Fame in Cinema and Television Essay

The â€Å"star phenomenon† began in theatrical advertising of certain actors’ names in the 1820s. It was not immediately transferred to Hollywood, nor to the many other film industries developing in parallel across the glove. Hollywood studios at first, from about 1909 to 1914, ignored â€Å"stars† – actors in whose offscreen lifestyle and personalities audiences demonstrated a particular interest. This was partly because of the costs involved in â€Å"manufacturing stardom† on a scale which the studies could translate into measureable box-office revenue, and for fear of the power which stars might then wield. Stars need all kinds of resources lavished on their construction such as privileged access to screen and narrative space, to lighting, to the care of costumers, make-up workers, voice coaches, personal trainers, etc. , as well as to audience interest through previews, supply of publicity materials, etc. Skillful casting is also important, though rarely discussed in work on stars, perhaps because it is seen to detract from the star’s own intentions in a performance. Key career decisions involve a star’s choice of casting agency or the choices made by a particular film’s casting director. Once established, the star system worked lucratively for the studios. Stars were used as part of the studio’s â€Å"branding† or promise of certain kinds of narrative and production values. They were useful in â€Å"differentiating† studios’ films. Stars were literally part of the studio’s capital, like plant and equipment, and could be traded as such. James Stewart, making an interesting comparison with sports celebrities, said once â€Å"Your studio could trade you around like ball player like when I was traded once to Universal for the use of their back lot for three weeks. † Stars’ large salaries, said to be due to nebulous qualities such as â€Å"talent† or â€Å"charisma†, worked to negate the powers of acting unions, who might otherwise have been able to calculate acting labor and ask for more equal distribution of profits (Branston and Stafford 2003). And stars have always functioned as a key part of Hollywood’s relationship to broader capitalist structures. In the 1930s, for example, over-production of manufactured goods had reached crisis point in North America, and the large banks funding Hollywood sought its help in shifting goods from warehouses to consumers. In addition to this, the celebrity is part of the public sphere, essentially an actor or, to use Robert Altman’s 1992 film characterization of Hollywood denizens, a â€Å"player. † In the contemporary public sphere, divisions exist between different types of players: politicians are made to seem distinctly different from entertainment figures; businesspeople are distinguished from sports stars. And yet in the mediated representation of this panoply of players, they begin to blend together. Film stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger share the stage with politicians like George Bush; Gorbachev appears in a film by Wenders; Michael Jackson hangs out on the White House lawn with Ronald Reagan; Nelson Mandela fills an entire issue of Vogue. The celebrity is a category that identifies these slippages in identification and differentiation. Leadership, a concept that is often used to provide a definitional distance from vulgarity of celebrity status, provides the last discursive location for understanding the public individual. The argument I want to advance here is that in contemporary culture, there is a convergence in the source of power between the political leader and other forms of celebrity. Both are forms of subjectivity that are sanctioned by the culture and enter the symbolic realm of providing meaning and significance for the culture. The categorical distinction of forms of power is dissolving in favor of a unified system of celebrity status, in which the sanctioning of power is based on similar emotive and irrational, yet culturally deeply embedded, sentiments (Marshall 1997). Of course, depending on the type of media where actors and actresses appear, their power and charisma varies. In addition to this, depending on the type of media used, individual’s star quality or qualities of being a celebrity varies. On television, an individual can become a star without ceasing to be his or her anonymous self, because the medium celebrates innocuous, domestic normality. Once on the â€Å"The Tonight Show† Jack Paar maddened the studio audience by attentively quizzing one of its number and ignoring Cary Grant, who’d been planted in the adjoining seats. As well as a practical joke, this was a boast of television’s license to bestow celebrity on those it promiscuously or fortuitously favors. But the medium can just as easily rescind that celebrity. Obsolescence is built into the television star, as it is into the sets themselves: hence those mournful commercials for American Express in which the celebrities of yesteryear- the man who lent his croaky voice to Bugs Bunny or a candidate for the Vice-Presidency in 1964- laud the company’s card, which restores to them an identity and a televisibility they’d forfeited. The game show contestants experience this brief tenure of television celebrity- Warhol’s fifteen minutes- at its most accelerated. But in order to quality for it, they have to surrender themselves to the medium. Their only way of winning games is to abase themselves, feigning hysteria on â€Å"The Price is Right,† exchanging sordid confidences on â€Å"The Newlywed Game,† incompetently acting out inane charades on Bruce Forsyth’s â€Å"Generation Game. † The cruelest of the games is â€Å"The Gong Show,† where one’s span of celebrity may not even extend to fifteen seconds. More or less, untalented contestants sing, dance, juggle or fiddle until the inevitable gong sends them back to nonentity. For some, the gong supervenes immediately. They’ve been warned this will happen, and coached to disappear with dignity, but are expected to go through with their act all the same and suffer their condemnation. Even a few seconds of television fame is worth the price of one’s self-esteem. The show pretends to be a talent quest, but is a smirking parody of that. The hosts on the game shows are, for similar reasons, parodies of geniality. A host soothes his guests and smoothes obstacles out of their way. But in homage to Groucho, the comperes subject their victims to a ritual humiliation, and their patter keeps the game-players throughout flinching and ill-at-ease (Conrad 1982). Television is good but may not be ideal for preserving important works. On the other hand, a good film can be shown anywhere in the world where there is an audience. Furthermore, the cinema will turn actors and actresses into stars. There are many well-known television actors and actresses, but they have no international fame like their big-screen counterparts. Films together with film magazines contribute directly to the formation of a star system and its attendant mythology. The stars perceived themselves to be, and were in turn also used as, icons for a modern lifestyle, especially fashion (Zhang 2005). They are given greater chances to achieve or receive international awards and become known not only in a particular state but to the whole world, unlike in the case of television stars. Those famous actors who appeared on television ten years ago have now vanished due either to lot or disintegrated videotape or a lack of interest by the contemporary audience. In Africa, there was a necessity to build more cinema theaters, instead of enforcing further use of television, because it was helping them to maintain a viable film industry. In Iran, they have more than 150 cinema houses. Their industry if progressing because they have a loyal audience who make it possible to recuperate money invested in production, which in turn is invested in the making of new films (Ukadike 2002). As a whole, it can be said that fame in cinema is more lasting than fame in television. In addition to this, the stars or celebrities appearing on cinemas rather than on televisions are the ones who are more favored by producers and stockholders. Moreover, they are preferred than the television stars to be used in magazines, especially if it is an international magazine. As such, the lifestyle of actors and actresses in cinemas are greater than those who only appear in television shows. The cinema industry as well as its actors and actresses are greatly favored and nowadays, more specifically preferred by a good number of the countries. Bibliography BRANSTON, GILL and STAFFORD, ROY, The Media Student’s Book (USA: Routledge, 2003). CONRAD, PETER, Television (USA: Routledge, 1983). MARSHALL, P. DAVID, Celebrity and Power: Fame in Contemporary Culture (Minneapolis: Regents of the University of Minnesota, 1997). UKADIKE, NWACHUKWU FRANK, Questioning African Cinema (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2002). ZHANG, ZHEN, An Amorous History of the Silver Screen (London: University of Chicago Press, 2005).

