Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Analytical Case Report on This Case Sucks Beavis,...

Written Analysis of Case Siddharth Malhotra | Section MC-8 | 0328/49 Analytical Case Report on This Case Sucks: Beavis, Butt-Head, and TV Content (A) The Case as it stands: Beavis and Butt-Head, an animated series, made its debut on MTV in 1992. The show features two uncivilized teen-aged misfits who became a symbol of a heated debate in the USA about violent and inappropriate television shows. The vulgarity, impoliteness, cruelty and pyromania of the featured characters has often been linked to juvenile crudeness, violence and deviant acts performed by teenagers. Objective of Report: This is an analytical report on the varied perception of the animated series â€Å"Beavis and Butt-Head† aired on MTV and the ensuing debate on the affect†¦show more content†¦| Problem Inference: We may suggest that in view of the high popularity of the show, the inherent assumption that the show should be pulled off air in view of its depiction of deviant behavior is might not entirely be correct. It is possible that the show is only bringing out deep set tendencies in the youth of today, which are not expressed in normal routine due to societal norms. The origin of these tendencies could be traced back to faulty upbringing during formative years or the presence of family instability, chaos and insecurity. Hence blaming a TV show for the rise of crime is not entirely correct, because television violence might just be acting as a vent for pre existing mindsets. Decision Analysis: Decision Objective: The short term objective focuses on promoting the show to continue as it has a cult following and simultaneously reducing the incidence of juvenile crime and incidence of antisocial and deviant behavior. In the long term the objective is to target the root of such criminal tendencies and improve overall quality of family life and provide children with the security, education and care during their formative years. Criteria (i) Ratings of the show: These give a fair idea about the demand for the show amongst the viewers and can be used to target the right audience and also place the show appropriate timings on TV. (ii) Incidence of crime amongst juveniles who watch TV violence: The crime rates should be

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Greek Tragedy Written By Euripides And Sophocles - 1150 Words

Sean Lucander World Drama English 3000 Dr. Martyniuk Paper #1 Greek theater production dates back as early as the sixth and fifth century BCE (Gainor, Garner, and Puchner 4). Greek tragedies written by Euripides and Sophocles are some of the most famous (Gainor, Garner, and Puchner 4). The tragedies written by these playwrights are well known and the audiences are able to enjoy the story and message portrayed by the actors and chorus. Greek theater designates tragedy as the result of: the demise of characters, by means of poor decisions, devastation and demise. According to Gainor, this destruction is known as â€Å"Tragic Flaw.† The character misunderstands and misinterprets actions or poor judgment (Gainor, Garner, and Puchner 6). Particularly Sophocles’ Oedipus vividly illustrates the concept of tragic flaw by means of fate, hubris, and decadence on multiple proportions. Greek culture is firmly rooted in the idea of Classical philosophy (Nardo 23). The Greeks believe one’s fate is pre-determined and cannot be changed or altered, is it just something you must accept. Within this principle of free will, one must make prudent, ethical decisions, and hope that the God’s (Greeks believe in polytheism) are sympathetic toward one’s misfortune (Nardo 23). Sophocles’ carefully incorporates the idea of having a prophecy as a recurring theme. The play begins with Oedipus who is a strong, admirable king. One day Oedipus was traveling to the city of Thebes. Arriving in Thebes,Show MoreRelatedThe Era of Greek Tragedy Essay2487 Words   |  10 PagesThe Era of Greek Tragedy In Athens, during the final thirty years of sixth century B.C. playwrights began creating the earliest drama in all of Europe, Greek tragedy (Sifakis, â€Å"Greek Tragedy†). Though now the products of the movement are seen as pieces of literature to be read, they originated as theatrical pieces meant to be performed on the stage. The tragedies were mostly derived from stories about their gods, such as Hades, Zeus and Nyx. In that time period, tales of these immortals wereRead MoreEssay Greek Theater1157 Words   |  5 Pages Ancient Greek Theater is the first historical record of â€Å"drama,† which is the Greek term meaning â€Å"to do† or â€Å"to act.† Beginning in the 5th century BC, Greek Theater developed into an art that is still used today. During the golden age of the Athenians plays were created, plays that are considered among the greatest works of world drama. Today there are thousands of well-known plays and films based on the re-make of ancient drama. