that are upheld in today s society and how they affect young people is a great problem (boundless). There is an extreme difference in how society views and treats children based on their gender and it can be difficult for a boy who likes to play with dolls or a girl who enjoysRead MoreKhasak14018 Words   |  57 Pagesfor further research. Posted by Preethu at 02:05 No comments: Introduction Literature, with its immense scope and appeal that goes beyond the horizon of zeitgeist, demands a touchstone with equally infinite bound, as it is a cultural product of humanity, and an offshoot of this is Comparative Literature which concerns itself with the basic structures which underlie every kind of literature. There is, â€Å"in theory, no limit to its scope.† (Pathak, 18). . Translation studies, another important offshootRead MoreCollege Of Technology And Management Department Of Health And Social Care2079 Words   |  9 PagesTo help understand the concept of communication and how it works better, various scholars have developed theories of communication. 1.1 APPLY RELEVANT THEORIES OF COMMUNICATION TO HSC CONTEXTS First, the Humanistic Theory seeks to capture the humanity in individuals first before the complexities of the world. According to psychologists Abraham Maslow, Gardner Murphy and Carl Rogers, communication between the service user and provider should be â€Å"client-centred† . This means that relationships between

The Trail from American Indians to American Citizens Essay

The Trail from American Indians to American Citizens The Bill of Rights contains all of the basic rights endowed to all American citizens. For the purpose of our argument we will consider the Indians of the 19th century as American citizens. After reviewing the Bill of Rights it became extremely apparent that as American citizens many Indians civil rights were not only withheld, but also flat out denied and violated. Under the direction of anti-Indian president Andrew Jackson, the Congress passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and within five years the Treaty of New Echota was formed and thus began the saddest series of events, which became known as the Trail of Tears. These events and more added to the delinquency of the†¦show more content†¦Ridge, along with 500 of the 17,000 Cherokee in North Georgia signed the Treaty of New Echota. This gave Pres Jackson the legal documentation he needed to begin unconstitutionally removing American citizens known as Native-Americans. The Fourth amendment protects citizens from gover nmental misuse of power or due process of law. The right of people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizers, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized. Clearly relocating people is quite unconstitutional. Not only was this relocation inhumane, but it showed a chilling lack of reverence similar to that of Nazi Germany. Any type of mass relocation is against everything that the Bill of Rights empowers. For those that argue the citizens signed a treaty, they are meet with two facts. The first fact is that nowhere in the treaty were death marches at gunpoint mentioned nor slum forts housing. The second fact is that a mere 3.4% of the Cherokee Nation attended the signing. Fully represented or not the Indians were treated with utter and total disregard for the law . The U.S. Government was well aware that Ridge did not represent the majority of the Cherokee Nation but the bill passed anyway by aShow MoreRelatedTrail Of Tears : Reasons Behind The Action1648 Words   |  7 PagesTrail of Tears: the Reasons Behind the Action The march of the Cherokee Indians in 1836 from western North Carolina to Oklahoma, known as the â€Å"Trail of Tears,† is one of the most traumatic events in American history. By 1830, the Native Americans had adopted the written language of the Anglo-Americans and signed treaties with them guaranteeing their rights to their land. Although the Natives often adapted to the Anglo-American ways of life and many Natives converted to Christianity, the relationshipRead MoreThe Sorrow of the Trail of Tears Essay1527 Words   |  7 Pagesnot the very basis for leaving Europe, and coming to the Americas? But what was inflicted on the Indians who occupied North America, was almost exactly which that the settlers wished to escape. What the Indians were subjected to, is utter and total hypocrisy. The Trail of Tears, was a focused event of ethnic cleansing, blatant racism, religious oppression, and subjugation or elimination of the Indian tribes. It is shameful, and a great stain upo n the conscience of the United States history, thatRead MoreThe Trail Of Tears : A Dark Period1604 Words   |  7 PagesThe trail of tears was a dark period in US history. Fueled by greed and racism but rationalized through what we believed was best for our country, we took even more from people who had already lost so much. We deemed natives as incompatible with society because they did not share our beliefs and culture. Now in modern times, we face issues that are parallel to this era and there are many things that can and should be learned from our mistakes and generalizations from the past. In the years leadingRead MoreHuman Rights for Native Americans Trampled throughout History889 Words   |  4 Pagesthink. Most of that comes from us, as humans, thinking that we are superior to other races, genders, or groups of people in general. First we had issues with how we treated the Native Americans when the colonists arrived. Yes the colonists tried to have as little conflict as possible, when they came over to settle this new land, they saw the Natives as â€Å"savages†. From then on, we used them as slaves, which progressed into slavery of other races, Hispanics, Africa-Americans, and even our own race, simplyRead MoreThe Impacts Of A Cherokee Story : Trail Of Tears920 Words   |  4 PagesStory: Trail of Tears One of the major atrocities early in the United States (US) expansion came after President Andrew Jackson approved of and signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830. This document set the foundation for what would be known as the Trail of Tears. The Trail of Tears was the forceful relocation of give main Native American tribes from their eastern lands, to newly established territories located west of the Mississippi River (Dwyer, 2014, p. 33). After researching the Trail of Tears’Read More Andrew Jackson Essay981 Words   |  4 Pages they in no way disqualify him from having a place on the U.S. twenty dollar bill. Jackson made every decision according to the will of the American people, even the more unsavory ones. He was a war hero that exemplified the strength and tenacity by which America has defined itself over the generations. He acted in all ways with concern for the growth of the American nation, both at home and overseas. Even his now unquestionably negative actions, such as the Indian Removal Act, were done at the timeRead MoreThe Trail Of Tears By Amy Sturgis1286 Words   |  6 PagesThe Trail of Tears was a huge turning point seen by Amy Sturgis, as clearly shown in her chapter, â€Å"The Trail of Tears as a Turning Point†. Sturgis have separated how the Trail of Tears has affected history into three categories: the world, the US, and for the Cherokee Nation. All three categories intermingle, affecting one another with either a positive or a negative feedback. The United States perspective on the Native people has drastically changed from President to President. â€Å"George WashingtonRead MoreNative Americas And The West Of The Mississippi River1438 Words   |  6 PagesNative Americans remained in this region . While following the interests of the white settlers, who wanted to cultivate cotton on Indian Lands, president Jackson and the federal government forced the natives to vacate their homeland and have thousands miles walk to a designated â€Å"Indian territory† which was at the west of the Mississippi river. The journey and the route that they travelled was hindered with many adverse and sometime deadly challenges and it came to be referred to as the trail of tearsRead MoreIndian Joe, Lightfoot Gonzales, And Narisco Allalha1563 Words   |  7 PagesAmerica there are currently 562 federally recognized tribes. Joe â€Å"Indian Joe† Lightfoot Gonzales, also known as Narisco Allalha, is a descendent of one of the remai ning Native American tribes, the Choctaw. The Choctaw people were a matriarchal agrarian community that lived in the Southeastern portion of the United States, primarily in Mississippi and sections of Alabama. Tribal legends claim that the Choctaw people originated from Nanih Waya, a sacred hill near Noxapter, Mississippi. The ChoctawRead MoreStarvation, Illness and Death of the Native Americans in Trail of Tears1352 Words   |  6 PagesOne of the greatest injustices of American history included, starvation, illness, and death. These hardships were undeservingly forced upon an innocent group of people – the Native Americans. One may think that the Trail of Tears was only a simple journey the Indians made to discover new frontiers. This is not the case. The Trail of Tears was the result of the white man’s selfishness, causing Indians to lose their homes and belongings. The act was full of unfair treatment, cruelty, and heartlessness

Profile of the Science Museum Essay Example For Students

Profile of the Science Museum Essay The following report details the results of the profiling of the Science Museums virtual audience. The work forms part of a larger project to gain a detailed understanding of the demographic and psycho-graphic profile of our total audience both physical and virtual. It is therefore run in conjunction with a survey of actual visitors to the Museum. Both Web and physical audience surveys will be run as longitudinal projects, so that we can build up a picture of fluctuations and changes in the profile over the coming years. METHODOLOGY The following report is based on responses to a short pop-up survey, which was posted on the Science Museum homepage on Monday 6 August 2001. Log data were also used to supply additional information on virtual visiting patterns.  A cookie was employed to discourage visitors from completing the survey more than once, and to avoid irritating regular visitors. However, a link was provided further down the site so that anyone who had initially closed the survey could go back and fill it in later. Survey responses were collected in the course of one 24-hour day. The survey was available for the full 24 hours to avoid excluding users accessing the site at night or in different time zones. A total of 252 responses were collected, representing 5.5% of the 4600 visitors to the site during the 24 hours of the survey period.  While the pop-up survey dealt specifically with the Science Museum Website, the questions were closely linked to those used to profile the Museums physical visitors. This allows us to compare the data and look at both physical and virtual visiting patterns. The Web survey was developed in close collaboration with the Science Museums Web Management Group. The demographic questions within the survey had been extensively piloted through prior use in the physical survey.  Note of caution  It should be noted that the survey was up on the Website for one day during the summer holidays. It therefore represents a snapshot of visitors at a particular time of year, rather than a conclusive summary of annual visiting patterns. The survey will be repeated during the autumn term, and at intervals throughout the year to explore seasonal fluctuations in visiting patterns. The return rate of 5.5% represents a relatively high response rate for web surveys where return rates of 2% 4% are standard. However, it should be noted that the responses of the sample taken may not be representative of the total population of Web visitors.  Please note that the physical audience profiling data has only been collected for 6 months. Therefore figures quoted for the physical visitor profile below may alter once a full years data has been included. The data given for physical visitors excludes school groups to allow the best comparison for the Web survey, which was taken during school holidays. The following graph shows fluctuations in patterns of Website visiting over the past two years. It is difficult to interpret the individual peaks and troughs in the graph due to changes in collection methods. However, the overall trend is an increase in visitor numbers to the site.  Note on search phrases  The log data also provides data on search phrases used to access the site from external search engines. This data provides interesting information on the sorts of topics users are interested in when they enter the site. An initial review of the data showed that a very wide range of search phrases are being used. A high proportion of these comprised combinations of the words science and museum. A detailed analysis of the search phrases would give an idea of the most common topics under which visitors enter the site. However, because of the amount and range of data, this analysis would need to be done separately to this report.  Acknowledgements  Thank you to Mike Ellis and Daniel Evans for their help with this project.

