Wednesday, October 30, 2019
The Grapes of Wrath Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
The Grapes of Wrath - Essay Example The film and the book reveal the plight of individuals who are earnestly working to ease suffering alongside other circumstances that are purely not of their making. With no suggestions being offered either in the book or film, Ma Joad announces that the solution to unemployment will be the duty of the people. To this note, the movie ends with a lot of optimism that someday somewhere, there will be a reprieve. (Finn, 2) The film portrays two main themes. In the entire movie, maturity is clearly shown; this is the concept that life’s process requires a rebirth of the mind. Amidst the difficulties that people encounter, one is not to give up, you need to renew your strength and carry on with the struggle because sometimes, a good day comes and things become different and better. Peoples past experiences have revealed that whenever puts on a new face in the midst of trouble, your efforts never fade until finally showers of hope come along. The theme of maturity is revealed in many experiences that the family until, at its end, the film provides an optimism that things will get better. Secondly, the theme of mistreatment comes out clearly in the theme; residents are made to encounter hardships in the hands of the mighty people. Views in the ‘Okie’ Californian camps expose conditions where people are greatly deprived of life’s necessities. The state troops and the local police push about the people and the visitors that are unwelcomed in a foreign land. The whole movie brings to us a story that has merciless treatments. It is only in one spot where the visitors find solace; the governments agricultural camp in the northern California. This is a highly captivating narrative, very natural and pure. It’s a classical novel, about a poor family which is made to travel to look for a greener pastures a place of comfort, where they can live in peace and afford a decent life. The family sets to California where
Monday, October 28, 2019
Trusts and Pensions Essay Example for Free
Trusts and Pensions Essay Introduction After the World War II, western European governments had taken several measures to provide better working conditions and job security to their citizens. Some of such policies aimed to provide guaranteed minimum income to people, some policies guarantee old age benefits and social security insurance, while still some policies aimed to provide housing, healthcare etc. facilities to lower income people (Gough, 1987).   These policies worked smoothly till the late 1970’s but from the last two decades, when Western European states tried to maintain their economies according to the international competition (Rhodes, 1996); they had come to the conclusion that these welfare policies are responsible for slower economic growth and rising rate of unemployment.            The economy and the social cohesion of EU have the threats of steadily growing high unemployment. They now have set their target to raise the employment and the participation ratio in European labor market. But the most fatal problem is that, it will definitely take several years to solve. Similarly aging labor force is also one of the major dilemmas of European Union labor market. It has been estimated that only 50% of the citizens under the age bracket of 55 to 64 years are in work in developing countries as compared to 75% of 25 to 54 years old and this percentage shrinks further in EU countries, i.e. only 39% (Young, 2002). These figures depicted a serious dilemma because if these would not be improved then by 2050 EU would suffer a 6% decrease in population and sharp increase in pensions and health spending which will be escalated from current 15% of GDP to an estimated 22% (EU must reform labor markets to reduce unemployment). What is pension? An advantage, generally in terms of money, remunerated recurrently to retired workers or their dependents by private companies and government organizations (Ball, 2002). An alluring element to worker reparation packages are annuities. Companies are not obligated to set up pension rewards but do so to fascinate experienced workers (Armstrong, 2002). A particular figure of money has to pay into an annuity account which set up by the company. The company appoints a reliable committee, for the good management of the fund, which is known as â€Å"trustee†(Scrimshaw, 2001). It is their responsibility to spend the fund in different pecuniary schemes and stock market to flourish the fund on behalf of the company. The amount in this account can be raise due to the investments (Clark Whiteside, 2003). The amount credited into this account is non taxable to the company and to worker up to the time of retirement (INCOMES DATA SERVICES, 2002). At the time of retirement worker can get money that continues up to a certain period or can get in one go, on which he/she has to pay some tax. The worker may obtain more money than the company has just because of his / her long life. In case, if worker expires prior to complete payment of his / her pension, the dependants will receive the residue of annuity. A person can get more than one pension as he / she have served in several organizations (Esping-Andersen, 1999). About United Kingdom’s retirement funds: â€Å"1670s Royal Navy introduced first systematized pension scheme 1908 introduced first general old age pension paying a non-contributory amount of between 10p and 25p a week, from age 70, on a means-tested basis from January 1 1909 Pensions Day. This was introduced during the Liberal government of David Lloyd-George. Sir William Beveridge, father of the welfare state, was an adviser (Esping-Andersen, 1990). 1921 – To comply with some situations of pension schemes a tax deduction permitted by approving Finance Act. 1925 – For those who receive  £250 per annum and for physical workers, a contributory State system has been approved as Contributory Pensions Act. According to this Act the pension was 50p per week at the age of 65.  1942 – A report was presented by Sir William Beveridge as Social Insurance and Allied Services with some proposals of state welfare. 1946 – Before 1946 the pensions were  £1.30 for a single person and  £2.10 for a married couple, started after the age of 65 years, in case of men and after the age of 60 in case of women. In 1946 UK government had introduced contributory pensions for all the workers 1947 the finance Act of 1947 had curtailed the maximum amount of tax relief on pensions 1959 Government has introduced a new pension scheme, which was called the Graduated Pension. It includes the people between the income bracket of  £9 to  £15 per week (Able Smith Townsend, 1961) 1975 Yet another pension Act, which was introduced in 1978, the Social Security Pensions Act was presented and it finally replaced the graduated pensions scheme. 1995 the Pensions Act of 1995 had set up new ideas and schemes for compensation and had changed the previous compensation method (Pierson, 1996) 1999 A new amendment in Pensions Act was introduced which guaranteed some minimum income to the needy pensioners. This was known as Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) 2001 – A new pension scheme, especially tailored for low earning males and female workers was introduced, which was called stakeholder pensions 2002 State Second Pension Scheme was introduced which replaced Serps 2003 Introduction of the Pension Credit, which will bring half a million pensioners into means-testing†. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2488513.stm)            Now recognition of requirements has been clear by most of the countries for persons to get further of a function in supplying their pension profit.            The scheme of retirement on the basis of stipulation on occurrence between transfers of profit experiences calamity due to long life escalation. Existence of a very small number of employees sustaining every retired worker can be known by â€Å"fresh arithmetic†as functioning people decreasing as long-lived-ness perdurable increasing (Hawksworth, 2000).            The tendency is ready to persist. The transfer of pension to self-supporting is a resolution, by which the management constructs the organizational and pecuniary foundation to facilitate and convince workers to protect and spend possessions for their personal pension (Brooks, Regan Robinson, 2002)            The management proposal to prepare the new annuity scheme and to persuade the improvement of a formation for annuity administered by other institutions is a remarkable prototype of this (Kelly, 2002).            This denotes actual prescience. Almost 16.3 per cent of inhabitants of the world produce by India and its old age citizens are, alone, 12.5 per cent of the world’s old age public. The incessant decease and birth ratio by additional public ingenuity and fitness will transform the comparatively present young generation of India which makes 70 million public above 60 years of age and less than 10 per cent out of them could hardly have pension. Rest of 90 per cent depends on their jobs or support by family. The fact, divulge through a joint research by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development and Asian Development Bank, that after the retirement 71 per cent people depends on their family in bucolic areas and 59 per cent in metropolitan areas (Jackman, 2002).            The central idea of restructuring of retirement income articulate by the Old Age Social and Income Committee i.e. â€Å"economic security during old age should necessarily result from sustained preparation through life-long contributions†and that â€Å"the government should step in only in case of those who do not have the sufficient incomes to save for old age†(Allen, 2002).            The preface of the described input, completely subsidized, personal retirement account annuities, along with the finance administration of these designated to confidential finance supervisors suggested by the Old Age Social and Income Committee in the subsequent statement.            To raise the retirement income coverage, minimize the function of the state as retirement fund supplier and lessen the non subsidized annuity legal responsibility is the main objective to restructure any retirement fund.            The preface of the latest annuity scheme would capture the raise in the unsupported annuity legal responsibility of the government workers retirement fund by including the new government workers joining workforce from January 1, 2004; minimize the function of the government in sustaining the other untenable significant advantage of retirement fund legal responsibility, which would eventually drop on the government; grant worldwide access to public, facilitate individuals who do not have access to any means of transportation to construct the possessions for old-age benefits, and once the latest scheme reconciled, the government could have better resources to believe intensification the methods tested levy-funding retirement fund for persons who do not have sufficient earnings to self-supporting their old-age benefits.            As these seem individual parts of the scheme, one has to take emphasizing the importance of the whole view to look how the apparently individual parts of the scheme are, in fact, mutually dependent.            When alter in the retirement fund scheme is visualized there are always trepidation. The primary consternation is regarding the modification in retirement fund plan of government workers (TUC, 2002).            This has to be sighted in the outline of the untenably of the present defined benefit retirement fund. As stated by to the World Bank, for the Central government, the retirement fund proposal articulated as a share of GDP twice among 1995 and 2000.            