Henry Dvid Thoreau Biography (in First Person)

I was born in Concord, Massachusetts on July 12, 1817. My family consisted of my Ma and Pa and three siblings; Helen, John Jr. and Sofia. We lived a very humble life; my father worked in a pencil company while my mother tended to the house and took care of me and my siblings. (Otfinoski pg. 60) My family was really pushing for me to start school at Harvard College but the cost was too expensive for my family. My father owned a small pencil factory and my mother took in boarders to help make ends meet.But, through great sacrifice my family was able to pitch in the money to send me to college, and so I entered the class of 1833 at the age of 16 and graduated in the year 1837. (Otfinoski pg. 60) After graduating Harvard College I went back to Concord to start my own academy with my brother John Jr. and teach the way I felt was right. Together with my brother we taught about 20 students. I believe that the academy would have lasted longer if my brother hadn’t taken ill, the work w as just too much for me to manage on my own. Otfinoski pg. 61-62) Shortly after closing the academy my brother died I was devastated. I walked 40 miles to attend one of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s lectures, soon after I was able to meet the great man. Emerson offered me a job; it was as a caretaker and a handyman in his home I would live there and work while he was away doing his lectures. In our free time we would discuss Transcendentalism, a philosophy for which he was well known. I was inspired by his radical view and ideas, and looked up to him as a mentor and hero. (Otfinoski pg. 2) Feeling it was time to see more of the world I left Emerson’s and headed back to Concord. In March 1845 I headed towards Walden Pond where I built a cabin for myself and stood there for two years. My reasons for going there were to experience life and discover the true account of it. During my time at the Walden Pond I worked tirelessly on the manuscripts that will later become my first two books. (Otfinoski pg. 62-64) In May of 1849 a Boston publisher published my first book, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers.Although it sold poorly I never gave up. I later wrote about my experience living at the Walden Pond this book was entitled Walden which also wasn’t as popular as I would have hoped but that still didn’t bring me down. (Otfinoski pg. 64-66) Soon, nature being the very thing that I loved became my enemy as I contracted tuberculosis from living in the outdoors with the bad weather and the constant exposure to the graphite dust working in the pencil factory all caught up to me and on May 6, 1862 I died at the age of 45 years old. (Otfinoski pg. 67-69)

The Ways in Which Managerial Role Has Changed in the 21st Century

THE WAYS IN WHICH MANAGERIAL ROLE HAS CHANGED IN THE 21ST CENTURY Globalization and advances in technology has brought changes to the business environment and the world as we know it today. Consequently, the nature of work has changed and it has brought on new challenges for managers (French et al, 2008). There is therefore the need to examine the ways the role of managers has evolved as a result of these changes. The role of managers is primarily to guide organisations towards the accomplishment of its goals. Certo and Certo (2009) identified four major activities that mangers use in achieving organisational goals.These are planning, organising, influencing and controlling. The way managerial role has changed with be assessed based on this four activities. Planning refers to objectives and goal setting. Traditionally, planning has been concentrated at the top with employees been told what the next strategy is. The changing nature of work implies that managers and employees plan and execute decisions together (Bouchikhi and Kimberly, 2000 cited in Mullins, 2011). Employees’ views are now being taken into consideration in taking operational decisions.Managers have to plan in an uncertain world as such they have to be proactive and know how to manage risks. Organising involves creating structures and the division of labour. Managers would have to constantly restructure their organisations in line with changes in the business environment and their strategy. There is the need for proper delegation of authority. Advances in technology have brought about the trend towards ‘virtuality’ which removes some aspect of the borders and design of the traditional organisation by carrying business operations with the use of information technology (Certo and Certo, 2009).Managers have to be able to organise work and find efficient ways of communicating within this virtual environment. Influencing has to do with creating enthusiasm in people and inspiring emp loyees to perform better. Changes in work environment mean that the organisational values need to be based on teamwork and trust because people are now seen as an important resource (Mullins, 2011). There is a greater emphasis on getting employees involved in the organisation and giving them the liberty to take initiative (Certo and Certo, 2009). It is essential that managers are able to attract and retain effective workforce overtime (French et al, 2008).Due to globalisation, the workforce is more diverse than ever. As a result, managers have to firstly recognize the differences in culture and modify their actions to deal with differing cultural norms (Molinsky et al, 2012). Controlling involves measuring performance and taking corrective actions. Advances in information technology impacts management control systems. The workplace is more interconnected with a speedy diffusion of information to more people (Mullins, 2011). Consequently, it is then necessary to manage information sy stems. In controlling people, managers need to be able to exude the right level of power over their subordinates.Bouchikhi and Kimberly (2000) claim that power is no longer concentrated at the top but is now shared. The 21st century marks the era called the information age which has seen themes such as globalisation, diversification and virtual organisations becoming at the heart of business operations. This has tremendous impact on the way a manager plans, organises, influences and controls his team. In order to be effective, a manger needs to be able to work in a virtual world where his team has as much input in the way plans are designed and decisions are made. The managers must also be open to the different cultures.

Banana Mango Puto Essay Sample

Electricity is the physical phenomena originating from the behavior of negatrons and protons caused by the attractive force of atoms with opposite charges and the repulsive force of atoms with the same charge. Electricity from a lemon is possible to acquire electricity from a lemon utilizing strips of metal. The most readily available combination is copper and Zn. The Zn piece can be taken from the shell of an old C â€Å"D† cell ( battery ) ; some Zn coated nails may work every bit good. The Cu can be a coin incorporating a high sum of Cu. They are stuck into the lemon. and wires are attached to each 1. The wires should be attached firmly to organize a good electrical contact. If the other terminals of the wires are attached to a little bulb ( flashlight bulb ) there should be sufficient current to illume it. Note that the metal pieces should be clean. and that they should non touch inside the lemon. The electric current comes from the chemical reaction between the acid in the lemon and the Zn. Positively charged H in the acid oxidizes the Zn. doing negatrons to flux from the Zn to the acid. In the procedure. some of the H in the acid is reduced to hydrogen gas. The Cu simply completes the circuits. Aims* To detect what is go oning when the two wires join together.* To be able to build a Lemon battery. Statement of the job* How can the lemon electricity help us in our day-to-day lives? Hypothesisa. Alternate Hypothesis* It can succor the community to provide more electricity. b. Null Hypothesis* It can’t succour the community to provide more electricity. Importance of the surveyElectricity has been portion of our lives. It has brought many things that certainly have made many admirations and life would look so hard without it. Electricity powers our visible radiation. warming. electronic contraptions such as computing machines and telecasting. and a host of indispensable services that we take for granted. However. electricity has much more of import facets because it is a cardinal characteristic of all affair. Electricity is the force that holds together the molecules and atoms of all substances. The type of electricity that is most familiar to us is electrical current. This is the flow of electrical charges through a substance called a music director such as a metal wire. This flow happens because some of the negatively charge negatrons circling the karyon of the music directors are held slackly. The negatrons can travel from one atom to the following. bring forthing and electrical current. Scope and RestrictionsIn speaking about our subject. the LEMON BATTERY. it states that the experiment is all about electricity. Therefore. it points out electrical current. positively charge protons. negatively charged negatrons. Talking about lemon. lemon is a fruit that can bring forth certain electricity like torch bulbs. Lemon Battery explains how to decrease the usage of electricity that comes from other music directors. This experiment can able to demo what the kernel of lemon in making electricity is. Definition of footingsLemon ( Citrus ? limon ) is a little evergreen tree indigen to Asia. and the tree’s ellipsoidal xanthous fruit. The fruit’s juice. mush and Peel. particularly the zest. are used as nutrients. The juice of the lemon is about 5 % to 6 % citric acid. which gives lemons a rancid gustatory sensation. The typical rancid gustatory sensation of lemon juice makes it a cardinal ingredient in drinks and nutrients such as lemonade. * In our experiment. lemon is used to be the music director to bring forth electricityto a little bulb. Multi-tester -Or millimeter is a device which can be used to garner informations about electrical circuits. A basic multitester can mensurate opposition. electromotive force. and continuity ; while more advanced versions may be able to supply extra informations. -it helps the user to mensurate the electric current of the lemon. Wire-is a individual. normally cylindrical. flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical tonss and to transport electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is normally formed by pulling the metal through a hole in a dice or draw home base. Standard sizes are determined by assorted wire gages. The term wire is besides used more slackly to mention to a package of such strands. as in ‘multi-stranded wire’ . which is more right termed a wire rope in mechanics. or a overseas telegram in electricity. * It maps as the manner of electricity to go through traveling to the bulb.

The Duties and Responsibilities of a PFC in the US Army Essay

The Duties and Responsibilities of a PFC in the US Army - Essay Example As a threat and analysis data gatherer there is the added pressure of insuring vital information is passed to the helicopter pilots whom have the responsibility of insuring those soldiers entrusted into their care arrive safely to the allotted destination. In the insurgent ridden, volatile, desert terrain of Afghanistan this is often a challenge that will call for the use of all the training one has received, thus far, plus some. As an Intel analysis PFC solider that is currently employed in Afghanistan it is my duty to pass along information that can ultimately inform helicopter pilots about the threats they may face while flying, through the support and operation of the ground units. I will also report on the threat and terrain analysis techniques that are best employed to spot insurgents and unsafe zones. After looking at what these two jobs entail, as well as the other duties I am often given from superiors, one will have a better understanding of the duties of a PFC in the U.S. Army. There are numerous threats the helicopter pilots face while flying the Afghani terrain. One important source of help they can rely on while on mission is the ground team support. This is where my duties become vital. After several missions many pilots become immune to the sound of artillery, it can be heard so often, and in many cases it will not be directed at them. However, the ground crew’s responsibility is to watch where the shots are coming from and at whom they are directed. We then pass on any vital information we have gathered to the TOC who then report it on to the pilots. Lt. Joe Harosky, second platoon commander, was in one such situation while flying a mission in Afghanistan. He reported: â€Å"We had initially thought it wasnt directed at us or a company. So I just kept walking in a normal speed, thinking hey, the firing is on the other side of a mountaintop or ridge. After a few minutes — maybe not — maybe after a minute, five different bursts and I

