Being A Tattoo Or Piercing Essay - 1955 Words

For college students anxious to rebel against their parents’ fashion sensibilities, getting a tattoo or piercing may be the modern-day equivalent of the 1960s-era fascination with long hair and love beads. As with the hippie look, body art has caught on with both genders. But the motivations fueling a trip to the tattoo and piercing parlor can vary dramatically between men and women, and between individuals. Youngsters may sport tribal tats or facial piercings because they’re thrill-seekers, says a University of Florida researcher. Others might want to work through a traumatic life experience or just find romantic partners. UF researchers co-authored a study published recently in the journal Personality and Individual Differences that examined gender differences and personality traits among college students who had at least one tattoo or non-traditional piercing, defined as located anywhere other than the earlobe. Popular piercing sites include the eyebrows, nose, lips, tongue, chin, nipples, navel and genitals. â€Å"Fifty years ago, generally Americans did not have tattoos or any alternative body modification,† said Eric Storch, a UF assistant professor of pediatrics and psychiatry and a study co-author. â€Å"Times have really quite quickly changed.† A 1999 study by researchers from Emory University and Howard University published in the Journal of Public Health Policy indicated that 15 percent to 20 percent of the U.S. teen and young adult population had tattoos, and that aShow MoreRelatedTattoos and Body Piercings791 Words   |  3 PagesTattoos and Body Piercings Throughout time body piercings and tattoos have become a very common trend in today’s society. Body art including both piercings and tattoos have been around for many years, it used to be a way of communicating through each other but it has now become more of a fashion trend especially among today’s youth. Not only do tattoos and piercings have their own type of fashion but they can also represent many things such as religious traits. Many people ignore the dangers thatRead MoreDeviance : Tattoos, Piercings, And Body Modifications1049 Words   |  5 Pages Deviance: Tattoos, Piercings, and Body Modifications Towan Cook Georgia Gwinnett College Deviant acts cannot be discussed without taking into account culture, perspective, and religion. Every culture is known for their types of expressions though tattooing, piercings, and body modification. Asian gangs such as the Yakuza are known for their full body tattoos, while African tribes can be associated with wearing rings that stretch their necks. Often, these types of tattooingRead MoreAcceptance of Tattoos and Body Piercing in a Modern Age1568 Words   |  7 PagesAcceptance of Tattoos and Body Piercing in a Modern Age Andrew Sullivan Axia College of University of Phoenix According to the most recent Harris Poll, which took place in 2003, about 15% of all Americans have at least one tattoo. That translates into about 40 million people. Tattoos are becoming much more popular based on comparing those statistics to the results of a 1936 Life magazine estimates of 10 million Americans had at least one tattoo. As for body piercing, no statistics are keptRead MoreTattoos And Piercings : Work Environments1417 Words   |  6 Pages Tattoos and Piercings in Work Environments â€Å"According to a 2010 Pew Research report, about 23% of adults born between 1981 and 1991 have piercings other than their earlobe† (Pfeifer, Web). Also, in 2012, 2 in 10 adults in the United States reported to have at least one tattoo. That number has increased to 3 in 10 adults just last year in 2015 (Shannon-Missal, Web). The prevalence of tattoos and piercings have increased dramatically over the past few decades, especially in teens and young adultsRead MoreTattoos and Body Piercings as and Art Form992 Words   |  4 PagesAshley Beth Logan Manuscript Speech D. Webb Speech 106 Tattoos and Body Piercings Good evening. I would like to start by asking how many of you have a tattoo or piercing other than your ears. Did you know that in most work environments, you are usually not even considered for employment if you’re tattoo or piercing is visible during the interview? I am one of the many people who believe tattoos and body piercings are a form of self exp ression. However, there are still that few out there whoRead MoreOral Piercings And Tattoos Have Become A Form Of Self Expression961 Words   |  4 Pages Oral piercings are any piercings of the tongue, lips, or cheek. In recent years, oral piercings and tattoos have become a form of self-expression. Oral piercings and tattoos may look cool, but they can be dangerous to your health. Many people are not aware of the potential side effects of oral piercings. Some of these include infection, prolonged bleeding, pain and swelling, chipped or cracked teeth, injury to the gums, interference with normal oral function, blood borne diseasesRead MoreFreedom of Self- Expression: Tattoos and Body Piercings at 16 Should be Permitted1232 Words   |  5 Pageschildren should have permission to get tattoos and body piercings. I believe that teens should have the authority to get them on our own. The current Texas law states that any person under the age of 18 must have parental permission before getting a tattoo or any body piercing. Identification is required to verify the persons age. I feel that by the age of 16, any student should have the authority to express themselves in a way such as tattoos and body piercings. There are various aspects throughRead MoreTattoos Piercings in the Workplace Essay878 Words   |  4 PagesTattoos amp; Piercings in the Workplace PHI221 Shelley Hipps College America Abstract This paper focuses on the subject of whether or not tattoos and piercings should be allowed in the workplace. There are a lot of resources arguing that they should not be allowed, but this research maintains the point that they should be more accepted in the workplace these days. This paper concludes by discussing how tattoos and piercings are much more of an artistic expression rather than a form of rebellionRead MoreThe History of Piercings and Tattoos1070 Words   |  5 PagesThe History of Tattoos and Body Piercing The largest organ in the human body is the skin. Some people choose to express themselves through decorating their skin with tattoos, piercing and other kinds of body art. Its true origin, symbolism, variety, and modern day versions go way back in time. The first tattoo known to man, was found on Otzi, the â€Å"Icemanâ€Å", in 1991. Otzi himself is from around 4,000 B.C. Fifty-eight tattoos were found on him, they were all made of lines and dots. No realRead More African American Interpersonal Communication Essay1310 Words   |  6 PagesInterpersonal Communication through Body Art Tattoos make an individual’s self definition more complete by visually communicating gang membership, status, rank and personal accomplishment (Phelan 277). Tattooing and body piercing has been practiced in almost every culture around the world, and for thousands of years. (Greif, Hewitt 367) The African American culture use body art as a method of nonverbal interpersonal communication. The word tattoo became part of the English vocabulary in 1769