Why Writing Below Your Minimum Rate Can Pay Off Big

Theres another one again. A prospect wanting content below your minimum rate. Its the third one this month. What gives? You obviously have a stellar portfolio and are even working with influencers and writing on big platforms. So, when another prospect contacts you and it looks like a good fit – its in your niche – you suddenly become disinterested because the pay is too low – even after negotiating with them. You dont mind too much, but you do want at least another gig or two to fill up your content calendar, so not landing another gig does hurt a bit, financially. Maybe you should have taken that low-paying gig. Heres why. Lower-Paying Gigs Can Improve Your Business A lot of my client list have been grandfathered in. This means, the rate I quoted them a year ago, is still the same rate today. Why am I not raising my rates with most of these clients? Simple. They provide consistent work to me and have referred clients to me. These are my top tier clients and I dont plan on changing my rates since I get more than enough work from them. But, there have been times when Ive taken on gigs below my minimum rate. Why? 1. If the Gig is in My Wheelhouse Theres a good chance Ill take on a lower-paying client if its in my wheelhouse. Now, this isnt all the time, but if its super easy for me to write it, then Ill take it. For example, Twiniversity – a popular site for moms with multiples – contacted me to write for them. The gig is writing about twins and parenting. Wh-what? Of course Ill do it. Why wouldnt I? The site is well-known, has a huge audience and I can promote my Twins Mommy site. But, the pay is shy of my minimum rate. For this instance, that didnt matter. Just being on their platform is enough payment for me. 2. If the Gig Provides Consistent Work Would you rather get an extra $300 every month or $500 on an ad hoc basis? The ad hoc client pays you within your range, but the $300 a month client does not. Yet, you end up getting paid more on a monthly basis if   you go with the lower-paying client – because they are consistent. Sometimes its better to get consistent work at a lower pay than inconsistent work at a higher pay. Knowing that youll always get paid is reassuring to a freelance writer, right? The life of a freelance writer is inconsistent so hold on to those consistent gigs as much as possible. 3. If I Know the Gig Will Lead to More Work I recently landed a gig on a popular blog. While the pay is good, its not within my range – but thats totally OK because every time my post is published, I always get inquiries for my writing and land more clients. So, if you know that the lower-paying work will lead to higher-paying work, take it. Its just another way to grow your income. Lower-Paying Gigs Can Mean a Break For You I dont know about you, but sometimes writing for my high-paying B2B clients takes a lot out of me. Theres often a ton more research involved, more writing involved, more screenshots, more links, and just more work overall. So, when I get to write a 500 word blog post on awful digital manners, its a treat for me. I can link to YouTube videos and dont have to use screenshots, for example. Its easier to write these types of posts and its quicker too. And when my life is already pretty stressful as it is as a work-from-home mom, these lower-paying gigs are often a breath of fresh air for me. Lower-Paying Gigs Can Help You Break Into a New Niche As a new freelance writer, you may not know what your niche is. Maybe you have three niches already, but none of them are very lucrative. Its okay to explore other niches. But, to do that you might have to start at the bottom of the totem pole so to speak. At one time, I wanted to explore the WordPress niche. I heard theres a lot of work in this niche and that it can be very profitable. I was able to land a couple clients in this niche, but I couldnt command my high rate since I didnt have any samples to show and I had no credibility as a WordPress writer. So, I lowered my minimum rate. That helped me secure samples and clients easily. I could then use those portfolio pieces and client testimonials to help me establish myself in the WordPress niche. Although I never pursued this, a lot of freelance writers follow these same steps to break into a new niche. Lower-Paying Gigs Can Mean Writing for a New Audience Can I tell you a little secret? A lot of highly popular websites either dont pay for their content or pay very little. Huffington Post, for example, doesnt pay their contributors. But, freelance writers and bloggers all around are desperately trying to land a guest spot on HuffPo because they know the benefits outweigh the whole no-pay thing. Mainly traffic back to their site and new client work. But, theres also one more benefit to writing for gigs below your minimum rate – you reach a new audience. The more people that see your post on these big websites, the better chance youll have at landing better writing gigs. Sharon Hurley Hall had this happened to her. She wrote a review and mentioned Buzzsumo. Buzzsumo contacted her and invited her to write for their blog – for free. Her Buzzsumo post then got picked up by Business2Community and has been shared many times. This post reached a new audience for Sharon and she ended up landing clients from this opportunity. Its Totally Worth It Freelance writing is my main – part-time – gig. Ive worked with dozens and dozens of clients over the last almost two years of doing this. Im in the trenches still, and will continue to work as a freelance writer because I love it and I think its a great gig to have if you want to work from home. So, Ive learned that not all high-paying gigs are worth it. There are many better lower-paying gigs out there that can really help you grow your business. Next time a prospect emails you with a lower rate, take a look at their profile. Do they have a popular site? A big audience? A huge social media presence? Are they in your niche? Will it help you land more clients? If the answer to all of those is yes, then take the gig! Over to you – how has writing below your minimum rate helped your freelance business?

Girls not Grey by AFI

Girls not Grey by AFI Musical artists often respond to personal and social situations in their lyrics. How they portray that situation is sometimes deliberate and highly symbolic. While portraying the situation, they create a unique perspective that enables their listeners to view the situation in a deliberate manner; what experts call the artist’s agenda.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on â€Å"Girls not Grey† by AFI specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Often, artists respond to situations in their lyrics to either: Celebrate a specific belief or faith, Invite listeners into a culture to experience it authentically, sometimes dispelling any misinterpretations outsiders may have, criticize traditions or current events within a culture and often call for reform or change, and force readers to question their beliefs and values. This paper will analyze a song titled â€Å"Girls not Grey†, which was composed by the A Fire Insid e (AFI), and explain the band’s agenda with regard to this song. â€Å"Girls not Grey† has been seen by many as a campaign by AFI to enlighten musicians and the rest of the society on the dangers of drug use. A Fire Inside (AFI) is a rock band based in California, USA (Ovguide Editors 1). The current society faces numerous challenges that are caused by drug addiction. Drug use is common among the young people and most importantly musicians. The use of drugs such as cocaine and marijuana is often advertised in the mass media and this attracts the attention of many potential users. Musicians are often forced to use illegal drugs so as to gain courage and energy to face huge crowds. According to Tiegel, rock musicians are the most vulnerable artistes (56). Tiegel notes that the culture of drug use is very common among rock musicians and warns young rock artistes to be on the lookout. â€Å"The music industry’s love affairs with drugs, from uppers and downers, to t he smoking of marijuana, which musicians, producers, and long haired general mangers and doctors agree should be classified separately from the hard drugs, has caused numerous problems† (Tiegel 58). Drug addiction has caused the deaths of several musicians, and it has crippled the careers of many. The deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix were believed to have resulted from the use of drugs. Despite the death of these two musicians, the use of drugs by musicians is still is worrying. Tiegel argues â€Å"the rock musician’s world at best is a house of dreams and cards. He has a short life and he does not know how long it will last, so he wants to be up for every performance; he wants to be on top†(58).Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Dr. Birnbaum, an expert of drug addiction, indicates that musicians often use drugs because â€Å"drugs are so much a part of the youth scene, and the musician thinks he needs the drug to survive, work under duress, be functional on the road, work long gigs at absurd hours, record at odd hours, and tolerate the sound of music; musicians need drugs to start their motors going or to calm down their anxieties† (Tiegel 58). Drug use significantly affects the lives of musicians. Having worked with musicians who use drugs for quite some time, Dr. Birnbaum argues that drug use has led to the breakage of many groups due to the fact that some members of the group are unable to cope up with the behaviors of their colleagues. In addition, drug use affects the relationship between musicians and their producers and managers. Thus, drug use does not only harm the health of musicians and other drug users, but also cripples their working relationships and careers. The problem of drug use has become so common that it is regarded as a lifestyle. Music can be used to enlighten the society on the dangers of dr ug use. Musicians have many followers thus they can use their music to campaign against the use of drugs. AFI is a group of musicians which has taken the initiative of enlightening the society and most importantly their fellow musicians on the dangers of drug abuse. This goal has been achieved through the group’s single titled â€Å"Girls not Grey†. â€Å"I’ll lay me down tonight, Much further down. Swim in the calm tonight. This art does drown.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on â€Å"Girls not Grey† by AFI specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More What follows me as the whitest lace of light? Will swallow whole Just begs to be imbrued? What follows has led me to this place where I belong with all erased? What follows? All insects sing tonight the coldest sound, I’d send God’s grace tonight, could it be found?Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More What follows me as the whitest lace of light? Will swallow whole. Just begs to be imbrued? What follows has led me to this place, where I belong with all erased, I’ll lay me down tonight, Much further down, Watch stars go out tonight, On sinking ground†. (Source: https://www.lyricinterpretations.com/afi/girls-not-grey) According to Lyrics Interpreters, Girls not Grey highlights how drug addiction ruins the careers are lives of musicians. Lyrics Interpreters note that the use of â€Å"girls† â€Å"or grey† is metaphoric (1). â€Å"Girls† means cocaine while grey has a number of meanings. In the drug addiction world, the term â€Å"girls† is often used in reference to cocaine. In the first stanza, the line â€Å"This art does drown† is used by the group to indicate to their listeners that the art of music does drown in case the artist is a drug user (Lyrics Interpreters 3). The use of illegal drugs has numerous effects to the user. If t he user is a musician, it has been found that drug use often distorts the musician’s career .This line is used to warn musicians who use illegal drugs, or those who intend to use cocaine that drug use is likely to ruin their careers. The second stanza is a continuation of the artists’ wider message. The lines â€Å"What follows me as the whitest lace of light? Will swallow whole, just begs to be imbrued? What follows has led me to this place where I belong with all erased? What follows?† emphasize AFI’s message (Lyrics Interpreters 3). Musicians are seen as the light of the society. They are seen as role models by many. The use of cocaine will swallow its user and finally erase him or her. AFI warns their audience that â€Å"what follows the use of cocaine†¦anyone that use it is just begging to be imbrued. It leads to death† (Lyrics Interpreters 3). In the third stanza, the line â€Å"All insects sing tonight the coldest sound† also hi ghlights the group’s message (Lyrics Interpreters 3). In this case, insects represent drug users, and the music of drug users is likened to a cold sound, indicating that it has no meaning. In the last stanza, the line â€Å"Watch stars go out tonight, on sinking ground† means that God is watching as the stars (musicians) sink into the ground. The song â€Å"Girls not Grey† by AFI represents one of the many ways in which sober musicians reach out to their colleagues in the music industry. Most musicians have a lot of money which they use to purchase illegal drugs like cocaine. In addition, the society is so permissive that musicians often get away with some crimes such as the use of illegal drugs. There is a need to inform musicians that they can succeed or overcome pressure related to music without using drugs. Generally, the musical career has many challenges. Musicians need counseling and guidance so that they can make informed decisions and live fulfilling l ives. In conclusion, it can be argued that musicians often compose lyrics in response to events or situations, and this is usually done in a symbolic manner. While portraying the situation, they create a unique perspective that enables their listeners to view the situation in a deliberate manner; what experts call the artist’s agenda. Often, artists respond to situations in their lyrics to either: Celebrate a specific belief or faith, Invite listeners into a culture to experience it authentically, sometimes dispelling any misinterpretations outsiders may have, criticize traditions or current events within a culture and often call for reform or change, and force readers to question their beliefs and values. â€Å"Girls not Grey† is an example of a song that responds to a situation. This song was composed by AFI in response to the worrying trend of drug abuse in Musicians. A number of factors which force musicians to use drugs have been documented. Drug use is common amo ng young people and most importantly musicians. The use of drugs such as cocaine and marijuana is often advertised in the mass media and this attracts the attention of many potential users. Musicians are often forced to use illegal drugs so as to gain courage and energy to face huge crowds. According to Tiegel, rock musicians are the most vulnerable artistes (57). Experts of drug addiction indicate that musicians often use drugs because â€Å"drugs are so much a part of the youth scene, and the musician thinks he needs the drug to survive, work under duress, be functional on the road, work long gigs at absurd hours, record at odd hours, and tolerate the sound of music; musicians need drugs to start their motors going or to calm down their anxieties† (Tiegel 58). Drug use significantly affects the lives of musicians. Having worked with musicians who use drugs for quite some time, Dr. Birnbaum argues that drug use has led to the breakage of many groups due to the fact that some members of the group are unable to cope up with the behaviors of their colleagues. In addition, drug use affects the relationship between musicians and their producers and managers. Thus, drug use does not only harm the health of musicians and other drug users, but also cripples their working relationships and careers. Most musicians have a lot of money which they use to purchase illegal drugs like cocaine. In addition, the society is so permissive that musicians often get away with some crimes such as the use of illegal drugs. There is a need to inform musicians that they can succeed or overcome pressure related to music without using drugs. Generally, the musical career has many challenges. Musicians need counseling and guidance so that they can make informed decisions and live fulfilling lives. Lyrics Interpretors. AFI: Girls not Grey meaning. Jan. 2007. Web. Ovguide Editors. â€Å"The Art of Drowning Video†. Ovguide 7 April 2011: 1-10. Web. Tiegel, Eliot. Young Musician s Fall prey to Addicting Drugs. Billboard 6 November 1971: 55-60. Web.