The World Bank statement also specify that outlays on annuity for government workers are expected to develop quicker at the state level where service further than twice in three decades, leveling off just lately, and that the upcoming development in the retirement fund law would mirror this (Wallis, 2002).            The shift to define contribution retirement fund for new workers is a step to alleviate this. The transition can be successfully level by professional finance administration and the controlling of the collected retirement fund on a constant basis (Pickering, 2002). In April 2005 an annuity supervisory body launched for trade which is formed by the 2004 Pensions Act. The superior importance on engaging genuine threat to affiliates’ advantages is obvious that the latest restrict method cause to feel itself in the pension realm as its primary semi annual functions under control by the body. To get the exact scenario of the present pension reform, the body compiled and tested the system information on an extensive array; the body is emergent and printing operation rules, aid to explicate the errands of entrusted managers and supervisors under the recent Act; and the body is efficiently functioning to minimize the threats. The mismanagement, swindle and mis-commitment are the major threats tried by the companies, and the body has the workforce to face them. The under financing, is still, the major lone threat dealing with all proposals presenting described advantages. The previous least subsidy requirement has not offered enough shelter against this threat and the truth is that most of the DB systems are presently low subsidized is not in argument. Assessing the extent of scheme shortfall is not a better solution, yet, as a collection of variables has to be measured – such as upcoming investment income, no body knows that when he / she will dies. Whichever procedure is applied, the numbers provide reason for trepidation. It has been anticipated, for instance, that the total scheme deficits of the FTSE 350 companies amount to  £72bn. The new legislation, coming into force at the end of 2005, requires schemes and sponsoring employers to confront and tackle this issue (Whiteside, 2003). Legal Requirements According to the latest ‘scheme specific’ financing administration, all proposals presenting described advantages will have to make a careful evaluation of their legal responsibilities, ascertain the measure of any financing deficit and suitable measurements will have to take to eradicate it. To measure the proposal’s legal responsibilities is the primary action in this regards is mandatory. There are no predefined rules to measure the responsibility, but, it is expected that all proposals should be evaluated as shortfall arise either due to the completion of the scheme and their accumulated rates. The entrusted management will calculate that how much financing is required to offer for the committed pension profits to pensioner as the scheme gets mature. The entrusted administration is also responsible to describe the sequential steps should be taken through a declaration of financing rules and work out the payment plan of contributions. And they also liable to arrange these papers and make sure that all supporting companies are harmonized with the contents.  A practical revival strategy should be taken place if resources are not enough, as many proposals are in unavoidable situation, due to the low financing. It should be predefined that how much financing is required and when. The recovery plan must contain an attested strategy by a statistician as further aid entails to attain the requisite level of financing. It is mandatory that the complete statistical assessment should be done in three to four years. And this assessment must contain all the required reports to facilitate the entrusted management to judge that how much development is done and how efficient. The translucency is also required for latest financing rule as further aspect. The copies of different reports achieved by the complete statistical assessment should be given to all members. And a yearly report should be distributed to all associates and recipients of benefit, which describes the development and efficiency status of any proposal. Transforming functions There are different roles which facing confronts due to the necessities of financing of the latest proposal. The prime resolutions should be passed by the entrusted managers (Storper Salais, 1997). The statistician is liable to give guidance to help them pass the resolutions. Whereas, the companies have no authority to intervene the entrusted managers’ role, but should, in several situations, bargain to locate a safe path to lead. To eradicate the shortfalls and to meet the requirements of financing entrusted managers are more influential than companies (Ward, 2002). As the entrusted managers are not necessarily be an economist or financial expert, so it is essential to them that they have to get guidance and work with a statistician or financial expert as and when required. A statistician should be well in communication. Companies have to be more liberalize with entrusted managers regarding their pecuniary matters rather they were behaving in past (CIPD, 2002) Functioning with the Controller The Retirement fund Controller’s primary task in this zone will be to collect data vis-à -vis present proposal financial support and the deed that proposal are taking to deal with their shortfalls. The task of accumulating and scrutinizing the yearly proposal incomes is running smoothly and the collection of data associated to financial support is continue as when and how much more support require. For instance, the presentation of an alternative arrangement to gain the funds back is mandatory by the entrusted managers, in a specific period of time. If they fail to fulfill the requirements of the contract they must inform the controller about it. Statistician or financial experts are also supposed to perform in the same way, in case, if they fail to attest the computations which are applied to achieve the precise financial support. The controllers are also interested to be notified if any task undone at companies end, in prolong period. Controller’s Authority When the statistician and entrusted managers are fail to complete their task according to the latest rules – in case, as the company unable to perform as per the contract – the controller has the right to interfere to drive the functions in a right direction. The controller can instruct about the computation to get the desired financial support, if required, or in case of a shortfall, guidance should be given by the controller, when or how to be eradicated. Controller can alter the upcoming accumulation of incomes or a new plan can be applied, when it seems to be impossible. However, the controller intends to use these powers sparingly and only as a last resort. Their focus will always be on identifying potential risks, and working with trustees, employers and advisers to develop solutions and, ultimately, to secure a prudent level of funding. When Controllers Can Interfere? Some particular situations can make the controllers to look into the matter personally. For example, unbelievable information, reports regarding financial support as mentioned above, business reformation and other controllers report. To settle down the situation, reckon when and how to interfere into the matter, controller recommends the utilization of assure timely events. By the help, of different kind of events method, controller visualizes the working. In the first event, entrusted managers recognized the aim of desired financial support. Generally discussion, if controllers realize this has been place too low, controller may need to see at the proposal narrowly, while controller will obtain further issues into account – in case, it may be satisfactory for a powerful company to define their target at a lesser point than a feeble company. The other kind of event associated to the new strategy. When the period is more than a decade, for instance, or if it suggested an impractical point of assist in the upcoming, controller may need to converse it in more detail. In general terms, then, controller are expected to see narrowly at proposals with less desire financial support and even more regain strategy, while controller will obtain a realistic and profitably responsive method. The defined levels of the timely event situations, and the kind of interference that could effect, are concerns that we wish to converse truthfully with the business. A draw up paper defined how we propose to apply our authority is obtainable for free discussion During the contribution of public administration expert, association want to place annuity and retirement issues as part of complete recompense and service policies, sustaining the accomplishment of organizational objective by encountering the requirements of their present and upcoming workers. This points out that these policies need to be customized to the situation of each business. There emerge to be three essential parts, and it is in these three zones that public administration expert can and is earning a main payment: There is an obligation for obvious and converse retirement fund and recompense strategy objective, level to the requirements of the business and its employees. Public administration expert require cultivating their panel and line associates on the context for and satisfied of these objective. Suitable retirement fund preparations can support a fit mental agreement, and aid a company succeeds in the rising ‘war’ for trained workforce and ability. With a getting old labor force, extra expandable method to annuity and retirement are turn into a essential part of useful resourcing policies. Business requires planning and put into practice suitable system to provide these policies. Suppleness and option in terms seem to be significant mechanism of these plans according to the requirements of further varied workers. We are ever more noticing organizations working more than one annuity plans and/or mix plans, and proffering workers retirement fund selections – all as element of inclusive supple benefits and complete recompense programs. Public administration expert are performing an important function in cultivating administrator and workers, facilitate them to take on private liability and make well-versed options as to the manner they desire to function and shift into retirement, with the suitable retirement fund provision to attain this. Price for Companies and Workers In all the investigation of tendency and foretells in work-related annuity provision, the related concerns of rising plan expenditure and governmental and bookkeeping necessities summit the lists of causes for transform. As PWC’s assessment of European pensions remarks, the option for national and work-related plans in all countries â€Å"is stark: higher taxes and contributions, or less generous pensions.