One Of The Mysteries That Have Always Troubled The Man

One of the mysteries that have always troubled the man and with which he frequently has to live is suffering and pain. It asks or we wonder about its meaning and the cause of this experience that wears us down and can even take away the peace and happiness. So in my research I want to use an excellent encyclical of John Paul II Salvifici Doloris who explains the purpose of suffering. Understanding the meaning of human pain and suffering is one of the most complex challenges of the Christian faith. Indeed, we can ask ourselves, If God is love, and almighty why does he allow pain in the world? Why does not He eliminate suffering, making all His creatures happy? Suffering is a theme that has accompanied man throughout history. Since the†¦show more content†¦John Paul II makes a very clear distinction of suffering, and one of the suffering more painful is when human beings commit sin and stain the soul, and we know that is truth because when you commit a sin against God, you can feel the suffering that sometimes we cannot find the words to explain, it’s like you lose something from your soul. This moral suffering, we can cure through the sacrament of reconciliation that is the medicine that Jesus Christ left us before he departed from world. Human suffering is a complex aspect of man s life that even medical science cannot easily answer, even when it is committed not only to prolonging human life, but above all, to avoiding suffering. In fact, John Paul II says:†Man suffers in different ways, ways not always considered by medicine, not even in its most advanced specializations. Suffering is something which is still wider than sickness, more complex and at the same time still more deeply rooted in humanity itself† . Pope Paul II here makes a reference to the suffering of body who is Biological and physical that is caused by illness, this corporal suffering make us to find any solution because the suffering makes us to lose our happiness, for that reason, we search for any solution be leave us a mark that our mind can never forget â€Å"This distinction is based upon the double dimension of the human being and indicates the bodily and spiritualShow MoreRelatedAlfred Hitchcock Comparison Paper1511 Words   |  7 PagesFor this paper, I have decided to compare two Hitchcock films. Ever since I can remember, I have seen Alfred Hitchcock films; Psycho, The Birds, North by Northwest, I enjoy his work because I like the suspense, and visual effects that he was able to accomplish. Out of all of his films, I believe that my favorite Hitchcock films would have to be Rear Window (1954) and Vertigo (1958), because I think that the two incorporate everything that is â€Å"Alfred Hitchcock†. Hitchcock films are known for beingRead More Comparing Description and Imagery in The Foghorn and The Signalman2681 Words   |  11 Pagesat two short narratives. One was written by Bradbury, in the mid twentieth century ,The Foghorn and the other was written by Dickens, The Signalman over one hundred years before. Both are based on supernatural themes and ideas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is obvious that Dickens tale was written in the mid nineteenth century because his style of writing   is very different to the more modern techniques writers employ today. In his story he tells us about objects which no longer   have a place in modern societyRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Young Goodman Brown895 Words   |  4 Pageshis journey into the forest, the narrator comes a across a mystery man. While on his trip the narrator comes to the realization that he does not truly know the people from the village. The overall moral that the author attempts to illustrate in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† through the use of symbols is that nobody truly is what they say they are. Sometimes in order to protect oneself or others, people have to keep secrets.â€Å"A lone woman is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts that she’s afeard of herselfRead MoreSherlock Holmes Literary Analysis1618 Words   |  7 Pagesdescription and complex vocabulary are infused into Doyle’s writing to accentuate Holmes’s great intelligence. By incorporating such a heavy, educated tone upon the mysteries, the tales of Sherlock Holmes are expressed as very complicated stories that challenge readers in comprehension as well as encourage curiosity through puzzling cases. One of the most important literary features of Doyle’s works is the use of dialogue and conversations held between characters, whether it be Holmes, Watson, a victimRead More Tupac Essay1045 Words   |  5 PagesHip-Hop industry, one of the first names that comes to mind is Tupac Shakur. Shakur was born in the Bronx on June 16, 1971. He was reared by his mother Afeni Shakur who was an active member of the Black Panthers. Tupacs family later relocated to Oakland, California, where he spent much of his time on the street. As a kid, he was always getting himself into trouble, and he was very lonely. He started writing songs to keep himself out of trouble. An article from VIBE magazine Troubled Times for TupacRead MoreTheme Of Spring Fever And Scott Pilgrim Vs The World1581 Words   |  7 Pagesfilms contain few similarities between the two. For one, each story revolves around a troubled romance. Scott, the protagonist in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, must defeat Ramonaâ⠂¬â„¢s evil exes. Jiang, the main character in Spring Fever, deals with a â€Å"Jules et’ Jim† relationship; a love triangle and a love affair. Secondly, the ordinary locations of Nanjing and Toronto where the story is being told is transformed into greater experience of mystery and wonder for the viewer. Lastly, the use of symbologyRead MoreA Reflection On The Buddha1471 Words   |  6 Pageswept. The Buddha said ‘Enough Ananda. Do not allow yourself to be troubled. Do not weep. Have I not already told you that it is in the very nature of things that they must pass away? We must be separated from all that is near and dear to us.’ The Buddha continued again: ‘I am not the first Buddha to come upon earth: nor shall I be the last. In due time, another Buddha will arise in this world, a Holy one, a Supremely Enlightened One, endowed with wisdom, in conduct auspicious, knowing the universeRead MoreEssay on The Signalman by Charles Dickens3739 Words   |  15 Pageswas used several times and was repeated by several characters. Coincidence? Charles Dickens invites you to decide. This dissertation from www.coursework.info For the duration of this half term we have studied numerous short stories from the book Telling Tales. Throughout this period, we have developed our skills of assessing characters (characterisation), identifying language style and structure plus various others, and I will try to use my newly developed skills to answer our assigned Read MoreThe Shining By Stephen King1500 Words   |  6 Pagesa horror/thriller narrative filled with many mysteries of its own. Initially, The Shining portrays itself as an average â€Å"The house is haunted but no one believes me† story. However, as the plot progresses we learn that there is much more that goes into the big picture. At its core, the narrative is about isolation, psychological problems, alcoholism, and the suspense of an impending doom. Jack, played by Jack Nicholson, is an average middle-class man who takes on an opportunity to become an off-seasonRead MoreEssay Edgar Allen Poe1513 Words   |  7 Pagesfirst poems in 1831. Poe next took up residence in Baltimore, with his widowed aunt, Maria Clemm, and her daughter, Virginia. He turned to fiction as a way to support himself. The Philadelphia Saturday Corrier published five of Poe’s stories. In 1883, one of his pieces won a fifty-dollar prize given by the Baltimore Sunday advisor (Regan 2,3). In 1836, Poe married his cousin Virginia Clemm, who was not yet 14 years old. Because of her young age and her relationship to Poe, this made him the subject

Travel and Tourism Trends and Factors Free Essays

A trend Is something that is reoccurring more and more often until It becomes a popular thing to do. The first trend I am going to explore Is the greater flexiblllty of booking products. This has become possible due to alterations in the traditional chain of distribution. We will write a custom essay sample on Travel and Tourism Trends and Factors or any similar topic only for you Order Now This relates to the trend of using the Internet to book holidays as It Is a lot through this In which people can book their products. The reason for this that the services such as the principals have their own websites. his makes It simpler and easier for the ustomers to reach them directly and book their holidays this way. 1 In November 201 2, Thomas COOK which has 1. 300 travel agent shops, was forced to turn to its banks for increased loans as it looked like it might not struggle to survive. The impact this has had Is the fact that there isn’t near as much demand for in branch travel agencies as everything is done virtually through the principals. However in doing this it has caused a reduction in cost for the travel agencies as they too have moved online. 3Wlth approximately 50 per cent of passengers travelling from the uK on budget irlines and almost 40 per cent of holidaymakers booking ‘DIY’ holidays, both offering added flexibility to a trip, ensuring the transportation of luggage Is as cost-effective as the rest of the holiday is becoming more difficult. This also has an impact on the tourist travel information centres as the principals generally only offer a basic service and therefore the tourist Information offered by some companies wouldn’t be included in their service. So the tourist travel Information centres would have to supply more leaflets and guides for the tourists so they can know about the local attractions and where to visit as a tourist. Another thing it has an impact on is the need for accommodation, as it is possible to contact the hotels directly they may need to advance and expand their hotels to meet the demand for more customers Instead of Just the customers who book through travel agencies and tour operators as part of packages. Principals do sell their products directly to their customers however the traditional chain of distribution Is still existent but it is not at the forefront of the travel and tourism industry as it has been In the past. It Is estimated that over 95% of holidays are now booked online, owever it is only a small percentage of these that are booked as separate principals. In 2012, Thomas Cook Group made 25% of Its sales through Its own web channels. OFS witn weD sales In Nortnern Europe at K package Duslness at 3 distribution is a key area of focus for the Group going forward and will be developed as part of an Omni-channel distribution strategy. The next trend I am going to explore is Adventure Holidays. 4The passport travel to adventure document (2009) state that the adventure travel market is worth E180m a year to the travel and tourism industry. This is an area of the Travel and Tourism ndustry that is rapidly growing due to the increase of people who want to experience thrill and ad venturous and stimulating experiences in their spare time. The term Adventure can be used to talk about a wide range of holidays; it can vary from something as simple as a cruise along the river Nile to trekking in the Himalayas, visiting the plains of Africa or Scuba diving in foreign waters. There are certain countries that market their selves as adventure holiday destinations; an example of one of these countries is New Zealand. New Zealand offers a wide range of adventure ctivities such as Canyoning, Bungee Jumping, Hot Air Ballooning, Under Sea Canyoning and White Water Rafting. The graph here shows the different locations and types of activities of adventure holidays. Some of these destinations are very remote and therefore the impact these adventure holidays would have is an increase in accommodation needed to cater for the increasing number of people. In doing this there would be an increase of Jobs and also an expansion of facilities available in these areas. In the increase it would also invite new businesses to move into the area as there is a good opportunity to xpand their businesses to there. However as the businesses do expand to these locations there is the risk of Americanisation and the natural and remote locations could lose the natural beauty that many people come specifically to see. The reason that these holidays and this destination are becoming more popular is because people now have the opportunity and the communication available to them to book these things and try new experiences, also it widens the genre of holiday to a further audience and can cater for these people who would prefer an adventure holiday in comparison to a family or relaxing holiday. The YouGov survey (2009) 6shows a predicted 70% increase in participation in adventure travel over the next 3 years. Based on our survey responses, compared to the previous three years. I ne tnlra ana Tlnal trend I am going to explore Is new aestlnatlons. wnat I mean Dy this is the new and exciting far away destinations that are now offered to customers due to the advance in aerospace technology. From the I-JK there are hundreds of destinations you can fly to. When commercial flights first began nobody would have been able to fly to the Caribbean or to South America. However now thousands of eople visit every year. As the appetite for the long haul destinations has increased, in general the ticket prices have fallen which makes them available for many more customers who may have been out of the price range when they first became available. Demands for destinations fluctuate all the times in response to a variety of factors. ABTA’s Travel Trends report suggest that, for a destination to become â€Å"hot† and attract more visitors, it must score highly on the following six points which are safety, accessibility, infrastructure, affordability, weather and the X factor. Erik Wolf, president of the International Culinary Tourism Association, said awareness of the importance of this sector has been increasing across the world for several years. He revealed that there are â€Å"always new destinations that catch the eye of culinary travellers† and described Singapore, Peru and South Australia as â€Å"particularly hot right now†. The impact of new destinations is the fact that there will be more people visiting these far out countries that will help them to develop and expand which will positively help their economy Destinations that ABTA says has all of these are Dubai, Germany, Morocco, Canada and South Africa. Spain is a top foreign destination for EIJ residents in 2012. There has been 1% less business travellers in 2013 than in 2012. There are 6% more visitors to Spain in 2013 than in 2012. In 2005 there were 29. 971 million visitors in the UK but increased in 2012 to 31. 084 million visitors. A hot favourite to become a new popular destination in 2014 and the upcoming years is brazil. Due to the upcoming world cup and Olympic games Factors A factor is something that affects something whether it be positively or negatively, just like everything else there are factors that affect the travel and tourism industry. The first factor I am going to explore is that of Natural Disasters. Natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, Tsunamis, floods and hurricanes, can cause havoc to a countrys travel and tourism sector. The Asian tsunami that affected Indian Ocean countries in late 2004 and Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of New Orleans in 2005 are examples that are all too familiar. The eruption of the Iceland volcano and subsequent ash cloud over Europe is another case in point. Although tourism can be badly affected very quickly when such disasters occur, the sector has proved itself to e very resilient in the face of adversity. Tourism in areas affected by natural disasters usually returns to its former state, on the back of investment in new hotels, infrastructure and other tourist facilities. The tsunami in Japan in 2011 had a lot of negative effects on the Japanese travel and tourism industry. Japanese Travel Tourism GDP fell 4% during 2011, with domestic spending down 2. 9% and visitor exports down 27% – in line with a 28% decline in international tourist arrivals. This in turn had a knock-on effect on capital investment in Japan’s Travel ; Tourism sector, hich fell by an estimated 6. 2%, despite major reconstruction efforts later in the year. The next factor I am going to explore is that of Terrorism. Due to terrorism security throughout the whole of the travel and tourism sector has increased drastically. Britain is one of the safest countries in the world for tourists to visit and explore, but recent terrorist events around the world, and the London bombing of 717 2005 in particular, have made safety and security a key issue for tourism sector in the I-JK. Following 9/1 1 , extra security measures were introduced at airports across the world, hile the London bombing led to heightened security at railway stations across the country. Although such measures can cause extra delays, most travellers are willing to sacrifice a little time in return for a safer Journey. One of the worst recorded terrorist attacks was 9/1 1 which the occurrence that happened when two planes were hijacked and flown into the world trade centre. After the 9/1 1 attacks in 2001, New York City lost $323. 7 million in tourism revenue as visitors avoided the city in fear of another attack. And though tourism to New York City today is higher than t’s ever been, it took several years to rebound. The third and final factor I am going to explore is Cost of Travel. Travel costs are always cnanglng In response to aemana. wnen aemana Is low companles cut prlces to stimulate demand, but when demand is high prices tend to remain high. The cost of travel has actually been falling relative to other costs in recent years. Competition among holiday companies, the growth of low-cost airlines and development of budget hotels have all helped keep prices down. The world recession of recent years has resulted in fewer overseas visitors coming to Britain. How to cite Travel and Tourism Trends and Factors, Papers