Critical Assessment of Morrisons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Critical Assessment of Morrisons - Essay Example Thus, there are many challenges which the present groceries are facing in the UK market. Hence, in the present business scenario, organisations need more sustainable and effective tools to gain advantage in this competitive environment. Looking at the current crisis which the company is facing, powerful strategic operations and new market diversifications are crucial for profitability and sustainable growth in the future. The current operations of the retail giant include convenience stores and supermarket chains. The company follows a vertical integration strategy for the current distribution system. The supermarket chain of Morrison is currently distributed into six major areas of United Kingdom. Except for its petrol stations, the company does not provide any loyalty schemes. Apart from that, the company does not provide any online shopping service, a strategy which they are looking seriously now. At present the company has three distribution centres based in UK. Other smaller ope rations of the organisations include kidscare, an online website selling wines and a clothing brand. The logistics and supply chain processes are monitored by the company itself. The biggest advantage of implementing this model is the cost advantage to the company. The company does not require middle men in their operations and thus they are able to provide their products and services at a lower price compared to their competitors. The company can also respond to any change in trends of customers purchasing. The organisation is family owned and works in a closed loop. Thus, ownership is an important aspect of their business. The current business scenario of the company is suffering because of volatility in the fresh foods market.... The current business scenario of the company is suffering because of volatility in the fresh foods market. The food and grocery market has seen a dramatic change, as a result of the change in strategies and logistics of the overall industry. Morrison’s have reported a continuous loss in sales for a period of six weeks from November till December 2012. According to this report from telegraph, though the industry saw an overall decrease in sales, the loss incurred by Morrison was more compared to its competitors from the industry. Reports suggested two possible causes for the deep loss. Lack of sufficient number of convenient stores and no online presence unlike its competitors were considered as major contributors of the loss. So far, the company has established only 12 convenient stores in the nation. Looking at the increasing popularity and acceptance of convenience stores it can be said that the organisation is losing out a large chunk of sales on this format. Apart from thi s, the market penetration of the retail chain is scattered, with major stores based out of town. The organisation also lacks proper penetration in affluent and popular grocery places in London.

Introduction to Communication-Dialectics of Relationship-discussion Personal Statement

Introduction to Communication-Dialectics of Relationship-discussion - Personal Statement Example For the first time in my professional life, senior colleague of mine acknowledged my presence through when my presence was insignificant in the firm. She was able to see potential, skill, passion and zeal in my performance. Her trust and proactive communication boosted my confidence to a larger extent though I was still a naive and introvert person. In the new work environment, I could only associate to her and share my belief and ideas. Yet, her presence made me act in an independent manner without influencing my decisions or actions according to her wish or will. It is significantly, important that the other person in our life give us some space to evolve and grow. I was not able to observe the work place politics, but my coordinator didn’t approve my prospering relationship with the senior person. I was open with her and she had the same desire in my presence, this became a crucial stage for our development as we both were two very different people; yet understood each other too well. The story of her unfortunate personal life was an unknown fact to me for a long time as she didn’t share much of her personal life crises with me, may be due to my young age. Reliability was one factor which I could sense in our relationship, but dependability was out of question due to some unstated and accepted rules. The day I came to know about her immediate and ferocious termination, I was awe struck and objected as much as I could. However, she expected me to protest against violation of law, but not in her support. I was not able to sustain any association or contact with her, since she was asked to leave and meant to finish our contact to save my professional life. We both handled it differently I wanted to sustain my friendship and association with her, but she discontinued to protect me from any professional

Comparing the Vietnam War and the Watergate Scandal to the Film Essay

Comparing the Vietnam War and the Watergate Scandal to the Film Forrest Gump - Essay Example Usually, the involvement is categorized into three phases. First and foremost, there was the covert operations phase that covered the first decade of the entire operation. The second phase is commonly described as the advising phase that covered the subsequent eleven years thereafter. The third phase covered the last years of the war, and this was the time when a direct involvement of the American forces in Vietnam was witnessed. The country escalated the war in this region. However, after the â€Å"1968 Tet Offensive,† the country began the process of disengagement and, five years later the country completely withdrew its troops from the region i.e. after the Paris Peaces Accord. This marked the end of the country’s three-year decade involvement in the war. The Watergate scandal on the other hand took place during Nixon’s presidency. In mid 1972, a group of men armed with certain highly developed eavesdropping devices broke into the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters situated in the Watergate Hotel Complex in the nation’s capital. The following two years were trying moments for the president and his close allies, as the country would be shocked to realize that the Watergate incident that was initially thought to be a â€Å"third rate burglary,† actually had the approval of the state. This was the first time in the history of America that a sitting president was forced to resign due to public pressure. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast these two historical events to the movie, ‘Forrest Gump’. Discussion The movie Forrest Gump narrates the story of an implausibly kind and affectionate individual who is also the kind that some people may refer to as â€Å"mildly retard ed.† The fact that this individual may not be very smart is quite true. However, the fact that he is fortunate is not in doubt. Some would say this is so because he is blessed with a mother and friend who loved him greatly. Forrest is a native of rural Alabama and is raised by his mother who rents out rooms in the family house to tourists visiting the area in exchange of cash (Ciao 17). Even though this character is viewed to be less refined and was raised not any close to the major cities, he manages to become part of some of the most significant events that took place in the American History i.e. from the late 1950s to the early 1980s (Dlugos 88). Among these events are the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Anti-Vietnam protest movements. He even gets the privilege of personally meeting three American presidents during this time. Other prominent personalities that Forrest is privileged to get acquainted with include Elvis Presley and John Lennon. This film focuses on a period of American history from the perspective of a calm soul who is devoid of skepticism. Generally, the film exposes to its viewers some of the relationships that the character develops through his life. For instance, there is his mother who is committed to ensuring her son’s well-being, his two best friends from the days in the military, Bubba and Dan, and most importantly Jenny who is his true childhood sweetheart. Even though Jenny experiences the changes in the country’s culture from a very different perspective to that of Forrest, she still manages to remain loyal and true to her childhood ally, whose genuineness, compassion, and steadfastness she would find in no other (Dlugos 88). Agreeably or disagreeably to different people, at the end of the day, the disgrace of the Watergate scandal is what the Richard Nixon presidency will largely be remembered for. Over three decades down the line, its effect and how it influenced the

ASSIGNMENT 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ASSIGNMENT 1 - Essay Example For the given study, the case in focus is a London production titled Adulthood. In brief, the movie focuses on the life of the main character called Sam who had been in jail for quite a significant time after being convicted for killing Trife. In a funny twist, what Sam propagates after coming from jail is the same thing that Trife had persuaded him not to do. Trife had tried to make Sam not seek revenge. After killing his friend and going to jail for it, Sam faces a challenging life afterwards. Basically, the movie is about justice and retribution as a form of dispensation of legal law. The discussion that follows herein focuses on how Adulthood as a film observes the stipulated legal, ethical and regulations outlined in the film industry. Just like in every profession, the film industry needs to be regulated. It needs to conform to the set legal, ethical as well as relevant regulations. The industry controls a significant revenue and population. Its influence on the population is a lso significant. This highlights the importance of adhering to accepted principles. This has relevance since the influence that films command on the audience can have serious implications if deliberations are not taken into mind while controlling the industry. A film like adulthood portrays what happens in most societies. It gives the predicament of those out of jail in view of the rest of the members of the society. Socializing and getting accepted into the society after serving time in jail is often a challenge to most ex-convicts. Prejudices form part of human life. It is common to perceive people or situations from what is visualized without giving considerations to the intricate factors that surround such situations. In terms of films, legal and ethical implications must be observed to ensure the audience gets the right quality (BBFC, 2013). In case that does not happen, there are obvious drawbacks and legal tussles that a film such as Adulthood will be faced with. The audience s are consumers. Consumer satisfaction is a responsibility any business. Government policies also protect consumers. Striking a balance in reference to the two guarantees legal sustainability. In the course of film production, there are obvious contractual agreements that bind the involved parties. In this case, for instance, the film was produced by Amir Madani. In addition, there were other limited liability companies such as High bridge entertainment, Gran via Productions and Sony Pictures Television which were consulted to see the quality production as well as distribution of the film. There are several benefits associated with such companies. Firstly, individual film maker is usually represented by the company should there be a contract breach during the film production (BBFC, 2013). Secondly, the film maker could sell some interests to the limited liability companies and raise some funds to ensure the production process is a success. The companies are more likely to oblige to the tax scheme other than a certain film maker facing the taxing process on individual capacity. The legal predicaments involved in contracts are still applicable in this case. Below is a pictorial representation of the movie’s cover. Being an original work, the movie is a patented product. Its producer has the right of ownership. Any breach of that can lead to a tussle in a court of law. The breach may come from unlawful reproduction. Adulthood was a film which

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 17

Discussion - Essay Example Besides, it facilitates coming up with appraisals that will promote development in healthcare delivery. Lastly, it encourages specialization as it uses up to date approaches in solving healthcare issues. According to Brown (1), nursing research is important because it gives all the stakeholders of healthcare an opportunity to devise new approaches to practicing nursing. It facilitates development of new facilities for use in handling patients with critical conditions such as acute illnesses. Generally, nursing research acts a source of additional knowledge to healthcare institutions such as schools and hospitals. From research practitioners can compare current findings with the previous ones before concluding on a given phenomena. In addition, authorities can set up standards for the practice of healthcare (Brown 15). Lastly, researching enhances coordination of various individuals in the field of healthcare thus facilitating teamwork and comprehensive analysis of all the procedures in healthcare. Evidently, research provides technical assistance to practitioners who are new in the field of learning by sharing of knowledge. Evidence based research can help in the future of nursing by coming up with innovative ways of dealing with patients. The approaches used will help authorities in devising policies that will guide the practitioners of healthcare delivery (Brown 332). Governments will establish guidelines for funding healthcare. Nursing institutions will devise frameworks for prevention of risk by encouraging professionalism in practice. Moreover, it will help in identification of best practices then guide communities on how to embrace so. Lastly, evidence based research will facilitate the enhancement of doctor patient