Superstition Essay

English Composition Dr. Linfoot 30 September 2010 Worried Sick Believe it or not most of us are affected by some form of anxiety in our everyday life. Weather it is being shy when talking in front of a large audience or worrying about a big paper you have to write for your English class. These are both common forms of anxiety related issues. Though neither is very severe both can be attributed to a manifestation of anxiety. It is believed that it is normal for everyone to experience a mild amount of anxiety during their lifetime. Common mild anxiety can be attributed to the stresses of everyday life. Anxiety diagnosis is at an all time high and is the number one mental health problem throughout the world. Anxiety affects more than twenty million people worldwide. The physical effects of anxiety and its disorders can range from being very mild such as being stressed out, all the way to severe and debilitating. Anxiety disorders can become so chronic and debilitating, that just getting out of bed in the morning can be difficult for a person suffering from a form of an anxiety disorder. Anxiety does not discriminate it affects every race, ethnicity, gender and social class. Nobody is immune to it. A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears† (qtd. In Root 1). Anxiety is an uncontrollable persistent feeling of dread, fear and worry. Anxiety can be attributed to a stressful or traumatic event that took place previously in a persons life. The early warning signs and symptoms of anxiety related disorders start with worrying excessively about minor matters. Mo re severe symptoms include muscle aches, tension and spasms along with shortness of breath and heart palpitations. People diagnosed with anxiety related disorders often experience other mental health problems such as depression. Depression caused by anxiety is often coupled with some form of substance abuse. Women are also statistically at a greater risk of developing an anxiety related disorder. There are six scientifically classified categories of adult anxiety related disorders. The most common anxiety disorder is known as generalized anxiety disorder. General anxiety disorder is usually developed before the age of twenty. Symptoms of this disorder include persistent uncontrollable worrying that lasts longer than six months at a time. Eighty percent of people with this form of anxiety are also diagnosed with depression as well. Panic disorder is another form of anxiety. Panic disorder is also known as panic attacks. During a panic attack a person feels an intense feeling of panic and apprehension. Panic attacks happen often but sporadically and usually do not last longer than ten minutes. It is medically unknown what triggers panic attacks in people. Anxiety researchers suggest â€Å"These attacks are typically experienced out of the blue, and are not precipitated by a situational trigger†(Crits et al. 16). The most diverse category of anxiety disorders are phobias. Phobias are inexplicable and illogical fears of a particular object, class of objects, or situation. People suffering from phobias worry about what will happen when they come in contact with that particular object, class of objects or situation. Phobias can range from the fear of heights, to the fear of a certain animals. Social anxiety disorder is also known as social phobia. People with this disorder fear social situations or interactions where they are the center of attention. They fear embarrassing themselves in front of others thus increasing their own anxiety levels. In a social setting people suffering from social anxiety disorder tend to sweat and become visibly flustered. People with this disorder try and avoid these social situations all together and are usually always self conscious type people. I think one way or the other we all have our own manifestation of social anxiety, I know I do. Presently there is a handful mainstream television shows dedicated to documenting people living with obsessive compulsive disorder. Obsessive compulsive disorder is type of anxiety disorder where a person experiences repeated involuntary obsessions and compulsions. Involuntary obsessions and compulsions such as distracting ritualistic thoughts and behaviors. People suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder often spend hours a day performing their individual rituals. In a small number of cases people only suffer from a compulsion and not an obsession or vice versa. It is believed that obsessive compulsive disorder can be linked to superstition. Like superstition people with obsessive compulsive disorder tend to perform certain rituals in hopes of preventing bad things from happening to them. If left untreated obsessive compulsive disorder is known to be the most physically debilitating of all known anxiety disorders. Today post traumatic stress disorder is the most highly publicized form of all anxiety disorders. There are numerous service members coming back from both the present wars and being diagnosed with this disorder. Post traumatic stress disorder occurs as a result of experiencing a highly traumatic event such as combat, death, rape, abuse and so on. People suffering from post traumatic stress disorder often have flashbacks of that traumatic event. Flashbacks can often be triggered by something that reminds them of that traumatic event. People diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder often feel helpless from preventing the same traumatic event from occurring again. Without treatment people diagnosed with anxiety disorders often have difficulty ever leading a normal life again. There are a handful of treatment methods used by different doctors to treat anxiety disorders, but not all have been proven to be effective. Medications and psychotherapies are the two different categories of treatment methods for anxiety disorders that have proven to be most effective. The main form of psychotherapy used to treat anxiety disorders is cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy uses either individual or group therapy sessions to gradually expose a patent to his or her fears, obsessions or anxiety provoking situations. It may take several sessions for a patient to see any progression toward their goal of overcoming their anxiety disorder. By the end of the scheduled treatment therapists ultimate goal is to try and prove to the patient that their dysfunctional thought processes are unrealistic. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a slow process but has been proven to be the most effective form f psychotherapy used to treat anxiety disorders. Medication is only used in treating anxiety disorders if the patient showed little or no progress with therapy. There are several different brands of medications doctors can prescribe to treat anxiety disorders. But all brands commonly fall into three classes. The first class of medication prescribed by doctors is called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have proven to be very effective. The medication helps raise the patients level of serotonin in the brain. With continued use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors the patients overall sense of anxiety is reduced, and sense of well being is highly elevated. If selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors do not work for a patient, doctors then prescribe Benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines enhance the effects of natural neurotransmitters in the brain that calm and relax a person. Benzodiazepines produce a calm, almost sedative state. Benzodiazepines are highly effective but patients can become tolerable of the drug, therefore the drug is only used for less than two weeks at a time. The third category of medication is called Monoamine oxidase inhibitors or MAOIs. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are used by sufferers of anxiety disorders but only used in a medical setting. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are not intended for daily use. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are highly potent drugs and it is easy for a patient to overdose. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors require a strict diet and do not interact well with other drugs. Because of these restrictions and dangers monoamine oxidase inhibitors are not commonly used today. To me anxiety disorders are very similar to viruses like the common cold. Everybody gets them from time to time and they can be treated, but you are never completely cured from them. All the therapy and medication in the world will not help a person completely get over their anxiety disorder. But thankfully there is always help available. During the last forty years there has been significant progress in the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders. Today doctors are now far better able to diagnose and treat anxiety disorders. The number of people diagnosed with anxiety disorders has been skyrocketing over the last few decades. I am curious to know if the umber has been climbing because of better diagnosis methods, meaning in the past people went untreated. Or could it be because people are just fearful of where the world is possibly headed? Only time and more research will be able to tell. Even a small amount of anxiety if left untreated can build up and develop into a full blown disorder. Anxiety and its disorders need to be taken seriously. They are very serious illnesses and should always be addressed. Like I stated before, a small amount of anxiety from time to time is normal. It is how you deal with your anxiety that is most important. Works cited Crits, K. , Greg, J. , Efran, J. , Greunberg, A. , Felgoise, S. , Hayes, S. , . . . Lackie, B. (2007). Anxiety Disorders : A Practitioner's Guide to Comparative Treatments (Gosch & R. DiTomasso, Eds. ). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company, Incorporated. Retrieved from http://site. ebrary. com/lib/excelsior/docDetail. action? docID=10176162 Root, B. (2000). Understanding Panic and Other Anxiety Disorders (B. Root, Ed. ). MS: University Press of Mississippi. Retrieved from http://site. ebrary. com/lib/excelsior/docDetail. action? docID=10157894

A Kiss Before Dying- Summary and Analysis

A Kiss before Dying A Kiss before Dying  is a novel written in 1953 by  Ira Levin. It won the Edgar Award in 1954, for Best First Novel. The book was adapted twice for the cinema: first in  1956  and later in  1991. This novel summary is: Bud and Dorothy is a couple who in love happily with each other. They study at Stoddard College in Blue River. They belong together and one day Dorothy is pregnant. That is really bad time for them to have a baby this time, especially for Bud; the Bud’s future plan or dream will be uncompleted. Dorothy wants to get married: Bud doesn’t want.That means he must to leave the college and to struggle in real life and earn to family. Bud tries to persuade Dorothy to take some pills to eliminate the baby, and tells Dorothy if the pills don’t work, he will marry her. Dorothy tries the pills: they don’t work at all. Bud feel really worry because of Dorothy’s pregnancy; he may not get the good education he wants, t he proper jobs he wants or he will get a poorer paid jobs. He decides he needs to kill her, Dorothy! Bud plans to kill Dorothy really carefully, and prepared what need to be prepared.But his plans fails, and he starts to get more and more desperate, since the wedding day approaches in a hurry. He tries to set everything like the Dorothy’s ‘suicide. ’ On the wedding day, on the top of the building where the Marriage Bureau is, He pushes Dorothy off the edge, and it all looks like her suicide. After murder, Bud moves to Caldwell College. Bud and Ellen becomes lover and Ellen is Dorothy’s elder sister. Ellen goes to Blue River because of Dorothy’s suicide; she really wonders about her younger sister’s suicide.She wants to know obviously what really happened. She writes Bud a letter to explain the case. In Blue River, she narrows it down to two doubts which she will know later is innocent. Ellen gets to know one of the suspects that is Dwight Pow ell. He and Dorothy go out together, and one time she follows him home. He goes upstairs to get something and Bud is waiting for him upstairs. Bud kills Powell by shooting him with cold blood. Ellen leaps up the stairs and Bud tells Dorothy Powell tried to kill her. In Dorothy’s understanding that time, Bud is the hero.Later the same night she is dead. In the same year, he goes back home. He thinks about to kill the third daughter of Leo Kingship, Marion. In the other hand, he will gain the great benefits if he has Leo Kingship as a father-in-law. He moves to New York to know Marion. In a short time, she falls in love with him, because he knew everything about her surprisingly, and he wrote down a list of things about her. Suddenly, Gordon Gant appears in New York. Bud tells about his plans to Leo Kingship, but Gant doesn’t want to listen to Bud.But Bud changes his mind about hearing when Gant finds the list of things Bud wrote. One day, Bud went with Lei and Marion an d Gant to Leo Kingships Copperworks. They take a tour around the company. After that, Gant try to encounter Bud with the murder on Dorothy and Ellen: Bud rejects every accusing. They are threatening him by trying to push him near the copper smelter. At the final, he admits all and he falls into the smelter carelessly. The tragedy is here at the Leo Kingships Copperworks. The theme analysis A Kiss before DyingThe theme of the story is about betrayal and detective. The murderer, who is Bud, tries to love each other with the ladies who are the Leo Kingship’s daughters. He wants to gain benefits from their father because they are rich. When they fall in love, he betrays the ladies; he kills Dorothy because she got pregnancy all at once. He is afraid if he doesn’t kill her, his future life will fall apart: he needs to leave the college, to find the job, or to work hard to treat her and the baby. He also betrays Ellen by to kill her because she saw he shot Powell in the buil ding.Ellen knows the secret, so she deserves death. Bud is good at investigating; he knows everything about his ladies by finding out the personal data. In the story, he tries to think how to do the trick on writing message by other person. In addition, Marion is better at investigating. She firstly wonders about her younger sister’s death and she try to find out. At last, she knows everything about the death that is not a suicide: it is the murder. The kingships try to investigate and they get it at last. The Style analysis A Kiss before DyingThis novel, A kiss before Dying, is written by using easy and modern language style with dialogue, which makes the readers busy and interested. The readers can understand easily the story and the language can capture the readers’ mind because it is modern. The novel is divided into three parts called  Dorothy,  Ellen  and  Marion, which are divided into chapters from 1 to 15 in each part. The author uses personal narratio n to narrate the whole story. The perspective is alternated between different characters. The author sets some interested detective scenes in the novel, also thriller scenes in each part.And there is none of the gratuitous violence and gory detail that readers expect from thrillers novel. Personal Response A Kiss before Dying Firstly, I need to read this novel in the class and I start to read it with the lukewarmness because it is pretty thick book. When I read it for four to five pages of book, I feel it is a bit fun. So, I continue read it all. In the story, I really sympathize Dorothy and the baby because they are killed pitifully. They didn’t do anything wrong, especially the baby; the baby does nothing.In my understanding, Marion is really clever; she investigates and tries to find the truth and she got it at the final. Bud is heartless, he kills the innocent. I strongly like this writing style of this novel: it is divided in many parts many chapters. The can read only o ne or two chapters and pause and do other thing and I can back to read again. The thrillers make me fun and scared sometimes. I feel pity for the Kingships. The Kingships daughters were killed. And Bud deserves falling into the smelter because he did many really bad things to other. Glossy Word dapted – changed in order to improve or made more fit for a particular purpose couple –   a pair who associate with one another pregnant – carrying developing offspring within the body or being about to produce new life struggle – an energetic attempt to achieve something persuade – cause somebody to adopt a certain position, belief, or course of action twist somebody's arm eliminate – terminate, end, or take out suicide – a person who kills himself intentionally smelter – an industrial plant for smelting tragedy – an event resulting in great loss and misfortune

