Culture Theory and Popular Culture Essay

The study of culture has, over the last few years, been quite dramatically transformed as questions of modernity and post-modernity have replaced the more familiar concepts of ideology and hegemony which, from the mid-1970s until the mid-1980s, anchored cultural analysis firmly within the neo-Marxist field mapped out by Althusser and Gramsci. Modernity and post-modernity have also moved far beyond the academic fields of media or cultural studies. Hardly one branch of the arts, humanities or social sciences has remained untouched by the debates which have accompanied their presence. They have also found their way into the ‘quality’ press and on to TV, and of course they have entered the art school studios informing and giving shape to the way in which art practitioners including architects, painters and film-makers define and execute their work. Good or bad, to be welcomed or reviled, these terms have corresponded to some sea-change in the way in which cultural intellectuals and practitioners experience and seek to understand the world in the late 1980s and into the 1990s. Storey claimed that â€Å"postmodernism has disturbed many of the old certainties surrounding questions of cultural value. † This work will consider the issues of postmodernism versus modernism mostly from the perspective of the critics of postmodernism with reference to ‘good’ and ‘bad’ taste. Post-modern cultural movements first emerged in the 1960s in painting, architecture, and literary criticism. Pop art challenged modernist art by experimenting with new cultural forms and contents that embraced everyday life, radical eclecticism, subcultures, mass media, and consumerism. Sociologist Daniel Bell was one of the first to take up the challenge of postmodernism. In The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism (1976) he identified a moral crisis in Western society bound up with the decline of Puritan bourgeois culture and the ascendence of a post-modern culture that he described in terms of an aesthetic relativism and a hedonistic individualism. Yet the most formidable critic of postmodernism and defender of modernity has been German philosopher and heir to the Frankfurt School tradition of critical theory — Jurgen Habermas. There are two problems with postmodernism. The first problem comes into focus around the meaning of the term fragmentation. This is a word which, through over-usage in recent cultural debates, has become shorn of meaning. Post-modernity has been associated by Fredric Jameson (1984) with the emergence of a broken, fractured shadow of a ‘man’. The tinny shallowness of mass culture is, he argues, directly reflected in the schizophrenic subject of contemporary mass consciousness. Against Jameson, Stuart Hall (1981) has recently said that it is just this decentring of consciousness which allows him, as a black person, to emerge, divided, yes, but now fully foregrounded on the post-modern stage. ‘So one of the fascinating things about this discussion is to find myself centred at last. Now that, in the postmodern age, you all feel so dispersed I become centred. What I’ve thought of as dispersed and fragmented comes, paradoxically, to be the representative modern condition! This is coming home with a vengeance’ (34). These are, then, two perspectives on the problem of postmodern fragmentation. There is Jameson, who looks back nostalgically to the notion of unity or totality and who sees in this a kind of prerequisite for radical politics, a goal to be striven for. And there is Hall, who sees in fragmentation something more reflective of the ongoing and historical condition of subaltern groups. Jameson’s unified ‘man’ could be taken to be a preFreudian, Enlightenment subject, and thus be discredited by those who have paid attention to Lacan’s notion of the fragmented subject. But the endorsement of post-modern fragmentation is equally not without its own problems. Have ‘we’ become more fragmented than before? Can we specifically name a time and a place for the moment of fragmentation? Is fragmentation the ‘other’ of ‘humanity’? Or is the representation of fragmentation coincidental with political empowerment and liberation? Christopher Norris (1990) has argued that post-modernity (and postmodern fragmentation) stands at the end of the long line of intellectual inquiry which starts with Saussure, works its way through post-structuralism and Lacanian psychoanalysis and ends with Baudrillard. In Norris’s terms fragmentation is to be understood as marking an absolute and irreparable break with the unified subject, a break which is now writ large in culture. Present-day fragmented subjectivity is captured and expressed in post-modern cultural forms, a kind of superficial pick-and-mix of styles. According to Jameson, however, unfragmented subjectivity, by contrast, produced great works of uncluttered ‘heroic’ modernism. There is a degree of slippage in the connections being made here. The problem lies, at least partly, in the imprecise use of the word ‘fragmentation’. There is a vacillation between the ‘high’ psychoanalytical use of Lacan and a much looser notion, one which seems to sum up unsatisfactory aspects of contemporary cultural experience. Modernists, however, also felt confused and fragmented. Fragmentation, as a kind of ‘structure of feeling’, is by no means the sole property of those living under the shadow of the post-modern condition. Bewilderment, anxiety, panic: such expressions can be attributed to any historical moment as it is transposed into cultural and artistic expression over the last a hundred and fifty years. The category of fragmentation seems to have become either too technical to be of general use (i. e. in Lacan’s work) or too vague to mean anything more than torn apart. The second question which might be asked of neo-Marxist critics of postmodernity, concerns determination, and the return to a form of economic reductionism in cultural theory. Fredric Jameson argues that postmodernism is the cultural logic of capital, but his argument, as Paul Hirst writing about trends in both New Times and post-modern writing, has suggested, ‘slips from a rigid causal determinism into casual metaphor’ (45). Jameson, going back to Mandel’s Late Capitalism, has argued that the kinds of cultural phenomena which might be described as post-modern form part of the logic of advanced or late capitalism. This does away, at a sweep, with the difficult issue of explaining the precise nature of the social and ideological relationships which mediate between the economy and the sphere of culture and it simultaneously restores a rather old-fashioned notion of determination to that place it had occupied prior to Althusser’s ‘relative autonomy’ and his idea of determination ‘in the last instance’ (67). Quoting Lyotard, Harvey (1989) takes up the notion of the temporary contract as the hallmark of post-modern social relations. What he sees prevailing in production, in the guise of new forms of work, he also sees prevailing in emotional life and in culture, in the temporary contract of love and sexuality. Like Jameson he decries this state and looks forward to something more robust and more reliable, something from which a less fractured sense of self and community might emerge. He views postmodern culture disparagingly, as aesthetic rather than ethical, reflecting an avoidance of politics rather than a rising to the challenge of a politics posed by new or changing conditions of production. Despite their sweeping rejection of post-modern writing, both Jameson and Harvey take advantage of the conceptual and methodological breadth found in these theories to circumvent (or short-circuit) the key problems which have arisen in cultural studies in the attempt to specify and under-stand the social relations which connect culture to the conditions of its production. Their conceptual leap into a critique of postmodernism allows these writers to avoid confronting more directly the place of Marxism in cultural studies from the late 1980s into the 1990s, a moment at which Marxism cannot be seen in terms other than those of eclipse or decline. Postmodernism exists, therefore, as something of a convenient bete noire. It allows for the evasion of the logic of cultural studies, if we take that logic to be the problematizing of the relations between culture and the economy and between culture and politics, in an age where the field of culture appears to be increasingly expansive and where both politics and economics might even be seen, at one level, as being conducted in and through culture. Structuralism has replaced old orthodoxies with new ones. This is apparent in its rereading of texts highly placed within an already existing literary or aesthetic hierarchy. Elsewhere it constructs a new hierarchy, with Hollywood classics at the top, followed by selected advertising images, and girls’ and women’s magazines rounding it off. Other forms of representation, particularly music and dance, are missing altogether. Andreas Huyssen in his 1984 introduction to postmodernism draws attention to this ‘high’ structuralist preference for the works of high modernism, especially the writing of James Joyce or Mallarme. ‘There is no doubt that centre stage in critical theory is held by the classical modernists: Flaubert†¦in Barthes†¦Mallarme and Artaud in Derrida, Magritte†¦ in Foucault†¦Joyce and Artaud in Kristeva†¦and so on ad infinitum’ (Huyssen, 1984:39). He argues that this reproduces unhelpfully the old distinction between the high arts and the ‘low’, less serious, popular arts. He goes on to comment: ‘Pop in the broadest sense was the context in which a notion of the post-modern first took shape†¦and the most significant trends within postmodernism have challenged modernism’s relentless hostility to mass culture. High theory was simply not equipped to deal with multilayered pop. Nor did it ever show much enthusiasm about this set of forms, perhaps because pop has never signified within one discrete discourse, but instead combines images with performance, music with film or video, and pin-ups with the magazine form itself’ (Huyssen, 1984:16). In recent article, where Hebdige (1988) engages directly with the question of postmodernism, he disavows the playful elements in Subculture†¦and, more manifestly, in the new fashion and style magazines. In contrast with what he sees now as an excess of style, a celebration of artifice and a strong cultural preference for pastiche, Hebdige seeks out the reassuringly real. He suggests that the slick joky tone of postmodernism, especially that found on the pages of The Face, represents a disengagement with the real, and an evasion of social responsibility. He therefore insists on a return to the world of hunger, exploitation and oppression and with it a resurrection of unfragmented, recognizable subjectivity. He fleetingly engages with an important characteristic of the post-modern condition, that is, the death of subjectivity and the emergence, in its place, of widespread social schizophrenia. Hebdige seems to be saying that if this rupturing of identity is what postmodernism is about, then he would rather turn his back on it. The position of Clement Greenberg in his 1980 lecture entitled The Notion of the â€Å"Post-Modern† could be summarized in the following terms: modernism in painting has been, since its inception with Manet and the impressionists, a heroic struggle against the encroachment of bad taste or kitsch in the domain of art; postmodernism is only the latest name under which commercial bad taste, masquerading as sophisticated â€Å"advancedness,† challenges the integrity of art. Any deviation from modernism, then, involves a betrayal or corruption of aesthetic standards. Seen from this vantage point, the â€Å"post-modern† cannot be much more than a renewed â€Å"urge to relax,† particularly pervasive after the advent of pop art, with its deleterious effects on the art world. This type of argument (modernism’s self-conscious mission, to exorcise bad taste from the domain of high art, is today as urgent as it ever was) appears in a variety of forms and shapes in the writings of the defenders of modernist purity against the infiltrations of commercialism and fashion. This realized art, however, is not in a harmonious universal style as Mondrian was envisaging. It consists mostly in forms of art considered banal, sentimental, and in bad taste by most in the Fine Art artworld. Further, because so many people have no interest in Fine Art, it is often thought that visual art has somehow lost its relevance and potency. People ask what the point of art is, and whether it is worthwhile spending public money on art. When people think of art, they think of Fine Art, and the influence of Fine Art seems to be in decline. However, although Fine Art seems to be in decline as a cultural force, visual art has more power in culture now than it ever had. Visual art is not all Fine Art. There is a diversity of kinds of art in contemporary culture. Besides Fine Art, there is also Popular Art, Design Art, and advertising. What Fine Art does for us is just a small part of the total cultural value we get from art. As traditional culture recedes from memory, and technology changes our lifestyles, people look for new values and lifestyles. These new values and lifestyles are carried by the art broadcast over the mass media and on the products we buy. The mass-media arts define our heroes and tell us about the good. Advertisements define pleasure and lifestyle. With mass-market goods we dress our bodies and houses in art, thus using art to define who we are. These contemporary visual arts play a large part in shaping our values, fantasies, and lifestyles. However, conventional art histories tend not to treat the other powerful visual arts of our own time beyond Fine Art, namely, Popular Art, Design Art, and advertising. Advertising is not considered â€Å"art† because it is not functionless beyond being aesthetic. Also, the advertising does not typically show personal expressive creativity. So, the Design Arts are typically considered mere decoration. Popular Art is thought of as in bad taste, banal, sentimental, and so not worthy of consideration either. Since art histories are only looking at â€Å"good† art, they tend not to consider these other arts. Standing as they most often do within the Fine Art art world, art historians use the ideology and sense of artistic value of Fine Art to evaluate all art. From the perspective of the contemporary art world, Popular Art is thought of as a kind of Fine Art; that is, bad Fine Art or Fine Art in bad taste. It seems hackneyed and banal to the Fine Art art world. From their perspective, popular taste is bad taste. For example, Osvaldo Yero, an artist who emerged in the 1990s, has based his work on the technique and poetics of the plaster figures. These figures, mostly decorations, but also religious images, were perhaps considered the last gasp of bad taste. They constituted the epitome of â€Å"uncultivated† appropriation of icons from the â€Å"high† culture as well as from mass culture, done in a poor and artificial material par excellence, worked clumsily in a semi-industrial technique and polychromed with pretentious attempts at elegance. They symbolized the triumph of â€Å"vulgarity, † the failure of the â€Å"aesthetic education of the masses† proposed by socialism. By the 1920s business and advertising agencies had realized that putting style and color choices into the products they made increased consumption. Through the use of advertising and by designing stylistic variety into their products, manufacturers elevated things into the category of fashion goods that had before just been utility goods, like towels, bedding, and bathroom fixtures. Previously these items did not have any style component, but now designers added decoration to their functional design. This meant that now consumers could choose products not just for function, but also for style. People could now have pink sheets, green toilets, and blue phones. There is a tension in design style between aesthetic formalist styles like the international style, and design styles that are figurative. Those favoring figurative design tend to think of products as coming in a great variety and designed to appeal to the various tastes of consumers. Here the style of the products are not dictated by function, but by market pressures. This is a further development of design for sales. This gave rise to what is known as niche marketing, where the styling is targeted to a smaller, more specific group than mass marketing is. Thus, they shun the idea of a unified worldwide machine aesthetic. For example, a razor can be pink with flowers on it to target it to female users, and black with blue accent lines to target it to male users. The razor is the same, but the razor is packaged with different styling to sell the product to different markets. In designing for niche markets, the styling reflects the class, age group, profession, and aspirations of the target group. This goes hand in hand with advertising, and requires a great deal of research to discover what these values are and what styling motifs succeed in communicating them. The exemplary text or the single, richly coded image gives way to the textual thickness and the visual density of everyday life, as though the slow, even languid ‘look’ of the semiologist is, by the 1980s, out of tempo with the times. The field of postmodernism certainly expresses a frustration, not merely with this seemingly languid pace, but with its increasing inability to make tangible connections between the general conditions of life today and the practice of cultural analysis. Structuralism has also replaced old orthodoxies with new ones. This is apparent in its rereading of texts highly placed within an already existing literary or aesthetic hierarchy. Elsewhere it constructs a new hierarchy, with Hollywood classics at the top, followed by selected advertising images, and girls’ and women’s magazines rounding it off. Other forms of representation, particularly music and dance, are missing altogether. Huyssen argues that â€Å"Pop in the broadest sense was the context in which a notion of the post-modern first took shape, and the most significant trends within postmodernism have challenged modernism’s relentless hostility to mass culture. High theory was simply not equipped to deal with multilayered pop. † References Bell, Daniel. (1976). The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism. New York: Basic Books. C. Norris, ‘Lost in the funhouse: Baudrillard and the politics of postmodernism’, in R. Boyne and A. Rattansi (eds) Postmodernism and Society, London, Macmillan, 1990. Hall, Stuart, Connell, Ian and Curti, Lidia (1981). ‘The â€Å"unity† of current affairs television’, in T. Bennett et al. (eds) Popular Television and Film, London: BFI. Harvey, David (1989). The Condition of Postmodernity, Oxford: Blackwell. Hebdige, Dick (1979). Subculture: The Meaning of Style, London: Routledge. Huyssen, A. (1984). ‘Mapping the postmodern’, New German Critique 33. Jameson, Fredric (1984). ‘Postmodernism, or the cultural logic of late capitalism’, New Left Review 146.

