John Proctor †the fair and noble character Essay

The novel The Crucible by Arthur Miller is about witchcraft and the accusations of witches in Salem, Massachusetts. One of the main characters in the story, which happens in the spring of 1692, is John Proctor, a farmer in his middle thirties. He is married to Elizabeth Proctor. It is not directly said, but they have at least two sons and a servant named Marry Warren. Because Proctor seems to be very religious, he really loves his wife and he confesses his affair with Abigail Williams to Elizabeth; furthermore he later refuses to be with Abigail, this makes him a very fair man. First of all, the protagonist John Proctor seems to be religious, in view of the fact that when he is taken to jail he does not defend himself at all; he simply accepts that he did something wrong and he can live with that. This makes him religious, because he does not want to harm the Ten Commandments. He writes a confession that he has seen the devil and that he was the only one. He even signs this paper, but as soon as Deputy Governor Danforth asks Proctor to give the confession to him, Elizabeth’s husband refuses and tears it up. On the one hand he does that, because he thinks that his name cannot be taken away from him; on the other hand he knows that the paper does not tell the truth. He rather wants to be hanged than to live with the thought that he has lied to the church. This is a very strong and self-confident consideration. Another proof that John Proctor is fair can be seen in his former affair with Abigail Williams, the servant to the Perris-household. She was once in love with him, but they broke up because Proctor realized that he really could not afford to be in love with a girl while being married and having children; this makes him being fair to his wife as he does not want to hurt  her. Later when Abigail threatened to tell Elizabeth about their affair he wisely chose to tell the truth to his wife. He refused not to tell her earlier, because he did not want to hurt her. It is discovered in the last act that their relationship is so strong that she forgives him. Telling her about his affair so late is probably not the best solution, but it is certainly better than saying nothing, so that Elizabeth finds our on her own. A further indication that John Proctor is fair would be that he remains strictly faithful to his wife once he realized that having affairs while being in love with someone else is a bad conception. So when Abigail later comes to Proctor to ask him for continuing their relationship the protagonist refuses. He cannot do this to himself or to his wife. Otherwise he would commit adultery once more. Again, this makes him being fair to his wife. In conclusion one can say that the character John Proctor is a quite fair person. After he realizes some things–for example, having an affair is not the best while being married–he tries to do the best for himself and the people around him. This includes no voluntarily contact with Abigail. They only talk when he tells her that he cannot or does not want her anymore. Finally he pays with his life for committing adultery. This action is one of the most expressive acts in the whole play. John Proctor is a good and noble man and because of this he believes that he can’t be hanged and die a martyr when he has this sin blooming over him every waking moment.

Mass Communication History Essay

Mass communication is the study of how we get information to the greatest number of people as quickly and effectively as possible. This broad-based area of study has evolved from print and broadcast journalism to today’s Internet-connected social media community. As opportunities to communicate to larger audiences grew, universities started offering programs to help students learn how to best communicate with the masses. Basic to the study of mass communications is examining the important and memorable events that emerged along the way Communication to an Immediate Audience People and societies have been communicating with each other since the time of cave drawings and drums. Ancient cultures, such as the Chinese and Romans, communicated through plays and art works. The beginnings of print media were seen in China where movable clay type was invented in 1041. Monks and holy men copied the Bible by hand, but mass media really took off around 1439 whenJohannes Gutenberg‘s invention of movable type allowed the mass production and distribution of books. Although newspapers began in the early 1600s, many American colonists still relied on the town crier as their sole source of information. Communication Spreads to the Masses Digital History focuses on the period from 1880 -1920 as leading the rise of mass communication, with the introduction of the mass market newspapers featuring comic strips, fashion pages, sports news, and women’s pages. National mass circulation magazines, such as Ladies’ Home Journal, also began to appear at that time. Frank Doubleday started organizing book tours to make and promote bestsellers. Thomas Edison introduced us to the wonders of music with his phonograph. Advertising became popular in the late 1800s when the National Biscuit Company, which later became Nabisco, spent the unheard-of sum of one million dollars on a national advertising campaign. Others (like Campbell Soups, Heinz, and Quaker Oats) quickly followed suit in communicating their products’ benefits to the buying public. At the same time, schools of higher learning were beginning to realize that they needed to instruct students on these communication techniques. Although known more for its business degrees, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania offered the first communications courses in 1893. The University opened an official school of communications 60 years later. However, Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio is distinctly known for having the first communications program. Their program, which was founded in 1906, began awarding degrees in 1909. A Rapid Rise Communication programs at schools first focused on writing, publishing, and newspaper journalism. As photography, radio, and movies became part of the mainstream media, universities had to work hard to bring their programs up to date. In 1903, the movie The Great Train Robbery began to show the ability of the motion picture to tell a story. Marconi introduced wireless communications in 1895, which lead to commercial radio broadcasting in 1920 and television broadcasts in 1939. By 1922, movies had become so popular that they sold up to 40 million tickets a week. Walt Disney himself said, â€Å"Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language.† The first doctoral degree in mass communication was conveyed by the University of Iowa’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 1948. After World War II, class offerings in mass communication started growing dramatically as students looked for information on communicating through media such as magazines, radio, and television. A Bold New World of Mass Communication In the digital age, the possibilities for mass communication are growing even larger. Since the first commercial communication satellite was launched in 1960, communication possibilities have expanded to include Internet, social media, blogs, RSS feeds, podcasts, online video, and mobile media. In the 1990s, schools started offering courses in online communications. In 2007, Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication introduced a digital newsroom to train the news reporters of the future. A degree in mass communication can take you in many directions—business, advertising, acting, journalism, public relations, government, and international relations—and into the future. But you have to take the first step and start by getting solid fundamentals offered in advanced degree programs. Examples of Major Corporations Deploying Mass Media Strategies Mass Media Strategies Make a Marketing Difference The study of mass communication can lead you in many exciting career  directions—politics, corporate marketing, charitable work, and more. Many organizations effectively utilize mass media strategies to get their message out to their target audiences. Savvy politicians are using social mass media strategies to reach today’s highly-connected generation of voters. Some mass media strategists are now using their knowledge and abilities to fight for change and equality in the world. The following examples highlight where a degree in mass communication could take you. Ford Fuses Mass Media Strategies to Sell the Fusion When Ford Motor Company introduced its new Ford Fusion in 2005, the manufacturer wanted to move from its traditional Taurus-driving family appeal to attracting younger, hipper drivers. The â€Å"Life in Drive† mass media strategy fused traditional television advertising with an online â€Å"Photo Fusion† interactive component to build awareness. The campaign helped Ford sell more than 23,000 Fusions in just three months and motivated the company to increase production quantities to meet demand. Olympus Uses Mass Media Strategies to Climb to the Top Olympus Imaging used an innovative â€Å"augmented reality† campaign to motivate prospective customers to try out a simulated version of their new portable digital camera. They relied on a mass media strategy to drive consumers to a website for an interactive tutorial and simulated product â€Å"test drive.† Olympus quickly managed to get a version of their product into the hands of over 50,000 potential buyers without ever asking them to walk into a store. In addition, a contest which motivated enthusiastic visitors to share their experience through social networks spread the news even further. Green Mass Media Strategies Help Book Authors See Green Results Similar to the results that can be seen in product marketing, a mass media strategy can also be effective in book marketing. When Shel Horowitz, a green marketing consultant, and his co-author, Jay Conrad, wanted to promote their book, Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green, they combined traditional media, social marketing, and green guerilla marketing elements to achieve success. The book was published in January 2010; three months later it was number one on Amazon’s environmental list. Using Social Mass Media Strategies to Become President Perhaps the best example of using today’s social mass media outlets to raise money, generate awareness, and build momentum is the Barack Obama Campaign for president in 2008. Through his campaign’s unprecedented use of social mass media, over 30 million dollars was raised by thousands of individuals and groups that were motivated to work on his behalf. Voters can count on seeing more of this effective use of mass media strategies in the 2012 presidential election campaign as traditional media costs soar and it becomes more difficult than ever before to reach a targeted voting audience. Using Mass Media Strategies to Effect Positive Change in the World Mass media strategies can also play a part in developing global strategic communications. The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women has effectively used a combination of community mobilization, outreach, and mass media to provide education, reduce violence, and develop initiatives to promote gender equality in developing countries around the world. In the United States, the Family Violence Prevention Fund used a mass media public service announcements strategy to promote the availability of a â€Å"Coaching Boys into Men† program that provided sports coaches with a â€Å"playbook† on how to talk to their teams about domestic violence. As more mass media opportunities are becoming available to promote products, services, and ideas, more mass media marketers will be needed to help develop and direct these campaigns. You can start building your knowledge and insight into the world of mass media with an online degree in mass communication. This program can give you an understanding of the various mass media strategies that are av ailable today and provide you with knowledge to help you make informed decisions in a world where mass integrated communication can make a massive difference.