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Theater originated from the religiousRead MoreOedipus Tyrannus, A Tragic Hero. Summary: . Context. Oedipus1391 Words   |  6 PagesOedipus Tyrannus, a Tragic Hero Summary: Context Oedipus Tyrannus is a Greek tragedy that was first performed as a play in 429 BCE. The setting of the play is in Thebes, one of Greece’s city states that is suffering from a tragic plague. King Oedipus’s brother in-law; Creon, reports back from the oracle of Apollo that the plague would only be lifted if the murderer of his predecessor; King Laius, is found and brought to justice. Before the whole city of Thebes, Oedipus vows to apprehend and punishRead MoreGreek vs. Roman Theatre Essay3174 Words   |  13 Pagesplaywrights such as Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus, and Seneca were described as prolific philosophers and geniuses of their times. These men actively participated in the politics surrounding them, and were respected and revered in their society. Each had their own individual style and portrayed their personalities through each of their noted works. Nevertheless, as with a majority of playwrights throughout history, most fodder for their plays have been adapta tions of previous plays written by their predecessorsRead MoreRole Of The Chorus : Viewer Or Participant?1567 Words   |  7 PagesViewer or Participant? Throughout the canon of Greek Tragedy, playwrights have told many stories with a wide range of characters. Tales of revenge, redemption, lust, greed, and pride, as told by gods, kings, heroes, and murderers among many others. Throughout all of these works, one aspect remains consistent: that of the chorus. This group, which interjects periodically throughout the play to sing in unison, is a feature common to all Greek tragedies. That being said, when one looks deeper into theRead MoreEvaluation of Euripides Essay942 Words   |  4 PagesEvaluation of Euripides Euripides has met the conventions of Attic Tragedy up to a particular extent. Although he was often criticised for his work, he followed the structure and cycles of the traditional tragedy. However, his stance on the themes and ideas set him apart from the other writers. It is unreasonable to compare Euripides with the traditional writers of Attic tragedy without understandingRead MoreThe Origins of Greek Theatre Essay2307 Words   |  10 Pagesbut soon enough its fields of interest spread to various myths along with historic facts. As ancient drama was an institution of Democracy, the great tragic poets Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides as well as the comedian Aristophanes elevated public debate and political criticism to a level of aesthetic achievement. Euripides and the ethologist Menandros, in the thriving years of Alexandria and later on during the Roman domination, reached a beau ideal level and through the Romans managed to form WesternRead MoreGreek Influence on the Modern Day Theater2816 Words   |  12 PagesBy: Christine Boldt The Greek invented the idea, or concept, of theater in the 6th century B.C. The first known formal theater was built in Athens between 550 and 534 B.C., although the oldest theater in the world is in the palace at Knossos in the northern Crete. The Ancient Greek’s way of theater and its many accomplishments greatly influenced the modern day theater and entertainment. Staring with the evolution of theater and how it evolved from religious groups in ancient Greece. There were alsoRead More An analysis of how dikh (‘justice’) and its associated values are1905 Words   |  8 PagesAn analysis of how dikh (‘justice’) and its associated values are presented and translated in two passages from Sophocles: Electra. What broader issues are raised and how would these be investigated further? The concept of dikh, or ‘justice’ has many subtle meanings and variations in Ancient Greek ranging from the primary definition given in LS (Liddell and Scotts, ‘Greek-English Lexicon’, Intermediate, 1889, page 202) of custom to right, judgement, lawsuit, penalty and vengeance. TheRead MoreThe Evolution Of Greek Theater1576 Words   |  7 PagesThe Evolution of Greek Theater Greek theater can be considered to be one of the building blocks for our theater today. The advancements that the Greeks possessed in the early fifth century were the start of western theater. The Greeks were heavily involved with religion and religious festivals, comedies, tragedies, climatic drama, and took the outdoor amphitheater and made many improvements to its structure. In Ancient Greece religion and theater went hand in hand. The Greeks developed religion

Monday, December 9, 2019

Market Segmentation in Australia Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question Discuss about the Market Segmentation in Australia. Answer: Market segmentation in Australia According to TrackMaven |Marketing Analytics Software (2018), market segmentation is amarketing strategy that entails dividing a market into smaller portions according to specific characteristics. This tactic helps marketers, in particular, to come up with customized campaigns for each group to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Marketing segments are created following the criteria below: Here, members of a particular segment are similar to each other and anyone can distinctively identify them from other groups. This could be group travelers or solo travelers. Strengths of a destination. Different destinations suit different tourist. This means that every type of destination will attract a particular type of tourists. For instance, destinations with children friendly facilities are likely to form a segment for family tourist destinations. A segment may not necessarily target a big population for it to be viable. Some segments aim at a smaller niche provided the market for particular destinations is large and lucrative. This is the ability to communicate effectively with the destination managers and target segments. For instance, newlyweds are likely to read weddings and marriage bulletins and magazines. Tourism bodies