Brand Management Coca Cola Drinkers and House Cola Drinkers

Question: Understand relevant marketing concepts and explain the concepts through application to the specific marketing problem;? Analyze and evaluate information in a marketing context;? Using appropriate information sources, analyze information gathered to provide depth and breadth to recommendation; and? Demonstrate effective written communication skills and use of correct referencing method. ? Answer: Introduction: A brand community is a business strategy that is crucial for the improvement of the business. The brand is required to exercise its presence in the market through implementation of effective marketing strategies. In this regard the brand plan also plays an important role in recognition. The brand symbol is in the form of a picture or text or specific sign of the company that will represent the particular brand and help the customers to identify them easily. The brand symbol helps every organization to build brand image and develop distinct brand communities for the customers as well as the potential customers (Altaf Khan, 2011). The case study provided is based on the brand management of the different companies. The role of brands and the importance of the brand community is the basic building block of the case study. Brand community is community derived from the attachment to a particular product. Several researches on marketing strategies and consumer behavior have proved that there is s strong connection between the brands, individual identity and culture. Organizations are alarmingly making improvements in the brand community to develop the connection between the target customers and the brand or the product. Analysis of the case study: The markets for many companies have become customer oriented and that the customers have developed consumptive identity. The consumptive identity was something which was discovered by the marketing analysts which states that it is new form of sociality that focuses on brand communities (Wiegandt, 2009). The article has highlighted the issues of defining the brand communities. The definitions are derived from the post modern concepts that deal in the formation of identity. There were contradictions in describing the brand communities (Sohn Korzenny, 2005). According to O Reilly and Maffesoli, brand communities depend upon the consumer tribes and the neo-tribes. The concept of neotribe is described in this article as the characteristics of a group of consumer that changes with the change in the event or product type or brand type. The example that is mentioned in this article is different type of movie fans. One set of fans may be inclined towards Star Wars and the other group of fans may be towards Star Trek. The article helps to relate the brands with the totems in consumer tribes which states that the ignoring brands would means overlooking a critical part of the tribal culture. In the case of Coca-Cola, it is rather difficult for the marketing managers to distinguish between the brand followers and the brand communities. The brand followers are the brand enthusiasts according to the author who may not necessarily be a part of the brand community. Thus, the problem of building a brand community is important for Coco-Cola (Bjerke Polegato, 2006). In this case, building brand communities are crucial for the company but what is more important is the enhancement in the brand among the target customers. This building of brands is interconnected to building brand communities (Investors et al., 2015). Coke has been facing issues related to obesity and infrastructural issues which can be dealt partially with the help of blogs, commentaries, tweets and the role of the media. These are the traditional marketing strategies. In this regard the problem can be solved using the building of virtual brand communities through the social media marketing (Medium, 2014). But th e online marketing is just a tool in building blocks where the CEOs demand for a Web 2.0 strategy (Bowen Ozuem, n.d.). Harley Davidson engaged in community based brand development which promoted the brotherhood rider who possess shared ethos (Das, 2014). The strategic repositioning was taken up by the company which depicted close-to-the-customers strategy where the employees spend time with the customers in the field and conveyed the insights to the company. It was recommended that the company must reform the organizational design and the structure which will enable the marketing managers to understand the costs and benefits of the brand communities. The company initiated 77-person stand alone organization that enhanced infrastructure and cultivated relationships augmenting brand. There are brand communities that are resistant to mainstream as in the case of Apple (Borja de Mozota, 2003). The company promoted media stories for brand building which forms the basis of the symbolic convergence theory by Ernest Bormann, John Cragan and Donald Shields where the customers perception about brands are guided by the stories that are intended for them to believe (Trendafilov, 2015). There are certain columnists that promote the negative side of Apple which affects the brand. The characteristics of the brand community of Apple include individualism, independence and a strong loyalty to the Apple brand (Heracleous, 2013). The company has a Macintosh Users group (MUG) which is crucial for the success of the brand communities. The marketing manager can also incorporate the Brandfest strategy which implies high quality interaction within the dissimilar brand communities (Buss Strauss, 2009). The article also states that Muniz and OGuinn (2001) argue that the brand community is characterized by rituals and traditions. This is unique feature within companies can be promoted using the community engagement through documenting, staking etc. One of the greatest example of brand communities success is the Manchester United which has emerged not only as sport team but has gained international brand recognition through Manchester United Television, club merchandize and soccer schools etc. Lessons learned from this paper: This article firstly throws light on the fact that brand communities are different from other types of communities that exist in the society. It is argued that communities are secondary rather than being primary. It can be said that brand as a symbol comes before the brand community. We learn that brand communities consist if a unique type of characteristics that differentiates them from other types of communities. Advancement in mass production had made it easy for the streamlining of consumer goods into the western countries. This article helps us to know that whether intentionally or not, the producers had extended their functions to the consumers well beyond their knowledge. The societies that had emerged recently were centered around brand communities. This case study reveals that many groups of consumers made the utmost use of brand communities and used it as the base of social interactions. This article provides examples of Harley Davidson Motorcycles, the MG car company, magazines, Nutella, Liverpool Football Club, theme parks, etc to demonstrate the rich experiences that brand communities offer which are simultaneously powerful and provide a complex culture for the members. The article also draws the attention of the readers by saying that brand communities function more often in a symbolic way. As authors previously have failed to understand, how brand communities are represented only in a symbolic way, they have never been properly classified. The article highlights the similarity brand communities share the findings of the anthropologist, Anthony Cohen, who was of the opinion that collectives that are formed on a shared basis usually serves the society. In the same way, another anthropologist of high repute named Emile Durkheim stated that clans too use totems as a form to represent themselves collectively and also as a basis of their unity (Elliott, Percy Pervan, 2011). The article brings to our attention that the concepts of brand communities have been drawn recent concepts of post modernism. These concepts emphasize largely on the forms of identity. In this article, we find that authors have tried to differentiate brand communities from consumer tribes that are also called neo-tribes by some (Gunelius, 2009). Brand communities have different origins, and their purpose too is different from consumer tribes. The article clearly points out that the difference between neo-tribe and brand community is best understood as the contrast between a social grouping (akin to a tribe) and a cultural grouping (akin to a subculture). The brand community thus is said to possess the stability that is not dependent on any social group. According to the article, we can come to the conclusion that brand communities are formed by members who are united by their loyalty towards one particular brand and consumer tribes are formed by those members that take part in specific interactions that are solely based on groups like forum or club meets. The case study also throws light upon the fact that it is important to differentiate between a general brand consumer and members of the brand community. For example, just because a person may enjoy a bottle of coke would he be considered a member of the Coca-Cola brand community? It is the sense of belonging to a community that makes brand community membership different from other followers of brands. In brand communities, the sole important element is the brand. If the brand ceases to exist, the brand collective community would also dissolve (Harvard Business Review, 2009). This article summarizes that the common process associated with brand communities are social networking, managing of the impression, engaging the community and use of a brand. Brand communities are also perceived to be multi-vocal in meaning by this article that is they attach meanings to other brands as well for example Apple vs. Microsoft, Ferrari vs. Porsche, etc (Meierer, 2011). Conclusion The basic idea of the article was to examine the role an impact of brands and brand communities. It can be said that the brand communities are beneficial for the bottom lines of the companies as it helps to lower the operating cost, enhancing the brand value thereby increasing the sales of the company. The different strategies that the companies can implement to promote the brand communities are discussed in this paper with the help of the branding communities of Harley Davidson, Coca-Cola and Apple. Thus, the branding communities must be constructed within the companies using right strategies and business models. References Altaf Khan, M. (2011).Brand management. New Delhi: Enkay Pub. House. Bjerke, R., Polegato, R. (2006). Differences in Value Orientations of Coca Cola Drinkers and House Cola Drinkers: A Cross-National Investigation.Journal Of Euromarketing,15(4), 7-33. doi:10.1300/j037v15n04_02 Borja de Mozota, B. (2003).Design management. New York, NY: Allworth Press. Bowen, G., Ozuem, W.Computer-mediated marketing strategies. Buss, A., Strauss, N. (2009).Online communities handbook. Berkeley, Calif.: New Riders. Das, K. (2014). 'Harley Davidson' Success Speaks- Brand Image and Culture: An HR Perspective.BIJIEMS,4(2), 48-56. doi:10.9756/bijiems.4808 Elliott, R., Percy, L., Pervan, S. (2011).Strategic brand management. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Gunelius, S. (2009).Building brand value the Playboy way. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Harvard Business Review,. (2009).Getting Brand Communities Right. Retrieved 20 August 2015, from https://hbr.org/2009/04/getting-brand-communities-right Heracleous, L. (2013). Quantum Strategy at Apple Inc.Organizational Dynamics,42(2), 92-99. doi:10.1016/j.orgdyn.2013.03.002 Investors, Company, Page, Brands, Videos, Sustainability, et al. (2015).10 Things Every Brand Can Learn From Coke.The Coca-Cola Company. Retrieved 20 August 2015, from https://www.coca-colacompany.com/coca-cola-unbottled/10-things-every-brand-can-learn-from-coke#TCCC Medium,. (2014).Brand Economics Solving the Coca-Cola Problem. Retrieved 20 August 2015, from https://medium.com/@goonth/brand-economics-solving-the-coca-cola-problem-b2de4f06f0c2 Meierer, M. (2011).International corporate brand management. Wiesbaden: Gabler Verlag. Meister, S. (2012).Brand communities for fast moving consumer goods. Wiesbaden: Springer Gabler. Schroeder, J., Salzer-Morling, M., Askegaard, S. (2006).Brand culture. London: Routledge. Sohn, Y., Korzenny, F. (2005).Opinion leaders and seekers in online brand communities. Trendafilov, D. (2015). Chasing the myth: A Harley-Davidson story(telling).Semiotica,2015(204). doi:10.1515/sem-2014-0085 Wiegandt, P. (2009).Value creation of firm-established brand communities. Berlin: Springer.

