Ad-Comm Group “Whitebook”: Cross-Marketing Platform for Luxury Brands in Japan Essay

1. What is a Whitebook? What role(s) does it play in the Marketing strategy of Ad-comm’s client companies? Answers 15 lines maximum. Whitebook is a cross marketing platform, a magazine that is published in Japan every 4 months and which displays nine luxury brands in nine diverse types of product. The magazine is customized for each luxury sponsors. The Whitebook plays an important role in terms of marketing strategy as it is a brand ambassador and CRM tool. As the Whitebook is mainly distributed through sponsors, the Whitebook targets a prequalified small group of costumers but right ones, right at the beginning. Being displayed in the magazine can be seen a recognition of being a top luxury brand and be therefore an award. The Magazine creates a strong relationship between the brands and the costumers, as the costumers feel privileged to receive special attention from the brand. Moreover the Whitebook organizes event as well, which gathers customers and one brand. Those events gives the opportunity for luxury brands to create a personal relationship (â€Å"face-to-face† relationship) with its customers, by telling its heritage and answering questions. 2. Take the perspective of the general manager of Porsche Japan. See more: Old Age Problem essay How would you assess the cost effectiveness or ROI of investing 20 million Yen a year to sponsor Whitbook? Would you be willing to be a sponsor? Why or why not? Answer by using a break-even analysis, and by calculating the expected customer lifetime value (i. e. today’s expected value of a customer’s purchases over the course of his/her life as a Porsche customer). 1 to 2 pages. a. You must know what a break-even analysis is: this is when your return/revenue covers your investment – in other words: how many cars to sell to repay for the investment in Whitebook? b. Customer Lifetime value: refer to the last class definition – expected value of a customer over the course of his/her life as a customer = selling price of a Porsche x number of Porsches purchased in a lifetime. Be creative by using the data of the case and common sense. There is no magic formula. I will take your assumptions into consideration. c. Then the cost effectiveness can be assessed by comparing to competitive offerings Porsche sales increased by 4. 55 ( 3000/658= 4. 55 – p. 8) in 6 years. For a luxury brand, democratization of the product also means loss of prestige and exclusivity. Whitebook is a way to keep the luxury image of the brand by creating a special relationship with the best costumers. 20 million Yen represents 2. 4% of the total marketing budget (p. 8). Assuming that an average price of Porsche is 75 000$ USD , in 6 years they have sold for 175 650 000$ (75 000 x 2320) . 20 million Yen is equal to 214 241. 04$ USD which corresponds to 1 285 446. 24$ USD in 6 years. In terms of break-even analysis and still assuming the average price of 75 000 $, they need to sell 3 cars (2. 86) (214 241. 04 / 75 000) per year to repay their investment in Whitebook. However, the case mentions that â€Å"10% of the VIP customers own 8-9 Porsches† (p. 8), therefore we can assume that Porsche company sells at least 3 cars per year and therefore sponsoring Whitebook is profitable. In terms of Costumer Lifetime value, we shall still assume the average price of 75 000$ USD per car and the number of Porsches purchased in a lifetime of 8. 5 (â€Å"8-9 Porsches† own over lifetime – p. 8). The Costumer Lifetime Value is therefore equal to 637 500 (75 000 x 8.5). Finally, in terms of cost effectiveness, if we look at exhibit 9, we see that the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of Whitebook is best advantageous compared to other selected print media in Japan. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is relatively low (5 000 000 Yen) compared to the number of pages and the location. Let’s take 25ans’. The MSRP is 4 200 000 Yen for 2 pages on the back cover; compared to 800 000Yen more for Whitebook (therefore 1. 19 more expensive (5 000 000 / 4 200 000 = 1. 19) ) for 3 times more pages inside the magazine for Whitebook. It is then clear that Whitebook is more profitable compared to less expensive magazines in terms of cost effectiveness. Moreover 25ans’ targets women’s luxury, however Porsche and fast cars are commonly known to be of mainly great interest for men. Concerning Esquire, the MSRP is 3 200 000 Yen of 2 pages on the back cover, Whitebook is 1 800 000 more (therefore 1. 5626 more expensive (5 000 000 / 32 000 000)) for 3 times more pages inside the magazine. Thus, Whitebook magazine is more profitable than Esquire. Moreover Esquire targets Men’s fashion/lifestyle only, however purchasing a Porsche can also involve women (Porsche Cayenne for example). Concerning Nikkei Business, the MSRP is 5 680 000 Yen of 2 pages on the back cover which target business customers. Compare to Whitebook, Nikkei Business is 1. 136 more expensive than Whitebook for less pages. Moreover the Nikkei Business target only business Concerning Asahi Newspaper, the MSRP is 22 500 000 Yen for full page. Compare toe Whitebook, Asahi Newspaper is 4. 5 more expensive. Moreover, Asahi Newspaper targets general public, however Porsche wants to keep the luxury prestige and exclusive image of the brand by investing in a magazine, the target readers doesn’t therefore correspond to the main aim of Porsche. In conclusion, Whitebook is the best investment in terms of cost effectiveness compared to competitive offerings. 3. Put yourself in the shoes of Andreas Dannenberg. Whitebook exploits opportunities (and leverages strength, addresses weaknesses, and counter threats) in the luxury market and advertising industry, and it helps Ad-comm stay ahead of potential capability improvements by Japanese and multinational competitors. What is Whitebook to you? What role(s) does it play in the marketing strategy of Ad-comm itself? Answer by using a SWOT analysis (for Ad-comm) to understand internal and external strategic position. 1 to 2 pages. In terms of Strengths: * Whitebook enables to be independent from Japanese Players * Doesn’t have to be subcontracted by Japanese agencies * Target the right costumers. * Plays a role of CRM tool * Create privilege relationships between the brands and the costumers * Maintain the luxury and exclusive image of the sponsors * Create events to build a face to face relationship and build a trust relationship in the long run with VIP costumers -> the brand tells stories and heritage to the customer and the Japanese consumption, customers are choosing a brand mainly because of its heritage, recommendations of experts and experiences of family and friends. * Plays a role of brand ambassador * Enable luxury companies to display the corporate portfolio * Enable luxury brands to make their cash flows easier. In terms of Weaknesses: * Limited to Japanese market * Limited to the Japanese market * Implementation on international market requires global corporate decision In terms of Opportunities: * Cross-marketing platform * Select prequalified targeted and top-tier customer * Create a unique virtual experience for privilege guests as well trough its website and entry key * Track behaviors of target customers * The website tracks behaviors of target customers * Create events which can be an opportunity to launch a new product to a right target costumer * Enable luxury companies to get new costumers. * Work as a CRM tool In terms of Threats: * No competitors at the moment because is very selective and the nurture the relationship with the brand. * However, competitors can come in the market, target also luxury clientele with more luxury brands or more subcategories * New competitors can come and create other type of cross-marketing platform like a privilege club which enables the brands to meet * New competitors can come an create the same magazine suited for the global market or USA market which number of customers are greater. 4. What would you do with the expansion opportunities described at the end of the case (pp. 10-13)? Would you pursue: (a) increasing the number of sponsors I the current Whitebook? (b) replicating the current Whitebook in overseas market; or (c) developing an alternative Whitebook focused on the new â€Å"edgy† brand market? Why? Answer with Pros and Cons in 1 to 2 pages. (a) Increasing the number of sponsors I the current Whitebook Pros: * Increase flexibility when planning events * Increase quantity of events (number of events) * Increase quality of events, as more VIP customers and sponsor companies are available * Increase the use of CRM tool * Make the relationship between brand and consumer more visible Cons: * Additional cost could offset the fixed costs of production * Losing credibility * Losing trust with the brands * Losing luxury appeal because luxury is based on scarcity and exclusivity (b) Replicating the current Whitebook in overseas market (the best option because:) Pros: * Minimize additional effort and attention required to Whitebook * Provide learning opportunity for the account managers. * Can introduce new categories in the book * Multinational sponsor already present in the Japanese version can be included in the overseas version * Already implemented in US, Singapore Cons: * There’s a small budget required by sponsors * The decisions so fare are regional and not on corporate level * Changing the marketing strategy at a global level will be uncontrollable for Whitebook unless they change the whole corporate structure, which possible (c) Developing an alternative Whitebook focused on the new â€Å"edgy† brand market Pros: * Maintain most loyal costumers * Help to acquire innovative customers. * Guarantee of 50 000 targeted customers * Involves high-margin brand segments * Developing new relationships with new companies Cons: * Should redirect the target customers on young customers * Being part of a community takes out their own personality and uniqueness * Because edgy brands target young customers and customers prefer interactive marketing tools so edgy brand prefer to invest their marketing budget and events or promotions rather that printing marketing * Change the value of luxury image of the book * Because luxury is based on exclusivity and scarcity, including edgy brands will damage this luxury image.