Breaking Down Writer’s Block An Infographic - Freewrite Store

Breaking Down Writer’s Block An Infographic - Freewrite Store Writer’s block can happen to anyone, no matter if you’re a new writer or if you have had several well-received publications under your name. These dry spells can be a bother to deal with, as they can go on for days or even weeks at a time. It can be frightening, especially if you make a living by writing. But what exactly happens when you have writer’s block? It plays out differently for different individuals. While some find themselves not being able to pen a single decent sentence, there are others who can still write pages of paragraphs- but nowhere near the quality that they’re used to producing. There are those who just can’t seem to find the right words to say and also those who seem to have too many ideas to fit into a single article. Writer’s block can happen at any time, sometimes during crucial moments in your writing career. Because of the unpredictability of writer’s block, knowing a few techniques to overcome it can come in handy. Some experts suggest to continue writing, even when what you end up writing doesn’t make sense. You can even write about something else, so find a topic that truly interests you, and feel the thoughts and ideas come out through written format. You can also work on your focus by using a distraction-free typewriter instead, which will force you to write and write until you’re finally done. However, if you can’t even seem to find any words at all to scribble down, then shut everything down and go for a walk. Sometimes, simply taking yourself out to unwind can help loosen the screws that are holding the mental box trapping your creative juices. Go out and see people; change your environment- in other words, do something else. Interested to find out more about this scary yet inevitable experience? Check out this infographic to get more details. Writer’s block can be a pain to work with, but even the most famous writers suffered from it at various points in their writing careers. Don’t be easily discouraged if you experience that too. After all, there are many ways you can overcome this creative stumbling block.

A letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A letter - Essay Example It transforms fishing into a share system that promotes consideration of long-term profits versus the short-term profits of overfishing. My classmates and I have been conducting research on our proposal, and we considered its strengths and weaknesses. We realized that one of its weaknesses is lack of political support and leadership, which we hope that you, as our Representative, can provide. The advantages of this fishing program cannot be undermined: â€Å"With a secure share of the catch, fishermen no longer need to race: incentives change from spurring fishermen to capture the most fish they can, to spurring them to maximize the value of their share instead† (â€Å"How Catch Shares Work†). Fishers and companies will understand that they do not need the most number of fish, but the greatest efficient sharing that they can profit from. Moreover, the program aims to enable fishes to recuperate and to allow for steady demand. The Catch Share Program gives an incentive f or fishers and fishing companies to wait because of higher future revenues. The result is sustainable fishing that benefits fishers, consumers, and the environment. Thus, the Catch Share Program maximizes profits, while minimizing the impact of fishing on our already strained marine resources. A win-win solution for overfishing problems that do not overlook the economic needs of fishers and fishing companies is presented through the Catch Share Program. California can set the benchmark for sustainable fisheries, which other states and nations can emulate. As overfishing continues, I urge you to take a stand for the environment and long-term sustainability of our fisheries. Without any viable program, it is not impossible that overfishing will push our fisheries to extinction for the next decades. You can propose a bill that adopts the Catch Share Program and help innovate how we fish and ensure the efficiency of our fishing industry. Thank you for your attention to this important ma tter. Sincerely, Your Name Your Title Your Address Your City, State, Zip Your Phone Number From a General Audience to the Representative: Shifting to Logos, Pathos, and Cause-And-Effect Analysis In writing the letter to our Representative, I realized the differences in what lay people want to hear and what a Congressperson wants to hear. A Representative is a politician. He has political motives that are connected to his self-interests, though he is mandated to serve the public interest. Californians want their local issues to be resolved, but they have diverse interests as individuals too. Because of the identity of my new target audience, I understood that successful persuasive writing is audience-focused, so I concentrated on what a Congressman wants to know, in order for him to take action. I made changes in my writing style, logos, pathos, and cause-and-effect analysis because of the differences in

Modern culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Modern culture - Essay Example Sennet (1999, p. 146) describes the flexible capitalism as more personal rather than general. The modern economy has resulted into a new form of capitalism in which the business organization only cares about the strategic direction to take. Sennet (1999, p.145-146) describes such organizations as having powers to let go. The new capitalism is a sociological danger to the employees of the different companies of the world. It has not only made modern work illegible and modern employees ‘precarious workers’ but also resulted into flexibility that has destroyed the societal foundations of the different communities of the world. The modern economy therefore has everything to do with the troubles and difficulties faced by the different employees in the different work places today. The American workers have to therefore match the computers in terms of efficiency, speed, accuracy and even productivity or else they will all be laid off in future. Sennett (1999, p. 74-75) argues that the introduction of computers and computer integrated systems in the different machines has highly simplified and reduced the tasks of the employees. The workers no longer toil to get things done; everything gets done by just ‘a press of a button’ (Broekens, 2009, p. 94-103). As much as it is an advantage to the employees, it is a great problem. Employees have found a way of evading the hard tasks (Sennett, 1999, p. 72). They eventually end up staying for quite a long time without performing certain tasks and slowly by slowly their skills deplete. What happens when the machines break down or experience malfunctions? Sennett (1999, 72-73) articulates a similar scenario when the dough-kneading machine broke down in the bakery firm. The production activities came to a stand-still since the workers hundred percent depended on the machine make dough. The workers never even possessed the simple engineering skills of repairing the machine ( Sennett, 1999, p. 73). Redundancy and