†(Thompson, 2002). Companies expenditure increasing The chief financial officer of British Airways described on the day that the airline reported an annual loss of  £200 million that, ‘the change to a defined contribution pension for future staff is a necessary response to the competitive environment in which BA operates’. Correspondingly Geoff Pearson of Sainsbury’s informed public administration that the untenable expense of servicing their concluding salary scheme show the way to its closure to new candidate in April 2002 (CIPD, 2002). To protect the defined echelon of advantage and retirement fund the company tolerates all the threat of administration annuity investments according to the defined benefit. The workers of an engineering company â€Å"Pearson†have discovered that the complete safe business is not available on this earth. The wrapping up of their plan with a considerable shortfall could perceive them mislay up to half of the worth of their annuity ‘assurance’. The risk management even mendacity with the employer and just normally notified and erudite experts. According to the defined contribution plans, the worker has to take all the threats. Spend too conventionally and the growth of your own finance is very low. You have to face the fear of losing a considerable sum of your investment, when you spend your funds in a risky business. As the profit of your spending is below average, you either need to raise your payments or eventually get a low annuity, a truth that most of us realize when we gets the yearly statement of annuity, the plans purchase by our funds this year will be presently disturbing about (Merrick, 2001). When the stock market was at its peak, there is a better chance for intrepid workers that they can earn good profit in a defined contribution plan, where they reserve the surplus profits, rather than in a defined benefit scheme, where additional profit were reserved as a excess by the employer and might be utilized to support contribution holidays (Dore, 2000). That is the main reason of general shift to defined contribution plans in the 1990s allured slight interest and disagreement. As the present market state of affairs is totally change. Summary of Present Scenario The secure, trustworthy, if you are not capable to understand, comfort-blanket annuity atmosphere that persist for full-time, white-collar workers in numerous great corporations in the post-war years is well and truly over (Watson, 2001). We can quarrel on the reasons and whether under the new accounting law FRS 17 is just a cover up for primitive recompense- and financial prudence, but we are not interested to bring the atmosphere back into going to be able to wish that environment back into fortitude. Annuities have and are transforming. We may make the rules simpler, but we can not disregard the reality that Maxwell and the mis-selling scandals happened. We cannot retain the getting old people, any more than we can push our baby-boomer principles of frugality, faithfulness and tardy enjoyment onto the more globally minded, self-assured, but short-termist and doubtful, approaches and inspiration of Generation Y.  References            Able Smith, B. Townsend, P. (1961). The Poor and the Poorest. London, Bell.            Allen, A. (2002) Silver lining,  People Management. Vol 8, No 17, 29 August            Armstrong, M. (2002) Employee reward. 3rd ed. London, CIPD.            Ball, S. (2002) Pensions compulsion and compulsory contributions, Employee Benefits. July.            Brooks, R. Regan, S, Robinson, P. (2002) A new contract for retirement. London, IPPR.            CIPD (2002) Reward management: survey report. London, CIPD.            CIPD (2002) Perspectives: HRH: a work audit. London, CIPD.            Clark, G.L. Whiteside, N. (2003), Pension Security in the 21st  Century, Oxford, OUP            Dore, R. (2000). Stock Market Capitalism: Welfare Capitalism. Japan and Germany Versus the Anglo-Saxons. Oxford, OUP.            Esping-Andersen, G. (1990). Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Princeton, NJ / Oxford, Princeton University Press/ Polity Press.            Esping-Andersen, G. (1999). Social Foundations of Post-Industrial Economies. Oxford, OUP.            EU must reform labor markets to reduce unemployment, Management- Issues. http://www.management-issues.com/display_page.asp?section=researchid=1190# Retrieved December 5, 2006            Gough, I., (1987), Welfare State, The New Palgrave, A Dictionary of Economics, vol. 4, London: Macmillan.            Hawksworth, J. et al. (2000) The European pensions and savings revolution. London, PriceWaterhouseCoopers.            Jackman, R. (2002) The global retirement crisis. Washington DC, Centre for Strategic and International Studies.            INCOMES DATA SERVICES (2002) Pensions in practice 2002/3. London, IDS.            Kelly, R. (2002) A better choice of pension, Financial Times.            Merrick, N. (2001) Benefits in the limelight, Employee Benefits, April.            Pickering, A. (2002) A simple way to better pensions, Norwich, Stationery Office.            Pierson, P. (1996). A historical institutionalist analysis, Comparative Political Studies, 29, 2.            Rhodes, M. (1996), A New Social Contract? Globalisation and West Welfare States, European University Institute, EUI Working Paper RSC No. 96/43.            Scrimshaw, A. (2001) Pensions. London, CIPD.            Storper, M. Salais R. (1997). Worlds of Production: The Action Frameworks of the Economy, Cambridge, MA, Harvard.            Thompson, P. (2002), Total reward. London, CIPD.            TUC. (2002) Prospects for pensions. London, TUC, June.            Wallis, S. (2002) Annuity rip-offs, Observer. 29 August.            Ward, S. (2002) Planning your pension. London, TUC/Kogan Page.            Watson Wyatt. (2001)  Playing to win: strategic rewards in the war for talent. London, Watson Wyatt.            Whiteside, N., (2003), Historical perspectives on the politics of pension reform in Clark and Whiteside Pension Security in the 21st  Century, Oxford, OUP            Young, G.  (2002) The implications of an ageing population for the UK economy. London, Bank of England.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Ana Castillo Seduced by Natssja Kinski Critique :: essays research papers
A quick read of Ana Castillo’s poetry will provide a reader with much knowledge of the style she uses. The style used in â€Å"Seduced by Natassja Kinski†and â€Å"El Chicle†is conveyed vividly. A key ingredient to Castillo’s style is imagery. Castillo uses imagery to portray the environment, object movements, emotions, and everything else that is of utmost importance. Also important to Castillo’s style is her choice of words. Castillo refers to all words in poems as gold. Every word must be picked and placed with all the care in the world. Along with her imagery and choice of words, metaphors, poetry form, and flow are essential to creating the two featured poems.      After many reads of both â€Å"Seduced by Natassja Kinski†and â€Å"El Chicle†I have been able to visually interpret the worlds created in both poems. â€Å"El Chicle†is all about imagery, however, â€Å"Seduced by Natassja Kinski†also contains valuable imagery. In â€Å"El Chicle†, Castillo portrays a piece of bubble gum falling out of Mi’jo’s mouth into her hair; she cuts her hair; the piece of gum falls onto the back of a dragonfly which flys to its death as a turtle eats it whole. Now, I haven’t been able to really determine what this is exactly referring to, but the imagery created here is as vivid, or more vivid than if I were to witness this in real life. This imagery is as intriguing as the following quote from â€Å"Seduced by Natassja Kinski†: â€Å"And we dance, I am a strawberry, ripened and bursting, devoured, and she has won.†With deep visions I have been able to recreate this scene of Kinski devouring the world’s most orgasmic strawberry. An orgasmic strawberry is what I came up with if I were to describe the scene in few words.      In few words I said â€Å"orgasmic strawberry†which defines the previous quote. Now, the technique I have just done is what Castillo has done throughout her life’s work with poetry. In â€Å"Seduced by Natassja Kinski†and â€Å"El Chicle†I have found many words that are more suiting than the rest of the entire deck of English words. For example, Castillo uses the adjective â€Å"fleshy†to describe a strawberry. This word creates a picture of the strawberry while relating the strawberry to a beautiful girl. Also, when Castillo relates herself to an atom; she lives in the town, but the girls are taking her out for a night and showing her a good time.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Building and Maintaining a Putting Green Essay -- turf glass, USGA gre
There are many steps involved in building and maintaining a putting green. The first step that the Superintendent and Golf Professional staff needs to understand is that research and studying their options is the most important part to building a successful golf course and putting green. Without research for the grass and soil, diseases would run rampant, courses would be using dated technology, the grass would not be as easy to maintain, and costumer satisfaction would decrease causing a decrease in revenue. The facility could even choose the wrong grass if they didn’t pay close attention to their soil quality, known local diseases, and temperature zone. The facility needs to research which method of green they would like to build and how much it is going to cost. For example a lower end municipal course might chose to make push-up green which doesn’t guarantee the longevity of the grasses survival, but it is within their budget and suits their needs just fine. A five star resort will want to build a USGA green that costs more, but certifies the survival of the greens. A facility will be aware of the amount of research needed to build a green from scratch but once they build the green, research will still need to be taking place in order to help the greens survive. Research needs to be continuously taking place in order to provide the cheapest, safest, and best quality playing surfaces. People pay for the visual and performance quality of the grass, the turf and golf staff need to be constantly ask how can we improve the conditions in order to provide the ideal image that the player is expecting. Research consists of the daily practices all the way to conducting a funded study on different cultivars or the watering needs of the f... ...cations to allow the other areas of the green to heal and to prevent too much wear and tear to one area of the green. Golf courses should consider everything from the location of the green, people traffic, soil, top gravel and draining areas before starting the construction process. Works Cited Gains, T. 1987. Putting Green Topoil Mixtures that Meet USGA Specifications. Carolinas Newsletter. Green Section Staff & Moore, James. Building the USGA Green: Tips For Success. United States Golf Association. 1-32. Moore, James. May 2004. Building and Maintaining the Truly Affordable Golf Course. United States Golf Association. Murphy, James. June 2007. Rootzone Amendments for Putting Green Construction. United States Golf Association. 1-7. United States Golf Association. 2004. Turf Management FAQs. United States Golf Association. 1-3.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Hulu: An Evil plot to Destroy the World Essay