Key Message & Insights to be Gleaned from Babel, the Movie

The two-fold message of Babel, a film by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, is human frailty and interconnectedness of lives. Most individuals tend to think that their actions are inconsequential, and often take people like family — along with other good things happening to them — for granted. In the least expected ways, people’s lives are intertwined. Usually, though, as a culture communicates itself to others, barriers arise, impeding a real connection.The film likewise depicts that there are times when people behave irrationally, which may be part of human nature, and there will always be a point in time when people will experience Murphy’s Law, commonly understood as `Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way. ’ In such instances, people may be weighed down by misfortunes or tragedy, but in those instances, there are those who cling to each other for support.Notwithstanding the trauma, individuals m ade up of sterner stuff rise to the challenge. Most people, in the end, also own up to their mistakes and take responsibility for their actions as well as for their closest of kin or alliances. Human beings are not infallible, and may sometimes have little control over circumstances unfolding in their lives.Just as the Biblical meaning of the film’s title connotes (the Tower of Babel is referred to as a grandiose structure built by Noah’s descendants for their own glory, but divine intervention muddled up their tongue and they failed to understand one another's speech, and ended up scattered across lands), Babel, the movie, features four interlocking stories where the characters experience some communicative barrier along with a sense of alienation from the rest of humanity, and are pushed to the edge.Every obstacle that the characters encounter, however, is presented as an opportunity to improve on the human condition. As such, Babel showcases how the human spirit can prevail over critical challenges or life-changing hurdles. Hope as a universal thing is clearly expressed. On the other hand, chaos as a constant element in the world is also highlighted. The presence of a gun throughout the movie’s main plot and subplots shows how a shot can create a ripple effect, trigger untold pain, and change the lives of its victims forever.It appears more like a symbolism of how guns can be misused. As each of the movie’s central characters embark on a journey of scars — in a remote setting in Morocco with its grazing lands and desolate tracts, and in another part of the world, Tokyo, with its resplendent yet lonely megalopolis — they see their lives unraveling, yet are unaware of the common thread running through them.In essence, human frailty and disillusionment are exemplified by Babel’s central characters — a couple traveling in Morocco in order to emotionally reconnect; a Mexican nanny who brings their children across the US-Mexican border without the parents’ permission to attend her son’s wedding; a herdsman and his two young boys; and a teenage deaf- mute desperately seeking attention from her father and friends in Tokyo. As fate would have it, a rifle ends up in the possession of a local herdsman who delegates to his young sons the task of guarding the family’s herd from jackals.While playfully testing the rifle’s capacity, the younger son of the herdsman accidentally shoots the lady-tourist, seriously injuring her. The ensuing events find the traveling couple’s nanny facing arrest and deportation for her unauthorized action; and the teenage deaf-mute enduring a dreary existence as social outcast. All these tormented souls attempt to soothe the pain and isolation they encounter as they wrestle with misfortunes and upheavals.The parallel crises take place simultaneously, and as the families deal with their respective hurdles, they pay a high price â₠¬â€œ with their soul, dignity, freedom and life. Overall, it is a good movie that insightfully depicts the human condition and how people will go to great lengths to survive or find elusive happiness or meaning in an imperfect world where actions have impact on others. Reference Inarritu, A. G. (Producer/Director). (2006). Babel. US: Paramount Pictures Corporation.

Inventory Control Methods Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Inventory Control Methods - Research Paper Example In this context, the statistical techniques and the Information Technology (IT) are useful for exposing hidden information of the business. Statistics is the assortment of approaches, methods, and activities employed by any company to control the production, product quality, and service. Statistical Process Control (SPC) starts with product development where the elements of the product are determined to maintain the quality. Through SPC a company can observe the production in each phase. Several control charts let organizations to understand the status of any process and thus minimizes the rate of the defective product. Companies such as Ford, Ferrari, and BMW among others, focus strictly on product quality and control the processes of assembly line effectively (Lind, D. & Et. Al., â€Å"Statistical Techniques in Business and Economics†). ... & Et. Al., â€Å"Statistical Techniques in Business and Economics†). The practical example of Six Sigma in business is Wipro. It was the first Indian organization which had implemented Six Sigma in their business. With the help of Six Sigma, Wipro had successfully improved the business performance by understanding customers’ demand. The waste in production has been minimized significantly in Wipro and it has experienced 35% increase in productivity. The rate of failure has reduced to 1%. The rate of defective software products has also reduced to 5%. Six Sigma has brought undeniable accomplishment for Wipro with respect to customer satisfaction and development of internal performance (Sharma & Et. Al., â€Å"Six Sigma at Wipro Technologies: Thrust on Quality†). Several big organizations such as General Electric use Six Sigma technique to improve the quality and reduce unnecessary expenses. In business, statistics help organizations to make appropriate decisions. Organizations need to be very quick and precise and must understand the preference of customers. Statistics can help to plan according to consumers’ preferences. Through statistical technique, the quality of any product or service can be evaluated more effectively. Based on the statistical data, an organization can decide which item it is going to sell and in what amount. Majority of activities in an organization depend on information generated by statistics. Thus, based on the statistical data, an organization can take decisions regarding product, investment, and marketing (Amazone, â€Å"Importance of Statistics in Different Fields†). Statistics is also vital for economics.     

Are VLEs being used successfully in Secondary Schools within London Essay

Are VLEs being used successfully in Secondary Schools within London - Essay Example As with all other systems implemented within schools without any real time trial and tested period, the VLE might be open to harsh criticisms. An article by Becta (2003) defines Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) as â€Å"a standardised, computer-based environment that supports the delivery of web-based learning and facilitates on-line interaction between students and teachers.† It also goes on to state that parents, teachers and learners can access this web based system from any internet connection. This means that having access to a secure site will facilitate the delivery of course materials and enhance activities such as on-line interactions between students and tutors, uploading and downloading resources, on-line tracking and assessment of students’ progress. However, for these features to be possible, all teachers, parents and students would have to be computer literate and this will obviously require appropriate training, which is bound to be time consuming. Research shows that VLEs can be a fantastic tool for learning. However institutions will have to outline appropriate principles and practices and protocols to govern transfer of data as well has bring about a willingness to culturally change the way how teachers deliver lessons and the pace at which learners learn (O’Hagan, 1995). According to a survey conducted by Tom Browne and Martin Jenkins for the Universities’ and Colleges Information Systems Association (UCISA) computing and information systems would be under significant pressures and thus centralisation would be essential for the use, implementation and technical support of virtual learning environments, as well as a cultural change in the attitude towards teaching and learning on the part of staff and students. It was found that most institutions are using VLEs for different purposes while others were uncertain in deciding which is best for the main purpose of the individual institution’s faculties and departments (Browne and

Liquidity Ratios Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Liquidity Ratios - Assignment Example High existing and acid test ratios would mean that funds have without cause increased and are not being profitably used. Similarly, a strangely high rate of record earnings may show that a firm is losing profits, deteriorating to maintain an sufficient level of record to serve the customer’s needs. Rapid proceeds from debtors may show severe credit policies that hold proceeds below levels that could be obtained by granting more liberal firms (Khan & Jan, 2007). While determining the short term level of the organization by the creditors, it should be documented that the administration may be tempted to get involved in window dressing just prior to financial statements preparation so as to the present financial position better than what it actually is. For instance, by putting off purchases, allowing records to go down below the ordinary levels, using all existing cash to reimburse present liabilities, and increasing the compilation of funds from debtors, the existing and acid t est ratios, and debtor turnover ratios may be unnaturally enhanced, even when no purposeful effort has been made to present a good picture (Khan & Jan, 2007). Capital Structure Ratios Financial ratios are referred to as capital structure ratios. Creditors who take longer time to recover their credit would censor the capability of a firm on the foundation of the lasting financial power in terms of its capacity to pay the interests frequently as well as pay back the principal on due dates, or in one sum at the point of maturity. Capital structure ratios can also be referred to as financial ratios which open up the long-term solvency of a firm as shown in its capability to guarantee the long-term lenders with respect to intermittent payment of interest during the duration of the loan and reimbursement of the principal upon maturity, or in predetermined installments on established dates (Brag, 2012). There are thus two versions of the long term solvency of a business. The first version is the capability to reimburse the principal when due while the second aspect involves the ability to undertake regular payment of the interests. For that reason, there are two dissimilar, but equally dependent and interconnected, kinds of capital structure costs. First, there are ratios which are based on the connection between rented funds and the owner’s capital. These ratios are calculated from the balance sheet, and have several variations such as debt equity ratio, debt asset ratios, and equity assets ratios. The second type of capital structure ratios, commonly called coverage ratios, are computed from the profit and loss accounts. Included in this category are interest coverage ratio, dividend coverage ratio, total fixed charges coverage ratio, cash flow coverage ratio and debt services coverage ratio (Brag, 2012). Increasing Activity Ratios but Declining Profitability As revenues are squeezed across the health care trade, providers and health plans that formerly avoi ded the Medicaid market have collaborated up to fight for medical patients. In the early 1990s, there was a sharp growth in contribution in the Medicaid market - a growth that included all segments of the market and all forms of ownership status and profit. Efforts to expand choice for Medicaid beneficiaries through commercial administrated care plans have recently encountered some problems. Since 1997, commercial plans exited the Medicaid market in much greater numbers than in earlier years and entered new Medicaid market less

Individual Business report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Individual Business report - Essay Example Section Three: Conclusions &  Recommendations  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..9 3.1 Recommendations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.9 3.2 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 4. Section Four: Bibliography  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.11 1. Section One: Introductory Context Introduction 1.1. Terms of Reference The aim of this research paper is to determine what motivational theories can be applied to the employee base of Costlie Cosmetics Ltd in order to successfully improve their internal motivation leve ls. The problem at Costlie Cosmetics Ltd originated when some employees were laid off and the rest had to accommodate the extra work load while maintaining the same efficiency levels and without receiving additional compensation for that work load. The Chief Executive operated a centralized, autocratic organization where employee interaction was discouraged and they were afraid to even speak up about their grievances. Without additional compensation, resentment began to grow in the employees and their motivation levels fell. This adversely affected their service and product quality. As has been documented by previous research this had an overall dampening effect on the company and its performance and image in the market due to which it lost some business from some customers and attracted negative reaction and dissatisfaction from other customers. This paper thus looks at how the Human Resource function needs to be managed within an organization and how critical it is to the organiza tion’s final performance. It also looks at several theories of motivation and uses them to explain how the situation at Costlie Cosmetics Ltd can be rectified. This also encompasses a discussion of the current organizational structure and how it was posing a hindrance to the development of the employees and the organization as a whole. Further, it looks at how an organization should be structured to function more efficiently and eliminate many of the problems that Costlie Cosmetics Ltd was facing. Building upon previous secondary research on the topic, this paper looks at the possible ways that motivation levels among the employees of Costlie Cosmetics Ltd can be boosted so the company can get back on track. 1.2. Objectives The objectives of this research paper are to outline a plan of action that can be adopted to improve employee motivation at Costlie Cosmetics Ltd so that the performance of the company can be improved to match past splendor. 1.3. Research Method This paper uses secondary research previously published about motivational theories, organizational structure and Human Resource Management (HRM) to come up with a strategy to be implemented by Costlie Cosmetics Ltd in order to rectify its perilous condition. 1.4. Context The context for this research paper is provided by the pre-existing conditions of the business environment that Costlie Cosmetics Ltd was functioning in. A new competitor had deflated their market share dangerously and as a result they had lain off a lot of employees to