Philosophy of Counseling Essay

The purpose of the school counseling program is to guarantee academic, social, and professional success among all students. School counseling is s collaborative relationship between students, school counselors, teachers, parents, administrators, and the community. Through these partnerships, the counseling program will develop a support system to enhance student achievement and promote growth of future productive citizens. The role of the school counselor is very active. School counselors must be an assertive advocate by creating opportunities for all students to foster their dreams and achieve their goals. A dedicated counselor plays a major role in the school through research, data, collaboration, individual counseling, group counseling, career planning, and caring for the students overall well being. The school counselor serves as a leader and team member; working with parents and school personnel to make sure that each student succeeds. Human nature can be viewed as all individuals are considered equally good. People are creatures of habit and learn from their cultural upbringings and the ones around them. Now days, students deal with poverty, single-parent households, thoughts of suicide, neglect, abuse and so much more. In this complex society, it is necessary to provide learning experiences which will empower the child to overcome life challenges and set achievable goals. Goals can be reached by change. I feel an individual can change through awareness and influence. Students have to want to change and be aware that there is a need for change. The role of the professional school counselor is to support and influence the student. Change is achievable by tracking data and giving constructive feedback. The counselor will assist student in their academic, social, emotional and personal change and help to decide the best ways to successfully achieve their goals. Disaggregating data is the foundation for the school counseling program. The use of these resources will track student progress and provide evidence for growth. Data also helps the school counselor understand what is and is not working in the counseling program. If a student is not successful then we are not providing the correct interventions for that particular student. The changing needs of students, families and schools require professional school counselors who are current with new counseling programs. These programs must focus of students academic, career, and personal/ social needs. I feel as society changes that the students are setting the new goals for the counseling program. It is essential for the school counselor to foster and set realistic achievable goals for the student.

Epicurus’ Philosophy on a Good Life

Epicurus was a Greek philosopher. He was born, in the year 341 BCE, on the island of Samos, which is located a mile off of the western coast of Turkey. In 306 he moved to Athens for the required two years of military training that every Athenian did. When he finished the training he stayed in Athens absorbing the philosophies of Plato, Aristotle, and Democritus. He eventually returned to his home in Samos where he started his own school, The Garden. The reason the school was called The Garden is because its location was, believe it or not, his own garden.It is there where he taught philosophy to his disciples who were known as â€Å"the philosophers of the garden. † But unlike Plato’s Academy and the Lyceum of Aristotle, â€Å"The Garden† allowed women to join and philosophize, which was unheard of at that time. One of the biggest things Epicurus tried to achieve was tranquility. His definition of pleasure was that was â€Å"freedom from pain and fear. † E picurus valued the mind more so than the body. He said that we should enjoy intellectual pleasure more than sensual pleasure because the intellectual would last much longer and cause less suffering.Epicurus is not saying that having sex or other physical pleasures is bad or evil, because the sensations felt during the act is always good. He is saying that when you have too much of it or pursue it too often, it ends up bringing pain and lasts only a short while. It is in this sense that Epicurus is a hedonist. A hedonist is one who believes that pleasure is the greatest good for people. This developed Epicureanism, a hedonistic philosophy that stressed science, serenity, and friendship as the keys to pleasure, happiness, and the good life.Some of the greatest producers of pain and fear are religion and death. Epicurus believed that if we conquered the fear of death, the afterlife, and the gods we would be able to reach genuine happiness. One of the major differences between Epicurus and other Greeks is that he claimed that gods did not interfere with the affairs of the human world. Epicurus overcame his fear of death through his logical thought process such as â€Å"Why should I fear death? If I am, death is not. If death is, I am not. Why should I fear that which can only exist when I do not? What he is basically saying is that it is not worth the suffering of fearing death when you are alive. When you are alive you are not dead, and when you are dead you can’t feel anything meaning that you can’t feel death. Epicurus is considered a major figure in the history of science as well as philosophy. He argued that we should weigh belief to factual evidence and logic, and he proposed the scientific view of atomism, where all facts in the macroscopic world are caused by the configuration of atoms or indivisible elements in the microscopic world and emptiness for the atoms to move in.Nearing his untimely death of prostatitis he wrote many letters to fri ends, one asking that the children of one of his first followers Metrodorus be taken care of. Epicurus made provisions in his will for the care of the children. Even in all this pain, he was still thinking about the kids he would be leaving. He also left â€Å"The Garden† and some funds to trustees of the school and the remaining money was to be used to honor his family and to celebrate his birthday yearly. So how do we live a good life? According to Epicurus, you choose the intellectual pleasure over the physical pleasure.The intellectual pleasure will last a lifetime while a physical pleasure will last for but a short while. But this alone is not enough, for even if you have the right pleasure, there is still fear which counteracts said pleasure. So how do we get rid of the pain? We realize that when we are alive we can feel and when we are dead we have lost the sensation to feel, and how can you be afraid of that which you can’t feel, you can’t. The only thin g that I think Epicurus is missing is a balance between overindulgence, and starvation of pleasures.As well as the buddhists Tathata, which basicly means living in the moment. There is joy and happiness surrounding us in every moment, you just have to open your eyes and find it. Bibliography 1) â€Å"Epicurus and Pursuing Happiness. † Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. . 2)†Epicurus. † Pursuit of Happiness. Pursuit of Happiness, Inc. , 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2013. . 3) Zeuschner, Robert B. â€Å"Chapter 3: Epicurus: Pleasure Is the Foundation of Ethical Judgments. â€Å"Classical Ethics, East and West: Ethics from a Comparative Perspective. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2000. 51-67. Print.

Gender identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gender identity - Essay Example These stereotype environmental effects also evolve with time as the trends in recent decades have seen changes in gender behaviors and roles. Today, there is an expectation that women will show a more feminist and assertive side, while can now show a more compassionate and softer feminine side (Blakemore et al 23). Rather than reinforcing the aspect of nurture, however, this shows that one should not try too hard to nurture a child to conform to the environment. Therefore, nature must be more important in gender identity development because the child is born with a pre-determined identity. Modern research and science have contended that gender identity is not a choice made consciously. Rather, it is a result of factors in one’s biological make up, such as the difference in size of specific brain areas, genetics, and hormone levels. There is evidence suggesting that genetics plays a critical role in sexual identity. Sexual identity is wired into infant’s brains as they d evelop because of these genetic factors. For example, there are various genes involved in brain development that are active during sexual organ development. Infants and young toddlers show typical differences in gender identity (Blakemore et al 24), which suggests that gender is the first and most important player in gender identity development. Youngsters will normally start identifying with their gender before they reach mid-childhood (Blakemore et al 32). Their awareness of being a girl or boy starts in the initial year of their life by the tenth month of their lives, especially as they become mildly aware of their genitals. By the time children are two years of age, they begin to realize the physical differences between girls and boys, while it is possible for them to call themselves a girl or boy by the time they are three, acquiring a better and stronger concept of the self-concept. The gender identity of the child is already established and stable by the time they are four ye ars of age (Blakemore et al 32). By this time, it is possible to say that they know that they will always be girls or boys. It is also possible for anyone to observe a behavior and classify it as being â€Å"girlish† or â€Å"boyish†. For example, without being nurtured, boys prefer playing with toy guns and truck-cars, prefer science and math, are more active physically and more aggressive, and possess better hand-eye coordination and spatial reasoning (Blakemore et al 33). Girls, on the other hand, prefer cooperative play and dolls, have better motor skills, learn to talk and read earlier, and possess more empathy and emotions. Most of these things are inborn and innate without any need to teach them. This shows that nature has an important role in shaping gender identity. Even when parents choose to treat their children in a gender-neutral manner, the results are always according to nature (Blakemore et al 33). For example, a parent who insists on her young girls pl aying with trucks will find that her daughters refer to the trucks as mommy trucks that are on the way to pick their children from baby-care. On the other hand, a boy given a truck will fill it action heroes, while racing it all over the playing area and making noises of squealing tires. This is most certainly due to nature, which pre-determines the gender identity

