Saturday, August 31, 2019

Meat packing industry Essay

Introduction America’s fast food industry was founded by self made man who took risk, worked hard, some not even going to collage. Today the industry relies on a low-paid and unskilled workforce, where a handful are able to rise up the corporate ladder, while the vast majority lack fulltime employment, receive no benefits, and end up quitting after a few months. The fast food industry prospered over the last 30 years because minimum wage was lowered, marking was directed at children, federal agencies meant to protect workers and consumers ended up working for the companies, and corporations worked with congress to oppose laws that didn’t help them. The â€Å"American world view† is embodied in fast food because it takes advantage of those who don’t know any better. Chapter 1 The element of car based restaurants like the ones started in Southern California encouraged the spread of fast food because they had good food, became successful, and were very popular among young people. Chapter 2 Disney and Kroc were similar because they both used science to sell their products, made up famous mascots to sell products and both focused selling to kids. They were different because Disney founded his company, and Kroc bought his, they sold different products, and Kroc wasn’t involved in politics, while Disney was. Their companies cooperated when McDonald’s agreed to sell Disney toys and Disney agreed to allow McDonald’s in Disneyland. The fast food industry started with billboard ads to attract kids and evolved to adverting every where, from TV, to the internet, to school hallways. They also make the restaurants themselves fun for kids with play places and selling toys so they want to go more, and even as adults bring their own kids. Personally, I don’t think it is ethical to advertise in schools because it fast food is unhealthy and kids should be learning that, not that the burgers at McDonald’s get and A in taste. Chapter 3 Most employees of fast food restaurants ate teenagers because most are willing to work long hours with little pay. Fast food corporations relentlessly stop their workers from unionizing by doing things like integrating workers with information about a possible union with lie detectors, or closing locations with unions and opening new locations near by. Working conditions at fast food restaurants are unsafe. Typical dangers the employees face ate slips, fall, cuts, burns, and robberies. Problems are dealt with by increasing security with cameras or more parking lot lights. If I worked at a fast food restaurant and I injured my self, I might not tell my manager because I could loose my job because they could blame me for the injury. Chapter 4 The advantages of starting your own business is if it is successful, you could get a lot of money, not to mention you are your own boss so no one besides the government tells you how to run your business. The disadvantages are the business could be unsuccessful and you could loose a lot of money. The advantages of working for someone else are you do not have to make too many tough decisions. The disadvantages are you will not make as much money as your boss, and you may not like your boss for whatever reason. Some legal issues that fast food franchises have been involved in are the Coble’s Bill which makes franchises obey the principles other companies follow. The Subway fast food franchise was involved in the SBA which helps restaurants by giving them government funds. Subway got involved and made it so they would get extra money. Chapter 5 Family farms are disappearing because industry farms take all the business and close family farms because they have no one to sell to. there are only a few small potato farms left because industries take up all the land and business. The take-over of agricultural farms effects communities because local farms go out of business and communities become dependent on the corporate farm. Chapter 6 Development and fast food farms take land and effects cattle pastures because there is less land for the cattle to graze. Since most cowboys and ranchers have gone out of business, they have become irreverent in today’s culture. The government set up the Sherman Antitrust Act and a congressional investigation in the meet packing industry to help ranchers. Later, the Reagan administration allowed the top four meat packing firms to merge and they took over the cattle markets. Corporate domination affected family farms by forcing them to work for them or go out of business. Self-reliance is still a viable goal for Americans, but has become very difficult because of big corporations. The fast food industry makes chicken farmers work for them or they would get no business. In farm culture, the land is a tangible connection to the past, meant to be handed down and not sold. To native Americans, the land meant life and prosperity. In traditional Irish culture, the land is a link to past generations and to loose the land meant to fail your relatives. Their concept of land is similar to the American concept. Chapter 7 The demands of the fast food industry changed towns by making is so almost everyone ends up eating fast food because the industries are aloud to put their restaurants wherever they want and advertise as much as they want until the town’s economy runs on the fast food restaurants. Chapter 8 Meatpacking is dangerous because of the machines and rarely cleaned cutting tools. Since a meatpacking manager’s bonus is based in part on injury rate, many injuries go unreported and the worker is either given an easer job to takes time off to recover. Chapter 9 The meat packing and meat processing industry has been a spreader of disease because the animals are not screened well enough or sick workers spreading disease on the animals. After reading about the pathogens in hamburger meat, I am concerned about food poisoning in fast food. E. coli is not common in restaurant food, but is likely to be in hamburger meat. Chapter 10 Many Americans are obese because of lack of information and improper food laws. Fast food probably plays a big part in obesity because it provides unhealthy food to almost every where. Americans are probably more obese than other countries because fast food started here. Fast food companies increase the size of their meals to effect the calorie count look better for the per serving part. This effects American health because it is misguiding and you eat more than you thought you were going to. People in other countries do not want fast food because they have seen its effect on America. Epilogue The free market Schosser talks about leaves workers unprotected with little interference from the government. In the quote, Schosser is referring to the free market. I agree to what Schlosser says on 216. I believe the government needs to work harder to protect both the workers and consumers of fast food. At the end of the Epilogue, the author remedies his criticisms with the fact that it is a persons choice to eat want. Afterword Mad Cow disease is a disease that slowly destroys the brain and can be spread through hamburger meat. It can be controlled by feeding cows grass instead of corn and hormones, and inspecting the meat better. Cattle get infected by it because they stand in the dung of an effected cattle. It is a very serous threat to humans.

General Epistles Essay

Apparently, the first-century Jewish Christians were having a difficult time in knowing what true religion was. Hence the need for James to pen the following verse; â€Å"Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father, is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows in their hardships, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world† (James 1:27, NJB, 1990). â€Å"Religion is normally understood in terms of cultic obligations, but James has a burning ethical, prophetic interpretation of pure religion† (Painter, J., 2006). True Faith: â€Å"Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?† (James 2:5, NIV) In showing favoritism people judge those who they deem as less valuable by their standards. True Wisdom: In James 3:13-18, James contrasts the wisdom of the world with Godly wisdom. He states that, worldly wisdom, i.e. bitterness, envy and selfish ambition, comes from the enemy. Where on the other hand, Godly wisdom is this, is first â€Å"†¦pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy, and good fruit, impartial and sincere† (James 3:13-18). 1 and 2 Peter Christian Behavior in Suffering: â€Å"Beloved, I implore you as aliens and strangers and exiles [in this world] to abstain from the sensual urges (the evil desires, the passions of the flesh, your lower nature) that wage war against the soul† (1 Peter 2:11, 1987, Amp). By using Christ as the example, Peter, taught the Jewish Christian how to live their lives in the middle of suffering. Danger to Growing Christians: Peter warns the believers of false teachers who would come into their presence and speak lies and devastating heresies. He goes on to say, â€Å"They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you† (2 Peter 2:13) 1, 2, and 3 John Admonition against Antichrists: In 1 John 2:19-26, John admonishes the Gentiles congregations to, â€Å"See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father† (1 John 2:24). John knew that, as long as individuals stay in Christ and do not shrink back, they will see the â€Å"Day of Christ† with much joy. Pride: Diotrephes had fallen into pride by loving himself above all others, refusing to welcome other brothers in the Lord, and he would have nothing to do with the brothers. He was also a, gossip, and stopped those who wanted to do what is right and just. (3 John 9-10) Jude Danger of False Teachers: Because certain individuals whose judgment was written about long ago had covertly snuck in among the church, Jude â€Å"†¦felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people† (Jude 3, 4). Responsibility to Fight for Faith: â€Å"But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life† (Jude 20-21). References Callahan, A. D., 2009, Babylon boycott: The Book of Revelation, Retrieved, March 27, 2011, from: http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&hid=104&sid=82d03de1-65f2-4e8e-8c4d-3a8793c9a0fb%40sessionmgr113 Life Application Study Bible New International Version, 2005, New Testament notes and Bible helps, 1986, Copublished by: Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188, USA, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506, USA Niswonger, R. L., 1988, New Testament history, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids Michigan 49530 Painter, J., 2006, James as the First Catholic Epistle, Retrieved, March 26, 2011, from: http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&hid=104&sid=39154ae2-54ba-4ba8-9761-087a07496117%40sessionmgr112