and agencies should then advertise for suitable destinations in such platforms. For every segment, there should be a channel to easily reach them. Bases of market segmentation They include the following: Psychographic segmentation. Here, tourists can be classified into segments according to their lifestyles, personalities, and attitude towards life. Psychographic segmentation mainly focuses on peoples purchase behavior towards certain products. As discussed in Your Article Library (2018),people purchase new products in the following categories: Innovators. This group of the population is always open to trying new products. They are venturesome and an easy target for new travel packages that suit them. Early adopters. These are influential people with whom the average buyer/ clients check whether a new product is legitimate. They include the media, licensing bodies and experts. For instance, celebrities are highly used to advertise new travel destinations. They are seen as opinion shapers who influence the perception of their followers. Early majority. This group likes checks legitimacy of products before buying. They are keen to read reviews of hyped new destinations. Late majority. They wait until a product has earned public trust. Laggards. They are traditional buyers. They hold on to old things and they rarely adopt new products. Behavioristic segmentation. People are classified according to their attitude, use, and knowledge of specific products. This is influenced by variables like user status (regular, non-users and occasional users). The second variable is the purchase occasion e.g. a destination may advertise itself as the perfect holiday or hiking destination. Lastly, people purchase depending on the benefits they expect to get. Eg. A destination that offers spa treatments and more complimentary in their packages is likely to win more customers (LLP, 2018). Demographic segmentation. This is classifying people according to age, gender, income, education, and occupation. It is important in identifying the right tourism destinations for each group. This study focuses on making Australia a destination for young tourists. This is done by providing fun-filled activities such as snorkeling, water rafting and surfing in the major destinations. Benefit segmentation. Tourists choose places, accommodation facilities or agencies based on the benefits offered. This is very important in knowing what different types of tourists prefer. Eg. Some tourists may prefer complimentary city tours when visiting new countries. This basis is important because it focuses on identifying the unique customer needs. It focuses on customer satisfaction and it's easy to use for tourism agencies or facilities penetrating the market. According to Tkaczynski, Rundle-Tiele, and Beaumont (2009, 169-175), benefit segmentation mostly focuses on the services offered by a marketer. How Australia has positioned itself for market segmentation As analyzed by Tourism.australia.com (2018),the youth (people between 19-29 years) contributes to 25% of the total visits in Australia and 42% of all visitor spending. This is as a result of the campaign dubbed theres nothing like Australia. It has been considered to be appealing to the youth and it portrays the country as a place where young people can juggle easily with work, studying, visiting friends and relatives as well touring the country. The youth has then become a very viable market segment for tourism in the country. This positioning has made the customers more specific and distinctive. With the current public perception among the youths, most youths are now attracted to study, work and tour Australia. This makes Australia a favorite destination for young people. With this in mind, it is now defined as the heartthrob of activities to fascinate the youth. The beauty of Australia, activities, and facilities are also getting tailored to suit the needs of the youth. The market segment (youth) is now distinct and defined and has a large population. Though the figures may change over time, this is evidence that market segmentation actually works References Destinationnsw.com.au, (2018)Market Segments | Destination NSW. [online] Available at: https://www.destinationnsw.com.au/tourism/facts-and-figures/market-segments [Accessed 16 Mar. 2018]. LLP, B., (2018)Meeting the needs of younger travelers - Targeting a market segment - Australia | Australia case studies and information | Business Case Studies. [online] Businesscasestudies.co.uk. Available at: https://businesscasestudies.co.uk/australia/targeting-a-market-segment/meeting-the-needs-of-younger-travellers.html [Accessed 16 Mar. 2018]. Tkaczynski, A., Rundle-Tiele, S., Beaumont, N. (2009) Segmentation: A tourism stakeholder view. Tourism Management, 2nd edn. Pearson publishers. Tourism.australia.com, (2018)Youth - Corporate - Tourism Australia. [online] Available at: https://www.tourism.australia.com/en/markets-and-research/industry-sectors/youth.html [Accessed 16 Mar. 2018]. Track Maven | Marketing Analytics Software, (2018)Market Segmentation Definition Track Maven. [online] Available at: https://trackmaven.com/marketing-dictionary/market-segmentation/ [Accessed 16 Mar. 2018]. Your Article Library, (2018)Market Segmentation: 7 Bases for Market Segmentation | Marketing Management. [online] Available at: https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/marketing/marketing-management/market-segmentation-7-bases-for-market-segmentation-marketing-management/27959 [Accessed 16 Mar. 2018].