Reading Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reading Response - Essay Example Global Context According to studies by scholars it is evident that there has been a global shift with regard to immigration integration. Back in the early 1970s there had been growing support for multiculturalism but however in the 1990s and 2000s the shift has become evident and people are proving to move away from multiculturalism and rather taking to cohesion and integration (Dekkers 189-205). We could use the example of Netherlands who at some point adapted one of the best forms of multiculturalism in the whole of Europe, and that was in the 1980s. However they started dropping the policies bit by bit in the early 1990s up to when it seemed impossible in the 2000s when the entire system was entirely dropped and came to be replaced with very harsh policies which can be termed as not far from old fashion assimilation. Multiculturalism has experienced no form of success ever in the Europe and with it has brought many serious consequences. The only way to handle this is by insisting to new comers to fully subject to their new identity. They should fully embrace the Dutch or British in terms of their social lives and if at all their ethnic identities are to be preserved then they should not be done so in public. The European verses the Canadian Model: Relationship and impact In Europe multiculturalism has been attributed to several ills such as isolation of immigrants, residential ghettoization discrimination against ethnic, increased stereotyping and others as stated in the case. However the perception of multiculturalism playing role to all these can be put up for debate since there exists no tangible evidence showing that the ills named above are more prevalent in countries who failed to adopt the multiculturalism policies (Hyman 1-14). Some views have been aired by several commentators’ and they can be summarized to reveal that multiculturalism has drastically failed in Europe leading to greater stereotyping, prejudice and greater segregation. Many Ca nadians also think that they may be immune to this issue but it is evident that this same issue is gradually emerging in Canada. The only remedy either being the abolition of the multiculturalism or post-cultureless. Canada had adopted an assimilationist approach to ethnic groups that carried the hope of having the immigrants to fully assimilate to the pre-existing mainstream culture and still hoped that with time they would be fully absorbed and become indistinguishable. In around 1971 there was the adoption of the multiculturalism policy and the main goals included assisting all Canadian cultural groups having demonstrated full desire and effort to continue to develop a capacity to grow and offer contributions to Canada, to promote creative encounters among all Canadian groups and assisting immigrants to fully acquire the rights to participate in the Canadian society by learning at least one Canadian official language. There is an area where multiculturalism seems to overlap and t his concerns racism and discrimination. Although the aboriginal people are not counted as visible minorities, they are still clear victims of racism. Within the category of visible minorities there are important differences in the nature of the nature of the types of racism they encounter.is is also believed that anti-black racism is far much different from the type of racism faced by the visible minorities. If we tried to take a look at the statistics

Management Decision Making A System Approach Essay

Management Decision Making A System Approach - Essay Example Management decisions are gaining extraordinary and unprecedented importance in the present changed business situation. Governments and business houses have to think beyond the territories while making a decision. They can make an impact all over the world, and the prevailing world business trend could make immediate impact on them. Management theories have evolved and have been applied mainly to change management and control management1. System approach is another, perhaps highly effective way to apply on a company that is targeting a certain achievement2. 1. Alamarai is a flourishing company, but a system and every work in the company is done as clockwork, without any change at all in the daily routine. It has its hierarchies, branches, transport system, distribution system and works like a well-oiled machine, noiselessly. 2. It has its own performance criteria and system objectives. Its performance criteria is mainly running its huge farm, stocked with yielding cows, cooling and pasteurising this milk, make connected milk products and supply them to the decided outlets along with other food products. Alamarai had been one company who had been performing flawlessly, even though a cooling project in Saudi Arabia is not an easy matter. 3. Alamarai is ruled by its environments, political, social, cultural and religious. It is also ruled by the economic environment of the present day world. These signals, the company is unable to ignore any more. 4. It has its own humanistic and psychosocial subsystems, but till recently controlling the humanistic conditions as they are mainly from foreign countries and hence, were mainly biddable, it had found comfortable, compared to the present psychosocial subsystem, that had been brought into the company through Saudisation. 5. Alamarai's aim had been integrating these subsystems with the whole wider society. The psychosocial subsystems are not only originated from the prevailing society, but also have to be improved and bettered in the same society and Alamarai is trying to integrate them. It increases options, reduces errors during achievement and the achievement could be anything. It need not be only the highly market victory. It could be connected socially, politically and culturally to the company, for which company is either forced or willingly inspired to work for.4 System approach is one of the decision support systems, that had been in vogue for sometime and had been found unquestionably effective by many organisations and has amply proved its efficiency, mainly because it works along with its subsystems, and hence, more scope for checking, correcting, evolving and finalising5. a) Company overview: Almarai (Green Pastures), a very famous company of Saudi Arabia, a household name in diary products was established in 1976, under the direction of the Prince. It is based in Saudi capital Riyadh, with its operations spread not only in Saudi Arabia, but also through the Arabian Peninsula, covering almost all the Gulf countries. It is a pioneer in agricultural, diary processing and food distribution field. It is a well known entity with a

Generic relating to the issue of risk and social work Essay

Generic relating to the issue of risk and social work - Essay Example Risk in the current setting, according to Culpitt is no longer a random matter but is much wider, and it covers matters like terrorism, global warming, and pollution among other national issues. This article will be seeking to look at how risk and social work interact for social workers working with older people. Many-a-times, the old members of the society are neglected by their family as well as the society in general. Due to the fact that they are not highly productive, most family members out of lack of financial capacity will tend to abandon their older family members. At the same time, some of these people may have outlived all their family members and are, therefore, alone in every sense of the world. As a result, some of them end up suffering due to the fact that they cannot take care of themselves and, therefore, death is not uncommon for most of them. When working with older people, the social worker has to surmount a number of challenges that come along their way. They have to; for example, look at the health insurance of the person to know what the person can afford in terms of health coverage. According to Mythen and Walklate (2006), the society has moved from the early modernity where the industrial process shaped lifestyles of people. This has moved on to a modernity in which dangers and hazards have permeated into the society due to the effects of urbanization, globalization and industrialization. This means that the older generations have had to be left behind by their family members because of the lean times that have come to characterise the world. At the same time, other effects like those of the coming up of urban centres has meant that the people who are old are left in the rural areas where they are alone. This is because people who have the capacity to look after them are in the urban centres looking for work. According to Beck and

Professional goals Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Professional goals - Assignment Example I established that the process has to be carefully managed if I am to fit into practice. Fitting in is quite difficult given the experience that I had during my placement. Fitting-in is a complex process requiring support from peers and the experienced nurses. However, I believe that with the correct mindset and determination together with support from experienced nurses, I can manage the transition. Duchscher (2008) argues that the graduate nurse is usually faced with a reality shock that comes from the discrepancy between what the draduate nurse has learnt in the classroom and what is actual or real in a health care setting. The graduate nurse in this case feels a sense of groundlessness. The resulting problems include anxiety insecurityand a feeling of inadequacy . Dyess and Sherman (2009) says that the problem is even more serious today because of the fact that the graduate nurse can take the licensure examination moments after graduation and enter into practice as a fully regist ered nurse in a matter of weeks. This is different from the earlier case where graduate nurses would get a temporary licence as they work with experienced nurses for a few months. According to Cubit and Ryan (2011), the situation is not completely out of hand and can be mitigated through proper support programs especially through Graduate Nurse Programs (GNP) that are provided by the health care organizations. This strategy will only be effective if it is not approached from an inculturation approach but rather a support and socialization approach in order to help the graduate nurse to fit in the system. I realized that it was not possible to do it on my own by moving straight into practice as I had little knowledge on the transition process and I was not aware about the graduate nursing programs available in my hospital setting. I would be in a better position if I developed the following †¢Reading more on the topic †¢Asking about other people’s experiences in orde r to learn from them †¢Find out the graduate nursing programs available at the hospital †¢Establish factors that contributed to my inability to fit-in and seek ways of mitigating them In order to know whether I gained from the learning or not, I will look at: †¢My transition process and establish whether it was successful or not †¢My knowledge of the transition process and if I can help others go through it †¢My understanding of the hospital graduate nurse programs The Nurse as a leader A leader is a person who is always looked at by others to provide guidance in situations of need. Being a leader is not a simple process and requires that one has an understanding of various issues around him or her and the people around him/her. I think that being a leader has to do with skills and capabilities that one has. It is thus not possible for anyone to be a leader. Leadership as a nurse is crucial in order to enhance patient care. I observed this during my placemen t as I got to understand what roles and responsibilities a nurse leader undertakes and how to effectively handle leadership roles. Nursing leadership is not a recent phenomenon. It is something that has been discussed for a while now (Stanley and Sherratt, 2010). The benefit of nursing leadership is seen in activities such as administration, education,

Reflecting On Practice in Professional Experience Essay

Reflecting On Practice in Professional Experience - Essay Example With lofty ideals, its vision is to produce thinking, articulate and enriched young adults through the facilitation of an excellent teaching staff and state of the art facilities and equipment. The school maintains harmonious relationships between the teachers, students, faculty and the parent community which is one key to stimulated learning in the students because stakeholders cooperate to provide students with productive learning experiences (from school website). Apart from delivering high quality education, students are encouraged to develop their potentials to optimum levels with several opportunities in various school events, clubs and other extra-curricular activities. Their learning is well-invested into, and on my first day, I was already impressed with the provisions for the students: â€Å"Overall, from what I have observed on the first day, this school seems to have more funding due to the large number of students they have here. The school were very multi-cultural due to the surge of the migrants to this area. There were too many students that some classes are being held in the library. There are many newly-built portable classrooms and most of which are the smart, eco-friendly classrooms. This is to cater for the booming population in this area. I could also see that they are installing some new LED TVs in a lot of classrooms too. They had also had a brand new VCE Centre for senior students to study there with some new computers, a tearoom equipped with oven, microwave, dishwasher as well as two BBQ stoves outside.† (Journal notes, Day 1). However, much of what the students will learn will greatly depend on the quality of the teachers and the education they provide. Teachers need to be adept in knowing the students as learners and how they learn and thrive within various social contexts. They also need to have an understanding of the subject matter which they teach and the skills that their students need to develop as well as an understand ing of how to teach the content and adapt it to the learners’ context. This, they learn from assessing the students and supported by a conducive learning environment (National Academy of Education Committee on Teacher Education, 2005). The specific learning context of the class I taught was for a Year 10 LOTE (Language Other Than English) – Chinese class. These students in this class were all from Asian backgrounds but learn Chinese as their second language. Most of them grew up in Australia and have limited opportunities to speak the Chinese language or Chinese dialects with their family. Most of the students come from middle-class families. Their parents’ occupation and attitude have great impact on the students’ personalities and behaviour. I have observed that some students with parents working in more corporate settings and exposed to multicultural workmates tend to be more eager to learn Chinese in order to survive in an increasingly globalized worl d. Table 3: Students as Learners. Section 2: Planning and Teaching Planning The tasks planned were for a Year 10 class of mostly sixteen year old adolescents, It was for a LOTE subject with Chinese language as the learning area. Veering away from more traditional strategies such as reliance on textbooks, recitation, quizzes and examinations, I have designed some learning tasks that incorporated the use of ICT and involved active learning experiences on

Workaholic Lifestyle Essay Example for Free

Workaholic Lifestyle Essay In THIS rapiLY changing world, the more employments THAT are created, the more people WHO BECOME involved in workaholics’ lifestyle. There is no doubt that workaholics HAVE A difficult time to get along with their liveS. Because A workaholic’s lifestyle has a profound influence on their families, their social lives, and their health. Firstly, A workaholic’s lifestyle has an adverse effect on their families. As much as A workaholic has a superior position in their company, THE time they spend WITH their families is limited. They do not EVEN have enough time to take care of their children or do household chores, which leadS to THEIR communICATING inadequately with other family members. Therefore, their children may not BE educated carefully in termS of emotion and spirit, which in turn makeS A workaholic uncomfortable about the behavior of their children. In addition to the negative effect on their families, A workaholic’s lifestyle can effect on their social lives. Without enough time to participate in outdoor activities or community activities, workaholic cannot form new relationships with others. Therefore, friends who play an important role in their mental health around them are so few that IT makeS them uncomfortable IN society. Furthermore, they have a looser and looser link with their relatives. As a result, all of this makeS them feel isolated from their society. Finally, it is obvious that A workaholic’S life-style HAS a harmful influence on their heath. After working HARD ALL day, they have no time for pastime in order to reliEve their stress. Therefore, they must suffer from severe work-related stress for a long time, which MAY lead to serious disease. For instance, an individual who works more than eight hour per day may suffer from severe headacheS. Consequently, he will not be able to fulfil his work expeditiously on time. In conclusion, there are a number of undesirable impactS on not only their workaholic’s life but also the world around them. Hence, they should set a schedule to have more time to care for their families, and to keep relationships as well in order to have A well-balanced life.