See inside Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

See inside - Assignment Example A company will come up with a strategy to achieving a particular goal or a set of goals set out as planned. Then a means or a tactic by which the strategy will be carried out. A sound strategy will succeed by using facts and assumptions, analysis, previous conclusions, and previous recommendations. However, a strategic outline plan begins with a vision that should be futuristic, specific, and promises a better outlook than the current state of affairs. To achieve a vision, a company should have a mission statement that is in line with its objectives. A mission statement should identify core competencies and philosophies while explaining why it is possible to achieve a vision. SWOT analysis is a crucial part when a company is laying out a strategic plan. SWOT analysis simply means identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that a company possesses and faces. It is through SWOT analysis that a company gets to learn about its competitive advantages and disadvantages. From the article, it is clear that Duke Energy Company has an ambitious vision that it wants to achieve by the year 2050. The vision that Duke Energy Company has is to modernize its grid and make its communities the most energy efficient communities in the world. This vision is in line with our current text since it is both futuristic, and it promises a bright future. However, according to the President and CEO of Duke Energy Company, this vision can be achieved without factoring in facts and data analyses since he believes numbers do not necessarily connect to the vision. According to our current text, it is tactically crucial to use facts and analysis in-order to be able to achieve a vision that has been set out. Using SWOT analysis on Duke Energy Company, it is easy to identify its competitive advantage. According to the CEO, the fact that they have already experimented with different technologies gives them an

Utilitariansim and Dickens Hard Times Essay Example for Free

Utilitariansim and Dickens Hard Times Essay Hard Times offers a critique of the Utilitarian ideology from a romantic perspective. Hard Times demonstrates that one cannot reason oneself to happiness, but that relying solely on the faculties of the mind will not fulfill the complexities of the human being. John Stuart Mills, in his paper Utilitarianism proposed the philosophy is not something to be contradistinguished from pleasure, but pleasure itself, together with exemption from pain; and instead of opposing the useful to the agreeable or the ornamental However, Dickens did not find this harmony to be a possible outcome of the rigidity of logic, but found the imagination to be a more fertile ground for producing happiness. Dickens wrote of utilitarianism as it was applied during British industrialization. In the economic climate of the Industrial Revolution capitalism prevailed and social equality was more rhetoric than practice. Capitalism combined with the philosophy to put an emphasis on the individual achieving his or her own goals, rather than focus on the greater good. Mills did believe in the greater good, but Dickens believed a very logical approach to life would pervert this ideal. Rationalization could overcome virtue by creating mechanical sensibility devoid of caring, which plays an important part in maintaining morals. Throughout Hard Times Louisa expresses apathy towards life when she asks why she should care about important events, even being married. Rather than suspect something is wrong, the other characters believe she is being logical. Such a response is acceptable to them, even though it is an expression of her unhappiness. Through this example Dickens makes the point reason alone is not enough guidance for a human beings happiness. None of the characters that follow the utilitarian lifestyle are truly happy. Only Sissy, who fails to be taught to be so logical, is actually happy. Dickens wrote his characters to express emotion or care after realizing how flawed logic can be when applied to human nature. After Mr. Gradgrind realized how unhappy his fortress of numbers and logic made everyone he was able to save his son from prosecution by the law and support his daughter in leaving an unhappy marriage. The collapse of the marriage he had proposed in  very logical terms for his daughter, Louisa, was what made him realize how rational decisions may not be the best ones. Although Louisas response to the marriage proposal was: Since Mr. Bounderby likes to take me thus, let it be so (p 112). Though Louisa clearly lacked any sentiment commonly enjoyed in marriage, Mr. Gradgrind accepted her response as proper. He later learned the logical response was less correct to such a proposal than an emotional response, which would have lead to a better outcome. After having experienced the affections of someone other than her husband, Louisa realized she could not remain in her marriage. She went to her father and explained to him the error of his beliefs (utilitarianism). How could you give me life, and take from me all the inappreciable things that raise it from the state of conscious death? Where are the graces of my soul? Where are the sentiments of my heart? (p 236). After exposing her unhappiness, Louisa fell to the floor. Dickens used her fall to capitalize the inevitable inapplicability of utilitarianism. (Mr. Gradgrind) saw the pride of his heart and triumph of his system, lying, an insensible heap, at his feet (p 239). Besides the risk of placing what is reasonable above what is human, and thus creating unhappiness, there are other ways in which utilitarianism may go astray. Dickens character Mr. Bounderby exemplifies how striving for happiness can easily be perverted to striving for personal gain. Although he promotes himself as an example of a self-made man who achieved success through industry, he is eventually exposed as having come from a well-to-do family rather than the street. The discovery makes his self-serving airs all the more deplorable. Mr. Bounderby seems to derive all his satisfaction from being a capitalist, which is economically logical, but socially crippling. He is ultimately left by his wife, Louisa, and fires the only woman who ever tolerated him, Mrs. Sparsit, for offending his reputation. Although Mr. Bounderby has many opportunities to do good things and create happiness due to his powerful position, he values only fiscal achievement. He is cold and friendless. Therefore he is a good example of utilitarian principle at its most humanitarianly corrupt. Although Mr. Bounderby claims he is a self-made man, it isnt the truth. Contrary to his claims, Josiah Bounderby was raised in a well-to-do house by a caring mother. In Hard Times it is apparent that despite rhetoric about egalitarianism, the people are governed by very different rules according to class. When a working stiff, Stephen Blackpool asks his employer, Mr. Bounderby for advice on how to obtain a divorce from his alcoholic wife, he is chastised. However, in the same scene it becomes apparent Mrs. Sparsit herself was divorced, but only thanks to her social status and wealth. Bounderby is angered Blackpool should even think of himself as having such liberties. The scene represents the disempowered situation of the lower class. Blackpools employer reminds him he has no rights and immediately expresses concern he will next want more workers rights. At points like this Dickens makes turn of the 19th century Britain seem almost feudal. Charles Dickens uses Hard Times to criticize the newly industrial Britain for losing touch with humanity by suppressing imagination and emotion and allowing social inequality to persist, despite the technologically modernizing society. Hard Times does a beautiful job of embodying exactly what Dickens is afraid utilitarianism will destroy, an imaginative, rich invention. The book contrasts an enjoyable piece of literature against the severity of the politics discussed within the story. Citations Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. Modern Library. 2001. Mills, John Stuart. Utilitarianism. http://www.utilitarianism.com/mill2.htm.

Fist Pumping Their Way To The Top Essay Example for Free

Fist Pumping Their Way To The Top Essay â€Å"Gym, Tanning, Laundry†, these three words have become increasingly popular among teenagers because of MTV’s hit reality television show, Jersey Shore. Television shows and their stars can become very influential to many of their viewers. Many of these viewers strive to be like these stars and mimic their style and attitude, in hopes of living the same careless lifestyle that has made these stars known around the world. Unfortunately, these television shows don’t always portray certain aspects of life realistically, and therefore send a false message that can be very deceiving. Studies show that television shows tend to follow several popular trends that do indeed portray the wrong reality. Harry F. Water’s article, â€Å"Life According to TV†, analyzes the different trends that television shows and movies in popular culture tend to follow. Harry Water’s focuses on George Gerbner’s research on the scientific examination of television far beyond familiar children-and-violence arguments. He describes television’s reality warp dealing with sex, age, race, work, health and crime. Water’s states in his article, â€Å"People over 65, too, are grossly underrepresented on television. Correspondingly, heavy-viewing Annenberg respondents believe that the elderly are a vanishing breed and that they make up a smaller proportion of the population today than they did 20 years ago. In fact, they form the nations most rapidly expanding age group† (Waters, 1982). Jersey Shore is a reality television show similar to that of â€Å"The Real World† and markets binge drinking, partying, fake tanning, and sleeping all day. It seems that the drama-driven cast seems to be promoting a careless way of life, and in fact might be rubbing off on its viewers. Elderly people are rarely seen on the show, and the stars are constantly shown going out with other young people, and going to bars and clubs that consist of other people around their age group. Even though some of the stars on the show are in their 30’s, they still live a constant partying lifestyle and act as though they are still young and essentially do not have to grow up yet. Teenagers watching this show can see this lifestyle as normal and strive to live their life the same way. The stars in the show live in a nice house and are constantly spending money, even though they only work at a pizza, ice cream and t-shirt company. In reality, these types of jobs would not cover the type of expenses these lifestyles come with. This lifestyle is extremely glamorized and in reality, someone living the same lifestyle as these stars would not be living nearly as luxuriously as they do, due to the success rate they have gained from the show. Many of these stars are on the front of magazines and all over different television talk shows because their show has become so successful and is increasing in fans. Some worry that viewers might have more motivation to be like these casts members and partake in inappropriate activities in hopes that they too will get famous. David Showalter a columnist for New Jersey newsroom says that, â€Å"MTVs Jersey Shore success is a cultural phenomenon† (Showalter, 2011), and for the most part he is absolutely correct. Jersey Shore has been a huge success, but for what? Partying? Another aspect of life that television shows often times portray unrealistically is health. Water’s states in his article, â€Å"Although video characters exist almost entirely on junk food and quaff alcohol 15 times more often than water, they manage to remain slim, healthy and beautiful.† Jersey Shore is centered almost entirely on partying and living that partying lifestyle- partying all night and recovering for half of the next day in order to be ready to do it again. However, the majority of the cast appears to be extremely well fit. This can confuse viewers because constant partying and binge drinking daily can be extremely harmful to one’s health. Even though going to the gym is part of these cast members daily routine, it does not make up for their excessive partying and will eventually catch up to them, when the viewers are no longer watching. These stars go out almost every night and are constantly shown belligerent to the point where they can’t walk and are starting fights in clubs and other public places, and for some reason young teenagers are seeing this as something cool to participate in. In an interview by Steven Guarino, he states, â€Å"Alcoholism is promoted on the Jersey Shore so much that it could influence younger viewers to drink irresponsibly.† The motive and center of the show is clearly the stars ongoing party lifestyle and their crazy drunken endeavors. The Situation, one of the cast members, has even stated in the first season on the first episode, â€Å"You can hate on me all you want to, but what can you possibly say to somebody that looks like Rambo, pretty much, with his shirt off.† Therefore, although the stars are constantly drinking and eating poorly, they still remain slim and good-looking, when in reality most people would be looking the complete opposite. Walter’s article also states, â€Å"Frequent TV watchers, the Annenberg investigators found, eat more, drink more, exercise less and possess an almost mystical faith in the curative powers of medical science.† When watching television shows, sometimes we get hooked and start to believe and agree with these stars way of life, not noticing the reality of it and allowing ourselves to get sucked into popular culture. Tanning is another major part of the popular Jersey Shore lifestyle. As we know, fake tanning can be very harmful to our skin, and cause skin cancer. However, the Jersey Shore characters act as if it is a way of life. Waters also states in his article, Television may well be the single most pervasive source of health information. And it’s over idealized images of medical people, coupled with its complacency about unhealthy life-styles, leaves both patients and doctors vulnerable to disappointment, frustration and even litigation (Waters, 1982). Despite what children have heard from their parents or other people, the un-healthy diets they see on television can appear healthy to them because they seem to be working for these reality TV stars and consequently can end up being more influential than what they’ve heard. Snooki, one of the show’s main characters, recently said on a Jay Leno show, that shed like to change the world by installing cancer-causing tanning beds in everybodys homes.† Every member on the show tans in a tanning bed daily as a consistent part of their daily lives, and considers being tan as one of the main things one must do in order to be good looking. The cast members are very forward about this and seem to see nothing wrong with it. The Situation states in the second episode of the first season, â€Å"I wait till the last minute to shave, I wait till the last minute to put my shirt on ‘cause you feel fresh. These are rules to live by, shave last minute, haircut the day-of, maybe some tanning and the gym. You gotta do the guido handbook.† These quotes seem to be aiming towards the casts members’ hopes to influence viewers to live these similar lifestyles and to shoot to look like them, even if it’s not what’s best for the viewers’ health and unfortunately television shows continue to influence people in the wrong way. Although Jersey Shore seems to capture every negative aspect of reality television and continues to be unrealistic, it somehow remains the most viewed series on MTV. The third season finale delivered 4.8 million viewers; almost triple the audience who watched the season premiere on December 3 (Martin). It is clear that the Jersey Shore phenomenon is continuing to grow and become more widespread than ever before. This can be very troubling to parents and the messages being sent to young teenagers is influencing them in a very negative way, while showing them unrealistic â€Å"reality television†. With popular culture becoming more and more deceiving, viewers can forget to question who they are really taking after.