All quotations and references refer to â€Å" Hulu: An Evil plot to Destroy the World†unless otherwise noted. 1) Hulu succeeded while everyone predicted its failure due to the following reasons: * Hulu harnessed existing technologies namely online video and broadcast media to create a new platform that was â€Å"focused on helping users find and enjoy the world’s premium, professionally produced content when where and how they want it†. The platform brought together professional content owners/providers, advertisers and content consumers/users in a platform mediated network. * Rather than choose to be a destination site or syndicate content, Hulu chose to be both by being an aggregator of online video. There were web sites that did this for user generated content but Hulu was a leader in this space for professionally generated content. * The business model for Hulu’s platform is 100% advertising supported. * Hulu’s platform model consists of 3 nodes – content providers, advertisers and users * The ‘subsidy side’ in this network is the users who use the platform for free while the ‘money side’ is the advertisers who pay Hulu for running their advertisements. Hulu on the other hand pays content providers for showing their content on the platform. The more the number of users on Hulu the more advertisers value the platform and are attracted to advertise on it. Also, the more the content available on Hulu the more users are attracted to the platform and subsequently, the more the revenue that can be generated from advertising. * Hulu leveraged the cross side network effect between content providers and users by partnering strategically with over 170 content providers including the most popular broadcast and cable networks in the United States. The content providers â€Å"participated in the value created through the distribution of their content†, providing the incentive for them to continue their support of the Hulu platform. * Hulu partnered with 30 affiliated websites including those whose users represented 96% of the monthly unique US-based web users to bring content to its audience and to leverage the cross side network effect between users and advertisers to increase revenues. * Hulu also focused on users and offered its service free to them thereby maximising the cross-side network effects between users and advertisers on its platform resulting in increased revenues generated from advertisers. 2) Hulu’s business strategy is to be focused â€Å"on helping users find and enjoy the world’s premium professionally produced content when, where and how they want it†. Hulu does this by using Internet technology to bring free content to its users anywhere at any time. Hulu is a first mover in this space and is currently enjoying the first mover advantage. However with the ubiquity of internet technology accompanied by lower costs and the commoditization of the technology, the barrier to entry will be reduced and more players will be attracted to the profitable online video business, eating into Hulu’s profitability and success. Also, the increase in IT investments in the internet age causes â€Å"a Winner-take-all dynamic and high turbulence, as each group of dominant innovators is threatened by succeeding waves of innovation†(McAfee and Brynjolfsson, 2008) in Schumpeterian competition. This makes Hulu’s success vulnerable. The case mentions that there is already an emergence of competitive threat from â€Å"TV Everywhere†and even though CEO, Jason Kilar discounts the effect on Hulu, the new entrant is gaining some clout and Broadcasting & Cable has warned that †TV Everywhere was â€Å"starting to look like a real competitor to Hulu.††Sustained success for Hulu in what is bound to be an increasingly competitive market will depend on Hulu’s Management and their ability to continue to maintain frugality, drive innovation, operational efficiencies and differentiate their products and services to gain competitive advantage and continue to dominate the market. 3) Input data – Basic – Name, Gender, Age, marital status Contact – address (state, city, zip code), phone number Other- favourite genre, previous shows watched, sites visited previously, ratings of previous shows watched. a) BI techniques i) Using Market basket Analysis Rule: if {Gender = female} then {watches real estate shows} Action: Show Ad Selector for real estate companies and related products when a female user is on Hulu ii) Using Market basket Analysis Rule: if {Married and Age>50 and lives in California} then {has watched >2 court shows in the past and previously visited a tax filing website} Action: Approach tax filing website to place their advertisement on Hulu when court shows are playing. iii) Using user based Collaborative filtering Rule: Find users ‘similar’ to current user by choosing those with the highest similarity coefficient between them and this user on the ratings of other shows. Use a combination of their similarity coefficients to predict current user’s rating for a crime show. Action: if user’s predicted rating for the crime show is high, then advertise any new crime show when user is on Hulu or other affiliate websites. b) Monetization These techniques allow Hulu to increase the click through rates as well as transaction conversion rates for its advertisements because they are targeted at users most likely to respond. Since advertisers are interested in traffic, Hulu can increase revenues by demonstrating to advertisers the number of users that can be targeted using these techniques and the subsequent increase in click through and conversion rates. 4) IT Security Plan for Hulu a) People * Management should make security a high priority and include it in Hulu’s business strategy * Train Hulu employees on the importance of security-keeping passwords confidential and not sharing passwords * Train employees on privacy policies b) Processes * Create security policies and procedures establishing mandatory minimum security standards * Standards should include provisions on customer privacy * Ensure all affiliate websites adhere to mandatory minimum security standards * Set procedures for security incidents * Review security policies annually to address new security threats to the online video industry c) Technology * Encrypt all customer data * Install antivirus software on all servers and computers and keep installations up to date * Have multi-site backup of data * Install monitoring software for servers and network * Incorporate systems logging to track access to Hulu’s IT infrastructure * Ensure firewalls are installed, enabled and have sufficient filters to protect from outside intrusion * Engage ‘Ethical Hacking’ vendors to audit systems annually in order to identify areas of vulnerability. References Andrew McAfee &Erik Brynjolfsson (July-August 2008). What Makes a competitive difference. Harvard Business Review, pg 100.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Audrey Flack, Pioneer of Photorealism
Audrey Flack, Pioneer of Photorealism Audrey Flack, born May 30, 1931, is an American artist. Her work, primarily painting and sculpture, has placed her at the forefront of pop art and photorealism. Fast Facts: Audrey Flack Full Name: Audrey L. FlackOccupation: ArtistKnown For: Pioneering the photorealist genre of art, particularly with portrayals of women, everyday objects, and moments in relatively recent history.Born: May 30, 1931 in New York CityNotable Works: Kennedy Motorcade (1964), Marilyn (Vanitas) (1977), World War II (Vanitas) (1978) Early Life and Education Flack was born in New York City in 1931, in the northern Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights. As a teenager, she attended a specialized arts public institution, the High School of Music and Art. Her formal art education began in 1948, when she began her studies at New York’s Cooper Union. Flack remained there until 1951 and was then recruited to Yale, largely thanks to the influence of German-American artist Josef Albers (who was then in charge of Yale’s art department). While at Yale, Flack continued developing her own style while being influenced by her teachers and mentors. In particular, her early work demonstrated an Abstract Expressionist style in the vein of Albers’ work. Flack graduated with her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1952. The following year, she returned to New York and studied art history for a year at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. Abstract to Realism At first, Flack’s work in the 1950s was a clear offshoot of her training with abstract expressionists. She also embraced â€Å"kitschiness†in a self-aware, ironic way. However, as time went on, she began to feel that the abstract expressionist style she was utilizing was not achieving what she felt was an important goal: communicating with audiences. Because of this desire to create art that was clearer to viewers, Flack began moving towards realism. Portrait of artist Audrey Flack sits next to a painting of President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy riding in the back of a limousine on the day he was assassinated.  Nancy R. Schiff / Getty Images She enrolled in the Art Students League (ASL), where she studied anatomy under the tutelage of Robert Beverly Hale, and began finding inspiration in artists from past eras rather than more recent movements. Her work began to be categorized in the â€Å"New Realism†movement, and, eventually, shifted all the way into photorealism, in which an artist attempts to reproduce a photographed image as realistically as possible in a different medium. Flack was one of the first students at the ASL to fully embrace photorealism and use photographs as reference for her work. Photorealism, in many ways, is a sister genre to pop art: depicting ordinary, mundane items, often as still-lifes that imitate the realism of photography as closely as possible. In 1966, Flack became the first photorealist painter to have work in the collection at the Museum of Modern Art. Increased Influence In some cases, Flack’s work moved past the typical still life paintings and depicted historical events. One of her most famous works is Kennedy Motorcade, November 22, 1963, which, as its title suggests, depicts a scene from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Her historical paintings, including her Vanitas works, often featured some kind of socio-political commentary. Her still life paintings often did as well; for instance, her paintings of female-coded items such as makeup and perfume bottles tended to involve some commentary on gender roles and constructs. Portrait of gallery owner Louis Meisel and artist Audrey Flack and her hyper-realist painting of Marilyn Monroe, New York, New York, March 10, 1978. Allan Tannenbaum / Getty Images In the early 1970s, Flack developed a new technique for her paintings. Instead of just using a photograph as a reference, she actually projected it as a slide onto the canvas, then developed an airbrushing technique to create the layers of paint. The 1970s also saw Flack paint her Vanitas series, which depicted everything from jewelry to scenes of WWII concentration camps. By the 1980s, however, Flack had switched her primary medium from painting to sculpture. She is entirely self-taught in sculpture, as opposed to her significant formal training in painting. There are also other significant differences in her sculptural works versus her paintings. For instance, where her paintings focused on ordinary objects or historical scenes, her sculptures tend to depict religious and mythological subjects. For the most part, women are depicted in her sculptures, representing somewhat idealized but imperfect and diverse variations on the female form and femininity itself. Contemporary Work In the 1990s and 2000s, Flack had a fair amount of work commissioned. At one point, she was commissioned to create a statue of Catherine of Braganza, the British queen after whom the New York City borough of Queens was named; the project met with several objections and was never completed. More recently, her statues Recording Angel and Colossal Head of Daphne (both completed between 2006 and 2008) were commissioned by and installed in Nashville, Tennessee. Audrey Flacks Recording Angel statue stands outside the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Tennessee.  Raymond Boyd / Getty Images In more recent years, Flack has returned to her roots. Finding the photorealist movement rather â€Å"restricting,†she shifted back to Baroque influences. She wrote a book in 1986, collecting her thoughts on art and being an artist. Flack has also taught and lectured both in America and abroad. Currently, she is an honorary professor at George Washington University and a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania. She is based out of New York, where she splits her time between New York City and Long Island. Sources Blumberg, Naomi and Ida Yalzadeh. â€Å"Audrey Flack: American Painter and Sculptor.†Encyclopaedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Audrey-Flack.Flack, Audrey. Art Soul: Notes on Creating, New York, Dutton, 1986.Morgan, Robert C. â€Å"Audrey Flack and the Revolution of Still Life Painting.†The Brooklyn Rail, 5 Nov. 2010, https://brooklynrail.org/2010/11/artseen/audrey-flack-and-the-revolution-of-still-life-painting.