Public Perceptions of Health

Public Perceptions of Health INTRODUCTION Studies shows that self-perception is a paramount indication of health outcomes. The degree to which self-perception to health is related with personality trait is, though, largely untold. We aim to study the connection between self-perception, personality and trait among people on Health. Health defines a person that is free from pain, injury and illness in both mind and body. Based on World Health Organization (1946) Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. THE PUBLIC CONCEPTS OF WHAT HEALTH IS According to the public, health means the ability of a person or communities to cope and manage their own health when physical, mental and social challenges occur. On the other hand, some of the people believe that being healthy has something to do with physical condition of the body, in fact it has to do with the whole condition of an individual both mind and body. Lots of people makes a great effort to live healthy and feel good for doing so. Thus with this kind of concept, man’s health is like an open system that continuously affected or influenced by external and internal factors. Factors such as coming from the environment, social dynamics and physical and mental state of health play a role in man’s ability to cope. Consequently these pose a challenge on putting an effective health management strategies. These are reasons why a multi-disciplinary approach to health care is paramount to public health. The involvement of multiple teams and other helth allied health professionals into public health management caters to the diverse needs and factors affecting the genral health of the public. In most first world countries, multidisciplinary approach to healthcare has been proven to provide best outcome of care and very cost effective. THE PUBLIC CONCEPTS OF WHAT ILLNESS IS Illness is a disease or a period of sickness affecting the body. But this does not only refer to physical health. Social conditions like poverty, inadequate nutrition, inappropriate housing, rising pollution and unhygienic and unsafe play areas for children fall into the first stage of illness. Each of these illnesses has different views from the public in New Zealand. People with illness tend to be less motivated the moment when they know about their illness while people around them only give minimal support. Some people tend to refuse or hide illness to prevent others to know their illness out of shame or embarrassment which makes matters worst. Therefore these concepts of illness compliment on how public view health, as completely the opposite. And public’s behaviour towards illness greatly affect the healthcare delivery system. Fears, anxiety, social stigma and poor understanding or lack of awareness are factors that are hard to overcome by health professionals in getting services to the public and often the cause of poor compliance to treatment. Thus, management or treatment of illness should not only focus on the physical symptoms and organic causes but also on the emotional and social impact of them to the person. Health professionals practicing under a multidisciplinary team recognize the importance of a support system for someone who is sick especially once they are in the community. For example, smokers in the pacific region give less effort to programs that helps to put an end on their smoking habits by substituting cigarettes with Nicotine replacement therapy. This program was tested when 24.6% of the smokers believe that nicotine replacement therapy can cause more harm than smoking itself and strongly believe that smoking can be stopped even without the program. Basically, Nicotine replacement program became ineffective for the pacific people, as a matter of fact, there was a high proportion of people believes on its ineffectiveness and only a relatively low proportion of pacific people especially in South Auckland that made claims for subsidized nicotine replacement therapies. Even though the campaigns and programs are set, more people are still likely to smoke that contributed to the rising air pollution and risking the health others through second hand smoke. In a research conducted by the Counties Manukau study that MÄ ori parents have low to no aw areness of options for stopping the smoking habit. This indicates that these group of smokers should be better aware in order for them to address their mental illness in smoke addiction. The Ministry of Health and World health Organization as well as the health care professional works hand in hand to help people quit from smoking. To encourage the public quit from smoking Policy on health should strictly manage a tobacco-free environment (i.e. workplaces, school etc†¦) and regulate a policy to stop advertising, promoting tobacco products and also to provide more awareness to the public about the negative effect of smoking. THE IMPORTANCE THE PUBLIC PUT ON HEALTH Life threatening diseases, illness and injury may occur in many instances than any of us would expect, but no one ever know when to happen. In public, insurance has a big impact on their health. According to research, around 32 percent of NZ has health insurance. It may not be big part of the population, but considering that public health here is government funded for primary and acute health needs, this number tells us that health really matters for NZ people. People invest for their health to get a better and quicker health service to avoid queuing up for rationed health services shouldered by the government in public health facilities. As compared to getting public health service where services are prioritized according to needs and acuity or urgency, health insurance caters to the individual need of the public without having to to be on a waiting list. PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARDS HEALTH AND MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS According to a recent studies conducted by Reader’s Digest NZ, a popular general interest magazine, out of the Top 10 most trusted profession here in NZ 5 of them are from the health and medical field. Nurses, doctors, rescue volunteers, pharmacists and Paramedics that topped the lists, were on the 2013 list. This means a confirmation of the quality of service and the public being happy of it. However trust creates expectation, a bigger expectation to maintan the quality and standard of health services. This is a challenge not just by the profesionals themselves but more so to the top management and government health or regulatory agancies to ensure public safety is always protected. CONCLUSION Self-perception to health is associated with attitude and personality regardless if there were self-reported medical condition or none. It was highly suggested that personal characteristic has a major contribution to the attitude and personality of the individual between self-perceived health and health outcomes. References: http://www.healthfunds.org.nz/pdf/Fact%20File%20oct2010.pdf http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/people_and_communities/pacific_peoples/pacific-progress www.stuff.co.nz http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0508/S00119.htm http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3576258 http://www.shareyouressays.com/113393/short-essay-on-illness http://www.readersdigest.co.nz/most-trusted-professions-2013