Case Scenario 2 Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Scenario 2 - Case Study Example Although there is an excellent set of guidelines, they are somewhat dry and by themselves do not convey the urgency and relevance that they should, (Bailey& Burch, 2005). As a professional behavioural analyst, the codes of conduct prescribe a confidentiality clause that calls for the adherence to strict rules and regulations when it comes to revealing information about patients to third parties. Although this is the case, it is important on the other hand to keep records of the success stories of the well treated and recovered patients such as the one the former student asks. He treated a patient and he can be noted as one of the success stories in his career as the dilemma of data disclosure creeps in.Bailey & Burch, (2005) are of the opinion that it is inhumane for a professional to misuse and maltreat a patient who is not aware of his rights and privileges and hence cannot speak up as in this case, the parameters of the situation being the client whose guardian is portrayed as too hectic to be disturbed with matters that involve the disclosure agreements of the successful patient treated with aggressive behavior issues.The former behaviour analyst student, now in the professional field has faces a dilemma in the disclosure agreements that were not mention when the treatment began in the approvals signed. The Basis of the Conflict There is conflicting interests and unclear standards as the practisingbehaviour analyst is torn between the interests of the client as well as the interests of his career advancement in the publication of his success story of the patient involved. This conflict of interest of the two parties is based on the assumption that the guardian is too busy to be disturbed on signing the relevant documents that can be drafted to allow the professional to use data from the successful treatment of the patient in a publication. There are high chances that the guardian will not be able to read such a publication but on the other hand runs the ris k that the case might generate so much public interest that the guardian will be forced to spare some time and get to know the contents of the publication. It is also eating the conscience of the former student that he might be breaching professional ethical conduct in releasing the data to the public bearing in mind that there was no disclosure agreement signed prior to the treatment as well as there was no intention to use the data for such purposes. Available options At this point, the former student has the option of going ahead to use the data without the consent of the client and in case the publication generates a heated debate and the disclosure agreements come under scrutiny, he should be ready to face the consequences of his actions. On the other hand, the publication could be a basis to elevate his career and gain more clients. He also has the option of tracking down the guardian and sweet talk him to create time to draft and sign the necessary disclosure agreements befor e the publication is done. This will avoid the legal tussles that may ensure if the client finds his rights violated while on the other hand it is a long and tedious process that will involve costs to the lawyers. He also has the option of letting go of the publication but as well include the necessary disclosure documentation in any other treatment of the next patients. This will ensure that any other conflicts of interests will not arise. Best Course of Action and Outcome The best

The Reliability of Structures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

The Reliability of Structures - Essay Example Natural structures are those that are not built by people. Their occurrence takes place naturally. On the other hand ‘manufactured structures’ are usually built by people. Many of the manufactured structures are modelled in accordance to some natural structures. Structures when are classified on the basis of their design, categories like ‘mass structures’, ‘layered’, ‘frame structures’, ‘shell structures’ etc. are found. Mass structures are built by piling up similar materials to reach a specific design or shape. Coral reefs and mountains are some of the examples of natural mass structures. On the other side dams, brick walls and sand castles are mass structures that are built by people. A major advantage of mass structures is that their strengths are little affected if some small parts are lost. Mass structures are often found to be having a ‘layered’ look. For instance, pyramids of Egypt are having a layered structure. There are four major factors that are important in order to avoid failure. First of all the structure has to be heavy enough so that it stays in place. Secondly structure must not be so heavy that it affects the earth unevenly. Thirdly the structure has to be thick enough so that one cannot make out of place and finally it must be anchored tightly. Another important type of structure is ‘frame structure’. In case of this structure there is a skeleton which is built of strong materials. This skeleton is then filled with other materials that support the overall structure. Some of the examples are partition walls, load-bearing walls. Shell structures, on the other hand are the structures in which the shape of the structure is kept without any frame or even solid materials inside the structure. The strength and rigidity of this type of structure is dependent on a thin outer layer of materials. Thanks to its

Hamlet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Hamlet - Essay Example It seemed to me that he was different from Oedipus or Macbeth in that he did not jump into thoughtless action. I searched for the possible reasons for this and interrogated the differences in the notion of tragedy among these heroes. Apparently, Hamlet was different from the others because he was faced with serious domestic problems soon after he returned home from the University. The learned Prince took the world seriously and tried to comprehend it to the fullest, and to his utter dismay discovered that time was out of joint. I focused on the specific pattern in which Hamlet tried to discover the truth and the ways in which he tried to avoid action. I searched for the possible reasons for his ambivalent relationship with his mother Gertrude and lady love Ophelia, and a specific pattern evolved with which I could argue that Hamlet’s inaction did not show his inability, and that it was part a well thought out plan of action which the Prince had conceived. The paper revolves around the idea that Hamlet’s inaction was related to the careful study of the situation at hand which he had to resolve. It is argued that instead of jumping into thoughtless action like Oedipus or Macbeth, Hamlet took as much time as possible to interrogate the existential questions he was faced with and realized that the state of the world did not adhere to any idealistic notion. Hamlet’s quest for truth is not something that would lead to a happy state of affairs. He realizes that he is doomed to be a tragic hero whose actions can only result in irrevocable sorrow. The paper introduces the psychoanalytic readings that have established the possible reasons for the procrastination of Prince Hamlet and goes on to analyze the Apollonian and Dionysian traditions in the Greek culture. In this section, Hamlet is seen as possessing more of the Apollonian elements in contrast with Oedipus, who

Answering the question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Answering the question - Essay Example This passage indicates that the playwright for â€Å"Frozen† did not merely take a story or ideas, which can be re-resented with originality (like a re-telling of a classic fairy tale) but rather used words that someone else had written, enough words to fill a very short essay, and simply copied them. This copying is across a line. There are people who make their living by writing, and that is real work that demands real respect. Clearly Lewis was earning money from her book sales, and the writer of the magazine piece was being paid for her work as well. The playwright thus had no right to simply steal their language. Everyone in any kind of schooling knows the difference between plagiarism and acceptable usage, and ways to avoid plagiarism such as re-phrasing to not steal someone else’s words, or providing citation, which were both offers available to the playwright had he chosen to follow them. Furthermore, if he felt that he desperately needed those lines for his artistic achievement, the playwright could have contacted either writer for their consent, but obviously chose not to. The use of the exact same language as someone else has used is nothing less than theft. Themes, story outlines, characteristics of characters, these are all things that exist outside of an artist once they put their product into the world, but the words someone has written are sacred. Or should be at

Technical Complexity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Technical Complexity - Essay Example This implies that technical complexity best works with continuous process technology as its whole process is fully mechanized. Automated machines get to control continuous process production indicating that its outcomes are high predictable. Continuous-process technology represents the height of technical complexity. Organizations with increased technical complexity are taller and have a wider span of control. Technical complexity enables the increase of hierarchy levels in the organization. Technical complexity ensures that small-batch technology requires three levels of management. With technical complexity, continuous-process technology requires six levels of hierarchy while mass production requires four levels (Daft, 2010). Technical complexity also affects the span of control and decision making for organizations using different technology. The span of control gets narrowed for small-batch technology while wide for mass production with incorporation of technical complexity. Technical complexity decentralizes decision making for small-batch technology while it widens that for mass production. Technical complexity also impacts on the nature of the organizational structures for the different technology. Mass production requires a mechanistic structure while small-batch and continuous process t echnology require organic