Relationship between social media and Indian cultural collectivism

Relationship between social media and Indian cultural collectivism Prakash Thakur, an Indian student in London, has once said that Internet and his iPhone are parts of his life and cannot live without it, not even get off home without his smartphone. He is an active Facebook user, log in several times a day via iPhone and relies on this networking website to stays in touch with his friends and colleagues, receives his beloved brands promotions, suggests/comments/complains about products, services and every other things that pass through his life and share it regularly with his connected friends. After being in the UK for almost 2 years, he is now called himself Internet savvy. He is more likely to purchase products or services that one or more of his friends or colleagues use or recommended, more likely to search for reviews and comments and the best deal online rather than walk around the high-street, and more likely to say it out loud in every possible ways he can online and offline. The author has been amused of how important of Internet in Prakash and her life nowadays. Distance does not matter anymore to get in touch with family and friends. Only few mouse clicks, we are real-time connected through texts, pictures, audio voices, and videos. Physical textbooks, novel, and newspaper are less important when we could find, read and download almost everything on Internet via laptop, PDA and smartphone like BlackBerry, iPhone, HTC, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, and etc. Study in MIB course has been made a significant change for me to rely more on electronic resource and database through GGSBs e-library and started to read the whole series of Twilight Saga e-book version on my laptop. A thought of having an e-book reader is more attracted when iPad is launched into the market to make my life easier to read e-book and it will make me look in-trend. All above are the examples of our everyday life. Internet and Web savvy that is what we are. We acquaint in searching for best deal and become astute online customers. Internet is EVERYTHING; up-to-date all sort of information, shopping, chatting with friends (or to the world), learning, working, finding a date, and finding a job. Thanks to technology that allowed us to access to the Internet everywhere, anytime and any devices we want where there are an access point. Internet may make our life easier and more convenient, however, there is always one major problem for every internet and web users too much. For example, when I thought about buying e-book reader, I did not know where to start, then easiest way that everyone in this generation knows Googling it. By typing e-book reader, the result would be 13.4 million Webs for me to have a look. Thats far too much and actually, it is impossible to expose all those results. As a business student, I realise that it is challenging for any companies or any brands to stand out among the crowd to be at the top of 13.4 million. And this is just the beginning. Consumers are now have more choices to choose and more power on brands they consumed about their opinions and more likely to spread out their words like virus. To be continuingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. The clearer definition of Web 2.0 by OReilly (2005) said that the 7 characters of Web 2.0 are 1) the web platform that 2) harnessing collective intelligence where 3) data is the next Intel inside which 4) allowed companies to have co-developer and work together daily to end the software release cycle. In addition, Web 2.0 will also create 5) lightweight programming models including 6) software above level of single device which 7) rich in users experiences II. Digital Life: Facts Figures Everyday, or almost everyday in the UK, according to Statistical Bulletin: Internet Access 2010 (Office of National Statistic, 2010), there were 30.1 million out of the total of 38.3 million adults internet users in the UK used the internet from their homes, workplace and when they were on mobiles. As shown in Figure II-1, unsurprisingly, internet was used primarily to send or receive emails as high as 90 per cent while it was used to search for information about goods and services just 75 per cent. In addition to that, there were 51 per cent of internet users used internet so as to read or download online news, newspapers or magazines meanwhile watching web television or listening to web radio were counted only 45 per cent. Interestingly, another 43 per cent of internet users posted messages to chat sites, social networking sites and blogs , and 38 per cent were user-generated content as they uploaded their photos, music or videos to a website (Office of National Statistic, 2010). According to the report, majority of youngster age 16 to 24 years old, in the report, 75 per cent of them posted messages on Internet whilst half of them uploaded self-created content. Figure II-1 Internet activities in the UK 2010 (Office of National Statistic 2010) Moreover, Digital Influence Index studied of how the Internet has transformed the consumers behaviour around the world, McRoberts et al. (2010) found that in the UK, individuals spend about 14 hours per week using the internet. So, to answer the question why there were so many adult users actively use Internet? McRoberts et al. (2010) revealed that 30 per cent of the UK consumers trusted internet as the most important(main) source of information rather than e-mail or information received from family, friends and/or colleagues which represented 19 per cent and 16 per cent respectively. Moreover, more than half of the UK respondents (54 per cent) believed that the online communication with others was a safe thing to do and over one third of consumers did not read printed newspaper or magazine anymore, instead, they go online. However,internet has been allowing users to participate or response back to the web as user-generated contents and share information online, still, more than of the UK consumers think there was an excess of sharing personal information and many things that was said online is boring (McRobert et al., 2010). Clearly, internet has been influencing and continuously changing the users way of life. People are just not only retrieving information from web sites but also able to create, upload, and participate or even express opinions back to the web in a real-time. All of these impacts from the internet are credited to the term Web 2.0, therefore, it is very crucial to understand and embrace the definition and effect of Web 2.0 in our life. 2.1 Web 2.0 The term Web 2.0 is considerably a vague meaning. Web 2.0 is defined internet users as user-generated content which can be seen in public reviews and comments, blogs and video in two way communication (Fenn, 2009; Ryan Jones, 2009). In addition, with Web 2.0, Internet users relatively have more control and interactivity of the content rather than just being viewers sites owners (Funk, 2009). The clearer definition of Web 2.0 by OReilly (2005) said in the 7 characters of Web 2.0 are as follow; The web as platform Website is considered as a station for two-way communication whilst user controls the data or called The network as platform. It is a platform for people to; tagging: del.icio.us, Flickr and Furl, contribute in page rank: TripAdvisor, Amazon review and epinion, participation in blog, enabling the long tail Harnessing Collective Intelligence Massive numbers of internet users are associating with and creating the network. They are dominating the market exponentially and producing an astonishing collective work in real time. This concept is so called Crowdsourcing. On the other hand, the Web is learning from the users and become gradually smarter. Such as results and location in web search will now show you the most likely what you want in your local area. Data is the Next Intel Inside Web 2.0 companies core competency is database management. Therefore, the company strives to be the first who gain and restrain the data assets and put it into their system services. End of the Software Release Cycle The daily basis operations expertise matching development, is the core competency for Web 2.0 companies. At the same time, the companies co-developer is the users as seen in open source development platform in Gmail, Flickr, del.icio.us and Google map. Together, developers and co-developers (users) are working in at least daily basis to upgrading their software. Lightweight Programming Models As seen in RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and REST (Representational State Transfer), Innovation in assembly is a must to create the effective new business model from syndicating reusable commodity components. Software Above the Level of a Single Device Concept of two-way communication is applied to many digital devices to be connected in real time. More than one device is needed, for example, one computer hosting the browser while another one is used to host the server. This is the basic requirement for the basic web application. Moreover, not only the PC that can access to the internet application, but any handheld devices with internet service can also do. Rich User Experiences Web 2.0 can benefit from shared data by creating and developing their products and services by learning from their users. Apparently, Web 2.0 is about people communicating, generating and engaging. Web 2.0 usages can be seen in blogs, wikis, social network websites, web applications, video-sharing websites, folksonomy and more. Significantly, we are now communicating more and more everyday through digital world in the global scale. Therefore, Web 2.0 can attract business people to pay attention to it, especially marketer. III. Digital Marketing Nowadays, internet is not just one of marketing channels; instead, it is the significant part for business future (Chaffey and Smith, 2008). Marketing strategies on the internet have been changing. Strauss and Frost (2009) explained the significant impacts of Web 2.0 in todays market that; Power shift from sellers to buyers. Consumer and business buyers are now easily to make an online post that have a massive impact to the business. Buyers attention and relationship are vital. The companies need to listen and learn to engage with their customers. Search engines are now reputational engines. Search marketing is the important part of marketing plan as a search engine result pages (SERP) and its popularity are improvingcan increase brand exposure and awareness, site traffic, companys image and sales. Market and media fragmentation. There are an increasing specific-interest market and declining mass marketwhich mean that market and media are now customised according to the consumers needs. Content is still king online. Contents change quickly in digital word and are driven by consumer-generated media. Marketers need to engage and respond back to the network. Connections are critical. Social networking is unavoidable. It is about who you know online and what they say about you. Improve online and offline strategy integration. As in multichannel marketing offering more than one channel to the consumers to buy products and services. Intellectual capital rule. The crucial resources are not money, but instead, they are creativity, imagination and entrepreneurship. The long tail. The term is coined by Chris Anderson. The concept refers to the economy of abundance where small amount of products sales can collectively increase the revenue significantly. The example from Amazon shows that 57 per cent of total sales come from the small quantities of very different kind of hard-to-find books in a large volume. Benefits of Web 2.0 have been used widely by businesses as material marketing strategies in epidemic rate to communicate to their customers and prospects and enhance their brand experiences. Chaffey and Smith (2008) illustrated how people in online marketplace communicate to each other which he called the web-based community communications model as shown in Figure II-2. Communications are facilitated by the sender or the company to both customers, opinion leaders and opinion formers who will encourage word-of-month online and spread the message to other customers. Furthermore, the company needs to listen and keeps an eye on the customers closely about what they have been talking about in order to improve its brand values. Figure III-1 A web of conversations accelerating word-of-mouth. C, customer; OL, opinion leader Furthermore, within this model, brand awareness is spreading among the relevant community members who will then pass along the viral messages to other members as a form of Affiliate marketing (Chaffey and Smith, 2008). From this model, the online marketer has to carefully select the appropriate channel of online media used in particular community or network so as to achieve the companys objectives. When Web 2.0 is used collectively to connect people together through PC or any other handheld devices like model above, it is called Social Media (Strauss and Frost, 2009). Social media is also called User-generated media (UGM) or consumer-generated media (CGM) which Strauss and Frost (2009) defined as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦these are Web pages allowing social networking and are primarily authored by internet usersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦User-generated media are the norm. The impact of Web 2.0 and the web-based community communication pattern indeed influenced the online customers and their behaviour. Chaffey and Smith (2008) mentioned that brand control is unlocked from marketers, the customers have their own brand discussions. Moreover, Harris Interactive, (2007) as cited in Chaffey and Smith (2008), reported that 80 per cent of consumers who have a bad or negative experience in customer services, they will not go back to the company ever again. The angry customers could be lurking in the various brands attacking blogs or websites. Also, the consumer communications in the market are effected by cultureAs a result, shared patterns were created in terms of thoughts, emotions, and behaviours (Pennington, 2009). Therefore, to understand customers behaviour inside out, it is vital to the companies and marketers to appropriately approach their customers and prospects with the right message at the right time and using the right communication channels. 