Realism in contemporary politics

Realism in contemporary politics Which international relations theory best describes the worlds events? This is plainly a question highly likely to be exclusively asked by an international relations professor to his/her international relations students during a lecture. The students have to be analyzing this question very critically by taking all the found facts into careful consideration before deciding on anything. Not surprisingly, whilst some students will probably decide to choose interdependent liberalism or classical realism as their preferred answers, some others, by contrast, might prefer another distinguishable theory, for example, Marxism or Mercantilism. Yet, none of them nevertheless are either completely right or wrong. They all have their own supporting evidence based on passed histories and/or today worlds ongoing events to illustrate their own particular arguments. However, some if not all of the evidence is not concrete or convincing enough which can potentially draw criticisms or rebuts from tho se who are in an opposition side. As an international relations student, I to my preference will select neorealism or structural realism of Kenneth Waltz as the best international relations theory to explain the worlds political practices and tendency. Neorealism specifically refers to a theory which tries to explain that the state system, not human elements, is the mere determinant of the state behaviors. It whispers to the ears of all the states that they all have to act in accordance with the anarchy of the system to survive and prosper. People can act morally and ethically in their society within their confined territory. But states cannot and should not do the same thing otherwise they could treacherously place themselves in danger and more execrably in demise. This is chiefly because within a sovereign state, there is a central government or authority standing by to help regulate peoples social behaviors so that social order and peace can prevail and thereby peace and harmony. That is why we can see there are great lots of nice people whose good deeds override and outweigh bad deeds as they interact with one another in society. But we can also see that states more often than not fight, kill, destroy or sack each other for its own exclusively personal gains. Some states, such as Morn, Charm Civilizations, were already unmade. Albeit the League of Nations, Japan embarked on invading countries in Asia, and Germany in Europe; no (world) government or effectively strong international organization disciplined them. The US, despite disagreement from other big powers and UN, did stage war against Iraq. Recently, North Korea has bombed the South. This is not to mention many other cases. These highlight and exemplify ever-lasting anarchy of the system wherein (destructive) attacks and wars are always possible. The so-called Balance of Power widely known to be originally developed by Kenneth Waltz is a paradigmatically typical example of the worlds political trends. Balance of power specifically refers to the means by which a state in the anarchical state systems is highly likely to manipulate its ability, for example by forming an alliance with another or other states, simply in order for itself to better if not best stand up to a more powerful or superior state by which it feels threatened. Relative gains, which mean one state feels insecure when another has gained something out of the anarchical state system, and the endeavors to increase power to well ensure national interests, security, and survival can also potentially lead to balance of power. A sheer number of events demonstrate this mere claim. Recently, the USA has been to Indonesia and India and pledged to strengthen their mutual existing ties and relationships. From the political perspectives, we can see that the US does so simply and mainly to balance its power with China who apparently seems cunning and bullying over many worlds issues. European Union is also another supporting example. EU member states are bound and tied together not only economically, but also politically by pooling some of their sovereignty chiefly in order to balance its economic and political power with the rest of the world, including the US, the Oriental, and the developing countries which are emerging as potential challenging competitive rivals both economically and politically. One more relevant example falls on the case of ASEAN. ASEAN has called for the intervention from the US and Russia in the South China Sea issues, and this is perceived by the world as sort of balance of power by ASEAN with more economically and militarily powerful China . A main and original objective of ASEAN on which it has still centrally focused to-date is to strengthen its intra-regional economy so that it can well compete with the rest of the world, in particular the developed countries. This can also be viewed as balance of power. China is also a particularly obvious example of balance of power. China who used to be much inferior to the US economically and militarily now has virtually become the only USs equal. China has strived so hard for ages and for generations to build its powerhouse in order that its power can be balanced with the US so that China will never ever be easy to be threatened or coerced by the worlds only superpower. That is the very reason why China has been so wily in playing political and economic games in the international arena. China has publicly and secretly supported and granted military and economic aids without strings attached to the authoritarian and corrupt states (governments) who are often condemned and warned by the West to sever development aids on the ground of human rights violations or economic or political concession. It is not only that, China has also manipulated its skills to depreciate its own currency and thus increase its exports at the expense of others particularl y the US. The US has heavily responded to China. That is why the main item in the agenda of this year G-20 summit held in Seoul is surely currency issue. Neorealists can also be reasonably right to argue that the world can be characterized by security dilemma. Security dilemma specifically means that whilst a state is building its defensive capabilities, others will follow suit by building their own, and more often than not defensive capabilities can potentially be converted into the offensive, so wars or armed conflicts are more prone to be escalated then. Trying to shift balance of power and to protect national interests can potentially result in security dilemma as well. There are many of worlds emerging issues acting as clear cut examples to illustrate the point. The US was the first-ever state to introduce nuclear weapon. And then, USSR stool the nuclear technology from the US and built its own nuclear weapon. Facing the security dilemma, the two did compete with each not only over nuclear weapons, but also over other military technologies. After Cold War between these two superpowers came to the demise, other smaller states especially the authoritarian states started building nuclear weapons as well, leading to nuclear proliferation and spread. North Korea, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, India, China are believed to possess nuclear weapons. Taiwan, Japan, Viet Nam and a few others are also believed to be ready and willing to produce nuclear weapons also. Thus, we can say the US has been encountering even greater security dilemma. The US has been so tricky and pragmatic in maintaining its global-scale powerful position, role and influence so that it can ensure its own national interests; the US has manipulated oil politics in the Middle East. Given this behavior, China has been trying to be as powerful as the US through whatever sly means it can access; China supports the corrupt states whilst the West does not; China depreciates its national currency for its economic gains in spite of subsequent undesirable results to other economies; China becomes extremely starving for oil and natural resources; that is why South China Sea has been claimed by the newly emerging power. Not only China, others will also follow suit what China has done. Then, the US meets with another security dilemma. States seek for material power and capability in order to insure for states survival and defend their security in an uncertain and anarchy world. Due to this reason, Israel possessed monopoly nuclear weapon in Middle East mainly because she wants to defend herself from her neighbor countries who always want to revenge with for times. However, Iran viewed that Israel building nuclear weapon is not for defensive, so Iran strives very hard to devel op nuclear program and claim that she will wipe out the Jewish state out of the map one time. Self-help is also a characteristic feather of the worlds politics. A country in this anarchical state system must largely rely on itself; it would be too risky for her to trust others. The country must then build its own defensive capabilities to enhance its ability to protect itself from any aggression by any other state. Albeit a democratic state, the US built nuclear weapons simply to ensure its postwar national security and survival. China also spends more of its national budget on its national defense or military. It is mainly because they both and others are aware of possible danger or attacks in this anarchical international system. They must be always ready for any possible attacks. Kenneth Waltz can also be logically correct to convince that great power relations can potentially lead to international change especially more often than not at the event that great powers fall, rise, or their balance of power shifts. The great powers set the world scene for the rest. Cold War, WW I and II, UN (P-5), LN, colonialism, globalization are all the worlds milestones which were all initiated by the great powers who dominated the world at each time. Modern state system at the very beginning was exclusively in Europe, but now it has spread all over the world. In the past, the powerful states (European states) used military as their tool to harm the weaker (in Asia and Africa) by coming and colonizing those weak, vulnerable states, and now they use economy or globalization, instead; the developing or poor countries are more or less at the mercy of those developed countries; only a few Asian states, such as Japan, could help themselves get out of the apparent exploitation by t he developed. The infamous and famous Cold War was the mere product of ideological conflict between the two superpowers the US and the USSR at the time. Japan and Germany who were great powers gave birth to WWII. Pursuing national interests and seeking to augment power to ensure greater national security and survival also highlights the fact that neorealism and realism in general are applicable in the today world. No any single state in this anarchical system would let her national interests left behind and thus her national survival endangered. She must fight and struggle for the better. She would prefer declaring war to placing her state interests in danger. Armed conflicts between India and Pakistan, Malaysia and Singapore, Cambodia and Thailand, and South Korea and North Korea all emphasize the priority state interests. Endangered by terrorism, the US has taken actions to fight war on terror across the globe; a good example is the US invaded Afghanistan. Modeled by the US trick in world politics such as oil politics, China is doing the same thing; China has been known to be so cunning in increasing its global power; it supports the corrupt states; it manipulates its currency; it improves its military sector and so forth. Kenneth Waltz argues that world is also characterized by the uneven distribution of capabilities and this can lead to international war or conflicts. This point is strong. Of course, the state capabilities are never ever equal. If all the states of the system had the equal capabilities, then the worlds genuine peace could exist. Because of unequal capabilities, ASEAN and China who seems much more powerful are having long-standing conflicts with each other over South China Sea. WWI and II can also understood to have caused by the shift of balance of power to Germany and Japan, making the two become more powerful than other powers at the time. China and the US seem not to end up with any war with each other as they both have similar capabilities. But they both still have some sort of peaceful conflicts which are not yet international conflicts, but need international precaution or proactive solution, for example over the issue of currency and democracy. During cold war, the US and Sovi et maintained some type of peace as they did not escalate to war because they both had similar ability to destroy each other, yet some international happenings also explained Cold War, such as civil wars in Viet Nam, Korea, Cambodian, and so on. International competition claimed by neorealists can also be a true feather of world politics. In the past, we can see the competition between Sparta and Athens. And now we can see the resembled relations between the US and Soviet during cold war and betwixt the great powers before and during World Wars. They used military as their tools to compete or fight each other. Now that military tools have become obsolete, they used different tools in this different world context. They use economy or globalization or tree market/trade to compete with each other. China is competing with the rest of the world especially the potential region such as ASEAN, the US, Japan, and EU. That is why we can see there have emerged the group of eight, regional organizations, the group of twenty, free trade agreements, and so on and so forth. Realism argues that the theory well explains the actions of the middle and great powers who always act in reference to the anarchy of the system. They will always use balance of power methods to survive any danger or threat potentially posed by a more powerful or superior. However, the small or the weak vulnerable states are another different story. They are actually on the margins of the systems; their actions must be guided by the principle of bandwagon; they must bandwagon or side with the great powers, for example in an international crisis, to protect themselves from as well as to survive other superiors aggressive power. And these actions, as neorealists argue, are perceived to be negligible or insignificant. When the US illegally invaded Iraq, some less powerful countries such as Australia supported the US by sending some of their troops to help the US fight in Iraq as well. Kenneth Waltz also argues that domestic politics is in no sense relevant in intentional system. No matter whatever regime type or domestic political methods and/or whoever statesman a state has, she must ensure her national security, survival, and interests in the system. A state has to act in the system differently from what a person is expected and supposed to act in a confined territory. These two aspects cannot and should not be applied to each others context, for the two contexts are really differentiated. A state must act with accordance to this worlds anarchy. A democracy might fight a war if necessary notwithstanding her firmly held belief in human rights or peaceful problem-solving principles. A number of evidence from what states used to practice and have practiced support the claim. South Korea has been militarily threatened by North Korea. The former therefore readies itself for any possible attack or war from the latter. That is why we can see a sheer number of military maneuvers of friendship between the US and South Korea in her territory. The US is worldwide known to be the father and the biggest proponent of democracy. Yet, it has nonetheless been repeatedly and allegedly accused of having committed human rights infringements in the Middle East. It was not only that; the US used to be condemned for covertly and overtly advocating authoritarian states for its own personal gains, for example, by helping support (even bloody) military coup dà ©tats to topple democratically elected leaders. Cambodia is a democratic country, yet it has better relations with authoritarian states such as China and Vietnam than the democracies such as Thailand, the US and the West which are known to be strong democracies and democracy advocates. Singapore and Malaysia, India and Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand warned each other to fight a war if no concession has not made as demanded. China and Viet Nam more often than not have had bitter relations with each other for ages though they both have shared the same communist ideology and similar culture and so forth. International cooperation, international institutions, non-state actors such as NGOs, civil society, and other international actors still cannot fully and totally replace the position, role, and importance of states as the main actors in the system. IGOs such as UN and international law are just like scrap paper for the great powers, who use them as tools to gain global powers and influence. Those newly emergent actors are of course increasingly challenging the states actors, but still states have a shelter to protect itself, i.e. state sovereignty principle. If a state does not consent or mandate another state or other actor to intervene into its own internal affairs, they will never ever be eligible to do anything, but just passively condemn. States cooperate with one another only on the basis of self-interests. Whatever concession and policy a state has made must be attributable to its national interests, indeed. If states are aware of losses or setbacks in the cooperation or some kind of agreements or treaties, then as a matter of fact they will never ever do so. Too vast body of innocent people were brutally and callously crushed to die or harmed in such countries as Botswana, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Burma, China, and others else where, where exist ethnic cleansings, genocides, internal conflicts, human rights contravention, and the like. This is simply because other states or actors especially the West and UN cannot do anything practically with the issues, but just passively condemn, as the hosts do not consent them to do so. UN is largely influenced by the great powers. Thus, it should not be a surprise that UN can be reflected as the great powers interests. UN has failed to deal successfully with many important issues as to address those issues was believed to be at the expense a great powers interests. UN has been successful in solving many issues, but mainly on the ground that to resolve those issues was believed to serve the great powers interests. Bipolar state system is logically claimed by the father founder of neorealism Kenneth Waltz to be more stable than the multi-polar one. The outbreaks of WWI and WWII and cold war are concrete examples to explain this mere fact. WWI and II broke out because of the multi-polarity at each of the time; there were greater suspicion, mistrust, and higher chance for shift in power. As a result, those great powers declared wars against each other. Cold war was a contrasting story. It was a period of peace for the world though it seems not. In conclusion, we can see that the world is best explained by neorealism rather than any other theories. Many events both in the past and now glorify and magnify the theory. The theory is more practical and applicable than the others. Therefore, it is highly-recommended that new international relations learners and scholars as well as the foreign policy-makers must be really careful in making any decisions. And the decisions are to be made on the basis of and in careful light of neorealism, otherwise overwhelming losses and regrets and more tragically demise can be made available for your states. Be careful and bear in your mind that your countrys future is in your hands. Firmly hold realism principles and prosper.

Five Past Midnight in Bhopal Essay -- Environment, Methyl Isocyanate,

Union Carbide owned and operated a pesticide factory in Bhopal, which at one point was a gift to the city’s people and economy. However, an explosion released the toxic chemical methyl isocyanate or MIC into the air, killing thousands of innocent people in cities in close proximity to the plant and exposing many more to its effects. Union Carbide as a company prided itself on its safety standards. However, several oversights would give rise to this disastrous event. Carbide neglected to explain the dangers of MIC, to design the factory properly, and to operate the factory in a safe manner successfully. In this paper, I will argue that Union Carbide’s negligence caused the release of the toxins and the poor immediate response. MIC itself is a highly volatile and deadly substance that is used in the production of the pesticide, Sevin. Carbide neglected to explain the dangers of this substance on several fronts. First, Carbide studied the substance thoroughly in order to construct a manual designed to instruct workers on how to handle MIC properly. However, they neglected to include knowledge of an antidote to MIC in the manual. "Injection with sodium thiosulfate could, in certain cases, neutralize the deadly effects of the gas." (Bhopal, 92) If Carbide had included this information in the manual, then all of the employees, including the medical staff, would have a purported treatment in the event of an accident. This treatment could have saved the lives of many people in a disaster. Secondly, not only did the medical staff lack knowledge of an antidote, but also they â€Å"did not have any specific training in the effects of gas-related accidents, especially those caused by methyl isocyanate." (Bho pal, 167) The company ... ...egligence on all fronts allowed for the opportunity of the worst-case scenario to take place. The people of Bhopal had a right to a clean environment and air. Union Carbide knew the critical information about the gas and had a professional responsibility to uphold its obligation by not releasing toxic gas into the atmosphere and by making sure their employees followed all procedures. The company knew that a disaster of this magnitude was possible beforehand. Therefore, they knew the consequences that would occur from a failure on their part to correctly operate their factory. Carbide showed a lack of care in operating the factory where a moral obligation to the safety of the people was clearly present. Therefore, Union Carbide’s negligence is responsible for the release of toxic MIC into the air and the poor immediate response to the disaster.

Essay --

Daily someone is diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Throughout the mental health aspect, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been a prevalent clinical problem. From nursing care and evidence based practice, studies have shown that PTSD has been diagnosed because they were trying to escape from a situation that seemed impossible to deal with or to get relief from immoral thoughts and feelings. Throughout this paper the clinical concept of hope will be discussed along with nursing care interventions. The evidence-based literature presented will display how nursing interventions can assist in treating clients who have no hope, into a future which is promising and worth fulfilling. Hope is considered a state where a person has an aspiration or desire for a certain thing to happen. Throughout my clinical experience at the VA Hospital located in Montrose, NY, many of the patients stated they were present due to the loss of hope in themselves. In a nurse’s perceptive, hope is something they believe in. Nurses believe that their patients can achieve their goal of getting well and continuing with their lives to the best of their abilities. The purpose of the paper is to state how clients such as ones who are diagnosed with PTSD have lost hope in themselves. They need support and guidance from families, friends, and staff that work with them. A nursing model that can help the patients who have lost all hope is based on Jean Watson’s human caring theory. The theory states how caring is a part of the nursing job and one the duties for a nurse. Caring for a patient can help instill hope to improve their well-being. Reviewed literature will be pres ented and discussed along with the nursing model as well as with the co... ...d friends to strengthen their mind and body. Watson defines nursing as a human science of persons and human health illness experiences that are mediated by professional, personal, scientific, esthetic, and ethical human care transactions. By treating the patients as a whole instead of parts health care professionals such as nurses can help care for the patients and enhance hope in their hearts. Recommendations for the best nursing practice were to intervene as early as possible. It helps to group people who are going through similar situation to talk to each other to get insight on how they are dealing with the situation. Lastly, it would best to promote education and interventions when needed to allow the patients know that hope is always attainable but they have to be willing to care and listen to themselves and close ones among them to achieve hope.