Nuclear Energy: How Fukushima Changed Everything

Nuclear Energy: How Fukushima Changed Everything. After the Chernobyl disaster of April 26th, 1986, it was often said that the nuclear industry no longer had the resilience to survive another major nuclear accident. The industry hoped that the sentiment behind the Chernobyl accident could be eased on the basis that it was the consequence of a flaw in design that was unique to the Soviet Union’s reactors and that they had been operated in such a way that would not have been acceptable in the West.Then, Fukushima changed everything. That, at least, was the popular view adopted in the aftermath of March 11, 2011, by the press, media and across the Internet blogging community. A nuclear accident in such a densely populated and well-developed country would transform the way nuclear energy is perceived, as well as, determine the way it would be used, or not used, in the years to come. This analysis attempts to overview its causes, evaluate its impact, and understand its consequences on future nuclear development. CausesOn October 30th, 2011, the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission (NAIIC) was enacted, creating an independent commission whose sole purpose was to investigate the Fukushima accident with the authority to request documentation and evidence required from whomever they saw fit. This independent commission was the first in the history of Japan’s constitutional government. Their main mandate was to investigate the direct and indirect causes of the Tokyo Electric Power Company Fukushima nuclear power plant accident that occurred on March 11, 2011 in conjunction with the Great East Japan Earthquake.This event triggered an extremely severe nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daichii Nuclear Power Plant, owned and operated by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). It was declared Level 7 (â€Å"Severe Accident†) by the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES). At the moment the earthquake struck, nuclear reactor u nits 1 to 3 were functioning under normal operating parameters and units 4 to 6 were undergoing periodic inspection. Emergency shutdown occurred right after seismic activity was identified. The seismic tremors damaged the electricity transmission facilities between the TEPCO Shinfukushima Transformer SubstationsNuclear Energy: How Fukushima Changed Everything. 2 and the Fukushima Daichii Nuclear Power Plant. This resulted in a total loss of off-site electricity. The back-up transmission line that was hooked up to nearby Tohoku Electric Power Company failed to feed reactor 1 due to mismatched sockets. The first of 3 tsunami waves was more than twice the height of the seawall which TEPCO had failed to replace after recommendations had been made by a group of government scientists back in 2009. TEPCO later stated that this recommendation was in the process of review at the time the tsunami hit.The seawater began flooding the building floor breaking walls and scattering debris. As the w ater rose, emergency diesel generators broke down, along with the seawater cooling pumps, electric wiring system and DC power supply for units 1, 2, 3 and 4. This resulted in a complete loss of power. Unit 5 lost all AC power and unit 6 stayed online due to a working air cooled emergency diesel generator. The loss of electricity resulted in the shutdown of monitoring equipment, lighting and communication devices. Decisions had to be made on the spot without the proper tools or manuals, making it difficult to cool down the reactors in an efficient way.The cooling reactors which were dependent on electricity for high-pressure water injection, depressurizing the reactors low pressure water injection cooling, depressurizing the reactor containers, and removal of decay, failed. Lack of access to these key locations due to debris pile up led to the inability of the personnel to react appropriately. In June, 2011, four months after the accident, the country’s Nuclear Emergency Respo nse Headquarters confirmed the complete meltdown of reactors 1, 2, 3, and spent fuel pond of reactor 4.The conclusions held by the NAIIC stated that the direct causes of the accident were all foreseeable prior to March 11, 2011. The plants design was incapable of withstanding an earthquake and tsunami of that magnitude. In addition, operators (TEPCO), regulatory bodies (NISA and NSC) and the government body promoting the nuclear power industry (METI) all failed to ensure basic safety requirements, such as assessing the probability of damage, preparation for containing collateral damage and developing evacuation plans for the public in the case of a serious radiation release. Dr.Kurokawa of the Nuclear Safety Commission reserved his most damning language for his criticism of a culture in Japan that suppresses dissent and outside opinion, which he said might have prompted changes to the country’s lax nuclear controls. Nuclear Energy: How Fukushima Changed Everything. 3 Impacts on Health & Environment The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident resulted in the release of fission products to the environment, including the contamination of air, water, soil, animals, fish, milk and crops. In addition, it generated radiation levels that caused the necessary evacuation of people within a 20 to 30 km range of the facility.A study on the effects of the Fukushima nuclear meltdown on the environment and public safety by Dr. med. Alex Rosen of the University of Dusseldorf came up with a series findings. The atmospheric emissions of more than 30 radioactive isotopes occurred through the explosions in reactors 1 to 3, the spent fuel pond of reactor 4 and the venting of reactors to relieve pressure and enable cool down. The total emission of iodine 131 was estimated to be 20% of the quantity emitted in the Chernobyl accident and 40% to 60% of cesium-137 emissions.Although, these are both naturally occurring elements, both of these radioactive isotopes are found to have dang erous impacts to human health under high doses. A dozen other radioactive substances including strontium-90, xenon-133 and plutonium-139 were spread throughout the region as radioactive fallout following the incident. Geography Radioactive fallout occurred mainly in the Northern Pacific (79%) and about 19% of the fallout contaminated the Honshu island, which includes the densely populated Tokyo metropolitan area. Overall, it was determined hat 1000 km2 were highly contaminated with radioactive isotopes. This led to the evacuation of an estimated 200,000 people in the immediately impacted zone in a radius of 20 km2 to 30 km2. Furthermore, an estimated 70,000 people are said to have stayed within 870 km2 radius of the plant’s highly contaminated land outside of the evacuation zone. These people were exposed to 100 times the natural background radiation expected within a year following the accident. Health Risks The risk of developing cancer and other radiation-induced diseases increased proportionally to the amount of radioactive exposure.According to Dr. Rosen, even the smallest amounts of Nuclear Energy: How Fukushima Changed Everything. 4 radioactivity can cause tissue damage and genetic mutations. Children have been found to be the demographic class with the highest risk in relation to radioactive exposure due to a greater level of sensitivity. Soil Contamination Following the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl 25 years ago, the Soviet government chose long-term evacuation over extensive decontamination. As a result, the area is non habitable and remains severely contaminated by radioactive fallout.In Japan, large areas of farmland and forests were contaminated following the accident. Lacking land for resettlement and facing public outrage, the Japanese government chose to embark on a decontamination effort of unprecedented scale. Japanese workers, power-sprayed buildings, scraped soil off fields, and removed fallen leaves and undergrowth from the woods ne ar houses, in an attempt to make Fukushima livable again. The Japanese Ministry of Environment estimated that Fukushima would have to dispose of 15 to 31 million cubic meters of contaminated soil and debris by the end of the econtamination process, with costs exceeding one trillion yen. The decontamination efforts were focused mostly on the radionuclides caesium-134 and caesium-137, with half-lives of 2 and 30 years, respectively. Although other radionuclides have been found in Japan, these two pose the greatest long term threat to human health through ingestion and external exposure. Radiocaesium has been found in all of Japan’s prefectures, but most highly concentrated within a 50 kilometer area northwest of the plant, and to a lesser extent throughout eastern and central Fukushima Prefecture.Marine & Groundwater Back flow and deliberate discharge of radioactive wastewater were released from the plant. Approximately 15 to 27 PBq (petabecquerel) of radioactive marine dischar ge resulted in the worst radioactive contamination of the Japanese coast in recorded history. The effect of dilution of the radioactive marine discharge may substantially reduce the impact radioactive fallout, but will inevitably to a greater area being contaminated at a lower concentration. Proceedings from the National Academy of Sciences of the U. S. A. ublished major findings on the detection of Fukushima-derived cesium-134 and cesium-137 throughout waters 30–600 km offshore, with Nuclear Energy: How Fukushima Changed Everything. 5 the highest radioactivity associated with near-shore eddies and the Kuroshio Current acting as a southern boundary for radioactive transport. Researchers concluded that even though cesium isotopes are elevated 10 to 1000 times over prior levels in waters off Japan, radiation risks due to these radionuclides are below those generally considered harmful to marine animals and human consumers, and even below those from naturally occurring radionucl ides.Food & Vegetation Radioactive contamination was found in fruits and vegetables grown in the affected region. Meat products originating from animals grazing on contaminated soil and destined to human consumption was found to be contaminated. Contamination was also detected in milk and tea, as well as, tap water in the Tokyo metropolitan area (the world’s largest city in terms of population). It has been determined that eating 500g of contaminated vegetables can cause internal exposure of 100 times the normal amount of radioactive food content for adults and more than 200 times for children.Fish and seafood caught in the North Pacific region was contaminated and showed clear accumulation of radioactivity in sea life higher up in the food chain within the months following the accident. Washout and bioaccumulation will continue to cause the radioactive contamination of marine animals for years to come due to the extended half life of certain radioactive elements. Although it is quite clear that this accident has had significant impacts on human health, soil, food, animal and marine life, it is still too early to accurately determine the full extent of the accident’s environmental impacts and the proper approach to remediation.Impacts on Nuclear Energy Development Nuclear power provides global carbon-free dispatchable base load generation and its continued growth is a major component in many forecasts for future greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reductions. Nuclear energy accounts for 13. 5% of global electricity production as of 2012. This GHG reduction potential is one of the reasons for the much discussed â€Å"renaissance of Nuclear Energy: How Fukushima Changed Everything. 6 nuclear power†.It has been acknowledged that nuclear power represents a potential source for large quantities of carbon-free electricity production from plants that do not share the intermittency issues of solar and wind energy production. Two potential forces could adversely affect nuclear production projections postFukushima accident. Foremost, the accident may affect safety criteria and procedures for existing and new nuclear generating units. These changes could lead to increased associated costs. Second, the accident may have adverse affects on public opinion and potential political support for nuclear power.Hence, some countries could ultimately move away from nuclear energy on a political basis, making relicensing of new plants more difficult, leading to tighter safety criteria and delays in regulatory decisions. Determining what the long run responses will be globally and how they will affect the economics of nuclear power generation, as well as the politics associated with acceptance of nuclear power in different countries will remain uncertain for years to come. Prior to the Fukushima accident, it appeared that there was growing political acceptance of nuclear energy.In the world’s 3 largest nuclear economies (U. S. , France, J apan), extensions to licensing were in progress and associated operating lines of most existing plants were proceeding without much political opposition. In particular, Unit #1 of the Fukushima Daichii plant had just received a 10 year extension on its operating license months before the incident. As for new construction, major nuclear vendors were heavily promoting the latest generation 3 design as being safer and more economical than previous generations.Construction was beginning on new nuclear units in Finland and France, and commitments were being made to build new units in the U. K. China had also just made a major commitment to increase its production from 1% to 6% by 2020. India was also in the midst of piercing into the nuclear market, with the help of the U. S. , France and Russia. Additional construction was anticipated in South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. A number of developing countries were also beginning to show interest in integrating nuclear energy as a part of their e nergy portfolios.These countries included Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Chile, Venezuela and Vietnam amongst others. A number of considerations were driving this interest. Policies to promote low to zero carbon emitting energy sources and the intent of reaching C02 emissions reduction targets by Nuclear Energy: How Fukushima Changed Everything. 7 2020 and 2050 were having a positive effect on political decision making. In addition, significant improvements in the performance of nuclear plants in were enabling countries such as the U. S. to reach up to 90% capacity factors.Furthermore, the rise in fossil fuels and new generation reactors were promising higher safety ratings and lower construction costs. The reconsideration of Italy, Spain and Sweden on the use of nuclear power use and the growing interest in emerging countries to rapidly respond to increase in demand for electricity were also leading factors. All these reasons led experts into the optimistic belief that the world was on the verge of a new wave of investment in the nuclear energy sector. Since the Fukushima accident, detrimental impacts on expert optimism have been observed.Japan has permanently closed units 1-4 of the Fukushima Daichii plant and the status of units 5-6 remain uncertain. In addition, only 10 out of Japan’s 50 previously operational units are now operating, and there has been significant local opposition to returning them to service. Public support for Japan’s current nuclear power program is under considerable stress. Following the accident, most countries with major nuclear programs have moved quickly to perform short-term safety assessments of existing plants and have opted to launch longer term assessments of regulatory procedures and safety criteria.The situation in Japan remains uncertain. As the third largest nuclear program worldwide, a decision to move away from nuclear energy with Germany would have a definite material effect on f uture development trends. Any tightening of safety requirements resulting from the accident will only make the economic status of nuclear power less attractive. However, it has been observed that the Fukushima accident has had little effect on plans for unit construction in countries where significant nuclear programs were being planned prior to Fukushima.Some countries such as Taiwan, Chile, Israel and Venezuela have decided to not enter or re-enter the nuclear expansion business. On the other hand, current non-nuclear countries such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Abu Dhabi have recommitted to start building nuclear power plants. As for China, it is believed that its willingness to sacrifice on economics to meet energy security and environmental goals is still present. The setback is that China can not fail to meet safety requirements and this may constrain the rate at which its nuclear program can proceed. Nuclear Energy: How Fukushima Changed Everything. The Fukushima Daich ii nuclear accident will contribute to a reduction in future trends on the expansion of nuclear energy, but at this time these effects appear to be quite modest at the global level. For countries such as Germany, Switzerland and Japan, the effects are significant, but for most other countries, changes have not been currently made in their support for nuclear power. Due to significant loss of trust in reactor safety, the International Atomic Energy Agency reduced, in Juin 2011, the 2030 projection on the worldwide contribution of nuclear power by about 10%.Nuclear power has been the source of fear and excitement for decades, and what the Fukushima Daichii nuclear accident caused, first and foremost, was irreparable damage to the local communities of Japan and their surrounding environment. It is now clear that the international community may have dodged the bullet once again, however it seems as though they might not be getting a second chance. The potential for clean energy producti on with nuclear energy is undeniable, perhaps advancements in technology such as the development of Generation IV reactors will put nuclear energy back on the forefront of global energy production.Whether or not potential energy output outweighs the risks associated with future accidents differs based on personal perspective. The Gen IV International Forum will evaluate lessons learnt and integrate them in the design and safety criteria of the reactors under development, which are expected to be ready by mid-century. Inherent reactor safety features will become far more important as a result of the Fukushima accident. Furthermore, modular and smaller reactors, due to their lower in-core energy density, will probably gain in popularity.As we move forward, a dedicated and permanent effort is needed to regain trust by open, transparent and honest dialogue with the public on the risks and benefits of nuclear energy. Nuclear Energy: How Fukushima Changed Everything. 9 References Lincoln L. Davies. â€Å"Beyond Fukushima: Disasters, Nuclear Energy, and Energy Law. † Brigham Young University Law Review. (2011): 1937-1990. The Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission. â€Å"The National Diet of Japan. † (2012): 1-15. Dr. med. Alex Rosen. â€Å"Effects of the Fukushima nuclear meltdowns on environment and health. † (2012): 1-18. Paul L. Joskow & John E. Parsons. The Future of Nuclear Power After Fukushima†. MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research. (2012): 1-30. Roland Schenkel. â€Å"Nuclear Energy Acceptance and Potential Role to Meet Future Energy Demand. Which Technical/Scientific Achievements Are Needed? †. European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements. (2012): 356-364. Winifred Bird. â€Å"As Fukushima Cleanup Begins, Long-term Impacts are Weighed†. Yale Environment 360. (2012): 1. Karl K. Turekian et al. â€Å" Fukushima-derived radionuclides in the ocean and biota off Japan†. PNAS. (2012): 1-5. Nuclear Energy: How Fukushima Changed Everything. 10