SOP for MS in Computer Science Essay Example for Free

SOP for MS in Computer Science Essay Ive always been fascinated by research, especially work that benefits common people or the environment. The idea that my efforts may better someones life or help create a greener planet motivates me. So after a successful career in IT, I intend to pursue my MS in Computer Science at University of Pennsylvania in order to build my research skills and work towards my interests in Computer Visualization, Data Mining, and Software Engineering. After completing my bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, I was interested in joining the Information Technology industry. So I pursued my dream by enrolling in a six-month Post Graduate Diploma course in Advanced Computing. At the end of the course I got a job in Software Automation Testing with Verismo Networks. After working in Perl for 1 year at Verismo, I joined Siemens Information Systems Limited. There I worked in Automation Testing using Microsoft .Net Technologies. Working with Siemens was both challenging and rewarding, as we did not use any commercially available tool for testing but rather created, designed and developed our own automation scripts, frameworks, APIs to communicate with the hardware, and developed various automated test tools to check system performance, integrity, stability, etc. After 4 years in Siemens, I joined Schneider Electric where I was given the leadership of introducing automation testing into our project. I worked with several teams to understand the project requirements and built automation testing framework using MSUIA and developed testing tools using MS SilverLight and .Net C#. This strong professional experience has given me a better understanding of the immense potential of technology to materialize innovative ideas ideas which not only help solve our toughest problems but also enrich our everyday lives by objective research and even humble developments. To create innovative technologies and bring research ideas to life, I will need appropriate problem solving approach and a competitive environment that will help sharpen my acumen in research. A Masters degree with thesis will help me acquire these skills. In my 6 years working in the IT industry, I have developed specific interests in the fields of Computer Visualization, Data Mining and Software Engineering. University of Pennsylvania is one of the renowned universities in USA and houses research teams that work on the  areas of my interest. Given a chance, I would like to continue this journey in your department. Developing automation tools for 2D and 3D Imaging Applications of Siemens ultrasound machine, I gained a fair idea of the domain of Ultrasound in Healthcare. I substantiated my knowledge by studying more about specialized areas like Visualization and how it transforms complex data into graphics representations that enhance the perception and meaning of data. 3D Visualization, one of the latest advances in the field of medical science, plays a vital role in diagnosis and has the potential to greatly reduce invasive interventions into the body, increasing physician performance in arresting or curing a disease. However in many countries, like in India/Bangladesh, these advanced facilities are still unavailable to most physicians. Also, in many cases, the visualization of the 3D anatomy is not very easy even with state-of-the-art techniques. Broadening our research areas in the field of medical science might enable us to build more affordable medical equipment. For instance MIT developed an inexpensive smart phone device Catra that can detect cataract. In a country like India where public healthcare services are dismal and even basic level healthcare is beyond the reach of most citizens, we have to devise innovative ways in similar lines to make better healthcare reachable to all. This is an area where emerging research can have a significant positive effect on people’s lives. I want to specialize in the field of Computer Graphics and Visualization to exploit the significant potential of 3D visualization. Not only will this open more options for minimally invasive or non-invasive surgeries, it may also vastly simplify post-operative care and expenses. At University of Pennsylvania, I am especially excited by work being carried out in the Computer Graphics, Computer Vision and User Interfaces research area. I want to develop my skills and knowledge in this field by working in the project group Visualization Research Group under Prof. Sebastian Bauer and use this knowledge to further my chances of a career in a research institute like Siemens Corporate Technology, a research division of Siemens. By  working with this research group, I will learn how vast quantities of complex data can be represented in a visual and legible format to respective users. I may also get a chance to learn about the latest technology 4D Visualization and invent ways to use it in medical domain in a cost effective manner. In my undergraduate project, I worked on Forecasting Power Consumption and Energy Needs for the State Electricity Board based on historical energy usage using Neural Networks. I analyzed huge piles of records to understand the usage behavior based on season, time of the day, location, etc. Although the project was very rudimentary, I quickly realized how helpful, economical and efficient energy usage would be, if this was implemented. Luckily again in Schneider Electric, I worked on energy monitoring application which had similar approach. There I could see the practical benefits. This experience triggered my interest in Data Mining. This is a field that helps develop intuitive systems that forecast future problems and channel solutions based on current data. Rapidly developing economies like the BRIC countries are among the largest markets for automobiles which is leading to heavy traffic issues, fossil fuel wastage and alarming pollution levels. All these can be mitigated if we encourage Data Mining as a research area in the companies working with public service departments. If we look through various databases available to analyze association between population increase/emigration and rate of increase in the number of vehicles, rush hour syndrome, current and upcoming major business areas, etc. we can find a connection among all these which will enable us find solutions to our traffic woes like building intelligent traffic control systems or innovative routes that can ease traffic congestion, reduce fuel usage and cut down emission. Corporate initiatives like IBMs Smarter Cities are using data mining principles to help give authorities the tools to analyze current problems or anticipate future ones from available data and find solutions pro-actively. *I want to study Data Mining to work with such research companies and address some of the challenges most developing countries are facing today. University of Pennsylvania’s ‘MADAI : Models and Data Analysis Initiative research group  is conducting cutting-edge studies in data mining and would give me exceptional opportunities to develop my skills. I am especially interested in the fact that MADAI emphasizes areas that are sometimes in domains outside of computer science. Similarly, I want to use my Data Mining knowledge in solving some real-time problems that cross disciplinary boundaries. I would be excited to work under Prof. Edward Griffin, because my objective of tackling real world problems is in accordance to his research interests. Not every emerging technology is a breakthrough but some truly do have the potential to change our social landscape, and to build such effective technologies we need effective testing tools that will help create a dependable product. This drives me towards Software Engineering. Testing a subdivision of Software Engineering, especially Automation Testing, is one of the most underrated parts of the Software Development Life Cycle. A major area of the IT industry is unable to identify the importance of strong testing skills, resulting in a low skilled team where testing is executed within a limited boundary of a few pass/fail scenarios. In my years working in IT, I realized automation testing requires far more expertise; its just like any development project requiring proper planning, design and commensurate skills. *I also realized how important it is to embrace the latest technologies in automation scripts as the latest software developed are far more enhanced to be truly tested with age old testing methodologies.*Since Ive worked in this domain for so long, I know if I specialize in the field of Software Engineering, I can introduce Software Testing and Methodologies as a research area in corporate level and help promote Automation Testing as a crucial part of software development. Working with Dr. Lars Anderson in ‘Analysis of Computer Systems Group under Software Engineering research area at University of Pennsylvania would help me understand latest software engineering practices and how it can be implemented to expedite software testing and overall product development. While my primary areas of interests are Computer Visualization, Data Mining and Software Engineering, I look forward to gaining a broad foundation in Computer Science during my MS, and I am eager to learn about other research  opportunities. My brother who is pursuing PhD in IISc, Bangalore also strongly recommended your university on the basis of faculty interests and the research work currently in progress. I am confident that earning my MS (with thesis) at University of Pennsylvania will help me hone my research skills and prepare me to contribute as a researcher who helps bring innovative ideas to reality.

Brave New World :: essays research papers

- â€Å"Brave New World† - By: Aldous Huxley Author: Aldous Huxley was born in 1894, and died in 1963. He first went to Eton, and then to Oxford. He was a brilliant man, and became a succesful writer of short stories in the twenties and thirties. He also wrote essays and novels, like 'Brave New World'. The first novels he wrote were comments on the young generation, with no goal whatsoever, that lived after WW I. Before he became the writer as we know him, he worked as a journalist and a critic of drama. In his books, especially the later ones, he sometimes presents himself as a teacher or a philosopher, to literate us as readers. Next to novels, essays and short stories he also wrote poems, biographies, plays, political/sci-fi books, travel books and even a record of his experiments with drugs. 'Brave New World' was first published in 1932, and has been reprinted many times after that. Main Characters: Bernard Marx Lenina Crowne John Savage (Son of Tomakin, Bernard's boss) Helmholtz Watson Huxley tries to make a statement with this book, he tries to make something clear to the reader. To do this he uses characters, but they're insignificant to what his real intentions are, he merely uses them to express his ideas, therefor their characteristics and ideas are not important in the whole picture. There is hardly any charaterisation in the book to illustrate the individuals. Theme: In the foreword Huxley states: "The theme of 'Brave New World' is not the advancement of science as such; it is the advancement of science as it affects human individuals." The picture of the world given in the book describes the condition of the human individual in a western civilization in a 'near' future. The society has turned into a well oiled machine, in which everything is controlled, even the future profession of the individual is determined before birth. It's a society in which the human being only serves a sociological and scientifical purpose, the individual thought is overruled by one big totalitarian state, likewise emotion and initiative are ruled out. Giving birth is forbidden, sex is the most normal thing on earth, and even drugs is taken with the routine and amount of normal meals. Only a small group of the real man exists, be it's far outside the 'civilized' world. John Savage is one of them, representitive of individual freedom and thought, torn between two societies. Huxley warns for material and technical dependence, that will eventually bring destruction upon mankind. Characteristics: The story is set in our world, in the future (some 600 years from now).

Consumer Theory and X1

: Hal R. Varian. Intermediate Microeconomics, A Modern Approach. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 1 BUDGET CONSTRAINT Consumer theory —- how consumers buy their goods? Economists assume: consumers choose the best bundle of goods they can afford. Two aspects: —-Consumers choose the most preferred goods. —-They are limited by economic condition. The Budget Constraint Consumption bundles: ( , ): a list of numbers of goods and services. X = (x1, x2, †¦, xn,) In the case of two goods: good 1 and good 2. Bundle of goods: X = (x1, x2) Prices of goods: (p1, p2),The amount of money the consumer has to spend: m. The consumer’s affordable consumption bundles, (x1, x2) satisfy p1x1 + p2x2 ? m. —-The budget set of the consumer ( ) . good 2 m/p2 O m/p1 good 1 Two Goods Are Often Enough Composite good —-take x2 as everything else, the dollars spent on other goods. For example, x1: consumption of milk in quarts per month. The budget constraint will take t he form p1x1 + x2 ? m. The case of n goods Budget constraint: p1x1 + p2x2+†¦+ pnxn ? m. Properties of the Budget Set Budget line( ): p1x1 + p2x2 = m. Vertical intercept: m/p2Horizontal intercept: m/p1. Slope: – p1/p2 Economic interpretation of slope: For the bundle (x1, x2): p1x1 + p2x2 = m. After a change in bundle (? x1, ? x2): p1(x1+? x1) + p2(x2+? x2) = m. good 2 x2 ?x2 ?x1 O x1 good 1 Subtracting the first equation from the second gives p1? x1 + p2? x2 = 0. This gives The number of good 2 the consumer must give up when he increases his consumption of good 1 by 1 unit, and keeps the money spent unchanged. Opportunity cost of consuming good 1—- in order to consume more of good 1 you have to give up some consumption of good 2.Budget Line Changes How the budget line changes when prices and incomes change? Change in income Change in m results in a parallel shift of the budget line. Intercepts m/p2 and m/p1 will change. Slope – p1/p2 keeps unchanged. good 2 m/p2 O m/p1 good 1 Changes in prices Increasing p1 will not change the vertical intercept, but p1/p2 will become larger. good 2 m/p2 O m/p1 good 1 What happens to the budget line when we change the prices of good 1 and good 2 at the same time? Proportionally: (tp1)x1 + (tp2)x2 = m.What happens to the budget line when we change the prices of good 1 and good 2 and the consumers’ income at the same time? good 2 m/p2 O m/p1 good 1 Proportionally: (tp1)x1 + (tp2)x2 = tm. Some observations: If one price declines and all others stay the same, the consumer must be at least as well-off. If the consumer’s income increases and all prices remain the same, the consumer must be at least as well-off as at the lower income A perfectly balanced inflation cannot change anybody’s optimal choice. 2 PREFERENCES Consumer Preferences( Consumer ranks consumption bundles by his satisfaction from use of goods, irrelevant to the prices. The case of two goods Given any two consumption bund les, X=(x1, x2) and Y=(y1, y2), the consumer can rank them in one of three possible ways: (x1, x2) is strictly better than (y1, y2); (y1, y2) is strictly better than (x1, x2); (x1, x2) and (y1, y2) are indifferent. Two basic relations: [pic]: strictly preferred( ), (x1, x2) [pic] (y1, y2): the consumer strictly prefers (x1, x2) to (y1, y2). ~ : indifferent ( ) (x1, x2) ~ (y1, y2). he consumer is indifferent between (x1, x2) and (y1, y2). A composite relation: [pic]: weakly preferred ( ) (x1, x2) [pic](y1, y2): the consumer prefers (x1, x2) to (y1, y2) or is indifferent between (x1, x2) and (y1, y2). Assumptions about Preferences Axioms about consumer preference (weakly preference): Complete( ). Given any X-bundle and any Y-bundle, consumer can say that (x1, x2)[pic](y1, y2), or (y1, y2)[pic](x1, x2). Reflexive( ). Consumer should say that any bundle is at least as good as itself: (x1, x2)[pic](x1, x2). Transitive ( ).If a consumer feels that (x1, x2)[pic](y1, y2) and (y1, y2)[pic](z 1, z2) then he feels that (x1, x2)[pic](z1, z2). Indifference Curves Weakly preferred set: all of the consumption bundles that are weakly preferred to (x1, x2). Indifference curves( ): —-The boundary of weakly preferred set; Good 2 x2 O x1 Good 1 Further assumptions Well-behaved preferences( ): Monotonicity ( )—- more is better. If that x1 ( y1, x2 ( y2 and that x1 ( y1 , x2 ( y2 at least one hold, then (x1, x2) [pic] (y1, y2) —-indifference curves have negative slope.A indifference curve is the set of bundles for which the consumer is just indifferent to (x1, x2). Good 2 O Good 1 Convexity ( )—- averages are preferred to extremes. If (x1, x2) and (y1, y2) are indifferent, then the bundle ([pic]x1+[pic]y1, [pic]x2+[pic]y2) is strictly preferred to (x1, x2) and (y1, y2). —-indifference curves are convex. Good 2 O Good 1 Examples of preferences Perfect Substitutes( ) The consumer is willing to substitute one good for the other at a constant rate. Goo d 2 O Good 1Perfect Complements( ) Goods that are always consumed together in fixed proportions. Good 2 O Good 1 Discrete Goods( ) x1 : a discrete good that is only available in integer amounts. Suppose that x2 is money to be spent on other goods. Good 2 O Good 1 The Marginal Rate of Substitution Marginal rate of substitution (MRS, ): slope of an indifference curve. —- measures the rate at which the consumer is just willing to substitute one good for the other. MRS = [pic] Note: MRS is a negative number. Good 2 (x2O (x1 Good 1 The other form of MRS MRS =[pic] Good 2 x2 O x1 Good 1 Behavior of the Marginal Rate of Substitution Describe the indifference curves by the MRS. Perfect substitutes: the marginal rate of substitution is constant. Perfect complements: the MRS is either 0 or infinity, and nothing in between. In general case: Monotonicity: indifference curves must have a negative slope, i. e. negative MRS. Convex: the marginal rate of substitution decreases as we increase x1, —-diminishing MRS. ———————– [pic]