Does Christian Salvesen's sickness absence management policy meet its Essay

Does Christian Salvesen's sickness absence management policy meet its obligations under the DDA - Essay Example What makes matters worse is that the susceptibility of disabled workers to be inflicted with further physical damages is sometimes ignored, or simply taken for granted. Legislatures outlawing discrimination exist and are updated from time to time to cater to the varying degree of needs by workers, and yet incidences are still filed to various concerned agencies. Total elimination of disability discrimination has to start from at the onset of the employment process had been advocated beside strict implementation in the workplace. One celebrated case of disability discrimination is a case that has been filed and a success in Ireland sometime in the year 2001. An employed woman who had an epilepsy had been hired temporarily and had been performing well as substantiated by her supervisor for a computer plant. When the company decided to elevate her status to permanent, she went under a medical test and although she had declared her epilepsy in her application form, the doctor called the company's personnel officer to advise regarding her epilepsy, of which was ground for her dismissal. The argument had been that the company was supposed to have been obliged to carry out safety assessment identifying the extent of danger involved on the epileptic employee's tasks. The company should have then taken steps to overcome these dangers, if any. In fact, the doctor's call was used as sufficient ground for the employee's dismissal, and that the company did not even wait for the written medical report anymore which stated that the epilepsy was no problem except when there was a need for her to tackle heavy machinery. The company defended that the dismissal was due to the medical advice that stated all workers had to be able to do all tasks and that the claimant's job involved heavy machinery. Nevertheless, it admitted that the employee was dismissed because of her epilepsy. The Labour Court surmised that the worker was not obliged to work on heavy machinery all the time and it was possible that the company could have arranged ways for her not to use machinery at all. The company was obliged to consider providing the employee with reasonable facilities which could have overcome difficulties. The employer was fined IEP (ISO currency code for the Irish Punt) 15,000 awarded to the epileptic employee (EIRO, 2006). Another case of disability discrimination had been acted on an assistant bookkeeper who worked for 30 years for her employer. She already had two back surgeries during that time and her doctor advised she would need another. She applied for a leave which was granted and she soon spent the next days training another younger employee assigned to replace her temporarily. After her successful surgery and recovery period, she called on her manager regarding her plan to resume work. Instead, her manager said her services are no longer needed and even suggested she could resign voluntarily although there had been a plan to terminate her employment. When she refused to quit, she was terminated that same week for "poor performance." Nelson filed charge alleging that she was terminated because of her disability and her age. In response, the employer disputed the fired employee's claim of disability but only back problems, and that she

Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Biology - Essay Example Darwin observed that, in the preservation of favored individual and races, there is constantly recurrent struggle for existence. Consequently, more individuals are born than there is the warranty for survival. This determines the individuals going to die and those going to survive. This also determines the species to increase in number and species that would decrease in number and eventually become extinct. Also in face of competition, those individual species that are strong or have an advantage are more likely to have the subsequent offspring’s. Darwin theory of natural selection can be said to be confusing. The arguments based on this theory are actually confusing and sometimes misleading. Firstly, there is confusion on whether living forms have, or have no evolutionary origin. Secondly, Darwin suggestion that natural selection is the main factor of evolution may not be true. These two themes as found in Darwin book are confusing and above all misleading when discussed toge ther. Before Darwin work, most people believed in theory of creation. Darwin work on science changed this and is incompatible with creation theory. This led to most people to view scientist as atheist (Mille and Loon 130-142). Exam 3 (Q #2) Aristotle indeed is one of the ancient scientists. Aristotle work demonstrated scientific ideas, which proved worth at the time. However, not a modern biologist Aristotle fits in the description of a great biologist. This is obvious as he tries to explain various biological phenomenon using scientific ideas of the time. Aristotle work had many biological facts and he followed methods before jumping into conclusion. Aristotle stressed on importance of methods in scientific knowledge. Aristotle effort can be deduced from grouping of both plant and animal kingdom. Von Linne work still had the basis of Aristotle work. Therefore, Von Linne was also a true scientist based on description of living things. Species and genera are an important concept and a basis of biology. Linne ensured there was proper identification of plant and animal based in classification of both into genera and species. Binomial nomenclature used until today was Von Linne effort and therefore deserves full credit in science. Taxonomy is an important branch in biology and simplification of taxonomy by Von Linne was important to classification and identification of plant and animals. Lamarck contribution to evolution was also great. His work revolved around the theory of inheritance. LaMark idea on continuity of species was crucial to biological development. Species diversity was also part of Lamarck ideas as to development of species. Lamarck work though with discrepancies was a benefit to the naturalist on one important problem in the whole range of biological thought. These people would still be scientist today, the only limitations they had was lack of material and equipment that exist today. Exam 3 (Q #3) The sole purpose of science is to explain and desc ribe all what surrounds us. The aim of science is to unearth the mystery of the world and tries to give meaning to worldly things and occurrences. Science does not believe in ambiguity and claims there is a reason for something existence. Science does not believe in ignorance of nature and the natural world. Science give meaning to trend of the world and foretell what is likely to happen or take place in future. Science is also a source of hope to the world and helps in

Comparing Caste Systems Essay Example for Free

Comparing Caste Systems Essay Compare the caste system to other systems of social inequality devised by early and classical civilizations, including slavery. †¢ A Patriarchy is a society in which the role of men is placed above the role of women. -The post classical era had many patriarchal societies, because of the changes of the roles of men and women. -Patriarchal societies include: China, Egypt, Mesopotomia, and India. -In China, the men had public authority. But, during the Shang Dynasty, women started to gain some rights. -In Egypt, the men had the authority over the public. Egypt’s society was not as bad as some were, though. Women still had many rights. Example: Queen Hatshepsut. -In Mesopotamia, Hammurabi’s Law Code gave men a higher status than women. The men decided the jobs that each family member did and arranged the marriages. The women still had power and were able to influence the kings and people with important power. -In India, The Lawbook of Manu said that women should be treated with respect and honor. But, they were still controlled by either their fathers or husbands. Their main role in society was to have children and maintain the household. †¢ The Caste System was based on the ideals of Varnas that brought their patriarchal system of life to India. -The Caste System and Hinduism go hand in hand. -In this system, women were below men, but there were also groups. -Classes: Brahmin-priests and scholars Kshatriyas-warriors and ruling class Vaishayas-farmers and businessmen Shudras-servants Untouchables-not even represented -The class you were born in was the class you stayed in for your entire life. -The priests and warriors had a more unstable life than the workers and merchants did. -The Sutte went along with the ideals of the Caste System. It said that when a ruler died, his wife must die too. Also, as the views of women changed, it went better along with those new views. †¢ Religious Inequalities: -Priests were at a higher authority and standing in society, because their job was the most important. -Many religions used a social hierarchy to organize their community and hold people to a code of conduct and activity. -Examples: Hinduism, Confucianism, Mandate of Heaven, and Pharaohs. †¢ Political Inequalties: -Many classical societies developed inequalities due to political and/or governmental divisions of society. -Politics defined the roles and status of classical civilizations. -These were stemmed from the rise of a government and stratification based on government. -Social mobility existed, because one could improve their wealth or education. -More opposition, because people felt more repressed by the government. -Examples: Rome, Egypt, and Japan †¢ Slavery: -Slavery was not very popular during this time period; however it was used by the river based societies because they were agriculturally developed. -Slaves were used on farms, because farms required a lot of labor, and slaves were cheap or free. -Slaves had no freedom and had no respect. -Slaves were in the worst and lowest class. -Civilizations that used slavery were: Rome, Egypt, China, India (untouchables), and a small part of Africa. †¢ Economic Inequality: -Many classical societies used economic status as a means of placing people into classes. -Class distinction was based upon accumulation of wealth and monopoly on agricultural or specialized production. -Jobs were another form of societal groupings. -Examples: India, China, Egypt, Japan, and Mesopotamia