Analyze The Procurement Methods Samples

The success of a construction project is usually determined from the initial stages through the procurement process chosen. The procurement process will influence the whole construction process and able to determine the success of the construction projects. This paper will analyze three key procurement methods namely design and construct procurement method, management procurement method and collaborative procurement. This paper will analyse the positive and negative impacts, which are accrued when these methods are adopted in construction projects. Additionally, it will look at the benefits and risks, which the different stakeholders experience when either of the methods is chosen. One of the key procurement method, which is gaining popularity in construction projects, is the design and constructs procurement method. As the name suggests, the procurement method can allow the commencement of the construction phase while the design process is still on the process (Victorian State Government, 2006). The adoption of this method is usually done to ensure that the completion of the project is completed in time. Moreover, under this procurement method, different details of the project are given in advance and therefore enhancing the stakeholders planning. Additionally, under this method, the contractor can bear most of the risks in design and implementation of the project. The terms of the contract sum are provided through competitive pricing, which the client can control (Infrastructure Australia, 2012). Under this method, different approaches, which are able to define the relationship and responsibilities of different stakeholders, are usually stated. The following diagrams are able to highlight the different approaches, which are used when this method is applied in a construction project. Under this method, the client can control only one firm which they enter into a contract with regarding the project. The firm has the responsibility for design and construction of the project. The few stakeholders involved can increase the operational efficiency when implementing projects (Mortledge, Smith, and Kashiwagi, 2006). This is able to enhance the commitment of the resources to one area and limit the time of contacting different people separately such as designers and contractor. Overlapping of activities is possible which enhances the implementation cycle. Time is usually saved when the different activities take place at the same time, and this enhances completion of the project within the stipulated timeline. Moreover, the contractor has a contribution on the design parameters, and this enhances the constructibility of the project. Additionally, the cost of implementation is under control when this method is used. The maximum price is usually determined in the procurement stage, and this ensures that any escalation is met within the set budget. Nevertheless, this method has some key flaws, which are experienced when it’s chosen to implement construction projects. The project specifications can easily change according to the needs of the client. Since the lump sum cost is fixed, it creates a hard implementation time when the specification changes (National Research Council (U.S.), & National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (U.S.), 2016). This can lead to an expensive project than it was anticipated before. Also, this method requires comparison of different designs. This may take a lot of time and therefore take up implementation timeline. Moreover, the client is required to commit to a concept design before the detailed and complete designs are completed. This raises high chances for changes while the project is under implementation stage and making the project expensive (Construction Specifications Institute, 2005). Moreover, the client has to prepare all the contract documents in advance and through this method, difficulties may be experienced, where the documents are inadequate and insufficiently comprehensive due to client limitation to prepare them. Several stakeholders involved in these projects can enjoy when it is chosen to implement a construction project. First, the client has limited risks since the contractor has much of the control of the project. This means that the contractor and not the client will sort out financial escalation. Secondly, the client can receive the completed project on time. This is because overlapping of activities is possible and gives the contractors and subcontractors enough time to beat the project deadline (Construction, 2016). The method enhances proper construction method by the contractor since they were involved in the design stages. This gives them ample time for implementation and enhancing the cooperation of the different ideas. Some of the stakeholders are able to experience some problems when this method is chosen. First, the client is required to prepare the contract document, an exercise, which the client may, not be experienced in doing (Gould & Joyce, 2014). The client may experience this problem when preparing the documents. Secondly, the contractor is able to bear all the risks and therefore when the costs exceed the contractor can experience the losses. When changes occur, the cost of the project is able to change but the lump sum cost is unlikely to change and therefore the contractor bears that additional cost. The projects, which their design scopes are unlikely to change, suit this procurement method. In addition, projects whose building is functional rather than prestigious aspects are more stresses suit this method (Gould, 2012). Simple projects, where the technical knowledge is limited suit this method for implementation. Lastly, projects, which require quick implementation, need a procurement method like this to ensure quick implementation. Another upcoming procurement method in the construction projects is the management procurement. Under this procurement method, the client can appoint an independent professional team and a management contractor. This team can act as the adviser to the client in the preconstruction stages and able to carry out the construction works during the construction stage (Gould & Joyce, 2014). In addition, under this method, different approaches can as well be used. Some of these methods include management contracting, construction management and design and manage. The different stakeholders under this method relate according to the following diagram Management contracting- this method requires the appointment of an independent professional team which will advise the client and later carry out the construction works (Austroads, 2007). Early start of the project can be achieved through this approach. Construction management – this approach requires a management contractor who is able to determine the different project aspects (Arain, 2016). Work contractor is also chosen and enhance the implementation of the project works. The management contractor can manage the other contractors. Design and manage –A contractor is chosen to head the design and implementation stage of the construction project. The works contractor and consultant take different responsibilities under this approach. There are different pros, which are achieved using this method. First, the client is able to choose a single firm, which he or she deals with. This enhances the management and coordination from the client perspective (Mortledge, Smith, and Kashiwagi, 2006). Additionally, overlapping of activities is possible through this method and therefore enhancing early completion of the project. Constructability is usually enhanced since the contractor is involved in the design stage when this method is chosen. Competitiveness in tendering process ensures value for money to the client. Additionally, all roles and responsibilities to the different stakeholders are usually stipulated and therefore minimising conflict of interest. Lastly, the flexibility of design is usually possible to suit the client preferences. First, this method is not certain about the cost of the project, and it is only known at the end of the project completion. This means that cost escalation can be able to increase and making the implementation stage hard. Additionally, the client is much involved in the process and therefore requires client who has knowledge of the construction process (Gould, 2012). Additionally, the client is able to lose the control of the design, a responsibility which constructors can take. This means clients needs may not be addressed fully (Harris, Mccaffer & Edum-Fotwe, 2013). Lastly, clear definition of the implementation timeline and all information of the project is required before the implementation stage commences, which may be hard to provide. The client has an easy time in control of the single firm chosen to manage the project. This enhances the collaboration and coordination between the client and implementation team (Fewings, 2013). The methods provide enough time for the contractor to complete the project on time through the overlapping of activities. Additionally, the client can achieve the value of money for the project through the competitive tendering and selection of the implementation team. Each role and responsibility of the stakeholders is to know and therefore enhancing their operation. The client is able to lose the control of the design aspects of the project. This means that their needs may not well articulated as they need. Since the client is not in the design and management part, the end product may not suit their needs (Fewings, 2013). The cost risk is available to the works contractor and the client. Since the cost is uncertain, changes on the cost are likely to occur and therefore likely to suppress the set budget. Informed client about the construction process is a key element to this method. A problem may arise on the management team when the client does not understand these processes. Simple projects, which the clients can understand, are most preferred to be carried out through this method. Projects, which can easily change also, require this method for their implementation. Under this method, different stakeholders in the construction project come together. The risks involved in the project are share according to the different responsibilities, which the shareholders have in the project (Gould, 2012). This procurement method requires stakeholders who can share the same ideas and aspects concerning the project. Under this method, the flow of different elements can be represented as in the following diagram. Transparency level is usually high under this method, and this is a key pro, which this method can bring in procurement sector (Centre for Excellence and Innovation in Infrastructure Delivery, 2010). The different parties are able to collaborate and able to bring the value of money to the project. High resource utilisation is also achieved in this method. Effective implementation of the project is usually achieved through the high consultation in the project. Different ideas are presented enhancing the innovations and implementation of the project. Lastly, due to the high involvement of stakeholders, the projected uncertainty is usually low. This method requires a lot of time during the implementation stage. This may lead to the project timeline to be exceeded (Arain, 2016). The high involvement and coordination require the high trust to the members. This level may not be possible. Opportunistic behaviour may arise and therefore increasing the risk of implementation. The client can forecast on their needs of the project through the early involvement in design stages (Gould, & Joyce, 2013). This enhances the client to prepare and manage their resources for the project implementation. The contractors have an easy time in implementation due to different ideas from stakeholders. The high quality project is achieved for the client through the collaborative ideas. The client may not receive the project on time due to the increased collaboration process. Trust issues among the stakeholders are a problem, which may affect the contractors working (Harris, Mccaffer & Edum-Fotwe, 2013). Increased implementation timeline is a risk to the contractor since additional costs may accrue. Complex project requires this method to enhance their implementation. Additionally, high project requires this method to take the advantage of different input from different people. Procurement methods are key in the implementation of the construction project. The choice of the procurement method depends on the details of the project. Each method has its pros and cons and the areas, which they will perfectly suit to bring the best out of the projects. The different stakeholders can derive different benefits on each method, which is chosen. Additionally, the risk is a key part of the construction process and therefore whichever method is chosen, some problems may be experienced. (2016). Construction. https://trrjournalonline.trb.org/toc/trr/2573. ARAIN, F. M. (2016). Construction project management research compendium. Volume 6 Volume 6. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=1365770. AUSTROADS (2007). Guide to project delivery: part 2: project delivery planning and control, by R Brown and P Robinson, AGPD02/07, Austroads, Sydney, NSW. BALDWIN, A., & BORDOLI, D. (2014). A handbook for project planning and scheduling in construction. https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1666532. centre for excellence and innovation in infrastructure delivery (2010). Infrastructure procurement options guide, Centre for Excellence and Innovation in Infrastructure Delivery, Western Australia, Perth, WA.   CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS INSTITUTE. (2005). The project resource manual: CSI manual of practice. New York, McGraw-Hill. FEWINGS, P. (2013). Construction project management: an integrated approach. Abingdon, Oxon, Routledge. https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1092840. GOULD, F. E. (2012). Managing the construction process: estimating, scheduling, and project control. Boston, Prentice Hall. GOULD, F. E., & JOYCE, N. (2014). Construction project management. GOULD, F., & JOYCE, N. (2013). Construction Project Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ, Pearson Education. https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=4773308. HARRIS, F., MCCAFFER, R., & EDUM-FOTWE, F. (2013). Modern construction management. Hoboken, N.J., Wiley-Blackwell. https://www.AUT.eblib.com.au/EBLWeb/patron/?target=patron&extendedid=P_1132836_0. INFRASTRUCTURE AUSTRALIA. (2012). Efficiencies in major project procurement: volume 1: Benchmarks for efficient procurement of major infrastructure, Department of Infrastructure and Transport, Canberra, ACT. MORTLEDGE, R., SMITH, A., KASHIWAGI, D.T. (2006).   Building Procurement. Blackwell, Oxford, UK.   NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL (U.S.)., & NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE (U.S.),. (2016). Construction. (Transportation research record.) VICTORIAN STATE GOVERNMENT (2006).   Project Alliance Practitioners Guide. Department of Treasury and Finance (https://www.dtf.vic.gov.au/projectalliancing)  