Friday, August 30, 2019

Mia philippines Essay

The Philippines was first put on the map by Portuguese adventurer Magellan working for the Spanish throne on March 16, 1521. The Philippines had become a Spanish colony and was the first country to be named after a sovereign, Phillip II of Spain.1 Spanish rule had continued until 1898 when the Philippines had become an American colony following the Spanish-American War for the stately sum of $20 million. In 1942 during WWII, the Philippines had fallen under Japanese occupation and was liberated by American and Filipino forces under the leadership of General Douglas MacArthur in a fiercely contested battle that raged on between 1944 and 1945. The Philippines had attained its independence on July 4, 1946, and had a functioning democratic system. 2 The Philippines Archipelago consisted of 7,100 islands, covering an area of 299,735 square kilometers and was slightly larger than Arizona. The capital city of Manila was situated on the largest Philippine island of Luzon (see Exhibit 1). The Philippines had a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of $3,400.3 The percentage of the population of the Philippines living below US$2 a day was 45.2 per cent in 2006.4 PHILIPPINE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT Research conducted in 2009 showed that the Philippines was ranked 140th for ease of doing business and 155th for starting a business, out of a total of 178 countries. It took on average 15 procedures and a total of 52 days to complete business startup procedures in the Philippines compared to six procedures and 44.2 days and 5.8 procedures and 13.4 days for the same process in Asia and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, respectively.5 The Philippines had the second lowest savings and investment as share of GDP ratio in Asia6 (see Exhibit 2). PHILIPPINE FISHING INDUSTRY The Philippines has total territorial waters of 2.2 million square kilometers, of which coastal waters comprise 266,000 square kilometers and coastal reef area (10 to 20 fathoms deep, where reef fishing takes place) comprise 27,000 square kilometers.7 In 2003, the Philippines ranked eighth among the top fish-producing countries in the world with its total production of 3.62 million metric tons of fish, crustaceans, mollusks and aquatic plants (including seaweed). The production constituted 2.5 per cent of the total world production of 146.27 million metric tons.8 The fishing industry’s contribution to the country’s GDP was 2.3 per cent and 4.2 per cent, at current and constant prices, respectively. The industry employed a total of 1,614,368 fishing operators nationwide,9 of which the artisanal fisheries sector accounted for 1,371,676.10 Artisanal fishing operations were typically family-based and used smaller craft. There were a total of 469,807 fishing boats in the Philippines, of which 292,180 were non-motorized and 177,627 were motorized.11 Fish was not only an important source of nutrition, but as fishing did not require landownership or special permits it was an employment of last resort for people who had no other means of subsistence. MIA, DENMARK MIA was established in Denmark in 1975 by wealthy businessman Hagen Nordstrom, who dedicated the NGO to his wife Mia and made fighting poverty his life’s work. (MIA stood for â€Å"beloved† in Danish.) MIA had initially focused solely on poverty-alleviating projects in Africa and had expanded its operations to Latin America and the Caribbean only in the early 1990s. The grandson of Nordstrom, Gillis Nordstrom, had taken over as MIA chairman in 2004 on the eve of the Bander Aceh Tsunami of December 26, 2004, which devastated Southeast Asia and killed as many as 130,000 people.12 Nordstrom had taken initiative and redirected MIA to focus on disaster recovery and poverty alleviation projects in Southeast Asia. MIA had established an office in Manila in January 2006, and the young Danish development economist Borje Petersen was hired to manage the MIA Philippines office. Petersen was paid a starting salary of $75,000 a year plus housing, slightly below average for a comparable development economist position. Petersen knew that MIA’s attention was focused on Indonesia and Malaysia, which had been the hardest hit by the tsunami, and was anxious to carve out a position for MIA Philippines by designing an exceptional project. As the expansion into Asia was the pet project of MIA’s chairman, Petersen felt assured that funding would be easily appropriated and even expedited. Petersen knew that the average overseas posting for a development economist for MIA was two years and had quickly established contact with local and international stakeholders and set up numerous meetings with large development project counterparts such as the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the German development aid organization GFZ to get an expedited understanding of the Philippines and its unique needs. Based on the initial research, Petersen had decided that, whereas an agricultural project would be feasible, it would take a long time to realize and the outcome could be complicated given the Philippines’ proneness to be hit by typhoons. Petersen’s research had revealed that small-scale aquaculture projects had been successfully implemented in the Philippines in the past. However, there were hardly any projects to speak of directed at artisanal fishing and picking up on the vested opportunity and his desire to deliver fast results and prove himself worthy of the task that MIA and its chairman demanded, he had chosen to design a project helping artisanal fishermen. Petersen had researched the possibility of helping a fishing village close to Manila and the search for the ideal village had come to a successful ending when MIA’s driver, Vicente Tubo, had mentioned how some of his distant cousins fished for a living in a fishing village seven to nine hours by car from Manila. A factfinding mission to the village Barangay San Hagon was undertaken and the village was thus chosen as the beneficiary of MIA’s pilot project in the Philippines. BARANGAY SAN HAGON Barangay San Hagon boasted 125 households and had a resident population of 625. San Hagon lay on the south coast of Luzon, the largest island of the Philippines. The Barangay was the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and stemmed from the Spanish â€Å"Barrio.†13 Barangay San Hagon was administered by a local government unit (LGU) and consisted of seven Barangay council members and a chairman. The chairman of Barangay San Hagon was Rafael Buenaventura, age 59, who had held office for more than a decade. Fishing villages in the Philippines were very vulnerable to external risk, especially natural calamities such as typhoons, flooding and fish kills, which severely affected their financial situation.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Organizational Behavior in Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organizational Behavior in Management - Essay Example The essay "Organizational Behavior in Management" presents a systematic study of Organizational Behavior (OB) that equips the manager with the necessary theories, concepts, and principles of human behavior which he would need in future decision-making processes. OB is the analysis of the way that individuals work within an organization.A manager, having four basic functions such as planning, organizing, directing, and controlling, need the theoretical background on organizational behavior to assist him in effectively carrying out these functions. Organizational Behavior provides theories on motivation, communication, leadership, work group behavior, organizational development and even topics on career, time and stress management. Understanding OB allows better worker relations, more realistic expectations and improves job satisfaction†. For an organization, a manager with knowledge of OB would be able to increase productivity for it provides the knowledge and information which are the basis for improving performance. Frequent resignation, excessive wastage could signify that the company needs better recruitment or screening procedures, more intensive training programs, safe and clean working environments, equitable compensation package, or a healthy and stimulating psychological climate. All these strategies are better determined by a manager who is equipped with a systematic study of organizational behavior. Perception is a process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Forensic Archaeology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Forensic Archaeology - Essay Example Ground Penetrating Radar GRP) and Resistivity Mapping are the two popular techniques in this field. Geographic survey conducted for forensic perspective has mainly two aspects. The first survey is carried out on the surface. For the second, at every survey geophysicist prepare ‘map’ of the sub-surface. There are different techniques used for this mapping process. Based on the measurement they collected from the survey, they constitute the ‘hot-spot,’ in terms of geophysics it is called anomalies. If any kind of extreme natural variations detect, it clearly stress that the presence of subsurface disturbance like graves may drawn in that locality. Resistivity mapping: - In this method the presence of electrical materials of the subsurface is identifying by passing electricity through the ground. Wet soil passes electricity (I) more effortlessly than dry soil and hard rock. Practical case this method conducted by passing electricity between two electrodes and calculate the electrical potential (V) in this area. Electrical resistance (R) is find out by R= V/I. When regarding the readings of this survey at particular intervals, make out a grid of readings. Different resistance readings will obtain from the same place based on the electrode array and electrode division. This survey is conducted frequently by raising the electrode separation. Various types of resistivity of electrode array are; Wenner array and pole-pole array. Here ‘R’ is represented in ohms, ‘p’ is represented as in ohm meters and ‘a’ is represented as in meters. In archaeological mapping pole-pole array is commonly used than Wenner array because it gives simpler anomalies which help for identification of noisy environment easily than pole-pole array anomalies. Some factors which cause potential for avoiding the resistivity of the ground includes buried body interruptions which take place while burying the body. This will cause fluctuations

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Do you believe it is fair or reasonable that snapshot photos of famous Essay

Do you believe it is fair or reasonable that snapshot photos of famous or well-known people taken for personal reasons become open to public scrutiny - Essay Example The other approach towards accomplishing this is through the establishment of a establishing a monitoring system aimed at solely monitoring for legitimate and stated personal-related reasons. For this reason, the monitoring policy will have to be to be given sufficient support of their respective users with the intent of monitor, as well as the reason for the same. This will also include a form of monitoring to be used. Good monitoring approach will have to address computer, Internet, and e-mail use with the sole purpose of eliminating any possible mishaps where the privately meant pictures remain confidential. The state privacy laws keep varying hence the need to keep consulting with relevant attorneys with sufficient experience in employment law while a company is drafting electronic communication monitoring and usage policies. Even as it remains critical that the individual’s right to privacy for personal pictures do not negatively affect the public image and loyalty. Furth er, rigid policies for personal application of communication platforms translate into sustainable relationships. Concerns exist in determining the professionalism of social media handlers. It is because posted content today could alter the public views to such degrees that they are not recognizable. Legislators in United Kingdom suggest that such online platforms should be held liable in preventing users from being in a position of to posting anonymously (Vermaat 34). It is aimed at effectively tracking down the issue. Ethical issues at the technology keep arising with regards to gathering information, disclosing, assessing its accuracy, and correcting it including the issues that are related to the substance of the information by itself. The simple knowledge that an individual is entitled to personal pictures will generate an understanding that one feels overly

Monday, August 26, 2019

Central or European youth group and another youth group with Research Paper

Central or European youth group and another youth group with subculture similarities - Research Paper Example There is no wonder therefore that issues of subcultures are most popular with the youth and various youth groups. Through the research, it was actually established that the act of adapting to a particular subculture is actually something that is not the reserve of any particular origination of youth group but that it cuts across almost al parts of the world (Tschopik, 2001). To this end, with any part of the world that a person finds him or herself, there is likely to be some kind of subculture practiced and adhered to. One other peculiar feature of these youth group based subcultures is that they keep changing with time. In the first part of the report, the Mod subculture shall briefly be compared and contrasted to the Ted subculture; all of England. Further on, the Mod subculture shall be compared and contrasted to three other youth groups from other parts of the world including Latin America and Africa. There are three major similarities between the Mod and Ted. First, it was discovered that the two youth groups have a similar origination. Critical research reveals that it is a common thing that whenever one youth group springs up, in a particular country or area of the world, there is the tendency that there will be opposition youth groups to these youth groups (Worn, 1951). For this reason, it is common to find two or more youth groups springing up from just one location. In this case, the two sprang up from England. The second similarity is that the two youth groups came around just at the same time and this was in the 1950s. The same reason why the two groups originated from the same place still holds valid for why just around the same time, there were two different youth groups forming two different subcultures. The final similarity among these two youth groups has to do with the kind of activities they involved themselves in. the research actually reveals that both groups wer e very much into music and fashion. Yet

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Egypt before and after the revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Egypt before and after the revolution - Essay Example I want to know more about the topic because I want to understand the history of oppressive regimes and their ending. My specific research question is: What happened to Egypt before and after the 2011 Revolution? My subquestions are: How did the Revolution develop? What are the important events before and after the 2011 revolution that affected and affect different sectors of society? Last month, I read articles from Katherine Zoepf, â€Å"A Troubled Revolution in Egypt,† and Mark Lynch, â€Å"America and Egypt after the Uprisings,† and they made me interested further in the Egyptian crisis. Zoepf’s article demonstrates that after the Revolution, some Egyptian women feel empowered, although the state and Islamic fundamentalists groups did not support women’s rights before and after the Revolt. Zoepf indicates the mixed effects of the Revolution on the advancement of women’s rights, precisely because these women have not yet fully determined the speci fic nature and direction of these rights. Because of this article, I wanted to know more about women’s rights and issues pre and post-Revolution. ... I also became dedicated in knowing more about the diverse economic, political, and social effects of the Revolution after two years. I already performed an initial research on the current updates regarding Egypt’s post-Revolution status. I was able to access articles from Hafez Ghanem, â€Å"Two Years after the Egyptian Revolution,† and Asma Alsharif and Yasmine Saleh, â€Å"Special Report: The Real Force Behind Egypt's 'Revolution Of The State'.† Ghanem focuses on the economic updates on Egypt, while Alsharif and Saleh talk about Egypt before the Revolution. These articles help me to further explore Egypt’s conditions as it goes through the post-Revolution status and its transition toward a government and society that Egyptians wanted. From these articles, I realized how difficult it is to start anew and that a Revolution is not the medicine for all social ills. I plan to move toward my thesis by researching more on the happenings before and after the Rev olution. I will read more on the topic and focus on my thesis: The 2011 Egyptian Revolution is not a product of overnight mobilization, but of decades of political repression and socio-economic problems, and so after it, the country continues to grapple with various social, economic, and political issues. The thesis will guide me to narrow my focus on important social, economic, and political events and conditions that surround the Revolution. List of Potential Sources al-Bishri, Tariq. â€Å"Understanding Egypt's Revolution.† Aljazeera.com, 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. . Alsharif, Asma, and Yasmine Saleh. â€Å"Special