Marriage and Family Structure Essay

â€Å"Marriage is not a ritual or an end. It is a long, intricate, intimate dance together and nothing matters more than your own sense of balance and your choice of partner. † These were words of Army Bloom while commenting on the topic of marriage (Sardone 2010). Human race is a product of a family in one way or another. However, not all can be said to exist in the planet as result of marriage. They are those that were born out of wedlock and either live with one parent or have never known any of their parents. Nevertheless, marriages still take place and families continue to exist. With the development of society, both the marriage and family structure have undergone transformation and many have veered off from the traditional definitions of the same. This paper is aimed at showing that marriage and family are important parts of any culture despite there being different types of marriage and family structure. According to Goepfrich (2007, p 3) in his book â€Å"Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage, marriage can be defined as â€Å"the social institution under which man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments or religious ceremonies among others. † Goepfrich acknowledges that for people to be recognized as married, they must have witnesses and the ceremony conducted by either a civil servant or a religious minister. However such a statement by the author ignores the fact that there are so many people who claim to be happily married yet they have never been legally married. In some cultures especially in the places such as Africa, a marriage can be validated by traditional elders without the necessity of the couple being awarded a marriage certificate. However, one thing agreeable to all is that a marriage will lead into a family; since any couples get married to form a family. Types of Marriages Authors have classified marriage into different categories depending on the context. The Sociology Guide (2010) divides marriages in several types; polygyny (polygamy), polyandry, group marriage, monogamy; under monogamy there is serial monogamy and straight monogamy. Polygyny (Polygamy) In this type of marriage, a single man has more than one wife at a particular period (Sociology Guide 2010). There are different cultures that do not view this type of marriage as valid and therefore it is not encouraged. Civil laws in many countries do not recognize polygamous families and this leads the man to either live with the other wives secretly or without valid wedding certificate. Christianity as a religion teaches that a marriage should be â€Å"one-man one-wife† and thus one is required to declare that he has never married before and if he had done so, the wife had died. Some Christian denominations do not even join divorcees in the holy matrimony. However in Islamic cultures as well as in societies in South Africa, polygamous marriages are recognized. A good example is that of the incumbent president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma who has more than four wives. Sororal polygyny or sororate is a situation where one man has married blood sisters, while in non sororal polygyny, the wives are not blood sisters (Sociological Guide, 2010). Polyandry Though not as common as polygamous marriage, this type of marriage entails one woman having more than one husband. This is not recognized in many cultures and therefore those who involve themselves in such do not do it in open. However, some cultures allow blood brothers to share wives especially if the husband is impotent or he only sires children of one sex. This type of marriage is referred to as fraternal or alelphic polyandry and is very common among the Todas. In non fraternal polyandry, the husbands are not related in any way and the other men cannot claim the woman as their wife at that particular time when he is living with one of them (Sociological Guide, 2010). Monogamous Family This type is regarded as the ideal type of marriage in addition to being the most common and acceptable by nearly all cultures and religions, even those that accept the other types of marriage. It is a one-man one-husband marriage. Under this type of marriage, there is the serial marriage where a husband remarries after the demise of his wife. In such a situation, this is not regarded as polygamy. Of recent, it has become common for the spouse to get another wife/husband after divorce. However, some people chose to remain single after the departure of their spouses. In what is referred to as a straight marriage, the spouse may not be allowed to remarry under any circumstances (Sociology Guide, 2010). Forced Marriages In this type of marriage, the woman is abducted and the husband rapes her. In those cultures where forced marriages are practiced, there is a belief that once a man has intercourse with a woman, he automatically becomes her husband. This practice however is not very common in many societies of the world and is therefore detested in those cultures that do not practice it. In some African cultures, girls are married off to elderly men while they are still toddlers in exchange of livestock. The child continues to stay with her family until she reaches puberty and this is when she is taken to the husband by the parents, whether willingly or unwillingly (Sfetsu, 2009). Same sex Marriage The issue of same sex marriage has generated more heat than light in the contemporary society, with some supporting it while others demonizing it. However, same sex marriage has been legalized in different states of the world. Sexologists have used the term homosexuality to refer to people who have â€Å"a same sex gender sexual orientation† However, in the community, the term ‘gay’ has been used to refer to male homosexuals with the term ‘lesbian’ referring to female homosexuals; sometimes ‘gay’ refers to both women and men. There are some who are attracted to people of both genders and are referred to as heterosexuals (Cantor, 2006, p. xiii). Those who oppose the same sex marriage argue that they are unnatural and that they provide the nonconductive environment for the raising of children. They also argue that it threatens marriage as an institution in addition to going against religious principles among other reasons. However, proponents of homosexuality state that homosexuals are human beings and thus have their own rights (Bidstrup, 2000). Marriage in the Western Culture In this century, marriage in European and American culture is often legally defined as monogamous. This does not mean that there are no few societies that do still practice polygamy while others are in what is referred to as open marriages. In latter form of marriage, the spouse has the freedom to leave when he or she feels like. In the Western world, divorce has been made less complicated and thus has increased in rate. Marriage is seen as a legal covenant which recognizes the emotional union of the couples and can be terminated any time the partners feel like. In this world, it is the woman who is granted the custody of child and not the husband in case of a divorce or separation. In addition, all the partners have the duty of supporting their children (Sfetcu, 2009). When a child has been born out of wedlock, he or she is entitled to enjoy the same rights just like those that are legitimate. In the Western cultures, partners are protected by law from rape by their spouses and those who do so may find themselves in the court of law. Moreover, the law defends wives or even husbands from being physically abused or disciplined. In this culture, wealth that has been acquired since the couple married is often divided among the couple in case of divorce. What one gets however is determined by a court of law or community property law (Sfetcu, 2009). Marriage in the Eastern World In these cultures, marriage is regarded as being quite different from the way it is regarded in the Western world. For example in the former, polygamy is permitted; in fact men with many wives are generally considered as being wealthier than those with one wife. A large part of the population in the Eastern world is Islamic and though the religion advocates for the marriage of a man and woman, the Quran allows a man to have a maximum of four wives (Sfetcu, 2009). However in such societies, all the wives must be treated as being equal by the man. In states where the larger part of the population is Muslim, marriage is only permitted when both partners are Muslim; otherwise non Muslims must first denounce their religions and embrace Islam. In some societies in China, a man in the upper class would first be formally married and then later allowed to get concubines. However, the current communist regime does not permit polygamy but only monogamy (Sfetcu, 2009). Family Structure As years have come and gone, the society, including the family, has undergone great transformation. The term â€Å"family† has traditionally been used to describe the father mother and children as a unit. However, this structure has changed over time. The common types of family structure include childless, nuclear, extended as well single (Shelton, 2010). Nuclear Family Shelton (2010) defines a nuclear family as that family that â€Å"consists of a mother, father, and their biological or adoptive descendants, often called the traditional family† Many anthropologists usually regard this type of family structure highly than any other type of family and conducive one for the rearing of children. However, there must be emotional support, environment of love, economic support as well as enough time spent together. Single Parenthood Of the types of the family structures listed, this can be regarded as one the newest. This is because in the olden days, the society could not have imagined that a person could have lived without either a wife or a husband. In case of death or separation, remarriage would either take, place or the woman would be inherited by the brothers. However, with the economic independence of women, many usually decide to stay single after the separation, divorce or death. Some women are not interested in marriage and therefore choose to have children or one and raise them on their own. Research that has been done has shown that 25% of the children are born by women who are unmarried and mostly teenage mothers. Proponents of this type of family structure have stated that it has less pressure especially if it is formed after a divorce. However, some psychologists have claimed that this kind of marriage is disadvantageous especially to children as sometimes it is associated with juvenile delinquency (Shelton, 2010). Childless Family It is often the desire of many, if not all, couples to have a child or more after marriage; however, this is not always the case. A couple may also not be able to bear a child because of either social or biological problems. However, others may later get a child of their own in future or just decide to adopt one. Though many of such couples may opt to stick together, in some cultures however, lack of children after marriage is viewed negatively and the man if forced to remarry. The brothers of the husband may also be required to sire children for their brothers if it is realized that he is impotent. Others may however decide to rear a pet or two who acts as substitutes (Shelton, 2010). Extended Family An extended family can be described as a group of family members that is made up of adoptive or biological parents together with their children as well as other members of that family. In many global societies, an extended family has been described as â€Å"the basic family group. † In some cultures such as those with Asian origin, an entire extended family may live under the same roof. These may include; uncles, aunts, grandparents and even foster children. Sometimes children of parents who have died or separated may be raise by their grandparents (Mosby’s Medical Dictionary, 2009). Conclusion Despite the many types of marriage and family structure, one thing that is clear is that, marriage and family are important part of the human race. This is why all cultures in the world have both. Marriage is often viewed as a gateway into a family, though there are those that form families without marrying formally. It is however important for people to formalize their marriages as it will be easier to deal with some setbacks in the families such as divorces or death. .