Trends In HR Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Trends In HR Technology - Essay Example The benefits to the organization from efficiencies realized when employees change their own HRIS data and â€Å"serve themselves,† to more informed, effective decision making by managers support a transformation of HR’s role within the organization. The role will change from an essentially administrative function to a strategic business partnering function where HR personnel contribute to bottom-line results. HR self-service eliminates the non value- adding administrative tasks that can be handled automatically by the system. HR self-service are somewhat different for employees than for their managers. In all cases, however, the time, cost, and quality improvements enabled by a self-service HR adds value to the organization. Not only are HR department and HRIS administrative expenses sharply reduced, but employees and managers using a well designed self-service system spend â€Å"less time doing more† for themselves, their colleagues and the business.

Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Management - Research Paper Example These four functional areas are subdivided into a large number of narrow business functions specific to each functional area. It has been observed that business organizes their structure according to business functions. The business functions which are associated with production management includes the management of material, carry out research and development for refining existing product lines or developing new products. It also includes the task of conducting various quality control tests to ensure customer satisfaction. Thus, the functional area of production management deals with planning the plant layout and deciding about plant locations for different products (Elsy, 2009). The functional area of marketing management includes the business functions of marketing a product to the targeted consumer segments, sales forecasting, providing customer support and conducting promotional activities, taking sales orders and customer relationship management. Marketing management also involves the responsibility of conducing market research to collect and analyze data about the demand for the products and also the marketing strategies of competitors in similar markets. This also helps the management to design effective marketing mix to promote new products in existing markets or to introduce the existing products in new markets (Lussier, 2011; Boldi, Santini & Vigna, 2009). The accounting and finance functional area includes the business functions of financial accounting, allocation of funds for various activities and projects, planning, budgeting and control of funds and cash-flow management. It also deals with the various direct and indirect taxes that the organization needs to pay. The functional area of human resource management deals with the effective utilization of manpower. Human resources personnel are involved in the processes of recruitment and selection, training

Introduction to the Internet and E Business- H1 Essay

Introduction to the Internet and E Business- H1 - Essay Example E-Business means running an online business in order to improve productivity of the business. In today’s world, almost every business needs to have an online presence to attract customers. Website is the most popular platform for internet marketing. Our company, Home Delights will also make use of a website for marketing purposes. Holub (2005) asserts, â€Å"One of the easiest ways to help your business gain more exposure and potential customers is to have a professionally developed website†. E-Business model is a set of planned activities used by a company to generate profitable growth of the revenue using internet technology. Home Delights can make use of Business-to-Customer (B2C) model to increase its profits. Advertising, referral fee, and subscription charges will be the main sources of revenue generation. The first model, which will be used by our company, is Comparison-Pricing model. Comparison-Pricing model will help the customers find the most suitable catering company from a variety of companies through polling. Demand-Sensitive model will enable a group of customers to get a group discount on using the services of Home Delights. There are many methods through which Home Delights can make use of internet technology to sell its services to the customers. Some of the most popular ways include web marketing, classified ads, selling through company’s website, and selling through email marketing. Some other uses of the internet which can benefit our company include online chat and email system to improve the customer service, advertising through internet to enable the business reach international market, and providing complete information about the company on the internet to increase credibility of the business. The first company, Eatable Delights Catering, provides a variety of catering services to the customers. The services include party arrangements, wedding

The Whiskey Rebellion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Whiskey Rebellion - Essay Example After the American Revolution the nation suffered unsettled economic conditions and a severe depression. Paper money was in circulation, but little of it was honored at face value. Most of those who were harmed by the depression were property-less and thus unable to vote. In Massachusetts the "sound money" merchants and bankers men controlled the government. The quarrel grew until thousands of men in the western counties of Massachusetts rose in armed revolt. They were led by Daniel Shays (1747-1825), a captain during the American Revolution. Shays' Rebellion lasted from August 1786 to February 1787. The agitators objected to heavy land and poll taxes, the high cost of lawsuits, high salaries of state officials, oppressive court decisions, and dictatorial rulings of the state senate. In Northampton on August 29 the mob succeeded in keeping the courts closed so debtors could not be tried and put into prison. Fearful of being tried for treason for this action, Shays and his men broke up the state Supreme Court session at Springfield the following month. The revolt took a more serious turn when Shays and a force of 1,200 men returned to Springfield in January to capture the arsenal. Action by the national government prevented the attack on January 25. Most of the insurgents were captured in early February, ending the rebellion. The leaders were condemned to death for treason but were later pardoned. Shays himself later received a war pension for his service in the American Revolution. Shays' Rebellion was one of several disturbances in different states. It hastened the movement for a federal government strong enough "to ensure domestic tranquility," as stated in the preamble to the Constitution, which established the United States. And this Constitution broughtthe first use by the new federal government of its constitutional power to uphold the government of each state, as the Whiskey Rebellion broke out. Western Pennsylvania had a history of wanting to be separate. As early as 1775 the Transylvanians petitioned the Continental Congress to be recognized as the fourteenth colony. In 1776 the people in the region claimed by both Pennsylvania and Virginia, announced that they were the new state of West Sylvania. They said that "no country or people can be either rich, flourishing, happy or free . . . whilst annexed to or dependent on any province, whose seat of government is . . . four or five hundred miles distant, and separated by a vast, extensive and almost impassible tract of mountains . . ." On January 15, 1788, Lord Dorchester, the governor-general of Canada, sentJohn Connolly (previously in charge of Ft. Pitt) to Western Pa. to talk to General John Neville, General Samuel Parsons and other Pittsburghers sympathetic to the British cause to determine the likelihood of the West separating from the East. After receiving the report Dorchester then send a letter to Lord Sydney advising him to aid the West in separating from the Union. Indians led by the Britishraided the Pennsylvania areas west of the mountains. The United States sent two major military expeditions against the eastern Indians. The first, in 1790, was led by General Josiah Harmer and the second, in 1791, was led by General Arthur St. Clair. Both expeditions were defeated by the Indians! It wasn't until 1794 that General Anthony Wayne defeated the British at Fallen Timbers and the British actually withdrew from the region, giving up on any hope of claim to the areas west of the