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Conference and Exhibition Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Conference and Exhibition - Assignment Example All these people have important tasks to perform and it's not easy. A successful conference needs these people to perform their entire required tasks efficiently and effectively2. Right now there are different types of conferences being held at different places during the same time. Conferences can also help a person to better understand a problem, this is due to the fact that the speakers present in a conference are experts at the topic and have done a lot of research on it. Conferences can be of different types like for example a conference can be on a topic that is an issue to be solved a conference can also be held to bring awareness about an issue or on a topic that has been debated for a long time3. The success of conferences to solve problems or bring about a change has made them increasingly important in the right now world. The success rate is not very high but its still there which makes a conference an important part of the world today. Conferences are being held for almos t everything in the world from sports to daily life problems, from politics to poverty issues, from city level problems to global problems they are everywhere that's why their importance cannot be subdued. Another reason which highlights the importance of a conference is that differences of opinions are also handled in a conference and they are corrected if proven wrong, apart from this the perceptions of people also tend to change after attending a conference as more facts are kept in front of them which they never knew before. A conference is a combined effort of all the managers involved in arranging it, and due credit should be given to them if a conference is successful. A conference is incomplete without proper speakers, and to find them is another tough job4. Speakers are also an integral part of a conference; the better they are the better would be the conference. The interest of the speakers and their homework before a conference can have a great impact on their performance during a conference that in the end affects the overall success of a conference. 3rd Teachers Conference In my scenario it was the 3rd time the students were organizing the teaching conference. The conference was really important for me, as I was the food and beverage manager. After a lot of thinking and analysing we decided to organize this event in a way that would be new to the delegates. We had planned to use the new cafeteria as it was recently made and never used for any such events before. The original idea was to give the delegates a new and exciting environment. Another reason was to let the people know that this place would be ideal to conduct these types of conferences and any other events in the future. Apart from all these reasons another cause of doing this conference on a new place was the arrival of the new vice chancellor. Me becoming the food and beverage manager had its reason as well. First of all i had previous experience in this field as I was working as a PA for a celebrity chef. Apart from this I felt that this job was a challenging one and would earn me essentia l experience in my field5. As being the food and beverage manager my first job was to get in contact with the person who had the authority over granting permission to hold the network lunch at the new cafeteria. After some major

Friday, August 23, 2019

Classcial Mythology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Classcial Mythology - Essay Example This exercise gives the account of event and mysteries surrounding Apollo, the god sun of greek mythology and thereafter touch on the significance to modern belief system. Apollo was a son of Zeus and Leto. He was born under difficult circumstances as his mother, Leto was on the run all over the earth looking for a peaceful place to rest and give birth. Hera, the wife of Zeus was caught up with jealousy after discovering that his husband was expecting a child with his lover Leto (Hugh, 17). Thence, this led her to give Leto a chase so she could not get a place to rest and give birth. Luckily, Leto was able to find a place on Delos island where she was received warmly and after nine days of labor she bore twins, Apollo and his sister Artemis. Themis gave aid to Leto when was giving birth. Zeus became pleased and welcomed the twins giving them both silver bows and arrows. He also assured Themis that she would not be bothered in matters concerning marriage as she could live freely if she never intends to be married. Zeus gave to Apollo a golden and magnificent chariot which was pulled by swans. After the delivery Leto had little strength to continue. Apollo was born under a palm tree which later became a sacred place on the slopes of mount Cynthus. Before the birth of Apollo the island Delos was floating but their delivery it became anchored to the earth. Upon the birth of Apollo, Themis gave him ambrosia and nectar which made to rise and requested for a bow and a lyre. He then made a declaration that he was to bring the men of the world to the realm of his father. This made Delos glad and wrapped herself up with golden flowers. The birth Apollo is believed to be on the seventh month according to the ancient tradition. This made the seventh month sacred to him that it was celebrated after through sacrifices and festivals according to Hugh (36). Apollo was known as the god with the bow and arrows. He never tolerated the wicked and the

Analyzing woterstoff reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyzing woterstoff reflection - Essay Example This stage is evidenced in Woterstorff’s â€Å"Lament for a Son†. Wolterstorff (1987) cannot believe that his son is dead. He chooses not to believe the caller at first. He walks to Eric’s favorite places in the hope of finding him there with his friends. The second reaction is anger. Individuals start asking themselves questions after realizing the death is real. The questions often seek to find failure that caused the death. In â€Å"Lament for a Son,† Wolterstorff is angry at his son for going to climb the mountains alone. He is angry that his son did not take his friends with him. A friend could have saved his life. Lack of answers to such questions leads to the bargaining stage. In bargaining, the grieving persons have come to terms with the reality of death. They seek the intervention of a higher power and seek to explain the death through spiritual and religious perspectives. Wolterstorff believes that his son died doing what he liked and was drawing near to God as he climbed high up the mountains. The believe gives him solace. However, depression is inevitable in grief. Depression is a long term effect that affects the behavior, attitude and way of life of an individual. The bereaved person cannot simply let go of the deceased. Wolterstorff cannot forget his son just yet He goes to his son’s favorite places and keeps asking himself questions about his death. The psychological wound that he suffered due to his death is still raw. Acceptance is the last stage of grief. Individuals accept that death is the fate of human beings (Kübler-Ross & Kessler, 2007). Individuals also realize that death is inevitable and cannot be planned, or be prepared for. In this stage, people seek peace within the family and friends. A good example is that Wolterstorff finds solace in his family and find happiness by talking about their deceased son. As noted, Wolterstorff is heavily reliant on his family for comfort. He is a Christian and

Thursday, August 22, 2019

English-language films Essay Example for Free

English-language films Essay Many people wonder these days if peoples lives revolve around the choices they make. This is absolutely true. Everyone in this world is responsible for who they are today. Their choices and ideas pave the road for their future. A quote from Confucius says this, Peoples lives are the result of the choices they make-or fail to make. The path one takes in life is not arbitrary. Choices and their consequences determine the course of every persons life. All people, whatever their circumstances, make the choices on which their lives depend. Confucius is absolutely right. It is a well-known fact that if you take wrong turns in life, you will end up in a wrong state. The regular human psychology states that when a person goes and ends up in a bad state, they blame others and most of the time never take responsibility for it. Take a look at this scene, and look carefully cause this happens all the time no matter the circumstances. There is no way and it is impossible for a child who takes drugs, does alcohol, doesnt obey their parents to find themselves at an Ivy-League college. Sometimes, people change their paths along the way and somewhat improve. But if you keep going in the wrong direction for your entire life, you will not get anywhere. Think about the people who are successful in this world. For examples, lets observe Mark Zuckerberg. He is the youngest billionaire in the world. He was focused, he was determined. In fact he was so passionate about programming that he dropped out of Harvard, the number one school in America. He used his talents, worked his choices and made Facebook. Not all of his choices were good. Some were actually bad; some choices actually got him into trouble with others. This is where the trouble comes in. Wait if some of my choices are good, and some are bad, then whats going to happen with my life? Nothing will actually. All that matters is that the majority will overcome the system. If you have more bad than good, you are more likely to take a wrong turn. If you have more good over wrong, you will most likely take a good turn. Even I have taken wrong turns and bad choices. Everyone has. Nobody in this world is perfect. In fact, taking all good choices and all good turns in life ends up as a bad choice. Even though nobody is perfect, its your own self that will determine your future, what you want to become, your status in life. Thats why its good to switch your determination in life if you are on a bad path. Stick with someone and change your mood. Change your attitude, fix your choices, and keep yourself organized. If you are a person reading this essay, lets say about 12 or 13, even 14 to 18. You still have time. You have so much future ahead of you, dont give up hope cause your choices sometimes do tell your future. Sometimes these choices of yours will end you up in a bad place if you dont work hard. A wise person, my own father once told me that it doesnt make you a bad person if you take bad choices. It makes you a bad person if you dont learn from your bad choices. He also told me that if you want to be someone when you grow up, work hard. In elementary, in middle school, and in high school, work hard so that you can build your base for the future. He concluded with me that once you pay off all your duties, go to college, and graduate, you have the rest of your life to enjoy. Whether its doing your dream job, making millions of dollars, then retiring into a large estate. This is called a dream. If you have more good choices in life, your dream will come to. Trust me, its always worked before.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Synthesis and Characterization of Nylon-6,6 Polymer