Monday, October 21, 2019
A critical review of literature on the importance of social media in branding The WritePass Journal
A critical review of literature on the importance of social media in branding 1.0 Introduction A critical review of literature on the importance of social media in branding ). On the contrary it can be said that more and more retailers and business are becoming increasingly aware of the social media and are waiting to exploit the potential that social marketing offers (Olivas-lujan, 2013) 1.1 Background Spend on social media by the businesses are on the rise. Recent study by the IAB (Internet Advertising Bureau) shows that in the first half of 2014 in the UK alone, there has been a rise of 53% in the spend on social media by businesses with a total contribution of  £242.5 million (Somerville, 2014). Another study by IAB on FMGC sector consisting of more than 4500 survey responses and 800 interviews showed that 90% of the customers would use social media to refer the brands to peers, 4 in 5 customers would buy products that have good social media coverage and 83% would be willing to try products that are popular in social media (Anon, 2013). Similarly, a research conducted by Mass Relevance that provides social media curation platform to clients found that 59% of the consumers will more likely trust a brand that has presence in the social media and 64% of the consumers interviewed have already made purchases based on social media presence and reviews (Chaney, 2012). Appendix 1 shows the social media advertising effects on consumers (Source: Neilsen Survey: Anon, 2012) 1.2 Motivation From the above, it can be understood that social media has a profound impact on the consumers’ choice of brands and that it is key to engage effectively with customers. There is a lot of literature that discusses about the social media impact on consumers, why businesses should engage with customers, exploiting social media to provide value add etc. The main aim of this research is to look into various key researches in this area and to provide a critical review on the literature. The critical review aims to see if: The problems are identified clearly The literature provides a balanced view There are gaps in the literature 1.3 Research Process The success of the research is admittedly determined by measuring the extent to which each of the research objectives is met. The following steps are followed during this research to ensure its success. These steps are as follows: Firstly, a background into the research and its motivations is given. Following this, the key literature in this area is thoroughly investigated. This is intended to ensure that all aspects of the research are identified and that the challenges or gaps in the current literature are clearly understood. Next, the literature is critically analysed to see if the problems are identified and if it provides a balanced view of the topic. It also looks into the research methodology to see if the methods used are consistent with the qualitative and quantitative methods and also checks for what has not been provided. Finally, this research concludes by providing a conclusion that is supported by evidence presented in the literature. It also makes recommendations where appropriate. In summary, this chapter has provided a brief overview of the research, addressed the key challenges or gaps in the literature and justified the need to conduct this research. This chapter has also set the background and motivations for the research in order to enable the reader to better understand the subsequent chapters. The central question for the research has addressed here, and the reader now also understands the problem statements that have led to this research. 2.0 Literature Review This research discusses about social media and its effect on branding and consumers. But what is social media? The term social media can be defined as â€Å" Many online tools that allow people with similar interests to share information, learn from others, or network in an open process. The information found on these sites is commonly referred to as ‘user-generated content’, which means anyone is able to post with minimal restrictions or oversight.†(Wilson, 2010) Drury (2007) discusses how marketers of various businesses can effectively engage in social media marketing. The paper gives a fairly comprehensive view on what social media is and the role of marketing in social media. It discusses about how social media can be monetised by the marketers. The paper lists out opportunities that can be tapped for commercial benefits and also emphasises on the mobile marketing strategy and describes the success criteria for measuring success. The paper however has the following drawbacks: It is very much general and has no qualitative or quantitative measures to define the success criteria. It gives a good overall picture but it would have been better if the context of the paper was more towards assessing the impact or the Return on Investment (ROI) of a specific sector or business. It lacks specific examples and also does not mention any strategy for implementation or even list challenges that organisations face while implementing good strategies for social media marketing. Michaelidou et al (2011) in their research discuss about social media marketing’s impact on small and medium B2B brands. They discuss in detail the adaption of social media networking as a marketing platform to be able to achieve the brand objectives and also the perceptions around the barriers of using social marketing networks. The research paper makes use of email surveys to understand the usage of social media by small and medium scale businesses that operate in the UK and the main drivers that motivate SMEs to adapt to the new channel of marketing. It clearly states the motivation of the research, giving appropriate background to the research and the method used for the research is depicted concisely. The research analyses the findings from the email survey and discusses the methods used for analysis. It provides a broad range of information and also clearly identifies the shortcomings in the business implementation of social media networking practices. It discusses how t hese pitfalls can be overcome and provides details for further improvement areas and scope for additional research in the future. The drawbacks of the paper are: Sample size: The sample size of the survey could have been more and also various other methods for obtaining the review could have been used. This would have ensured that the B2B base was thoroughly covered. Focus: The focus is on B2B businesses alone. It would have been interesting to see the results if the research was extended to B2C as well for small and medium scale enterprises. Some researches focus specifically on skills gap in digital marketing within specific industries. One such research concentrates on the communications industry (Royle and Laing, 2014). The research discusses the need for having the necessary skills in digital marketing arena and stresses on the growth and popularity of digital/social media marketing. The research explores the various gaps in the industry for digital marketing with a specific emphasis to communications sector and provides a best practice guide for the industry. It details the challenges that organisations face while implementing social media marketing and discusses the need to have evaluation criteria and metrics to critically analyse the success of social marketing strategies and campaigns within organisations. The paper talks about the key challenges that businesses face while trying to merge traditional marketing practices with that of social marketing. The rationale for the research is clearly mentioned and the li terature review is comprehensive. The conceptual framework is clearly detailed and the methodology used for developing the framework is precise. The research makes use of focus groups and interviews to be able to gauge the skill gap in the industry. The drawbacks of this research are: Limited sample size: The research could have used more samples to be able to analyse effectively the findings. Given that the research has already narrowed down by industry, it would have been good to get a more detailed view of the industry and a larger sample would have facilitated this. A study by Harvard Business Review (Edelman, 2010) discusses how the internet and the social marketing has changed not only the way businesses operate but also how consumers choose their products. It takes the reader through the funnel metaphor which was earlier being used by marketers to understand how consumers choose their products and how this has moved to a more open-ended approach whereby consumers no longer follow a methodical approach of selecting products. It stresses how important it is for brands to be able to connect with the consumers and studied the consumers’ decisions across five different industries namely automobiles, skincare, insurance, mobile telecommunications and electronics in three different continents. Based on the results of the study, it proposed a four-stage model that focuses on today’s consumers using social media for advocating products and also purchasing based on the reviews and advocacy received. The research takes the reader through t he entire customer journey and tells the businesses what it should not focus its energy and resources on. Providing statistical information about various surveys enables the businesses to identify the key areas that it should concentrate on to be able to build a good brand image online. Though the research is comprehensive it lacks in the following: Framework: It does not suggest what needs to be done and a framework for implementing those. The key focus is on what not to be done and it leaves it to the businesses to work on the best strategy. Sample size and analysis: The research does not disclose the sample size or indicate clearly the analysis method used to come to the conclusion. This section worked on identifying key research in the literature and also provided a critical review of each of the researches identified. 3.0 Conclusion Though there is a lot of literature on various aspects including but not limited to effects of social media on small and medium scale enterprises, identification of skill gaps in social media with specific emphasis to certain industries, general study on implementation challenges, perception of social media on businesses, barriers to adaptation of social media by businesses etc. it can be found that there is not much literature that specifically talks about a common framework for adapting to social media marketing along with the challenges that businesses might face and the evaluation criteria. Similarly while most of these researches make use of one or more methods for data collection, it is not very comprehensive. There is a gap in the current literature in terms of data collected from a wide range of sources using a bigger sample set. Given that technology has enabled a higher reach to customers, it would be good to get a larger sample to be able to effectively analyse the results . In many cases, the limitations of the research scope could be worked on to be able to get more information on the above mentioned areas. In short, it can be said that the social media marketing and the research around it are yet to attain the maturity level and there is a lot of scope for research that would aid businesses to effectively handle and manage social media marketing concerns and overcome challenges in a seamless and stress-free manner. 4.0 References Tuten, 2008: Advertising 2.0: Social Media Marketing in a Web 2.0 world, Greenwood publishing group. Qualman, 2012: Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business, John Wiley Sons Livas-Lujan, 2013: Social Media in Strategic Marketing, Emerald Group publishing limited Somerville, 2014: 18 Digital Marketing Trends you may not have heard about, The Fresh Egg blog accessed at: freshegg.co.uk/blog/18-digital-marketing-trends-for-2014 Anon, 2013: IAB Social Media Effectiveness Research, IAB UK accessed at: iabuk.net/research/library/iab-social-media-effectiveness-research Chaney, 2012: Brands should use social media to engage consumers, amplify messages and promote trust, Digital intelligence today accessed at: http://digitalintelligencetoday.com/brands-should-use-social-media-to-engage-consumers-amplify-messages-and-promote-trust-survey-says/ Anon, 2012: State of the Media, The social media report, Neilsen Wilson, 2010: Social Media and Small Business Marketing, University Business Printing and press, USA Drury, 2007: Opinion Piece: Social Media: Should marketers engage and how can it be done effectively?, Journal of Direct, Data and Digital Marketing Practice Michaelidou et al, 2011: Usage, Barriers and measurement of social media marketing: An exploratory investigation of small and medium B2B brands, Elsevier Royle and Liang, 2014: The digital marketing skills gap: Developing a digital marketer model for communication industries, Elsevier Edelman, 2010: Branding in the digital age: You’re spending your money in all the wrong places, Harvard Business Review
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Free Essays on Aesthetics
Aesthetics: Playing a Big Role In today’s American society, aesthetics is the main topic on every graphic designers mind. The dictionary defines it as â€Å"Of or concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste†, or â€Å"A guiding principle in matters of artistic beauty and taste†. Aesthetics is remaking commerce, culture, and consciousness according to Virginia Postrel, an economics columnist for the New York Times. She writes that biologically humans are visual, tactile beings that respond to our environment. Also, she discusses how we are now creating a society of aesthetics with â€Å"plenitude and pluralism†, only because of the reasons like travel, education, immigration, and media. Her whole big point on aesthetics is that she states, â€Å"People are eager to pay Starbucks for more than coffee – for a sensory environment that pleases more than just their palates†. She is basically saying that Demand does create supply, but actually supply can also create dema nd. Postrel also goes on to talk about the breakdown of â€Å"cultural homogeneity†in the 60s, and how now it is helping aesthetics by the rising incomes and falling prices of today’s market world. She states that household income has increased and families have gotten smaller, which makes more for income with further spending room. In economics, the information that we have does not say that aesthetics help with the quality of life, but that we are overstressing inflation and thinking about the economy’s real output of value. Postrel sums it up best with, â€Å"Aesthetics, shows rather than tells, delights rather that instructs. The effects are immediate, perceptual and emotional. They are not cognitive, although we may analyze them after the fact.†She goes on to talk about how Aesthetics is a way of identity, including aesthetic identity. Choice and desire, is what I believe makes it all happen. Aesthetics can change a lot of things in our life, and it coul... Free Essays on Aesthetics Free Essays on Aesthetics Aesthetics: Playing a Big Role In today’s American society, aesthetics is the main topic on every graphic designers mind. The dictionary defines it as â€Å"Of or concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste†, or â€Å"A guiding principle in matters of artistic beauty and taste†. Aesthetics is remaking commerce, culture, and consciousness according to Virginia Postrel, an economics columnist for the New York Times. She writes that biologically humans are visual, tactile beings that respond to our environment. Also, she discusses how we are now creating a society of aesthetics with â€Å"plenitude and pluralism†, only because of the reasons like travel, education, immigration, and media. Her whole big point on aesthetics is that she states, â€Å"People are eager to pay Starbucks for more than coffee – for a sensory environment that pleases more than just their palates†. She is basically saying that Demand does create supply, but actually supply can also create dem and. Postrel also goes on to talk about the breakdown of â€Å"cultural homogeneity†in the 60s, and how now it is helping aesthetics by the rising incomes and falling prices of today’s market world. She states that household income has increased and families have gotten smaller, which makes more for income with further spending room. In economics, the information that we have does not say that aesthetics help with the quality of life, but that we are overstressing inflation and thinking about the economy’s real output of value. Postrel sums it up best with, â€Å"Aesthetics, shows rather than tells, delights rather that instructs. The effects are immediate, perceptual and emotional. They are not cognitive, although we may analyze them after the fact.†She goes on to talk about how Aesthetics is a way of identity, including aesthetic identity. Choice and desire, is what I believe makes it all happen. Aesthetics can change a lot of things in our life, an d it coul...