Affirmative action Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Affirmative action - Term Paper Example Some people have stated that no discrimination exists in America hence there is no need for affirmative action. Others acknowledge the presence of discrimination in various forms but argue that steps should be taken to wipe out this discrimination rather than giving favorable treatment to those who are discriminated against. Still others view affirmative action positively; however in these people are not in agreement over the means to implement it. Some people want only the pool of candidates for a job to be increased whereas other want preferential treatment to be given to minorities and women ; even arguing that reservations like the type seen in countries like India and South Africa should be enforced in America. But people have hardly argued over the most basic question –â€Å"what are the benefits of affirmative action of there are any?† Affirmative action had been started in America with the intention of negating the effects of discrimination which are regularly faced by women and minorities in the labor market. Although the discrimination has significantly reduced but research shows that certain classes of people continue to face many problems in the job market. Statistical analysis has shown that there is still a sizable sex and race wage gap. The number of men who reach the top echelons of corporate America is far greater than Women or American Africans who are able to reach the top. In addition to this there have been many court cases recently pointing to sex and race discrimination e.g. – the recently concluded $54million settlement of sex discrimination law suit against Morgan Stanley. (Winkler)Audit studies have concluded that equally qualified workers who apply for the same job, a white man is more likely to get an interview call when compared to women or minorities. Affirmative action started in America when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed an executive order in 1965 which required federal contractors or

Development of European energy market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Development of European energy market - Essay Example Power generation, its trade and supply are opened to competition. However, network activities such as lower voltage distribution and high voltage transmission are still regulated by national monopoly. The liberalization started as a result of Electricity Market Directive of 1996. By the year 2000 most of the member states implemented the liberalization package. But some members especially France and Germany did not agree with these policies (Prospects for the internal gas and electricity, 2007). The Directive of 1996 was updated later, in the year 2003. The legislation ensured security of supply, efficient operation of power generation plants, efficient network access, access to storage, and transparency in the dealings of all member countries and thus facilitated a fully open energy market to all member countries. The industrial markets were opened up for competition by July 2004. By 1st July 2007, all the household users also had access to the open market and both industrial and ho usehold customers could select a provider of their own choice in the competitive market. This resulted in price reduction, increase of reliability and better quality service to all customers. Based on the legislation in 2003, national regulatory bodies were set up in each country to oversee the monopolies and European Regulators Group for Electricity and Gas (ERGEG) was set up to give advice to the European Commission to implement liberalization package more effectively (Liberalising the EU energy sector, 2009). European Commission conducted an inquiry in the market in January 2007 to study the nature and effect of open market and found that the structure of the market is still the same as old monopoly structure. It was dominated by companies which had both power generation as well as its transmission under their hold and therefore could control the prices. They prevented the entry of new companies into the market. This became one of the biggest obstacles for the complete impletion of liberalization package (Talus, 2008). Other major issues in the field, which still needed attention, are large-scale investments to set up more power generation plants and to increase the transmission capacity and the integration of overall electricity system. The third package of proposal for energy sector legislation is presently under discussion and this involves updating of the directives on electricity and gas, regulations of cross-border trade of electricity and gas and the establishment of a Cooperative Agency for Regulators. The key factors in the proposal, which was published on 19th September 2007, are the following (A competitive market, 2009): According to this proposal in order to ensure better competition the energy production sector has to be separated from the supply section. This would facilitate easy access to the market for competition. The proposal has put forward two options for the companies for this procedure. One is ownership unbundling in which the compan ies that deal with both power generation and its transmission has to sell part of its assets.  

Handling Data Comparing height and weight for Mayfield High School Essay

Handling Data Comparing height and weight for Mayfield High School - Essay Example But if I can turn this into a picture, I can then compare the boys data with the girls data. Heights of Boys and Girls And to compare boys and girls, I can put them both on the same graph. It looks like more boys are taller than girls, which I think is normal. I can do the same for weight. Weight of Boys and Girls And to compare the weights of boys and girls: From the graph above it seem that boys have a weight that is more spread out. Girls seem to be closer together, and don't seem to weigh more than 74 kg. It looks like the boys also weigh more, which makes sense if their taller. Stem and Leaf Since I already grouped all the data, I can record it in stem and leaf diagrams. That way, I can more easily find the median and the mode. Boys Height Stem Leaf Frequency 1.30 2, 2 2 1.40 5, 8, 8 3 1.50 0, 2, 3, 4, 8 5 1.60 0, 2, 5, 5, 7 5 1.70 0, 2, 2, 4, 5 5 1.80 0, 0, 0, 2, 5, 5, 6 7 1.90 0, 1 2 2.00 0 1 The mean height is easily found by adding up all the heights and dividing by 30. Adding up all the heights comes to 50.13, and dividing by 30 gives 1.67m. I can also find the median, which should be between the 15th and 16th numbers (written in pink), so it's 1.685, which rounds to 1.69. And the mode is the number that occurs most frequently, which is 1.80 (in red). Boys Weight Stem Leaf Frequency 30 8 1 40 0, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 7, 8 8 50 0, 2, 4, 6, 6, 7, 8, 9 8 60 2, 4, 6, 6, 8, 9 6 70 0, 2, 2, 3 4 80 0, 2, 6 3 90 0 I can get the mean, median and mode for boys weights the same way. The mean is the addition of all the weights divided by 30, which means 1763/30 or 58.767, which rounds to 58.8kg. The median is between the 15th and 16th numbers which is 57.5kg. There are 4 modes: 44, 56, 66, and 72. Girls...I can also see that boys tend to be taller than girls. But if I can turn this into a picture, I can then compare the boys data with the girls data. From the graph above it seem that boys have a weight that is more spread out. Girls seem to be closer together, and don't seem to weigh more than 74 kg. It looks like the boys also weigh more, which makes sense if their taller. The mean height is easily found by adding up all the heights and dividing by 30. Adding up all the heights comes to 50.13, and dividing by 30 gives 1.67m. I can also find the median, which should be between the 15th and 16th numbers (written in pink), so it's 1.685, which rounds to 1.69. And the mode is the number that occurs most frequently, which is 1.80 (in red). I can get the mean, median and mode for boys weights the same way. The mean is the addition of all the weights divided by 30, which means 1763/30 or 58.767, which rounds to 58.8kg. The median is between the 15th and 16th numbers which is 57.5kg. There are 4 modes: 44, 56, 66, and 72. The range that holds the mode for boys and girls is the same in both cases. This is probably because boys height is more spread out than girls. It could also be because there is a mistake in the sampling. Since there are more than one mode for boys weight, there's not a lot I can so about it.

The Mass Media and Social Construction Essay Example for Free

The Mass Media and Social Construction Essay The mass media industry is implicated in social construction. There are Ways of Seeing which serve state-corporate interests at the expense of the interests of the people. This is because there is a direct relationship between the mainstream press and the political economy of state-corporate capitalism in the construction of the false reality. The system of capitalism heavily indoctrinates the population through the mainstream press. The mass media fulfils this duty, because it is owned and controlled by the corporate class. In other words, economics and media are inter-linked. Herman and Chomsky provide evidence for this reality in Manufacturing Consent. (Herman and Chomsky) They show how the mainstream press is run by the political economy and how the viewer is made into a pawn. The two authors build a propaganda model in which they reveal how the U.S. government exploits the media to enforce control over the people. The mass media, therefore, is a corporate tool that is used to indoctrinate the population. The viewer is told what kind of desire he should have. If a person watches the media carefully, he will be able to see that certain programs have hidden messages and assumptions that reveal a certain bias against certain groups. Even the language that is used is based on certain premises that the corporate order wants people to think is normal. Yet all of these messages shape values. To a large extent, this process is about how people give approval to their own domination without even knowing it. Herman and Chomsky reveal how the language of the U.S. mass media is actually very limited. The parameters of debate are very narrow. What this basically means is that people think they are having a free-for-all discussion, but in fact it is the negation of discussion. Herman and Chomsky demonstrate how the marketplace and the economics of publishing try to shape the news we receive. A certain message is sent out that tries to limit the way people think about things. In this way, people are brainwashed. Thus, the corporate-run media basically shapes the desires and opinions of  the majority of people. This is because producers and advertisers have an interest in reinforcing certain ideologies. This is, therefore, a political battle. Economic elites retain their power by shaping and moulding social reality through the means of mass media. As Chomsky and Herman reveal, for example, American media employs a double standard in the ways it treats the crimes committed by enemy countries and the crimes committed by friendly countries. (Chomsky, pp.30-33) This serves a certain political agenda. Thus, it becomes clear that there is a direct relationship between the mainstream press and the political economy of state-corporate capitalism in the construction of social reality. The system of capitalism hides behind the scenes of this manipulation, but it is really pulling the strings. There is a propaganda model which we are a part of. The mass media serves as a corporate tool in this manipulation of what we are. That is why John Berger has told us about his issue of Ways of Seeing. (Berger) It turns out that what we see is not necessarily what we are seeing. Berger makes an important point when he says that publicity falsely proposes that purchases of things will change the consumer. Yet we know that this is a lie. Nonetheless, people but into the lie of advertising. People are simply led to believe that they are making a choice, when in fact all that is happening is the negation of choice. This is where Bergers point also becomes relevant, since Berger shows how advertising promises to change the consumer. But only sameness results. Thus, he r reveals that advertising actually steals something from the consumer and then sells it back at a certain price. Berger writes that, The spectator-buyer is meant to envy as she will become if she buys the product. She is meant to imagine herself transformed by the product into an object of envy for others, an envy which will then justify her loving herself. (Berger, p.134) This is the way that people are made to believe that they simply have to be consumers in order to be accepted by the society in which they live. If they do not buy what they are told, and if they do not want to own certain things, then they are simply not a part of the society that is deemed to be normal. In this way, we see how the mass media industry is  implicated in social construction. There are Ways of Seeing which serve state-corporate interests at the expense of true freedom for people. Works Cited Berger, John. Ways of Seeing (Pelican) Herman and Chomsky. Manufacturing Consent (Pantheon)

How is the national and international tourism helping Spain overcome Essay Example for Free