Synthesis and Characterization of Nylon-6,6 Polymer Abstract Synthesis and characterization of nylon-6,6 polymer was performed in this experiment. Nylon-6,6, was obtained from adipoyl chloride and 1,6-hexanediamine monomers, dissolved in cyclohexane and water. Employing interfacial polymerization technique, thin film of nylon product was formed and collected. The final product were white peaces of small fragile strings with a total mass of 0.0694 g and 4 cm in length. Infrared spectroscopy then characterized the final product and confirmed successeful synthesis of nylon-6,6 polymer due to the appearance of N-H stretching, C=O stretching, and N-H bending from the secondary amide group and from the nylon polymer. Introduction Polymers are macromolecules consisting of smaller subunits, called monomers.4 There are two main types of synthetic polymers, according to the mechanism by which they are synthetically made: step- growth and chain-growth polymers.4 One of the most popular synthetic polymers is nylon-6,6 due to low cost and ease of synthesis. There is no human activity where plastics are not used on a daily basis. Nylon in particular is widely used, due to variety of properties such as: elasticity, flexibility, lightweight and strength.5 Clothing, electronics, packaging, cars, airplanes, medical supplies, cookware, ropes all examples of nylon fabrics.5 In this experiment nylon is made by step- growth polymerization and condensation reaction. The monomers involved in this polymerization reaction are adipoyl chloride and 1,6-hexanediamine dissolved in cyclohexane, respectively. The chloride from the acid and the hydrogen proton from the amine group form a hydrochloric acid.4 The rest of the adipoyl chloride and hexanediamine will link together to form a larger polymer molecule. In each end of this polymer is a primary amine group in one end or an acid chloride group in the other end.4 These groups can act in a similar way with other acid/amine groups from the adipoyl chloride and hexanediamine. If many steps of this process are repeated, nylon-6,6 polymer will be formed.4 Hydrochloric acid is generated as a byproduct upon nylon formation, therefore a strong base must be added to neutralize the acidity of HCl, and maintain the pH of the solution. In this experiment sodium hydroxide was used as base. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy will be applied as method of characterization. It will provide information regarding   functional groups present in a molecule because the location of the absorption peaks observed have been associated with specific types of chemical bonds.6 It could be determine which functional groups from the starting monomers, are present in the nylon spectrum. Results Table 1: Nylon-6,6 Polymer Mass of nylon-6,6 0.0694 g Length 4 cm Appearance White fragile strings Table 2: IR spectrum of adipoyl chloride Functional Group Molecular Motion Observed Wavenumber (cm-1) Literature Value Range(cm-1) Peak Intensity Peak Shape   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Alkane C-H Stretch 2952.44 3000-2850 Weak Broad Acyl chloride C=O Stretch 1779.80 1820-1780 Weak Sharp Alkane C-H in plane bend 1404.56 1480-1350 Medium Sharp Acyl chloride C-Cl Stretch 681.43 800-600 Strong Sharp Table 3: IR spectrum of 1,6- hexanediamine Functional Group Molecular Motion Observed Wavenumber (cm-1) Literature Value Range(cm-1) Peak Intensity Peak Shape 1 ° amine N-H Stretch 3323.78 3300-3250 Medium Sharp Alkane C-H Assym. Stretch 2921.17 3000-2850 Strong Sharp Alkane C-H Sym. Stretch 2846.91 3000-2850 Strong Sharp 1 ° amine N-H Bend 1603.91 1640-1530 Medium Sharp Table 4: IR spectrum of nylon-6,6 polymer Functional Group Molecular Motion Observed Wavenumber (cm-1) Literature Value Range(cm-1) Peak Intensity Peak Shape 2 ° amide N-H Stretch 3299.0 3300-3250 Strong Sharp Alkane C-H Assym. Stretch 2932.0 3000-2850 Medium Sharp Alkane C-H Sym. Stretch 2859.0 3000-2850 Medium Sharp 2 ° amide C=O Stretch 1636.0 1680-1640   Ã‚   Strong Sharp 2 ° amide N-H   Bend 1538.0 1560-1530 Medium Sharp Discussion In this experiment, sythesis of nylon-6,6 was carried out. The final product had an appearance of white pieces of small fragile strings with a total mass of 0.0694 g and 4 cm in length. A way of improving the yield could be: different molar ratios of water to solvent; changing the solvent. No theorytical yield could be calculated for this reaction because all the polymer chains will have   variety of different lengths.1 The ability of nylon-6,6 to undergo hydrogen bonding results in high molecular order and high degree of interchain interaction as shown below2 (Figure 1). Each single chain of nylon fiber will interact with the adjacent one, forming a hydrogen bond between the nitrogen proton of the secondary amide and the lone pairs of the oxygen on the carbonyl, thus making the nylon polymers strong, difficult to separate and resistant to outside reaction.2 The signals for the IR spectrum of adipoyl chloride, are presented in Table 2. The spectrum shows the characteristic weak and narrow alkane peak, C-H stretch at 2952.44 cm-1. This value was within the range 3000-2850 cm-1 for the secondary alkane functional groups.   The weak and sharp C=O stretch appeared at 1779.80 cm-1 thus correlating with the literature value 1820-1780 cm-1. A C-H bend for alkanes should appear at 1480-1350 cm-1, which did appear at 1404.56 cm-1 as a medium and sharp peak. A C-Cl stretch was observed at 681.43 cm-1, within the expected range of 800-600 cm-1. This peak appeared weak to strong and sharp. The IR spectrum for 1,6-hexanediamine exhibits the following stretches: N-H stretch; N-H bend; alkane C-H asymmetric stretch; and an alkane C-H symmetric stretch. The primary amine is causing the N-H stretch. The literature value for this stretch is from 3300 to 3250 cm-1, which corresponds to the experimental value of 3323.78 cm-1. The peak intensity is medium and the shape is sharp. There is another sharp peak with medium intensity caused by the primary amine as well, which appear to be a N-H bend. The experimental value of 1603.91 cm-1 correlates well with the literature value range of 1640-1530 cm-1. There is C-H asymmetric stretch observed at 2921.17 cm-1 and it corresponds to the literature value range of 3000-2850 cm-1, caused by the alkane. It exhibited strong intensity. The C-H symmetric stretch falls in the appropriate range of literature values 3000-2850 cm-1 and it is caused by the alkane as well (See table 3). Analysis of IR spectrum of nylon-6,6 polymer showed successful synthesis. There were five distinct peaks associated with this compound include the following: N-H stretch; C=O stretch; C-H symmetric stretch; C-H antisymmetric stretch; and N-H bend. The N-H stretch had an observed peak value of 3300.81 cm-1 and its caused by the secondary amine. It correlates well with the literature values of 3300-3250 cm-1 and with the N-H stretch of 1,6-hexadiamine at 3323.78 cm-1. The two peaks have the same shapes, just slightly different intensities. Nylon-6,6 has strong intensity whereas the 1,6- hexanediamine, medium one. The C=O stretch had an observed peak value of 1634.04 cm-1. It falls within the expected literature values for this peak 1300-1100 cm-1. It appears at lower wavelength, compared to the adipoyl chloride. The proximity of the carbonyl to the nitrogen, lowers the energy of that stretch, due to interchain molecular interactions3. The alkane C-H assymetric and symmetric stretches e vident at 2932 cm-1 and 2832 cm-1 are nearly identical with the C-H stretches of 1,6- hexanediamine (See Tables 2 and 3). Differing only in their intensities- medium for the nylon and strong for the 1,6- hexanediamine.   All of the observed values fall within their literature range. The N-H bend at 1538 cm-1 with medium intensity and sharp peak, is caused by the secondary amide. It is in the accepted literature data of 1560-1530 cm-1. The major peak not present in the nylon-6,6 spectrum and evident in the starting material spectra for adipoyl chloride is the C-Cl stretch. The acyl chloride stretch is missing because there is no chlorine in the nylon composition, thus explaining why there are no observed stretches below 1000 cm-1. The other major difference is the N-H stretch observed at 3323.78 cm-1 in the hexanediamine spectrum, which appears at lower wavelength and becoming one peak for a secondary amide in the nylon spectrum. Conclusion This experiment demonstrated successful synthesis of nylon-6,6 polymer. It was accomplished using infrared spectroscopy technique. The IR analysis revealed the appearance of N-H stretching, C=O stretching and N-H bending from a secondary amide group and from the nylon polymer. It showed that there is no C-Cl stretch explaining the absence of chlorine in the nylon polymer as well as the N-H observed on the hexanediamine spectrum, appears on a lower wavelength as a secondary amide in the nylon spectrum. The final product had an appearance of white pieces of small fragile strings with a total mass of 0.0694 g and 4 cm. However, this experiments allows for multiple errors; such as improper pipetting technique; improper washing technique; incorrect rate of taking out the nylon product from the reaction beaker.   A chemical error could be not adding enough sodium hydroxide to neutralize the acidity of HCl, not allowing the reaction to be pushed towards the product.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

