Csf Proposal

Overview and purpose of the project: The purpose of this project is to continue to change the way the UST community thinks about waste. Composting confronts the idea that, when you throw something away it just disappears, and provides alternative to sending our waste to landfills. In the fall of 2012, the CSF funded a project to expand Dr. Chester Wilson’s vermiculture composting system, which composts all of the coffee grounds produced by Beakers on the second floor of OWS.The goal of this previous CSF project was to expand the efforts of Dr. Wilson by collecting and composting much of the coffee grounds produced on north campus, as well as to raise campus awareness on the benefits and ease of composting. This project is well underway, and one can see the worms working their digestive wonders in the parking ramp under ASC.Quinn Wrenholt, the primary applicant of the fall vermicomposting CSF proposal, and other members of the Composting Club have been collecting the coffee gro unds from the library Coffee Bene, as well as from T’s, the Loft, and Summit Marketplace in the student center since this spring semester began (with average daily collection of between 12 and 18 gallons of coffee grounds – more than 50 gallons each week).The collection crew, which consists of seven motivated individuals, comprises the core group of the Composting Club and has already logged more than 30 cumulative hours of volunteer time providing a direct service to our campus through collecting the coffee grounds we produce. Further Composting Club activities have included another 60 hours of volunteer time contributed to the development of a long-term research project connecting the worm composting bins in the ASC parking ramp to the research occurring in the UST Stewardship Garden located in the Green Space behind the BEC.These activities, in particular the daily collection of the mass amounts of coffee grounds has drawn the attention of Tommie Media on numerous o ccasions already this semester. Quinn Wrenholt will also soon be submitting a blog to the UST Sustainability Blog detailing the progress of the project up to this point and describing in more detail the research being done and some of the additional goals of the Composting Club (http://ustsustainblog. com) This proposal is to expand our on-campus composting even further by placing vermicompost bins in different departments and office areas around campus.This will allow coffee grounds and other food waste produced in these areas to be composted on site. The composting club will maintain these new bins in addition to the bins in the ASC. Additionally, each bin will be sponsored by an individual who works in the area covered by the bin. These Compost Club Liaisons are the keystone to this project with the Composting Club providing all the necessary support. This project’s proposed budget reflects exactly the number of vermicomposting bins that we have received demand and support for so far (see Appendix A).This expansion will be a great addition to the composting work started by Chester Wilson on South Campus and expanded to North Campus this past fall, as it will allow many UST faculty and staff to directly participate in the composting process. Additionally, the continued and increasing amount of alternative waste disposal will continue decrease our University’s carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions and increase the awareness of our campus community on issues pertaining to sustainability and waste. How the project will be implemented:This project already has all the necessary infrastructure and support in place, except the purchasing of the new, additional worm bins. The vermicomposting station in the ASC parking ramp will serve as the central headquarters for this outreach project. The Composting Club will work with the liaisons to find good locations for the bins within each department. The volunteer liaisons will serve as the day-to-day man agers, adding their offices’ coffee grounds to the bin each day, and encouraging others to dispose of their waste in the appropriate receptacle.The liaisons will also serve as the point contact person should an issue arise with any of the bins. They will have access to a Compost Club Hotline which can be used to address questions and also guarantees bin removal within 30 minutes of being contacted, if needed. This is the ultimate backup if by some error or flaw a bin develops a smell or leak. These bins will be removed to the ASC parking ramp and dealt with accordingly where no one will be bothered and cleanup is easy.This is also the contingency plan for any case-by-case bin placement issues that occur; though at this point, all of the departments participating in the project have ensured feasibility and acquired permission for their bin(s). The Composting Club will be in charge of the overall maintenance of all on-campus worm bins. When the time comes for the finished compo st to be collected from the bottom tray of the stack, the Composting Club will remove the finished tray and replace it with an empty one.The finished castings will be separated and collected in the ASC parking ramp where we have the facilities and space for doing so (see video for more detailed information and images of the Worm Factory system: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=0sxWOCWEpsg). Only the active composting will take place on site and will be contained by the bins – all of the more intensive and potentially messy procedures will happen off-site in the ASC parking ramp.If this project is approved, when the time comes for purchasing and distributing the new bins to the different locations across campus, the Composting Club will continue to work with the Physical plant to facilitate our fund expenditure. As we distribute the bins, we will also offer short ‘how to’ demonstrations for maintaining a healthy worm bin to the various departments, their liaisons , and other interested parties. Already, we have presented during the first five minutes of a few department meetings with great response from the faculty in attendance.Additionally, the Composting Club has assembled a list of FAQs relating to vermicomposting in the Worm Factory bins and containing information pertinent to this project. These FAQs can be viewed in Appendix B. Budget: For the CSF Vermicompost project last fall, all of the materials (excepting the worms themselves) were purchased from The Eggplant Urban Farm Supply, located on Selby Ave just a few blocks away from our campus. For this project, we plan to continue to utilize this neighboring business as a resource and supplier. Three-tray worm bin: $89 each – Total cost: $$$$Each location will initially receive one, three-tray stack (excepting McNeely Hall which has requested two bins to cover the entire building). As of the time of this proposal’s submission, we have received requests for __ bins (See Ap pendix A). Additional trays: $10 each – Total cost: $$$$ We are requesting funding for an additional __ trays in order to respond to various rates of waste input in different departments, buildings, and offices. It is difficult to anticipate the scope of the waste produced in different offices prior to the actual collection of that waste.By altering both the number of trays in each stack and the number of worms in each tray, we can address the needs of different departments on a case-by-case basis. 10 lbs of worms: $189 (+$26 S&H) – Total cost: $$$$ This is enough for five to six of the trays mentioned above. So we will likely require a minimum of __ lbs of worms. Flexible spending – Total cost: $300 In the Vermicompost CSF proposal submitted this past fall, we requested $500 to cover additional expenses related to developing the project.These funds have been instrumental in the project’s success and have been used to purchase rugs for the bin systems, br ooms for keeping the ASC vermicomposting area clean, buckets and tubs for the collection of the coffee grounds, and more worms and trays than were originally estimated in order to keep up with the steady supply of grounds so far this semester. Also, some of the money has been allotted to fund a collaboration project with a couple of students from the UST club Engineers for a Sustainable World to design a compost sifter to facilitate the processing of finished compost and the collection of the worms.This will be very important in facilitating the collection of worm castings from the bins, and in enabling the research projects currently being developed. For this CSF project proposal, fewer unforeseen expenses are expected as much of the infrastructure for the project is now in place. However, the purchasing of rugs for the bins and other case-by-case needs are anticipated. For this reason, we are requesting an additional $300 to cover these expenses and which also may be used to purch ase another worm bin if needed by a particular department or building. Proposed budget total: $$$$$Include defined metrics for a clearly measurable outcome and a schedule of appropriate progress reports to the CSF through the duration of the project: To monitor the outcomes of this project, the Composting Club, in coordination with students actively conducting research on the vermicomposting systems, will calculate the amount of carbon we are eliminating from the atmosphere by aerobically composting UST’s coffee grounds and some of our campus food waste. Currently, this waste is going to landfills, where it degrades much more slowly in and anaerobic environment conducive to the production of methane and other harmful greenhouse gases.We will also make regular estimates of the amount of worm castings being produced. The castings are a valuable soil amendment, and there is potential for another student research project to pursue the branding of these castings. This way, any cas tings that are produced in addition to those used in the UST greenhouses and Stewardship Garden can be officially donated, which would make this not only a campus sustainability project and research opportunity, but also a non-profit business.These numbers can be easily recorded because it will be students from the composting club along with Chester Wilson that are handling and hauling the material and maintaining the worm bins across campus. We will submit semesterly basic reports to the CSF in a format such as this: |Fall 2013 (Implementation) | Spring 2014 |Fall 2014 |Spring 2015 | |Waste composted |0 |x |x |x | |Carbon Eliminated |0 |x |x |x | |Castings Produced |0 |x |x |x | | Additional reports may come from the research projects that are now being planned and implemented relating to this project and integrating it to other ongoing campus sustainability projects.If your project will offset greenhouse gases and reduce the campus carbon footprint, describe thoroughly how this wi ll happen: Assuming 2 tons of waste per month composted (we will have a much more accurate estimate of the waste composted by the worms bins at the end of this semester), which would equate to the prevention of 1. 76 metric tons/month of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere. This is equivalent to eliminating 4. 