How is the national and international tourism helping Spain overcome Essay Spain is one of the countries in the world that has been severely affected by the global economic crisis originated in 2008. It is the country with the greatest number of unemployed citizens in all Europe. Its rate of unemployment reached an all time high of 26. 9% in May 2013. The European Union is worried about this situation, and has therefore forced the Spanish Government to apply some strict cut backs to their economy in order to decrease its high public deficit. These measures are mostly affecting public labor force, who realized they dont have sufficient income to last them through the month. In addition, college students, mainly those who study architecture, engineering and medicine, have realized that there is not a promising professional career that can be developed in Spain. Since the beginning of the economic crisis, more than 300,000 young Spanish citizens have left the country in order to find a job in markets overseas. All these negative aspects of the countrys critical situation are bringing Spain forward to be a candidate of receiving a bailout from the European Union. Despite being in this delicate position, it is not all about negative figures in Spain. There is one sector of the Spanish economy that is helping the country to come back on track: tourism. The purpose of this report is to find out how tourism is helping Spain to recover from the economic decline. I have divided the findings into two sections: First, I will explain the importance of tourism in Spain. Second, I will describe the general changes in both international and national tourism, without analyzing the monetary effects in the economy. Third, I will provide information about the economical consequences that these changes are having in the reactivation of the Spanish economy. Findings 1- Importance of Tourism in the Spanish Economy Spain, behind France, the United States and China, is one of the top world destinations to go on vacation. Its 7,876 kilometers of beautiful beaches, pleasant weather and 44 world heritage monuments, position the country as the 4th country in the world to receive the highest number of international tourists. In terms of revenues, the country is ranked in second position right after the United States (Butler, 2013). According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), tourism represented a total contribution of 15. 2 % of Spains Gross Domestic Product in 2012. In other developed countries, such as the United States, France and China, tourism represented a 8. 6%, 9. 7% and 9. 3% of their respective 2012 GDP (2013). This shows that, despite receiving more tourists than Spain, these countries economic lives are less affected and determined by the changes that might take place in the tourism sector. The Government of Spain knows how crucial tourism is for the performance of the countrys economy and gives this sector high importance. As a touristic oriented country, Spain has 47 airports, 2,000 km of commuter rail trains and 2,900 km of high-speed rail network (Butler, 2013). These elements make Spain one of the countries with the best transportation system in the world. This advantage of Spain facilitates the arrival of international tourists and the transportation of national tourists all over the country. In addition, as I mentioned before, one of Spains biggest problems is its increasing rate of unemployment. The WTTC published that travel and tourism directly supported 894,000 jobs in Spain. This means that 5. 2% of workers were related to this specific sector of the economy (2013). All the figures I just pointed out reflect the positive and remarkable impact of tourism in Spain’s economy. Now, I am going to present some more detailed information about the changes in the national and international tourism, and the consequences of these changes relating them to the fact that tourism is the main force that is helping Spain to overcome this fragile situation. 2- Changes in Tourism in Spain Since the beginning of the global economic crisis, tourism in Spain has changed in many ways. Not only has it influenced the amount of foreigners visits to Spain, but it has also affected the domestic conception of going on vacation. Changes in International Tourism As I said in the Introduction, Spain received more than 57 million tourists during 2012, which means it had a year-over-year growth of 2. 7%. The countries that contributed the most to this growth are France, Germany and Russia. In addition, some Nordic and Asiatic countries also collaborated on it (Institute of Touristic Studies of Spain [ITE], 2013). The main positive elements of the Spanish economy come from the foreign sector. It is important to point out that the total nights international tourists stayed in Spain increased by 2. 3% in 2012. Looking at the low rates of unemployment in France, Germany, United Kingdom and Russia, it can be deduced that these countries are performing economically better than Spain. This means that foreigners, who have not been as affected as the Spaniards by the economic crisis, have enough income and are willing to go on vacation outside of their home countries. The Institute of Touristic Studies from Spain, assures that Spanish tourism has become more competitive in the last few years. By analyzing the changes in prices and the value of the currency compared to other countries, this Institute has used the Competitiveness Trend in Tourism Ratio to measure the performance of the country. It has arrived to the conclusion that, due to the low prices compared with other countries from the European Union, Spain has achieved a beneficial position to attract international tourists to the country (2013). Changes in National Tourism As well as the international, national tourism has experienced many changes during the past few years. National tourism in Spain closed the year 2012 with 158,9 millions domestic trips. It is important to highlight that 9 out of 10 of Spanish citizens trips were effectuated inside the country. Due to the difficult economic situation that many Spaniards are experiencing, travelling to other countries decreased by 4. 8% in 2012 (ITE, 2013). This new setting where saving money is the main concern for Spanish citizens, has helped new forms of travelling to arise in the Spanish touristic sector. Even thought Spain has always been seen as a sun and beach destination, Antonio Villanueva Cuevas, Doctor at the Castilla-La Mancha University, explains that news forms of travelling such as rural, cultural and natural tourism are becoming popular between Spaniards that are looking to travel with minimum expenses (2012). In addition, those who still prefer going to the beach have found their way to get cheap options by either going during low season or taking last minute deals. 3- How are These Changes Having a Positive Impact in the Spanish Economy? Since tourism in Spain represents a large part of its Gross Domestic Product, this sector of the economy will have a considerable impact on the countrys economy performance. The growths of international and national tourism have helped the country to stay economically alive (Barreira, 2013). Positive Impact from International Tourism In relation to the international tourism, Spain is the 4th country in the world to receive the highest number of tourists. More than 57 million tourists visited Spain in 2012. Moreover, there was a high new record of 56 billion Euros reached in spent by international tourists in Spain. The growth of the number of international tourists that visited Spain in 2012 helped the countrys economy by contributing â‚ ¬57. 1 billion to the GDP (ITE, 2013). Even though Spains GDP fell by 1. 3% in 2012, the growth of the international tourism made the GDP experience a shorter descent. Another positive impact of the international tourism is the fact that the number of workers hired in the tourism sector increased by 0. 6% in 2012 (World Travel and Tourism Council [WTTC], 2013). It might be seen as an insignificant growth, but, taking into account that the general rate of unemployment increased to 26% in 2013, any contribution has an important meaning for the reactivation of the countrys economy. International tourism also caused the growth of capital investment by 7. 4% to â‚ ¬14. 8 billion in 2012 (WTTC, 2013). In addition, the fact that prices in Spain are low compared to other countries in the European Union, makes Spain more attractive to receive investments and be chosen as a holiday destination. All these positive consequences of the international tourism in the Spanish economy are helping the country to achieve the goal of not seeing Spain as a burden for the European Union. The recuperation of the countrys economy will be determined by the growth of GDP, decrease of unemployment rate and increase in foreign investments in the country. All these aspects are represented by the good performance of Spains international tourism. Positive Impact from National Tourism Even though national tourism has not shown as many positive figures as the international one, it is helping the country to improve economically. As I explained before, a large number of Spaniards cant afford to travel to another country during vacation. They decide to stay in the country, and look for new cheap ways of travelling. Spaniards are starting to purchase last minute deals, and to travel during low season periods. Even thought the number of national trips decreased by 1. 2% in 2012, Spain registered a growth of 22% in national tourism from 2008 to 2012 from 130 to 158. 9 million national trips (ITE, 2013). It can be deduced from this, that national tourism has had an overall positive performance during the Spanish recession. The fact that Spaniards choose national rather than international destinations makes them invest money in their own countrys economy. Moreover, even thought national tourism slightly decreased in 2012, new sectors of the Spanish national tourism have showed positive figures during the last few years. Juan Pulido and Pablo Garcia, members of the economics department at University of Jaen in Spain, explain that the rural sector of the Spanish national tourism has increased by 7. 5% in the last 10 years. Since Spaniards dont want to spend too much money during vacation, they decide to stay in the country and look for new attractions. Spaniards spent a total of â‚ ¬18,046 million in rural destinations during 2011 (2011). Rural tourism is affecting positively the economy by activating some unusual tourism destinations, and giving them the opportunity to create a new emerging business in Spain. The increasing importance of this new way of tourism creates jobs and activates the economy of certain domestic areas. These new ways of doing tourism are making Spaniards stay in their country during their holidays, invest money in the national market, and contribute to the reactivation of the countrys economy. Key Points Spain is one of the countries that have been affected the most by the global economic crisis originated in 2008. However, there are several facts that explain how tourism is helping Spain to overcome this situation: Tourism represented a total contribution of 15. 2 % of Spains Gross Domestic Product in 2012. Tourism has a great impact in the performance of the Spanish economy. Spain has received more than 57 million international tourists during 2012, which mean it had a year-over-year growth of 2. 7%. There was a high new record of 56 billion Euros reached in spent by these international tourists that visited Spain in 2012. The number of workers hired in the Spanish tourism sector increased by 0. 6% in 2012. International tourism has also caused the growth of capital investment by 7. 4% to â‚ ¬14. 8 billion in Spain during 2012. Spain registered a growth of 22% in national tourism from 2008 to 2012, from 130 to 158. 9 million national trips. The fact that Spaniards are choosing national rather than international destinations makes Spaniards invest more money in the domestic economy. The rural sector of the Spanish national tourism has increased by 7. 5% in the last 10 years. This has created a new sector of tourism that creates jobs and gives opportunities to local areas to develop an emerging business. Conclusion The overall situation is perfectly described in an article written by Victor Barreira (2013), a journalist who works for El Pais, the most sold newspaper in Spain, which says: The national GDP fell by 1. 3% in 2012, unemployment raised to 26%, the bailout petition to the European Union was still active however, tourism is staying as a life-jacket to which Spain can keep held in order to ride out of the storm. It points out that the economic situation of Spain has affected the country in an extremely negative way. However, tourism has been the most important sector of the economy that has shown positive figures and has helped the country to better deal with the economic situation. It is important for the Spanish Government to keep working on the improvement of the countrys touristic attractions and promote Spain as a holiday destination. References Barreira, V. (2013, January 16). Espana registro en 2012 el tercer mejor ano de la historia en llegada de turistas [Spain registered in 2012 the third best year in history in arrival of tourists]. El Pais. Butler, M. (2013, February 27). Spain as an international tourist destination [Electronic version]. Atlas of the brands. Institute of Touristic Studies of Spain. (2013). Balance del turismo ano 2012 [Tourism balance year 2012]. Retrieved October 13, 2013, from www. iet. tourspain. es Pulido, P. , Cardenas,P. (2011). El Turismo rural en Espana [The rural Tourism in Spain]. Asociacion de Geografos Espanoles. Villanueva, A. (2012). Las nuevas formas de turismo como instrumento para lograr un desarrollo sostenible e integrador [The new forms of tourism as a tool to reach a sostenible and integrative development]. Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. World Travel and Tourism Council. (2013). Travel and Tourism, the economic impact 2013 in Spain. Scowsill, D.