3.1 Digital Customers Digital, or online, customers are also called as the Net Generation has significantly 8 characteristics that Tapscott (2008) refered as norm distinctive attitudinal and behavioural characteristic. These norms differentiate the Net Geners from any other generations. Tapscott (2008) explained the eight norms as follow; Freedom the internet gives Net Geners to have freedom of choice to do whatever they want anywhere they want it. Customization Net Geners will make what they want and make it right to their needs and desires. Scrutiny the internet provides information for Net Geners to scrutinise the products and services. For the company, candour is the best way to reach the Net Geners with easy access information. Integrity -Net Geners are increasingly favoured for the company or any organizations that behave honestly, considering and transparent. Collaboration  ­- Net Geners collaborate to each other online and influence each other to discuss their opinions on products, services, brands and companies. Entertainment amusement and fun are the point of interest for the Net Geners Speed immediate response is preferable. Net Geners often e-mail to people at work because it is faster. Innovation Net Geners prefer the greatest and newest innovative products to make them up-to-date within their social group and create their positive images. Therefore, for marketers, to use use the available technology both effectively and efficiently to communicate to the Net Geners or the online consumers is considerably critical. The behaviour of online consumers have been changing. They are now trust each other rather than advertisings or companys websites (Strauss and Frost, 2009). Ideal online customer, as Chaffey and Smith (2008) suggested, is the person who rates and reviews the product or service online and his opinions could influence another 100 persons regardless of how regular he buy. This group of individuals is called engaged customers whose marketers must try to strengthen the relationship with and stimulate the word-of-mouth. The freedom of communication and choices in digital world are now make consumers are more sophisticated than ever as information is overloaded to them (Strauss and Frost, 2009). Therefore, the concept of attention economy is created where Strauss and Frost (2009) explained that it is the idea that information might be infinite, but the demand for it is limited by human capacity. Moreover, there is a trend that online consumers will participate and engage in a group of people whom they share interests and consider other as a person like themselves (Strauss and Frost, 2009). Obviously, online consumers are grouped together and form their own communities they are segmenting themselves. 3.2 Market Segmentation Segmentation is the vital starting point for marketing strategy. It is relevant to the marketer to segment the market according to the group of people who share similar characteristics and preferences which differentiate them from the others in the market. (Strauss and Frost, 2009). There are four types of market segmentation which are based on geographic location, demographic, psychographic and behavioural related to the uses of products. In the digital world where there is no physical boundary, the population cannot be acculately justified and online consuming behaviour is changing rapidly. However, the observation showed that online users have grouped themselves according to their interest. Therefore, the psychographic segmentation is the most effective to be applied to the digital world where the group of people who share the similar activities, interests, opinions, attitudes, lifestyles, and value. (Strauss and Frost, 2009). Psychographic segment is significantly related to culture because culture is what we defines a human community, its individuals and social organisation (Mooij, 2009). 3.3 Culture Culture, a sophisticated word, is described in Mooij (2009) that culture produces individuals ideas, values, acts, emotions and even part of identity. Hofstede (1984 cited in Cry et al., 2008) defined culture as the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the member of one group from another. Pennington (2009) also explained the term culture as the shared, learned patterns of thoughts, feelings, appetites, and behaviours, based upon a climate of values, for organizing or adapting to the natural and social environments. People mostly unconsciously absorb their cultures. And culture defined their perspectives toward things differently, including themselves, others, societies, organisations, nature and universe (Kotler and Keller, 2006). For marketer, cultural differences play an important part of both marketing communication and brand management strategies, especially in the global scale (LaPlante, 2005). Geert HofstedeTM cultural dimensions power distance, individualism-collectivism, masculinity-femininity, and uncertainty avoidance had been used in management and marketing perspective to better understand national culture (Cry et al., 2008). Specifically considering in individualism-collectivism, this dimension is described as relationship of individual toward others. Individualism society will value personal interest, individual decision-making, and lose social bounding (Cyr et al., 2008). On the contrary, collectivism is the society where social members are integrated strongly into cohesive groups (Itim International, 2009). In order to identify the level of collectivism in particular culture, Shulruf et al. (2003) presented the measurement tool for individualism and collectivism in a practical way. The measurements for collectivism society are interdependent to each other or relatedness, has sense of in-group belonging, and prefers harmony by seeking advice. Whilst individualisms measurements are the opposite independence, self-reliance, and self-focused (Shulruf, et al., 2003). 3.4 Brand According to the American Marketing Association (AMA), brand is defined as a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors (Heding et al., 2009). Consumers use brand names to identify what products or services that would satisfy their purchase (Rowley, 2004). While Pennington (2009) mentions that brand is important to social objects to communicate, identify and distinguish consumers in their market culture. Everything can be branded; products, services, stores, individuals, places, or ideas (Kotler and Keller, 2006) Especially in this digital-driven market, products and services are rather imitated easily but not brand, therefore, to create strong and powerful brand is extremely crucial (Chernatony and McDonald, 2005). The successful brand can be seen in Millward Brown Optimor (2010) cited in Clark (2010) reported that Google has the highest brand value with $114,260 million in 2010, 14 per cent increase from last year and its rank is unchanged from 2009. People know what Google is, they even use the brand as a verb to search online is to google (Kotler and Keller, 2006). So, to brand a product or service, it is about making consumers know the differences especially in the intensely competitive market. To Rosen and Rosen (2009), building a brand is the artful masters of awareness and marketers have to be careful with every aspect of brand. Brand equity is explained as the power of a brand lies in what resides in the minds of customers. and the concept plays critical role in branding process (Keller et al., 2008). To acquire brand equity, Keller (2008) suggested that marketer have to establish high level of brand awareness, in which consumers ability to recognise and recall brand, and strong positive attitude toward brand image which will result in brand association that consumer perceived the uniqueness of brand. In Pappus research (2005), it had proved that brand awareness is one of the two distinct attributes of brand equity. 3.5 Brand Awareness Kapferer (2008) said that brand awareness is a collective phenomenon that holds a reassuring message from individual level and have a correlation with many aspects i.e. trust, closeness of people, accessibility, reliability and traditional styling. Brand awareness is defined as ability to identify (recognise or recall) the brand within the category, in sufficient detail to make a purchase (Kotler and Keller, 2006). It is the likelihood of the brand trace in memory in the different conditions that will come to consumers mind (Keller, 2008). Brand awareness can be measured by 1) recognition ability to identify brand in different situations and 2) recall to retrieve brand element when some probe or cue is given (Keller, 2008). Since brand awareness is the fundamental step to acquire brand equity, therefore, it is also the most important step to start building brand especially in online market. To be top-of-mind in consumers mind in the product that relatively low-involvement choice such as electronic book or e-book, the awareness of brand is suggested to be the first criteria that consumer will choose unless other new brands draw their attention (Elliot and Percy, 2007). Therefore, efficient and effective communication channels that influence brand awareness must be carefully selected in order to create, sustain, and strengthen brand (Kotler and Keller, 2006) 3.6 Marketing Communication Media, Viral Marketing and Brand Awareness Marketing communication (MarCom) is the brand building tool used with other strategies to acquire and enhance customer relationship in the long term (Strauss and Frost, 2009). Consumers need to be aware of the product before anything else. Digital Media is nowadays used to communicate to target market as one of the tool for Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) Digital media includes E-mail, web sites, and social media. According to Strauss and Frost (2009) social media here consists of; Blogs online diaries, or journals, frequently updated and presented in chronological order on Web page (from the term Web log). Social Networks social structures made of nodes (which are generally individuals or organizations) that are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as values, visions, idea, financial exchange, friends, kinship, dislike, conflict, trade, web links à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ disease transmission (epidemiology), or airline routes. Social network idea is based on theory of six degree of separation where individual is able to connect to every other person within six other people or less. According to Kirby and Marsden (2006), viral marketing refers to any strategies that make people pass along marketing message to others in exponential growth like virusand this occurred among social network as well (Strauss and Frost, 2009). De Chernatony and McDonald (2005) suggested that critical successful communication is the understanding of brand in social media context and consumers. In Cruz and Fill (2008) research to identify key criteria of viral marketing, one of their findings is that to evaluate the viral marketing, the most popular criterion is awareness. IV. E-book The definition of e-book or as known as ebook or digital book from the NetLingo (2010) is that it is a book that can be downloaded and read on a computer or other digital device. There are several e-book formats nowadays including The Mobipocket Reader, The Adobe/Glassbook eBook Reader, Microsoft Reader, PALM OS or WINDOW CE, HTML format, The Open eBook Publication Structure, The Rocket eBook, the SoftBook, Adobe PDF, Rich Text Format, and ASCII (NetLingo, 2010). The market value in terms of online book buying, Fenn (2009, p.46) reported that in 2008, the figure revealed at  £415 million and accounted for 13 percent of all new book sales. Now, the fact that there are at least about 3.5 million e-books available to download for free (World Public Library Association, 2009) from only one website called WorldeBookFair.org has been attracting more consumers to own e-books. As technology changing rapidly, market recently experienced more brands of electronic reader device (e-reader or e-book reader) in the market such as Sony PRS 505, Amazon Kindle 2, iRex IIiad 2, Bebook, Cybook Gen 3 and the list continue (ebook-reader-guide.com, 2009). Especially, the entrance of new Apples newest device called iPad has been triggering the e-book market to be more popular. As Jobs (2010) cited in Stone (2010) that for each iPad that the Apples sale in last two month, 2.5 e-books were downloaded or more than five millions books. The trend of e-book is on the rise as e-book buyers bought less printed books than before, not buying printed books at the rate 25 and 15 per cent respectively (Book Industry Study Group (BISG) (2010) cited in Holt, 2010). As Epps and McQuivey (2009) said that two new e-readers will be launched in India which will allow Indian consumers to start catching up with the e-book trend. Obviously, e-book market is growing and still has very high potential room to grow in the digital world. V. India India is the country that holds several reputation names. It is the worlds second largest population after China which has approximately 1,157 million people in July 2010 (CIA, 2010), the fourth largest, after the United State, China and Japan, in terms of oil consumption in 2009 (eia, 2010), and one of the BRIC countries the world fastest growing and largest economies (ONeill, 2001 cited in Rozhnov, 2010). Therefore, it is important to see overview of the country. From CIA (2010), India governed as a federal republic where the government share the power with another 28 states. The English common law is used as a based legal system in India. Economic in India is growing, 6.5 per cent in 2009, and is regarded as the world second highest growth within major economies. Service sector accounted for 54.9 per cent in GDP. Inflation rate is still as high as 10.9 per cent in 2009 (CIA, 2010). In term of society, 29 per cent of population is classified as urban where the literacy rate is 61 per cent. Even though India consists of variety of language, however, English is still widely used to communicate among national, political, and commercial people (CIA, 2010). As a culture, Indian was identified as collectivist where family is the central of the society and people value group performance (Banerjee, 2008). For technology, CIA (2010) reported 81per cent of Indians are internet users. The penetration of internet users, 51 million are active users, 40 million in urban area and 11 million in rural area (Juxt, 2010 cited in India Microfinance, 2010). Moreover, in India, 40 per cent of online consumers bought products online which increased 18 per cent from last year. As a result, the growth in online shopping has increased by 33 per cent (Juxt, 2010 cited in India Microfinance, 2010) As a consequence(has as a result previously), India is one of the high potential markets for e-book industry due to its population size, economic growth, unique social and cultural context, as well as technology development. VI. Research Methodology This project is exploratory market research as the paper aim to gather unique information and develop relevant strategies from the information derived as well as relationships between variables (Aaker et al., 2010; Saunders et al., 2009) This chapter will summarize the research methodology used to achieve the projects objectives as well as research philosophy, approach, strategies, and method choice. Furthermore, the conceptual framework is also described in this chapter. The selection of research methodology is determined by objectives and research questions which also will be demonstrated in this chapter. 6.1 Research Question The research question for this paper is How the social media with viral massage should be used among Indian as a collectivism culture to enhance brand awareness in e-book market? The following research objectives are established to address the research question stated above. By the end of this paper, all answers would be issued. How much social media with viral message is used in Indian cultural collectivism? How much Indians aware of e-book? What is the relationship between social media with viral marketing and Indian cultural collectivism? What is the relationship between Indians cultural collectivism that rela