Analyzing Ethical Behavior Paper Essays

Analyzing Ethical Behavior Paper Essays Analyzing Ethical Behavior Paper Essay Analyzing Ethical Behavior Paper Essay Ethics codes are retreated to help maintain a satisfactory level of ethical behavior within a business or organization and to help companies function more successfully (Mallow, Barnes, Bowers, Landwards, 2013, p. 101). Codes of ethics are broken numerous amounts of times in the business world. When these codes are broken, it can lead to multiple complications and scandals for corporations. Two examples of scandal and fraud in the business world are Bernard Lawrence Maddox and ENRON. Bernie Maddox Analysis Bernard Lawrence Maddox was the chairman for an investment securities firm that he founded in 1960. He was convicted of fraud in 2008 when he admitted that his business was, in fact, the largest Opinion scheme in history. Approximately $20 billion of, so-called, investments had dissipated (Kramer Ward, 2009, p. 27). In the case of Bernie Maddox, there were several investigations and red flags that appeared throughout each investigation. For instance, the fact that Maddox hardly ever encountered a down or slow month even in inconsistent markets raised quite a few suspicions. During the time of investigation, Bernie Maddox also confessed to operating a pyramid chem. as well as using a particular investment strategy called, split-strike conversion. This investment strategy entails buying and selling different sorts of options to reduce volatility (The Maddox affair:, 2008, Para. 7). Bernie Maddox is extremely smart and sneaky in a sense that he manipulated several people into investing in his Opinion scheme. Maddox took millions of dollars from huge corporations and companies. The fact that Madams company had never truly experienced a downfall should have been a major red flag to those who had invested in the company. Maddox portrayed his Opinion scheme in a way where people liked what they heard, liked what they saw, and therefore, invested immediately into the company without doing any further research. Maddox is a master manipulator, and his lack of ethics caused people to lose nearly their entire life savings. Although Bernie Maddox may have been the mastermind behind this scheme, he is not the only one to blame. There were multiple people working under Maddox. The code of ethics, or lack thereof, really shows here because if someone working in the company had any knowledge of what was going on in regards to the Opinion chem., he or she should have had the courage and honesty to go to someone of higher authority and report what Maddox was doing. If someone had any code of ethics or integrity, he or she should have thought about the lives that Madams Opinion scheme was affecting, and the illegal activity should have been reported immediately. Due to the lack of a code of ethics, multiple people lost a great amount of money by investing in Madams Opinion scheme. Bernie Maddox has an incredibly selfish view Of ethics and corporate responsibility towards his stakeholders. All that was on his mind at the time of the scheme was getting more money and being wealthy. He didnt care who he was affecting in a negative way, just as long as he benefited in the end; which is ironic since he ended up in prison with a 150-year sentence. ENRON Analysis ENRON Corporation was an energy and services company located in Texas. It went bankrupt in December of 2001 due to a planned accounting fraud. This accounting fraud led to several questions and concerns, not only about ENRON, but also about the accounting and financial companies working for ENRON. ENRON lied about its profits and stands accused of a range of shady dealings, including concealing debts so they didnt show up in the companys accounts (Enron Scandal at-a-glance, 2002, Para. 3). ENRON had close ties to the White House, therefore creating political implications as well. The lack of ethical standards for ENRON is obvious in this scandal. Executives and employees of the corporation were sneaky liars. They manipulated financial reports and accounts to make it appear as if the company was in good standing when it really wasnt. ENRON Corporation has a manipulative, unethical view on ethics and corporate responsibility. Because the corporation lied about numerous things regarding the finances and accounting, this implies that there was a huge lack of ethics within the company. The fact that executives and employees were okay with lying about so many records leads people to believe that the entire ENRON Corporation was set on a lie. ENRON, as well as accounting and financing companies, betrayed the trust Of several people because Of this scandal. Conclusion In sum, both the Bernie Maddox scandal and the ENRON scandal lacked a retain code of ethics and, as a result, both corporations no longer exist in the business world and executives and employees at each of these corporations faced life long consequences.

Hypsilophodon - Facts and Figures

Hypsilophodon - Facts and Figures Name: Hypsilophodon (Greek for Hypsilophus-toothed); pronounced HIP-sih-LOAF-oh-don Habitat: Forests of western Europe Historical Period: Middle Cretaceous (125-120 million years ago) Size and Weight: About five feet long and 50 pounds Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Small size; bipedal posture; numerous teeth lining cheeks About Hypsilophodon The initial fossil specimens of Hypsilophodon were discovered in England in 1849, but it wasnt until 20 years later that they were recognized as belonging to an entirely new genus of dinosaur, and not to a juvenile Iguanodon (as paleontologists first believed). That wasnt the only misconception about Hypsilophodon: nineteenth-century scientists once speculated that this dinosaur lived high up in the branches of trees (since they couldnt imagine such a puny beast holding its own against contemporary giants like Megalosaurus) and/or walked on all fours, and some naturalists even thought it had armor plating on its skin! Heres what we do know about Hypsilophodon: this roughly human-sized dinosaur appears to have been built for speed, with long legs and a long, straight, stiff tail, which it held parallel to the ground for balance. Since we know from the shape and arrangement of its teeth that Hypsilophodon was a herbivore (technically a type of small, slender dinosaur known as an ornithopod), we can surmise that it evolved its sprinting ability as a way of escaping the large theropods (i.e., meat-eating dinosaurs) of its middle Cretaceous habitat, such as (possibly) Baryonyx and Eotyrannus. We also know that Hypsilophodon was closely related to Valdosaurus, another small ornithopod discovered on Englands Isle of Wight. Because it was discovered so early in the history of paleontology, Hypsilophodon is a case study in confusion. (Even this dinosaurs name is widely misunderstood: it technically means Hypsilophus-toothed, after a genus of modern lizard, in the same way that Iguanodon means Iguana-toothed, back when naturalists thought it actually resembled an iguana.) The fact is that it took decades for early paleontologists to reconstruct the ornithopod family tree, to which Hypsilophodon belongs, and even today ornithopods as a whole are virtually ignored by the general public, which prefers terrrifying meat-eating dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus Rex or gigantic sauropods like Diplodocus.

Decision Making in Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Decision Making in Trade - Essay Example carvings found in the early tombs reveal the types of cattle kept, milking methods and other interesting facts† (EL- Rafey, n.d). There are about two million cattle and buffalo in Egypt, producing approximately 1.5 million tons of milk valued at 50 million euros. About 60 percentage of the milk-producing animals are buffaloes. The milk produced is utilized in the following fields: 145000 tons for market milk; 560000 tons for cheese manufacture; 700000 tons for butter manufacture; and 95000 tons for miscellaneous use. In the recent years, considerable attention has been given to ways of improving production and supply of milk to large towns, and the installation of modern pasteurization and processing plants. 1) The structure of diary product market in Egypt. It is estimated that a yearly increase in milk production equivalent to 30 kg per animal, could replace the imported milk products, provided that plant facilities are available for their manufacture. The per capita consumpt ion of milk and milk products is very low, amounting to only about 60 kg of milk. From the nutritional point of view, milk consumption should be increased 300%, thus, plans are being devised to increase milk production. â€Å"The dairy market consists of retail sales of cheese, chilled desserts, cream, fromage frais, milk, spreadable fats and yogurt† (Datamonitor, 2011). Egyptian cuisine consists of the local culinary traditions of Egypt. Egyptian cuisine heavily uses legumes and vegetables, which are produced in large quantities due to the fertile land present near the Nile valley and delta. Dairy products also have a good demand in the market, mainly because people in Egypt are conscious of having hygienic and healthy food. That is the reason why they purchase more dairy products. The main ingredient in the dairy product, as mentioned earlier, is milk. The milk production in Egypt has various stages, the two million buffaloes and cows are distributed over six million feddan s of agricultural land, which constitute the Nile valley. About 80% of cattle are distributed in over one million farms, where each farmer owns from one to three animals. These farms are grouped into 4000 villages. The average number of dairy cattle is 500 per village. Milk produced by these animals is rather low, being one ton a year per buffalo and half a ton per cow. It is estimated that farm animals in Egypt provide an income of ?E 45 million to the farmers and manure valued at ?E 10 million. Experiments have shown that when dairy cattle are kept for milk production only, they respond exceedingly well to balanced rations and better management, and usually double their milk production. This indicates the potentiality for increasing milk production without raising the number of cattle. Distribution channels: The Dairy product companies implemented an action plan, during last few years to increase and condense the local components, based on the fact that the company products depend basically on milk and that the milk production in Egypt reaches about 7000 MT per day. Mainly by individual distributors and local manufacturers, the companies are collecting this milk through the collection units spread in the Delta region, to utilize it in manufacture instead of depending on imports. That is to use this milk to produce all kinds of dairy products within the country. â€Å"The companies offer a variety of products in two areas:

Class student dicussions answers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Class student dicussions answers - Assignment Example You also provided a simple ‘what to do’ measures in order to eliminate the risk of viruses affecting the computer. It is a good insight that you gave about training the new users on how to detect scam emails and not click on the provided unknown links, and also executing an anti-malware or anti-virus scan whenever accessing an external memory drive. You could have also added not auto-executing flash drive programs or executables. Another thing that I feel should be a part of training for novices should be proper usage of trusted sites for downloads security features available in the browsers. Brain, you defined what Kevin said. You explained how a honeypot is implemented outside the main network and it sacrifices itself for the protection of the main, critical network. The best things that you told about the honeypot networks in general, are the disadvantages of implementing them. Cost was always a default factor but yes it would take more toil on the system administrator to monitor and look after this network’s resources. I would partially agree with the last comment you made on comparing advantages and disadvantages. For critical data organizations, we do need these honeypots but for smaller organizations, we cannot afford to have such a high cost. You also specifically mentioned what intrusion detection systems and firewalls we can use for information security. As opposed to Kevin, you have provided specific details on three main techniques of ensuring information security within the organization. You also made good points on differentiating how software and hardware security systems work in unison to provide maximum security to the organizational data. I completely agree that software based security is either algorithmic or rule based but hardware based security is almost rule based. The explanation of how routers work

Surrealism. Annotated bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Surrealism. Annotated bibliography - Essay Example By considering the artist’s experience, one can discover the depth of the joint meaning of dreams through interpreting surrealistic arts along with Skyrsky’s dreams. This journal article is relevant to my essay because even though it does not examine a specific art work that I am going to address, it demonstrates a profound way of examining dreams in art. Freud, Sigmund. The Interpretation of Dreams. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Print. In his book, Freud Sigmund argues that dreams express one’s desires. According to Freud, when one is conscious, unfulfilled desires are controlled by Spereo. Spereo is the censor that activates awareness of desires and enforces morality. Spereo lowers our guard to those desires in dreams so that we are able to see and act them out while we are dreaming. This book is useful to my study because Freud’s theory has influenced many artists and his idea overlaps Michael Gondry’s approach to dreams in the movie, The Science of Sleep. I believe that this work will help me to interpret the movie for my essay. Bohn, Willard. "Surrealism." New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 15 Jan. 2011