Climate Change

Climate Change Historically, only natural factors were believed to have affected the earths climate. However, during the 18th Century, scientists began to attribute human activities to changes in climatic patterns (U.S Environmental Protection Agency, 2010). Subsequently, much scientific evidence has linked the activities of human beings to the concentration of greenhouse gases being significantly increased in the atmosphere, thus contributing to climate change. Despite the evidence presented, many skeptics still believe that climate change is a naturally occurring heating and cooling cycle of the earth and that the extent to which human activities have contributed to it are being exaggerated (Hudson, 2009). However, based on the scientific evidence presented and the effects that climate change has already had and is predicted to have on planet earth, my position is that climate change is a real and eminent danger which could seriously affect our welfare on planet earth. In its Declaration on Clima te Change 2009, The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) captured the essence of my viewpoint in proclaiming that â€Å"climate change poses the most serious threat to our survival and viability and that it undermines our efforts to achieve sustainable developmental goals and threatens our very existence†. The world has already started to experience the effects of climate change in various ways which affects all aspects of livelihood. Therefore, if serious efforts are not made to reverse the effects of climate change, planet earth is in serious trouble. Climate change has already affected and continues to threaten the survival of terrestrial beings. In order to ensure survival here on planet earth, human beings as well as animals have basic requirements, water and food being of paramount importance. According to AOSIS (2009) water resources will be seriously compromised and food production will be affected as a result of increased inundations, erosion and salt water intrusion, which are all directly linked to climate change. Costello et al. (2009) purport in their article entitled â€Å"Managing the Health Effects of Climate Change,† that as a result of the rising temperatures associated with climate change in tropical and subtropical areas, half of the worlds population could face severe food shortages. For example, as a result of ocean acidification and increased temperatures, many coral reefs will be killed off. This could cause serious food shortages since coral reefs serve as nurseries for many fish, which approximately one billion people depend on as a source of protein (Black, 2009). Another way in which climate change affects the survival of human beings is that it has also been linked to an increase in various health problems. Costello et al. (2009) also explicitly stated that â€Å"climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century†. They also went on to say that â€Å"the effects of climate change on health will affect most populations in the next decades and put the lives and wellbeing of billions of people at increases risk†. For example, the spread and transmission rates of malaria by mosquitoes are accelerated by increased temperatures. The hotter the climate the faster mosquitoes multiply (Costello et al., 2009). Thus, it can be seen that increases in food and water shortages as well as negative health effects are a direct consequence of climate change. Therefore, if human beings are unable to have adequate amounts of food, safe drinking water and mainta in good health, then survival will become very difficult. Climate change also affects the ability of countries to achieve sustainable growth and development. The United Nations (2004) in its Brundtland Commission Report defines sustainable development as ‘the ability of the present generations to meet their current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy theirs. In light of the fact that climate is drastically affecting the ability of human beings to continue to adequately sustain themselves without further destroying the planet, sustainability will be more difficult to achieve. Black (2009) addresses climate change as it relates to development in his BBC News article entitled Bank Urges Climate ‘Action Now citing the point put forth by the World Development Report 2010 that â€Å"development will get harder, not easier, with climate change†. Development is one of the main ways in which governments are able to provide jobs and generate revenues. The resources found on planet earth are respo nsible for providing jobs and government revenue which all contribute to development. Climate change poses a serious threat to natural resources on sea and land with the intensification of natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes. According to AOSIS (2009) tropical storms have become more frequent and stronger. As a result of this, tremendous damage has been done to infrastructures such as international airports, homes hotels and road networks, which in turn puts a serious strain on governments financial resources and in turn hinders sustainable growth and development. For example, in 2004 hurricane Ivan wreaked havoc on Grenada and has left the country still struggling to recover. As a result of the destruction of most of the nutmeg crops the government was forced to turn to tourism as the countrys main income earner which is proving to be very difficult since balancing conservation of already strained natural resources with economic development is a very difficult task (Kelly, 2008). Also, the continued effects of climate change such as water shortages which the island is currently experiencing directly affect sustainable growth and development efforts since water is not only required for human consumption but for construction and other purposes. The fact that climate change affects the ability of human beings to survive as well as their ability to preserve the planet for use by future generations extends to a more serious matter which is that it could potentially threaten our very existence. Already, rise in sea levels have threatened the disappearance of entire populations. This is clearly exemplified in Bangladesh where, according to Shukman (2009) salty water could reach so far inland that the cultivation of staples which are essential for human survival could become very difficult. Coupled with this the occurrence of cyclones has left thousands homeless, killed many more and has caused widespread destruction and flooding. The very existence of 20 million people is being threatened as a result of climate change. Moreover, entire islands have already disappeared in Maldives, Kiribati and other Pacific Islands (AOSIS, 2009). In November 2006, at the United Nations negations on climate change held in Nairobi the vice preside nt of Kenya Moody Awori captured the essence of the seriousness of the climate change matter when he commenced the talks by stating that â€Å"climate change is rapidly emerging as one of the most serious threats humanity will ever face.† The evidence has shown and continues to show that he is absolutely right. Therefore, it can be concluded that the effects of climate change are a global crisis extending to the entire sphere of planet earth affecting the ability of human beings to survive, be sustainable and inevitably even exist. A plethora of events have taken place and continue to occur which underscores the urgency of the effects of climate change. The extreme weather patterns which are currently being experienced as compared to previous events can be emphasized using numerous examples from all over the world. What is most astonishing about this matter is that human beings contribute to its cause. It is quite ironic, that in our quest to improve and revolutionize the quality of our lives here on earth that we are the underlying cause of the destruction of the very earth that is our source of survival. Therefore, it is definitely apparent that urgent steps need to be employed in order to combat the problems caused by climate change. Human beings need to make an extra effort to correct t he error of our ways since our ability to survive and continue to exist here on earth critically depends on it. References Alliance of Small island States (AOSIS). (2009). Declaration on climate change 2009. New York. Black ,R. (2009). Bank urges climate action now. BBC News. Retrieved from https://angel.sgu.edu/Angel/section/default.asp?id=ASSSCI405%2D1%2D1%2D2010 Black, R. 2009. Climate targets will kill coral. BBC News. Retrieved from https://angel.sgu.edu/Angel/section/default.asp?id=ASSSCI405%2D1%2D1%2D2010goto Costello, A., Abbas M., Allen A. et al. (2009). Managing the health effects of climate change. Lancet and University College London Institute for Global Health Commission. Hudson, P. 2009. What happened to global warming? BBC News. Retrieved from https://angel.sgu.edu/Angel/section/content/default.asp?WCI=pgDisplayWCU=CRSCNTENTRY_ID=4D18682A8C7842578219AA7690673288 Kelly, A. (2008). Will tourism wreck Grenadas environment while rescuing its economy?gardian.co.uk. Retrieved from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/31/grenada Shukman, D. (2009). Seas threaten 20m in Bangladesh. BBC News. Retrieved from https://angel.sgu.edu/Angel/section/default.asp?id=ASSSCI405%2D1%2D1%2D2010 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). 2004. Sustainable Development -Concept and Action. Retrieved from http://www.unece.org/oes/nutshell/2004-2005/focus_sustainable_development.htm U.S Environmental Protection Agency. (2010). Climate change basic information. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/basicinfo.html

Comparing the Brothers Antigone and Ismene in Antigone :: Sophocles

The personalities of the two sisters, Antigone and Ismene, are as different from one another as night and day. Antigone acts as a free spirit, a defiant individual, while Ismene is content to recognize her limitations as a woman in a male dominated society. In the Greek tragedy†Antigone", by Sophocles, Antigone learns that King Creon has refused to give a proper burial for the slain Polyneices, brother of Ismene and Antigone. Infuriated by this, Antigone shares the tragic news with Ismene. From her first response, "No I, haven’t heard a word"(13). Ismene reveals her passivity and helplessness in the light of Creon's decree. Thus, from the start, Ismene is characterized as traditionally "feminine", a helpless woman that pays no mind to political affairs. Doubting the wisdom of her sisters plan to break the law and bury Polyneices, Ismene argues: â€Å"Remember we are women, not born to contend with men .† (75) Once again Ismene's words clearly state her weak, feminine character and helplessness within her own dimensions. Antigone, not happy with her sisters response chides her sister for not participating in her crime and for her passivity, saying, â€Å"Don’t fear for me. Set your own life in order"(97) . For Antigone, no law could stand in the way of her strong consideration of her brother's spirit, not even the punishment of an early death. Ismene is more practical, knowing the task is impossible, she feels the situation to be hopeless. It is a wonder, which of the two sisters are really guilty of these chronic charges. Of course, Antigone acted so quickly, and failed to take the advice of the moderate sister, Ismene. Instead, going against Creon's words, Antigone rashly goes ahead and breaks the law. Antigone is a fool, she must learn that such defiance, even when justified, is not conductive to longevity. Although Antigone is foolish, she is also courageous and motivated by her morals. Proper burial of the dead was, according to the Greeks, prerequisite for the soul’s entrance into a permanent home. Therefore, perhaps Ismene is also foolish for her quick refusal to help Antigone perform the duty of Polyneices proper burial. Ismene definitely seems hasty in her acceptance of personal weakness. Perhaps in some way, both sisters are guilty of the same tragic sins. Perhaps it is this rashness, more subdued in Ismene's case that leads both sisters to their own destruction.

Relevance of Julius Caesar to Contemporary Society :: Julius Caesar Essays

Relevance of Julius Caesar to Contemporary Society Symbolism is a major aspect of writing. Whether obvious or subtle, authors use it as a way to extend their works beyond just the time period they're writing their piece in. Also, it allows the reader the opportunity to substitute his own ideas into the story, which makes the story more personal. The characters and situations in Julius Caesar can be twisted to tell of contemporary society. The persona of Julius Caesar represents many things in Shakespeare's play, among which are ambition, power, and impending disaster. In today's society, he can stand for the Human Genome Project. Although the Genome Project promises to spawn cures for genetic diseases, it also carries the fear of genetically enhanced humans. Like Caesar, the Genome Project seems to be boasting of benevolence while quietly ushering malevolence at the same time. Caesar's foils, Cassius and Brutus, can be found in the opponents of the Genome Project. Not only do individuals oppose the Genome Project, but also whole groups of peoples do. The main argument is that the Genome Project will allow scientists to genetically enhance humans and animals beyond what would be the average. They completely overlook the positive factors, such as the cure for genetic disorders. The way modern opponents of the Genome Project turn a blind eye to the helpfulness of the scientific breakthrough is like the way Cassius and Brutus turn away from the help Caesar might give Romans. Brutus differs from Cassius in that he genuinely weighs the profit of letting Caesar have rule over Rome. "It must be by his death: and, for my part, I know no personal cause to spurn at him, But for the general." II.i.10-12 However, he ultimately decides that the danger Caesar imposes is too great the risk. History is said to repeat itself. If the modern Julius Caesar is killed, many suffering people will never get the chance to live a normal life. However, perhaps genetically altered babies will be spared the pain of living a life branded as a science experiment. In the same way, Brutus and Cassius acted on the belief that the suffering of many people would be spared if they killed Caesar before the man had the opportunity to make Romans endure pain.