56 cars from the road per month.That is just the reduction based on that waste not being in the landfill, there would be additional carbon reduced from not having to transport that waste to the site. Further benefit would come from the utilization of the worms castings as a soil amendment in food production areas. Healthier soils are better at sequestering atmospheric CO2 and can hold more of it than denuded soils lacking nutrients and organic matter. (See Appendix C for calculation source). Although campus greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced, this project serves even more to catalyze a sustainable initiative that can be expanded in years to come.In its first semes ter of existence, the Composting Club and the vermicomposting operations now located in the ASC parking ramp have already generated an awesome amount of student and faculty interest. Further, the project from the fall of 2012 has provided a conduit for alternative waste disposal on campus. The action of composting much of our campus waste is already providing a platform for further reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, reductions in waste, and overall reductions in UST’s carbon footprint.Describe if and how students will be involved and/or the educational value to our community: The fall vermicomposting project was designed to encourage students to consider their relationship with their food and food waste, and to provide an alternative method of waste ‘disposal’ for our campus. This project is designed to do the same for our faculty and staff, further strengthening the link between food waste and climate change and increasing our carbon reduction efforts. Stud ents have already gotten involved with this project and the Composting Club is ready to expand our efforts!We are in the process of planning educational tours of the vermicomposting operation in the ASC parking ramp, which will be offered during Earth Week in addition to other sustainability-related project tours. Composting Club activities and the maintenance of the worm bins provide great opportunities for donation of service hours directly benefiting our campus. Further student engagement has come in the form of new research projects and connections with other campus projects. These integration projects include providing fertile worm castings to the UST greenhouses and the Stewardship Garden.As previously mentioned, students are currently in the process of developing research proposals to further develop the UST vermicomposting project and continue outreach and integration efforts – currently students are looking into branding the vermicastings, and also into connecting wi th other local community gardens to do soil testing and begin long-term, case-specific amendment studies. These projects would have beneficial impacts on the surrounding UST community, in addition to the benefits added by the use and donation of the finished castings.The increasing presence of composting efforts on campus allows the university community to fulfill our mission statement by â€Å"thinking critically and acting wisely to advance the common good. † This project is in line with the University Mission Statement because it provides students and now faculty the opportunity to be directly involved with the food chain and to participate in their waste. In recent years people have been increasingly encouraged to buy locally and to know where their food is coming from.While there is still a long way to go to reach these goals, movements are starting and people are daily becoming more aware of the problems human society faces. Unfortunately, there are still many people wh o never think about where their waste goes beyond ‘into the garbage,’ and never consider where there food comes from beyond ‘the grocery store. ’ Through the implementation and continued growth of this project, we will give the St. Thomas community the chance to experience the whole lifecycle of their food from soil and seed, to food on the table, to waste and back to soil, all within the onfines of our own campus and all on a sustainable level. Highlight innovations and the potential for the project to be scalable across our campuses: Integral to the mission of this project is scalability and its ability to grow. The Fall 2012 CSF Vermicomposting project has been hugely successful and has drawn substantial interest from individuals across campus. This proposal is an expansion of that project, catalyzed by the interest and eagerness of others to partake and participate in alternative waste disposal.While working with the worm bins in the ASC parking ramp or while collecting the coffee grounds from UST producers, Compost Club members were occasionally approached by interested faculty or students about what they were doing or concerning the good coffee smell permeating the air near the bins. After introducing the interested individual to the project and showing them the worms, almost without fail, the students and faculty alike were interested in contributing their own coffee and their own food waste from home or from their office or department.Unfortunately, because the current vermicomposting system is already operating near capacity, we are unable to collect grounds or waste from these sources; however, it was this community interest that stimulated this expansion idea. This project has great potential to be scaled across our campuses and to continually grow and develop as a UST legacy. As other faculty and staff see the bins that we are planning to place in several departments across campus, we are expecting the bins to generate int erest by other departments, offices, and campus buildings.The new demand will provide perfect support for future project proposals, further expanding UST’s composting and decreasing our waste and carbon output. If applicable, include lifecycle costs, possible investment payback schedules and potential long-term savings: The lifecycle costs of this project are minimal due to the low costs of maintenance and relatively low initial costs. These compost bins are long-term sustainable investments and are designed for in-home or in-office use. Chester Wilson has been using the same worm bins for more than ten years.These systems have proved reliable and durable and we are confident in using the Worm Factory worm bins for this proposed project. Although the money saved by sending the waste to the on-campus composting location, instead of having it picked up will be relatively minimal, dealing with much of our own waste in a sustainable and efficient manner right here on campus is a key feature of this project. Self-contained and efficient systems are worth highlighting as they embody a shift from a linear system of use and dispose to a more closed-loop cycle of use, compost, reuse.There is also great value in the production of the castings as a fertile soil amendment. To date, they have been used in the greenhouses extensively in place of relatively costly potting soils and synthetic fertilizers, which are also much more energy intensive to produce. Appendix A: Appendix B: FAQs: What can be put in the worm bins? The worms are not particularly picky eaters. Too much citrus can be uncomfortable for them, and meat and dairy products are always a risk to compost.While they are unlikely to hurt the worms, these items tend to be the main culprits for bad smelling compost. When the bins are distributed, the Composting Club will offer a brief training session for each department and their liaison. What if the bin begins to smell bad? As discussed in the video, the Wor m Factory bins are designed to allow plenty of oxygen to flow through the system. Keeping the bins aerobic keeps the smell down, and remember that these systems are designed for in-home or in-office use.In the chance that the bin does begin to smell, the Compost Club Liaisons will have the responsibility of calling the club hotline – we guarantee full removal of smelly bins within 20 minutes of that phone call. Will the bin attract pests/rodents? Rodents signify a much larger problem than the mere presence of a Worm Factory composter. Pests, in particular fruit flies, can pose problems for indoor composting systems. There is actually a simple treatment that can be applied to the medium in the bins (the stuff the worms live in) that repels gnats and flies.Again, the Composting Club hotline will be the ultimate back-up for any issues with your bin; guaranteed quick removal. Are the bins messy? No. The bins are designed to hold the food waste and to collect the moisture produced . Composting Club will regularly collect the liquid (or Compost Tea) generated by the bins and will also be on-call to respond to any cleanup needs. All processing of finished compost will be conducted off-site in the ASC parking ramp. There, we have to facilities to deal with this slightly more messy process.Where will the bins be located? This should be determined on a departmental basis. The worms are really tolerant, but cannot be too hot, too cold, or too dry. Basically, by keeping the bins out of the sun, but in a heated/temperature-controlled area, they will be more than fine. The Composting Club will monitor the moisture levels in the bins and make any changes as needed. We recommend that the bins be placed in an easily accessible location – near the most common waste sources whenever possible – but that they remain mostly out-of-sight.Behind furniture, under counters, or unused storage closets or rooms make ideal locations. What are the responsibilities of the Compost Club Liaison? The liaison will be responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the bins and for calling the Composting Club hot line with any issues. At its most basic, the day-to-day maintenance will consist of collecting your office or department’s daily coffee grounds and adding them to the bin. Nothing about the job should be taxing or burdensome to the individual. Who will be in charge of emptying the bins once they have finished composting?Once again, the Composting Club will take care of emptying the bins when the compost in the bottom tray of the stack is finished. We will also be regularly monitoring the bins and will therefore know when the trays are ready to be emptied. All processing of finished compost will take place off-site in the ASC parking ramp where we have the facilities for doing so. How long does it take for the food waste to become finished compost? The answer to this question varies depending on the number of worms and the amount and type of food waste present.I like to think of one tray representing one-two weeks of composting. So a stack of three trays would represent a three-six week composting process. Appendix C: StopWaste. org is the website of a waste management organization located in Alameda county, CA. The organization is in charge of the waste management plan for the county, and the provide a variety of sustainable development plans and waste reduction initiatives for the businesses, schools, government buildings, and local industry in the fourteen cities comprising the county. http://www. stopwaste. us/partnership/calculator/