A Letter To The President :: essays research papers

Difficult Decisions Dear President Bush and Congress: I have written you to discuss our national budget and the inherent problems in our fiscal policy. Although I am not the best informed on this subject I think my opinions and ideas are relevant. I have several ideas for both raising more capital and lowering government expenditure. I believe action must be taken on both fronts to curb our national debt before it adversely affects our economy. I will first share my ideas on lowering government spending. First and foremost I believe we must lower defense spending and downsize our military. We have the most powerful military in the world and can afford some budget cuts without risking national security or global standing. We must also cut spending on the home front. I believe we should lower welfare payments and encourage people to find jobs instead of relying on the government. We should also give tax incentive to wealthy citizens to give up their U.S Bonds therefore lowering the Federal Debt. Also the wealthy should be eliminated from the Social Security System. The second part needed for responsible Fiscal Policy is the generation of income. Our Governments main source of income is taxes and therefore some taxes must be raises to curb the deficit. Taxes on gasoline and cigarettes should be raised which would generate more Income and lower our nations dependence on them both. Also I believe that Marijuana should be legalized for personal use and taxed and regulated by the Government. The possible income from this method is large and also eliminates the criminal element, cutting cost in Law Enforcement and Imprisonment. A Letter To The President :: essays research papers Difficult Decisions Dear President Bush and Congress: I have written you to discuss our national budget and the inherent problems in our fiscal policy. Although I am not the best informed on this subject I think my opinions and ideas are relevant. I have several ideas for both raising more capital and lowering government expenditure. I believe action must be taken on both fronts to curb our national debt before it adversely affects our economy. I will first share my ideas on lowering government spending. First and foremost I believe we must lower defense spending and downsize our military. We have the most powerful military in the world and can afford some budget cuts without risking national security or global standing. We must also cut spending on the home front. I believe we should lower welfare payments and encourage people to find jobs instead of relying on the government. We should also give tax incentive to wealthy citizens to give up their U.S Bonds therefore lowering the Federal Debt. Also the wealthy should be eliminated from the Social Security System. The second part needed for responsible Fiscal Policy is the generation of income. Our Governments main source of income is taxes and therefore some taxes must be raises to curb the deficit. Taxes on gasoline and cigarettes should be raised which would generate more Income and lower our nations dependence on them both. Also I believe that Marijuana should be legalized for personal use and taxed and regulated by the Government. The possible income from this method is large and also eliminates the criminal element, cutting cost in Law Enforcement and Imprisonment.

Essay --

Animal cruelty occurs all over the world. The human race has a major effect on the natural world, especially animals. Animal cruelty is an example of how man has taken advantage of his power. Those exhibiting cruelty towards animals have been proven to have a tendency to harbor violent psychological problems. Animal cruelty occurs all over the world. Fortunately, many countries have enacted laws and penalties to stop this harsh behavior. There are many anti-cruelty laws in the United States as well as other states. This laws prohibit torturing, beating, mutilating and unnecessary killing of animals. Also, they cover neglecting abandoning or depriving pets or farm animals of food, water or shelter. In 1822 the British parliment passed the Martin Act for animals protection, later on Richard Martin formed the society for the prevention of cruelty to animals. But the cruelty to Animals Act was not firmily established until the years of 1849 and 1854. As a matter of fact the word was finally starting to spread throughout Europe and even the United States because of this movement the American Society for the prevention of animal cruelty was later formed in the year of 1866 by Henry Bergin in New York. In addition to this in the nineteenth century many laws were passed both in Great Britain as well as the Unites States to protect the helpless, especially-children, lunatics, and domestics animals, from willful and malicious acts of cruelty. On the other hand, just as there are laws there are many weak laws that have been enforced to protect animals from cruelty. As a matter of fact not only are the laws weak, but they are also rarely enforced. The reason being is because police officers and public presecutors frequently view animal cru... ...althy individual, this is a warning.† There are deep psychological issues that lead to violent crimes against people† (cfawr). What is more shocking is that most animal abusers abuse animals for entertainment of both themselves and others, and to show their aggressiveness. In conclusion the simple of one adopting a vegetarian or minimizing the amount of animal products can prevent the death and suffering of millions of animals. There are many ways that one can prevent animal cruelty, is just a matter or wanting to do so. For example one is not so excited about chores at all, but when some one important is coming one cleans the houses, and leaves it shining, just with this much effort one needs to want to stop cruelty because it this matter is not stopped it could lead to even major problems, one does not know if this could lead to animal extinction.

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INTRODUCTION Security threats are potential causes of unwanted incident which may result in becoming harmful to the system or organization and assets. The security threats are destruction, modification or unauthorized disclosure of information, destruction or loss of the IT assets, spam and malware. Social networking is a dedicated website or application that enables users to informally communicate with each other by posting, tweet, comment and share. Some example of social networking site is Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr and LinkedIn. A social networking is built on trust. It is designed for communication that allows users to directly interact with each others. Social networking helps to form network of associates, friend, relatives and acquaintances. It enables users to share information about daily life and have intimate relation with others. There are huge numbers of users in social media Facebook is the highest popular rate that has 1.15 billion users and half of it access to the Facebook every day. Based on social media today until November 2013, there are more than 10 million applications developed in Facebook. Twitter becomes the second most popular media social which has more than 500 million users and 288 million are active users. There are about 20 million fake accounts in Twitter. This number of social networking users will increase in time. By this huge numbers of users in social media there is high risk for users to expose to the social networking threats. Cybercriminals have become more smart and crafty in manipulating with advance technology. It is abusing the users in social media by breaking the users trust. They take advantage of user relationship to click on malicious link or advertisement to get to the... ...ing and this gives the chances for malicious links and threats to disguise as one of the advertisement based on the user interest. User unknowingly will click on these links that popped up to close it, but some of them will already have the access to the user information. There are also bot accounts that will post their contents to the user’s wall; some even post the contents to the user’s groups and friends when the user click on the link that pique their interest. 2. Mobile platform The increment of mobile phone users also inspires the growth of social media users. The rise of social media is inextricably linked with the revolution in mobile computing, which has spawned a huge industry in mobile application development. Naturally, whether using their own or company-issued mobile devices, the users will download many mobile applications just because they want to.