The Tragedy of Brutus in Shakespeares Julius Caesar :: Julius Caesar Essays

The Tragedy of Brutus in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar       Throughout many of Shakespeare's plays, a tragic hero is acknowledged: a courageous figure that possesses a tragic flaw, which eventually leads to his downfall. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, there have been arguments over who is in fact the tragic hero. Numerous people concur that Brutus is the tragic hero. However, others argue and name Julius Caesar as the tragic hero. After learning more about these two characters, a conclusion can be effortlessly drawn. Brutus is indeed the tragic hero of this play because when a person who possesses such heroic qualities dies, it is a true tragedy. In order to be the tragic hero the person must contain at least one tragic flaw, and Brutus contains many, but three of them stick out distinctively. His overconfidence along with his impatience and his nobility brought about Brutus's downfall. However, I believe that the main cause of his downfall was his naivety or the fact that he was an idealistic man.  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚     At the beginning of the play, I believe that Brutus was a much different man than he turned out to be. He did not want to take part in the conspiracy, but Cassius was very persuasive and convinced him that it was what needed to be done. After Brutus had decided to go along with the idea I think that he expected it all to happen too easily. He was too confident that their plan would work exactly like they had planned and that nothing could go wrong. Along with being overconfident, he was also a very impatient man. They had only generated their plan a couple days before and did take not enough time to realize the consequences of their actions. If they had taken more time to think things through and had planned for the worst to happen, I believe they would have been ready for what would happen next. After the killing of Caesar and rioting of the plebeians after the funeral the two armies were ready to fight, which again showed signs of impatience. When going into the battle Brutus advanced too quickly which led to the killing of many of his men and his own suicidal efforts.

The Battle of the Sexes

The battle of the sexes has raged on as long as anyone can remember. Each sex, at some point, has either wanted or believed they had the upper hand over the other. It can be in the form of a power struggle or manipulation that one sex proves itself dominant over the other. Many times they find that they are evenly matched. The power balance in today’s society is fairly balanced. We have men who show deep feeling and women who are aggressive and harsh. We also have the opposite in both sexes.Science is still working to discover how much our DNA affects our sex in terms of aggressiveness, affections and other factors in relationships. Science has yet to prove that there is a battle of the sexes at genetic level. Therefore much of it is dictated by society and its expectations of a particular sex. These expectations change through time and there are always exceptions to the rules. There was a time when women were dominant in certain areas, such as the household and men were releg ated to dominate out of doors.There are other times where males are completely dominant and the female submissive. The roles change back and forth through time, each time getting a little more evenly balanced between the sexes. For the most part, today’s society see men and women as equals. There are still issues to be addressed but for the most part we are equal in almost everything. The movie â€Å"How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, is set in present time and shows both sexes as equally driven to succeed. Andi, the main female, is a modern woman who believes most relationships fail because men just don’t understand the female mind.She believes that men allow themselves be driven off due to certain things women tend to do in relationships. She also believes that men don’t want to put forth the effort that a true relationship takes to succeed. She sets out to prove this by betting her boss she can â€Å"lose a guy in 10 days† by doing everything that is usual ly the death of a relationship. She picks out a man named Ben and sets to work. Andi is a modern woman who believes that she is an equal in every way to the male in a relationship and even superior at times.She does everything she can to prove her point. She tries things such as clinging, mentioning marriage, calling his mother and many others. Ben, the main male, believes that women want to fall in love and make that the goal of a relationship when they meet a man. He believes that by telling a woman what she wants to hear and overlooking her â€Å"quirks† men can make any woman fall in love with them. He too makes a bet with his co workers that he can get a woman to fall in love with in 10 days. He picks Andi at the same time she picks him.Both believe that they understand the opposite sex better than the other and can gain the upper hand in a relationship. Ben is shown as an over confident male who thinks ignoring all the things she is doing will make her fall in love him within 10 days. Outwardly he overlooks her buying a dog â€Å"for them†, interrupting his poker games and similar incidents but inwardly he is cringing. He cannot figure out how she turned into such a clingy, needy, marriage minded woman so quickly. Andi, for her part, cannot believe he has not yet called the relationship off.Both find that without all the games and manipulation, they are on equal ground and the male-female relationship does not have to be a contest and their perceptions of the opposite sex were not always correct. In the movie, â€Å"The Wedding Crashers†, the two main male characters, John and Jeremy, have been breaking hearts for years. They believe that flirting and sex are fine as long as they do not get attached. They portrayed as not believing love is worth the risk you must take to get it. If you fall in love, you get hurt so avoiding commitment of any sort is one of their most basic rules.They crash weddings to pick up bridesmaids, whom they w ill never see again and enjoy woman after woman with no regrets. They are successful in business and do not think of the future as it pertains to love. In the 1990, where this movie is set, men are still portrayed as being a more knowledgeable regarding the opposite sex. They believe if they say the right things and keep it casual they are safe from being pulled into a relationship. The women in the film, Claire and her sister Gloria, approach the male –female relationship from opposite directions.Claire is self assured and believes herself to be too smart to fall for the usual pickup lines and manipulations. She holds herself at a distance to causing men to have to approach her rather than approaching them. Gloria is manipulative and aggressive. She is a cheerful and persistent pursuer and does not allow herself to be deterred. Both women reflect the modern woman in different ways. Claire shows it with her self assurance and Gloria with her belief that she can be the aggress or in a relationship. Both are facets of the era we live in and there is no right or wrong in these representations.As the characters find out, both sexes can be the user or the used, depending on the circumstance. Claire has the power to draw the men to her by being aloof or unobtainable, thereby issuing a challenge to the males to overcome her barriers. She is diplomatic but does not meet a man halfway. She likes to control the situation on her terms. Gloria is the complete opposite of her sister and goes after her chosen man with using all her wiles. She is sweet one minute and throwing a tantrum the next, all the while keeping her intended fascinated by her mercurial moods.She has no problem initiating sex and as with most present day women, is not afraid to admit she has a sex drive. Claire is not a prudish woman but chooses more carefully then her impulsive sister. Gloria tends to be needier than Claire, clinging to her chosen man because she worries her clinging will drive hi m off. Claire is presented as a strong woman who will take only the right man and not just anyone who happens along. When John falls for Claire, Jeremy is stunned and dismayed. He urges John to remember the rules they followed. , who wants an immediate commitment from him.While John is trying to woo Claire, who remains just out of reach, Jeremy is targeted by Gloria. She begins to pursue him so intensely that she frightens him. The couples are shown as opposites of each other with the female aggressor in one relationship and the male aggressor in the other. It shows the modern day balance that both sexes have worked hard to achieve and maintain. The results are both couples finding out that both mixes work and they really want to continue their . relationships. The Philadelphia Story is set in the 40s and the main female, Tracy Lord, is a rich, spoiled woman used to getting her way.She has beauty and she has money and that is what really matters in that society. With those two thing s, she can treat a man anyway she likes and be admired for it. People consider her strong and willful but consider it her right to be so. Of all the characters in this movie, the female Tracy, wields most of the power. While the husbands are given certain due simply because they are men, she uses all the expected female wiles and they capitulate. The males are shown as expected to cater to the woman’s whims because she is a rich and beautiful prize.The female acts as she is expected to and in return makes demands of the men that must be filled, lest she move on to the next beau. This was an age of romance as well and both men and women were portrayed as romantic at heart. The males are also shown as having a softer side. Tracy breaks up with her groom, George, because he misunderstood a situation and didn’t believe what she told him happened. He storms out, leaving a church full of wedding guests and everything set to go. Another man offers to step in but it is ex husb and Dexter, who has been in love with her since they divorced, who marries Tracy.In the time of â€Å"The Philadelphia Story† women were expected to draw the men to them, rather than pursue them openly. There were always exceptions to this rule, especially for the extremely wealthy. Women were to be ladylike at all times, however, this gave them power even as it took some from them. Men could openly pursue a lady but if she chose to play coy or hard to get, they would have to work hard to win her favor. Men were portrayed as sophisticated and suave. They were the aggressors, but only to the point that they be the chosen one.They still had to curry favor from the female to keep her as their prize. Women were admired more for wealth, beauty and elegance in those days than for intelligence or imagination. Today’s expectations of the sexes are much different for most people. Women are accepted as equally intelligent, imaginative and brave. We now have women in combat; this does not reflect on them as women, it enhances their appeal. Men are doing cooking shows and designing clothing. There are still diving lines in some areas but we are making progress as shown in the films and in life.Blustain, S. (2000, November). The New Gender Wars. Psychology Today, 33, 42. Cohan, S. (1997). Masked Men: Masculinity and the Movies in the Fifties. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. Connell, Robert William: Gender and Power, Cambridge: University Press 1987 Essentials of Sociology (2005) Appelbaum,R. , Duneier, M. & Giddius, A. Website: http://www2. wwnorton. com/college/soc/essoc/reviews/ch09. asp Galician, M. (2004). Sex, Love & Romance in the Mass Media: Analysis & Criticism of Unrealistic Portrayals & Their Influence. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) starring Kate Hudson, Matthew McCaughey and Adam Goldberg. Directed by Donald Petrie, Paramount Studios The Philadelphia Story (1940) starring Katherine Hepburn, C ary Grant and James Stewart, Directed by George Cukor, Warner Bros. The Wedding Crashers (2005) starring Owen C Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walkin Directed by David Dobkin, New Line Home Entertainment Channel 14 Battle of the Sexes Website: http://www. channel4. com/science/microsites/B/battle_sexes/ Wikipedia (2007): Culture and Gender Roles Website: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Gender_role#Culture_and_gender_roles