Critical Success Factors for a CRM Program A Discussion

Introduction Today, in the business world, organisations competing for market power and success are continuously looking for avenues to step ahead of their competitors.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Critical Success Factors for a CRM Program: A Discussion specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This, however, is becoming a more taxing objective for organisational managers as rapid advancements in information technology lead to mounting transparency of management activities across companies, making it exceedingly challenging to realize long-lasting differentiation (Kimiloglu Zarali 2009). But since the realization by management that customers are the core of a business and that an organisation’s success depends on effectively managing relationships with them (Nguyen et al 2007), companies are increasingly adopting and implementing customer relationship management (CRM) programs to maintain competitive advantage and prevent customers from switching to other companies (Kotorov 2003). The present paper discusses the critical success factors for a CRM program by illuminating the essential components making up the program. Essential Components of a CRM Program Perhaps the most essential component of a CRM program is the customer. Extant literature demonstrates that customers are the only source of the organisation’s present profit and future growth (Kotorov, 2003), hence must be located at the core of any successful CRM program by virtue of the fact that CRM has to result in the delivery of a valued customer experience (Kimiloglu Zarali 2009). An efficient CRM program, according to Payne Frow (2006), must be able to extract and deliver value to the customer through integrating and managing different channels of communication (e.g., face-to-face contacts, phone, Internet or other interactive media) to allow for an ongoing dialogue between customer and the firm across channels. As postu lated by Peelen et al (2009), the organisation must work deliberately and in a premeditated way to ensure that the product, the service offerings, the communications and interactions, the context and the price match or surpass customer expectations if it is to create a positive and long-lasting impact on customer loyalty, retention, recommendation behaviour and lifetime value.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The second essential component of a CRM program is the relationship. As acknowledged by Kimiloglu Zarali (2009), the relationship between an organisation and its customers assumes a continuous two-way communication and interaction approach, which may be short-term or long-term, continuous or detached, repeating or one-time, and attitudinal or behavioural. Even though customers may have developed a positive attitude towards the organisation and its products or services o fferings, a stream of extant literature (e.g., Payne Frow 2006; Maleki Anand 2008) demonstrates that their buying behaviour is highly situational and context-oriented. Consequently, as suggested by Wang Feng (2012), an efficient CRM program must have the capacity to manage the customer-organisation relationship in a proactive and structured way to ensure it is profitable and mutually beneficial. Scholars and practitioners consider management to be a critical component of any successful CRM program. Payne Frow (2006) argue that CRM should not be perceived as an activity within the marketing domain; rather, it involves continuous corporate change in vision, strategy, culture and processes. The organisation’s management, including its top leadership, must therefore contribute positively for the CRM program to be able to collect customer information and transform it into corporate knowledge that leads to activities that take advantage of the collected information and of exist ing market opportunities (Maleki Anand 2008). For the CRM program to achieve success, the management should spearhead a comprehensive change in the company and its people. Another component which is inexorably linked to management is organisational collaboration. For CRM initiatives to bear fruit, scholars and practitioners have realized that the firm has to be built around customer needs (Nguyen et al 2007), and that customer management success must be appraised based on intermediate customer-oriented outcomes, such as satisfaction, loyalty and increased customer profitability (Peelen et al 2009).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Critical Success Factors for a CRM Program: A Discussion specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These authors further contend that â€Å"†¦the customer management function has the responsibility of creating reciprocity in a sense that actions taken by the company are matched by actions from the customers and vice versa† (p. 456). This therefore means that reciprocity is a fundamental characteristic of CRM, and entails the timely and accurate delivery of products and services, the creation of empathy toward the customer, and the expertise to commence a co-creation relationship with customers. Another key feature within the domain of organisational collaboration is the continuous and bi-directional customer-oriented feedback system, which assist the firm to not only learn about its customers but to also respond to their needs in a structured and proactive way (Peelen et al 2009). Hence, employees are expected to develop a customer-oriented culture to be able to share and interpret the meaning of customer data (Kotorov 2003), but more importantly to understand customers needs and ensure they are addressed ahead of those of owners, management or employees (Peelen et al 2009). Still, CRM vision is seen as an essential constituent of a successful CRM program. Sch olars are in agreement that the firm needs to articulate or review its vision, related to CRM, if the program is to achieve success (Payne Flow 2006). Peelen et al (2009, p. 455) define CRM vision â€Å"†¦as an organisation’s top management commitment to customer centricity as a path to business success.† Having realized that many CRM programs fail due to a disconnection of CRM vision and execution (Nguyen et al 2007), many managers charged with the responsibility of executing CRM programs have now acknowledged the critical importance of CRM vision not only to align the program with the business strategy and therefore increase the value of the customer relationship (Maleki Anand 2008), but also to align the scope and direction of CRM within the firm and therefore the development of other components (Peelen et al 2009).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The last component to be discussed in this paper is the CRM strategy, which is basically a description of how the firm plan to realize its vision. Peelen et al (2009, p. 455) acknowledge that â€Å"†¦without the CRM strategy, the vision will remain without (significant) impact on the other components.† Since the most immediate aim of the firm is to optimize the value of the customer base, CRM strategy assists it to not only position the customers at the heart of its activities but to also provide direction to all parts of the organisation to operate in tandem to realize end outcomes that balance the firm’s revenues/profits with customer satisfaction and loyalty (Wang Feng 2012). This exposition shows that the most important function of CRM strategy is to assist in the realization of the firm’s CRM vision, but to also deliver customer value and extract business value simultaneously. Conclusion From the discussion, it is clear that a successful CRM program m ust be grounded on some core components for organisations to reap the benefits associated with CRM, including maintaining competitive advantage, customer loyalty and retention. Although there are other essential components of a CRM program, the current paper has discussed several critically important ones including: customer, relationship, management, organisational collaboration, CRM vision and CRM strategy. The management of firms intending to adopt CRM programs should consider incorporating these components into their systems to achieve competitiveness, customer loyalty and retention. Reference List Kimiloglu, H Zarali, H 2009, ‘What signifies success in e-CRM’, Marketing Intelligence Planning, vol. 27 no. 2, pp. 246-267. Kotorov, R 2003, ‘Customer relationship management: Strategic lessons and future directions’, Business Process Management Journal, vol. 9 no. 5, pp. 566-571. Maleki, M, Anand, D 2008, ‘The critical success factors in customer r elationship management (CRM) (ERP) implementation’, Journal of Marketing Communication, vol. 4 no. 2, pp. 67-80. Nguyen, TH, Sherif, JS Newby, M 2007, ‘Strategies for successful CRM implementation’, Information Management Computer Security, vol. 15 no. 2, pp. 102-115. Payne, A Frow, P 2006, ‘Customer relationship management: From strategy to implementation’, Journal of Marketing Management, vol. 22 no. 1/2, pp. 135-168. Peelen, E, Van Montfort, K, Beltman, R Klerkx, A 2009, ‘An empirical study into the foundations of CRM success’, Journal of Strategic Marketing, vol. 17 no. 6, pp. 453-471. Wang, Y Feng, H 2012, ‘Customer relationship management capabilities: Measurement, antecedents and consequents’, Management Decision, vol. 50 no. 1, pp. 115-129. This essay on Critical Success Factors for a CRM Program: A Discussion was written and submitted by user Madilynn Andrews to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