An Analysis Of The Sony Corporation

An Analysis Of The Sony Corporation Current Activities Today, the Sony Corporation is a multinational conglomerate headquartered in Toyko, Japan. The company is one of the worlds largest media conglomerates and is one of the leading manufacturers of electronics, video, communication, video games consoles and IT products for the consumer and profession markets. However, Sony is better known for its high quality consumer electronics, which account for 61% of total revenues. In 2008, the company had revenues exceeding  ¥7.730.00 Trillion or $78.88. (Rugman, 2009) Products Modern day Sony is known for its innovative products such as; the Triniton colour television; Bravia High Definition television; Playstation video console; VAIO laptop; Music mobile phones; Walkman and Discman personal stereos. (See Appendix B. For a list of Sonys product) Modern Strategy Culture Industry and Media Synergy Sony is recognised as a total entertainment company. This means it is no longer simply a manufacturer of technological hardware but is an integral part of a culture industry. Sony likes to adopt a media synergy. This term was employed to refer to a strategy, adopted by many hardware and software producing companies of attempting to synchronize and actively forge connections between directly related technologies and areas of entertainment. (du Gay, 1997) Products For its audio-visual products Sonys strategy boils down to producing audio, visual and electronic gadgets and controlling the content that goes through them. For example, Sonys successful Playstation 2 games console allows the company to provide the hardware necessary for the firm to capture the games market. (Rugman, 2009) The strategy reflects Sonys media synergy which came partly from an acknowledgment that Sonys Walkman1 was useless without the cassette that was inserted to it, which was in turn useless without the musical recording artists and the companys Betamax videocassette2 recorder was useless without video-cassettes of films and music. (du Gay, 1997) Moreover, the outright ownership of CBS (music), MGM (movies) and Sony BMG (Music) allows the company access the film and movie industry and music artists. These are forms of entertainment which are viewed and listened to via Sonys products. Market To support the companys commitment to succeeding globally and understanding how business is performed elsewhere, the company seeks to fit into host country communities. Therefore Sony seeks to: Hire locally Strike a balance between the home culture and local culture Participate in the local community. In addition, Sony prefers to list the company on the local stock exchange; appoint well respected local executives to the Board of Directors; and create a local product distribution system. (du Gay, 1997) Internationalisation History Sonys entry into foreign markets appears to have followed the typical internationalization process. (See Figure 1.1) The company initially obtained a license from a US company, Bell Lab, in order to recreate the transistor technology in its radio. These products were produced with success and first introduced to the local Japanese market. The products were then exported to markets of similar consuming habits. Export of these goods occurred via a distributors and then some time later through the companys own subsidiaries. Factories were then established in different markets, where products could be produced closer to the export market and at a cost discount. The final stage of the FDI process occurred when Sony embarked upon opening its own RD and marketing facilities, enabling lasting market presence and understanding of foreign markets. The growth of Sony as a company and its technologies occurred within a process of interaction between the US and Japan. As the company grew, Sony executives gained knowledge from constant visits to the US, acquired the rights to produce transistors from the US and found that North America provided a major market for its audio-visual products. The adoption of the name Sony and the standardization of products such as the Walkman were adopted with the aim of being a global brand (du Gay, 1997) Sony first embarked upon FDI via a wholly owned subsidiary in the US in 1960. However, over the last 60 years it has engaged in Joint Ventures (JVs), Mergers and Acquisitions (MA) and Strategic Alliances. (E.G. Sony-Ericsson, Sony-Microsoft and Sony-Sharpe) Throughout the 1980s two important developments indicate how Sony began actively extending its presence as a global corporation. First, the company aimed to operate in all markets across the world, to reach as many potential consumers as possible. Second, the company aimed to reorganize processes of production in such a way so that they would not be limited to the constraints of the nation state. In such a case, a particular concern was how the effectiveness and international competitiveness of Japanese companies were constrained by the value of the Japanese YEN. This meant that goods produced in Japan were more expensive when exported and in competition with those in other parts of the world. (du Gay, 1997) To pursue these aims, Sony adopted a strategy of globalisation that involved moving their manufacturing and marketing operations to different locations around the world and setting up local operations in different locations around the world. (du Gay, 1997) One of Sonys motives for moving its manufacturing operations was a straight-forward attempt to follow its competitors and reduce labour costs. For example, the first Walkmans were manufactured and assembled in Japan so that the companys management could be close to operations and make any necessary modifications, once up and running and not requiring so many modifications, additional assembly factories were established in Malaysia and Taiwan. (du Gay, 1997) The gradual move came to move operations so that they could respond directly to local conditions. For example, Teletext was developed onsite in the UK and Triniton TV was developed locally in France. (du Gay, 1997) An additional practical consideration was that by establishing and presenting themselves as a local company, Sony could use various national and pan regional rules and regulations to gain the most appropriate and cost effective environment to manufacture and produce its products. The company could exploit cheap labour in Malaysia, take advantage of grants there were available to attract new electronic industries in the UK. (du Gay, 1997) In the 1980s 1990s, Sony began to rapidly expand into Europe. (See Appendix A- history timeline). Sony was vigorous in its international expansion. The company chose to expand into similar markets, such as US and Europe. These markets had large populations, high incomes per capita and a consumer culture. Therefore, the other two TRIAD regions were good markets to promote and sell Sony products. The companys strategy is to be present in its market of distribution and therefore it established a number of factories to develop and distribute its products. The objective is to understand the local market and consumer demands. Sony has a strategy of introducing its products first to its local market (Japan), testing consumer preferences and then introduces these products to its international markets. The adoption of the name Sony (in 1957) was also an attempt to communicate the brand and its products to the market. Sony was able to do this over a significant period of time. Sony learnt significantly from technological, productivity and efficiency improvements this was a stimulant for its international trade and the international product life cycle. (Vernon, 1966) Today, Sony has developed a strategy to not only create technology but to control the content that goes into them. Therefore Sony has embarked upon a number of MAs. First with a 50/50 JV with CBS, which Sony eventually bought outright and also a venture with Columbia Tristar Pictures, MGM, BMI and a number of media companies. Sony has also embarked upon JVs with software companies such as Microsoft. The companys strategy is to be present across all levels of the entertainment industry. CASE STUDIES SONY WALKMAN Walkman is a trademark of Sony Corporation, used originally to market its range of portable audio players. In July, 1979, the original Sony Walkman portable music player the TPS L2 was introduced. Sony promoted the concept of enjoying music, anywhere, anytime using industry advertisements featuring celebrities with the product. The first Walkman was marketed under the Walkman brand in Japan, but in other markets it was originally sold under various names including Soundabout (USA), Stowaway (UK) and Freestyle in Australia. Walkman players become very popular in Japan and foreign tourists visiting Japan who bought them as souvenirs, this prompted Sony to standardise the name to Walkman worldwide (Uggla and Verick, 2008) SONY-ERICSSON Sony Ericcson was established as a 50/50 Joint Venture in 2001 by Sony and Ericsson (a mobile communications infrastructure and systems business based in Sweden) Sony Ericsson functions as a separate entity designing, producing and marketing cellular phones and accessories. It had revenues of 13 billion euros in 2007, from the scale of 100 million units which is a global market share of 9%. (Uggla and Verick, 2008) Sony Ericsson had recognised a segment for dedicated music phones various MP-3 enabled handsets were on the market but there was little differentiation among them. Sony Ericsson decided to investigate and launch a music phone. The company decided to incorporate Walkman into the music phone branding. Sony established that Walkman branding encouraged around 67% of people to buy the phone by adding credibility to the music player. (Uggla and Verick, 2008) Internationalisation Theories The following trade theories are applicable to Sonys process when entering new markets: Dunnings Eclectic Paradigm of Internationalisation Sony was able to successfully expand abroad due to its firm specific and intellectual competitive advantages. Furthermore, the company had successfully established itself in its home market and generating sufficient expertise to export its high-tech consumer electronics abroad. FSA Sony possesses FSAs through the development of intellectual capital. In addition, the Sony brand names (e.g. Walkman, Playstation, Triniton, Bravia) carry significant worldwide consumer value Due to superior FSAs over both domestic and international rivals Sony was able to engage in FDI. Amongst other things Sonys first FSA was it transistor technology. Through this, Sony was able to differentiate itself from its rivals. It was able to provide high tech, desirable products. Sonys FSA also came from its personnel. The companys co-owners (a Physicist and an Engineer), managers and other employees were of high quality, possessed a high degree of technical know-how and desire to improve the companys industry position. Internalisation Sony possesses know-how and competitive advantage through the development of its products first at home and then applying this knowledge to foreign markets such as the USA and the Europe. As previously mentioned Sony was able to acquire foreign technology. The technology licence provided access to the transistor and allowed Sony to gain foreign technological know-how. According to Dunnings Eclectic paradigm Sonys strategy allowed the firm to acquire an intangible asset (transistor technology) apply this technology to its products, and then create a firm specific advantage. The intangible asset provided Sony with an exclusive piece of know-how that was specific to the firm. CSA Sony embarked upon FDI through the sale of its products not only in its home market but also in the US, Europe and eventually the rest of the world. For example, once the transistor had been applied to its radio, Sony sold this item in markets with similar tastes and income per capita. For example, after introducing the TR-55 radio to Japan in 1955, Sony then exported and sold its radios in the US and next Europe in 1957. This could not have occurred without the existence of consumer demand. Sony also took advantage of favourable industry subsidies and national legislation, which encouraged the presence of high tech industries for example, the opening of Bridgend Factory in Wales. According to the eclectic paradigm, all three of the conditions necessary for FDI were present when Sony started its internationalisation process. Sony sought to increase its internalisation advantages and reduce transaction costs, through the purchase and development of new technology and reduce transaction costs through the establishment of its own subsidiary and factory. Sonys actions increased its firm-specific advantages, through know-how and innovation. The company internalised and possessed an advantage over its rivals by retaining the technological know-how, rather than licence it to its competitors. Sony reduced the risk and threats from competitors by retaining its knowledge. Distribution Sonys Initial decision to export its products via a distributor illustrates that company saw value in having a presence within the US market, but the company lacked significant knowledge of the market to justify distributing the products itself. Moreover, it was profitable to export products to the US as there was an abundance of wealth, the US consumer culture, and retail distribution networks. However, trade barriers, import taxes and unfavourable distribution contracts eventually led Sony to establish a subsidiary within the US market. Overseas Production Malaysia Furthermore, Sony eventually located part of its production process to Malaysia. This occurred once the company was satisfied with its local and international products. This also occurred in order to offset the rising costs in the home market, Japan. Sony was able to engage in FDI to Malaysia as the company had generating sufficient amounts of FSAs and ISAs. Uppsala Internationalisation Process Model Part of Sonys business strategy is known as localisation, which is the commitment to gaining market knowledge, cultural understanding and business expertise. Sony has initially licensed its transistor know-how from the US, it was decided that the company should also introduce its products to this market. The Uppsala model can therefore be applied to Sonys internationalisation process. When Sony first entered the US and Europe markets, the company knew little about local consumer demand. The attractions were solely the educated populations, high incomes per capita, government trade measures and distribution networks. In addition, Sony believed that consumers in these markets were similar to those in Japan. When Sony Executive visited the US and Europe, they collected data collection and studied local consumer demand, at this point it was decided to export products to these locations. Sony then committed itself to further to the US and then Europe, through the establishment of its foreign subsidiaries, Sony America and Sony Corporation S.A. in 1960. The establishment of these subsidiaries resulted in further FDI, through distribution systems, marketing campaigns and listing on the local Stock Exchange. Sony was able to overcome some of its foreign company disadvantage as its held a constant presence within the local markets. The company committed itself to understanding how consumers behave and their reactions to new products. Sony was eventually able to engage in FDI as it gained significant knowhow, from exporting, distributing and establishing its own subsidiary, reducing transaction costs. Sony also used its current operating model and consumer tastes to establish itself in markets which it believed to be similar its own. For example, when Sony introduced its VAIO laptop to the US, the price and high technical specifications unlike Japan, were not popular with US consumers. Sony eventually modified its laptops to US consumer tastes. This led to a reduction in price and operating features which US consumers preferred. Joint Ventures (JVs) and Partnerships Sonys JVs, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions can be understood through the application of the Uppsala business model The JV with Ericsson allows the company to gain a first mover advantage from standard setting in the mobile telecommunication industry. Also, the JV allows instant access to the European consumer markets. The company seeks to gain an understanding of these distinct markets but does not have the time and know how. The JV establishes instant knowledge, with reduced acquisition times, creating instant presence and expertise within these markets. Hymerian Theory Monopolistic Advantage Theory Sonys issuance of ADRs in the early 1960s can be understood through the Hymers theory of Monopolistic Advantage, Market Power approach and Product and Factor market imperfections. Sony was able to exploit market imperfections as it could overcome threats from local firms due its ownership advantages (superior technological know-how, economies of scale at home) and other internalised advantages (managerial experience, product developments, existing supply chains, cost advantages). This allowed Sony to obtain favourable political ties, market connections and social positioning; despite the fact Sony was a foreign firm. It was therefore advantageous for local Americans to take an equity position within such a rapidly emerging company. Moreover, Sony was operating in an oligopolistic market, according to Hymers theory of Monopolistic Advantage; FDI takes place in such markets or industries rather than markets or industries operating under near perfect competition. Markets imperfections, allowed Sony to obtain global competitive advantage. Companys which offer investors consistently high rates of return, due to good products and consumer confidence is attractive to investors. Further investment into Sony, allows it to maintain its position of technological superiority. In addition, Sonys technological expertise meant that its products were attractive not only in Japan but throughout the rest of the world. But, Sony initially lacked knowledge in marketing and distribution and so initially used a distributor partner to export its products. This eventually changed when Sony acquired its own distribution system. For example, when Sony first introduced the Walkman in 1979, it did so in its home market first and followed this by introducing it under different brand names, Soundabout (USA); Stowaway (UK); and Freestyle in Australia (Uggla and Verick, 200) The company eventually standardised the Walkman name in the early 1980s. The adoption of the name was to communicate the brand and its products to the market. Sony was able to do this over time and learnt from technology and efficiency improvement which its applied it each of its markets. Product and Factor Market Imperfections Sony embarked upon FDI as it understood it was able to overcome threats from local firms. Sonys strategy is to understand its consumers locally. The company therefore engages in RD and production in most of its subsidiary locations or within close proximity. This is so that it understands consumer tastes and local demand. This strategy can be explained using Caves, Product and factor imperfection. Sony is a market leader and so has superior technological experience and finance to establish local RD and production facilities to understand and satisfy consumer sensibilities. This provided an advantage as the company could combine its know-how, to create products that rival indigenous firms. Internalisation Theory This applies to Sony as the company chose to enter the US under its own brand name as opposed to developing the technology and then selling it on to another company. It retained the knowledge, applied it to its new markets and gained an understanding of consumers in these locations. The company also established subsidiaries as opposed to export via distributors. Market Power Approach This theory applies to Sony through the number of mergers and acquisition the company has engaged in over the last 30 years. Sony has embarked upon a number of mergers and acquisitions throughout its history. The companys strategy is to own not only the content of its technology but also the means by which this technology is used. This has encouraged Sony to acquire music, film, and gaming companies, in order to better understand its consumers but also dictate the market. For example, the company has increased its power by being dominant within consumer electronics both nationally and internationally. In 2001, the 50 /50 Joint venture with Ericsson (a mobile communicate infrastructure and systems business based in Sweden) created a separate entity whereby Sony designs, produces and markets cellular phones and accessories. In 2007, the company had revenues of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬13 billion, from the sale of 100 million units which is a global market share of 9%. (Uggla and Verick, 2007) The partnership between these two firms establishes the argument that international production is conducted between industrialized countries and their companies. Moreover, this partnership was established so that both companies could gain a competitive advantage over domestic and international rivals. The ability of both companies to exploit the know-how of the partner and move into new industries can be understood through the market power approach. Sony is now active in the global mobile telecommunications industry. This has allowed it to internalise its know how further, and provided instant market presence within a new industry and new international markets. Word Count 3,419 Figure 1.1 Internationalisation Process Figure 1.1 Entry into foreign markets: the internationalisation process (Source: Rugman, 2009) SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES Sony is a large corporation, it is able to concentrate and dedicate manpower to product quality, RD, marketing, distribution, etc. The company has very few time and financial constraints. Brand names and company know how Internal management Key products e.g., Sony Playstation Sony designs, manufactures and sells its own products. Sonys return on investment has been low because of the large amount of capital dedicated to its factories. Sonys Return on Equity is typically around 5%, this could be higher. Large workforce OPPORTUNITIES THREATS Focus on BRIC and emerging economies Continue seeking diverse JVs with industry leading companies e.g., Sony Ericsson Continue to develop and improve key consumer electronics, TV, computers, MP3 and wireless technology New growth areas Mobile phone internet technology Outsourced manufacturing to increase Return on Equity Large Organisation Must remain streamline Economic slowdown Interest rate differentials Flat sales, falling profit margins Late comer to key electronic sectors, such as flat-screen TVs and digital videodisc recorders. Appendices Appendix A. Timeline In 1952 Totsuko (Sony) launched a successful tape-recorder business In 1955 Totsuko adopted the name Sony, it was believed that the name had not only universal appeal but also easy to pronounce. The company also launched its first Transistor Radio the TR-55 in this same year. In 1955, Sony enters into an agreement with Delmonico International to distribute it products within the US. In December, 1958 Sony launched its pocket sized radio the TR-63 to the US market. In January 1958, Sony is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In 1959, Sony decides to distribute its own products. (To protect its brand name) The group established Sony America and Sony Overseas S.A. established near Zurich, Switzerland, in 1960. The group launched the worlds first direct-view portable TV, the TV8-301. (Datamonitor, 2008) In 1961, the group was the first Japanese company to offer shares in the US, in the form of American Depository Receipts (ADRs) on the OTC market of the New York Stock Exchange. In the following year, the group launched the worlds smallest and lightest transistor TV, TV5-303. (Datamonitor, 2008) In 1968, Sony (UK) Ltd. was established in the UK (later recognised as Sony UK Ltd., in 1993). The CBS/ SONY Records Inc. a 50 50 JV with CBS Inc of the US was also established this year. In 1970, Sonys shares were listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1971, Sony launched 3/4 -inch u-matic colour video cassette recorder. (Datamonitor, 2008) A factory was established in San Diego, California, in 1972, followed by a factory in Bridgend, Wales in 1974, which served both the UK and Europe. The Betamax VCR, the SL-6300, the worlds first home -use video system was introduced in 1975. (Datamonitor, 2008) In 1979, Sony Prudential Life insurance Co. Ltd, the 50-50 joint venture with Prudential Insurance Co. Of America, was established. (Datamonitor, 2008) In 1979, Sony launched the Walkman, the 3.5 inch micro floppy disk drive in 1981; the worlds first CD player in 1982; the first consumer camcorder in 1983; 8mm video in 1988 and the first digital VTR in 1985. (Datamonitor, 2008) In 1988, the group bought CBS Record to form Sony Music Entertainment, and in 1989, the company purchased Columbia pictures, forming Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., in 1991. (Datamonitor, 2008) In 1990, Sony acquires 12 business including CBS records INC and Columbia Tristar Pictures. In 1993, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, was established, during the same time Sony launched the VAIO a home-se PC series. (Datamonitor, 2008) In 2001, the group established Sony Bank in Japan and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications. (Datamonitor, 2008) In 2001, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications established In 2002, Sony absorbs Aiwa (a form Japanese audio visual manufacturer) via merger In 2003, Sony launched the worlds first next generation high capacity optical Blu-ray Disc recorder BDZ-S77. (Datamonitor, 2008) In 2004, Sony established a music distribution company, Sony BMG Music Entertainment. (Datamonitor, 2008) In 2005, Sony completed the acquisition of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), one of the worlds largest privately held, independent motion picture, television and home video companies. (Datamonitor, 2008) In 2009, the Sony decided to form a joint venture (JV) with Sharp Corporation. The JV which will be established in March 2010, will engage in the manufacturing and sales of liquid crystal panel and liquid crystal module. (Datamonitor, 2008) Appendix B. Sonys Main Brands Name Type of product Bravia Visual Cybershot Phone Discman Audio Playstation (23) Games Console Trinton Visual Walkman Audio Source: Datamonitor Sony Corporation Appendix C. Sonys Main Competitors Source: Datamonitor Sony Corporation Appendix D. Sonys Business Activities Sony operates through five segments; 1.Electronic, 2.Games, 3.Finance, 4.Pictures and 5. Others Source: Datamonitor Sony Corporation Source: Datamonitor Sony Corporation Source: Datamonitor Sony Corporation Source: Datamonitor Sony Corporation Source: Datamonitor Sony Corporation Appendix E. Sony Products Source: Datamonitor Sony Corporation