Research Proposal on English Skills Improvement through the Use of iPad Technology Essay

Research Proposal on English Skills Improvement through the Use of iPad Technology Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The application of technologies in schools at all levels has proven to yield positive results. There is a variety of technologies that are used in schools today and among them is the use of iPads in learning. In Saudi Arabia, a number of primary schools have adopted the use of iPads and this, as studies have shown, has contributed to improved skills in English. Below is a proposal on the impact of using iPads in the primary schools in Saudi Arabia, taking The 16th Girls Primary School in Zulfi as the case study. Thesis Statement   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The use of normal computers and laptops have fairly well been established in schools and a considerable body of practical evidences support and confirm the impact and value on learning as at 2014. However, the integration of iPad devices in the schooling system is still at the start level. There are few established researches documenting the impact of these tools on teaching, learning and improvement on English skills. iPad application’s language has helped students in the 16th Primary School in Zulfi to improve the students’ English speaking, writing and listening. This proposal sets out to investigate, explore and demonstrate the innovative and beneficial practice of IPad applications on learning and improvement of English language skills among students (Cavanaugh, 2007). Literature Review   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Over the past few decades, technology has turned out to be a prerequisite in countless schools at all levels. Its influence has seeped into all facades of life, with the inclusion of English language education. In contemporary age of teaching English language, media tools such as animation, DVDs, video conferencing, internet and iPads have lessened distance making the globe a small village, thus contributing to trouble-free learning of the subject. According to Brey (2006) â€Å"the current generation has an entitlement to get equipped for substantial integration of technology in the learning process.† This statement is supported by the outcomes of a research done on 1,050 pupils of North Essex School in London, aged between 11 to 16 years, which found out that the use of technologies in learning, such as the ipad, was warmly received and improvement on the performance of the pupils’ learning and thinking, was immediately reg istered (Todorovic et al., 2011). The pupils are able to tackle their personal challenges in learning in ways that fit them best, with the use of technology.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to research done by Jackson et al., (2006), it was proved that the pupils, who utilize the technology most, attain higher grades and better results. According to Todorovic et al (2011), English educators are obliged to come up with effective practices that are applicable in teaching the subject with the use of technology (Cavanaugh, 2007). The students perform different tasks through the use of technology and thus, their cognitive learning ability is enhanced (Brey, 2006). Owing to this statement, the focus should be on learning through the technology as opposed to learning about it. It is further proposed that, the constant use of hypermedia makes the use of multimedia painless in enhancing language learning and teaching (Jackson et al., 2006). A similar research on the effect of the use of technology in language learning asserted by Cavanaugh (2007) is that â€Å"the equipments enhance the retention power of the student as wel l as the argumentative ability.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most helpful broader term used in technology is CMC (Computer Mediated Communication), which permits the verbal communication learner to communicate with other learners through chats, discussion forums, conferencing, e-mails, and text messaging (Jackson et al., 2006). All these activities enhance the learner’s skills in English language. It is, thus, critical that the program be implemented in all primary schools in Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, effective integration of this technology necessitates teachers to obtain familiarity on their use in teaching the substance, pedagogy and the connection of the entirety (Kubey, 2001). According to Ajab Al-Furaydi (2013), the use of these devices will facilitate the delivery of lessons to the learner in limited time and cost. This helps in managing, improving and sustaining the learning and teaching practice, thus assists in assessing and calculating the outcomes of the pupil. As Ahmad (2012) asserts, the use of these devices boost communication, enhances ability to acquire information, give better access to diverse resources of learning, and inspire students to increase challenge solving aptitudes and give support to deeper understanding (Ahmad, 2012). It is true that the technology has changed the language learning process and literacy acquisition and so is the dynamics of the settings of language teaching (Young and Kajder 2003). In latest years, teachers have been searching for techniques in which electronic learning can be engaged to make language learning extra efficient and inspiring for the students (Kubey, 2001). As the research has shown, the use of technology in language teaching and learning empowers the abilities of the students in becoming improved crisis solvers, speakers and communicators (Ajab Al-Furaydi, 2013).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The use of these devices in learning also enhances communicative and linguistic expertise by giving autonomy to the learner during the learning process (Young and Kajder 2003). This is so because the learner is given a chance to enhance the skills without duress or fear. Also, as Ahmad (2012) states, learning through the use of technology promote the sharing of personal experiences among students thus, they are able to learn from each other’s experience. This enhances their perceptions on the learning of the subject at hand which leads to improved performance (Ahmad, 2012).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Owing to the discussion above, it is, therefore, likely that the use of iPads in the 16th Girls Primary School in Zulfi, Saudi Arabia will have a positive impact on the performance of the pupils in English language skills improvement. The impacts on the English language skills are all likely to turn out positive (Todorovic et al.2011).Significance of Research   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The research will scrutinize the relationship between the applications of iPads on learning and the effects it has on English language skills. It draws attention on how the technology can be utilized to improve English language skills in primary schools (Young & Kajder, 2003).Statement of the Problem   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Saudi Arabia, most of the primary schools use the customary means of teaching, but currently with all the technological advancements, some primary schools have applied technologies in their education system, such as the use of iPads in learning. The application of this technology has its corresponding impacts on English language skills. It is on the basis of the impacts of the use of iPads on the English language skills that this investigation will be performed (Kubey, 2001). Research Questions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Based on the structure and statement of the problem, the research questions are created. A thorough investigation will be performed on the following questions in this study (Young & Kajder, 2003). RQ1: What is the teacher’s believe on the possible improvement of English language skills through the use of iPads? RQ2: How does the use of iPads in language learning impact on the English skills? RQ3: What factors contribute to dispositions of advocating the use of iPads in language learning in primary schools? Tools   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The research will involve interviewing teachers of girls students aged between 6 and 12 years. In addition, the researcher will observe the students in their class for a period of one month. Through the use of interviews, the researcher will be able to answer the first and the third questions of the research after a comprehensive collection of views from the teachers interviewed. By observing the pupils for one month, the researcher will be able to answer the second question of the research after collecting qualitative data on their reactions on the use of iPads. Similarly, the researcher will be able to go through the past performance records before the application of the iPads and compare them to the recent ones to determine the impact of the technology on English performance (Kubey, 2001). Ethical Considerations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some of the considerations which are ethical that the researcher will adhere to are; voluntary participation, non-maleficence, autonomy and confidentiality. The participants of this study will not be coerced to participate neither will they be given bribes to participate. On the other hand, the research will ensure that no harm is experienced by the participants either physically, spiritually or psychologically. They will be left the way they were met before their participation or even better than they were. Similarly, the researcher will uphold confidentiality requirements of the research. Whatever the information given by the respondent will not be shared with another respondent. On the same note, all the names of participants will not be disclosed. Instead, pseudo names will be used in place of their real names (Brey, 2006).Limitation of the Study   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The researcher will limit the study to 16th Girls Primary School in Zulfi, Saudi Arabia. This is attributed to the resources available to conduct the research, such as time. The time for the study will be limited to one month. The sample size will include ten teachers for the interview, most of whom are English teachers, and several classes of pupils who the researcher will observe for one month (Brey, 2006). The sample size of the research may not reflect the whole sample of primary teachers and pupils in schools where the technology is applied, in Saudi Arabia. Each interview will be translated in English by the investigator. The investigator is not eligible as a translator; nevertheless, the scholar will work long hours with the university’s writing center to build up and set down the interrogation as best as possible (Ajab Al-Furaydi, 2013). Expected Results   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Based on the discussion in the literature review, it is likely that the use of iPads in the 16th Girls Primary School in Zulfi, Saudi Arabia will lead to improvement on pupils’ English language skills. The impacts of iPads on the English language skills are all likely to turn out positive (Cavanaugh, 2007). References Ahmad, J. (2012). English Language Teaching (ELT) and Integration of Media Technology. Procedia – Social And Behavioral Sciences, 47, 924-929. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.06.758 Ajab Al-Furaydi, A. (2013). Measuring E-Learning Readiness among EFL Teachers in Intermediate Public Schools in Saudi Arabia. English Language Teaching, 6(7). doi:10.5539/elt.v6n7p110 Brey, P. (2006). Social and ethical dimensions of computer-mediated education. Journal Of Information, Communication And Ethics In Society, 4(2), 91-101. doi:10.1108/14779960680000284 Cavanaugh, M. (2007). English Teachers: We Need to Hop on the Technology Train. Language Arts Journal Of Michigan, 23(1). doi:10.9707/2168-149x.1142 Jackson, L., von Eye, A., Biocca, F., Barbatsis, G., Zhao, Y., & Fitzgerald, H. (2006). Does home internet use influence the academic performance of low-income children?. Developmental Psychology, 42(3), 429-435. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.42.3.429 Kubey, R. (2001). Internet use and collegiate academic performance decrements: early findings. Journal Of Communication, 51(2), 366-382. doi:10.1093/joc/51.2.366 Todorovic, J., Stojiljkovic, S., Ristanic, S., & Djigic, G. (2011). Attitudes towards Inclusive Education and Dimensions of Teacher’s Personality. Procedia – Social And Behavioral Sciences, 29, 426-432. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.11.259 Young, C., & Kajder, S. (2003). Research on Technology in English Education. Source document