buy custom The Relevance of Ballroom Dancing in Texas Schools essay

buy custom The Relevance of Ballroom Dancing in Texas Schools essay The Relevance of Ballroom Dancing in Texas Schools Ballroom dance is a set of dance performed by partners and is enjoyed both socially and competitively on stage, film and television. This kind of dance is performed in a specially designed large room referred to as a ballroom. Initially, it was a social dance meant for the upper class members of the society. The lower class enjoyed folk dancing- a rather non-professional dance designed for non-public performance but dominated by an inherent customs and traditions rather than innovation (George Zona, 2008). Literature Review The introduction of ballroom dance can be traced back to the effect of societal changes. Knowles (2009) explains that the shift in the trend of social dances is a manifestation of the interpretation and response to the dynamics of the contemporary society. Gillis (2008) asserts that ballroom dance started during the period of Renaissance (1300-1500 AD) and was popular with kings and queens. Knowles (2009) supports this assertion when he identifies waltz as one of the oldest ballroom dances. The original waltz dance was performed in a ballroom with the man facing outward from the centre of the room and spiraling clockwise with his partner while moving around the ballroom floor counter-clockwise (Knowles, 2009). This dance dominated the Renaissance Period. On the contrary, George Zona (2008) asserted that the emergence of waltz was criticized by religious and social leaders for being too sexual in nature. Critics argued then that the dance promoted a very close contact between the dancing partners referred to as couples. Other forms of dances emerged like the polka and due to abolition of slavery waltz became even more popular as people wanted more time to escape, to celebrate and to dance (George Zona, 2008). The modern ballroom dance has been identified as elegant, restrained and sedate (Knowles, 2009). The Mad Hot Ballroom Program Ballroom dancing has transformed from a dance of the affluent to that which can be performed in either a social situation or at competitive levels. Most institutions of learning have introduced dance education to their curriculum. McCutchen (2006) defined the purpose of an educational dance as to educate learners in dance as an art form in all its dimensions. The intention of such programs has been to educate learners on how to dance and use artistic processes in learning and social interactions. With an interest to pursue more educational outputs, educationists have incorporated numerous dance patterns in educational curriculum, one being the Mad Hot Ballroom program currently being implemented in Texas. This is a detailed ballroom dance program launched by Antonio Dulaine and Yvonne Marceau for New York City public schools. This program involves kids in elementary and high schools exploring their lives in a rather sometimes hilarious perspective. Methodology Persuasive Interview In order to ascertain the importance of Mad Hot Ballroom Program in the elementary and high schools curriculum in Texas, this paper will detail a persuasive interview carried out on three public elementary and high school teachers. Two of the interviewees are dance teachers while the other is a socials and religious studies teacher. Four sets of directional questions formed a basis of the interview as outlined below. What is your opinion on the Mad Hot Ballroom phenomenon in educational process? Do you support its inclusion in the elementary and high schools curriculum in Texas? In what ways will the introduction of the Mad Hot Ballroom in the elementary and high schools in Texas affect our children? What are some of the recommendations that the curriculum should adopt while implementing the Mad Hot Ballroom program? Interview Questions Guide This interview and primarily the questions were directed by the Antonio and Yvonne assertions on the importance of Mad Hot Ballroom inclusion in the elementary and high schools curriculum. All the interviewees were professionally trained teachers and employees of three different elementary and high schools in Texas. Precisely, two were from different high schools while the other religious and social studies teacher was from a public elementary school. Findings of the Interview Physical and Mental Development The public elementary school teacher argues that thugh Mad Hot Ballroom promotes physical and mental development in children in her school, there is a concern on its morality as the performance promotes too much partner closeness. She notably argues that the use of visual art in learning is important in that it opens a learners potentials and imaginations. Pircat (2006) asserts that the use of visuals in art education emphasizes the potentiality in a learner due to the explicit attention, interrogation and the mental construction of the visual objects and experiences it relays. Thus, the inclusion of art and dance in the curriculum would help promote learning especially in the dimensions of culture, ethnicity, gender and religion. The teacher however notes that Mad Hot Ballroom program, in order to be successful, should only include socially relevant contents with increased attention on the contemporary society. Knowles (2009) supported the inclusion of socially relevant content arguing that it would enhance exploration in classroom discussions and school assignments. Pircat (2006) summarized the role of art and specifically ballroom dance as reawakening the scholars body through the fusion of the intelligent and sensual dimensions to scholarly representations. Building Self Esteem and Confidence Hot Ballroom Dance is identified by the second interviewee - a high school dance teacher as developing multiple perspectives in an individual. These perspectives develop from the ability to master the codified steps and styles and integrate them to both social and recreational aspects. Picart (2006) explains this aspect through the analysis of the adaptation of the bodies, skills and styles in a Ballroom dance. The teacher describes the adaptation as cohering and motivating to learners hence building the learners self confidence and esteem. Marion (2008) expounds that the learners self confidence blossoms as they learn to fox trot and tango during the dance. In fact, according to the dance teacher Mad Hot Ballroom dance has very challenging steps and the ability to learn something learners never imagined they could perform enhances self confidence in itself. Infotainment Dancing is also a form of infotainment. The dance teacher indicates that dance has a tendency to refine the manners and behaviors of young ones in a rather entertaining manner. Aldrich (1991) regards dancing as a utility describing it as the most enchanting of all human amusements. Thus, the introduction of mad hot ballroom program in learning institutions in Texas would make learning enjoyable and cheerful. The dance teacher remarks that its introduction in the curriculum would banish grief resulting from daylong studies among learners and cheer their evening hours with delightful sensations. Development of Learners Potentials The third interviewee says that Mad Hot Ballroom develops learners potentials. When such abilities are identified at elementary and high school level then they can be nurtured to greater levels. Ballroom dancing has been already referred to as a highly competitive dance. Gillis (2008) refers to the competitive dancing as Dance Sport and identifies it as common on television shows. Thus encouraging the teenagers to dance while still in schools enhances creativity and specialization. Development in Physical Education Gillis (2008) further argues that this kind of program may increase physical activity for teenagers while they are in school. The roles of physical education in a child development are numerous. For instance, according to McCutchen (2006) it offers an effective content for the development and appreciation of aesthetic values. Dance in itself offers aesthetic education which is valuable for an individuals cultural and beauty appreciation. Secondly, the interviewee attests that dance would also serve the purpose of offering artistic values. This argument is supported by McCutchen (2006) when she indicates that among all physical activities it is only dance that is symbolized by the ability to make symbolic statements to create meaning. Finally, Mad Hot Dance would enable the learners to acquire control, coordination and versatility in use of the body to maintain flexibility and to develop strength. This would provide an opening in health education and consequently reduce obesity and other ailments caused by lack of physical education. The involvement of physical education instructors, teachers and teenagers increases the physical activity and interest in the learners who may later perform the dance at home with their parents and siblings. The dance teacher reported a more concentration level among the learners after the implementation of the dance program. Recognition and Appreciation of Gender Roles Another aspect of ballroom dance is its appreciation for gender and learning of gender roles. The fact that this dance is performed by a couple gives it a vantage for teenagers to appreciate the role of gender in their development. It provides an opportunity to filter studio cultures from social orientations especially with regards to gender and to infuse these cultures in their normal lives. Marion (2008) explains that learners are given opportunity to perform as both same sex and mix sex couples thus enabling them to reflect the impact of gender in educational activities. She further illustrate this argument through the manner in which boys are instructed to hold or lead their girl partners while girls are taught to be passive and submissive as some of the gendered identities ballroom dances relay. Picart (2006) expounds this aspect through the argument that ballroom dance enables children to communicate clear bodily cues and to explore both the traditional masculine and feminine r oles. Recognition and Appreciation of Aesthetic Values Another impact of this program is the fact that it recognizes aesthetics and behavior as both cultural sources and products. Marion (2008) indicates that this program addresses the role of culture in mediating the interconnection between bodily practices and aesthetic values. In retrospect, it analyses how culture work through the mind and how it is translated to the body. In deed, the Mad Hot Ballroom presents a clear illustration on how cultural practices can determine both the intended and unintended consequences through dance (Marion, 2008). The inclusion of this program in the elementary and high school in Texas would, according to one of my interviewees, instill a spirit of cultural awareness and appreciation. The kids would transform from urban-state life to a life of cultural awareness, appreciation and diversity. Elimination of Cultural Stereotypes One of the high school drama teachers acknowledges that there are cultural stereotypes among students and teachers in Texas. He asserts that Mad Hot Ballroom film is rich of visual culture with contents to inspire meaningful learning experiences for students. Aldrich (1991) explains that dances are not complete unless they take into account culture as a whole. Another writer, McCutchen (2006) explains that dance is not an entity in itself but rather belongs to the wider cultural context. Hence, a deeper understanding on ones culture and those of others through dance would counteract biases and stereotypes that may have been formed. Recommendations With regards to the above views of three teachers considered in this paper on the introduction of Ballroom dance program in elementary and high school curriculum, it is noteworthy that a few policies be put in place. It has noted that dance is one of the major arts forms which children require to develop their cognitive, physical and manipulative skills. It has also discussed the role of Mad Hot Ballroom with regards to cultural and aesthetic preservations. However, there is a few of morality aspects especially with regards to the couples closeness during the performance of ballroom dance which should be addressed. Consequently, this paper highlights a few recommendations which an effective school curriculum should adopt. First, the curriculum should ensure that the program is mandatory and taught during the schools regular hours. That is to say, it should not be relegated to an afterschool activity or reserved for a few (McCutchen, 2006). Secondly; the program should be modeled to promote essential skills as well as critical thinking. In this regards, the program should not only be for fun but must be effectively objective. Thirdly, the curriculum should set guiding principles on the program. The set standards should cohere with the general school curriculum and should give equal opportunity for achievement to all learners. Finally, it is recommended that the program integrate aesthetic and kinesthetic aspects to enable children learn ballroom dance as an expressive language with which to communicate. Conclusion In light of the above recommendations, this paper concludes that ballroom dancing should be introduced in elementary and high schools in Texas. It recognizes the multi dimensional roles played by dancing. Educational dance has been presented as an educational tool that increases aesthetic value and affecting the total cognitive and manipulative abilities of children. It stretches not only the body but also the mind hence an integral part in the educational pursuit of an individual. Buy custom The Relevance of Ballroom Dancing in Texas Schools essay