Patient Safety in Healthcare

Patient Safety in Healthcare Introduction and background Patient safety has always been the heart of healthcare practice and nursing through the history of medicine. However, all through the world occasional non-deliberate accidental harm occurs to patients looking for care. Such unfavourable incidents can occur at all levels of healthcare whether clinical or managerial, curative or preventive, and in general healthcare, or private. It may occur at any stage of management (radiology, laboratory, operating room, ward, or ICU). The WHO, at the meeting held on July 2006, in New Delhi, India, identified an adverse event as a separate unconnected incident associated with health care, which results in in-deliberate injury, illness, or death. Such incidents can be preventable as with contaminated injections. Published surveys on patient safety show that in industrialized advanced countries, more than half of these adverse events are preventable and occur because of a shortage in system or organization design or operation rather than because of poor performance of healthcare providing staff (WHO report, 2006). Harvard Medical Centre study in 1991 (after WHO report, 2006) was the first to draw the attention to the volume of patient safety problem. Based on medical records review, the rate of adverse event in three US medical centres ranged between 3.2 to 5.4 percent. In UK, the rate was 11.7 percent and in Denmark, the rate was 9 percent (WHO report, 2002). Results of recent studies suggest the rate is between 3.2 and 16.6 percent (per 100 hospital admissions). The situation in the less well-documented health care centres in the developing countries is more serious (WHO report, 2006). The cost of adverse events that endanger patient safety can be very high, considering all the aspects. It includes, loss of confidence and credibility and reputation of health care institutions, loss of enthusiasm and job gratification among the working staff. In addition, the cost includes damage to the patients and their relatives especially when taking defensive attitudes and keeping information hidden from patients families. Other added costs are those of prolonged hospital stay and increased medical expenses and those of lawsuit demands (WHO report, 2006). Objective The objective of this paper is to review, in brief, the problem of patient safety with particular attention to patient safety in the ICU being one of the essential patient care systems in a health care organization. Besides, the vulnerability of ICU patients augments the importance of patient safety concept. Methodology This thesis is a literature review study. The researcher performed an article search using the following internet databases: National Centre for Biotechnology – National Library of Medicine – National Institutes for Health (NCBI), at  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Medscape database, at  http://www.medscape.com Amedeo: The Medical Literature Guide, at  http://www.amedeo.com British Medical Journals, at  http://group.bml.com/products/journals World health organization – Publications, at  http://www.who.int/en/publications Yahoo and Google scholar general databases, site of .org, .gov and.edu only considered. Terms of search were patient safety, basics, and principles of patient safety, review of patient safety, patient safety in the ICU and the critically ill patient safety. Findings Patient safety event is a wide term; it does not only mean a medical error during the course of medical management and nursing. The Department of Health and Human Services, 2008, defined a patient safety event as an incident, which takes place during providing a health care service. It causes or may have caused a harmful outcome to the patient. It includes errors of not doing (omission) or errors of doing (commission), it also includes faults and mistakes of the patient care processes (involving drugs and equipments) or the environment where these processes are carried out. The phrase, one cannot manage what cannot be measured hold true for patient safety. One of the reasons of the lack of effective patient safety strategies is the need for a measurement tool to provide measures, consequently, reduce medical errors and improve patient safety. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) developed an array of Patient Safety Indicators planned to screen administrative data for events related to patient safety. This list of indicators includes 16 situations where a threat to patient safety may occur during the course of healthcare delivery. Using this measurement tool shows that patient safety incident of highest rates are failure to rescue, decubitus ulcers and postoperative wound infection (which is specifically increased by 35% during the period 2002-2006) (Health Grades Inc, 2006). Infection control: An important part of patient safety Bruke, 2006, has provided a comprehensive review of infection control as an important aspect in patient safety strategy. Based on many studies, hospital acquired infection; in this context, alternatively called health care associated infection, is one the most frequent risks for patient safety in patients admitted to hospitals. The answer to the question of why it is an important aspect for patient safety lies in the fact that 5-10 percent of patients admitted to acute care hospitals acquire one or more nosocomial infection. In the US, 2 million patients acquire hospital infection every year with 90.000 deaths. This adds a cost of 4.5 to 5.7 billion US $ to the health care cost (Bruke, 2006). There are four types of hospital-acquired infections, which account for 80% of the total rate. These are infection associated with urinary catheterization, blood borne infection (usually with vascular invasive procedures), surgical wounds infections, and pneumonia (usually associated with the use of ventilators). Therefore, it is understandable that 25 per cent of these infections occur in the ICU (Bruke, 2006). The increased awareness of patient safety resulted in reorganizing the concepts of infection control and placing it in the domain of public health with consequent increased surveillance and epidemiological studies. It is true that recognizing risk factors allows clarification of what is adjustable and what is not, however modification of some terms is advisable. Instead of saying avoiding the use of catheters, we should recommend reducing the duration of use of catheters. Many other terms as use antibiotics intelligently, and training and staff education are hazy and indistinct, accordingly, tricky to employ (Bruke, 2006). Nursing practice and patient safety The report of the Institute of Medicine, 2004 (after Armstrong and Laschinger, 2006) recognized nursing role as pivotal to patient safety. The report suggests the degree of activity of hospital nurses and the extent of giving them authority to take part in decisions, directly affects the quality and perception of patient safety. The results of Armstrong and Laschinger, 2006 supported this assumption; they recommended that nurses should enjoy better communication and participation in decision-making. The responsibility of nurse managers, at the unit level, is even greater. They take part to establish nursing practices, which support patient safety culture, they also sustain professional nursing practices, and they should listen carefully to nurses relevant affairs. If nursing managers achieve their direct responsibilities, then they work with others in the healthcare establishment to make the organizational process better as regards limiting the nurses competence towards better patient care. The result of Armstrong and Laschinger, 2006 suggested that nurse managers (nurse leaders) have the capability of developing patient safety in healthcare organizations. Medication management and patient safety Duthie and colleagues, 2004, analyzed the 108 reports submitted to the New York State Department of Health investigating the medical errors in New York State healthcare organizations. From quantitative viewpoint, their results suggested that nursing the first discipline to be involved in such errors and they provided the explanation that nurses are the end dispenser since they give the medications to patients directly. In addition, they showed that patients over 65 years are the most vulnerable to these errors, perhaps because of the increased number of medications prescribed at this age. From a qualitative viewpoint, they suggested that what may endanger patient safety is dispensing system malfunction, failure to rescue situations and working space limitations. They suggested the need to educational initiatives and pointing out possible dispensing system malfunctions. Adamski, 2005, suggested the following precautions to minimize medication errors: Monitoring how patients respond to medications as long as it is dispensed in the healthcare organization. Diagnosis and indication for a particular medication should be available in the patients progress notes, history or examination sheets. Clear order forms to dispense medications in order to ensure clear and mutual understanding among the prescribing physician, pharmacist, and thenurse who administers the medication. Davis and colleagues, 2006, examined the patient role in medication errors. They suggested that low literacy patients (up to 6th  grade level) are more liable to misunderstand medications label instructions. However, they suggested that lower reading and writing skills and high number of medications prescriptions link separately to misunderstanding of instructions on medications labels. Hospital design and device purchase in patient