Leo Burnett Company LTD Essay

Leo Burnett is an advertising agency that was founded in 1935 in Chicago. One of their clients is Ontann Beauty Care (OBC), which is a leading global manufacturer of health and beauty care products. OBC has been awarding Leo Burnett’s (LB) its business for many years. OBC has been a client of LB’s Toronto and London offices since 1958 and mid-1970, respectively. OBC has centralized its global marketing campaign for a given brand and creates the communication materials as templates for local offices to follow. Local offices are then responsible for adapting these raw global materials and developing local â€Å"below the line† materials. LB also centralized its decision making to better service it original client. In 1998, OBC presented a new skin care line that would target a rapid growing population of consumer over the age of 50. This new skin care line would be called â€Å"Forever Young†, and was more expensive than other OBC skin care products. OBC awa rded its advertising and brand communication to LB. Mirroring the global OBC team structure; LB global brand team remained in London and formed satellite teams in Toronto and Taiwan. The Taiwanese Team would receive the creative templates from the LB global team and would adapt for the local market. In addition, they would have to adapt the television ads and retake photos for the print ads with an Asian model. The Toronto team would use English television ads and print advertising for the Canadian market. Furthermore, they would produce direct marketing and Web site materials. In short, the Toronto Team had less autonomy, and was not able to adapt to the Canadian market. The results showed the Forever Young launch in Taiwan was successful. While the results of the launch in Canada was below â€Å"action standards†, in spite of the success of the isolated pre-launch test. Furthermore, LB’s future business with OBC was now in jeopardy and tension raised within LB to improve the OBC brand in the Canadian market. One of the first contributing factors is the idea of Pluralism of Cultures vs. Cultural Pluralism. What should a firm pay attention to: The unique cultural characteristics of Canada or the variety of cultures within Canada? In my opinion, cultural pluralism is a contributing factor in the lack of success of the launch. Canada has many different cultures within its nation. When LB decided to use the data from a small town in the interior of British  Columbia to make a general assumption about the entire nation of Canada they should have known that one area should not be the blue print for an entire nation. The product trail and product sales indexed 120 against its objective, which had a base index of 100. This is a successful result, but that is only one area in Canada. For example, Canada is known for having a French and British influence in different areas. Canadian also has many American cultural norms. The Canadian launch indexed 50 against a base index of 100, which is not a surprising result considering the fact that LB only tested one area of Canada. Next, we have the idea of a global mindset. LB had their global team headquarters for the project in London. The reason for this was because London had experience in leading global business teams and it was closer to OBC’s global team. When dealing with Canada, LB London wanted to push English filmed television ads & print ads in the Canadian market. At the same time, LB allowed Taiwan to exercise autonomy. This proved to be unsuccessful for the Canadian market, and successful for the Taiwanese market. The reason for this is the idea that there needs to be shared views when it comes to thinking globally and locally. The ads being run in Taiwan were adapted to include a popular Asian actress, and this also allowed the product to show how effective it was on Asian skin. Taiwan is a successful example of incorporating local and global thinking. In Canada, ads featured a blond Caucasian actress as the lead in television and print ads. The Toronto team was not able to adapt the ads as they best see fit. The Canadian culture may not accept the ad because it was filmed under London assumptions and values. It did not take into consideration Canadian values. Specifically, Canadian consumers perceived the ads as violent. The case does not specify why it was considered violent, but if LB London allowed local thinking that situation might have been avoid. Another factor that contributed greatly to the events that occurred is culturally mediated cognitions in communication. Communication was very difficult in many cases for both LB Toronto and London. Teams relied increasingly on e-mails and phone calls. Although emailing is quick and easy to create, this does not help develop relationships, which does not build trust between parties involved. Also, Meta communication is not involved, which can be important in different cultures. For example, in an email you  are not able to hear the tone of a voice or the facial expression of the person sending the email. Speaking on the phone has similar weaknesses, which include not being able to visually see the person reactions. Lastly, videoconferences are personable, but may not be as convenient. This was apparent in the presentation of a creative concept to the London team which took 45 minutes and lead to frustration. The last contributing factor was poor management of global teams. One of the main problems was the inability to communicate directly to Carmichael. LB Toronto wound have to contact Annabel Forin, and then she would contact Carmichaels. Geoff spoke about the challenges he faced when working with someone else’s art direction by stating, â€Å"This would be easier if I could connect directly with Annabelle, but she’s on the road so much of the time it’s hard to catch her.† Lastly, referring to Toronto and Taiwan as a satellite may lower morale of employees because they may feel as though they are not as important as the headquarters in London. Lastly, the inability to manage global teams lead to extremely tight timeframes because the two teams would not be able to communicate effectively their desires leading to repeated changes in materials. My first recommendation is the ability to allow LB Toronto to think locally. To achieve this LB London should produce a creative template for a brand, but allow the Toronto team the adapt for the local market. The Toronto team knows what’s best, and has in-depth knowledge in their local market. The only problem that Carmichael sees with this is the fact that key executives have departed and that giving autonomy to an inexperienced team may not be a good idea, but I feel as though LB Toronto has a better grasp of the local market than LB London even with the absence of key figures. By allowing Toronto to have more autonomy this well also decrease the amount of interaction between London and Toronto because they are not using LB London’s work so the need for constant clarification will not be necessary. My Second recommendation is to improve marketing research on countries that LB plans to enter. The prelaunch test of British Columbia was not enough to make an assumption of the entire Canadian nation. Leo Burnett needs to ensure that they are identifying the different cultures and testing does  cultures. Once they have ample research on a particular company they can then enter the market. For example, if they enter US market it is important to realize that different areas of the country might value skin care products differently. In New York City skin care product may be popular, but in Seattle it may not be as popular. If emails and phone calls are still used there may be an adverse outcome between the culturally mediated cognitions in communication of two parties. With that being said, my third recommendation is to have a quick and simple training session to better understand how to effectively collaborate with another foreign team. By learning the culturally mediated cognitions in communication and communication protocol it will assist when two teams need to speak with each other on the phone or through email. The training sessions will include guidelines for communicating, and how to efficiently communicate your message to another countries team. Lastly, I recommend a better means of communication within LB through a better management of a virtual global teams. As mentioned before communication seemed very difficult especially for Geoff and Cathy Lee. Getting a hold of Carmichael was very inconvenient since they needed to first contact Annabel Forin. LB needs to create a better communication setup so that a team member can communicate directly with their supervisors, or their supervisor’s supervisor. This will allow members of team to get answers more efficiently instead of not receiving a response. The launch of Forever Young proved to be a challenge for Leo Burnett, but with the implementations of my recommendations we can insure that the losses we face in Canada are never faced again.

One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest Essay

In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey tells the story of Randle McMurphy, a rebellious, boisterous and overtly sexual man who utilizes his extroverted qualities to win over his fellow patients in the mental institution. McMurphy’s confident nature and non-conforming attitude brings hope to everyone living in the ward. Ultimately, he sparks dissent and inspires them to go against the oppressive head nurse, Nurse Ratchet. McMurphy’s confidence does not waver until he realizes that Nurse Ratchet will always have the upper hand over the patients. Nevertheless, this does not stop him from concocting plans to provoke and get rid of her. McMurphy receives many harsh punishments for his actions and eventually loses the battle against the head nurse. Not only does he lose against Nurse Ratchet, but he eventually loses himself through the process. Additionally, in the film The Experiment, the protagonist Travis, undergoes an adversity which is comparable to what Mc Murphy faces in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The development of both characters can parallel each other through the similarities of their actions. Kesey first introduces McMurphy to readers when he is brought to the mental institution. At first glance, McMurphy can be viewed as a con man. He committed the crime of statutory rape but instead of accepting a jail sentence he convinces the judge that he is not straight in the head and is thus sent to a mental institution. Most patients at the ward are unresponsive, yet when he first arrives at the institution, he introduces himself to everyone. The patients and nurses are taken aback by McMurphy’s feisty attitude. Unlike the other patients, McMurphy is loud, arrogant, and capable and it is evident to everyone that he does not belong in a place like that. After the wards group meeting, McMurphy sees firsthand how Nurse Ratchet abuses her power as head nurse. He makes a bet with all the patients in the ward that he can make lose her temper. The patients warn him and insist that Nurse Ratchet not one to be messed with but he still acts otherwise. In this instance, McMurphy’s rebellious nature shines through. It is made clear to readers that he will not allow Nurse Ratchet to win over the patients for long. He wants to give her a hard time and hopefully get rid of her. Nurse Ratchet sees McMurphy’s deviance and knows that she must break him, just like she broke all the other patients so she can continue her oppressive leadership over the ward. After numerous confrontations between McMurphy and Nurse Ratchet, the patients in the ward find the incidents quite amusing. Eventually, McMurphy is able to rile up all the patients and encourage them to watch the World Series on the television. Although it was not their allotted time to watch the television, they all participate in the rebellion. Through McMurphy actions, the patients see that they should not view Nurse Ratchet as an oppressive and domineering force. They begin to feel hope inside themselves and begin to envision that living in the ward will not be as miserable as it once was. Nurse Ratchet’s patience begins to wear thin and once McMurphy physically attacks her, she quickly makes the decision to have him lobotomized and leaves him neurologically disabled. After this event, the patients can no longer live in the ward. McMurphy was a friend to all and they could not stand living under Nurse Ratchet’s rule. She loses all control and the patients transfer to other wards or check out of the institution completely. McMurphy’s eventual destruction and death was not out of vain as he was able to transform the patients into believing that each person was an individual and should be able to freely express themselves. He left them with a belief that would aid them for the rest of their lives. Randle McMurphy’s feisty and strong-willed character can easily parallel many dominant male characters in films. For example, in the 2010 film The Experiment, Paul T. Scheuring directs the story of 26 men who are selected to take part in a 14 day experiment where some participants act as guards and others as inmates. The guards have only one rule to follow – they must make sure the inmates obey the basic rules of living in a prison. Eventually the power wielded by the guards gets to their heads. They abuse their roles and exploit and humiliate the inmates. They become great oppressors and being to forget that the inmates are only human. Violence begins to ensue. The protagonist, Travis, is selected to be an inmate in the prison. From the beginning, it is made apparent that Travis is not buying into the whole prisoner concept. Just like McMurphy, Travis acts out as an individual. He is not one to follow others and ceases any opportunity to give the guards a difficult time. He then begins to act out in defiant ways. He mobilizes the inmates and leads rebellions against the guards. He and many other inmates firmly decide that they will not be silenced into submission. Eventually, the experiment goes wildly out of control and is stopped by researchers. Like Randle McMurphy, Travis fights back against the oppressors. He did not like seeing his fellow inmates get taken advantage of. Travis begins rebelling and disobeying the rules in small ways, such as refusing to eat his meals. Eventually, he uses physical force to end the tyranny in the prison. Randle McMurphy and Travis are similar characters in many ways. They both were able to unite the group of men that were facing the same adversity. They did not like seeing any of their own getting harmed. Furthermore, just like McMurphy, Travis acts in defiant ways to get into the guards heads. And finally, both use physical force to hurt their oppressors at the very end. To sum it up, they are the spark that brings hope to the oppressed and lead the rebellions against the oppressors.

Possible Pre-conditions for the Check Availability of Seats Essay

Possible Pre-conditions for the Check Availability of Seats - Essay Example In case of unavailability of user requested seat system will show an error message to enter the number of needed seats.To check â€Å"Availability of Seats† user needs to open the system section that is related to the booking of seats. In that section, a user needs to take care of all parameters regarding the data validity.   This section will outline some of the possible post-conditions of the Check Availability of Seats use case. In case of unavailability of a number of seats, the system will send a message to save the request. In this case, customer request will be processed later when seats are available regarding any excursion.In case of any wrong entry in the system data fields, the system will send an error message and indication of wrong values need to be resolved.In case of bus unavailability system will send the request to pending (waiting) list that will be preceded later on system user confirmation.To check â€Å"Availability of Seats† user needs to fill a ll the fields using a proper way. In case of any wrong entry system will show an error message.