Saturday, October 19, 2019
MARKET RESEARCH WITHIN THE BUSINESS CONTEXT OF MARKETING Essay
MARKET RESEARCH WITHIN THE BUSINESS CONTEXT OF MARKETING - Essay Example It may also prevent further mishap or casualties that it may encounter later on. A solid comprehension of how the facts can help in managing business must be the foundation for administering market researches (Wrenn, Stevens, and Loudon 25). The aim of this paper is to analyze the importance of market researches in business settings. Market Research According to American Marketing Association, a market research is an event that connects consumer, customer, and public to the buyer and seller of different goods and services by way of exchanging information (qtd. in Kolb 7). This information is utilized to distinguish strength and weakness, create, enhance and assess marketing administration supervise performance, and enrich the realization of marketing as a procedure (qtd. in Kolb 7). All the participating parties in trading are found in the market. The buyers and sellers bargain with each other; consumers and customers meet and interact, and investor and borrower negotiate. These cons tant interactions among the participants generate and transfer information. Now, when these sets of information are circulated, it can be used by the receiving party. A stockbroker who recently learned that the prices of stocks are low may choose to disregard and pass an investment option. Thus, by skipping an investment opportunity, the stock broker engaged in market research and has successfully used it to its own advantage. Role of Market Research Since the main purpose of market research is to help in the decision making, it is divided into four measures. First is to identify the presence of a threat or opportunity. Second is to analyze the problem or opportunity, then third is to classify option, and fourth is to choose a solution (Wrenn, Stevens, and Loudon 3). Determining a problem or opportunity must be the first step in the decision making because it is the basis of having a solution. Observation and recognition must be necessary to point out any possible trouble or positiv e prospect that may arise. The analysis of the trouble and opportunity comes next to determining problem. While it is necessary to pinpoint troubles, if there is any, a better judgment must be made in categorizing the choices. There are some cases that a small inconvenience inside an agency may become an opportunity for the whole. This is followed by the evaluation of option. After recognizing and interpreting the problem, it is best to evaluate the options. Application of the information gathered for the possible solutions must be thoroughly enforced. This precedes the final step as selecting the right solution. In choosing the accurate solution, the goal of the market research here is fulfilled as decision making is made in this move. Precisely, a market research pertains to the steps and processes used in planning and gathering of information, and in examining and proposing of data utilized for forming marketing decisions (Stevens et al. 2). Different kinds of techniques are used in market researches depending on the objectives and purpose of the research. These sets of techniques are often confused with the decision making. The marketing research should be centered on the making of decisions and not on the sets of techniques involved in obtaining information to implement decision making (Stevens et al. 2). By doing so, it evades undesirable situations of unsuccessfully gathering of data
Friday, October 18, 2019
The Judicial System in the Bahamas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
The Judicial System in the Bahamas - Essay Example (March 14, 2010) Among the causal factors of this situation that is pointed out is the country’s problem with its bail system. Many law enforcers and prosecutors have admitted that unless rules in bail are amended, even the suspects of heinous crimes can easily avoid being jailed or even prosecution. Attorney General John Delaney had â€Å"acknowledged that a growing number of people on bail are allegedly committing other crimes.†(Rolle) He said this while he was batting for the amendment of the Bail Act. Among the proposed amendments are the restrictions of the right to bail of those suspects of heinous crimes as well as those that have been repeat offenders. Certain sectors in Bahamian society and some lawmakers, however, have expressed opposition to the move to amend the Bail Act in favor of more restrictive options. Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, for his part, believed that the proposed amendment is valid and urgent. In an article in the Bahamas Post, he said that some believe â€Å"that bail is a right and that there is nothing we can do to prevent persons from being placed on bail.†(May 26, 2010) The Prime Minister, however, vehemently considers this idea as very wrong. Nevertheless, the motion for amending the Bail Act has ignited a new debate within Bahamian society. This author, however, believes that the Bail Act must indeed be adapted to the current situation. In particular, its provisions on repeat offenders should be changed in order to ensure that they will no longer be able to easily apply for bail. One of the three main points related to this argument is that the soft nature of the Bail Act is no longer suitable to the worsening crime situation in the country. The Bail Act’s leniency was appropriate only during that time when Bahamian society was not yet beset with crime. It is logical that it be amended because laws are supposed to be changed or repealed when these are no longer applicable to current
Video games Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words
Video games - Research Paper Example Based on changing trends among children it is also evident that video games have replaced traditional physical games that were common some years back. Initially, there was a common stereotype that as compared to women, men had dominated in the consumption of video games. Today, the number of women who play these games is almost equal to that of men. As time goes by, video games continue to evolve and advance hence attracting the interest of the media. Since many people have been attracted to this form of entertainment, the term ‘gamer’ is commonly being used by the media to refer to people who play video games. Media has played a significant role in shaping public perception on video games. Media has contributed to popularizing video games to a large extent because almost everyone is talking about the new games in the market. Prominence received by games such as Doom and Grand Theft Auto can be attributed to media coverage. As a result, many people have been attracted to this form of entertainment hence leading to a tremendous growth of the video game industry. Developing and selling new games that meet various demands of consumers has become a thriving business. In recent times, manufacturers are facing stiff competition from different players in the industry. This has forced them to make improvements to existing games and develop new ones. Examples of transformations that have occurred include the introduction of 3D games alongside the improvement of digital quality of sound and images. In regard to this matter, media coverage has shaped the public debate by raising the question of how much revenue governments generate from the sale of video games. Evidence from medi a sources indicates that in 2014, revenue from video games in the United States alone had amounted to approximately 886 million dollars. This figure has since risen (Statista 1). Imagine how much the government would lose if video games were to be banned. Through the media,
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Serving In Florida Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Serving In Florida - Essay Example The story â€Å"serving in Florida†is a story about a woman, Barbara Enrenreich, who started her life on a â€Å"low-wage life†in the Key West of Florida. Among her main fears is that some locals may possibly recognize her. This recognition from locals interferes with her main task of investigating lives of the working poor. Barbara starts her life in Florida with an allotment of about $1,300 (Ehrenreich 16). The amount seemed too convenient to enable her pay two months’ rent on the apartment she rented. Afterwards, she embarks on hunting for a job. As her search for job continues, she realizes that there is no correlation between the number of vacancies or jobs available with the amount number of the available adverts. Moreover, it became apparent to her that the low wage jobs had high turnover. The high turnover job markets facilitate the main restaurants and hotels to keep the ads running. Regardless o f the tussle in the job search, the author proceeded with job search, and eventually managed to be hired. Her first job experience in Florida was the application of the job to the Winn-Dixie that had a computerized interview. The question asked wanted her to determine the amount of dollar worth the stolen goods the prospective employee had purchased in the previous year, or would he or she have turned in one of the employee to steal. The final computer interview question was, â€Å"are you an honest person?†... Barbara engages herself into several job searches; however, she declines to accept the job offer at the Hearthside restaurant. The rejection might be because Barbara contemplates on spending additional $2.15 per hour on the trips that are associated with that job. Nonetheless, she settles in being a waiter, and a waiter named Gail takes the task of training Barbara. Gail is a woman in her forties, has ever been homeless, and has for most her life spend her nights in her truck. Just recently, her boyfriend is murdered in prison. Another waiter by the name Joan also starts liking Barbara. Joan has three kids to whom she raises in a mobile home all by herself. There seems to be a tremendous generosity within these women that have never been noticed. Some of these traits are witnessed in their extra croutons in serving salad whenever the management allow them to only extra six, or an extra rolls whenever the manag ement allow them only one. Barbara after a while begins to develop these traits of generosity and caring, particularly towards customers and her coworkers. These ideals are clearly demonstrated, when Barbara clienteles and serves customers and her fellow workers with the best of dinner experiences she acquired before she became a narcotic (Ehrenreich 293). It is apparent that as Barbara is carrying out her duties as a waiter, she truly accomplishes her mission of investigating the lives of the poor employees. One day while wrapping some silverware, Gail told Barbara that she (Gail) was contemplating of hiring a room that would cost her between $40 and $60 per day (Ehrenreich 48). Barbara then asks her why she could go for