Competitive Strategies in UK Fast Food Industry

Competitive Strategies in UK Fast Food Industry In last decade much has been discussed about the customer orientation, customer value management (CVM), customer relationship management (CRM), Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) metrics, Customer Centric organization models, customer retention, customer care many more with a new theory added each time with word customer preceding to it. But to the fact how many companies incorporate these concepts, how far theyve been successful, if so why do we still see a major shift in the needs and wants of the customers is puzzling many researchers today. What a company thinks as a market or value proposition is often misunderstood by customer and responds in completely different fashion. What is the reason for this? When a company looks at various products and values derived from it whereas customer is looking at satisfaction. The basic question is does all the strategy, innovative product features, add ons and value creation lead to ultimate customer satisfaction? All of this may seem a little contradictory. For better understanding lets take an example of fast food company, these Companies are roll out a new product every now then offering more value, in their perspective. The key point is why the customer switches over to different fast food company products or packages so often, if the products are offering value. The point to be noted is that more value propositions are being rolled out without looking at the very basic concept i.e. whether the value proposed gives satisfaction to the customers. If it is not, then it is not at all valuable. The customer is buying satisfaction. Highest value is derived when the customer is fully satisfied with his purchase. This highlights the importance of value creation for customers termed as customer value. The main purpose of this research is to understand how this customer value forms the basis in formulating the competitive strategies across various industries. Some common myths in Value Creation More is often considered value Buy one get one free schemes are rolled out. There is of course an instant sales push. However at the end of the scheme the customer feels that he had all along been paying 100% more for the products and perceives that very product as costly once the scheme is withdrawn. May switch to another product at the same price. Conclusion: Dissatisfaction leads to value erosion Myth # 2 Price is value Many business considers lower price as offering more value. More often than not lowest price products end up as the second best with a higher priced product with similar product attributes leading the market. The simple reason is the higher price product may be offering a higher satisfaction due to perceived values and imagery. Car markets are a prime example of this syndrome. Myth # 3 More Features or add ons are value Businesses load a product or service with more features thus offering a higher value. While this may be attractive if the features are not backed by adequate supports the satisfaction may be less and value is reduced. We encounter this everyday. A customer buys a product with many features but not demonstrated properly or may not be serviced properly. Enquiries may not be handled effectively. Airlines offereing add ons like free overnite accomodation are still not favored if the services, like enquiry handling, reservations, and time schedules are poor. Cell phones companies may be offering plenty of add ons like national roaming or free incoming calls etc. However if the billing is poor and billing enquiries are not addressed properly the customer is dissatisfied and leaves the service for another provider. 1.1 Aims and Objectives of the project. In this research study, the aim is to identify and describe the attributes of superior customer value how its form an important basis in building competitive strategies in UK Fast food industry. Usually these attributes of superior customer value are a complete combination of Product quality, service quality, and price (PQ,SQ,PR). From the view of consumers perspective, PQ,SQ,PR is better understood as superior customer value with the resulting experiences about the various goods or services provided by the UK fast food companies. These values of PQ,SQ,PR have been embedded in the brand image, which has the potential to affect the buying decision of the customer. It is often said that consumers are always looking for satisfaction in the form of PQ,SQ,PR attributes and brand image that drives them in their purchase making-decision. In UK, most of the fast food companies have their priority over their customers satisfaction in their organisations guidelines and having their success vi sion behind the concept of marketing. There are always implications that these UK fast food companies have to try to adopt the concept of marketing via these PQ,SQ,PR attributes, to formulate successful business strategies in order to outperform their competitors in this competent world of fast food industry in UK. 1.2 Research Methodology In this era of competitive world, creating a profitable value in the minds of the customers is tedious task and requires a lot of information. Among the wide variety of goods and services the customers perception of values can be quite subjective varying with the brand equity. Common knowledge of attributes and how these contribute values is not sufficient, rather important data must be gathered and analysed so as to provide enough information for the managers to make important marketing decisions. This research provides the required skill and knowledge for the managers helping them in solving various problems and facing various challenges in this competitive era of the fast food industry. This knowledge may also be used in formulating new business strategies. Literature will be collected from selected areas of research for the purpose of evaluation. The research must be able to evaluate and clarify this literature to provide a theoretical and methodological base for the research. Information is gathered from the two separate groups of respondent in order to analyse the respondents attitude from consumers and companys perspective respectively. The PQ,SQ,PR is analysed in the context of resulting experience and branding from consumers perspective that fast food companies must design in order to formulate competitive strategies in the era of challenging landscape of fast food in UK. The objectives of the study shall also assist the fast food companies to understand better the branding, consumers experiences and preferences towards their products and services. The purpose of the research projects will have the following area of interests. a) To determine what are the important attributes of superior customer values that the fast food company must develop to meet the customers expectation. b) To describe how these customer values designed by the companies influence the customer buying decision in the context of customers resulting experience and the branding. c) To analyse if the UK fast food companies understand the importance of building strategic customer values through marketing concept i.e. understand marketing orientation approach of building strategies and practice them. The research design will be carefully planned and structured for easy understanding, care will be taken to ensure the accuracy of the findings since, the basic purpose is to provide information regarding specific hypothesis. Firstly, research will collect various data about the customer expectations, opinions and attitudes. Precautionary measures will be taken on the all the weak points in the method of approach. In the first step of analysis, a detailed summary of the various characteristics of the respondent will be observed and analysed carefully. Later, this statistical data will be used for the reasoning of the proposed hypothesis using the evidence found sample of population studied. This is mainly to ensure the accuracy of the proposed hypothesis. Specifically, the purpose of this research is not guarantee the success of Strategies formulated by UK fast-food companies using the gathered knowledge, but only to decrease the uncertainty in decision making process and increase the probability of success. However this research will be carried in a organised analytical manner to achieve the above certainty. For this KFC is a selected organisation considered for this research. The findings of this research shall then lead to a better understanding of superior consumer value that act as a base in formulating competitive strategies in UK fast food industry 1.3 UK fast food Industry A brief Outlook There are varieties of elements in the UKs retail catering industry but fast food is perhaps the most prominent, most dynamic and the most rapidly growing industry. Though there are number of variations in the specific methods adopted by various fast food operators a number of general defining characteristics can be identified in common like drive thru service, meal deal packages, etc. Fast food restaurants offer a simple and fairly restricted menu within a carefully controlled operating system. Usually burgers, fried chicken, fries serve the main course. Typically ice creams and the drinks like milk shakes, fizzy drinks and tea and coffee are also included in the menu. Customers queue up to be served at a counter, the aim being to serve a large number of people with the minimum of waiting time and most operators look to serve customers within three minutes of their entry onto the premises. The food is sold in disposable packaging without cutlery. Some operators offer facilities for customers to consume their food on the premises while others tend to cater more for the take-away trade. The fast food revolution essentially began in the US during the 1950s and this style of catering grew immensely and spread to rest of the world in the decades since then. US companies played major role in the development of fast food operations in the UK. Though McDonalds are now the market leaders and major player in this sector it was KFC (formerly Kentucky Fried Chicken) who were the pioneers in the field. KFCs first fast foodoutlet was launched in 1965 at Preston. Following KFCs introduction of the fast food concept into the UK in the mid 1960s it was well over a decade later before the fast food revolution began to take off. The first McDonalds restaurant in the UK was opened in Woolwich in South London in 1974 and a decade later the company were trading from over 120 franchised restaurants and they had spread out from their initial base in and around Greater London to the Midlands and the North West of England. A number of other, then US based, companies including Burger King, Wendys and Pizza Hut followed McDonalds into the UK market in the late 1970s but none were initially able to keep pace with McDonalds rapid expansion. During this period a number of UK based companies including Wimpy, Casey Jones, Mr. Big, Spud-U-Like and Olivers also entered this growing new sector of the retail catering trade. During the 1980s and 1990s the larger more successful chains like McDonalds, Burger King and KFC continued to grow rapidly and to expand their geographical coverage to, and within, all urban and some rural districts while some smaller operators disappeared from the map. 1.4 KFC organisational background KFC is a division of Tricon Global Restaurants, which was later taken up by Yum brands Inc. This company has around 11,000 outlets in 80 different countries with over 290,000 employees selling around 2 billion meals annually to generate sales of $9 billion worldwide. Within the United Kingdom, KFC has around 500 outlets and among these 80% of them are being franchised. The KFC brand is lifetime achievement of a great personality of now deceased founder Colonel Sanders who promoted the companys wide variety of chicken products via a range of advertising methods like media, store advertising, etc. KFC claims to use only whole chicken other than the reformed or processed products. The chicken is cooked using the Colonel Sanders secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices and is prepared freshly in the store. The specific nature of the chicken product range has varied over time but the companys menu currently includes Original Recipe Chicken, Extra Tasty Crispy Chicken, Chicken Burgers, Crispy Strips and Chicken Wraps. These products can be ordered with fries and drinks as part of a standard or bucket meal. 2.0 literature review As suggested by Alan et al (2003), this literature review shall help me in the following manners: 1 To find what is already a known literature in connection to the research areas so as not to re-discover everything. 2 Moreover existing literature researchers important findings can be crucially observed and analysed and if any mistakes are to be found can be easily discarded. 3 To gain insight into the various theoretical and methodological approaches to my research. 4 To find various possible variables that might not otherwise have a possible application 5 The detailed analysis my findings will be further supported with wide reading of literature review. 2. Superior Customer value The history of the customer value dates back to ancient times under the practices of trade and commerce known as barter system. wherein the buyers agrees to trade in , only if the sellers offer i.e. goods to be exchanged are of fair or better value and equal to the trading goods or services. Thereby we can define value as satisfaction of the customer needs and requirements at lowest total cost of acquisition, ownership, and use. Value is the consumers overall assessment of the utility of a product based on perceptions of what is received and what is given. (Zeithaml 1988, p. 14) Value in business markets is the perceived worth in monetary units of the set of economic, technical, service and social benefits received by a customer firm in exchange for the price paid for a product, taking into consideration the available suppliers offerings and prices. (Anderson et al 1993, p. 5) Buyers perceptions of value represent a trade-off between the quality or benefits they perceive in the produ ct relative to the sacrifice they perceive by pay- ing the price. (Monroe I990, p. 46) Customer value is market perceived quality adjusted for the relative price of your product. (Gale 1994, p. xiv) .customer value means the emotional bond established between a customer and a producer after the customer has used a salient product or service produced by that supplier and found the product to provide an added value. (Butz and Goodstein 1996, p. 63) Superior customer value can be better understood as means of creating business experiences which exceed customer expectations'(Art William, 2004). According to him superior customer value means continually creating business experiences that exceed customer expectations designing and delivering this value is the key to successful business strategy in 21st century. As quoted by Philip Kotler (2000), total customer value is the package of benefits customers expect from a given product or services. Therefore, to understand the true meaning of superior customer values, the concentration must be on the various customer experiences over attributes of the product or services provided by the company. Colin John (2002) explained customer experience as If you take all of the different aspects of a commoditised world then everything is pretty similar: similar products, similar people, similar technology, and similar pricing. The differences are in the brand, the perception, and the feel of a company, all of which are delivered through the customer experience. Its the customer experience that will differentiate a company. According to R.R. Woodruff (1997) delivering this customer value raises many difficult questions such as (1) What exactly do customers value? (2) Of all the things customers value, on which ones should we focus to achieve advantage? (3) How well do customers think we deliver that value? (4) How will what customers value change in the future? Here comes the task of managers as how they deliver this value, using what processes and methods can this customer value be efficiently delivered. 