Monday, August 19, 2019

ECON 4131, International Finance, Spring 2002, Exam 2 Essays -- UMN Mi

Midterm Exam International Finance April 7, 2004 Answer all questions in examination booklets 1. (15 points) Define the following a) The â€Å"spot† exchange rate b) The â€Å"forward† exchange rate c) A capital account â€Å"surplus† d) Currency depreciation e) Arbitrage 2. (10 points) Briefly discuss the essential features of forward contracts, currency futures, and currency options. 3. (15 points) Use the BOP accounts guide on the last page of this exam to indicate where each of the following transactions should be recorded in the U.S. balance of payments (e.g.: â€Å"i3†, â€Å"e2†, etc.). Bear in mind that each transaction should generate a capital account and a current account entry. a) A Canadian firm buys a $75 million jet from the American company Boeing, which it pays for with a check drawn on Banc du Quebec b) Cargill (out of Mpls.) buys $10m. of Canadian wheat, which it pays for with a check drawn on Twin Cities Federal c) An American...

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Responsibility in Fred Gipsons Old Yeller Essay -- Fred Gipson Old Ye

Responsibility in Fred Gipson's Old Yeller Responsibility may be defined as "a form of trustworthiness; the trait of being answerable to someone for something or being responsible for one's conduct." (www.thefreedictionary.com) Responsibility is shown all through Fred Gipsons novel Old Yeller about a family living in the dangerous wilderness in 1860. The young hard working Travis, his loving mother and the loyal dog Old Yeller all show responsibility. Travis has many responsibilities when his father left for the cattle drive and he must work hard to take care of his family. Papa's chores weren't easy. Marking their hogs was a lot of hard work. Old Yeller and Travis work together to mark all thirty hogs. The job gets dangerous when the two get hurt badly from the mad hogs. In addition to marking the hogs Travis also had to supply food to his family. Killing a deer on the run Travis feels proud and important supplying food to his family. Above all Travis had to keep the varmints out of the corn patch. Again Travis and Old Yeller work together staying up at all hours of the night fighting off the varmints in the corn patch. Travis working hard and his responsibility was not enough for the family. Mama also had to work hard for the family’s survival. Hard work was a big part of the family’s survival but the family also needed loving care supplied by Mama. Mama showed her loving care by keeping her family well fed. When Bud Sanderson comes to claim Old Yeller Mama ma... Responsibility in Fred Gipson's Old Yeller Essay -- Fred Gipson Old Ye Responsibility in Fred Gipson's Old Yeller Responsibility may be defined as "a form of trustworthiness; the trait of being answerable to someone for something or being responsible for one's conduct." (www.thefreedictionary.com) Responsibility is shown all through Fred Gipsons novel Old Yeller about a family living in the dangerous wilderness in 1860. The young hard working Travis, his loving mother and the loyal dog Old Yeller all show responsibility. Travis has many responsibilities when his father left for the cattle drive and he must work hard to take care of his family. Papa's chores weren't easy. Marking their hogs was a lot of hard work. Old Yeller and Travis work together to mark all thirty hogs. The job gets dangerous when the two get hurt badly from the mad hogs. In addition to marking the hogs Travis also had to supply food to his family. Killing a deer on the run Travis feels proud and important supplying food to his family. Above all Travis had to keep the varmints out of the corn patch. Again Travis and Old Yeller work together staying up at all hours of the night fighting off the varmints in the corn patch. Travis working hard and his responsibility was not enough for the family. Mama also had to work hard for the family’s survival. Hard work was a big part of the family’s survival but the family also needed loving care supplied by Mama. Mama showed her loving care by keeping her family well fed. When Bud Sanderson comes to claim Old Yeller Mama ma...