Lack of Staff diversity in prisons Research Paper

Lack of Staff diversity in prisons - Research Paper Example Added to this is the diverse racial and ethnic population in today’s prisons, the diverse levels of education of the prison population, the lack of diversity of staff in the corrections system and the need for educational support that is equitable for all prisoners. Lack of Staff Diversity in Prisons Introduction There has been a dramatic increase over the past few decades in the number of women who enter the field of corrections and in fact, there is reported to be significantly more women employed in jails and prisons than men. This has resulted in gender-based issues relating to corrections employment that needs examined in the research. In addition, there has been a significant increase in the number of women who are being incarcerated in today’s prisons and this too has affected and served to change the face of the environment for those employed in prisons corrections facilities. Added to this is the diverse racial and ethnic population in today’s prisons, t he diverse levels of education of the prison population, the lack of diversity of staff in the corrections system and the need for educational support that is equitable for all prisoners. I. ... y reported having been conducted at three Midwestern prisons states finding that â€Å"no relationship between gender and job stress was found.† (Lambert, et al, 2007, p.18) A separate study conducted of correctional officers at a Southwestern correctional facility reports findings that â€Å"no significant relationship between gender and job stress† was found. (p.18) In yet another study conducted among Pacific Northwest correctional officers findings show that â€Å"†¦female and male staff had similar levels of burnout in terms of emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment.† (Lambert, et al, 2007, p. 18) Findings show that female and male respondents â€Å"generally reported the same level of job stress.† (Lambert, et al, 2007, p. 18) Lambert et al (2007) reports that the research on differences in corrections to date on gender issues is â€Å"rather mixed. There is support that men and women differ in some areas, while in other areas, there appears to be no gender difference between correctional officers and their works and work attitudes.† (p.19) Britton (1997) reports conclusions from a qualitative study that â€Å"gender was important in how correctional staff perceived their work environments† although quantitative studies are reported to have found no differences. However, other quantitative studies did find differences in this area of study. The work of Reijnders (1996) entitled â€Å"A Library Service for Multicultural Groups in Dutch Prisons† reports that many of the prisoners in the Netherlands are not able to understand Dutch and this results in isolation for these prisoners. However, delivery of books in the language of the prisoners assists in easing the time they are incarcerated. However, gathering a collection of foreign books that are diverse in

Final Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Final Paper - Essay Example I will verify about existence of the problem myself. In the next step, I will try to gather relevant information so as to support the claim that the bike will accelerate dangerously when operated for long hours in hot climate. I will analyze the problem as well as confirm the same with production department that root cause of the problem is overheating of the solar panel. I would further discuss with the production and maintenance departments about possible solutions and select the appropriate one. Following this, an outline of the cost that the company will incur for each alternative solution will be prepared. The next step is to approach the management along with other employees from production and maintenance department with a report that explains the problem, associated cost of alternatives and future cost of company in case the problem is overlooked (Ho 583-593). It is important to note that payment of $5000 to buyers for placing the product on his selves is firstly a wrong approach as this will open an avenue for the buyer to repeat such claims in future. Secondly, the practice of bribing for business expansion purpose in the United States is illegal under the anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, 1977. The company, being a reputed one operating in production of sustainable products, must consider sustainability and transparency in the transactions made as well. Paying the buyer will result in breach of the FCP act as well as code of corporate governance of the company. In addition, it will also imply that the company is not sufficiently confident about its products and prefers buying shelf area from retailer. After considering all these factors, as a responsible employee of Green Move, I would not recommend payment of the special fee to particular buyer as the move is unethical and illegal (â€Å"Foreign Corrupt Pr actices Act of 1977†). For any product, it is important

Murder Trial and Murder Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Murder Trial and Murder - Case Study Example The Circumstantial evidence that could be deduced was that of Massachusetts State Police chemist Deanna Dygan who in her testimony in the superior court held up the floral underpants of the Rachel stated that blood samples and sperm cells were found in the crotch area. However seminal fluid could not be tested positive. Further, the shirt of Rachel which was covered with blood was found to have sperm cells and three holes out of which two had tested positive to lead which is present due to a gunshot. Finally, it was found that the death of the infant had been caused due to a contact shot. The circumstantial evidence which had been put forward by Dylan was said to be inconclusive and thus was of not much help. The objectivity of the investigation was put into question by the lawyer of Elliot Weinstein who put in the relevant evidence that is if prior to or during the investigation Dylan had put in Entwistle’s name in the suspect box on crime scene sheet. Dylan stated in the affirmative on which Elliot stated that this had affected the investigation procedure. Further, he argued that the bullet wound had not been found at the crime scene and had been found during the autopsy, a vital element not noticed during the investigation of the crime scene. Finally when Weinstein asked if the bullet trajectory had been carried out which was answered in the negative by Dylan. The relevant evidence which had been established in the specific case led to the establishment of the fact that Dylan had been led to believe that Neil Entwistle the possible suspect was the culprit. and so a biased opinion had been possibly established by the chemist. The direct evidence that was provided was that by Drugan, the senior chemist in the state police crime lab's arson and explosives unit who stated that the residue of gun primer was found only on the hands of Rachel. He went on to say that quite a few items of the BMW had been tested at the airport and it was deduced that neither the steering wheel, keys and a shirt had all been found to be negative when the tests for the gun primer had been carried out. Further eleven knives had been tested for the knife block but all came negative. The direct evidence that had been provided for by Drugan was in itself a bit inconclusive which led to a stronger case being established for the possible suspect. Further the items that had been tested had strengthened the case of the husband of Rachel. The testimonial evidence was provided by Trooper Stephen Walsh who is a member of the fire arms identification unit. He provided that he had tested a bullet which had been removed from the body of the victim Rachel's chest and had further removed two fragments of bullets.