2.1 The Importance of Customer Value According to art william (2004) Customer value is combination of four core components namely service, quality, image and price altogether an approach known as the S-Q-I-P approach. These are also known as customer value triads which provide a basis for competitive business strategies. Huber et al (2001) states that many marketing strategists and economists emphasize that creation of superior customer value plays an important role in ensuring company are success. A clear understanding of the concept of value becomes essential for the success of value-based strategies (Woodruff, 1997). Indeed, superior value of products/services delivered to customers leads to customer loyalty, the real driver of financial performance ( Reichheld et al., 2000) According to Azaddin (2004) loyalty and profits are strongly linked to value created for customers. Customers are loyal to a company as long as it offers them superior value compared to its competitors. According to Art William (2004) most of the firms today have positioned themselves under the S-Q-I-P approach with an objective of differentiating themselves from their competitors also have given importance in meeting acceptable threshold levels with respect to the products quality, services quality and pricing attribute. A said by him designing and delivering superior customer value propels organisations to market leadership positions in highly competitive global field. Philip Kotler (2000) expressed that the firms that won the customer loyalty are perceived to offer highest customer delivered value. In this context, total customer value is a combination of benefits customers expect from a given products or services. According, Robert and Sue (2003) customer values are categorized in two ways i.e. effectiveness and efficiency. When the products services offered satisfy the needs of the customers then the value are said to be effectively delivered. The less is the cost more is the satisfaction of the customer that can be achieved efficiently. 2.2 Customer value a source of competitive advantage According to woodruff (1997) in todays competitive era, quality may no longer offer competitive advantage. It is customer value that gives a competitive advantage how this customer value can be delivered efficiently forms the crucial part. He stated that adopting a customer value delivery orientation requires organizations to learn extensively about their markets and target customers. Deciding how to compete on superior customer value delivery raises difficult questions, such as the following: (1) What exactly do customers value? (2) Of all the things customers value, on which ones should we focus to achieve advantage? (3) How well do customers think we deliver that value? (4) How will what customers value change in the future? According to sharma (1994) many researchers have argued on fact that there are differences in what managers think customers value and what customers say they value these gaps can form the potential sources of mistakes for the organisations in delivering customer value. Customers tend to think differently when buying a product and using it which is well explained by Woodruff (1997) that Customers learn to think concretely about value in the form of preferred attributes, attribute performances, and conse- quences from using a product in a use situation. A customer forms a evaluative or predictive opinion during the value experience of a product i.e. customers may predict a received value, but during use they actually experience received value. 2.3 Defining Value Proposition from Firm Perspective Michael J. Lanning, the chairman, the DPV Group, LLC stated that value proposition is a decision and commitment of resulting experiences, including price, to a group of target customers, profitably and better than competitors. Frederick Webster (1994) explained that value proposition is a verbal statement that matches up the firms distinctive competencies with the needs and preferences of a carefully designed set of potential customers. He also explained that the description of value proposition created by the firms needs to be clear, concise, and credible and consistence over time and has to be communicated and shared between the firm and its customers. Since the customers have a better say on the true value criteria, every firm must ensure that the value proposition is positioned effectively as the value proposition takes into consideration the interpretation of value of customers. Art William (2004) explained that this S-Q-I-P approach not only provides the basis of an organisations value proposition but also establishes a solid business philosophy for the organisation. It guides all strategic decisions, and ultimately affects business performance. The uniqueness of articulation of core and augmented value proposition gives a memorable message to be successful. As most of the firms compete based on their own identities and their potentials, value proposition ingredients needs to be carefully analysed Dave Brock, the President of Partners In EXCELLENCE relates superior customer value with value proposition. To define and communicate value proposition, the firms must focus on the following issues. The customer must have a need and without any needs to buy a product or services, the customer values can never exist. Value is described as the difference between the perceived benefits and consequences of selecting a solution or needs. To differentiate, your value proposition must be perceived by the customer as superior to every alternative available in the market. Thus, it is imperative to understand that the value proposition is in the eyes of the customers not the product. It has to be customised to the specific needs of each customer. 2.4 Quality Attributes Quality has been recognised by companies as a major ingredient in a customers choice of products and service and hence it is important to have a working definition of quality if the customer has to enjoy a consistent high standard of goods and services. The official definition of quality by American National Standards Institute and the American Society for quality Control is the totality of features and characteristics of a product or services that bears on its ability to satisfy given needs. 2.41 Consumers Perspective about quality. It is important to understand how the customer defines quality that delivers the best values as customer has the perceptions of which firms are producing better quality than others, and they choose to purchase accordingly. According to W.Edwards Deming, the customer is the most important part of the production line. Quality should always be aimed at the present and the Future needs of the customer. Since the customers possess different quality level of product or service with different quality expectation, a commonly definition of quality can be drawn. In other words quality is determined by what the customer wants and is willing to pay for. A desire to purchase an attractive product would disappear by poor service and support (Colin and Graham, 1993). He also emphasised the importance of the need for decent combination of product and service quality. Sparks Legault (1993) incorporated Garvins eight dimension of quality and applied them to the firm business cycle. 2.42 Dimension of Service Quality In this competitive environment, the pursuit of service quality is considered by many organizations to be an essential element of their corporate strategy (Paradize-Tornow 1991). Service organizations are constantly searching for sources of competitive advantage, but as product quality rises and products become less distinguishable from one another, companies are seeking competitive advantage through the service elements of their product (Buttle 1999). Roberta Bernard (2003) stated that the proportion of service quality differs from product quality. Colin Graham (1993) mentioned that the definition of service quality is needed in managing of quality as quality would not sufficiently built superior customer values. In addition he also redefined that the Garvin eight dimension of product quality would not sufficiently built superior customer values. . Art William (1999) cited that a user of services has a set of attributes or characteristics in mind when determining service quality. Service attributes are more directly related to time, and the interaction between employees and the customer. Evans Lindsay (1996) identify the following dimensions of service quality. 1. Time and Timeliness: It is related to promptness of service. It is the time the customer is expected to wait for his turn to receive the service. To ensure customers needs are responded in time every firm must possesses dedicated employees to work extra mile. 2. Completeness: The service provider firm has to distinguish and understand the customers true needs rather than what is stated and constrained by the system and has to ensure that everything the customer requested is provided. 3. Courtesy: This refers to the kindness of service personnel and how employees treat customers. 4. Consistency: Expectation of services has to be consistent. There must be a certain level of consistency in the services provided to each customer each time. 5. Accessibility and convenience: The service must be easily accessed and conveniently located. The conventional convenient time to receive service and location of operation has becoming increasing important. 6. Accuracy and reliability: It involves consistency of performance and dependability. Each firm must perform the service right the first time and keeping to their promises. Any rescheduling of meetings with customers must be made only when absolute necessary. Neil Botten John (1999) have listed the following service elements in additional to the above service attributes 1. Competence: It means the knowledge of the Product and necessary skill to perform service and support tasks. In this way, customer confidence is enhanced by experienced and knowledgeable staff especially the operational supported personnel. 2. Credibility: It involves in believability, trustworthiness and honesty of customer contact personnel that work towards the customers best interests. It contributes to credibility of company name and reputation. 3. Understanding the Customer: It means attempting to know the customers need and making the customers feel in control. In this aspect, the firm must recognise the regular customer understand the customers specific requirements, rendering individualised attraction. 4. Tangibles: It includes physical evidence of the services. This includes the appearance and quality of facilities provided. For example, a conformable car showroom with friendly sales executives ready to serve the waiting customers. 2.43 Managing Service Quality It is a common assertion among management and marketing theorists that customer service quality is essential to business success (Kristensen et al., 1992). Firms providing this superior service quality, measured by customer satisfaction also experience higher economic returns than those of competitors, even though they are not so service oriented (Aaker and Jacobson, 1994; Bolton, 1998). Satis?ed customers are center to the longterm success of business, and the bondage between customer satisfaction and customer behaviour has been well documented in marketing literature.. In this study, there has been a broadened definition of service quality to derive the superior customer value that customers seek for. It is more complex to define quality for services than for products in view of its intangible and variable nature of service characteristics. Parasuraman (1990) and his colleagues explained that service quality is a comparison of what a consumer feels a service provider should offer against their perception of what the service provider actually can offer. They related service quality as a measure between service perceptions as well as expectations. Therefore, to provide superior customer service, the firm must ensure that the service offered meets or exceed customers expectation. 2.44 Strategic Implications of Quality We have emphasized previously on the entire product and service characteristics that are considered to be an important customer value trait to built and deliver a superior customer value. These attributes of quality must be incorporated into the design of the product that results in the products and service consumers want and having quality they expect. Why is then so significant of quality in the formulation of strategy? John Beckford (1988, p.11) has highlighted from the citation of Jiang Zemin, President, Peoples Republic of China, 1996 focus on quality, not quantity. He further pointed that China is treating quality not just as an organisational issue but also as a national one though they are the worlds largest emerging economy consisting of 1.2 billion potential consumers. Such a position supplements a message that all organisations, which want to survive and succeed, must take quality seriously. Pursuit of quality must be considered as a winning strategy dimension tool. In the context of strategic management, firstly, the process for formulating strategy must display quality characteristics in that the business strategic planning itself must be correctly designed and implemented. Secondly, the impact of the choice to pursue quality fits with the generic strategy of differentiation. Thirdly, the pursuit of quality has an impact on strategic decisions because it may generate changes in consumer b ehaviour. This in turn may fulfil the changing expectations of customers by eliminating the need to establish additional facilities or new distribution channels. Roberta Bernard (2003) cited that firms in which quality drives their competitive strategy have certain common characteristics. They concentrate on customer satisfaction through quality by following a clear strategic goal, vision, or mission. For example, Motorolas company objective of Total Customer Satisfaction reflects their commitment to customer satisfaction and quality as par of their overall strategy and vision. On the other hand, quality must be inherent throughout the organisation in order for it to survive and Commitment of employees and strong leadership are also the key to successfully integrating quality into a companys strategic plan. 2.5 Price Attribute Art William (1999) quoted Price is what you pay. Value is what you get. (Warren Buffett, CEO, Berkshire Hathaway). 2.51 Communicating Value through Price Price varies substantially according to whose perspective we are taking from. To the firm, price is used to signal value for their products or services, to differentiate their offer from those of the competitors, and also shift consumer demand. To consumers, price generally reflecting how much they have to give up taking possession of the product or service. Price influences the perceived value. From the competitors point of view, price is used as benchmark to compete (e.g. as entry barrier in price war). Philip Klotler (2000) pointed out that many firms see buyers perception of value, not the sell