Poland Part 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words
Poland Part 2 - Essay Example The new Constitution embodied the many changes in the political, economic and social structures of the government including the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Intensive efforts to turn around the country’s economy largely through liberalization and adoption of globalization measures as well as political decisions like entry into the European Union and aligning itself with the NATO were resorted to by the Polish government not only to access the wider European market but to ensure the security and integrity of its territorial jurisdiction. To some extent many of these measures worked, like for example, attracting foreign direct investments into the country. There is still however vestiges of the past that refused to go away, like corruption, which are unattended to largely because of the revolutionary way with which the country transitioned and therefore the resulting inadequacies of some of the laws that were put in place during the quick changing of the guard. President. The President of the Republic of Poland acts as its Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the country’s Armed Forces. Previously, the President was elected by the National Assembly but since 1990, this position has been electable by popular vote. The powers of the Poland President is contained in the Short Constitution which was enacted on October 17, 1992, a document which formally put into writing all the changes and reforms instituted within the years 1989 and 1990 containing, among others, the legal framework of the entire government and its responsibilities. Subsequently, the Constitution of 1997, which was approved by a majority of the people in a national referendum, divided executive power between the Council of Ministers and the President. Among the powers of the President is the prerogative to nominate the members of the Council of Ministers which is composed of the Prime Minister, the Deputy
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Serving In Florida Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Serving In Florida - Essay Example The story â€Å"serving in Florida†is a story about a woman, Barbara Enrenreich, who started her life on a â€Å"low-wage life†in the Key West of Florida. Among her main fears is that some locals may possibly recognize her. This recognition from locals interferes with her main task of investigating lives of the working poor. Barbara starts her life in Florida with an allotment of about $1,300 (Ehrenreich 16). The amount seemed too convenient to enable her pay two months’ rent on the apartment she rented. Afterwards, she embarks on hunting for a job. As her search for job continues, she realizes that there is no correlation between the number of vacancies or jobs available with the amount number of the available adverts. Moreover, it became apparent to her that the low wage jobs had high turnover. The high turnover job markets facilitate the main restaurants and hotels to keep the ads running. Regardless o f the tussle in the job search, the author proceeded with job search, and eventually managed to be hired. Her first job experience in Florida was the application of the job to the Winn-Dixie that had a computerized interview. The question asked wanted her to determine the amount of dollar worth the stolen goods the prospective employee had purchased in the previous year, or would he or she have turned in one of the employee to steal. The final computer interview question was, â€Å"are you an honest person?†... Barbara engages herself into several job searches; however, she declines to accept the job offer at the Hearthside restaurant. The rejection might be because Barbara contemplates on spending additional $2.15 per hour on the trips that are associated with that job. Nonetheless, she settles in being a waiter, and a waiter named Gail takes the task of training Barbara. Gail is a woman in her forties, has ever been homeless, and has for most her life spend her nights in her truck. Just recently, her boyfriend is murdered in prison. Another waiter by the name Joan also starts liking Barbara. Joan has three kids to whom she raises in a mobile home all by herself. There seems to be a tremendous generosity within these women that have never been noticed. Some of these traits are witnessed in their extra croutons in serving salad whenever the management allow them to only extra six, or an extra rolls whenever the manag ement allow them only one. Barbara after a while begins to develop these traits of generosity and caring, particularly towards customers and her coworkers. These ideals are clearly demonstrated, when Barbara clienteles and serves customers and her fellow workers with the best of dinner experiences she acquired before she became a narcotic (Ehrenreich 293). It is apparent that as Barbara is carrying out her duties as a waiter, she truly accomplishes her mission of investigating the lives of the poor employees. One day while wrapping some silverware, Gail told Barbara that she (Gail) was contemplating of hiring a room that would cost her between $40 and $60 per day (Ehrenreich 48). Barbara then asks her why she could go for
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Research Paper
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - Research Paper Example The narrator gives an account of her life under a certain mental condition, and how she was secluded from the rest and kept in an upstairs room. Critics have argued that this story was on the writer’s own life. Like the protagonist, Gilman was once medically advised to keep off any intellectual stimulation and physical activities. Charlotte married in 1884, and later gave birth to Katherine, her only child. She later suffered from postpartum depression. During this time, very little was known about the condition. Women were generally viewed as hysterical, frail, and nervous, and the cause of such a condition was, therefore, unknown. She was advised to get a bed rest, avoid any stimulation or stress, and advised to isolate from the family. Gilman tried following the advice, but her situation worsened to the extent that she almost became mad. She, therefore, rebelled against the advice and began writing, The Yellow Wallpaper being the result of her writing. It is arguable that t his story criticizes the role that the society placed on women and the late Victorian era mental treatment. The Yellow Wall paper is generally an intimidating story of a woman with a deteriorating mental condition. From a careful analysis of the story, it is arguable that this woman is suffering from postpartum depression. ... John her husband, who is also her doctor, advices her to take a bed rest and do nothing active. She is also advised not to write. During the time when the story was set, this treatment given to her was common for women suffering from postpartum depression. Moreover, during this time in history, women suffering from postpartum depression after being advised to get a bed rest felt that they needed to do something active. For instance, the narrator in this story complains John belittles her thoughts, illness, and concerns. She argues that to her, freedom, activity, and work would help her feel better (Jean and Gilman 56). This feeling moves her to begin writing a journal, though she does it secretly. She prefers describing the house because thinking of her condition makes her feel bad. Another factor form the story that convinces the reader that the narrator is suffering from postpartum depression is her statement that Mary is doing well with the baby. She further says that though the b aby is dear, she cannot stay with him, because he makes her feel nervous. This tells us that the narrator is suffering from postpartum depression. This is because it the birth of babies has been known to be one of the major causes of postpartum depression. The fact that she loves the baby but cannot be with him evidences that she suffers from postpartum depression. She even goes further to say that, she can stand the wallpaper better that she can stand the baby. This further evidences her condition. A further evidence form the story that the narrator is suffering from postpartum depression is her reaction to her doctor’s instruction. Since she
Cost of Capital Essay Example for Free
Cost of Capital Essay 1. WACC is used for discounting cash flows in the future, thus all the modules of cost must reflect firm’s future abilities in raising capital. Cohen made the mistake of using the historical data in estimating the cost of debt yet the share price has changed considerably over time. The market value of equity should be used instead of book value. 2. Cohen calculates the cost of debt by taking total interest expense for the year 2001 and dividing it by the companys average debt balance. This is an estimate of the true cost of debt, but is inaccurate and may not reflect Nike’s current or future cost of debt. 3. Cohen obtained the corporate tax rate of 38% which is used to calculate the adjusted cost of debt by adding state taxes of 3% to the U. S. statutory tax rate 35%. In WACC calculation, marginal tax rate should be used as a corporate tax rate for the future estimate. We can use Yield to Maturity (YTM) on 20-year Nike Inc. Bond issued in1996 of 6. 75% Cost of Equity The 20-year old U. S. treasury used by Cohen for a short-term investment of NorthPoint for the short-term 3 months to 1 year yields is more suitable. Given the risk-free rate (Rf) of 5. 74%, the market risk premium (Rm-Rf) of 5. 90% and beta value of 0. 80, we can calculate the cost of equity using the CAPM as follows: Cost of equity = Rf + ? *(Rm-Rf) = 5. 75%+0. 80(5. 90%) = 10. 46% Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) We calculate the WACC of Nike Inc. using the weights and costs of debt and equity using the following formula WACC = Wd Kd(1-T) + We Ke. = 10. 05% x 7. 5 %( 1-38%) + 10. 46% x 89. 95% = 0. 4682% + 9. 4083% = 9. 8765% The weighted average cost of capital for Nike Inc. is approximately 10% percent. Recommendation Given the stock price at WACC of approx. 10% ,stock price should be greater than $50. 92, which is higher than current stock price $42. 09. This shows that the current stock of Nike is undervalued and is discounted rate of 11. 17%. Cohen’s WACC of 8. 4% of the stock was undervalued compared to 10%. Therefore Kim Ford should invest in the Nike for her mutual fund.