Real Men Drink Coke

CASE ASSIGNMENT: COKE ZERO Chapter # 8) Do Real Men Drink Diet Coke? When a couple of marketing managers for Coca-Cola told attorney Elizabeth Finn Johnson that they wanted to sue their Coke Zero colleagues for â€Å"taste infringement,† she was baffled. She tried to talk them out of it, but they were determined. They argued that Coca-Cola Classic should be protected from the age discrimination it would suffer with the introduction of a newer, younger soft drink that tasted exactly the same as the original. Frustrated, Finn Johnson held up the Coke can and shouted, â€Å"It’s not a person! Title VII doesn’t cover these things! † What she didn’t know was that the marketing managers were actors. Hidden cameras had been planted around the meeting room to capture the reactions of several unsuspecting attorneys who had been asked to consider the case, including an immigration lawyer who was asked if he could get the Coke Zero marketing head deported back to Canada. The short videos were strategically placed on websites like YouTube. om to promote Coke Zero as the hip, new alternative to Diet Coke for men. The Coca-Cola Company knows it has to be creative if it’s going to sell more soda after sales dropped two years in a row in 2005 and 2006. Morgan Stanley analyst Bill Pecoriello explains, â€Å"Consumers are becoming ever more health-conscious, and the image of regular carbonated soft drinks is deteriorating rapidly. † In an attempt to appeal to con sumers concerned with nutrition, Coke introduced Diet Coke Plus in 2007, a sweeter version of Diet Coke fortified with vitamins and minerals. But what they really needed was a way to reach young male consumers, and Diet Coke Plus, marketed with tag lines like â€Å"Your Best Friend Just Got Friendlier! † wasn’t going to do it. A few new products appealed to certain male demographics, such as Coca-Cola Blak, a cola with coffee essence created for older, more sophisticated consumers who are willing to pay more, and Full Throttle Blue Demon, an energy drink with an agave azule flavor (think margaritas) designed to appeal to Hispanic men. However, research showed that there was still a big demographic hole to fill as young men between the ages of 18 and 34 were abandoning the Coca-Cola brand altogether. They didn’t want all the calories of regular Coke, but they weren’t willing to make the move to Diet Coke, either, which has traditionally been marketed to women who want to lose weight. Katie Bayne, chief marketing officer for Coca-Cola North America, says that the men who weren’t put off by the â€Å"feminine stigma† of Diet Coke often rejected it anyway because of its aspartame-sweetened aftertaste. What we were seeing before Zero launched was that more and more younger people were interested in no-calorie beverages but weren’t going to sacrifice taste,† Bayne said. â€Å"So when they got interested in no-calorie, they were like, ‘Forget it, I’m not going to Diet Coke. ’† Testing showed that the name â€Å"Coke Zero† would be an effective way to sell a low-calorie cola to men without using the word â€Å"diet. † And advances in artificial sweeteners made it possible for Coke to finally create a product that tasted more like the â€Å"Real Thing. So expectations were high when Coke Zero was introduced in 2005 with a big marketing push, including a commercial that remade the famous 1971 â€Å"Hilltop/I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing† ad—this time with rapper G-Love on a rooftop singing that he’d like to teach the world to â€Å"chill. † Unfortunately, the commercial didn’t catch on, and neither did the product it was selling. Despite disappointing sales in the U. S. , however, Coke Zero was an immediate hit in Australia, selling more than three times the number of cases expected during its first year on the market. In the U. S. , the packaging was white and silver, making it difficult for consumers to see the difference between Coke Zero and Diet Coke. In Australia, the bottles and cans were black, making the product stand out on the shelves and look more like the â€Å"bloke’s Coke† it was intended to be. The U. S. marketing team took notice and reintroduced Coke Zero with a black and silver label in 2007. Coca-Cola is now investing more money in Coke Zero than any other brand its size, hoping it will someday be a megabrand for the company alongside Coca-Cola Classic and Diet Coke. Chief Marketing Officer Bayne is enthusiastic about the impact it may have on the company. â€Å"We do see this as potentially a bit of a white knight. There’s huge opportunity to grow here. † SOURCES: Jerry Adler, â€Å"Attack of the Diet Cokes,† Newsweek, May 14, 2007; â€Å"Coke’s New ‘Coke Zero’ Faces Tough Going, UPI NewsTrack, June 13, 2005; Duane D. Stanford, â€Å"0: That’s Zero. As in No Calories,† The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, March 20, 2007; â€Å"Coca-Cola Co. ,† MMR, October 30, 2006; http://www. cocacolazero. com. Open-ended questions 1. Describe the specific type of consumer that the Coca-Cola Company is targeting with each of the following products: Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Diet Coke Plus, Coca-Cola Blak, and Full Throttle Blue Demon. What types of demographic segmentation is each product’s marketing most likely to include? 2. Some industry analysts think soft-drink companies should develop products that will bring new customers into the market rather than just creating variants on the old. They warn that products like Coke Zero will cannibalize lost market share from other soft drink categories instead of increasing the number of consumers overall. Which Coca-Cola products are most likely to lose customers to Coke Zero? 3. Why do you think that the hidden-camera videos used to promote Coke Zero were an effective way to reach its target market? Do you think a similar strategy with a viral marketing campaign on the Internet would appeal to the target market for Diet Coke Plus? 4. Do you think Diet Coke could have been repositioned to change consumers’ perceptions of it enough to be considered a drink equally appealing to men? Why or why not? CASE ASSIGNMENT: Terracycle (Chapter # 10) Turning Worm Poop into a Product Environmentally friendly products have never been as hot as they are now, and the number of brands touting their â€Å"green† credentials has never been higher, but TerraCycle Plant Food may be the ultimate organic product to ever hit the market. A college student named Tom Szaky founded TerraCycle in 2003 after buddies from Canada, â€Å"where they have more liberal rules about growing certain plants,† he says, taught him how to use worm droppings as cheap and eco-friendly fertilizer. Szaky based his business model on recycling, starting with the trash that TerraCycle turns into compost and feeds to millions of red worms. The worm castings are then liquefied and put into previously used plastic water and soda bottles. Even the company’s shipping cartons come from recycled materials. TerraCycle’s organic plant food hit the shelves in 2004 with labels boasting that it â€Å"Contains Liquefied Worm Poop! † It didn’t take long for the products to take off. By 2006, the company had been named â€Å"The Coolest Little Start-Up in America† by Inc. agazine and had passed the $1 million mark in sales, growing as much as 300% from the previous year. They snagged shelf space in retail giants such as Target, Walmart, and Home Depot. Founder and president Tom Szaky liked to refer to his company as â€Å"the anti-Miracle-Gro. † But the industry giant disagreed. It turns out that Scotts Miracle-Gro thought that, if anything, TerraCycle w as encroaching too closely on the industry giant’s territory. In March of 2007, Scotts sued Szaky’s fledgling company for trademark infringement and for making â€Å"false claims† that its organic products are superior to synthetic versions. Small companies can easily fold under the weight of such a lawsuit. Even if they win, the legal costs can cripple them. So TerraCycle took their case to the Internet with the blog www. suedbyscotts. com, hoping to stir public support and raise contributions for its legal fees. â€Å"I knew there was no way I could out-lawyer Scotts,† Tom Szaky says. â€Å"So as I thought about it, I wondered what core competency our company had that we could exploit. Guerrilla marketing seemed to be the obvious answer. He adds that they hope to get so much public support for their cause that Scotts will drop their suit. The blog offers a comparison chart titled â€Å"David vs. Goliath† that illustrates the differences between the two companies. A photo of TerraCycle’s modest headquarters behind a chain-link fence in New Jersey is contrasted with Scotts’s grand, pillared entryway in Ohio. It lists TerraCycle’s â€Å"CEO major perquisite† as â€Å"unlimited f ree worm poop,† whereas Scotts’s CEO enjoys â€Å"personal use of company-owned aircraft. The blog also counters Scotts’s claims that consumers might be confused by its â€Å"overly similar yellow and green packaging† by posting photographs of TerraCycle’s wacky and unusual bottles in their variety of shapes and sizes beside Miracle-Gro’s uniform and professional looking ones. Scotts is insisting that they change their labels, but TerraCycle’s general counsel, Richard Ober Jr. , says that changing packaging now would hurt their sales momentum. â€Å"There’s the loss of customer recognition. † Su Lok, a Scotts spokesperson, argues that the blog is just one of TerraCycle’s PR â€Å"tactics† nd insists that none of their arguments has merit. â€Å"We’ve spent a lot of time building up brands that consumers trust,† she says, â€Å"and we are going to protect those brands. † So far www. sued byscotts. com has gained massive media attention, leading major newspapers and magazines to cover the story and hundreds of bloggers to defend TerraCycle’s cause. Although online donations have totaled less than $1,000 to date, overall company sales surged 122% within weeks of the blog’s launch. And TerraCycle’s main Web site, which averages about 1,000 visitors a day, spiked to as high as 13,000. They expect to bring in revenue highs approaching $5 million by the end of 2007. Ira J. Levy, an intellectual property lawyer, warns that Scotts may have more to lose by pursuing TerraCycle than it’s worth. â€Å"By pursuing a trade dress case,† Levy says, â€Å"they can allow a small player to promote itself on the national stage. When word gets out that the mega-conglomerate is suing the little guy, you risk having bloggers launching boycotts, and the plaintiff ends up injuring his own business. † Which is precisely what Tom Szaky hopes will happen. The lawsuit isn’t something he would have wanted to fight, he says, but it’s a chance to generate buzz. â€Å"It’s like The Art of War,† he says. â€Å"You need to have a villain to be up against, and for us, that’s Scotts. † SOURCES: Jack Neff, â€Å"When the Worm Poop Hits the Fan, Market It,† Advertising Age, April 23, 2007; Adam Aston, â€Å"Now That’s Really a Turf War,† BusinessWeek, April 23, 2007; Gwendolyn Bounds, â€Å"A Growing Dispute: Fertilizer Start-Up Uses Web as Defense,† Wall Street Journal, May 22, 2007; Mike Hofman, â€Å"Legal Lemons, PR Lemonade,† Inc. June 2007; Rob Walker, â€Å"The Worm Turns,† New York Times Magazine, May 20, 2007; www. terracycle. net; www. suedbyscotts. com. Open-ended questions 1. What type of consumer product is TerraCycle’s plant food: convenience, shopping, specialty, or unsought? Why? 2. Go to www. terracycle. net and look at the types of produc ts the company sells. Describe their product mix. How wide is it? Which basic product lines does it sell? How long are they? 3. Do you think that product line extension or product line contraction would make more sense for TerraCycle at this stage of the company’s growth? Why? 4. How well do TerraCycle’s bottles perform the four packaging functions discussed in this chapter? Go to www. suedbyscotts. com to see what TerraCycle’s products look like compared to the Miracle-Gro line. Do you think TerraCycle’s package design distinguishes their products well enough from those of the industry giant, or are they similar enough to cause customer confusion? CASE ASSIGNMENT: Nordstrom’s (Chapter # 15) How to Succeed by Selling Just One Shoe Upscale retailer Nordstrom has been famous for superior customer service for over 100 years. Robert Spector, coauthor of The Nordstrom Way, says his favorite story is of a woman with one leg who jokingly bet a Nordstrom salesperson that he wouldn’t sell her just one shoe. He was more than happy to split up the pair, though, to her surprise, and Nordstrom gained a life-long customer in the process. â€Å"Who knows how many times she’s told that story? † Spector asks. â€Å"Do you think that that’s worth the price of a shoe? I do. † This kind of word-of-mouth publicity means that Nordstrom spends much less on traditional advertising than its competitors do. And the stories told by satisfied customers are much more persuasive than an ad in the Sunday paper. Patrick McCarthy, who was the first salesperson to generate $1 million, cites an example of a customer who was traveling and accidentally left his plane tickets in the store. An employee who found them paid for a cab to the airport with her own money so that the customer wouldn’t miss his plane. This, McCarthy says, is an example of â€Å"heroic service,† and at Nordstrom they expect nothing less. Industry observer Lior Arussy calls Nordstrom’s business strategy â€Å"greed through love. † They have perfected the art of focusing on the right customers and giving them undivided attention. A salesperson will often continue the relationship with a customer for years. They may exchange business cards, set future shopping dates, and call customers when new merchandise comes in. â€Å"It’s a heart experience,† says McCarthy, who kept handwritten notes on all 12,000 of his personal customers over the years. Most companies are head experiences—bean counters are running them. When the heart is running them, it becomes exciting. † Nordstrom is also known for its generous exchange policy. In a familiar story that has been forwarded around the Internet for years, a man claims he was allowed to return snow tires, even though the store never sold auto parts. It may be an urban myth, but it reinforces the company’s reputation for putting custom ers first. Even though the company loses some money on returns, they believe it’s worth it to keep customers coming back. Nordstrom has 157 stores in 27 states, but they plan to open 19 more by 2010, expanding into Boston, Ohio, and other untapped U. S. markets. Eric Nordstrom, the company’s president, visits each potential location himself before signing off on it. He says his gut instinct about a location is almost as important as the demographics and statistics they analyze. â€Å"Plenty of places look good on paper and we say no. † Even though Nordstrom values the traditions that come with its long history, Nordstrom direct president Jamie Nordstrom says that they’re not afraid to evolve with the times. We see the way people shop changing very dramatically,† he says. The company analyzed barriers between its sales channels and realized that it was limiting sales opportunities. Customers who purchased Nordstrom merchandise online couldn’t return it in the retail stores, for example, and customers who shopped in the stores couldn’t always find the same products online. The company now aims for a â€Å"seamless† shopping experience across all sales channels, whether mail order, online, or in-store. The company has also benefited from a new computerized inventory system that gives buyers and salespeople the necessary data to make smarter decisions about what is needed in the stores—and what isn’t. Choosing the right handbags to stock, for example, in the right styles, quantities, and colors, enabled them to sell more items at full price, which in turn improved the bottom line. Eric Nordstrom says that they want a customer’s experience to be â€Å"aspirational and upscale, so people feel they are treating themselves. Therefore, he says, the company refuses to hop on the price-promoting bandwagon. â€Å"We don’t rely on promotions, be it one-day sales, coupons, or ‘friends of friends’ sales. We think our regular pricing has to have integrity. † In 2006 when many retailers were struggling, Nordstrom thrived, posting $8. 