The Changing Role of HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Changing Role of HR - Essay Example These four categories are most basic to the functioning of the modern day organisation. The human resource or human capital element in the organisation ahs emerged as one that perpetuates this role at every level of the organisation through an effective integration of personal and organisational goals. (Johnson, 1996. P 13 to 18) The first role of the human resource in today's organisation is that of a business partner. This has come to the fore with the emergence of various service oriented companies that provide intensive marketing services along with the products that are being produced. The emergence of a marketing network has been crucial to companies like Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, Oriflame Cosmetics and many others. (Green, 2002. P 111) These business partners work independently from home or under the name of their own business in order to cater to people exclusively and bring the products and services of the company to the doorstep of the independent clients. The role of these business partners is to bring business to the company by exploring their personal networks so as to earn commissions on the sales that they make. This is a formal level of institutionalised operations where the organisation profits greatly. This is done by pushing the product in quarters where the effects of regular marketing and promotion cannot reach. It is also an elevated level of salesman ship where the sales agents are offered a share in the business that they make. The advantage of this is that the business partners take a personal interest in the development of a clientele. (Green, 2002. P 111) Further, this serves the two fold purpose of sales and promotion. While there might not be immediate sales in some cases, there is a creation of awareness for future sales. This in turn, leads to increased sales and repeat orders through word of mouth and brand recall. At an informal level, the term business partner can be used to denote the modern day human resource base. This is due to the fact that the human capital in an organisation today is motivated enough to integrate the personal goals with those of the organisation in an effective way. In this way, the goals are achieved at both ends. The management of an organisation attaches great importance to the act of motivating the human capital through the use of incentives that may be material or immaterial. The material benefits include bonuses, promotions and other such means, while the immaterial ones include good reports and feedback. This helps the employee gain confidence and self esteem. Also, it caters to the employees need to achieve a certain social standing. Thus, the employee begins to realise that only by forwarding the goals of the organisation will his or her own goals be met. In this way, the human resource has emerged as a business partner that works in tandem with the organisati on as far as goal achievement is concerned. (Green, 2002. P 111) Change Manager The modern day economy is one that is changing with each passing

Are there any objective values Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Are there any objective values - Essay Example They are reflected in the form of theories and moral rules. Many philosophers including atheists reject the possibility of creating ethical system basing on the physical forces and natural processes. They state that ethical rules and principles appeared naturally from the practical needs of people: marriage, wars, conflicts, etc. In the early stage of its evolution ethics represented the area of practical reasons, and only long-time experience led to the formation of theoretical ethics. However, the principles, which were formed in the process of social experience, were not set as unchanged like the God’s commandments. Consequently, they could be transformed, forgotten or changed for the new principles, which reflect the constantly collected by the human experience in the spheres of science, technology and psychology (Kelly, 2006). The conclusion can be made that the values can be objective. Ethical values are not merely culturally contingent, but acquired during the process of acquiring experience, thus they are totally

Baroque and Classical Period Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Baroque and Classical Period - Essay Example Baroque music refers to the musical style that took center stage in the 1600s and carried on to the 1700s having transitioned from the Renaissance era. According to Paton, et al., â€Å"The baroque period strived to create an overall balance between two parts that were not symmetrical† (1994, p. 4). It is during the baroque period that music tonality was formed due the increased use of harmony attributed to the realization that chords are better than notes. Tonality was as a result of advancements and extensive use of instruments far more than had been used before. In addition, tonality was facilitated by adoption of new and improved techniques of playing instruments. Although this was a great step in music, more needed to be done and it was not until later that perfection on the proper use of instruments was not attained. Baroque period also saw the establishment of opera and sonata among other great advancements in music. Opera was a less instrumental music which did not req uire use of polyphony and was normally done by a solo singer. Musical advancements led to transitioning from the baroque era to a better and improved era, the classical period. The classical period saw the employment of order and hierarchy in music in a bid to create music clarity. Therefore, simplicity was adopted and there were brighter contrasts and colors unlike in the baroque period. In addition, increased use of chords in music to enable melody to play over harmony led to shift from polyphony to homophony.

Double Standards in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Double Standards in the Workplace - Essay Example It will also address disingenuous attempts to cover-up or explain away this double standard.   As an initial matter, â€Å"existing national statistics support a view that Corporate America is not a gender-balanced playing field† (Murphy, 2001). Women today constitute more than half of the workforce, but they don’t even account for five percent of all business executives. In terms of compensation, women managers, on average, earn only 68% of what similarly qualified and employed male managers earn. In addition to these huge disparities in terms of upward mobility and compensation, women are also quite commonly the victims of sexual harassment; in fact, statistics indicate that nearly 75% of women claim to have been sexually harassed at the workplace. There is also a qualitative double standard in operation. Women managers, for instance, are more often burdened with non-management administrative tasks than are their male counterparts. In short, there is plenty of statistical evidence to support the proposition that a double standard based on gender is real and substantial.   Some have argued, however, that these statistics are misleading. The National Organization for Men, to cite a well-known example, has argued that women have used this double standard notion as a political tool to gain the upper hand in workplace negotiations involving matters such as compensation and promotion (2005). They cite a recent censure of Harvard President, Larry Summers, who was justifiably attacked for suggesting that men are superior to women in science as his rationale for preferring men to women in the field of science. Strangely enough, the issue isn’t free speech. President Summers is free to offer his opinion.

Application of Theory to Student Learning Essay

Application of Theory to Student Learning - Essay Example Students with disabilities get easy and quick knowledge through practical experience of all the situations. In constructivist theory, students are facilitated with practical skill and easy knowledge with the help of which, they are able to learn and act accordingly. Students are not made to memorize all the concepts and details but to go through them practically. Behaviorist theory of teaching students with learning disabilities concerns with direct teaching skills (Lerner, 2003). The students with disabilities are facilitated with direct teaching in which, the tasks that are to be performed are divided into chunks and then students are asked to perform all the tasks line wise (Duhaney and Duhaney, 2000). The reason of dividing the tasks into smaller chunks is to facilitate the students to learn easily and actively. Divided tasks appear easy and accommodating (Duhaney and Duhaney, 2000). The students are informed in understandable and comprehensible words and information about all the tasks after which, they are asked to perform it themselves. The students are not only taught but they are also asked to do practice that accommodates with obtainment of knowledge and information related to a task (Lerner, 2003). Both behaviorist and constructivist theories are supportive and facilitating for the students with disabilities because of their concern to the difficulties that students face while learning and because of the teaching methodologies of the teachers. Due to these theories’ application, the students with disabilities are able to learn with ease and expertise due to which, they appear better than students who are taught with not much supportive skills of teaching. Traditional and non-traditional learning environments for students with disabilities differ from each other to a great extent. In traditional learning environments, students were not facilitated with technological developments which

“The Unknown Citizen” by W. H. Auden Essay Example for Free

â€Å"The Unknown Citizen† by W. H. Auden Essay â€Å"The Unknown Citizen† by W. H. Auden is a compelling piece of poetry that is multi-layered in thought. While it is poignant, it is also replete with tension. I have therefore decided to give three responses/presentations to this poem in the following executions: a) An MTV, b) A piece of Installation Art, and c) A Short Story. We shall tackle these one by one in the following paragraphs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although the poem was written in the late 1930’s, much of its message still resonates today especially now that we are faced with technology that enables the quick transfer of information throughout the world. To be able to reach a broad audience, I thought of coming up with an MTV as a presentation because this medium is vastly appreciated by a wide spectrum of people. The MTV will have an instrumental piece of music as background. I am quite inclined to use 1920’s jazz as the musical genre a la the musical score for the movie ‘Chicago’ – mainly because jazz especially of this era reflects the moods, emotions, thoughts, etc. of the working class.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The MTV’s visuals will consist of fast cuts of real people in real time doing a variety of daily chores/work. I would like to get visuals of factory workers at an industrial plant, rank and file employees at a Fortune 500 company, pedestrians at a busy street in a big city, etc. These visuals will be interspersed or dissolved on a background of a clock whose hour and second hands are rotating rapidly. This visual juxtaposition I think would be effective in imparting the message that we, as a workforce, have become slaves in the highly industrialized world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second presentation I would like to propose is an Installation Art. The installation will compose of different objects, articles of clothing, supplies, etc. that I will gather from different people and/or areas of work. These objects will be arranged at random to form a sculpture-like piece that can stand on its own. The objects then will be ‘washed’ with a gray paint or metallic finish. The rationale for this presentation is to link or remind the audience of everyday objects that we take for granted but are part of our daily life. Objects that will remind us of our daily grind or the ennui we experience at work. The finishing of the installation in gray or metallic color will further enhance the ‘coldness’ or routine nature of ‘The Unknown Citizen’. The tactile nature of the installation will hopefully entice the audience to take a closer look at the piece of art. Also, copies of Auden’s poem may be strewn on the floor of the exhibition area where this installation will take place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The third response will be a short story that will basically deal with a man’s isolation from the world at large. Just like in the poem the main character in the story will be nameless, the readers however, will be able to get to know this ‘man’ by way of the descriptive manner that it will be written as well as the dialogue that will be included. The setting of the short story will be in contemporary times set in Middle America. I see the main character as a white male in his thirties, married with children. His wife is also a working mother. The isolation the main character feels will stem from his routine at the workplace, his ever-widening gap with his wife due to less time spent together as both are working, and his alienation from his teenage children who are caught up in a world of their own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The man’s catharsis will take form of his resignation from his work and goes on a long trip, alone, into the countryside in search of a connection with his past and a better understanding of his future. How the short story will end I still have to think about – however I will try to remain as true to Auden’s tone and intent as he wrote ‘The Unknown Citizen’.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Out of these three responses I hope to finally choose one with the following criteria in mind:   financial constraints in undergoing the project, feasibility in terms of time and resources, overall impact on the intended target audience. On the whole, I believe these three responses will best communicate Auden’s poem on a more contemporary manner. While art mirrors life, great art transcends time and space. The truths Auden spoke of during his lifetime still ring true today and will continue to impact the future generations to come.