Importance of blood donation Essay

Begin with an interesting quotation related to your opinion about The American Red cross (You will need a transition here) – End the Intro paragraph with your thesis statement: Even though Not a lot of people donate blood even though they have time and energy to do so., Every person in this world should donate blood once. because It might be that one can need blood and sometimes hospitals run out of it. and Each time one gives a blood they can save three lives.. Body Paragraph or Section #1 Topic of the body thesis: Not a lot of people donate blood even though they have time and energy to do so. – Find evidence – like facts, examples, quotations, or statistics that back it up or support the topic sentence of this paragraph. – Explain how your evidence supports the topic sentence Another example that shows that Not a lot of people donate blood even though they have time and energy to do so. is†¦ – Find more evidence – facts, examples, quotations, or statistics that back it up or support the topic sentence of this paragraph. – Explain how this second piece of evidence supports the topic sentence. Body Paragraph or Section #2 Even though Not a lot of people donate blood even though they have time and energy to do so., Every person in this world should donate blood once. because It might be that one can need blood and sometimes hospitals run out of it.. – Find evidence – like facts, examples, quotations, or statistics that back it up or support the topic sentence of this paragraph. – Explain how your evidence supports the topic sentence Another example that shows that It might be that one can need blood and sometimes hospitals run out of it. is†¦ – Find more evidence – facts, examples, quotations, or statistics that back it up or support the topic sentence of this paragraph. – Explain how this second piece of evidence supports the topic sentence. Body Paragraph or Section #3 The most important reason Every person in this world should donate blood once. is because Each time one gives a blood they can save three lives.. – Find evidence – like facts, examples, quotations, or statistics that back it up or support the topic sentence of this paragraph. – Explain how your evidence supports the topic sentence Another example that shows that Each time one gives a blood they can save three lives. is†¦ – Find more evidence – facts, examples, quotations, or statistics that back it up or support the topic sentence of this paragraph. – Explain how this second piece of evidence supports the topic sentence. Conclusion So it is clear that although Not a lot of people donate blood even though they have time and energy to do so., Every person in this world should donate blood once. for two main reasons. First, It might be that one can need blood and sometimes hospitals run out of it.. But most importantly, Each time one gives a blood they can save three lives.. – Now you will return to your opening attention-getter from the introduction – Then end your essay with a powerful So What? statement.

AIG Current Issues Pertaining to Business Law

AIG (American International Group Inc) has most recently been a common feature on American as well as international headlines following its possibility of going into liquidation as a result of financial difficulties. The federal government bailout extended to the company to help it in reviving its activities has also been a topic of discussion.Following all these, issues related to business law have been a common occurrence as AIG fights legal battles and accusations from enraged customers demanding their investment monies. AIG has as a result lost clients, employees and business in general. This paper focuses on these and other current events pertaining to business law at AIG.AnalysisAIG was recently faced with an economic downturn as a result of the current economic crisis. AIG is said to have made losses worth $62 billion in the fourth quarter of 2008 (Sorkin, 11-14). As a result, it has not been able to pay its credit dues on time.Creditors are constantly knocking on AIG's doors to obtain their money as they fear that the company could fail to pay them under the current financial difficulties it is experiencing. AIG has resulted in selling its assets in order to meet its obligations to creditors and beginning 2008 it obtained bailout from the government.Following the government bailout, AIG is no longer a wholly private company. The majority shares of AIG are now in the hands of the government hence it expects to receive more government control.AIG traded 79.9 percent of its shares for the federal government bailout. The government now possesses the rights to suspend dividends to the previously common and preferred stock.This is an indication that the company has ceased from being a fully private company to a nationalized one. It therefore owes the citizens who are represented by the government to operate profitably as well as repay the loan advanced by the government from the tax payer's money.As a result of the government bailout, AIG has to adjust itself to the government's requirements and laws that have been set for companies obtaining bailout.For example, The House of Representatives passed a requirement that all companies receiving federal government bailout exceeding $5 should pay 90 percent on bonuses given by companies. The companies must also operate with positive net value so that they can be able to pay up the loans advanced. If this is not so, the government will force companies that cannot pay up into liquidation Mich, 23-25).AIG has been under scrutiny following the handsome benefits that were issued to its more than 400 employees in the financial products division ranging between $1 million and 6.4 million. This follows the fact that AIG received $170 billion as federal government bailout which has necessitated investigations on how AIG was spending the taxpayer's money.(Turkish Weekly, 22-29). The government owns 79.9 percent of AIG now and as a result the public is the major shareholder of the company and this is wh at has created a major uproar in the public about AIG's activities. There are claims that the company is not taking its responsibilities towards shareholders in a serious manner.Edward Liddy, AIG's chief executive officer told the congress in March, 2009 that the company had asked the employees to return half of the bonuses received (Sorkin, 19-23). Further, he argued that the reason for the hefty bonuses was an attempt to retain employees in the financial products division.

Philosophy essay Essay

The nature of inquiry is not one that is uncommon to the human race. From the very origin of philosophy, the term for the â€Å"love of wisdom†, individuals have spent countless hours contemplating the most essential and critical matters before them. These individuals have made substantial attempts to explain reasoning behind the functioning of earthly matters, and by virtue of their study, they have come to be known as philosophers. While various philosophers have contributed to significant revelations and theories, the main pre-socratic philosophical movements were of ancient Greek origin and are attributed to the following philosophers: Thales, Anaximander, Xenophanes, Heraclitus, and Parmenides. Born in Miletus, Thales was discontent with the traditional stories of enchantment known as myths. Aristotle contributed the fact that he saw him as the very first philosopher, which a very common belief in the modern world. His major contributions were his beliefs that the cause and element of all things is water, and that all things are occupied with gods. The impressive matter is that Thales recognized that there is only one particular base for all things and that it was a naturally occurring substance that was very tangible and real. While there is not much information on Thales, it is speculated that he chose water because of its diversity and physical characteristics that allow for it to prevail in liquid, solid, and gaseous forms. As for his second contribution, the Greeks were firm believers of the immortality of the gods and their occupation in the lives of the humans and the natural world. Therefore, it would not be unusual for them to 2 reside in all things present on the earth. Thales very truly was the very first philosopher as he began the search for the answer to why things happen as they do. The Greek nature was not one to simply accept Thales propositions, but rather they focused on refuting it and providing other alternatives. Anaximander provided his own input on the matter with a theoretical proposition. He claims, that a system is in place, in which the Boundless is the infinite source of all, and it is the beginning- there was definitively nothing before it. The key feature of the Boundless is the immortality that it possesses, and further, it â€Å"encompasses all things† and â€Å"steers all things. † This concept of resolute envelopment is seen again in the New Testament, where it is reinforced that God is in all things. The Boundless is neither one thing, nor another, but rather, it maintains its own distinctive persona, and from it came all other things. Anaximander contributed many more developments, but they were all later proved incorrect. However, he does also state that existing things â€Å"make reparation to one another for their injustice according to the ordinance of time. † This suggests that a balance in nature must be properly observed. A hot summer must be counteracted with a cold winter, and so the seasons encroach on the â€Å"rights† as a result of the others and serve them injustice, but reparation is seen at the turn of the seasons. The developments made by Anaximander contradict what was then the Homeric tradition and essentially spurred a cultural crisis as the Greeks were unable to choose between the side of logic or that of myth and legend. A man known as Xenophanes came to the scene of philosophical inquiry when he clearly stated the religious implications of the new ideas of philosophy- a concept strictly avoided by most before him. He begins to critique the very nature of the gods, with the belief that it is shameful to portray them as no better than humans. While Xenophanes was not a disbeliever, he firmly believed in the presence of one god that reigned above all and was very different from 3 mortals in both body and mind. Xenophanes denies association with the gods through inspiration (i. e. muses) and any proposed revelation does not necessarily guarantee truth. He does, however, push us to format out believes by constantly seeking, even though he does not explain how. The belief is that over time, the continuous seeking will give to better opinions that may eventually be very near truth. He does not deny that there is the potential that some truth is known, but  simply that there is no such thing as certainty without definitive proof. He goes into the matter that there is a scale of truth, and unbeknownst to us, there is no way to tell on which side our supposed revelations lay. Xenophanes contributes a new direction for thought. The questioning that he provides, in fact, questions its very own self, which is the basis of epistemology, or the theory of knowledge. Lastly, he provides his belief that only the one god knows the absolute basis and value of the truth, and while we may seek it out, because we are inferior, we cannot know for sure. Known to the Romans as â€Å"Heraclitus the obscure† this philosopher often wrote in complex riddles. One of his famous thoughts is â€Å"All things come into being through opposition, and that all are in flux, like a river. † The major bit that he provides is that reality in itself is a flux. It is possible to step many times into the same river, but it will never exactly be the same as the waters will be different. He postulates that all things are then in flux and are ever-changing, even though they maintain a constant identity over the change. Further, the opposition is necessary to cause events to occur. A lyre will only play music if tension is pushed onto its strings. What makes a river is the force of the water that constantly runs through it, for without this force, there would be no river. It can be said that Heraclitus was an optimist as he believe that the changes in the world are not chaotic, but are structured by an order that is divine in nature, and therefore, it is good and beautiful. He stresses the presence of logos, and his belief 4 that those who are intelligent listen to it, while many who do not and are foolish. The many miss this because they fail to recognize the logos that is present in everyday life. Unlike his predecessors in philosophy, Parmenides was not Ionian, but instead from Elea. He wrote a complicated metaphysical poem in which he decrees that the content was revealed to him by divine powers. In his poem, an argument is provided, but rather than to accept it, it beckons one to judge it instead, which makes it philosophical in nature. His argument is divided between â€Å"the Way of Truth† and â€Å"the Way of Opinion. † Interestingly, he makes the point that you cannot think â€Å"nothing. † When you think, you think of what is, so you cannot think of something that is not, since nothing cannot be something. Parmenides urges people to follow reason, and reason alone. Therefore, he holds the title of the very first rationalist philosopher. Additionally, he believes that all that exists, exists all at once. By existing at once, it evades the concept of being what is not, because that which is not is inconceivable and cannot be thought about. Since the fathering of philosophy by Thales, the developments and inquisitions made by astounding men grew strongly throughout the Pre-Socratic era, and then progressively even more into the more current era. The most significant early men that helped philosophy take its very  roots were Thales, Anaximander, Xenophanes, Heraclitus, and Parmenides. Collectively, these men brought into question the very essential questions of philosophy that are even still argued and debated furiously over in the modern world. 5 Melchert, Norman. The Great Conversation: A Historical Introduction to Philosophy. New York: Oxford UP, 2011. Print. â€Å"Parmenides. † Web. 13 Mar. 2012. . â€Å"Presocratics. † SparkNotes. SparkNotes. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. .