How Buy USA Helps Exporters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How Buy USA Helps Exporters - Essay Example The website has great presence across the country with offices in almost every region. This huge nationwide presence allows businesses from any region in the US to sign up to connect with potential clients. Buy USA gives business owners in the US a great opportunity to expand their businesses and put them on the international map. This expands the market for the businesses and enables them to maximize their profits with a lot of ease. It is a US commercial Service aimed at helping businesses find potential clients and meet new partners on the international level. Companies outside the USA can also find the website very useful in locating appropriate suppliers for their goods and services. Buy USA operates in about eighty countries across the world creating a very huge market for businesses to interact and share their products and services. Apart from connecting businesses to potential clients and business partners, Buy USA provides a wide range of services to both current and potential exporters, making it one of the leading commercial services in the country. The websites contains links to other equally essential business websites such as export.gov (www.export.gov) which has numerous resources about conducting an export business, and Commercial News USA (http://www.thinkglobal.us/) which offers businesses the latest news in the international market. Both new and experienced businesses in exports can benefit a great deal from using Buy USA. With a wide range of connection in about eighty countries, established export businesses can use these connections from Buy USA to rapidly increase their operations on the international scene, while new businesses can have a good foundation to start from with a great prospect of future growth and expansion. Among the services offered to new businesses that want to start exporting i nclude provision of relevant business and legal information, business advice, and advice on international logistics. New businesses can use this information to strategically plan their entry in to the international market. Lack of information and legal huddles have been stumbling barriers for small businesses to sell their products on the international scene but the services provided by Buy USA have greatly simplified that. With offices in over one hundred cities in the country, Buy USA is dedicated to ensuring growth of small businesses through provision of information and business advice to set them off to the international market. Established businesses can also benefit from services such as the latest international news, new links to customers and business partners, legal assistance, trade show experiences among others. Using Buy USA is a great way to market your business on the international scene. Established businesses can use this easy way to market their goods and services to the outside the US and reduce their marketing expenses on physical marketing (Joshi, 2005). The website enables businesses to maximize their profits by exporting their goods and services to a ready market outside the US. Buy USA is one of the most trusted agencies helping businesses in America and its growing popularity is set to benefit so many businesses, both big and small. Buy USA serves businesses in diverse industries ranging from agricultural, service businesses, manufacturing among others. Any company can join in and locate other businesses in the same industry for partnership or business deals. Potential clients for Buy USA include small and medium enterprises who may not afford the

Finance Problem Solving Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Finance Problem Solving - Assignment Example Therefore, Amber has a net working capital of $200 and a current ratio of 1.20. This indicates that the company will be able to pay any short term obligations that arise unexpectedly due to some investment in the working capital. On the other hand, Barbie has no current assets, but has $600 worth of current liabilities. Therefore, Amber has a net working capital of negative $600 and a weak current ratio. This indicates that the company will not be able to pay any short term obligations that arise unexpectedly due to no investments in the working capital. Amber Barbie Current Assets $1,200 $0 Current Liabilities $1,000 $600 Net Working Capital $200 ($600) Current Ratio 1.20 0.00 Therefore, it is important for a corporation to invest some of its funds in the financing of the working capital. A company must be able to pay its creditor when payment becomes dues, and possess ample inventory and cash to ensure the smooth functioning of the company. Question 4 A firm achieves optimal level of working capital only when the constituents of the working capital achieve optimal position. The company must have a favorable level of inventory determined by the economic order quantity. It must work upon optimal lead times that ensure no shortfall and no excess inventory at any point in time. This will ensure minimum costs association with the inventory handling. Likewise, the company must forecast future cash inflows and outflows, risk tolerance and borrowing capability to ensure an optimal cash level. An excess surplus must be invested in short term securities, whereas a shortage must be immediately handled with an overdraft with the bank. Similarly, the company could determine its advantageous day’s sales outstanding which will allow it to make an effective policy toward the management of its receivables. (Brigham and Gapenski 1988) Question 6 The matching principle of the working capital financing states that the non-current assets and permanent current assets must b e financed by long term debt; whereas fluctuating current assets must be financed by short term debt. (Brigham and Gapenski 1988) For instance: A retail store balance sheet shows inventory, cash, account receivable and fixed assets. At any point in time, this store has a minimum amount of all current assets which becomes a part of the permanent current assets. Therefore, according to this matching principle, these permanent current assets and fixed assets are to be financed by long term debt. There is low cost associated with this technique as most of the assets are finance low interest long term debt. Likewise, it results in a higher profitability as interest expense is low in this strategy. It also provides the company with more liquidity and a better current ratio. (Brigham and Gapenski 1988) Problem 17-3 Company A Company B Current Assets $1,400 $960 Current Liabilities $900 $600 Net Working Capital $500 $360 Current Ratio 1.56 1.60 Company A appears to be more liquid as compare d to company B. This is because it has a higher net working capital. Even though company A has slightly lower current ratio, it holds more of its assets in the liquid form. Problem 17-6 a. Working Capital = $160 b. Net Working Capital = Current Assets – Current Liabilities Net Working Capital = $160 - $170 Net Working Capital = ($10) c. The company is following a very aggressive approach to working capital financing. This is indicated by a low net working capital; which shows that all of the current assets –

Lahad Datu Essay Example for Free

Lahad Datu Essay A senior police officer met the elder brother of the man who led a group of about 200 Sulu gunmen to occupy Kampung Tanduo in Lahad Datu two months before the February incident. Former Sabah Special Branch deputy chief Senior Asst Comm Zulkifli Abd Aziz said he met Datu Esmail Kiram in late December 2012. He told the High Court here that he met Esmail, brother of the self-styled Sulu sultan Jamallul Kiram, for a cup of coffee and to get to know him. Questioned by counsel Ram Singh, he said Esmail did not reveal plans by the so-called Royal Sulu Force to occupy Tanduo. Instead, Zulkifli said Esmail asked for his help to look for investors to develop his 1,600ha land in Mindanao into an oil palm plantation. Zulkifli said he contacted Esmail on Feb 12 to obtain the telephone number of his younger brother, Datuk Agbimuddin Kiram, the leader of the Sulu gunmen. Ram: I put it to you that you and the Special Branch were aware of the possible Sulu gunmen intrusion into Sabah as early as December 2012. Zulkifli: No Zulkifli said he was only alerted of the intrusion when he received a call from a duty officer at the Sabah Command Control Centre on Feb 12. Zulkilfli was testifying at the trial of D/Korp Hassan Ali Basari, 58, who was accused of intentionally omitting to give any information relating to terrorist acts between January and March 3 at the Special Branch office in the Lahad Datu police station in relation to the Sulu gunmen intrusion. The charge under Section 130M of the Penal Code carries a jail term of up to seven years or a fine or both upon conviction. Questioned further by Ram, Zulkifli said he cracked jokes and distributed cigarettes to ease a very tense situation when he met Agbimuddin and other gunmen in Kampung Tanduo. There were three meetings between Feb 14 and 16 for tactical intelligence purposes apart from trying to convince the group to leave. I cracked a few jokes to liven up the situation by promising to bring them fried chicken and pizzas. And to allow us to take pictures of them, I told them to smile for the camera because their photos might appear in newspapers the following day, he added. To another question, Zulkifli said Sabahans were generally more knowledgeable about the Sulu claim over the state than other Malaysians.

Consumer Ethics Essay Example for Free

Consumer Ethics Essay In this paper I will express my opinion on the thought that some marketers say that targeting any group of consumers who are willing and able to purchase a product is simply good marketing. I will discuss why I believe that this is a good marketing technique. I will also discuss whether or not I think it is important for college students to study the topic of consumer ethics. Good Marketing? I believe that it is a smart marketing technique to target any group of consumers who are willing and able to purchase a product even if it is fatty foods and soft drinks being marketed towards children. The reason that I believe this is because it is the marketer’s job for a company to get consumers to purchase the product that they are advertising. Although it may be morally wrong to target children for products like candy, they are most likely the group who will either be purchasing this product or influencing their parents to purchase it. This is why I believe it is a smart strategy for marketers, although it may be slightly questionable. Consumer Ethics I believe that it is important for college students to study consumer ethics. The reason that I believe this is because in order for us to fully mature as adults I think that we need to learn how to be completely ethical in all aspects of life, including being a consumer. Consumer ethics can teach us about software piracy, which I believe is a huge problem with many college students who illegally download music and films. I believe that this can help us in our lives so it is important for college students to learn about consumer ethics. This is why I think college students should study consumer ethics. Conclusion In this paper I discussed my feelings on two different topics. The first topic was about questionable marketing tactics, which I believe can be effective and is a good way to market. The second topic I expressed my views on was consumer ethics, and whether or not college students should study it. The main reason that I said college students should study consumer ethics is because of music piracy and how popular it is among college students. These are my feelings on these two important subjects. Bibliography Schiffman, Leon G., Leslie Lazar Kanuk, and Joseph Wisenblit. Consumer Behavior. Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, 2010.

Is Customer Relationship Marketing Strategy Justifiable?