The Roles Media Plays In Contemporary Society

The Roles Media Plays In Contemporary Society Media communication is full of contradictions, nevertheless one cannot deny the important part it plays in social life, part which has kept and will maintain its importance along time. In this essay, I will analyze the importance and the impact of mass media in contemporary society, presenting both their positive and negative effects, in terms of the roles they play. I will start by presenting the advantages of the informative and interpretative functions (which are essential in a society dependant on mass media for information), while also mentioning their negative effects, by referring to the manipulation of public opinion and the using of media as a medium of propaganda. I will continue by discussing the presence of infotainment and its benefits, but also the educative role of mass media, nevertheless without ignoring the negative aspects which come with access to information for a population segment which does not have the ability to select and process it. I will not miss the opp ortunity of speaking about the social binder (between people or civilizations) function, and also about the tendency of the population of aligning to opinion streams; I will close by presenting some limiting factors for the mass media power. Most people get informed by means of press and television, these channels satisfying, by the information they provide, a fundamental need of the modern man information. Furthermore, by their dimensions, mass media facilitate spreading the information and increase the speed by which a message is relayed. The continuous worldwide information flow helps individuals find the latest news which may influence their decisions, coordinate their businesses, help them know which areas are or will be affected by natural disasters or conflicts in order to avoid them and so on. Still, many times, the media offer more than information. By means of media, one can influence, orient and direct public opinion, interests and motivations, consciences, even beyond ones own will. Mass media may lead even unto the destruction of the discernment and the creation of an apathy, it may destroy the will to understand and act. American mass media theorists, Lazarsfeld and Merton (1948), have argued that we may b e guilty of paying such close attention to the information with which the media bombard us, thus getting to confuse knowing about social problems with doing something about them. They called this confusion the narcotizing dysfunction, linking it to the social consequences of mass media. Individuals replace reality with a surrogate of reality. Furthermore, people can be misinformed through mass media. Many times, we read untrue articles in newspapers and magazines, whether these articles are about what is happening around the world or about important persons in social life. The media build but also destroy reputations, which happens most of the times in politics. A good example, according to Layborn (2002), are the scandals surrounding the Secretary of State for War, John Profumo (1963) and the Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe (1970s). Politicians are presented, launched to the public with the same techniques used in launching a new brand of toothpaste or soap. Pop stars, as a clas s, are the creation of media. Remaining in the area of negative aspects, I can also include the fact that mass media create cognitive, affective and behavioural addictions. These addictions lead to a certain level of defiance which aggravates the cognitive gulf. Those who are informed become more and more informed and those who are misinformed remain misinformed. As to the interpretative function, this is somewhat related to the informative role, because it supposes the acceptance of the information by the individual without processing it through ones own reason. The contents of communications are generated by the publics needs, so the information will be processed enough to satisfy these needs. Information consumers may also receive direct help in interpreting some events by the means of editorials or comments in newspapers and magazines. Thus, the reader or viewer not only received the information in the state it was conceived, they are also given the manner in which they should regard and understand that information. The press relies on the authority of the written word, while television relies on the fact that images seem authentic and the citizen tends to say, most of the times I have seen it with my own eyes, not realizing that they have actually only seen what others wanted them to see. The media cease to be a news organ and become an instrument of propaganda. In all societies and in whoevers service it may be, propaganda aims to shape certain attitudes and impose social stereotypes, it tends to impose conditions on the individual, by creating automate mechanisms with the purpose of controlling and manipulating behaviour or society (voting for a certain political party, purchasing certain goods, etc). Great leaders of all times have used manipulation techniques, some of them to keep their power, others to control population. Even Napoleon had paid attention to the means of information at that time, which have offered him advantages before his enemies. His statements remained famous: Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets. World War I is considered to have been a propagandist battle between the English and the Germans and that the American audience was the target of messages in pamphlets, posters and other means of communication. Durin g World War II, the Nazi have developed an elaborate propaganda system in order to obtain regime support both in Germany and abroad. It is one of the convictions of Media Lens that the corporate mass media constitute a propaganda system for elite interests (Edwards and Cromwell, 2006). Those who have high social positions, govern or lead large institutions have control on the media (or even own it, as it is the case for the Italian prime-minister Berlusconi), using them to manipulate population with the purpose of meeting their own interests. The renowned professor Chomsky (2003) implements The Propaganda Model in the case of the Iraq war as well. Large corporations, among which Haliburton or British Petroleum, have used the mass media in order to internationally spread false information on Saddam Hussein, such as him producing mass destruction weapons and supporting terrorism, information which later proved to be untrue. The population, being scared by the artificially created real ity, has eventually joined in, by sustaining the war in Iraq and, indirectly, the interests of the great moguls. New York Times revealed (1st December, 2005) that the USA had used black propaganda by paying Iraqi journalists to translate and publish in local newspapers articles written in the US by a public relations company financed by the Pentagon. Furthermore, after investigations were lead, false journalists providing news articled to the BBC were discovered. False information was broadcast by television, while the journalists were secretly working for organizations sustained by the British Ministry of Defence in a propaganda operation (Media Lens, 2005). As to its entertainment function, the mass media, especially television, offer the cheapest and most accessible means of entertainment, compared to attending concerts and shows. A few minutes of ones favourite show can relax, make one forget the hard time they are going through. The internet is a good mean of entertainment through its multitude of online games, music, the possibility of interactive communication with friends. One of the researchers of the contemporary phenomenon of media, Claude-Jean Bertrand (2000), notes that most of consumers search for entertainment in the mass media. Thus, most means of communications provide it, even newspapers. This function plays a particularly important part in todays society, even more that it combines extremely efficiently with the others. Vicky Hay (1990) considers that the challenge of infotainment development in television, with its various kinds and media formats (talk-shows, contests, games, interactive transmissions, etc) represent t he main cause of cultivating this tendency in the written press as well. The second cause is money, respectively in an industry such as the media one, which operates on a competitive market, where it is all about maintaining/gaining/regaining a larger audience segment, which brings in itself publicity, money that is. But there is also a negative aspect in the entertainment function of mass media, which is the risk of relaying obscene or negative messages through music or violent movies, or by (even involuntarily) creating false, bad models for the public which is exposed, but has no ability to select or process information, such as children. The audiovisual channel continuously dimensions the knowledge universe of the receivers, by influencing and inducing them values, conceptions, convictions, stereotypes, etc. That is why the educative role that the media have in society has an importance that should not be underestimated; the large spectrum of TV channels, from the most various domains, constitutes an important source of broadening ones knowledge horizon. Also, television can be a culture broadcaster, thus concerts/theatre plays gathering more viewers than spectators. Documentaries, homage evocations of personalities, flashbacks have more power than books do in refreshing the publics awareness on a personality or even on history, in general. But, as a negative effect of the educative function, we must mention that television, as a time devourer, has brought a real reading crisis, television shows meeting the cultural needs of a mankind too rushed to be able to focus on traditional means. Also, in countries with a redu ced cinematographic production, flooding the market with foreign commercial productions may lead to the cultural denationalization of the audience. Studies lead by American psychologists regarding the impact of American serial movies with youth as their main audience indicate that 45% of teenagers shape and complete their sexual knowledge based on these movies and also learn how to communicate with their parents from them. (Van Evra, J., 1990) The negative side of this aspect is that, by having access to adult subjects, children lose the naivety and innocence specific to their age and are a lot more prone to yielding to various temptations (from smoking and drugs to delinquencies). Live broadcasting of an event makes the latter dilate, and public (national or international) opinion becomes a resonance box where the echoes of the event ensure its amplification. Thus, television has the role of ensuring the social bond in individualist mass society (any person being able to connect when and how they want from home, being able to freely participate, in their privacy, in a fundamentally collective activity). Thereby, mass media may generate a social solidarity mechanism in case of natural disasters or special personal situation which requires help from the other members of society. By analyzing the effects of mass media, one can define the term of consonance as aligning to opinion streams. The Spiral of Silence (Schweigespirale) theory describes this phenomenon starting from the dependence of individual opinion on the dominant opinion expressed by the mass media. Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann (1993) synthesises this theory as follows: society threatens the deviant with isolation, individuals are more afraid of isolation than of error, individuals evaluate the favourable or unfavourable climate of their own opinion, evaluation leads to taking an attitude (expressing ones opinion or keeping ones opinions secret). Individuals who share the dominant point of view easily share it, while individuals who do not share this opinion enclose themselves in silence, for fear of isolation. Thus, public opinion represents, from this perspective, the opinion that can be expressed publicly without the risk of isolation. A secondary function of mass media, that of reinforcing social norms, is achieved through the fact that television exposes any deviation from these norms to the judgment of public opinion. According to DeFleur (1989), the individual behaviour is guided by ones perception on cultural norms. Thus, by the means of presentation, underscoring and selection, television reinforces the viewers opinions on these cultural norms. Television also has a massive impact in imposing fashion and the feminine or masculine beauty type. One of the moments which brought glory to the mass media is the Watergate Process, journalists being the ones who caused the resignation of the American president Nixon on August 8th, 1974, thus gaining the fame of fourth power in the state. The death of princess Diana has again given television the opportunity of showing its advantages in catching public interest and transforming an event into an international tragedy. Still, there are limits to the power the mass media has, opponent forces whether political, institutional, or representing the private business environment which, at their turn, manipulate the information the press offers. Also, the commercial pressure of profit and competition, as well as direct pressure from political institutions or even peoples scepticism limit the power of mass media. What are the conclusions that can be drawn from these aspects we have presented? The mass media are a double-edged tool. On the one hand, they form and on the other they deform. In a post-industrial society where information reaches the same value as capital or resources, using means of information and communication such as mass media becomes a necessity. Nevertheless, I consider that the mass media are both a positive image and a negative image creator, a source of information as well as a tool of propaganda, a sine qua non of modern society.