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Learning Strategies rely heavily on employee involvement Essay Example Essay Example

Learning Strategies rely heavily on employee involvement Essay Example Paper Learning Strategies rely heavily on employee involvement Essay Introduction â€Å"Learning Strategies rely heavily on employee involvement† (Gomez, 2003:3). Discuss critically how employees were motivated to participate in learning organisation environment of Equipos. You should draw on theories of motivation and cross cultural management in your answer. MNCs is those organisations which are operational in different countries as franchise or itself business or in a form of international joint venture (IJV), though the concept and approaches of MNCs for the country were under studies since long but due to globalisation it pace of doing and managing a business is more rapid as ever before. Since organisations, now a day paying more focus on the soft side of HR as they realise employees, their skills and human related intangible stuff are no more alien for the organisation as in past HR was concerned as mob, for any organisational success, its human resource are playing the vital role and key difference among the competitors. Their intangible assets such as knowledge, skills etc. are essential to groom in an organisational context. Among several strategies, learning is key which produced drastic impact of organisational culture (Joy Kolb 2009; Yoshitaka 2005). Learning Strategies rely heavily on employee involvement Essay Body Paragraphs Also, these learning strategies can only be successful upon strong employee’s involvement. Todays’ diverse nature of these MNCs compels managers to use and understand different cross cultural approaches which motivate culture-specific employees to render their best for organisation. The case of Equipos is one example of such organisation which subsidies the impact of national culture (which is Mexican) and successful implement the learning strategies to turn itself into a learning organisation. This can only be possible by not cultural stereotyping, rather managers at Equipos struggled for achieving all this, by understanding the management of cross culture in the work place which urge the employees to participate in the organisational context. This study focuses different cross cultural theories and motivational frameworks with which Equipos manage to turn into a learning organisation. The focus of this study is to analyse the statement that learning strategies rely he avily on employee involvement in the light of different cross cultural, motivation and learning theories. Though not a single theory can be fully implemented on Equipos, as it is the case of US MNC in Mexico which leads the cross cultural examination, but the main stress on the Hofstede, Trompenaars and GLOBE concept of managing cross culture including little emphasis on Schein’s model. This is because several of Hofstede five dimensions and Trompenaars seven dimensions are closely related with case, discuss in the analysis section. Learning theories which accounts are Social learning theory, Peter Senge model of LO and, that of 4I model of LO, especially the two dimension such as member solidarity and constructive engagement are more closely related as prove in the analysis section. Further, different motivational theories use in context to employees’ motivation at Equipos such as Handy motivational calculus’s need, desire and result used to explain those facto rs which urge employees’ involvement in organisational culture. This is supported by Porter and Lawler’s model which explains the two step performance based motivation process in the context of Equipos. The main themes, which literature pointed out for enhancing the process of learning with in the organisation, may include knowledge diffusion, knowledge capturing and accumulation: are catches the significant importance while HR strategies are being an exercise within organisation. (Blacker, 1995) pointed out the five different types of knowledge repositories which helps an organisation to be a learning organisation it includes embrained , embodied , encultured , embedded and encoded knowledge which encompasses somehow the blend of tacit and explicit knowledge altogether. Among these types, embrained and embodied knowledge individually situated explicit and tacit form respectively which enables the individual to participate in overall organisational learning, if knowled ge repository properly embrace with enough motivation. Constructive engagement and member solidarity are two main components of (Jacky, Stanley, ; Smith, 2006) social learning theory which engage the employees for active participation (Orlikowski, 2002) who recognise this as competence. Furthermore, open experience sharing is another key component of any organisational learning as well as constructive engagement where members exchanges their ideas, share their tacit knowledge (Wenger 1998). Whereas, the most significant part of this social theory of motivation is member solidarity which creates the sense of mutual trust and accountability enhance