safety strategies Reiling, 2005, suggested that building a hospital (whether new or relocated) around the principles of patient safety would have two important impacts on return of investment. First, it combines safety and efficiency, second, it reduces the costs of adverse effect and hospital stay therefore; reduces the patients cost on discharge. To achieve a safety cantered hospital design, Reiling, 2005, suggested that architects, engineers, contractors, heads of departments and executive managers should participate in discussions around what they need. There is no specific design but contributions of the whole team from the perspectives of patient safety culture are mandatory. Johnson and colleagues, 2004, examined the patient safety in purchasing equipment. They analysed purchasing decisions taken at three different healthcare centres. Johnson and other, 2004, assumed there were points of strengths and others of weaknesses. The points of weaknesses draw the attention to the necessity of having guidelines to help healthcare providers to assess issues of patient safety when purchasing medical devices. Patient safety in the ICU There are many reasons that make the ICU a special unit to look at specifically as regards patient safety. Of these reason, the patients are critically ill, which renders them vulnerable to the adverse effect of medical errors. Second, the great effort performed by nurses and internists with sometimes exhaustive shift work, which may result in sleep deprivation and possibly lack of concentration. Third, the diverse use of equipment (ventilators, catheters, monitors etc) and the invasive procedures sometimes adopted (emergency tracheotomy, central venous pressure or arterial-venous cannulation) which add to the risk of hospital-acquired infection or increase the incidence of adverse effects (Rothschild and others, 2005). Rothschild and colleagues, 2005 conducted a one-year prospective observation study as a part of Harvard Hours and Health Study (2002-2003). They designed their study as a multidisciplinary epidemiological study to portray both frequency and types of adverse effects in the ICU. The result were informative, there were 120 adverse events reported (80.5 per 1000 patient-day). Of the patients who suffered adverse effects, 13.8% suffered one adverse effect, and there were 16 life-threatening adverse effects. The commonest were respiratory, infection, and cardiovascular system (19%, 15%, and 12% respectively). The incidence of serious medical errors was 149.7 per 1000 patient-day of which, 11% were life threatening. Incident discovery was by direct observation in 62% of the cases and the patients nurses discovered 36 % of the cases. In 74.8% of cases, errors occurred during the course of treatment or a procedure. An intern failure to wash hands after attending a patient formed 51% of sterility hazards related to procedures. Although their results cannot be applied to all ICU units, yet it draws the attention to how frequent and how serious patient safety can be compromised in ICU units. At the same time, their result show how results of treatment in the ICU would improve, despite the hard work, if teams stick to unit protocols and principle of patient safety (Rothschild and others, 2005). Kho and others, 2005, used the Safety Climate Survey (a tool approved by the Institute of Health Care Improvement) to measure patient safety in four ICU units, 56.9% of those responded to the survey were nurses. Based on their results, they assumed that Safety climate survey and Safety culture scales are reliable tools to measure patient safety in ICU. Chang and other, 2005, suggest that reform of patient safety in the ICU should start by establishing physician and nurse leadership, once this is achieved, carrying out patient safety protocols becomes a matter of team effort and commitment to the concept. Identifying a specific group of patients to start with (as an example, patients on ventilators), planning carefully the procedures, and opening a communication channel among the staff should reach the best results. Following evaluation of what progress made, the next move is for another group of patients. At the end, this should provide synchronization among the staff that makes decision making in shortage of time easier and provides better training and education to the newly coming staff. Obstacles facing the implementation of patient safety Cook and colleagues, 2000, considered the complexity of healthcare as an overwhelming obstacle to achieve desired patient safety levels. Technical work in healthcare needs appropriate and quick decision making, critical to the patients safety at times, moreover, it is risky by nature. It is true that health practitioners whether physicians, nurse, technicians or other staff are trying to cope with this complexity, however this complexity creates a disparity in healthcare practice and nursing (they called it gap). Cook and colleagues assumed the means of improving patient safety is by supporting practitioners ability to perceive and cross these disparities, rather than making changes in authority or different roles with possible division of professional work force. The search and detection of these disparities or gaps as a research goal should make the breakthrough in patient safety achievements. During this research pursuit, disparities indicate areas of weaknesses and susceptibility and may elicit the means complexity flows through health care systems to patients (Cook and colleagues, 2000). Amalberti and colleagues, 2005, identified five system barriers to even safer healthcare; the first is regulations, which significantly limit the risk allowed, thus, limiting maximum performance of healthcare givers. There is a real need for proper balance between the industrial notions to get a high productivity whatever it takes, and the concepts of patient safety culture. Doing that, researchers should take into consideration the economic troubles of the healthcare system and the spontaneous drive of productivity among healthcare workers. Second, other important issues need dealing with before or in conjunction with the issue of patient safety, an important example to these issues is the need for standardization of healthcare practice and nursing. Third, the core of healthcare work is synchronization among practitioners, therefore recommendations should stress on teamwork and opening communication channels among the healthcare staff, instead of trying to reach optimal performance of each organizational level separately. The fourth obstacle is the need for system-level mediation to improve patient safety planning. References WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia (2006). Working Paper: Promoting Patient Safety At Healthcare Institutions. Retrieved 28/04/2008, from WHO Secretariat report (2002). Quality of care: patient safety. Retrieved 30/04/2008, from Department of Health and Human Services. (2008). Patient Safety and Quality Improvement. Washington DC: Federal Register. Vol.73 (29): 8112-8183. Health Grades Inc. (2006). Third Annual Patient Safety in American Hospital Study. Golden, Colorado. Bruke, J. P. (2006). Infection Control A Problem for Patient Safety. The New England Journal of Medicine, 348 (7), 651-656. Armstrong. K J. and Laschinger H (2006). Structural Empowerment, Magnet Hospital Characteristics, and Patient Safety Culture: Making the Link. J Nurs Care Qual, 21 (2), 124-132. Duthie E, Favreau B, Ruperto A et al. (2004). Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Medication Errors: The New York Experience. Advances in Patient Safety, Vol. 1, 131-144. Adamski P (2005). Medication Management: A patient safety priority. Nurs Manag, 36 (10), 14. Davis T C. Wolf M S. Bass P F. et al (2006). Literacy and Misunderstanding Prescription Drug Labels. Annals of Internal Medicine, 145 (12), 887-894. Reiling J G. (2005). Creating a Culture of Patient Safety through Innovative Hospital Design. Advances in Patient Safety, Vol. 2, 425-439 Johnson T R., Zhang J., Patel V L. et al (2004). The Role of Patient Safety in the Device Purchasing Process. Advances in Patient Safety, Vol. 1, 341-352. Rothschild J M., Landrigan, C P., Cornin J W. et al (2005). The Critical Care Safety Study: The Incidence and Nature of Adverse Events and Serious Medical Errors in Intensive Care. Crit Care Med, 33 (8), 1694-1700. Kho M E, Carbone J M, Lucas J and Cook D J (2005). Safety Climate Survey: reliability of results from a multicenter ICU survey. Quality and Safety in Health Care, 14, 273-278. Chang, S.Y., Multz, A. S. and Hall, J. B (2005). Critical Care Organization. Critical Care Clinics. Vol. 21 (5), 43-53 Cook R I. Render M. and Woods D. D (2000). Gaps in the continuity of care and progress on patient safety. BMJ, 320 (7237), 791-794. Amalberti, A, Auroy, Y, Berwick, D and Barach, P (2005). Five System Barriers to Achieving Ultrasfe Health care. Annals of Internal Medicine. Vol. 142 (9), 756-764 Wilson, A R., Dowd, B E. and Kralweski, J E. (2005). Patient Safety Research in Medical Group Practices: Measurement and Data Challenges. Advances in Patient Safety, Vol. 2, 51-62 Woolf, S H. (2004). Patient Safety Is Not Enough: Targeting Quality Improvements To Optimize the Health of the Population. Ann Inter Med, Vol. 140, 33-36 Baxter, S K and Brumfitt, SM (2008). Benefits and Losses: a qualitative study exploring healthcare staff perception of teamworking. Quality and Safety in Health Care, Vol.17, 127-130 Pstay, B M. and Bruke, S P. (2006). Protecting the Health of the Public: Institute of Medicine Recommendations on Drug Safety. The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 355, 1753-1755