Accounting Profit vs. Economic Profit. the Necessity of a Management Performance System to Boost Organization’s Performance

Accurate information is a critical input in a decision making process that targets real value creation for shareholders. The objective of this paper is the analysis of two articles of Stern Steward Research, namely â€Å"Accounting is Broken. Here’s How to fix it. A Radical Manifiesto† and â€Å"The capitalism Manifesto. The Transformation of the Corporation – Employee Capitalism –â€Å". Both papers propose a roadmap to fix the conventional accounting shortness through the use of Value Based Management (VBM) as a real and effective management system of value creation and measurement.Economic Value Added (EVA) plays the main role in this management approach, as a very effective performance metric in the alignment of the organization with its ultimate goal of shareholder’s value creation. VIEW OF THE READING In the first paper â€Å"Accounting is Broken. Here’s How to fix it. A Radical Manifiesto†, the accounting related aspects of EV A are discussed, providing a comparison between accounting earnings and economic earnings. Weaknesses of accounting standards are exposed here.The authors suggest a serie of radical reforms for the conventional accounting in order to align conventional with economic accounting in order to provide managers with the information that really matters and avoid mispreactices to deceive shareholders. The paper proposes EVA as a rock solid measure that provides a very clear picture of the organization’s performance. According to the paper accountants should start using economic profit (EVA) to better reflect the economic reality of the organization.Economic earnings underpin the decision making process, clarifying the economic objectives and setting up a target for value creation. The paper highlights the capability of EVA measure to fix some weaknesses of the accounting earnings perspective and proposes some reforms: †¢Cost of equity must be brought into the light of day as a k ey element for the economic profit. Shareholders need and deserve to be compensated for the risk they are taking by investing in a company. †¢Operating decision must be separated from investment and financing decision to avoid manipulation. Intangible assets should be capitalized as investments aimed at the creation of economic profit. †¢Stock options have to be expensed and depreciation and amortization must be better measured. The second paper â€Å"The capitalism Manifesto. The Transformation of the Corporation – Employee Capitalism –â€Å" analyzes the role of EVA measure as a metric of the total organizational productivity and the role it plays or can play in a pay-per-performance incentive plan to align the interest of the owners with the interest of the employees to enhance organization performance.Empowerment and accountability are seen as the basis to boost employee’s performance and the basis to set up incentive programes to stick the gains . The paper presents a deep analysis on the implementation of effective business management and incentive systems down to the shop floor in the European Union. Some examples are presented to explain the potential role of EVA in the implementation of a European policy for incentive plans. According to the paper, executives and frontline employees can or should unify their efforts within the EVA proven management system, to maximize value creation within the organization.The authors propose that decision making process at all levels should be implemented within a management framework where short- and long term incentive plans will be linked to results in form of value creation. Incentive plans should also be linked to cash and equity to guarantee the sustainability of the organization. If the employees can invest in the organization, they will start acting like owners taking right decisions and fostering sustainable growth. MY POINT OF VIEW Both papers assume a shareholder’s va lue perspective: the first and foremost purpose of a Corporation is to maximize shareholder value.This perspective should be brought in balance with the stakeholder’s perspective. Profitability has to be combined with responsibility. According to S. David Young and Stephen F. O’Byrne (2000), the economic pressures that organizations are facing nowadays induce managers, in some cases, to use bad practices in order to deceive shareholders by inflated earnings or not sustainable growth. EVA alone cannot solve this issue. A very clear management system has to be set up with guidelines and accountability for executives. Corporations cannot become economic machines.Responsibility for stakeholders (employees, society, environment, customers) has to play a central role as well. Economic earnings should be the main target, but corporations should be able to provide the needed environment to create the expected value based on ownership, clear economic and financial information, moral recognition, personal growth, empowerment and training. The first paper is a very interesting approach to EVA and to accounting practices. It sheds light on the issue that accounting is not what is used to be and cannot account anymore for what it has to account.Accounting standards lack the ability to control and guide executive behavior. On the other hand, the paper tends to fully disqualify accounting. Conventional accounting has played and will play its role in the society. It is hard to say that accounting is completely responsible for all bad practices and mismanagement cases (Enron, Worldcom, etc). Accounting has its weak points and these weaknesses have been used by irrational managers to inflate value in the shareholder’s eyes. The question is if we are talking about a symptom or about a root cause.We cannot solve the problem working on the symptoms. The root causes have to be found and addressed. In the current competitive environment, managers are struggling with the value creation process. Fierce competition and growing expectations of the shareholders is a killing combination to push managers in the bad path. It is not rare then that some of them make use of bad practices in order to boost value on the short-term, but putting in serious dangerous the future of the organization.In such situation is fair to say that accounting cannot account anymore for what really counts. Accounting standards allow these bad practices. A superior management system is in need. S. David Young and Stephen F. O’Byrne (2000) states that EVA can actually boost productivity and is able to match the interests of shareholders and stakeholders. Decision making process must be decentralized and roll down to the floor. In my experience, executives lack the ability to empower employees.Maybe it is the fear to lose power or that they don’t trust the subordinates. In any case they are missing the possibility to stimulate and motivate employees and the m ost important they are failing to use the advantage of impacting decision making by the ‘time and place’ factors. I think one of the reasons can be that they lack a measure like EVA that can set up the targets for the whole organization, allowing the cascading of the decision making process, improving the performance of the organization through more motivated employees and ownership boosting.EVA can be used at all levels within the organization, stimulating the decision making and risk taking attitude of the employees, since EVA will bring transparency and direction to the objectives to be met to create true value. In this case owners don’t have to worry about the earning sharing and they can start seeing employees as partner with the same objectives and motivations. Nowadays the intellectual capital of a corporation is one of the strongest competitive edges they can create. Employee’s satisfaction must be one of the goals within the organization to make i t sustainable.Employee’s satisfaction cannot be based only on cash or equity. People need a trusty environment where they can interact and reach high productivity levels, based not only on economic incentives, but on total ownership, supported by an increasing role in the decision making process, contributing to the value creation process and ensuring a sustainable growth of the organization. If one takes a closer look at EVA methodology to demonstrate that EVA is not as simple as supporters tell. EVA is a performance measure capable of reliably indicating the intrinsic value of all companies in all times.As a performance metric, EVA remains in control of the corporation and should impact Market Value Added (MVA) on the long term creating true value for the shareholders. With EVA managers have a more effective tool to support their decision making process. The entire metric was developed based on the following three ideas : 1. Cash flows are the best indicators of performance . The accounting distortions must therefore be â€Å"fixed†. Accrual based accounting should be transformed into cash-flow accounting. 2. Some expenses are really investments and should be capitalized on the balance sheet.True investments must therefore be recognized as means to create future cash flow. 3. Equity capital is expensive (or, at the very least, not free). This expense must therefore be accounted for. Investment is an economic decision and opportunity cost should be taken into account. To calculate EVA, two sets of information’s are needed, namely the Net Operating Profit After Taxes (NOPAT) and the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC). NOPAT is first calculated based on the Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA).Some adjustments are needed here to account for the correct operating profit of the corporation. Important here is to understand that operating and financing decisions must be evaluated separately. NOPAT provides a very clear picture of the organization operating performance, excluding potential manipulation through financing decisions. On the other hand, WACC is the average of the costs of the financing sources, each of which is weighted by its respective use in the given situation. By taking a weighted average, we can see how much interest the company has to pay for every dollar it finances.WACC demands a very clear policy from the organization about its financial structure (debt and equity relationship) to calculate the cost of the capital. This is a fundament to avoid bad practices, manipulations, abuse of leverage technique through cheaper debts and ineffective decision making process. A very strong and reliable financing structure is needed in order to not compromise the future of the organization and to provide a very solid platform for the economic growth, by choosing projects with a really economic impact on the bottom line. Generally speaking, EVA has a big drawback.As we could se e above, EVA is very far from being a simple metric. The point here is that the implementation of value-added measures such as EVA into a company is a costly and time consuming process . Substantial costs and time are justified only if benefits of optimizing the company’s strategy for value creation can be achieved. A transition to value-added measurements requires serious commitment of the board of directors and senior management to use these measures to manage the business. Every individual in the company must buy into the plan to make it successful.Extensive training and communication effort directed to everyone in the company is also required. EVA may be a complex concept and may not be something the average person/employee/manager/investor is going to understand without big efforts. When it comes to the organizational change required to implement something like EVA, you need to get people on board and it could be a very difficult task and therefore a major obstacle for i ts adoption. EVA should not be viewed as the answer to all things either. It doesn’t solve business problems, which is the manager’s responsibility.In conjunction with MVA, it does provide a meaningful target to pursue for both internally and externally oriented decisions. Managers remain the leaders within the corporations and the one who has to drive the value creation process. Generally speaking, shareholders must be provided with clear data on the corporation performance and on the decision making process. They need and deserve a return on their investment, but it should not be forgotten that their investment decisions involve risk and they must be compensated for this.The cost of the capital should be incorporated. Value creation should be calculated as the difference between NOPAT and capital and its cost. Accounting earnings don’t mean value creation. A Corporation can report net profits that don’t actually mean value creation from the shareholderà ¢â‚¬â„¢s viewpoint. To accomplish this, managers need clear and strong performance metrics able to stretch the corporation to achieve clear performance targets properly aligned with the ultimate goal of creating value. EVA is a metric upon which the whole organization can be build.In the current high competitive market, Value Based Management is a competitive advantage. It aligns the organizations with the expectations of the shareholders, facilitating the decision making process, avoiding accounting manipulation, targeting the ultimate goal of value creation, providing a very unambiguous metric such as EVA to guide the organization through the value creation process and ensuring the long term economic growth of the organization based on clear and transparent management practices.CONCLUSIONS Both papers offer a very clear perspective of the advantages of using EVA. Value Based Management provides Senior Management Teams with a clear benefit since it is able to close the gap between accounting earnings and economic earnings, driving the value within the organization. With EVA, the corporations possesses a metric that drives value and supports the incentive plans to motivate employees and make them to act like owners.Effective implementation could be an issue due to the complexity of the concept, but EVA is nowadays the most effective management approach connecting shareholders and stakeholders to accomplish the ultimate economic goal of the corporation, the value creation. EVA creates a very transparent environment providing more qualitative data to the shareholders about the organization’s performance and the use of the resources. It also provides a more qualitative decision making process in order to satisfy shareholder’s expectations.