Is Customer Relationship Marketing Strategy Justifiable? In recent years retail banking services have universally adopted relationship marketing / customer relationship marketing strategy as their strategic priority; is this justified in the light of experience and current financial service market place. Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1: Introduction Retail Banking is an evergreen business sector and the potential for innovation is limitless. The increased awareness of the bankers that the customers are the back bone of any business and the stiff competition in the banking sector through the increased penetration and expansion of finance and non-finance organizations venturing into this areas of banking has created an awareness that retaining and serving the existing customer is more critical than searching for potential new customers. This report analyses the extent to which the retail-banking sector is deploying the potential of customer relationship marketing strategy as a strategic priority to develop their business and serve the customers. The report focuses on the fact whether the extensive use of Customer Relationship Marketing strategy in the retail banking sector business is justifiable or not. 1.2: Aim and Objectives The aim of this report is to analyse whether the increased use of Customer Relationship Marketing strategy by the retails banking sector and financial institutions as a core strategy is justifiable or not. This is achieved through the following objectives. To analyse the growth of retail banking sector and the criticality of information in the retail-banking sector and the financials institutions in general. To analyse the effects of using Customer Relationship Marketing strategy and the advantages of Customer Relationship Marketing in mining information in providing a second to none customer service by the banks. 1.3: Background for the study The increased use of Internet banking and numerous tools for customer service by the banks in the UK is the primary reason for the conception of this report. Alongside, the fact that accurate information about the target customers in any business market is the critical factor for the success of an organization is that business sector. Apparently, banking sector is one of the numerous sectors that faces the public on a day-to-day basis and almost every individual in the society is linked with a bank in one form or another which gives the bank an increasing potential to develop their business and investment through identifying potential customers whilst retaining the existing customers. 1.4: Research The research is primarily supported through the use of secondary data like journals, annual reports, textbooks and white papers. The information provided by the journals about the market and the use of Customer Relationship Marketing strategy by banks is concrete and the need for funding to conduct market research either through questionnaire or other methods of primary data collection is the reason for choosing the secondary data source. It is worth mentioning that the information contained in the journals and documents are second to none since the academic journals used in their report are from highly reputed institutions, which publishes reports and papers that are world renowned and valued by numerous academicians. 1.5: Scope of the research The research is primarily focused on the banks in the retails banking sector in the UK. The focus group is the market for the banks in the UK and the different needs of the general public like loans, mortgages, deposits etc that the banks try to mine through the Customer Relationship Marketing strategy. 1.6: Chapter Overview Chapter 1: Introduction This is the current chapter that introduces the report objectives to the reader. Chapter 2: Customer Relationship Marketing in the UK This chapter presents an analysis of the Customer Relationship Marketing strategy and concepts in the business focusing on the UK business sector in general. The advantages of Customer Relationship Marketing strategy in achieving greater customer service are discussed. This is followed by a brief analysis of the use of Customer Relationship Marketing by the banks in the UK. Chapter 3: Retail Banking sector in the UK In this chapter the growth of retail banking and the importance of information in the Banking sector are analysed. This is followed by an analysis of the increasing competition and the bank’s use of information about customers to enhance customer service and identity new customers in the market. The concept of Customer Relationship Marketing initially presented to the reader in the previous chapter on a general perspective is analysed in light of the retail banking and the use of Customer Relationship Marketing as a core strategy by the banks in UK. The analysis is supported with examples of specific organizations in relevant sections of the chapter. Chapter 4: Conclusion and recommendation In this chapter, the results achieved so far are discussed against the objectives and then a conclusion is derived from this discussion. Furthermore, a few constructive recommendations for further research and analysis in this topic are provided to the reader. Chapter 2: Customer Relationship Marketing in the UK Customer Relationship Marketing is increasingly used by many organizations in the UK. The fact that the customer is the central element of a business is the major reason for the increased use of Customer Relationship Marketing strategy by organizations in order to serve their customers efficiently and effectively. The first section provides a general overview of the Customer Relationship Marketing concept to the reader. 1.2: What is Customer Relationship Marketing? Frances Brassington and Stephen Pettitt (2003) speak about relationship marketing as â€Å"A form of marketing that puts particular emphasis on building a longer-term more intimate bond between an organization and its individual customers†. This is mainly due to the never-ending battle of retaining the existing customers and to identify new customers for leveraging revenue and gaining competitive advantage. In today’s highly competitive environment the businesses are increasingly using new technologies and infrastructure to create the long-term relationship identified by Frances Brassington and Stephen Pettitt (2003). This form of relationship marketing is much more refined as Customer Relationship Marketing which is the method of identifying and satisfying the customer needs through efficient use of the resources and the customer information maintained by the company in order to establish a strong relationship with the customer and thereby achieving trust among the cus tomers. From the above definition it is apparent that the concept of Customer Relationship Marketing treats the customer as the primary element for the business and directs all its resources both material and human resource to serve the customer thus gaining competitive advantage in the business. The reason for the increased customer focus in the business is due to the simple fact that a customer is the end user of the product developed by the company and above all the source of revenue for the company, which can be generated only through effective sales and service. This is also intensified further due to the increased competition and the availability of a wide range of products to choose for the customer. The primary focus of Customer Relationship Marketing is on the customer information that the company holds which is analysed for in the light of the company’s goals, vision and mission in order to decide on how efficiently to serve the target customer by the company. This is vital for the reason that the accurate information about the target customer segment is the primary element for the success in the company’s venture in the business either new or existing. 1.3: Customer Service Since the concept of Customer Relationship Marketing embraces customer service, a brief overview of customer service is presented in this section. Philip Kotler (1988) says that the customer forms the backbone of any business. Alongside, it is also well known that customer service is not only for selling the product but the after sales service is what that actually counts in the service of the customers. The effective customer service as identified by Philip Kotler (1988) is mainly thorough improving timeliness in sales support and also by keeping the promise that was made to the customer at the time of sales. Alongside the critical associated with the servicing is costs associated with the services provided by the company to meets its customer needs and requirements. Apparently, a company cannot spend all of its revenue to customer service. Thus the need to maintain the balance between the efficient service and costs associated with the services provided is vital for the company’s success. Frances Brassington and Stephen Pettitt (2003) have identified the following as the three critical factors to be considered while designing the customer service strategy. Customer needs: The needs of the customer are the primary element for a company to promote its products to the customer in that target market. The need of the customer is also the primary factor customer to conduct search for the products that meets his/her needs. Customer situation: The situation of the customer is another critical factor while designing a product, which is essential to identify the customer’s affordability and his/her perception of the production the market. The situation is not only to analyse the customer situation but also to design the effective pricing strategy to meet the customer demands along with the plans to diversify the product range in order to reach more than one target segment of the market based on the quality and price of the products. Any special requirements for customers Special requirements for the customer vary with the kind of product being sold and the need of the customer with that product. In the banking sector for example, a customer applying for a personal loan may like the monthly payments to be charged from his account on a specific date of every month. This level of customisation apparently allows the bank to serve the customer more effectively as well as retain the customer by providing him/her with the desired amount of loan in this instance. The potential of information and knowledge about the customers and the requirements is the key for customizing the service. The three factors mentioned above can be identified only through efficient market research and knowledge of the customer and the target market. This is mainly through treating the information as a vital element for the business. The concept of Customer Relationship Marketing envisages the customer requirements and potential in new target markets through the efficient analysis of the information held by the company about its customer and markets. Alongside, the cost issues associated with the customer service is also drastically reduced with the Customer Relationship Marketing strategy because of the fact that the company initially identifies the right customer for its business and products through the Customer Relationship Marketing concept and thus the customer identified can be served effectively in the first instance itself such that the costs associated with the after sales service that arises mainly due to defects and problems faced by the customer due to purchasing the wrong it em from the market is reduced drastically. 1.4: Market Information and its role in Business In today’s competitive environment market information is critical for the successful promotion of a company’s product. This includes the banking sector as well where the target market is the personal bankers and individuals with a variety of needs. A company in order to maintain effective Customer Relationship Marketing strategy must gain information about its customers, their level of spending and other aspects of their purchase that will benefit the company by customizing the products much more to meet the needs of the customer. The customer information is collected through various methods or research and also through the use of Information Technology to acquire customer information. The customer information can be effectively gained while conducting the sales and receiving payments for the products sold. The use of Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) in the retail sector for processing payments as well as to communicate the company’s new products to the customer i s one such are to gain information about the market and the customer spending levels in the target market. Identifying the right customer is primarily through effective market research and identifying the potential markets for the company’s products. A bank for example in order to identify its customers must initially research on where to sell its products and then identify its customers through the information gained in the market research. The fact that Customer Relationship Marketing is mainly to promote the products of an organization to its target customers by identifying the customer need and relating it to its products and services makes Customer Relationship Marketing an essential element for a successful business. The Customer Relationship Marketing in the banking perspective is analysed in detail in the next chapter. 1.5: Why Customer Relationship Marketing? From the above discussions we find that the concept of Customer Relationship Marketing is very beneficial for a company’s prosperity and also fact that the business development in new areas is possible through efficient Customer Relationship Marketing in the target markets. But the question why do we need Customer Relationship Marketing is addressed in this section briefly. 1.5.1: Competition The increase in the competition in the UK business markets in the primary reason for the growth of Customer Relationship Marketing. The competition in the market is nearing the point of saturation due to the increase in number of competitors and the increasing awareness among the consumers about products and services. Apparently, a new means of identifying the potential customer in the market and conducting business is critical in the day-to-day business through customisation and quality or service. The financial services sector in the UK alone has seen a tremendous increase in competition with the expansion of non-financial organizations like retail store chains and other business organizations venturing into banking services through own brand credit cards, personal loans, insurance, etc. The competition in the market can be faced only through the effective employment of the information held by the competitors. 1.5.2: Innovation and Growth in Technology Through continuous innovation, the competitors in the UK business markets have invaded its customers through new products and services. The innovation level has also reached a level of saturation that the competitors are now depending on technology to leverage more potential in gaining the customer information so as to present their products in a more customised manner. Alongside, the growth in technology and especially information technology and its expansion in numerous areas of business has also created the opportunity for the organizations in the increasingly competitive environment to leverage the potential of information to identify new business markets and hence reach new customers. The result of the strive for the competitors to deploy the information more effectively in order to create a long term relationship with the customers has resulted in the conception of the Customer Relationship Marketing concept. 