In The Sri Lankan Freight Forwarding Industry Marketing Essay

In The Sri Lankan Freight Forwarding Industry Marketing Essay After the three decades of the war ended the political situation in the country is stable and the current government enjoys 2/3 of majority of the parliament and president remains the most popular person of the country. But the political turmoil surrounding the Middle East and Iran affecting the local export market since most of the tea products were export to the Middle East market. Also the economic sanctions impose by United States and European Union on Iran affecting the local export market. 2.2 Economical Environment The fluctuating exchange rates are affecting the local produces since most of them imports the raw material from china and India and produce their main products .also the world economic downturn affecting the local economy. On the plus side opening of the new port and expansion of the Colombo port will bring more vessels to the Colombo port. This will definitely increase container volumes to the country. 2.3 Legal Environment The government has introduced a system to regulate the shipping and freight forwarding industry in the country. All shipping and freight forwarding agents must register with Merchant Shipping department. Where they will categorise to two separate groups and issue licences. This is renewable yearly. 2.4 Technological Environment The Sri Lanka customs department has introduced the new EDI (electronic data interchange) system to update shipping manifest through the entering in to customs department website , which will benefit the industry where cost and time of the forwarders will be saved .previously the manifest were submitted by manually and separate person should allocate to do the job. Also this will help the accuracy and duplication of work. 3 ANALYSIS OF THE INDUSTRY THOUGH PORTERS FIVE FORCES The Threat of entry In the Sri Lankan freight forwarding industry the threats of new entry is rather high because there are no legal requirements other than registration as a company with register of companies. Any one or any party can enter in to the industry with only requirements are recognition in the industry, business contact and Agent network with minimum capital can enter in to the industry . When new entry enters in to the market it is a burden for the existing freight forwarders in the market. Since the industry is already overcrowded with so many players with in the industry completing for slow growing export market and everyone have e to share the existing customer base with new entries to the industry. The entry barriers to the market can be arisen due to new entry to the industry unable to get economies of scale at once since they do not have the volume advantage at the start of the business. Another barrier is the new regulation by the government which comes under the Merchant Shipping Department. The forwarders must have the licence to carry out the business with in the local Market. The Treats Of Substitutes The substitutes service can be provided by the carriers and air lines by way of value additions or part of the supply chain to the customers. Ware these carriers can provide additional services like warehousing, transportation, inventory control etc. The Maersk the world leading carrier has started their own arm to provide the additional value added services to the customers by in the name of DAMCO international .this will surely make the adverse effect on the current forwarding market in the country. The Bargaining Power Of The Buyers In the Sri Lankan freight forwarding market the bargaining power of the buyers are very high. when comes to the export market in year 2011 countrys export containers were around 260047 and for a month it is around 21680 .other than forwarders the main carriers are also competing to get the business direct from the customers. The freight forwarder has to convince the buyers and must offer more value for the money. When relating to the concerned company the 10 major customers bring about 26.38% of the total income of the company so there buyer power high and the profit margins from these customers are thin. The Bargaining Power Of Suppliers The suppliers for the freight forwarders either shipping lines, airlines, ware house provider or Logistics Companys provide services to the freight forwarders.in Sri Lanka the shipping lines and air lines are dominating the market .if other than the freight forwarder has large volumes they can bargain with the shipping lines and air lines other than that the bargain power of the suppliers are very high. When come to the concerned company same theory is applied to some destinations not for the all destinations. Competitive Rivalry Among Exciting Firms As per the merchant shipping department there are 296 freight forwarding companies in the local freight forwarding market. But there is other freight forwarders operating in the market without licences also. There is high competition among the forwarders since the export market is only expand around 6% in year 2011and import market did expand by 17% when compared to 2010 as mentioned by the Sri Lanka Freight Forwarders Association (SLFFA).in the industry there are lot of equal size competitors in the market and this will result intense competition with in the market .and there are few major size competitors competing in different sectors of the market .most of these competitors complete in the appeal and tea sector since those are the most exported commodities in the country. When analysing the five force frame work in the freight forwarding industry in Sri Lanka there is little information about the individual performance of the rival organisation. And there is no ranking system to identify who the best company is providing the forwarding services in the industry. Even though there is association in the industry it has only 84 members and where government has issued over 296 licences to practice as freight forwarders. And there is lack of understanding among competitors with in the industry about the growth and there is no growth forecast with in the industry. When analysing the above finding there are lot of competition in the market for sea freight export since the sea freight export growth rate is about 6% but the sea freight import growth rate is high about 17% .most of the freight forwarders concern about the full container cargo (FCL Containers) in market and less about the loose cargo load (LCL) and multi country consolidation (MCC). 4. VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS To achieve the competitive advantage organisation must deliver the value to the customers below are the value chain analysis for the CWT Globelink Colombo 4.1 Primary Activities 4.1.1 Inbound Logistics When comes to the export of goods organisation provide transport from shippers place of production to the organisations ware house. Fumigation, obtaining relevant certificates for the export purposes is other parts of the job. In the import sea freight communication with relevant shippers in the various destinations, picking up the relevant good, storing in the ware houses in the relevant destinations till it ships to the Colombo or various other ports. 4.1.2 Operations In sea fright exports the operation is stuffing the relevant cargo inside the container according to the stuffing plan.in this case the Cargo must be stuffed to the container without any damages and relevant cargo must be send to the relevant containers accordingly. And should send to the relevant ships accordingly.in import sea cargo must be DE stuffed accordingly. 4.1.3 Outbound Logistics When is come to the import shipments after receiving the goods to the Colombo port the organisation must issue the relevant documents to the relevant consignees to clear the goods from the relevant ware houses operated by the Sri Lanka ports authority. Also must help the consignees to track down the cargo from the ware houses. 4.1.4 Marketing and Sales Promoting sea freight business with relevant rate to the direct and cooperate customers, overseas agents and shippers with value added services are the part of the sales and marketing 4.1.5 Services Tracking the customers cargo till its deliver to relevant parties, issuing Delivery orders, Bill of ladings, surveying for the damage cargo and issuing relevant letters to obtain the insurance claims and sending arrival notices some of the additional services provided by the company. 4.2 support activities 4.2.1 Technology Development The firm provide tracking system to all their customers to track their cargo through new innovative system .using this system customers can see where their cargo are currently lying on or which vessel the shipments are on and time this shipments will be delivered to the destinations. 4.2.2 Firm Infrastructure and Human Resources Management The firm has a good reputation among the customers. The organisation poses a good customer centric culture. The MIS support the innovation and responsiveness to the customer needs. 5. THE SOURCE OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH ONION MODEL THE GOOD ONION MODEL 5.1.2 The Agent Network The organisation poses a worldwide agent network .the organisations has 40 associate offices in 13 countries and cargo ships to over 120 countries reaching more than 1200 destinations worldwide which unmatched by the local competitors . 5.1.2 Superior Rate Structure The organisation offers the most competitive rate in the LCL cargo sector in the market and most of the other freight forwarders in the market co-load their shipments with company since they do not have the capabilities match the rate offered by the firm. 5.1.3 Leading Multi Country Consolidator The organisation is the innovator of the large scale of operations of the multi country consolidation among the competitors. Firm is the leading MCC to Indian sub-continent. 5.1.4 Innovative Cargo Tracking System The customers can track their cargo through the system only the have to do is enter the bill of leading numbers to the system and will able to get the full details about their cargo 5.1.5 Customer Centric Culture The organisation is fully focused on customers needs and requirements. Organisation have separate department focusing the customer care and even has customer complaint line which is first for the Sri Lankan freight forwarding industry. 5.1.6 Cost Leadership in LCL market The organisation provide special services for the like packing transport fumigation entry passing as a whole package which includes the freight charges. The organisation always provides the more service for the money charge for the customer. THE BAD ONION MODEL 5.2.1 Parochial Top Management Mind Set Even though the organisation very centric towards the customers and customer need they are not much focused on the developing business to the next level or stepping up for the next level. They poses very narrow set of business vision for the company and does not want step outside the comfort zone their currently in and change the current business dynamics. 5.2.2 Employee Engagement The organisation lacks the motivation to achieve its goals .where employer wants employees to do their best work and drive the organisation towards its goals.to do that employer must engage with the employees and find the ways to get more from the employees other than the primary work set they have been assigned to do . 7. THE SWOT ANALYSIS 7.1 Strengths of the Organisation 7.1.1 Agent Network As mentioned earlier organisation has good agency network around the world. Using this network firm can import and export any cargo according to the customer requirements. 7.1.2 Rate Structure Since the firm operates most parts of the world with various agents organisation can offer the cheapest LCL rate in the market. Most of the agents the firm work are the market leaders in those destinations and the have the lowest tariff with in that particular destination .with the collaboration with them organisation can offer the best rate in the market. 7.1.3 Transhipment Cargo Volume The Colombo port is a strategic transhipment point in the world.so most of the cargo to Europe from Indian sub-continent tranships through the Colombo port and most of the European Cargo to Indian sub-continent tranship through Colombo port. most of the agents send their transhipment cargo to consolidate in Colombo send to the various destinations previously mentioned. 7.2 weaknesses Of the Organisation 7.2.1 Working Capital Inadequacy The firm always works with the thin profit margins with credit to the customers sometimes with low volumes will create a loss situation where it will affect the working capital requirements of the company. The other scenarios is there more imports to firm than exports and the firm has to pay to the agents and should provide credit to the customers this will also create working capital inadequacy. 7.2.2 Human Resource Management The firm not very keen in developing good human resources management process .this will lead to the less employee engagement and will hinder the achievement of organisations goals through performance. 7.3 External Opportunities 7.3.1 Development of Colombo and Hambantota Port The development of Colombo port efficiency and increase of the handling of the containers will affect the industry also opening of the new port in Hambantota will increase the vessel calling specially the car carriers are promoted in the new port. Expansion of the Colombo port to will attract more vessel to the port and will benefit the local industry by more volumes and less cost 7.3.2 Stable political Environment The ending three decades of the war and stable political environment will attract more investors to the country. The more investment comes and starts new business will create more imports and exports from the country. 7.4 External Threats 7.4.1 Weak Economic Development of United States and European Union The European Union and United States economic crisis were affected to the local garment and tea and other sectors badly and this crisis has been effected to the freight forwarding industry also the export market were grown only by 6% in last year. 7.4.2 Turmoil in Middle East and Sanctions to Iran One of the best export market for the country is middle East and Iran .the current turmoil in Syria, Egypt ,Libya has halted the export to those countries also the sanction by the US and EU to Iran also effected the industry . VISION To Be A World-Class Corporation With Global Logistics Capabilities MISSION To Excel As A Leading Logistics Solutions Provider Delivering Best Value To Customers (http://cwt.listedcompany.com/misc/ar2011/ar2011.pdf) 8. THE VISSION, MISSIONS, CORE VALUES OF THE COMPMANY The Colombo office uses the same vision statement as head office in Singapore. This is for a border group with different SBUs and freight forwarding is a one SBU among other business units. Colombo office should have a different vision for its objectives. Modified vision statement for the firm would be TO BE A ONE OF LEADING FREIGHT FORWERDING COMPANY IN SRI LANKA WITH GLOBAL FREIGHT FORWERDING CAPABILITIES. The mission statement by the head office will be the mission to the company since to become the leading freight forwarding company in Sri Lanka the firm must move to the other sectors of the logistics to provide best value to the customer. 8.1 Core Values 8.1.1 Service Reliability Provide the best service to customers and to improve the service levels and consistently upgrade the service levels 8.1.2 Competitiveness To provide competitive freight rates in the market and pass any reductions possible to valued customers so they can keep their cost down to the minimum levels. 8.1.3 Customer Focus To understand the customers requirements and utilise the knowledge of the organisation to deliver quality, committed service to the customer 8.1.4 Teamwork As an reputed organisation it is value the strength of an individuals and combined together to deliver the objective of the firm 8.1.5 Quality The firm to ensure customers receive a standard of service which provides quality and assurance that can be deliver time and time again. 9. GROWTH TARGETS As per the attached Annexure Below the firms average import turnover increase about 28% and export turnover were increase by 41% .but the firms import volume was only increased by 9% and export volume was down by 34% .the export volume decrease is mainly due to the low volume exported during year 2010 recession period .even though year 2011 and 2012 shows an increase of 42% and 22% respectively. These are the growth targets set for the next 3 years 2013 2014 2015 Export tus 3300 3630 3993 Import tus 4,696 5,165 5,682 2013 2014 2015 Export turnover 477,276,792.67 525,004,471.93 577,504,919.13 Import turnover 41,796,722.88 46,394,362.40 51,497,742.26 Export profit 37,495,029.33 41,244,532.27 43,306,758.88 Import profit 30,887,954.40 30,887,954.40 30,887,954.40 After analysing the market trends for the year 2008/2009/2010/2011/2012the growth target was set. The average turnover and profit were nearly about 11% for the export and imports therefore the target was set as 10% increase for income and profit for two sectors. For the volume the fluctuations are very high and it was very difficult to set an accurate target therefore the 10% was taken to the volume target also STRATEGY OPTION TO ACHIVE THE GROWTH 1. The Ansoff Approach 1.1 Market Penetration Increasing the sales volume through new marketing recruitments, encouraging the customers to purchase more services, attracting the customers with price and differentiation and gaining the market through expense of the competitors will help the organisation to penetrate more in to the market 1.2 Market Development Firm can enter in to the new market segments like supply chain management to the garment industry and telecommunication industry. Also can enter in to the market such as Maldives and Afgenistan where there are less competition and high profit margins. 1.3 Product Development Firm can combine their import and export business together and provide services such as imports goods from one country and export the same goods to an another country .bundling the products together and offering as a one product (freight, transport, packing ,entry passing together as one product ) 1.4 Diversification Firm can move in to a commodity markets where they can buy and sell commodities 2. The Porters Approach 2.1 Cost Leadership Currently the firm provides the lowest cost in the market. Where firm cut the costs to the minimum and pass the savings to the customer with lower price .this help to attract more volumes to the organisation. 2.2 Differentiation The firm can differentiate their product and services more attractive than the competitor .this can be create through customer service, image of the organisation, faster services to the one destination to another. STRATEGY FOR THE GROWTH The firm to use hybrid strategy for the growth .the organisation need to penetrate in to the market using differentiation and cost leadership and must move in to the new products to grow in the market . Currently firm offers the best rate in the market. Offering the best rate will help organisation to gain the cost leadership in the market. Gaining the cost leadership will help secure more volumes from the customers and attract the customers from the competitors. With the cost firm can encourage the customers purchase more products and services and these will help the firm to penetrate in to the market with same products catalogue. Currently firm only offers few services such as freight, transport, packing and entry passing. This will limit the growth opportunities. Firm can enter into a new market segment using supply chain management. This will help the firm to tap in to the appeal industry which is one of the largest import and export market in the country. The growth target was set for the next ten years is 10% for the profit and volume. Through new product development firm can attract more customers and volumes to achieve the set target. Combining few product and services as new product and offering to the customers services like imports from one destination to other destination without importing the goods to Colombo will be a new product development to the firm REFERANCE LIST www.slffa.com http://www.dgshipping.gov.lk