motivating individuals with in organisational context to share their embodied and embrained knowledge with each other as in the case of Mexican organisation which is US based MNC’s subsidiary. Research indicates that the international joint ventures may weaken the organisational learning if differences occur at senior management leve l (Danis 2003), but in this case study, American businesses and Mexican managers have done nice job and was well planned and committed to organisational learning from the start of business because rather than fully owing the organisation they started their business by Joint venture which integrated senior level managers from Mexico as well, furthermore, company retained those managers remain at same when company owned the organisation as a subsidiaries(Gomez 2004) . (Crossan et al. 1999) suggested the 4 I framework for learning organisation (LO) which includes intuition, interpreting, integrating, and institutionalising as key methods for LO at individual, group and organisation level. The application of 4I model is visible in the Mexican subsidiary of US MNC i.e. global learning for an organisation with in such cross cultural environment can only be possible while these factors ( 4 I ) are actually implemented and synchronise, for example, in 1992 ,the plant initiated the process o f employee empowerment which was the first step towards self-managed teams. This process required high level of involvement by each individual of organisation since it worked in team fashion in which team leader was rotated every three months. Without using individual correct intuitive and interpretation power , one cannot execute the role of team leader and after that integration is done by manager which called their selves as facilitators in the context of employee empowerment, this ultimately institutionalise and practice the self-managed teams at end. Furthermore, this enable organisation to practice the shared vision, personal mastery, systematic thinking, and managing the diversity in organisation (P. Senge 1994; PM Senge et al. 1994), which overall enhance the employee motivation. For example, in Equipos the process of ownerships to self-managed teams reflect its true application. 3.2 CROSS CULTURAL MANAGEMENT IN EQUIPOS: On account of national culture, Mexican culture is hig h power distance culture (G Hofstede 1984) which means acceptance of inequalities, power is distributed un-equally, acceptance of hierarchies are embedded in organisation structure. According PDI ( power distance index) , Mexico’s score were 81 than that of US ( Whose was 40) which supports high power distance culture (G Hofstede 2009), furthermore, by investigating other Hofstede’s cultural dimensions such as Mexican culture is less individualistic than that of US ( IDV score is 30 as compare to 91 for US ), this reflects that to implement successful learning strategies in Equipos is more cumbersome because of their high power distance and highly collective culture which is oriented towards family and extended family members such as friends. Also, it is worth noting that Mexican culture is more uncertainty avoidance culture ( UAI score is 82 than that of 46 for US), which interpret as intolerant to deviant persons and ideas (Browaeys Price 2011; Orr 1990), this might rigid their behaviour towards learning leading to resistance towards organisational learning which occupied with individual behaviour (Nonaka Konno 1998). Due to these culture specific characteristics it is incongruent to align and engage Equipos directly with organisational learning practices, so to encourage employee involvement in more significant manner, the process of learning began with employee empowerment rather than the direct learning strategy i.e. self-managed work teams (Gomez 2004). Both , Mexican and US culture are of Masculine in nature( MAS score is 69 and 62 respectively) which means ambition motivates (Browaeys Price 2011) the employees to perform well and involve more enthusiastically. Similar to Hofstede’s cultural dimension, GLOBE ( Global leadership and organisational behaviour effectiveness) research also suggest same dimensions such as power distance and uncertainty avoidance while studying the cluster of Latin America (House et al. 2004). Another i nteresting dimension of GLOBE which might be relate in context of motivation with cross cultural practices is Performance orientation which in literature supported by McClelland (1961) work on motivation such as need for achievement (Wolf 2004), which if great then people have rigorous desire to success and vice versa. As from the Mexican cultural aspect it is quite clear that they enjoy showing their work and have it recognised by their peers which act as motivator to them for McClelland above dimension of motivation, keeping this fact, organisational culture of Equipos are designed for employee involvement by organising ‘ Continuous improvement fair’ and ‘Liberation ceremony’ (Gomez 2004) which provide them chance of showing their actual potential and work to their colleagues and bosses , further supported by bonus which is some extrinsic motivation. We will write a custom essay sample on Learning Strategies rely heavily on employee involvement Essay Example specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Learning Strategies rely heavily on employee involvement Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Learning Strategies rely heavily on employee involvement Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Principal Causes and Consequences of the Spanish