Monday, October 14, 2019
The Impact Of Global Media On Identity
The Impact Of Global Media On Identity Nowadays, major changes are taking place in the information and communications media as a result of new technological forms being delivered to us. Morley and Robins (1995) seem implicitly take this view when they write about our senses of space and place [] are being significantly reconfigured (Morley and Robins, 1995: 1). They are exemplifying the new communications geography constituted by global networks and information flow which result in proliferated crisis of the national sphere. The changes described are effects of an ongoing process called globalization which we are all aware of as nowadays it is one of the main buzzwords. Moreover awareness extends to the fact that we are living in times of growing cultural globalism where global media has a significant impact on our lives. Therefore the aim of this paper is to discuss the relationship between global media and its impact on national identity and culture. For some, through Western domination there is a homogenization and sameness forming across the world. Global culture is being shaped by international entertainment conglomerates and for that reason becomes standardized. A discussion in the first part of the paper as a result will be formed around this topic. In contrast, the second part of the analysis will focus on the works of other writers who believe that we are living in the age of hybridised cultures, which borrow elements from each other but irremediably remain distinct. For the purposes of this paper we must establish what is meant by terms identity and culture. Identity will refer to portrayal ones hold for them and with which they identify, while culture should refer to a variety of practices which generate meanings (Barker, 1999: 9). Creation of the Global Media The time after the 1980s led to major changes in terms of new communication technologies, digitalization of information and increase in deregulations and privatization in different sectors, including media. Privatization mostly affected United States what brought a direct impact upon the degree of exclusivity of the markets, allowing other players to improve their own standards and overall stamp economically (Morley Robins, 1995). The free market allowed other organizations to gain more dominance in the global arena. All of the changes resulted in other countries privatizing their telecoms (Thussu, 2006). The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) conducted a push toward creation of protected markets of World Trade Organization (WTO) which is holding up the structure of the free flow of information. WTO also led the way for penetration of Western markets to Asia and Latin America (Thussu, 2006). The crucial benefit of this was that key players were not more able to wholly dominate the markets to a significant degree as was the case prior to such legal regimes. The progress in technology and telecommunications made possible the transfer of extremely large data to any part of the world within seconds what unquestionably had a huge impact on economy and trade. Additionally, the growth of digitalization and new technologies like computers, mobiles or satellites allowed fast and cheap communication around the world. It had an impact on growing international businesses which could be now operate by electronic marketplace (Herman McChesney, 1997). Privatization and ongoing competition in satellites caused the domination of few nations within the market. USA and Britain being main controllers even of Intelsat which is an intergovernmental association providing international broadcast system created in order to run a global satellite system offering satellite capacity on a non discriminatory basis (Morley Robins, 1995). Once again, this proved that the countries with advanced technology have the ability to set and implement the policy agenda. As the global carriers enlarged in number, the United States run operators had to privatize their own satellite systems in order to make the market for satellite services more commercial. These changes made the Transnational Companies (TNC) the highest beneficiaries what resulted in drastic changes in the shape of the new world economy. As expected the biggest world media conglomerates started planning on how to get the highest profit which as a consequence, inspired debate about the deterioration of media plurality and democracy (Thussu, 2006). As a result of these changes a global media sector was formed which made individuals all over the world aware and able to gain knowledge about other countries. Media became a key and for many the only one medium to discover the world. Global Media and Homogenization of Culture The discourse of cultural homogenization presents globalization as synchronization to the demands of a standardized consumer culture, making everywhere seem more or less the same (Tomlinson, 1999: 6). This view sees the impact of global media in the cultural sphere in a very pessimistic manner. Frequently, many believe it to be a powerful tool with an aim to destroy cultural identities (Tomilson, 2003). The kernel of truth stems from the era before global media when there was a strong in form local connection between geographical place and cultural experience which were defining cultural identity. That was a time where individuals identity was just something which they simply had as an existential possession or heritage. Globalization therefore has swept like a flood tide through the worlds diverse cultures, destroying stable localities, displacing peoples [] homogenization of cultural experience (Tomilson, 2003: 269). This anecdote indicates therefore that globalization is some form of destruction for cultural identity and a threat to particular forms of national identity. Homogenization of cultures therefore in a stronger manner means, the appearance of one single culture embracing all people and replacing the variety of other cultural systems that have been present. In a broad sense, this pessimistic idea of the creation of one global culture is called cultural imperialism (Tomlinson, 1999). This theory also was one of the earliest based on cultural globalization which discussed the flow of American values, for example, consumer goods and lifestyles all around the world. Cultural imperialism hence focuses on American domination over Europe of the West over the rest for creation of global culture. There are two visions created out of this view about the global culture. The first is the focus around the Westernization of the world. And the second will be idea of global culture being dominated by capitalism (Tomlinson, 1999). Both of those will be now discussed. Westernization is seen as a drive toward standardization of lifestyle around the world. It is a global spread of a social and cultural totality (Tomlinson, 1999: 90). Europe produced a single world market integrating even the most savage communities into the one machine (Latouche, 1996: 19). One-way cultural currents flood from the countries of the Centre over the entire planet (Latouche, 1996: 20). From the ways how people dress and what they eat to the music that they listened to, culture flows from centers of creation into the Third World through the mass media (newspapers, radio television, films, books, video). All of it is produced and spread worldwide by monopolized, powerful transnational media groups as a result of changes in global media (previously discussed) after 1980s. This flood of cultural products therefore only indicates desires and needs of it recipients. Latouche is calling this process a propaganda as it strangles all cultural activity among the passive recipient s of this messages who read it as the way how they are supposed to live (Latouche, 1996: 21). For Latouche Westernization is thus anti-cultural and driven by desire to create a world of uniform culture. To succeed in their goal the destruction of all other ways of life (that is non-western) is necessary. However, there is a paradox situation in here. West by trying so hard to homogenize the world shall result in loss of its own socio-cultural advantage. Those who believe cultures to be directed towards the process of homogenization also consider it to follow capitalism and therefore the global economy which it defines. These views led phrases like McDonaldization, Coca-colonization or Disneyzation to be born. In particular mentioned concepts refer to the worldwide homogenization of societies throughout the impact of multinational corporations, where all of them are originally exported from America (Pieterse, 2004). In this matter, globalization is connected with market economy, where particular brand images are standardized and distributed all around the world. Many aspects of what one may describe as cultural, from food to global currency can be considered. These are the perfect examples of global capitalist monoculture and cultural synchronization. McDonald has come to occupy a central position in American not only in the business industry, but also in popular culture. It is one of the most powerful and influential developments in our society as it succeeded worldwide. The reason of its high achievements is connected with the fact that it offers consumers, workers, and managers efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control which is necessary in the business industry. As such a powerful institution, it has an impact on a wide range of undertakings and of course the way of life of many individuals in and around the world and its impact is still accelerating. Another irrational effect of McDonaldization is increased homogenization (Ritzer, 2000: 135) as any McDonald restaurant you go to, no matter where it is around the world you know what to expect. You know what kind of products will be offered to you and you can be certain that they will be prepared for you in the same way everywhere (Ritzer, 2000). On the other hand, there are many nations which invaded the McDonalds business model to develop indigenous versions. Therefore by some it is seen more as a global localization or hybridisation rather than homogenization. This will be discussed in the latter part of this paper. Globalization as hybridisation and deterritorialization Prior to understanding the concept of hybridisation it is wise to make clear that it does not refer to total deprivation of own national identity. Contrarily it emulates a potential of benefiting from other cultures and incorporating new knowledge with the old one side by side. We cannot discuss the aspect of hybridisation without analysing the deterritorialization of cultural heritage. By deterritorialization is meant not only the travel and transformation of culture but also everbroadening horizon of mundane experience (Tomilson, 1999, cited in Xue, 2008: 113). Therefore, this flow of deterritorialized cultures allows transforming other cultures more accurately producing new ones by hybridity (Xue, 2008). The deterritorializing character of the globalization process is its property of diminishing the significance of socialgeographical location to the mundane flow of cultural experience (Tomlinson, 2003: 273). What has to be understood from these definitions is that there was a transformation made in our usual model of cultural existence which now brings globalized influences into our locally situated in our countries lifeworld. For example, many different satellite channels broadcasts different genres which are likely to influence general perception of in dividuals taste. Fashion TV for instance demonstrates the mainstream transfer of whats hot, and whats not, signaling fashion trends from major fashion runway shows across the world and therefore influencing individuals style (Tomlinson, 2003). Pieterse (2004) sees hybridisation as the solvent between the polar perspectives (Pieterse, 2004: 57) as this concept gains the meaning from relationship between homogenization and polarization. Within society there is a group of people called cosmopolitans, who are open-minded to embrace some changes, are able to settle in other cultures or are willing to completely loose their personal identity (homogenization). On the other hand, there are fundamentalists who believe that the world should stay with traditions and cultures remaining unchanged. These beliefs can be called polarization. As a result people who believe in hybridization neither deny changes completely, nor absorb fully in new cultures they were introduced to. They essentially form a stance on the mid-point (Pieterse, 2004). Hybridisation brings transformations to cultures. It is the cut n mix of cultural forms in the process of globalization. It refers to the growth of culture which it occurs when a cultural product incorporates and combines different cultural practices (Pieterse, 2004). There is a lot of evidence strengthening the thesis which now will be analysed. As mentioned earlier, McDonalds, in terms of homogenisation of society, can also act as a good example of hybridization. Fusion cuisine means the creation of indigenous versions on terms of the choice of foods in order to adapt to local conditions. In Norway there is a sandwich called McLaks with grilled salmon, while in Japan you may order chicken Tatsuta with fried chicken, cabbage spiced with soy sauce and ginger. Italy provides pasta with their burgers, while in Germany you may order a beer with your meal (Ritzer, 2000). All of these are unique cultural adaptations which hence acknowledge that foods choices must be tailored to meet a variety of needs expected in specific cultures around the world. By the same token restaurants also adapt the way it operates to local social environment. As stands, in Hong Kong food chains are tailored around the need for teenagers to hang and socialize. Conversely in Taiwan it is a rare public space not dominated by men as it did not develop from traditional Chinese cultural structures where men have more rights than women (Ritzer, 2000). This blending of local features into global products has been called glocalisation as the global and local is reinforcing (Lull, 2000: 252). Another conglomerate which is dominating in the world is Viacom, the owners of MTV. The channel distributes in over 82 countries and actively promotes: think globally, act locally. In the different countries it is broadcasted, tailored versions of the channel are offered to meet the tastes of customers. For instance, through the aspect of localization MTV Asia came to existence as a result of joint venture between Rupert Murdochs Star television and Viacom in 1992. The language used by network is Hinglish which is a hybrid language of Hindu and English (Herman McChesney, 1997). Globalization as a process of hybridization gives rise to a global mlange (Pieterse, 1993: 1) where the cultures are mixing and borrowing some elements from each other. Conclusion For the past 20 years we were facing dramatic changes in our world being result of globalisation processes. Improvements in technology and telecommunications made free flow of information possible. The world market became dominated by USA and some of the Western countries. Privatization had an impact on more competition and the formation of strong TNCs. Western countries became powerful through investments in infrastructures. Developments in communication services paved the way for global media therefore open the door of the world for many people what resulted in either hybridization or homogenization of national identities and cultures. Some may see it as negative changes, others will disagree. There are also those who as Tomlinson believe that globalization produces a globalized culture rather than a global culture (Xue, 2008). However no matter what point of view one will chose there is no doubt that global media are affecting many nations and their identities and cultures. Words: 2,510
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