The Factors That Influence Taste Cultural Studies Essay

The Factors That Influence Taste Cultural Studies Essay What is taste. Taste is cultural phenomenon that is based on the choice in cultural method and reference. It is an ideology and not just purely aesthetic, even cultural social and political processes can create it. Taste and  consumption can be connected  together because the choices of consumers in the market are directly affected by the taste for certain types of products or clothing. The relationship between taste and consumption is however more complicated than a direct chain of events in which taste creates demand that, thus creates supply. Taste has been studied in many scientific fields, especially within the fields of psychology, economics and sociology. Gijs Bakker said that taste is an individual choice, which has nothing to do with good or bad taste. So what are the influences of taste? To explain such influences, I shall use high fashion as the backbone for discussion. What is haute couture? In French, Haute couture means High fashion. Haute means High or elegant and couture means dressmaking. But the term haute couture not only means high dressmaking or elegant dressmaking, the term Haute Couture represents and consists of exclusive business of designing, making, and selling custom handmade womens clothing (David Johnson, infoplease.com). Haute Couture is the top of the fashion market because the prestige commands the highest prices. Designers will use the expensive materials like Toile and definitely pay attention to the details to make high-quality dresses for their consumers. It is a time-consuming work because the dresses are usually hand-stitched. High fashion is always a pioneer on their design process and idea in the fashion industry. Nowadays, the examples of famous couture houses that are considered as high fashion are Valentino, Lacroix, Chanel, Balmain, Dior, Givenchy, Balenciaga, Lanvin and Yves Saint Laurent. The price of a simple blouse could cost from about  £10,000 to  £40,000. Sometimes the price would even get higher! For example, a Chanel suit that was sold in the year 2002 had cost  £20,000; also an evening frock cost  £50,000 in the mid 2004. Due to the craftsmanship, services, originality of the design and the finest quality of superb materials, it is very hard to accept the price by those people who cant afford it  (Pauline Weston Thomas, fashion-era.com). Nowadays there are only around 2,000 women are buys couture clothing in the world, 60 percent of them are Americans, and only 200 of them are regular customers. Designers will always loan clothes to celebrities or well known people for publicity. After World War II, it was the golden age of high fashion, there were around 15,000 women wearing couture. (David Johnson, infoplease.com). Although it was the golden age of high fashion, but yet the market was very small so that the designers had to be forced to use their p restige to help sell other products, such as cosmetics, perfume, and their ready-to-wear lines (David Johnson, infoplease.com). In this essay, I will argue that major economic and social changes have been important factors that influenced the taste in high fashion. World War II was one of the factors that had the greatest influence on haute couture in the 1940s. The war had brought many restrictions on it. During the war, the need for parachutes and other materials had caused the low supply in nylon fabric. Not only that, the Nazi forces also occupied the primary couture design center that is Paris during that time. This occupation had caused the couture houses to be unable to do business therefore many people were looking for new designers at other places instead of Paris. By 1947, the couture houses in Paris were still continuously dominating the high fashion industry after it had reopened. After the war, designers started using new fabrics. Women were encouraged to become homemakers after the war. They were moving out of the workplace, and the Western countries were also encouraged the feminine and ornate fashion. (www.ladyjojosboutique.wordpress.com) Dior stated that: War had passed out of sight, and there were no other wars on the horizon. What did the weight of my sumptuous materials, my heavy velvets and brocades matter? When hearts were light, mere fabrics could not weigh the body down. (Christian Dior, 1947) The short skirts and square shoulders (Fig. 1) were replaced by the Christian Diors New Look (Fig. 2). It included sweeping longer skirts, fitter waist and rounded shoulders. I wanted my dresses to be constructed, melded upon the curves of the feminine body, whose sweep they would stylize, stated by Christian Dior in his autobiography. Utility suithttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXEO9OOUCsUO7MRrD3KuEtQEsWFJbH5SRGMwqhSa-MimWP3wS_8zHuW9waJv4yTLXN9FEX0kLk8Z_trDZLUHT_sHXAo0KQETZPaK8d4Ds_c73UbcR1Bt757XTJaAdw9s0ECbdgh3UtOU/s320/fashion_1940s.jpg Fig. 1 The fashion during World War II http://trixiefantastic.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/theoldnewlook.jpg?w=600h=249 Fig. 2 The New Look Once the New Look had appeared, the designs of Dior were very  influential in the decade which refers to the silhouette of broad hips, small waists, and breasts pushed up and out rounded shoulders (Fig. 3) of the 50s style. Big day for fashion designers: Christian Dior (Jan. 21,  1905 1957), was an influential French fashion designer, who despite his short life did more than anyone to revive fashion after WW II with his modern New Lookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Photo: Suzy Parker in Christian Dior, 1952 http://adrianasassoon.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/christian-dior1.jpg?w=720 Fig. 3 The style of Dior of the 50s The emergence of Hippies culture in 1960s also influenced the design of high fashion. The Hippies rebelled against the established institutions and also criticized middle class values. The trend of Hippies look (Fig. 4) was popularized by mainly musicians, such as; Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger and the Beatles. http://www.asjcollection.com/current/graphics/pd361.jpgtalitha getty Fig. 4 Hippie looks As a youth movement, the ideology of Hippie started in the United States; it was a protest against a society that was increasingly becoming conformist and restrictive. Finding their own ways and their own meanings to life were the aims of the Hippies, which were focused on going back to nature and freedom. As cultural anthropologist and writer Margaret Mead said, Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world, indeed its the only thing that ever has. (Margaret Mead, 1964) The styles and cuts of the fabric of their clothing reflected their thoughts; even the fabrics were natural fibres like hemp and cotton. The Hippies used their clothes to express their individualism. The spirit of youthful exuberance inspired forward-thinking high fashion designer. They began designing mini-skirts and pantsuits because they saw the creative and financial potentials in the youth market. For example, the Safari jacket of Yves Saint Laurent (Fig. 5) from his Ri ve Gauche boutique. http://www.stylebizportal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/ysl-1.jpg Fig. 5 Yves Saint Laurent The Safari jacket 1967 During the 1980s there were great economic growth and prosperity. It was a period of wealth, excess and desire. Many women had entered the workforce and some have been moved to higher positions. The office clothings that women usually wore had made them feel uncomfortable, impractical and insufficient due to being in the business industry. This causes mens styles of clothing to become very popular among women. Women value unique products and brands that they can use to define their individuality. Females actively seek new styles and fashion trends to a larger extent than men. Women are more sensitive to clothing needs and possess a greater clothing awareness than men. (Adjei, Griffith Noble, 2006, p.177) The large shoulder pads and tailored suit pants were created stronger silhouette of women in their new success. One of the examples is Giorgio Armanis Power Suit (Fig. 6). As fashion editor for  Vogue,  Harpers Bazaar  and  The New York Times Magazine Carrie Donovan said that, Giorgio Armani was the first to float the idea. When the Milanese maestro of the tailored suit decided to soften his precise shapes a few seasons ago, he also began paying special attention to the blouses that accompanied them. Adding details like delicate collars or a bit of draping, and making the blouses from semi sheer silky fabrics, he started a trend that has bloomed into an American fashion statement. (http://garmentozine.com/tag/giorgio-armani/) Armanis suits were applauded by executive women in the 1980s as a method of casually asserting their status and talent, because of their high quality materials, beautiful tailoring, and comfortableness. Shoulder pads increased the sizes of shoulders. Bes ides that, they also wore the extend pants and tight skirts that waist and hips were trimmed in. These can help them to conceal their femininity and thus having the ability to defeat men in the business world. The term gender can be further developed with the terms gender identity and gender role attitudes. However, to simply measure sex cannot be a guarantee of capturing gender identity or gender role attitudes. Gender identity can be explained as to which degree a man or a woman identifies with masculine and feminine personality traits. Gender role attitudes refer to differences regarding the responsibilities, roles, and rights of men and women. (Fischer Arnold, 1994, p.163) http://garmentozine.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/armani1988.jpg?w=500 C:UsersUserDesktopVisual CultureDetail of collections 1980s KCI Digital Archives_files207_l_AC10191.jpg Fig. 6 Giorgio Armanis power suit In 2000s, natural disasters prompted human to accept that the earth was sick. So, the eco-friendly concept has been used in high fashion to improve the health of the environment. In the mid-late 2000s, recycled vintage clothing styles from 1940s to 1980s and also ethnical clothing such as fake furs were predominant in this decade. The fashion industry has the biggest support on the eco-friendly fashions. Designers started using the organic fabrics such as wool, organic cotton, soy silk and bamboo. (http://stylechicago.com) Linda Loudermilk was the pioneer of the green fashion movement. She merges the skills of high fashion and environment awareness with the materials made from sasawashi, bamboo, sea cell and soybeans. Linda Loudermilk urged that: Look for three-dimensional designs and fabric embellishments, unusual insets fashioned from vintage laces and trims transform frocks from classic to collectable. Venture beyond the plain and simple to luxury-eco artistic designs that usher i n a new era of environmentalism fresh from an artists palette of sophisticated styles. (Michael Lackman, 2005) Her fall 2007 collection Too Hot to Handle (Fig. 7) was a corn fibre volume coat with wood pulp leggings on the left and Japanese rice paper ice blue-falling floor length train coat on the right. It was inspired by icebergs, the rock stars of nature. Nature is the inspiration for Loudermilk. Her adroit design turns the funk into stylish punk and it all goes back to the nature. Her official websites claimed that: We aim to give eco glamour legs, a fabulous look and a slammings attitude that stops traffic and shouts the message: eco can be edgy, loud, fun, playful, feminine (or not) and hyper-cool. (http://www.lindaloudermilk.com) http://www.lasplash.com/uploads/1/linda_loudermilk-fall_2007-collection-4.jpg Fig. 7 Linda Loudermilk Fall 2007 Collection   In conclusion, high fashion is the sign of wealth and elegance. Major social and economic changes are important factors that influenced the design concepts and taste in high fashion. One of the best ways for designers to predict trends of high fashion is perhaps to understand the key events of a decade. Fashion reflects society. Fashion is always of the time in which you live. quoted by Coco Chanel. Some events will change the style of high fashion, but some will impact on the usage of materials in design. Similar to a piece of artwork, the designs of high fashion are the artistic expressions of designers. It represents the social symbol through its cultural connotations. I believe that high fashion will always be the pioneer in the fashion industry. (2115 words)

The Similarities Between Classical Music and Ellingtons Jazz Essay

One of the greatest tragedies in the 20th century can be seen in the debasing of the Jazz genre as a unworthy equal to it’s predecessor, European Classical music. This can be seen in various statements about Jazz, such as Boris Gibalin commit, â€Å"The â€Å"Jazz Mania† has taken on the character of a lingering illness and must be cured by means of forceful intervention.†1 This conflict can be traced through out the history of Jazz, as Classical composers have relatively disregarded this new type of music. Before Duke Ellington’s Cotton Club performances, Jazz play on the radio was delegated for late night audience only. This sub-culture treatment has led many critics to disregard the Jazz movement as a dance craze, or unsuccessful recreations of Classical pieces. This slandering of Jazz has not only created a false image of the music, but it has also lead to a full disconnection between the two genres. It is for this reason that I propose in my pap er to show the relationship between these two musical categories. My hopes in demonstrating these similarities is to disassemble the schism of ignorance built between the two, and place both Jazz and Classical music on equal footing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Critics of Jazz have always perpetuated this schism by utilizing the reasoning behind Jazz, that of it being a free form interpretation, to question the legitimacy of calling a Jazz leader a composer. For how can one be styled as a proper composer and still remain true to the Traditional Jazz concepts? The classic composer has at their disposal highly skilled musicians who are trained to work within professional bodies, such as a symphony orchestra or string quartet, and who then relies on the efficiency of these professionally trained bodies to interpret his scores as he sees fit. On the surface this appears to run contradictory to the Jazz composer whom, â€Å"Has to write for specific combinations which do not exist until he brings them into being, and to rely on highly individual executants whose personal style must be blended together to give expression to his own ideas without†¦losing their individuality†.2 Yet to interpret this blending of highl y individualistic sounds as proof of a schism between this and the rigidly structured Classical composer is a false impression. This fallacy can be attributed to overemphasizing the sporadic and improvisational aspects of Jazz and refusi... ...usical category. From Bach to Mozart, Beethoven and even Tchaikovsyky employed it as a stylistic feature in their pieces.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, one can see the shared characteristics of the two musical styles. Yet I find myself pressing again the reasoning for this paper, for I must submit that I am in no way declaring that Classical music equates Jazz. The two musical categories are different in numerous ways, but one must wonder does this difference justify the mistreatment of Jazz. Throughout history great innovations have been created not thought the passive means, but through the torrent fires of dissent. Classical music has born the scars of numerous dissenting musicians, all of who now stands as pinnacles of their craft. Yet now we have arrived at a time in which this reverent originality has become cause for scorn, and it is this debasement that I am addressing. By showing the similarities of the two genres, I had hoped in quenching this distaste for Jazz. This musical elitism that is being perpetuated can lead only to a disastrous finale for all who engage in it. Duke Ellington has it right when he stated, â€Å"There are only two types of music, good music and the rest.†18