6 billion in sales, a 10. 8 percent increase from the year before. â€Å"We have momentum,† Eric Nordstrom s ays, â€Å"but it’s not easy sustaining it. Retailing is not for everybody. It’s a competitive, high-energy business. Every day, you’ve got to open your doors and sell something. Even if it’s just one shoe. SOURCES: Monica Soto Ouchi, â€Å"Sharper Focus Helps Nordstrom,† Seattle Times, February 27, 2007; â€Å"Sticking with the Family Formula,† WWD, May 22, 2006; Dave DeWitte, â€Å"Nordstrom Leader Says Retail Business Is Changing,† Gazette, October 12, 2006; Monica Soto Ouchi, â€Å"Nordstrom Sees a Fashion-Forward Future,† Seattle Times, May 23, 2007; Alexandra DeFelice, â€Å"A Century of Customer Love,† CRM Magazine, June 1, 2005. Open-ended questions 1. What type of retailer is Nordstrom? Describe the characteristics it shares with other retailers of this type. . How would you describe Nordstrom’s level of service on the continuum from full service to self-service? Why? Give an example of a store that woul d be on the opposite end of the continuum and explain their differences. 3. Which of the six components of Nordstrom’s retailing mix do you think have been the most important to the company’s success? Why? 4. What are the primary challenges Nordstrom faces in the current retail climate? How has the competition changed in recent years, along with consumer expectations? CASE ASSIGNMENT: HBO (Chapter # 16) HBO’s Blood Virus When prominent occult film bloggers and fans began receiving strange letters written in dead languages and mailed in wax-sealed black envelopes, a shockwave of curiosity and excitement rippled through the horror-film fandom. A legion of bloggers and message-board posters set to work translating the letters from languages like Babylonian and Ugaritic into English, discovering that the missives led them to a mysterious and macabre Web site featuring an image of a seductive lady vampire. The site advertised a beverage called TruBlood—a synthetic blood developed by the Japanese, which vampires could drink as an alternative to feeding on humans. As visitors explored the site, they discovered short webisodes for the then-upcoming HBO television series that incorporates the TruBlood beverage into its storyline. The letters and Web site were developed as part of a viral marketing campaign by HBO and Campfire Media, an independent agency founded by two of the creators of the successful 1999 film The Blair Witch Project. Viral marketing is the propagation of brand or product awareness through pre-existing social networks, using unconventional media, with the hope that the campaign spreads as a cultural phenomenon. In addition to the letters, Campfire established a fictional blog and MySpace pages written by characters from the show, launched a human–vampire dating service, advertised TruBlood on vending machines, and strategically leaked tidbits of information and multimedia about the show. Campfire employees closely monitored popular horror blogs and message boards in order to gauge and encourage public interest, as well as orchestrate the release of new materials. The campaign was an incredible, if somewhat subversive success—not only did Campfire generate momentous interest in the show, but a number of individuals actually tried to locate a TruBlood distributor. â€Å"We didn’t mean to dupe people,† said Zach Enterlin, HBO’s vice president of advertising and promotions. â€Å"We just wanted a campaign that breaks through and resonates a little bit. It’s a testament to how true to form the ads are. Some people aren’t paying close attention. † Viral marketing campaigns are ideal for shows like True Blood, whose fans fervently share and discuss ideas within Internet communities. In addition, as it’s based on the popular Sookie Stackhouse series of books by Charlaine Harris, True Blood came with an avid built-in fan base of those already familiar with the story. Viral marketing has been a successful part of many advertising campaigns, such as those of 2008 films Cloverfield and The Dark Knight. Cloverfield, a film in which gargantuan monsters rampage through New York City, is captured on handheld video cameras. It was introduced to viewers through an untitled, unexplained teaser trailer that played before 2007’s Transformers movie. As speculation mounted, Cloverfield marketers unveiled a number of enigmatic Web sites, as well as a tie-in campaign for the fictional Slusho! beverage and a Japanese drilling company, both of which play a part in Cloverfield’s mythology. In May of 2007, 42 Entertainment began a viral campaign for The Dark Knight, a sequel to 2005’s Batman Begins. The campaign focused on the film’s antagonists: a Web site titled â€Å"I believe in Harvey Dent† was created as an advertisement for district attorney candidate Harvey Dent (played by Aaron Eckhart), as was a site titled â€Å"I Believe in Harvey Dent Too,† a defiled version of the former which slowly revealed the first image of The Joker (played by Heath Ledger) as visitors sent e-mails through the site. The Joker’s catchphrase â€Å"Why so serious? † spread virally on the Internet, and was used as the URL of a Web site that sent visitors on a Joker-themed scavenger hunt. As True Blood’s premier drew near, HBO and Campfire turned to less obtuse, if still unorthodox, methods of advertisement. A prequel comic book about an elder vampire and the development of the show was handed out for free at 2008’s San Diego Comic-Con, the largest pop cultural convention in the world. The first episode of True Blood was distributed on DVD for free to thousands of moviegoers at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, and was made available for rental from Blockbuster Video several days before it aired on television. True Blood premiered on HBO on September 7, 2008—six months after Campfire’s subtle marketing campaign began. According to Nielsen Co. , the first three-quarters of 2008 saw HBO’s viewership drop by nearly 23 percent compared to the previous year. However, thanks to interest in new shows such as True Blood, HBO saw a 2. 4 percent increase in fourth-quarter viewership compared to 2007. Without question, the success of True Blood is due in part to the novel marketing developed by Campfire Media. SOURCES: Sam Schechner, â€Å"Winfrey Firm to Produce HBO Shows,† Wall Street Journal, December 17, 2008; Guy Brighton, â€Å"Campfire’s True Blood Campaign,† New York Times, February 19, 2009; Lynette Rice, â€Å"Ad Campaign for HBO’s True Blood Confuses Thirsty Consumers,† Entertainment Weekly, July 22, 2008, www. ew. com (accessed February 23, 2009); www. bloodcopy. com; www. hbo. com/events/trueblood/; Douglas Quenqua, â€Å"The Vampires Are Coming, but Only After Months of Warnings,† New York Times, July 15, 2008; Jeff Beer, â€Å"Campfire Sinks Its Creative Teeth into True Blood,† ttp://creativity-online. com/? action=news:article&newsId=130134§ionName=behind_the_work (accessed February 19, 2009). Open -ended questions 1. What is the communication process for viral marketing? Is it different from conventional marketing? How so? . 2. What was the initial promotional mix of the True Blood campaign, and how might it suggest an o bservance of IMC? 2. Did Cloverfield use a push or pull promotional strategy? What about The Dark Knight? Explain. CASE ASSIGNMENT: Walmart (Chapter 20) How Low Can Drug Prices Go? When Walmart rolled out its new prescription-drug plan in 2006, lowering the prices on 331 commonly prescribed medications to a flat $4, Frank Ganci’s doctor told him to check it out. He has no health insurance and his prescriptions were costing him $110 a month at his local pharmacy, so switching to Walmart meant that he could get the same three medications for $12. Now he says he’s a loyal Walmart customer: â€Å"If they don’t make up the money on prescriptions, they’re going to make it up on my clothes and food purchases. Industry analysts speculate that Walmart is counting on customers like Ganci to spend the money they saved at the pharmacy on other products in the store. Walmart insists that it can earn a profit on the $4 prescriptions alone, however, since more expensive medications are not discounted. â€Å"It can only be in our program if it is profitable,† says Bill Simon, a Walmart CEO. It’s true that pharmacies can buy some types of generics from manufacturers for less than $4. For example, a month’s supply of fluoxetine, the generic version of Prozac, can be obtained for 75 cents. But store overhead and pharmacists’ salaries bring the true cost closer to $15. It would be difficult for smaller pharmacies to match the $4 price point, which has some of Walmart’s competitors complaining that it violates predatory pricing laws. â€Å"You can’t just sell something below your cost to drive out the small guy,† says Rick Sain, co-owner of a drugstore in Tennessee. â€Å"You have to at least set a fair price. That’s what all the states that have fair trade laws in place are looking into it—because you cannot dispense a prescription for $4. They are saying you can. † Walmart later increased the price of certain generic drugs from $4 to $9 in order to bring the company into compliance with all â€Å"low-cost laws,† according to a company statement. John Rector of the National Community Pharmacists Association says, â€Å"We don’t know for certain whether it can make a profit on the $4 drugs so they don’t violate these laws. But we strongly doubt it, and the fact is [raising some prices] gives us insight into what its business practices are. Stores like Target and Kmart quickly lowered their own prices to match Walmart’s, but Walgreens and CVS both announced that their prices would remain the same. Tony Civello, CEO of Kerr Drug, insists, â€Å"We will not treat your prescription like t-shirts and blue jeans. Walmart may choose to use some limited prescription drugs as a loss leader. But our patients’ healthcare is not a loss leader. We will not compromise that. † Bill Vaug han, a policy analyst for Consumers Union, argues that the price slashing is actually step in the right direction. It’s the beginning of better competition in a sector where it’s literally pennies per pill,† he said. When a generic drug is introduced, pharmacies can charge as much as they like for it. One study found that markups were often as high as 4,000 percent. Few people compare drug prices from one pharmacy to the next, so pharmacies are able to mark up prices substantially. Walmart’s prescription program seems to be raising consumer awareness as it demonstrates how low the prices of the drugs can go. The discounts are especially welcome among uninsured Americans and seniors living on fixed incomes. Legislators have listened to constituents who rely on the $4 plan and efforts are under way in states like Colorado and Minnesota to either repeal predatory-pricing laws or exempt prescription drugs from them. The prescriptions in Walmart’s $4 program now make up more than 35 percent of all prescriptions they fill, and the company boasts that the program has saved consumers more than $340 million in drug costs already. Walmart executive H. Lee Scott is enthusiastic about its future, saying, â€Å"The $4 prescription program is absolutely one of the coolest things that we have done in a long time. SOURCES: Martin Sipkoff , â€Å"Walmart, Other Discounters Facing Predatory-Pricing Concerns,† Drug Topics, April 2, 2007; Sue Stock, â€Å"Walmart Drug Plan in N. C. ,† News & Observer, October 20, 2006; Jessie Male, â€Å"Generic Concern: Will Walmart’s $4 Prescriptions Do Much to Change Consumers’ Pharmacy Habits? † Grocery Headquarters, November 1, 2006; Pallavi Gogoi, â€Å"Drug Wars at the Big-Box Stores,† BusinessWeek, May 24, 2007; Milt Freudenheim, â€Å"Side Effects at the Pharmacy,† New York Times, November 30, 2006. Chapter 20 Open-ended questions 1. Do you believe Walmart is engaging in predatory pricing with its $4 generic drug program? Why or why not? 2. Do you think that predatory pricing laws should be amended to exclude prescription drugs? Explain. 3. If you owned a pharmacy next door to a Walmart store, what strategies could you try in order to compete? Would you match their prices if possible, or would you find other ways to add value? What could a small pharmacy like yours offer customers that Walmart’s might not?