The Relationship of Education and Technology Essay -- Argumentative Pe

The Relationship of Education and Technology Today's society seems to be relying more and more on technology. Computers are being placed in almost every machine placed on the market today. That brings to our attention that in the future things aren't going to change. Technology will increase as jobs may decrease and as the need for people with degrees in Computer Science and Engineering become most valuable to the labor industry. With all of this technology booming going on, where does education go in the middle of all of this? Does technology hold a position in education? Better yet, does education hold a position in all of this technology? I will answer these questions and more in following pages. The need for better education has been increasing significantly over many years now. Educators are not just being told to teach reading, writing, or arithmetic anymore. They are instructed to teach all of these things but with use of technology. With all of the technology coming out these days students are in need of the hi-tech knowledge. Making some educators go back to learn about the top technology in their fields. This bringing one of the first reasons that technology in education has its good and bad points. First, making educators go back to school time and time again only makes educators? jobs more difficult. There is more expected of them. On the positive side having educators go back to school and learn about the best technology increases the students? chances in having the best education that they could possibly have. Another point is the fact that technology is taking over. More and more educational tools are being created to increase students? learning abilities. Not only will these tools ... ...you expect everything to be run by computers then you are waiting for a let down after you must pay for the repairs of the machines you rely on. Teachers are the best source of information. Educators can be closely related to computers. You should respect us as you would a computer. You should allow time to recharge our batteries. Teachers also need to be upgraded. We can?t just give out the information we know, we must learn new information so that the old stuff can be renewed. Where technology seems to be taking over, schools may have a bit of technology in them but will not allow to be taken over by technology. I especially will not allow the technology take over. Works Cited Dell Computers. WWW. 1999-2003. www.Dell.com US Department of Education. Teaching with Technology. WWW. 1998. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/2002161.pdf

Refutation To A Bias Suggestion :: essays research papers

Refutation to a Bias Suggestion "Some people suggest that the Bible, being a collection of texts written long ago by persons much different from ourselves, does not have much (or any) significance for modern people." The suggestion that the Bible is invalid simply due to its authors and era is absurd and bias. This statement is supported by God and all modern day believers. Almost any Christian you confront with this statement would most likely give you a blank stare. However, it is mainly non- Christians who would make such a slanted view of the Bible. I am an American. The authors of the Bible were not. Why should this influence my opinion in the least amount? Simply because the texts of the Bible are old does not void their validity. Although we may not share the same nationality with the authors of the Bible, we do share common beliefs and faiths. Taken from a different perspective, non-Christians do not share the same beliefs, obviously, or they would not make such statements. Another question one may ask themselves is exactly how different are the authors of the Biblical texts from ourselves. Is it their lifestyle or career that makes them so exotic in relation to us? Is it just because they spoke another language? They are children of God, just as we are. Science today is still discovering new evidence that proves the existence of a "mother of all humanity." We all share a common gene pool, we are all descendants of Adam and Eve. Since the beginning of recorded history, religion has had a profound impact on the present society. Romans, Greeks, Hindus, and Catholics have all molded their societies and laws around religion. As far as impact goes, look at the Spanish Inquisition. It is difficult for one to refute that Catholicism had little or no impact on the Aztecs of modern day Mexico. Even our laws today reflect the ten commandments given to Moses by God himself. We are forbidden by present day law in the United States of America to either steal or murder. Religion has powerful influence concerning the outcome of a child. The values and beliefs of religions are impressed upon youths. Some may be different from others, but most parents bring up their children into the same faith as themselves. Concerning the teachings of Christianity, the Bible is probably the most commonly used tool. Therefore, children raised in Christian homes will most likely be taught the values and teachings of the Bible, influencing them dramatically. Christianity is the most commonly practiced