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Discuss psychological insights into understudied relationships

Until recently relationships between gays and lesbian, and also Internet relationships had had little attention from researchers, hence the term ‘understudied relationships'. Gay and Lesbian relationships – no one really knows what makes a person homosexual, though Garnets and Kimmel (1991) say there are likely to be multiple components. Unlike ethnic minorities, homosexuals are often surrounded by negative stereotypes from friends and family whilst they are growing up. As well as being asked, when they ‘come out', what makes them that way inclined, which is something that isn't typically asked of a heterosexual person. In 1973 homosexuality was removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual or DSM (which cited homosexuality as a mental disease), though it is still illegal in many countries in the world at present and is still part of the International Classification of Diseases. Although often only in certain, prescribed situation, there are some cultures where homosexuality is encouraged and in Greco-Roman society it was quite normal practice to have a homosexual relationship. However, even in the 21st century and the ‘progressive' West things are not easy for gay men and lesbians. Many people in the public eye (such as entertainers and politicians) have had their careers pretty much ruined after being ‘outed'. Gay people experience pressures that can affect their relationships, which include such things as the psychological effects of growing up in a (heterosexual) society that characterises homosexuality and lesbianism as unacceptable. Also the unequal age of consent for gay men and the way few happy and successful gay relationships are presented by the media. Gay characters tend to be secondary to the plot (unless it is a ‘gay drama') and gay relationships are often presented as superficial, unstable or problematic can cause relationship problems. To establish a reliable figure of the number of gay or lesbian people is almost impossible (estimates from North America range from 4%-17%).Evidence suggests that for many people sexuality classification is not permanent and is always shifting, where one orientation may be embraced after a lengthy adult experience of another (Sequential bisexuality – Money, 1988). There is often an assumption that homosexual culture is unitary. This, however, is incorrect, as homosexuals can be any class, culture, race, etc. For obvious reasons many homosexuals prefer to spend social time in the company of other gay people, but this isn't such an easy option for those who have children. The world of schools and child-orientated situations needs to be arranged. As well as this they must protect their principles and living arrangements, protecting privacy, but also being sensitive to the children's needs. Electronic friendships and computer-mediated communication (CMC) – CMC can be email, chat rooms, notice boards etc as well as more sophisticated computer programs (MUD's, MOO's and MUSHs) where they can assign themselves a character where they can join in or listen to discussions. They can contrast to face-to-face relationships (corporeal, meaning bodily, physical or material), obviously there is nothing corporeal about a CMC relationship. Though they may have the opportunity for a corporeal relationship, many people prefer CMC, perhaps feeling that they can say what they want without having to worry about embarrassment. CMC can offer support, as well as friendship, and simply because people have not met face-to-face does not mean their relationship is not real. In a 1994 survey out of the top ten AOL chat rooms 3 were gay, 1 lesbian and 1 ‘swingers and groups' with the other 5 being heterosexual. Though it has only really developed over the last 10-15 years, it seems that it is here to stay.

Points to Remember Before Starting Dog Breeding Business

Starting a dog breeding business is an endeavor that can be exceptionally rewarded, but at the same time, one that has its own challenges. The dog breeding world has expanded greatly, and now people who love dogs and love breeding them can make a living out of their passion. The business isn’t for everyone, but if you know a lot about a particular breed and have a desire to turn your passion for canines into a full-time pursuit, becoming a dog breeder may be the right opportunity for you. A dog breeding business can be very profitable, and that’s perhaps why we see more and more people starting it, however the biggest mistake you can make is to see dog breeding as a just a way to make money. It takes a lot of patience, hard work, knowledge, and commitment, so it’s not something to start on a whim. However, if you’re up to the challenge, a dog breeding business can be quite rewarding – financially and personally. To start, breeding is not an easy-business. There is a misconception from people that think that you just have to put a male and a female dog together. There is more behind that, including exams, research, and the selection of the mating time. These all influence the health of the newborn puppies. Starting a dog breeding business involves investing time, money and energy on getting to know more about dogs, breeding, the breeding cycle, the proper way to choose a mate, etc. Picking the right dog breed can determine how successful your business will become. Among the most important things to consider is the popularity of the breed, the number and quality of breeders you will be competing with, the current prices in the market place, your likes and dislikes as well as your available space. What the Business Involves You’ll be breeding dogs — in other words, selecting a suitable set of purebred parents and raising the resulting puppies. But it’s a lot more involved than just getting Missy and Rover together and letting nature take its course; pups that result from THOSE kinds of unions too often wind up at animal shelters. To breed dogs successfully, you’ll be expected to carefully research pedigrees, genetics and have a solid understanding of breed characteristics and potential problems. Not only that, you’ll need to provide quality food, medical care and the type of accommodations that lead to the growth of healthy, happy puppies. Knowledge or Skills Required Besides loving the particular dog breed you choose, you need expertise about the breed, attention to detail, room that can be devoted to birthing/raising pups and plenty of time. And remember, you can’t breed dogs if you’re squeamish about bodily functions of animals, soiled carpets or sleepless nights. Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages: If you love the dog breed, it can be very enjoyable to have lots of them around High profits are possible (but still not likely) IF you develop a good reputation as a breeder and you offer dog breeds for which there is a demand. This IS something you can try on a one-time basis, by breeding your beloved FiFi and seeing how it goes. The additional equipment you’ll need to breed dogs (such as a whelping box and birthing supplies) isn’t too expensive; but of course, you need the basic dog or animal equipment too (quality food, leashes, bowls, etc. ) Disadvantages: Veterinary care and genetic testing can be very expensive. (Genetic testing? Yes, this may be required by some discerning customers, to rule out congenital and hereditary disorders. The number and kind of genetic tests done on your breed of dog depends on their genetic predisposition for types of disorders. No guarantees in this business! If you want to breed dogs, you have to be comfortable with a certain degree of risk. If the litter is small (common with small breeds of dogs), you’ve invested a great deal of time, effort and money for little return. If the litter is large, costs are correspondingly higher. This is not a business with a steady monthly income, since you don’t breed dogs every month. Females should only be bred once a year (so you have the mother’s maintenance to consider, too. ) How will you advertise your pups for sale? While there are inexpensive options such as posting signs in vet’s offices, you may need to purchase classified advertising, build a website or travel to fully promote your dog breed. Entrepreneur’s Experience In the Dog Breeding Business Man’s best friend can also be a great source of steady income. This rings true for entrepreneur Josephine Molde, who has built a lucrative dog breeding business out of his own backyard. It was in 2000 when she bought a 10-month-old female Dalmatian for P12,000 from a friend. Months later, the dog gave indications that it was ready to mate, and they then paid P2,500 to a stud breeder, an exercise which bore 11 puppies. She then earned a cool P35,000 when she was able to sell them for P3,000 to P3,500 each to friends and through ads. â€Å"We were satisfied with the results so we thought of getting more dogs and expand the business,† Molde said. A Lucrative Business Molde then bought a two-month-old Golden Retriever for P17,000 and while it was growing, the Dalmatian gave birth to 10 more puppies and they pocketed another P30,000. They eventually acquired more breeds and after three years, the business peaked with 40 dogs in 12 varieties. Josephine and her husband Godie also went into the stud business, which turned out to be more profitable and reliable. Godie also learned the art of â€Å"shooting† or helping the dogs mate, which earns for him P300 per session. During that period, the dogs brought in almost P200,000 per month to pad the family’s coffers the majority of which came from the stud part of their business. So we were using the earnings from the stud business for our expenses and maintenance, and the proceeds from the puppies go to our savings,† she said. Abhay, The motive which you have stated about Profit, to be honest not many attain that status. This is mainly hobby and not business. And if any kennel is making profit it must have inner will and strength to sustain themself with quality for min 5-10 years. Once their quality, everything is proven then only i assume they woul d have made some profit. Like Mr Vidya from Meerut, his knowledge is great but he never thought of making profit from day 1. He learnt n learnt and i am sure he knows the max tips of breeding and handling as he is completely devoted into this. So first minimise the number of breeds you wish , study a bit on it, try contacting couple of breeders of those breeds and seek help, The point you mentioned that many people were discouraging was due to the fact that you might be talking about profit from breeding. and they would have told the experience that profit is NEVER possible in start†¦ YOu need min 5 years to study a breed (when it reaches complete adulthood). 10