The Downfall Of The Middle Ages :: essays research papers

The Downfall of the Middle Ages There were many reasons for the downfall for the Middle Ages, but the most crucial ones were the decline of the feudal system, and the declination of the Church's power over the nation-states. In feudal society, everyone had a definite place and a definite role, with the power resting in the hands of the local lords (instead of a central government). The lords, or nobles, lost power after the Crusades, when the Europeans came into contact with the more advanced civilizations of the Byzantine Empire and the Muslims. That spurred the growth of trade, which in turn gave rise to a money system. The money system in turn caused the birth of a middle class, which didn't fit anywhere into the feudal system. It was made up of the serfs and peasants that left the feudal system in search of making money in trade. For the middle class, the king granted Charters, made a uniform law, started banking, offered protection, and expanded territory. In return, the middle class payed taxes to the king. While t his money economy grew, the feudal lords were put into an economic squeeze. As one may see, that didn't leave much of a place for the nobles, who were rapidly losing power. Another thing that contributed to their loss of power was the enforcement of Common Law, which applied throughout the kingdom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The effects of the Hundred Years' War hastened the decline of the feudal system. The use of the longbow and firearms made the feudal methods of fighting obsolete. Monarchs replaced feudal soldiers with national armies made up of hired soldiers. Finally, threats to the monarchy decreased as a result of the large number of nobles killed in the war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another major factor that contributed to the end of the Middle Ages was the declination of the Church's power over the nation-states. Conflicts between the papacy and the monarchy over political matters resulted people losing faith in the Church. Events like the Babylonian Captivity and the Great Schism further weakened the Church's influence over the peole. Aside from that, people were disgusted at the actions of the corrupt church officials. They would charge the people money for all church services, and they also allowed church positions to be bought. The princely lifestyle of the clergy further eroded regard for the church. While some still believed that religion held all the answers, others were beginning to put faith into reason and science. The uncertainty of the existance of God made people question the Church. Perhaps one of the most vital blows to the Church was the printing of the Bible in the

Life of a teenage Girl Essay

For most teenage girls, music is just a part of every day life. Sure, they prefer certain bands and have their favorite songs, but in comparison to being a fan girl, that’s just a drop in the ocean. Super fans, better known as fan girls, devote themselves to books, television shows, movies, music, and celebrities all the time. Whether it’s purchasing the newest merchandise or attending the next concert, fan girls make it a mission to support their obsessions as much as possible. For me, it all started when a friend introduced me to the world’s most famous boy band, One Direction. What started out as a simple hobby soon became an obsession. My friends started following the band members on social media in the beginning. That quickly turned into purchasing albums, posters, notebooks, and even pillows that have their faces on them. They’re the first thing on our mind when we wake up, the last thought that comes to mind before bed, and nearly every thought in-between. Being a fan girl was never easy. Apart from the constant heartache that results from knowing you’ll never be with them, fan girls have to face many challenges. From school mates poking fun at us to family members disapproving, the whole experience can become quite difficult. â€Å"It can be a roller coaster of emotions,† a close friend once said. â€Å"It’s like the ruined my life in the best ways possible,† another once joked. Being a fan girl has a lot of positive impacts that overpower the negative ones. For starters, just seeing the face or hearing the voice of any One Direction member can instantly cheer me up and fill me with joy. You have the chance to experience true love at a young age without the painful drama of breakups and insults from the other person. The band members are always thanking you for your support and telling you how much they love and appreciate you. So, as you can see, being a fan girl has it’s ups and downs, but in the end, I couldn’t be happier that I am one.

The Services Directive Proposal

Of   course   the   fundamental   freedoms   set   out   in   the   Treaty   of   European   Union   are   central   to   the   success   and   functioning   of   the   EU   Internal   Market.Two   of   these   were   of   great   importance   for   the   Internal   Market:   freedom   of   establishment   (Article   43)   and   the   freedom   to   provide   cross   border   services   (Article   49).   While   the   former   provides   access   for   operators   to   practice   their   economical   activities   in   one   or   more   Member   States,   the   latter   enables   an   operator   providing   services   in   a   Member   State   to   do   the   same   in   another   Member   State   temporarily   without   being   obliged   to   get   established   there.[1]   Obviously   these   have   legal   implications.â€Å"This   means,   in   practice,   that   Member   States   must   modify   national   laws   that   restrict   freedom   of   establishment,   or   the   freedom   to   provide   services,   and   are   therefore   incompatible   with   these   principles.This   includes   not   only   discriminatory   national   rules,   but   also   any   national   rules   which   are   indistinctly   applicable   to   domestic   and   foreign   operators   but   which   hinder   or   render   less   attractive   the   exercise   of   these   â€Å"fundamental   freedoms†,   in   particular   if   they   result   in   delays   or   additional   costs.†Ã‚   [2]The   Internal   Market   has   effected   a   number   of   real   benefits   particularly   in   some   sectors   and   generally   in   providing   employment   and   freedom   of   movement   for   operators.â€Å"Overall,   the   Internal   Market   has   resulted   in   real   benefits.   For   instance,   in   the   10   years   since   the   completion   of   the   first   Single   Market   programme   in   1993,   at   least   2.5   million   extra   jobs   have   been   created   as   a   result   of   the   removal   of   barriers.The   increase   in   wealth   attributable   to   the   Internal   Market   in   those   10   years   is   nearly   â‚ ¬900   billion;   on   average   about   â‚ ¬6000   per   family   in   the   EU.   Competition   has   increased   as   companies   find   new   markets   abroad.   Prices   have   converged   (in   many   cased   downwards)   and   the   range   a nd   quality   of   products   available   to   consumers   have   increased.†Ã‚   [3]Later   in   1992   Jacque   Delor   proposed   and   implemented   a   programme   aimed   at   creating   a   single   market   by   eliminating   non-tariff   barriers   to   goods   trading.   Although   the   programme   has   been   beneficial   but   it   leaves   room   for   substantial   progress   in   order   that   services   can   be   offered   across   borders   smoothly.[4]In   2002   EU   commission   studied   the   numerous   barriers   that   affect   the   flow   of   services   across   the   borders   of   Europe.   It   was   found   that   these   barriers,   including   legal   restrictions,   difficulties   in   obtaining   the   required   authorisation   from   local   authorities,   an d   the   length   and   complexity   of   procedures,   made   it   almost   impossible   for   some   businesses   to   get   established   in   countries   other   than   their   origin.[5]However,   on   7   May   2003   the   European   Commission   implemented   its   Internal   Market   Strategy   for   the   period   of   2003-2006.â€Å"The   Strategy   concentrates   heavily   on   removing   many   of   the   barriers   that   prevent   businesses   in   the   services   sector   from   operating   across   Europe.   The   commission   views   improvements   in   this   sector   as   essential   to   meeting   the   targets   of   the   2000   Lisbon   package,   given   that   services   now   account   for   around   two-thirds   of   the   EU’s   GDP.†[6]The   Commission   als o   pointed   out   that   the   enforcement   of   EU   legislation   was   not   effective   in   a   way   that   it   itself   become   one   of   the   barriers.   Within   these   strategies   and   in   order   to   address   the   problem   of   removing   barriers   hindering   the   flow   of   services   within   the   Member   States,   the   Commission   proposed   a   Service   Directive   aimed   at   enabling   service   providers   of   the   Member   States   to   establish   themselves   and   provide   services   in   States   other   than   they   originally   come   from.In   January   2004   Frits   Bolkestein,   the   European   Commissioner   for   Internal   Market   at   the   time,   proposed   a   draft   of   the   Directive   on   services   in   the   Internalà ‚   Market;   today   commonly   referred   to   as   ‘Bolkestein   Directive’.[7]   The   Services   Directive   by   removing   all   the   barriers   hindering   the   movement   and   establishment   of   service   providers   with   the   EU   Member   States,   is   expected   to   â€Å"create   jobs,   boost   economic   growth   and   increase   quality   and   choice   for   consumers.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"The   consultants   Copenhagen   Economics   have   predicted   a   0.3%   rise   in   GDP   and   a   0.7%   increase   in   employment.   The   European   Commission's   estimates   point   to   a   1.8%   increase   in   GDP   and   2.5   million   new   jobs.†[8]Yet   the   Service   Directive   was   not   well   received.   Although   it   was   adopted   for   first   reading   in   February   2004,   opposition   in   different   countries   were   pronounced.   Countries   with   high   standard   of   social   protection   expressed   fear   from   the   consequences   of   cheaper   competition   from   the   foreign   market.â€Å"Some   countries   and   trade   unions   feared   this   would   lead   to   a   â€Å"race   to   the   bottom†,   with   firms   relocating   to   countries   with   lower   wages   and   the   weakest   consumer,   environmental   protection,   employment   and   health   and   safety   rules.†[9]Yet   the   most   disagreed   point   was   that   of   â€Å"country   of   origin   principle†Ã‚   which   allows   services   providers   to   operate   in   another   country   while   being   obliged   to   abide   only   by   the   laws   of   the   country   of   origin.[1]  Ã‚  Ã‚   EU   Single   Market:   General   Principles   available   at:   http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/services/principles_en.htm   accessed   on   15   January   2007 [2]   EU   Single   Market:   General   Principles   available   at:   http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/services/principles_en.htm   accessed   on   15   January   2007 [3]A   Single   Market   for   Services   available   at:   http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/top_layer/index_19_en.htm   accessed   on   15   January   2007[4]   Can   Europe   Deliver   –   Research   by   Paul   Stephenson   –   Edited   by   Neil   O’Brien   (2006)   available   at:   http://www.openeurope.org.uk/research/services.pdf   accessed   on   15   January   2007 [5]   Can   Europe   Deliver   –   Research   by   Paul   Stephenson   –   Edited   by   Neil   O’Brien   (2006)   available   at:   http://www.openeurope.org.uk/research/services.pdf[6]   Services   Directive   background   available   at   :   http://www.smallbusinesseurope.org/en/basic_background319.htm   accessed   on   15   January   2007 [7]Directive   on   services   in   the   internal   market   –   From   Wikipedia,   the   free   encyclopedia   available   at:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directive_on_Service_in_the_Internal_market#column-one   accessed   on   15   January   2007[8]   Q&A:   Services   Directive,   Available   at:   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4698524.stm   accessed   on   15   January   2007 [9]   Q&A:   Services   Directive,   Available   at:   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4698524.stm   accessed   on   15   January   2007