1.5.3: Internet and the competition from e-business The growth of Internet and online shopping portals were the first in the business to harness the potential of customer information to reach new markets and expand business. The Internet has broken the traditional barriers of shopping and business itself thus revolutionizing the entire concept of sales and marketing. A statistical Review conducted by Keynote says that the customers purchasing online have increased tremendously since 2001 and the growth is unlimited. The reason for the tremendous growth is that the organizations selling online acquire critical information about the customer’s likes and dislikes and send them with regular updates of their products, which suits their needs. The growth of Amazon especially through promoting their products by presenting the customer with a short list of related products and continuous e mail updates is the classical example for the success of the deployment of customer information in the current business market that is highly compet itive with target customers having a volatile mindset in deciding to purchase a product or service from a given organizations. In the banking and financial services sector in the UK, the growth of internet banking and the increase in customers applying online for financial services like insurance, loans, etc., has created a need for the bankers in the UK to practise Customer Relationship Marketing in order to identify the needs of the customer as well as attract new customers. In the next chapter this is dealt with in more detail with respect to the retail banking and the financial services market as a whole. 1.6: Product customisation: The increase in competition in business has forced the competitors in the UK business markets to present more and more customised products to meet their customer needs in order to retain the existing customer as well as identify potential new customers. The customisation of a product will be successful only through the efficient collection and deployment of the customer information and market information captured by the company. Again the cost issues associated with the customisation and the success of the customized product need the vital information about the customer needs and target market. In banking sector for example a customized loan offer or any other financial service offer is introduced only after extensive research in the market in order to successfully meet the customer needs in the target market. 1.7: Conclusion: From the above discussions in this chapter it is evident that for achieving success and gaining competitive advantage in a business sector, the competitors are increasingly using the potential of customer information and adopting Customer Relationship Marketing strategy to reach potential customers with their products as well as to retain their existing customers. Apart from the competition, the information gained also helps the organization to customize its products and services to its target customers in order to successfully promote the new products and services and effectively allocate its investments for service and production. In the next chapter the Customer Relationship Marketing concept in the light of banking and financial sector is analysed in order to establish whether or not the increasing use Customer Relationship Marketing strategy by the retail banks as a core strategy is justifiable. Chapter 3: Retail Banking sector in the UK The retail banking in the UK has seen tremendous growth in the past few decades. From only a handful of competitors in the 1950s, the banking sector in the UK now consists of many big players like Barclays, HSBC and numerous other banks that are operating at national and international markets. In the next section an overview of the growth in the banking sector especially the increase in the potential and the diversity of products are presented to the reader. 3.1: The growth of retail banking The banking sector in the UK has a century old tradition for serving its customers and stability in the business surviving through the world wars. From the late years of the twentieth century, the banking sector has seen tremendous growth in the UK. The traditional service of lending and deposits have changed into customised services and grown into many new areas of finance especially in the insurance sector as well as expanded the scope of their existing business through continuous customisation and innovation in their products and services offered. This is apparently due to the increased competition and the growing potential of the UK markets for credit cards and personal loans. The tremendous growth of the UK retail-banking sector is evident from its value in the whole European commercial banking market. The UK banking sector alone accounts for 23.9 % of the European commercial banking sector (Data monitor industry analysis on commercial banking sector of UK, 2003), which proves t hat the UK banking sector is growing tremendously. The report further says that the competition in the banking retail-banking sector is intense and the leading companies in the sector are Barclays Plc and HSBC Holdings Plc. A few examples of the Customer Relationship Marketing strategies and the timely execution of the business strategy by these companies are discussed in later sections. The keynote (2003) market report on personal banking says, â€Å"Personal banking is no longer a market exclusively occupied by banks†. This is obviously because of the entry of new competitors from other segments of the financial markets like the insurance companies venturing into the credit cards and personal loans market. Apart from the competition from other financial organizations there is potential growth in the banking industry with the entry of many retailers entering into the banking sector through insurance and other personalised services. This increase in the market potential and the competition in the market proves the tremendous growth of the banking sector in the UK and the penetration of other business sectors into the banking sector which makes it very clear that the traditional process of banking in the counters is long gone and the current banking industry is invaded by competitors from various segments of business other than the actual banks themselves. The process of banking itself has changed tremendously from the trivial paper based banking that was common in the 1970s and the 1980s into electronic banking system with the advent of plastic payment options through debit cards and credit cards and the Automated Teller Machines that can vend cash to the account holders like any other trivial vending machine in the high street. These areas along with the tremendous growth of technology has forced the traditional banks to meet the competition through the efficient use of Information Technology and other innovations in communications like the satellite communications, broadband, etc for the enhanced service to its customers in order to retain the existing customers as well as attract new customers to the banks. The growth in the banking process has primarily concentrated in enhancing the services offered to the customers rather than just treating the customers on the basis of their request on a case-by-case basis, which was the traditional way of banking system in the UK. Alongside, it is worth mentioning, that the innovation has primarily focused on easing the process of banking itself though introducing different channels of payments and also the plastic payment option on the internet and at retail stores which has increased security in transactions as well as prevents the customer from the risk of carrying large amounts of cash with them for shopping which was the case a few decades ago. From the above arguments, it is clear that the retail-banking sector has seen tremendous growth in the past decade and still growing with the increase in the number of competitors and the diversity of the competing organizations. In the next section, a brief analysis of the competition in the banking industry is presented to the reader before proceeding to the analysis of information and its critical nature in the banking sector. 3.2: competition and competitors in the retail-banking sector The retail-banking sector of the UK in the twenty-first century comprises of not only the banks but also competition from other financial organizations and non-financial organizations. The increase in the credit rich market of the UK citizens as well the increased borrowing of the customers has created vast potential for personal finance which is the primary reason for the venture of other organizations in to retail banking. The examples of such competition in the market include the personal finance and loans introduced by TESCO Plc and Asda Plc (A Wal Mart group of company) who are retail superstore chains by business. Alongside, the venture of insurance firms such as Norwich Union are increasingly competing with the high street bankers in the personal loans, savings and other financial services. Apart from the competition on the high street, the competition from the Internet bankers is another potential hurdle for the high street bankers. The increase in the Internet users and the potential of online banking systems eliminating the paper-base trivial banking service eventually increasing the speed of the processing as well as providing customised service to the customers is a major competition to the high-street bankers. Apparently, the web presence and online banking facilities provided by the high street bankers may be an answer to the competition but still the potential of the online customers and the ability to retain a customer over the internet banks is very difficult. 3.3: The potential of information and the Customer Relationship Marketing strategy From the arguments in the above sections we see that the banking sector is tremendously growing and the potential of the financial services offered is immense along with competition that is increasing in geometric progression. Apparently, the competitors in the retail-banking sector rely on the potential of information in order to compete in the market. From the discussions in chapter 2 it is clear that the accurate information about the target market and the customers is essential for a successful venture in the business. The banking sector with the increasing competition relies heavily on the potential of information to customize its products and services to reach new customers as well as retain the existing customers. The increased use of information to mine the consumer requirements is increasing the banking sector. A classical example is the announcement low rate personal loan offer by HSBC bank Plc, in the UK. The bank offered loans at the lowest possible interest rate of a high street bank during the New Year season, which is when a lot of people spend money on purchasing presents and extensive shopping. The strategy of the bank to keep the low rate offer open only to existing customers enabled the bank to attract new customers who were primarily interested in the low interest rate personal loans. Another example is that of Barclays Bank Plc which encourages its customers to choose online and telephone banking in order to speed up the processing time as well improve the service to the customers. The bank through encouraging its customers for telephone banking not only leverages a market share in the electronic banking sector but also effectively reduces the costs involved with the customer service since the bank need not employ a lot of people at the high street branches to serve its customers as well as reduce the expenditure on resources like stationeries etc. It is worth mentioning that both the afore mentioned banks have Internet banking facility and provide services for online bill payments as well as performing several transactions for the customers in a very secured and safe manner. A notable feature of the Barclays telephone banking system with the pass code is that the automated telephone banking system enables the customer to perform the transactions as well pay bills through the phone without even waiting to be served by a representative over the phone. This eventually reduces the costs associated with the service since the personnel employed by the bank is still lesser. Alongside, the rival HSBC has outsourced its call centres to India and has a vast human resource under its command to serve the customers in the UK. The bank serves it customers over the phone quickly and efficiently and the outsourcing of the call centre to India has saved the company a huge part of their costs since the labour costs is less in India when compare d to UK. The above two examples prove that the high street banks in the UK are increasingly using the Customer Relationship Marketing strategy not only to introduce new products but also to improve customer service. The increased use of Internet banking and the electronic services of the banks in the high street is a very good example for this argument. Apart from the afore mentioned facts the customers are served by the retail banks on other channels like the local branch banking, web transactions and customer service centres that provide efficient customer service. 3.4: Diverse Range of products The concept of customisation and diversity in the products are only successful when they are implemented targeting on the right segment of customers. The banks both on the high street and over the Internet offer numerous customized products for attracting the customers as well as improving the customer service in order to retain the existing customers. The introduction of loans for more personalised reasons like car loans, housing loans, etc on top of the personal loans, mortgage services and other financial services provided by the banks both over the internet and at the high streets justifies the arguments that the banks are increasingly customizing and diversifying their products in order to reach new customers as well as server the existing customers. This is achieved only through the efficient use of the customer information gathered by the Customer Relationship Marketing strategy and associated support systems by the competing banks (both traditional and new entrants). Alongside, the banking services provided by the retailers like TESCO, is primarily based on the information they gathered and accumulated over the years of service in the retail industry and identify the potential for the right kind of financial service to the attract its customers to the financial services as well. The fact that the idea of branding and the brand loyalty of the UK customers is the major factor for the venture of these organizations into personal finance. TESCO Plc is ranked number one among the retail superstore chains in the UK thus establishing itself as a retail brand among its customers. This brand image of TESCO supported by the information of its customer and target markets has given the organization the necessary information to venture into the financial services sector thus becoming a potential competitor to the traditional high street banks in the UK. The above arguments make it clear that the Customer Relationship Marketing strategy is widely deployed by the competitors in the retail-banking sector. Alongside, it is also evident that the increased level of customisation and customer service is achieved though the efficient use of the information gathered and deployed by the Customer Relationship Marketing strategy. In the next chapter, the justification whether of not to have Customer Relationship Marketing strategy as a core strategy in the banks is discussed followed by the conclusion. Chapter 4:Conclusion and Recommendation The discussions conducted so far in this report is analysed against the objective of the report in order to create a profound understanding among the readers. The objectives of the report are Objective1: To analyse the growth of retail banking sector and the criticality of information in the