The Future Prospects Of Cloud Computing

The Future Prospects Of Cloud Computing Cloud computing involves delivering hosted services over the Internet. These services are divided into three types: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The name was inspired by the cloud symbol thats often used to represent the Internet in flow charts and diagrams. Cloud computing is used to describe both a platform and type of application. A cloud computing platform provisions, configures, reconfigures, and deprovisions servers as needed. Servers in the cloud can be physical or virtual machines. Cloud computing also describes applications that are accessible through the Internet. Anyone with a suitable Internet connection and a standard browser can access a cloud application. Characteristics of Cloud Figure 1: Cloud Structure Dynamic computing infrastructure Cloud computing demands a dynamic computing infrastructure. The foundation for the dynamic structure is a scalable, standardized, and secure physical infrastructure. There should be redundant levels to ensure high levels of availability, but mostly to extend as usage growth demands it, without requiring architectural rework. It must also be virtualized. These services require easy provisioning and de-provisioning via software automation. IT service-centric approach Cloud computing is IT service-centric. This is in contrast to system- or server- centric models. In most of the cases, users of the cloud would prefer to easily access a dedicated instance of an application or service. Service Centric approach enables user adoption and business agility, reducing costs or driving revenue. Self-service based usage model This model must provide an easy to use user interface that enables users to manage the service delivery lifecycle. The advantage of self service from the users perspective is empowerment and independence that yields significant business agility. One benefit often overlooked from the service providers perspective is that the more self service that can be delegated to users, the less administrative involvement is necessary. This saves both time and money. Minimally or self-managed platform In order for a service provider to efficiently provide a cloud for its clients, they must leverage a technology platform that is self managed. A provisioning engine for deploying services, recovering resources for high levels of reuse, mechanisms for scheduling and reserving resource capacity, and capabilities for configuring, managing, and reporting to ensure resources can be allocated, tools for controlling access to resources and policies. 2.5. Consumption-based billing Cloud computing is usage-driven and consumers pay for only the resources they use and therefore are charged or billed on a consumption-based model. Cloud computing must provide mechanisms to capture usage information that enables integration with billing systems. The value from a users perspective is the ability for them to pay only for the resources they use, helping them keep their costs down. From providers perspective, it allows them to track usage for charge back and billing purposes. Types of Clouds Figure 2: Cloud Types Public cloud Public cloud also referred to as external cloud describes cloud computing in the conventional sense. Here the resources are dynamically provisioned over the Internet, through web applications or web services, from an off-site third-party provider who shares resources and bills on a utility computing basis. Community cloud A community cloud can be established where many organizations have similar type of requirements and seek to share the infrastructure so as to realize some of the benefits of cloud computing. This option is comparatively expensive but offers a higher level of privacy, security and/or policy compliance. Example of community cloud includes Googles Gov Cloud. Hybrid cloud A hybrid cloud consisting of multiple internal and/or external providers is most common for enterprises. By combining numerous cloud services, users are able to ease and facilitate the transition to public cloud services. Another perspective on deploying a web application in the cloud is using Hybrid Hosting, where the hosting is a mix between Cloud Hosting for the web server, and Managed dedicated server for the database server. Private cloud For private cloud, implementing the cloud is controlled completely by the enterprise. They are hence also referred to as internal clouds. Private clouds are implemented in the companys data center and managed by internal resources. A private cloud maintains all corporate data in resources under the control of the legal umbrella of the organization. Architecture of Cloud Computing The architecture of cloud computing is rooted in hardware and software infrastructures that enable scaling and virtualization. Many data centers deploy these capabilities today. Figure 3: Cloud Architecture Virtualized Infrastructure Virtualization ensures that applications or business services are not directly dependent on the underlying hardware infrastructure such as storage, servers, or networks. This allows business services to move dynamically in a very efficient manner, based upon predefined policies. Virtualized Applications This component helps the application to decouple itself from the underlying operating system, storage, hardware, and network to enable flexibility in deployment. Virtualized Application servers can take advantage of grid computing along with SOA and ensures scalability to meet the business requirements. Development tools Development tools can facilitate clouds distributed computing capabilities. These tools not only facilitate service orchestration but also enable business processes to be developed that can leverage the parallel processing capabilities. The development tools must support dynamic provisioning. Enterprise Management Enterprise management provides the top-down, end-to-end management of the virtualized infrastructure. The enterprise management layer handles the full lifecycle of virtualized resources. Security and Identity Management Clouds must make use of a security infrastructure and unified identity to enable flexible provisioning. As clouds provision resources external to the enterprises legal boundaries, it becomes absolutely necessary to implement an Information Asset Management system to provide the requisite controls to meet compliance requirements. Current Benefits of Cloud Computing Decoupling and separation of business from infrastructure Elastic nature of the infrastructure to rapidly allocate and de-allocate massively scalable resources on a demand basis Reduced costs due to operational efficiencies Cloud makes it possible to launch Web 2.0 applications scale up applications as much as needed when needed supports traditional Javaà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ and Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP (LAMP) stack-based applications as well as new architectures such as MapReduce and the Google File System, which provide a means to scale applications across thousands of servers instantly Business Problem The main issues related to cloud computing in current situation revolves around: How does cloud computing alter the business model of ITeS? What are the economic and technical aspects of cloud implementation? How cloud computing will affect business? What are the potential drivers and barriers in cloud computing? Cloud computing can help users avoid capital expenditure (CapEx) on hardware, software, and services when they pay a provider only for what they use. Consumption is billed similar to a utility (like electricity) or subscription (like a newspaper) basis with little or no upfront cost. Another advantage of this time sharing style approach is low barrier to entry, shared infrastructure and costs, low management overhead, and immediate access to a broad range of applications. Users can generally terminate the contract at any time and the services are often covered by SLAs with financial penalties. Other factors impacting the scale of any cost savings include the efficiency of a companys data center as compared to the cloud vendors, the companys existing operating costs, and the type of functionality being hosted in the cloud. Existing Scenario The Existing Cloud Computing Adoption Model The existing cloud computing adoption by enterprise is modelled on Capability Maturity Model (CMM). The Cloud Computing Adoption Model proposes five steps: Level 1: Virtualization as the Cloud adoption employs application virtualization technology for shared server infrastructure and seamless portability. Level 2: Cloud Experimentation since Virtualization occurs internally or externally, based on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) to compute capacity and as a result of the reference architecture. Level 3: Cloud Foundations occurring due to procedures, policies, Governance, controls, and best practices begin to form around the deployment and development of cloud applications. These efforts always focus on non-mission critical, internal applications. Level 4: Cloud Advancement. Government foundations allow organizations to scale up the volume of cloud applications through broad-based deployments in the cloud. Level 5: Cloud Actualization as the Applications are distributed based on proximity to user, cloud capacity, cost. This Model outlines the readiness criteria, expected returns, risk factors, strategic goals, key investment requirements for graduating to the next step. Cloud Computing Alters ITeS Business Models The conventional value chain for IT services, extending from design, development, maintenance and support of IT infrastructures to the maintenance of the application and ITC landscape, is changing as a result of cloud computing concepts. The existing ITeS Business model as shown below is altered due to the impact of cloud computing and is explained below: Figure 4: ITeS Business Model Infrastructure Core Capabilities: The core capabilities required to deliver cloud services to the customers can be classified into 3 segments. These are: Service management and provisioning: This segment consists of Operations management, Service Provisioning, SLA management, Utilization Monitoring, Backup, Data Management. Security and Data Privacy: This segment consists of Authentication and Authorization, Data Network Security, Data Privacy, Auditing and Accounting Data Center Facilities: Under this part comes the Routers/Firewalls, LAN/WAN, Internet Access, Hosting Centers. Partners: If companies want SAAS to live up to its potential in a community-focused business model-centralizing communication, collaboration and business synchronicity across multiple, diverse companies-they need to augment technology implementation with a fresh approach to partner management. Key Processes: Cloud Services currently offers various services like Test and Development, Internet application Hosting, Disaster Recovery, File Storage, On-demand Storage, utility Computing, SaaS Applications, Log processing, Batch Computing, Jobs, Application Development. Offering Value Proposition: There are certain compelling benefits that the customers receive from Cloud Computing. These are: Reduce Cost: Reduction in total cost of ownership by optimally using the hardware and Software licenses Agility: The infrastructure can be provisioned quickly Global Scale: Massively scalable engines allow building highly scalable services for consumers Customers Customer Segments: The main target segment for the cloud services are the big enterprises, medium enterprises, small enterprises, independent software vendors, developers, etc. Customer Requirements: The main things that the customers require from cloud service providers are easy to use console, reliability, security, flexibility, low cost, green IT, etc. Finances Cost Structure: Cloud computing builds on established trends for driving the cost out of the delivery of services while increasing the speed and agility with which services are deployed. The cost of these environments is minimal because they can coexist on the same servers as production environments because they use few resources. Revenue: Cloud computing enables a shift in IT provision from direct purchase and payment for services to provision of services which are free at point of use and where revenue is derived from advertising. The largest component of the overall cloud services market is cloud-based advertising. Profit: Thus with reduction of cost in a great extent and a shift of revenue model to the advertisements, the profit for the Cloud Services is expected to be quite bright. The maturity model structure helps to classify and compare Cloud computing offerings Figure 5: Cloud Computing Maturity Model For Software as a Service (SaaS), there are business models based on pure SaaS solutions, with independent architectures. The Internet browser plays a key part and becomes part of the SaaS applications and acts as the user interface. A SaaS provider manages an application in their proprietary data center and makes it available to multiple users over the Web. Oracle CRM On Demand, Salesforce.com, and Netsuite are some of the well known SaaS examples For Platform as a Service (PaaS), the largest variant involves extensive middleware components. This platform comprises of infrastructure software, and typically includes a database, middleware and development tools. Creation of full-service platform solutions means that independent software vendors (ISVs) and IT departments of system integrators can develop and deliver applications online using third-party infrastructure services. For example, Google AppEngine is a PaaS offering where developers write in Python or Java. EngineYard is Ruby on Rails. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) business model comprises three different types: public, private and hybrid cloud models. It is the evolution of conventional hosting that doesnt need any commitment and at the same time ensures the users to the provision of resources on demand. Amazon Web Services Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Secure Storage Service (S3) are examples of IaaS offerings Economic Aspects of Cloud Implementation Due to recessionary impact as the demand for cost optimisation rises high, cloud computing is emerging as an option for large and small players, seemingly to the benefit of consulting companies in that domain. Cloud computing offers virtualized resources as a service over the internet, incorporating infrastructure, software and platform as services, without a user having to bear large costs by way of acquiring expensive assets in any of the three. It reduces capex into opex and enables computing at a fraction of the investment required to buy all the hardware and software. Technical Aspects of Cloud Implementation The three most important technical aspects of the cloud three items of the Cloud: 1) infinite computing resources 2) elimination of an up-front commitment and 3) pay for use of computing resources on a short-term basis as needed. The other important aspects are discusses below Server Compute Capacity The most important reason for leveraging cloud capabilities is to quickly gain access to hundreds or thousands of computers for compute capacity as and when required. Use of the cloud can be up to 90% faster than using servers in data centers. It is ideal for seasonal business load and traffic spikes. Storage Capacity There is so much structured and unstructured data on Enterprise storage servers that managing it requires a major cost. As building compute capacity in the Enterprise has become expensive, so has the building of storage capacity. The use of cloud computing for storage capacity can be ideal, especially for spikes in usage. Network Access Cloud computing services are generally accessed and delivered through and over the web. Compared to a traditional model, the use of a public network rather than a private network is a big change. The inherent routing delivery advantages of TCP-IP that gets messages to their destination even when multiple paths are down can be applied through cloud computing. Multiple Locations A cloud provider with multiple locations for delivery, fail-over and back-up. The technical capabilities enables load to be easily transferred from one location to another. Easy to use Cloud computing can be used as programming and technical conventions are similar enough to those of conventional computing, and leading cloud computing platforms have open APIs. How Cloud Computing will Change business New generation of products and services Cloud computing allows innovative companies offer products that are significantly less costly due to reduced capex and new business models Lightweight form of real-time partnerships and outsourcing with IT suppliers Cloud computing will provide agility and control that traditional outsourcing providers cannot match for the most part. Awareness and leverage of the greater Internet applications and Web 2.0 in particular A reconciliation of traditional SOA with the cloud and other emerging IT models Web-Oriented Architecture fits very well with cloud technologies which are heavily Web-based and its a natural way of building SOA at every level of the organization. Rise of new industry leaders and IT vendors Well-funded new cloud startups will bring new technologies, new sensibility (radical openness and transparency, and Web-focus) thats often needed with cloud computing More self-service IT from the business-side SaaS will require increasingly less and less involvement from the IT department. More tolerance for innovation and experimentation With lesser and lesser economic and technological barriers creating new ways to improve the business, cloud computing will enable prototyping and market validation of new approaches much faster Drivers Barriers of Cloud Computing Customer Perspective: Drivers economics Faster, simpler, cheaper to use cloud apps No upfront capital required for servers and storage No ongoing operational expenses for running datacenter Applications can be accessed from anywhere, anytime Customer Perspective: Barriers Data Security Many customers dont wish to trust their data to the cloud Data must be locally retained for regulatory reasons Latency The cloud can be many milliseconds away Not suitable for real-time applications Application Availability Cannot switch from existing legacy applications Equivalent cloud applications do not exist Vendor Perspective: Drivers economics Easier for application vendors to reach new customers Lowest cost way of delivering and supporting applications Ability to use commodity server and storage hardware Ability to drive down data center operational cots Vendor Perspective: Barriers Service Level Agreements What if something goes wrong? What is the true cost of providing SLAs? Business Models SaaS/PaaS models are challenging Much lower upfront revenue Customer Lock-in Customers want open/standard APIs Need to continuously add value Risks Security Issues in Cloud Computing Currently many companies are considering moving applications to the cloud but still there is doubt about the security of third party services. There are following risks security issues involved with cloud computing: No ownership of Hardware Companies who want to audit the providers and do their own testing need to consider the fact that they dont own the hardware. Conducting a penetration test requires the permission of the cloud-service provider .Otherwise; the client is illegally hacking into the providers systems. While some SLAs such as Amazons specify that testing of their software running on the providers systems can be done but getting explicit permission is key. Need of Strong policies and user education Cloud computing provides companies numerous benefits, to allow access to data from anywhere and removing maintenance headaches from the IT staff, but the phishing attacks that hit workers at home could threaten the company. Thus there is need for training the employees for the proper use of benefits especially to non technical users Risk related to machine instances There is always a risk during the use of virtual machine from a provider; companies should never trust the system. Companies should create their own images for internal use, and protect themselves legally from potentially malicious third-party developers. Privileged user access Sensitive data processing brings with it an inherent risk, because outsourcing services bypass the physical, logical and personnel controls IT shops exert over in-house programs. So it is advisable to fetch as much information as you can about the people who manage your data. Regulatory compliance Customers are finally responsible for the integrity and security of own data, even if it is held by a service provider. Traditional service providers are subjected to external audits and security certifications. Cloud computing providers who do not undergo this scrutiny are indicating that clients can only use them for the most trivial functions. Risk related to Data location Data can be located at any location and one might not even know where it will be stored like the name of the country also. So it may not be clear, whether the provider is obeying the local privacy requirements. Risks with Encryption Schemes Data in the cloud is in a shared environment along with data from other customers. Encryption is effective but isnt panacea. It is important to find out what can be done to segregate data at rest .The cloud provider should provide proof that encryption standards were designed and validated by experienced specialists. Recovery Risk On the one hand user does not know the location of data while on the other hand he doesnt know what will happen to his data and service in case of a disaster. Any absence of disaster recovery or offering that does not replicate the data across multiple sites is potentially vulnerable to a complete failure. Recommendations Future Prospects Lower costs of market entry Application deployment, faster payback on development costs, and superior return on investment will drive cloud-based platform adoption for both entrepreneurial and enterprise developers. Internal Clouds Most IT organizations will opt for internal clouds. These are cloudy environments that are implemented within a companys own data centers. The case for this perspective is that before IT orgs reach out to external cloud providers, theyll want to get better use out of the equipment they already have. Providers that Understand their target audience Ride the new wave of Virtualization solutions Migrations, business process automations, BPM,consultancies Chose to be an IaaS Appropriate visibility, analytics, OS, storage, DR, compute power, security, on demand billing, Fully integrated Platform as a Service IaaS, ERP, Databases, XML files, flat files, web services, API availability, DNS Niche specialists -Mobile or VoIP platforms