Critically discuss an established marketing theory Essay

Customer expectations are increasing because of the increasing choices from a wider range of consumption. Nowadays, customers do not just buy clothes from a boutique, but also large retail stores, web stores or even mobile phone shopping apps. Claes Fornell International states, â€Å"the multiple channel models focus on providing information, purchase or fulfillment orders, after-sale servicing and technical support† (CFI Group, 2006). There are many considerations that customers may make when they repurchase: Past experience, convenience, service, price, product features, company image, and the recommendations of others. These considerations are determined by the way that companies integrate initial purchases and problem resolution in a multi-channel environment. Marketing mix originally had 12 elements which were defined by Broden (1965). Thy are product planning, pricing, branding, channels distribution, personal selling, advertising, promotions, packaging, display, servicing, physical handling, and fact finding and analysis. McCarthy (1964) afterwards redefined the marketing mix based on the idea of Borden. He combined Borden’s 12 marketing mix elements to the four new elements: product, price, place and promotion, also called the 4Ps. McCarthy suggested they are combination of all of the factors at a marketing manager’s command to satisfy the target market. Therefore, the 4Ps concept is now the most common way in defining marketing mix. It is something that companies need to consider in order to market a product or service, they also provide a guideline for the companies to achieve a successful marketing campaign. The 4Ps are designed to analysis the needs and wants of customers, in order to satisfy them and therefore attract more customers and sales. Each element of the 4Ps plays an important role in fulfilling the satisfaction of customers and these roles change with the changing environment of the marketplace. This essay will be covering the concept of 4Ps and also how this concept is applied in the current multi-channel marketplace. The first p Product is the most important thing in an organization. Baines, Fill and Page (2011) define â€Å"Anything that can be offered for use and consumption, in exchange for money or some other form of value, is referred to as a product†. It might be tangible or intangible. As mentioned in the first paragraph, customers think a lot before they purchase, they do not just buy a product for the function of a product, but many other elements as well. So, product can be divided into 3 different forms in order to understand the elements, which are core, embodied and the augmented forms. Core product consists of the benefit or satisfaction that a customer expects from purchasing a product or service. The benefit can be in terms of either functional or emotional. Embodied product takes account into the physical benefit of a product such as the features, durability, design, packaging and brand name. Augmented product consists of the embodied product and also the other factors affecting the purchase activity. The second p is price. It is described as the amount a customer pays in exchange for goods and services. This is another crucial thing to a company, as price determines the money it earns through setting the prices of products. Companies have different pricing strategies in order to satisfy their target customers, setting a price for a product is difficult to a company. If the price is too high customers may not be able or willing to purchase whereas a very low price may make the customers think that the product are in very low quality therefore refuse to purchase. How should price be set depends heavily on the product itself and this relates to the expectations of the customers about the product. Not only the quality of the product but also other factors such as features of the product, the packaging and some other psychosocial expectations determine the price of a product. Place is the next p, it can also be called distribution. Baines, Fill and Page (2011) define this â€Å"Place or distribution concerns how to place the optimum amount of goods and/or services before the maximum number of a target market at the times and locations they want.† It focuses on the availability of the product at the desired place and time. Places can be in many kinds such as physical stores like departmental stores and supermarkets. It can also be in virtual form such as e-malls and e-market.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Distribution activities are vital element in creating customer value. A product will provide customer value and satisfaction only if it is available to the customer when and where it is needed, and in the appropriate quality† (Douglas, James, and Ellram, 1998). The delivery of a product is important as it affects customer’s satisfaction and the evaluations over the quality of the service. Therefore companies need to think and manage well enough of the way s of distributing their products or services and here are some crucial factors of delivering goods: speed of the delivery, availability, range of choices, level of convenience and also after sale services. Lastly is promotion, it is also called marketing communication. Baines, Fill and Page (2011) state, â€Å"It is used to communicate elements of an organization’s offering to a target audience. This offer might refer to a product, a service, or the organization itself as it tries to build its reputation.† There are four promoting methods that companies commonly use, which are advertising, public relation, sales promotion and personal selling. Also today, promoting through Internet is the most popular way as it is cheap and effective, with the rapid development in technology and the increasing amount of access to the Internet. Since the purpose of promotion is to increase customers’ awareness to a product, companies usually begin to promote before a particular product is actually launched into the market. However, the volume of promotion depends on the finance of a company. A company with cash flow or other financial problems may find it difficult to implement prom otion activities due to costs. The marketing mix 4Ps models seem to be a very effective marketing strategy as it gives guidelines to companies of how to market a product or service. However many studies have criticised the 4ps concept as not being customer oriented. Today’s marketplace is customer oriented, companies should do everything in the favor of customers. Therefore, the original 4Ps marketing mix model defined by E McCarthy that is claimed to be product-oriented should be adjusted. Lauterborn (1990) suggests that the 4ps elements should be considered in the customer’s perspective, through converting the 4Ps to 4Cs, which is from product to customer solution, price to cost of customer, place to convenience, and promotion to communication. Mà ¶ller (2006)  criticised the 4Ps marketing mix in 4 areas: Internal orientation, lack of consumer interactivity, void of theoretical content and does not offer help for personification of marketing activities. The mix does not take into account the element of service marketing, it also ignores the relationship building with the customers. The idea of the marketing mix has implied the central element as marketers but this is not correct. ‘Customer-focused management’ should be the core of marketing. So nowadays in the marketplace, companies focus heavily on the ways of engaging with customers, by offering good customer services and provide the best buying experience to the customers. It is no longer just focus on the product itself. Apple’s product like iphone and Macbook are designed fashionable together with newest technology and good functions. However the company also pays huge effort in serving the customers, the features and functions of the product are not the only concerns. Well-designed Apple stores and massive amount of staff in each store provide a good atmosphere for the customers when they are making purchases. This provides memorable buying experience to the customers and therefore huge amount of sales can be generated. In the side of promotion, companies no longer promote their products by emphasising the features of the product but to engage with the customers. Many organisations use social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter as their promotion platform. Pages are created and the purpose of that is to interact with the customers. They tend to build relationships with customers through updating company’s status frequently and also observation from the customers’ activities. The TV adverts of the iphone now focus more on how it gets involved in customers’ daily life. It does not just mention the functions of the phone but highlight the way that iphone improves our life. Besides, there are also significant changes of the distribution of products under the multi-channel market place. More customers now make their purchase online instead of in store. This is because of the rapid development of technology and the increased popularity of online shopping, and it is convenience as well. This change has caused huge impact on the retailing industry. Increasing numbers of customers download movies and songs from the  Internet or iTunes Store, this made companies such as Blockbuster and HMV suffers, causing them to close stores and cut the number of staff. The use of marketing mix of a company depends on many factors, such as the finance of the company, the resources available and also the changing condition of the market and customer’s wants. The 4Ps are closely related, one change of one of the Ps has direct effect on the others. Companies need to pay huge attention to the current market with rapid changes, in order to make adjustments to their marketing mix. The 4Ps marketing mix, has been criticised by different studies in terms of its limitations to the current consumer-oriented market. However, despite the limitations, this concept still remains strong because of its simplicity. The majority of the marketing textbooks still define marketing mix with the component of the 4Ps. Companies still manage their marketing mix on the basis of this concept, perhaps with little variations according to the market condition. It is better for people to learn the 4Ps concept of marketing mix even though the concept might not fit into today’s marketplace, as it is relevant and it provides a clear guideline. Although there are many new marketing approaches and frameworks that have been suggested by different studies, these findings still cannot be agreed in the real business life as they are just raised theoretically but not empirically. This is because there is still a lack of data about how practitioners make use of the marketing mix to tackle the marketing problems, there is also a lack of effects of the 4Ps components on the success or failure of marketing programmes (E. Constantinides 2006). However, it is still preferable for the companies to consider improving the limitations of the 4Ps framework by taking account into the other suggested approaches that are focusing more on the customer side, given that the frequently changing of the customer behavior and wants. References E. Constantinides (2006) ‘The Marketing Mix Revisited: Towards the 21st Century Marketing’, Journal of Marketing Management, 22:3-4, 407-438 (Online), Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1362/026725706776861190 (Accessed: 28 November 2013) Russ Merz, Ph.D. (2006) Customer-Focused Strategies in the Multi-Channel Marketplace, (Online), Available: http://www.vigilmetrics.com/Resources/Articles/CFI-Multi-Channel-Strategy.pdf (Accessed: 28 November 2013) Marketing Mix – 7P’s That Defines The Meaning Of The Marketing Mix, (Online), (2013) Available: http://marketingmix.co.uk/definition/ (Accessed: 28 November 2013) Chai Lee Goi (2009), ‘A Review of Marketing Mix: 4Ps or More?’, international journal of marketing studies, (Online), Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 1-14. Available: www.ccsenet.org/journal.html (Accessed: 29 November 2013) Baines, Fill and Page (2011), Marketing, 2nd ed., United States, Oxford University Press Borden, N.H. (1964), â€Å"The concept of the Marketing Mix†, Journal of Advertising Research, June, pp 2-7. . McCarthy, E.J. (1964), Basic Marketing, a Managerial Approach, Homewood, Ill.: Richard D. Irwin, Inc.. Lauterborn, B. (1990). New Marketing Litany: Four Ps Passà ©: C-Words Take Over. Advertising Age, 61(41), 26.