Comparing Poems Salome, Hitcher, On My First Sonne and The Man He Kille

Comparing Poems Salome, Hitcher, On My First Sonne and The Man He Killed The poems, Salome, Hitcher, On My First Sonne and The Man He Killed all have similar themes. The menacing and threatening ideas that the poets used are all based around death. However, each poem has a different perspective on the word with different motives and emotions. The Man He Killed is about a man who talks of the experience he had of shooting someone and the regrets he has for it. He feels guilty, as he has no conceivable explanation for shooting the man. He talks of the similarities he and his foe had such as 'He thought he'd 'list, perhaps, Off hand like - just as I.' The use of hesitation and repetition show the threatening side of the story. It is almost as if he himself is trying to construct an image in his mind as not to make himself look or feel guilty or censurable. The use of colloquialism makes the image even more menacing as we do not understand greatly of this man. Originally, it could be perceived as an old man who regrets his actions in the past. It however, could also be seen as a man who enjoyed killing but must come up with an excuse to the reasons for killing him. 'My foe of course he was, that's clear enough, although.' The poem "Hitcher" has a character that expresses violence in a completely different manner. The poem is a monologue where the speaker casually admits to possibly murdering an innocent hitchhiker. The speaker tells us that he has been taking time off work - faking illness and not answering his phone. Being threatened with the sack, he goes in to work again and gets a lift to his hired car. As he drives out of L... ...he spot. Both of the poems are confusing and surreal as Hitcher is about the idea of jealousness compared to Salome, which is about the idea of hatred. Both The Man He Killed and On My First Sonne are menacing in a different way. They both are about guilt and empathy. The Man he Killed is a dramatic monologue of a man confessing to murder whereas On My First Sonne is an elegy to his Son. In On My First Sonne the man is desperate for the reason why his son was taken and feels pain and rage. When compared to The Man He Killed, he is looking for the reason for why he shot him but feels neither pain nor anger. All the poems show menacing and threatening ideas but are not all based around violence. The poets use technical methods to hide a story. They do this by using repetition of words, hesitations and enjambment.

Abraham Lincoln And Jefferson Davis Essay -- Compare Contrast American

Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis Works Cited Missing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this report I compare two great historical figures: Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, steered the Union to victory in the American Civil War and abolished slavery, and the first and only president of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis. Abraham Lincoln was the President of the Union, and Jefferson Davis struggled to lead the Confederacy to independence in the U.S. Civil War. Lincoln was treasured by the African Americans and was considered an earthly incarnation of the Savior of mankind (DeGregorio 20-25). On the other hand, Davis was both admired and hated. Lincoln had a different view of how the U.S. should be in abolishing slavery. Davis was a politician, president of the Confederate States of America, and also a successful planter. He had beliefs for the South to continue in the old ways with slavery and plantations. Both Lincoln and Davis had strong feelings for the protection of their land (Arnold 55-57).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Abraham and Jefferson Davis shared several differences and similarities. Lincoln was known to have an easy going and joking type attitude. In contrast, Davis had a temper such that when challenged, he simply could not back down (DeGregorio 89). Davis had been a fire-eater before Abraham Lincoln's election, but the prospect of Civil War made him gloomy and depressed. Fifty- three years old in 1861, he suffered from a variety of ailments such as fever, neuralgia, and inflamed eye, poor digestion, insomnia, and stress. Lincoln also suffered from illnesses during the war. He had severe cases of headaches and stress.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both presidents had a lot of pressure of them due to the fact of defending their region. Lincoln had difficulties growing up because of the deaths early in his childhood, poverty, and little education. Davis; however, studied at a Roman Catholic school in Kentucky and at Transylvania University, and entered West Point in 1824. Davis seemed to have had an outreaching environment to his success. The major difference, personality wise, was Davis's weakness in his inability to get along with other people where Lincoln was a well liked and easygoing man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both men shared a common bond in their education towards war. Davis served at frontier military posts and in the Black Hawk War before resigning in 1835. L... ...sident, we prospered in many ways. His actions brought about great challenges that he, and the following fathers of our country would go through. The combining of both races and more freedoms would stir troubles for many years to come. Although his actions stopped slavery, it didn't stop the harsh treatment of the black race which carried out for decades. Lincoln's Presidency was dominated by the war. The country was going through major changes socially and economically. Though Davis led the South through dramatic changes, no change has ever had more importance than the abolishment of slavery. Both the North and the South gained knowledge from this horrid experience of war. Lincoln's achievements—saving the Union and freeing the slaves—and his martyrdom just at the war's end assured his continuing fame. Both men have made their historical marks due to their great deeds, and ways they both sacrificed their devotion to shape our country. I agree with most historians that Lincoln had qualities that made him a great American statesman. His keen intellect, humor and boldness, and compassion all contributed to his presidency in unifying the nation and extending freedom.

Conformity in Society Exposed in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery Essay

Conformity in Society Exposed in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Lottery, a short story by the nonconformist author Shirley Jackson, represents communities, America, the world, and conformist society as a whole by using setting and most importantly symbolism with her inventive, cryptic writing style. It was written in 1948, roughly three years after the liberation of a World War II concentration camp Auschwitz. Even today, some people deny that the Holocaust ever happened. Jackson shows through the setting of the story, a small, close knit town, that even though a population can ignore evil, it is still prevalent in society (for example: the Harlem Riots; the terrorist attacks on September 11; the beating of Rodney King.) In The Lottery, year after year, even since Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was a child, the same ritual has gone on. It is as if the community never learns from its previous mistakes. As long as no one in the town speaks up about such a twisted yearly event, nothing is ever going to change. If Martin Luther King or Malcolm X wouldn’t have raised their voices against the prejudice that they had experienced their entire lives, we might still be living in a segregated world, which was once thought to be â€Å"okay.† This is similar to The Lottery, in which the townspeople are brainwashed into believing that this ritual is normal. For example, Old Man Warner is outraged when he hears that the north village might give up the lottery, calling...