Homeless Diary :: Papers

Mom and dad always seem to be fighting. They never stop and it's normally over something small and insignificant like what to watch on the television. It's really starting to make me depressed and getting me down. It's even starting to affect my schoolwork. Not once have they asked me how I feel about something, it's always well I don't want to do that or I do want do that never is it well Paul what do you want to do? My so-called mates aren't any use. They've just stopped coming to my house making the excuse that they don't feel comfortable about being there when my parents fight. Which you can't really blame them for, as I too would be uncomfortable in the same situation. Ashley is taking it harder than me, she just can't handle the arguing, but which kid her age could. She's only 9, how could they leave her locked in her room while they argued. I sometimes think that we would be better off if we left. I don't know where we would go but it's got to be better than where we are now. Maybe we could go and live with Aunt Jane, ok so she isn't all that better than our parents are now. But I'm sure she would stop drinking if she had to start looking after Ash and me. It's starting to get worse now they wont even talk to each other. They just both sit there and drink. They drink till the early hours if the morning. Then they don't get up for work early enough, and end up rushing. Then they take it out on us, so far it's only been verbally, I don't know what I would do if either of them laid a finger on Ashley. I would just loose it; I wouldn't be able to control myself. I love her too much for anything like that to happen to her. I'd rather die then have my baby sister beaten about like some sort of animal. I don't know what to do anymore, don't know how much longer I can keep