Marketing plan †Huawei Essay

This marketing plan is specially measured to the company Huawei. Huawei is an international company which produces devices for telecommunication, with their phones being the most important product. Their vision is to deliver electronic communicating solutions to make the life of their consumers better. This marketing plan is requested by Huawei to find a way to accelerate the sales of Huawei’s phones internationally, with a targeted 10% raise in market share in Europe. In this report the proposition of the marketing plan can be found, with specific data about the different subjects and explanation of a market winning approach. We will start by analysing the company and the environment, to define the SWOT of the organization. Afterwards we will introduce these conclusions into a matrix where it will be visible what the company’s best aspects are. Then we will choose strategic options and further instruct on the matter. Next, we will create a mix of strategic marketing as pects that will further help to develop the importance on how and where to place the advertisements and stores and so on. Finally, a financial analysis will be done in order to predict the costs Huawei is going to make on this venture, and whether or not their new mission seems feasible. This report has been created by Quirijn, Ruben, Robbert, Amine and Erim. Management summary This marketing plan gives answers to the question whether it is feasible for Huawei to increase brand awareness in Europe by launching a market campaign and to increase market share with 10% within 4 years. The research phase had various angles. Based on micro, macro and meso level some interesting strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are revealed. The most important ones are: (Strength )Huawei has a great cost advantages in comparison with the competition. (Weakness) Inability to maintain high quality professional service and sales support in western markets (Opportunity) Huawei offers low priced phones, which can be very attractive for people affected by the financial crisis. (Threat) A lot of competition in the western markets. The internal analysis consist out of various models. The canvas model was created to analyse Huawei as a company. Within the BCG-matrix, Huawei’s smartphones are placed as a question mark. And the computed Abell matrix shows that Huawei targets students and the most important need is the price and the most important technologies are calling and texting, internet and connectivity. On external level a survey is conducted within this marketing plan. The most striking result is from the question; â€Å"Do you know Huawei?†. 53% of the surveyed audience was not aware of what Huawei is as a brand. Within the Meso level, Porter’s five forces is analysed. The most important findings are: The power of the customers is not particular strong. The threat of new entrants is not very impactful as Apple and Samsung are the undisputed leaders. If done right the power of substitutes can have an impact on the market. There is no threat in the power of the suppliers Huawei operates within a highly competitive market, the rivalry is massive. After doing research on 5 strategies, the best strategy proven is the low-cost strategy. The reason it is a perfect match for Huawei is because they are able, because of their cost-saving combined with their excellent financial situation, to sell their products for a lot less than the competition The BCG matrix is an analytical tool for companies to evaluate their business units and their business potential. With help from this matrix Huawei can create and adapt marketing strategies, product strategies and more, all to help the strategic management of a company. The BCG matrix connects a company’s market share with a company’s growth rate. The model is divided into four areas, the stars, dogs, cash cows and question marks. Huawei and its mobile phones are placed in the box of question marks. It’s put in this box because of the fact that the worldwide market share of Huawei’s mobile phone is relatively low, and the market growth rate, again worldwide, is relatively high, with expanding markets all over the world. Market leaders already have established and a lot of companies operate in this market, but because of the wide and depth of the mobile market there is still a lot of potential for Huawei. In the coming time they will find out if their question mark can become a star. Abell model The Abell model is a model for seeing in what kind of market a company operates. With segments, needs and technologies there is a quick overview of what a company or a product is about. The Abell matrix for smart phone Huawei Students, young starters and parents are the main segments that Huawei is targeting, excluding senior citizens and children. The most important needs are the price of the phone, together with its appearance and the quality. Convenience is important but not a main objective. The technologies specific to the phone are being able to call and text, having internet, and being able to connect all around the world. Interactive display and such, are also not the main objective. Strengths & Weaknesses Strengths 1. Huawei has very strong financial position. Being financial healthy means that they can investment and start new projects. 2. They have great cost advantages in comparison with the competition, this allows them to produce against low prices and have low production costs. 3. Because of these great cost advantages Huawei is able to sell products against relatively low prices. This gives them a huge competitive benefit 4. Huawei has high brand recognition and is rapidly increasing their brand awareness in their new markets, such as Europe, which gives them fast closure to the big brands. 5. Superior technologies enable Huawei to come with fast efficient solutions, and gives the whole company effective process. 6. Huawei has a very high customer loyalty. Customers are satisfied and keep their preference for the brand, which allows Huawei to focus more on finding new customers. 7. R&D is a very strong department within Huawei technologies, having R&D centres all over the world, to create products that are needed by every person all over the world. 8. Their market share in the African markets is very high and Huawei invests a lot here, which pays off with a high return rate. 9. Huawei has a broad range in products, which give them the beneficial ability to provide end-to-end solutions, keeping more customer processes inside Huawei. 10. They have a strong connection with the Chinese government, which helps them to maintain their number one position in China. Weaknesses 1. the supply chain of Huawei has a lot of flaws, with late and insufficient deliveries occurring. This is partly because of the high amount of products and the market penetration in the US and Europe. 2. the customer service is not what it should be, not dealing with customer complaints properly, mainly because there starting services in Europe and the lack of integration with supporting services. 3. Inability to maintain high quality professional services and sales support in Western markets. 4. Except for China, Huawei lacks the strong global physical presence that a company needs to establish itself as a true market leader. 5. contracts with the most important and biggest server providers are not optimal, which prevents an efficient integration between product and server. 6. Huawei excels at telecommunication, but does not have much experience in their new services, and does not have the same knowledge to overcome difficulties that some of their big competitors do. 7. The brand image of Huawei is mostly focused on their mobile process and selling, and customers are on a large scale unaware of the other practices of the company 8. employee satisfaction is high within Huawei, but a lot of complaints arise from workers that operate in Huawei’s supply chain, which has a negative effect on how ethical Huawei is. 9. Huawei still depends on their low-pricing strategy, and has no alternative selling strategy’s for their products. 10. Huawei’s ties to the Chinese government are a strength, but is at the same time a weakness, as it complicates creating relationships with other specific governments, such as the US. MESO analysis Meso SWOT Strength: R&D, patent ownership, growing their innovative and advanced technological products which have earned their global recognition Weaknesses: Lack in transparency and image of secrecy, worrying companies and governments who might otherwise trust the brand to protect valuable security information. Huawei has failed to understand the US legal system and market demands, as well as its image as a risk to national security which has resulted in its failed acquisitions. Opportunities: Continued innovations and technology advances. The continued growth and expansion of technology usage and literacy offer both brands unlimited growth opportunities, so long as they stay ahead of the competition though continued improvement. Threats: R&D takes time, if the competition provides solutions first, the brand will struggle to compete. Development in this industry is simply risky as the business relies upon continued growth of the internet and internet-based-systems. Merger and acquisitions ha ve no assurance and are inherently risky, particularly in this industry due to the advanced, high-technology companies with particularly high overhead and sunk costs. Global politics and exchange rates are also a threat to international trade as a whole. Porter’s five forces Now that Huawei is entering the European market there are certain things to take note of. Porter’s Five Forces helps us define which types of pressures could be present that have to be identified before entering a competitive market like the smartphone business Huawei is entering on a regional scale. Power of customers The power of customers in the particular market is not that strong. There isn’t a lot of influence into the product directly by the consumers. Whatever features are implemented into the product is similar to those of the competition, and is mostly influenced by the R&D departments. So the customers will mostly decide on preference of design or depending on the price that is being offered. Altogether there are not endless choices for the customers to choose between. This means that the customers simply don’t have the power to strongly influence the market by demanding critical changes from a product or brand. Power of new entrants The threat of new entrants is also not very impactful for the market Huawei is entering. This is especially due to the reason that it takes a certain brand awareness to convince a large number of the (potential) buyers into buying the new product they are bringing to the market. However, when this product is offering a whole range of new features or improvements that seem very attractive, this may threaten the existing products on the market, making them harder to promote against a superior product. But in almost any case it doesn’t seem feasible to go up against popular brands like Apple and Samsung. This means that, overall, new entrants aren’t expected to be a huge threat. Power of substitutes Huawei is financially very strong and strives for operational excellence in which they score relatively high already. This means that they are able to offer considerably low prices compared to competitive brands on the market. At the same time they are able to offer stylish designs and similar features to other brands. This means that Huawei is able to give consumers a choice that they will most likely not regret, but before they do so they are going to have to decide to trust Huawei into offering them a worthy product. The marketing campaign must show the difference Huawei is bringing to the market, and with that they have to convince the consumers of something worth buying. This will prove difficult however, due to the fact that a lot of people have already been convinced by the flashy designs of Apple for instance. The brand is already widely-known and both Apple and Samsung enjoy a great deal or the market share today. This means that eventually the power of substitutes is rather high at this point and probably the biggest problem on the board for Huawei. Power of suppliers The power of suppliers doesn’t have to be seen as a threat to Huawei. They are importing from their region of origin, namely South-East Asia. They enjoy low labor and production costs overall, which goes in combination with high efficiency meaning they are able to keep costs very low. There are many different suppliers for the raw materials that needed for the production process which also lowers the power of the suppliers. Rivalry Eventually the market proves to be a highly competitive one, especially if we start talking about Apple and Samsung who are highly involved in the mix. They are offering high quality products, one for relatively high and one for relatively low prices. They have similar features but some small differences, mostly in handling the device. It mostly comes down to the design of a smartphone, as almost all brands offer pretty much the same features. This means that the product with the strongest marketing campaign offering the flashiest design will most likely hit the jackpot and win the hearts of most customers which means that this is going to be very challenging for Huawei to compete against. So basically the market growth is rather high as technology development is an ongoing process and there are several key players in the market meaning that they are calling the shots. Huawei has to gain trust in potential customers and attract them by offering as flashy as the newest model Apple has brought to the market, and give it some extra features in order to make the difference.