Abortions: The Choice is the Woman’s

Abortion is one of the most controversial topics of this era. What is abortion? Abortion is defined as the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus resulting or causing the death of the fetus or embryo. The people who believe abortion is wrong and should not be allowed are called Pro-Life activist. Those who believe abortion is the woman’s choice because it’s her body are called Pro-Choice activist. Pro-life activists debate that all life at conception is precious and deserves a chance at life. They also believe that God not the mother chooses its time of life and death. Pro-choice followers often argue in favor of science and the United States Constitutional Ninth Amendment, which holds freedom of choice sacred (American Civil Liberties, 1997). They believe the first patient is the mother, and she is the one who allows the pregnancy to happen or not. The fact of the matter is if abortion is chosen to be banned people will find a way to have one done. To save this from happening abortion should be kept legal because its the woman’s right, pregnancies due to rape are not usually wanted, and if health related problems arise and the pregnancy can not continue. Women have fought very long and hard to have their rights. On January 22, 1973 the Supreme Court decided in its landmark decision of the Roe vs. Wade case to make abortion a legal action for all women (American Civil Liberties Union, 1997). Henry Wade was a district attorney from Dallas whom the Roe case was against (Lowenstein, 1996). When abortions were not legal the number of women who wanted or needed and abortions did not decrease. Before legalizing abortion thousands of women died or suffered serious medical illnesses after trying to do their own abortions, or going to non trained physicians who performed cheap abortions in unsanitary conditions (Abortion Law Homepage, 1996). A woman’s has a choice to say whether or not the fetus at hand is wanted. Though is not believed that abortion should be used as a form of birth control. Pro-Life activist believe that the unborn baby living between the 18th and 25th day after conception, this is when the heart starts. They believe the fetus has more rights than the woman because it can not speak for itself. This is often argued because Pro-Choice activist believe the baby is not considered a baby until it reaches the viability stage, which is 24 weeks. Pro-Life activists almost always call women who have abortions are murderers. Pro-Life activists, also call abortion clinics a butcher shop where babies are murdered. This is not true; they provide a place for a woman to have a safe choice. To say that a woman is not allowed to make a choice about her body defeating the purpose of her fight for her right. The AIG reported that there are about 90,000 rape cases reported yearly. Among those rape victims about five percent of them become pregnant, and from that 50% of them get abortions (Johnson, 2006). Why should rape victims be forced to keep a child resulting from rape? This is a question that some Pro-Life activists’ struggles with. A woman that has been raped should be able to have an abortion because keeping the child, would cause the mother the hate the child when the mother had a though about the rapist (Steinmetz, 1998). The child would constantly remind the mother of the pain she went through on that day. Although some Pro-Life activists believe that the woman should give the baby up for adoption if there is rape involved. Adoption is not acceptable because the woman would have to give birth to a child and then give it to a complete stranger. Most women are not able physically and mentally to give a baby up. The mother would have to pray constantly about the baby being placed in the best environment. The child will then have to be tossed from place to place in search for a family that wants them. Putting a baby up for an adoption is not always seen as the answer. Legal abortions not only protect a woman’s life but it also protects their health. There are thousands of women with kidney disease, heart disease, severe hypertension, sickle cell anemia, and severe diabetes, and other illnesses that can be life threatening, the availability of legal abortions has helped lessen serious medical problems that could have came from having a baby (Steinmetz, 1998). There have been several cases that a woman has chosen whether she dies or the baby dies. This is also another case that Pro-Life activist struggle with. They believe that if it God’s will for the unborn child, the mother, or both to die it will be done. Pro-Choice believes that God has blessed people with free will. To decide if a fetus is a human or a clump of cells is the choice of each individual walking throughout this land. Abortion remains a controversial topic among pro-life and pro-choice activists. As long as unwanted pregnancies continue to occur, abortions, more than likely, will also continue. In the end, however, it is the mother who has to live with the decision made. There is no way to say who is right and who is wrong. Abortion should be viewed as an anguished decision in which human beings struggle to do the best they can in trying circumstances.

Film Study Prince Essay

(1)According to Prince, what are the three core questions that â€Å"frame the essential attributes of cinema† and why are they important to consider in film studies? (6 points) 1) How do movies express meaning? It is important to consider in film studies because the basic tools of filmmaking help organize design of a film, and the filmmakers are able to express a range of meanings. 2) How do viewers understand film? It is important to consider in film studies because viewers understand film by applying different aspects of their real-life visual, personal, and social experience as well as their knowledge of motion picture conventions and style. Viewers respond to films when watching movies. 3) How does cinema operate as an art and business on a global scale? It is important to consider in film studies because commercial filmmaking operates as part of a global communications industry, which exerts considerable influence on film content and style. At the same time, filmmakers around the world represent their countries, heritages, and styles. Moreover, filmmakers today are greatly affected by the economic and commercial problems. These issues including art and business influence filmmaking greatly. (2)To Prince, what is the difference between film structure and film content? (4 points) Film structure refers to the audiovisual design of a film and some tools and techniques used to create that design. However, film content refers to the description of story, characters and theme of the film. (3)Discuss three factors that make the director the chief artistic authority in the filmmaking process? (6 points) 1) Preproduction is one of the factors because it involves the planning and preparation period such as writing of a script, hiring of cast and crew, production design of sets, costumes, and locals. 2) Production is another factor which includes the work of filming the script and sound recording of the action. 3) Postproduction involves the editing of sound and image in the film, composition and recording of the music score, additional sound recording for effects and dialogue replacement, creation of digital special effects, and color timing to achieve proper color balance in the images. These factors (the production process) make the director the chief artistic authority in the filmmaking process because the director coordinates and organizes the artistic inputs of other members of the production team, who generally subordinate their artistic tastes or preferences to a directors stated wishes or vision. (4)Discuss two reasons why Hunt thinks it’s important to study films. (4 points) According to Hunt, the key reasons to study film are the issues of power and empowerment. Studying film is empowering because the formation of cinema is about identity, such as our self-image, values, beliefs, and world views. When we realize the role media play in defining and shaping our identity, we can begin to more actively take charge of our own identity. (5)What are the three artistic modes of filmmaking and how are they different? (6 points) 1) Narrative fiction mode refers to an historical or cultural event that is familiar to many film-going spectators; however, the characters and the way they act are fictionalized. 2) Documentary mode represents â€Å"real people† participating in â€Å"real life† events; it illuminates the life situation and the situation may represent larger issues and ideas about life. 3) Experimental mode is the arrangement of artistic elements, edit and construct the story in unconventional ways in order to illuminate life experience. (6)Discuss the importance of the shot in the filmmaking process (you can draw from both Hunt and Prince for this answer). (4 points) A shot is important in the filmmaking process because it is the basic unit for constructing a film. A film is built on shot by shot basis like a book is constructed sentence by sentence. Films are composed of many shots that are joined together in the process of editing. In a completed film, a shot is the interval on screen between edit points, and it is important in the filmmaking process. (7)Explain how it is that human beings are able to see still images as moving. (5 points) Under the right conditions spectators will see apparent motion when no real movement has occurred. If a series of closely spaced light bulbs are illuminated in rapid sequence in a darkened room, a spectator will see a single light source moving across the room rather than a series of lights illuminated one after another. This phenomenon is called beta movement. When the intervals between a series of illuminated light are very small, the eye’s motion detectors encode this information as movement. The viewer sees a single travelling light or a galloping horse on screen.

Early marriage Essay

Early marriages are marriages that happen between people under the age of eighteen. Such marriages are spread all over Palestine. In particular, they occur in Palestinian rural rather than urban areas. These practices take place for several reasons. One very important cause is the religious definition of adulthood which is more related to physical and biological aspects rather than psychological and behavioral. Another essential purpose for this practice is the lack of adequate education. Moreover, sometimes it is caused by the negative social point of view that links between fertility and age for women. However, governments, nowadays, are working to decrease the practice of early marriage as it deprives girls from their major rights and causes many health consequences for them. One effect of the early marriage is that it takes away many of the girls’ major rights. Firstly, it deprives them from the right to continue their education. As an illustration, the majority of girls, especially those who live in rural areas, are forced to get married instead of persisting their education. Furthermore, this deprivation results in lack of knowledge on how to raise the children well. Secondly, being forced to marry at an early age does not allow the girls to choose their lifelong partner. Thus, it makes her more of a follower instead of taking her decisions by herself. Finally, girls who marry at a young age are often isolated from their society and friends. This means, most of the young wives do not have the right to communicate freely with their family and friends since the responsibilities does not allow them to do so. On my point of view, forcing young women to marry before they reach eighteen years old is a violation against basic human rights. Another possible effect of the early marriage is that it leads to some bad health consequences on the woman herself and on her children too. For example, young brides are expected to become pregnant at an early age and there is a strong connection between the age of a mother and affectionate mortality. To be specific, Girls ages l0-14 are five times more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth than women aged 20-24 and girls aged 15-19 are twice as likely to die .additionally, young mothers live greater risks during their pregnancies and suffer from many complications. For instance, they go through many dangerous conditions such as heavy bleeding, fistula, infection, anemia, and eclampsia which contribute to higher mortality rates  of both mother and child. In addition, early marriages may also lead to vulnerability to HIV/AIDS among young wives. To be particular, in Africa, Being young and female is a major risk factor for infection and young girls are being infected at a considerably disproportional rate to that of boys. Despite the fact that early marriages are sometimes seen by parents as a mechanism for protecting their daughters from HIV/AIDS, future husbands may already be infected from previous sexual encounters; so, it is a risk which is particularly serious for girls with older husbands. The lake of major rights and the physical consequences are some of the effects of early marriage that leads to a poor life to an innocent child. Therefore, there has to be more emphasis on the governments to convince people against it .However, families, nowadays, have recognized that young marriages are not good for children especially for girls. In addition, some concerned groups have actually tried to make new laws in countries so that the legal age of marriage will be raised to eighteen or more in order to save lives and create a better world for females.