Friday, August 16, 2019

Analysis of the “Gladiator” trailer

Trailers are a very important part of the advertisement and promotion of a feature film. Trailers usually consist of a collection of carefully chosen clips from the film that give the audience a vague idea of what the film is about and hopefully persuade the audience to go and see it. Trailers usually contain certain information about the film and the plot. One of the main points that you would expect the trailer to show the audience is the genre of the film. The genre of a film is the category that it fits into or the type of film that it is. The trailer usually makes the audience aware of the genre by the settings of the film or costumes, actors and the music used in the film. By showing the genre of the film, the trailer often also makes the audience aware of the target audience or group of people that the film is aimed at. Trailers often focus on the films main selling points and things that are unique about the film (USPs). This could be many different things. It is often the director, actors in the film or a particular aspect of the plot that makes the film unique and catches the audience's attention. Overall, a trailer is a small part of a larger promotion campaign to persuade the audience to go and see a particular film. The trailer does this using the best moments from the film, paying special attention to the main characters, and arranging them in a way that makes them attractive to the audience. Although the main aim of the trailer is to tell the audience about the film and to persuade them to see it, there are a few other important pieces of information that it will show the audience. It will normally show a date of release. This is important so that the audience know when they can come and see the film. The trailer may also show the audience an age rating for the film. This is very important because adds to the audience's knowledge of the target audience and explains who the film is suitable for. All of the aspects that I have mentioned are important in adding to the overall effect of the trailer and fulfilling its aim of promoting the film. In this essay, I will be analysing the trailer for the blockbuster film â€Å"Gladiator† in great detail and discussing the effects that this trailer has on its audience. It is made clear by the trailer that this film is an epic, historical, action film. There are a number of things in the trailer that show us the genres of the film. In the trailer, all of the characters are wearing armour or other historical costume. This makes it very clear that the film is set a long time ago therefore showing the audience that it is a historical film. The camera shots showing the colliseum also make this part of the genre known. Throughout the trailer, a number of fight and battle scenes are shown. This along with the fast pace of the trailer, shows the audience that the film involves quite a lot of action. Last of all, the strong music and overall impression of the trailer makes it clear that the film is also epic. From the genre of the film, it is often possible to work out the target audience. I think that this trailer shows the target audience if this film to be men and older boys. I think that this is mainly because of the large amount of action in the film. The â€Å"Gladiator† trailer begins by showing the companies who made the film. The Universal logo is the first image to appear on the screen. This shows the audience that the film has been made by a well known company and this may start persuading the audience to come and see the film. After the Universal logo followed the Dreamworks logo. This will show the audience that the film contains special effects of a good standard because Dreamworks are well known for this. This again will persuade the audience and will make them aware of who the target audience might be. Both of these well known companies could act as USPs for the film and make the audience want to see the film. As these logos are being shown, a strong drumbeat is being played. It is military style drumming. This gives the audience, immediately, before the actual trailer has started, an idea of what type of film it could be or what the genre is. The opening sequence of the trailer contains a number of clues as to what the film may be like and who it is aimed at and has already begun to persuade the audience without any clips from the film being shown. The first thing to appear on the screen as the actual trailer begins is text. The words â€Å"The general† appear in bold. They are white on black background and they stand out to the audience. The words introduce the main character and also give a bit more of an idea about the genre. The words give a visual voice-over for what is about to happen in the trailer. The visual voice-over replaces a traditional voice-over in the trailer and is used to explain what is going on in the trailer. This has an impact on the audience in a number of ways. One of the ways that it does this is that without an ordinary voice-over, the music can be heard better and is therefore more dramatic and has more of an affect on the audience. The visual voice-over also makes the audience focus on the screen and therefore they are more likely to notice the clips that are so important in persuading them to go and see the film. This again adds to the trailers overall effectiveness. Straight after the words, an image, of who we presume to be the general, appears on the screen. He is standing in front of lines of soldiers. He has a very determined expression on his face and he is walking strongly. The camera shot is at eye level. This allows the audience to relate to the character more as if they are there with him. The slow motion in this clip emphasizes the determination and strength in his walk. This makes him come across, to the audience, as a brave, strong-willed man. All of the soldiers are dressed in armour and the man, who we presume to be the general, is also dressed in historical costume. This therefore confirms the audience's thoughts about the genre of the film and also gives the audience a very vague idea of what the plot may be like. The fact that the shot focuses so much on this man makes it clear to the audience that this is the main character and that he is important in the plot of the film. As the clip freezes and disappears, the words â€Å"who became a slave† appear on the screen, again bold and standing out to the audience. The words not only describe the plot but also get the audience thinking about how these things could come about. Especially with this particular phrase as it could puzzle the audience as to why this has happened and how it is possible to go from the status of a general to a slave. This could make the audience more interested in the film because it shows that the film has an unusual plot. This could be a unique selling point for the film. As the text on the screen disappears, another clip from the film is shown. This time it shows a long row of slaves standing still. This shot is a long shot which pans down the line to show the audience all of the slaves. This might shock the audience slightly because it is such a contrast to the last clip. In the line of slaves, there is one who is standing tall and determined and his stature tells the audience that he is the general who we saw before. This tells the audience that he is the main character in the film and that he is the person that we should focus on throughout the film. The image uses certain colours, oranges, browns and yellows, to add to the audiences understanding of the genre and to make sure that they know that the film is set in ancient times. The main point of this clip is to show the audience who the main character is and why he is different to all of the other slaves- his strength and determination. After this shot, the visual voice-over continues with the words â€Å"the slave†. This shows the audience that the trailer is going to talk them through the plot of the film, step by step. The audience will like this because they like to know what to expect although the visual voice-over will just give them the basic plot and leave the audience wanting to know more. As the visual voice-over disappears once again, another clip is shown. This time it shows the same man, with his back to the audience, walking into the colliseum, his head held high and proud. We can't see his face but we presume that he is the same man as before. There are cheers in the background. The way that he is walking proudly shows the audience that he is not going to be a slave for much longer and that he is going to be the hero of the film. The cheers in the background show the audience that the man is popular. It also shows the audience what he may become in the future- a gladiator. Finally, the colliseum in the background again shows us that the film is historical and also possible epic. The visual voice-over continues to talk the audience through the story with â€Å"who became a gladiator† as the image changes. We now see a gladiator who we presume to be the man talked about by the visual voice-over, leading others into the centre of the arena. He is dressed fully in armour making him unrecognisable to the audience. The camera pans, following him as he walks along. The camera tilts to a low angle making the gladiator appear powerful and dominant. The crowd can be seen in the background, a mid-shot, and along with the cheering, this builds up atmosphere and makes the audience feel part of the scene or the crowd. This clip begins to introduce the theme of action to the trailer letting the audience know the next part of the genre. A long, deep drum beat is played as the scene freezes and more text appears on the screen. The next section of the visual voice-over to appear on the screen is â€Å"the gladiator†. This text clarifies the previous clip for the audience making sure that they understand the plot so far. Next, as the military style drumming continues, we are shown an eye-level close up of the gladiator. The dark colours with red, sandy tones reinforce the genre, as do the costume. The warm colours also make the character appear unthreatening to the audience and make it clear that he is the hero or â€Å"goody† in the film. The fact that the camera shot is at eye-level means that the audience feel, in each shot that they are getting to know the character more. The fact that the shot is quite similar to the first camera shot in the trailer means that the audience instantly recognise the character. The determined expression also makes it clear that he is a hero figure in the film. Overall, the clip continues to introduce the main character paying more attention now to his personality rather than his role in the film. The image links the visual voice-over to the character making it perfectly clear who it is talking about. Again, the image freezes and the visual voice-over once again appears on the screen. This time it states â€Å"who defied an empire†. It is continuing to take the audience through the plot of the film, step by step. In the image that is shown after the text, the trailer introduces the audience to a new, different character. The image shows a tall, obviously powerful man. He is standing on a balcony, waving to a huge cheering crowd below. This image relies on the audience's knowledge of stereotypes and expectations to show them that this is a powerful person, the emperor. The cheers in the background along with the giant crowd, from which the noise is coming, show the audience that this man is well-known and highly respected. This again adds to their knowledge of the character's role in the film. After this clip, a number of action shots are cut together quickly. The speed of the trailer creates excitement in the audience and also adds to the audience's knowledge of the action genre within the film. The clips that are shown in this fast paced section also show the action aspect of the film. There are a number of clips showing different fight scenes in the colliseum. This adds greatly to the audience's knowledge of both the historical and action aspects of the film. The next clip that is shown in this section is a close-up view of a golden mask. This instantly attracts the audience's attention because they begin to ask questions about who is behind the mask but the clip changes before they have a chance to find out. The shot switches to a bold, bright action shot which shows a gladiator, presumably the one who has been shown throughout the trailer, on his chariot, flying through a sea of flames. This catches the audience's attention because of the bright colours which suddenly appear, very different from the earthy colours used throughout the trailer so far. Again there is also mystery that makes the audience interested because, again, they can't be sure who they are seeing in this clip and they may then want to see the film in order to find out. The shot of the storming chariot is also shown in slow motion so this makes the shot even more effective as it builds up suspense and tension as the audience wonder what will happen next. Again, the clip pauses and we are once again shown the colliseum. It is a low angle camera shot. This makes the colliseum appear very large and dominant over the screen. This shot shows the audience how important this building will be in the film and also how much the historical genre will affect the film. The trailer now cuts again to the character that we were introduced to not long ago, the powerful man. As we see him, he is screaming at a woman, his face angry and his voice loud. The dialogue shocks the audience because it is so sudden and unexpected. The man is screaming at a young woman who seems so powerless compared to him. He is screaming â€Å"am I not merciful? â€Å". This instantly portrays this man, the emperor, as a villain. It makes the audience dislike him. It does this partly by sympathy. The audience may feel sorry for the young woman as he screams and may feel that by upsetting her, he is a bad person. The trailer also portrays him as a villain using out stereotypical view of people as well as our expectations. The audience will most likely be expecting there to be both a â€Å"goody† and a â€Å"baddy† in the film as this is normally the case. The audience will also, most likely, have a stereotypical view that the villain or â€Å"baddy† in the film will be aggressive and most likely a powerful figure. This shot uses both speech and the audience's expectations and stereotypical views to portray the emperor as a villain. Next we are shown another clip of the emperor telling the audience even more about his character and personality in the film. He is shown in a mid-shot looking down at the camera. He has a stern, evil expression on his face which confirms that he is the same man who was shown in the previous clip. The way that he is looking down at the camera or the audience shows that he is powerful and that he knows this. The expression as he stares down at the audience makes him appear dangerous and again adds to our feelings about him as a villain. Overall, this low angle shot makes the emperor seem dominant and in control of us and the fact that he seems to be making eye-contact with the audience adds to this making us feel slightly threatened by him. The visual voice over is now re-introduced to the trailer with â€Å"This summer a hero will rise†. This caption of text plays along to the audience's expectations that there will be both a villain and hero in the film. It also gives the audience an idea of when the film is released and has also incorporated this into the explanation of the plot. As this text is disappearing an extreme low angle shot appears on the screen. It shows the gladiator standing tall and bold. The extreme low angle shot makes him appear brave and heroic while his stature tells us that he is a hero. On the clip, he is rising up the screen. This links in with the text that was shown just before and turns the metaphorical phrase into a physical happening making it easier for the audience to understand. In this section of the trailer we are also shown another fast paced montage of clips from the film. The first clip in this section shows the man standing in the arena, his hand in the air. This seems to resemble victory and shows the audience that he is most certainly the hero of the film. As this clip is being shown, over the cheering and background music, a piece of dialogue is played. â€Å"Caesar is proud to present Avius Maximus†. This instantly makes the audience feel that they can relate to the man better as they assume that the man shown is the one being talked about. The way that the dialogue is spoken also shows that the man is highly respected, has done amazing things and is a hero. This again shows us the epic aspect of the film. The next shot in this fast-paced sequence is a mid shot of a man who we presume to be Maximus, kissing a young woman. This is especially important to the secondary target audience. Females might be much more likely to want to see the film now that they know romance is involved. It shows the audience that the film isn't just about action and that it can fit into many different genres. This could be another unique selling point for the film. Overall, this shot is an extremely important part of the trailer, because, it makes the film appeal to a wider range of people in the audience and promotes the film greatly. The fast paced action scenes continue before more text is shown on the screen. This time, the text is showing us the name of the director, Ridley Scott. This instantly catches the audience's attention because he is such a famous director and is renowned for his action films. This will have a huge affect in promoting the film because it is yet another unique selling point that will persuade the audience to come and see the film. Straight after this text disappears, a bold logo appears on the screen saying â€Å"Gladiator†. As it appears on the screen, a deep, loud drumbeat is played to symbolise the importance of this word or logo. By not showing the name of the film, till the very end of the trailer, the audience are kept in suspense, wanting to know what the film is called. As well as this, the title of the film summarises the whole trailer because of the relevance that it has to the overall theme of the film. The one-word title is catchy and because of the way that it is presented in the trailer, it is likely that the audience will remember it and are therefore, more likely to go and see the film. The final thing to be shown at the end of the trailer is the release time of the film. However it is given a slight twist. The exact words on the screen are â€Å"coming soon 2000 AD†. While this gives the audience a clear understanding of when the film is to be released, it also adds to the final trace of the historical genre as the letters AD show us that the film is not set in the present day or they would not bother to put the letters there. Overall, I think that this trailer is effective and that it promotes the film using a number of different, useful techniques. The first reason why I think that this trailer is effective is because of the music. The music that is played throughout the trailer is just different variations on a simple military style drum roll. The thing that makes the music so effective is the way that it is synchronised with the different clips in the trailer. The music fits the trailer together in a way that makes it have most impact on the audience. After analysing the trailer, I have also found that the camera shots make the trailer very effective. The way that the different shots are used to communicate the importance, personality and roles of the characters, gives the audience a much better understanding of the characters and the overall plot of the film. Finally, I think that the way in which the trailer uses our stereotypical views and expectations make it very effective. The trailer gives the audience the basic plot but leaves the audience to decide for them self about the characters instead of spoon-feeding the information to them. This means that the audience have much more personal views about the characters and therefore feel more need to see the film. In my opinion, the â€Å"Gladiator† trailer is very effective and the use of camera shots, music, originality and plot should make the trailer successful in promoting the film.