Principal Causes and Consequences of the Spanish Introduction By far and large, the Spanish-American war is viewed by most scholars as one of the major turning points in the history of both America and Spain in terms of their political, social, cultural and even economic structures (Schoultz, 2009).1Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Principal Causes and Consequences of the Spanish-American War specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In essence, the Spanish-American was a short-lived war that was fought between the US and Spain beginning in April 1898 and ending in August this same year. However, in the course of the war, other players like Cuba, Puerto Rico, Germany and the Philippines got involved based on their directly or indirect vested interests in the outcomes of the war. On one hand, there are scholars who are of the opinion that, in spite of the casualties of the war, the Spanish-American war was a necessary endeavor. To support this argument, such scholars point t o the positive results that came from the war- especially with regards to the territories that got colonized (Kaplan, 2003). On the other hand, some scholars criticize the war basing their arguments on the deaths, loss of properties worth millions of shillings, and signing of some treaties which favored the winners of the war while looking down upon the losers, among many other effects that will be duly detailed in the course of this paper. If we are to get the real picture of the Spanish-American war, then it is inherent for us to dig into the annals of history and get authoritative information on the specifics of the war. It is with that in mind that this paper seeks to give a succinct, yet inclusively representative, chronology of the events of the war- with major emphasis being laid on the causes and effects. Once these events are analyzed, a summative recapitulation will be given. Causes of the Spanish-American War Preliminarily, it is worth noting that, just like many wars in history, the Spanish-American war was a culmination of any factors all coming together at one time. In this section of the paper, some of the major factors that contributed to the war are going to be divided into three broad areas: The Spanish world domination and the American need to overthrow them: This will entail the political, economic, social and cultural factors that pushed the two sides towards the war. The influence of the mass media and â€Å"Yellow Journalism†: Here, emphasis will be laid on the journalistic practices and stories that contributed to the war. The Cuban Connection: This will specifically focus on the Cuban interest by both America and Spain and how the need to control it led to the war. The Spanish World Domination and the American Need to Overthrow Them According to Lennon (2002), Spain was considered as the most powerful nation on earth around the mid 1600s.2 During this time, it controlled several colonies across the world especially in Central and South America, the Caribbean and some sections of Asia.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, as time progressed, Spain lost some of its colonial territories majorly through civil wars and the struggle for independence. In spite of loosing these territories, Spain still managed to hold on to a few of its colonies like Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Islands and the Philippines in Asia. Shifting our focus temporarily to USA during this time, Musicant, (1998) says that, having been a former colony of Britain; the United States was initially opposed to the issue of colonization as they deemed it as being immoral and unfair to the countries being colonized. However, as the 20th century approached and the dominance of countries like Spain continued to spread like a wildfire; some leaders in USA who ascribed to the notions of mercantilism began promoting ideas in favor of imperialism. A key principle in Imperialism was ethnocentrism- which purported that some cultures and tribes were more superior to others thus necessitating the need for control of the weaker cultures (Lennon, 2002). It is on the basis of such ideologies that leaders like of Roosevelt and William Jennings Brian encouraged the people in USA to embrace the ideologies of colonialism. Many other people also came up to provide moral justifications for engaging into colonization including the need to spread Christian and protestant ideas, viability for trade encouraged by linking up with other nations and the better culture that would result from blending with other cultures (Immerman, 2010). Resultantly, the demand for the US acquiring her own territories grew exponentially and by the 1890s; America had acquired a fair share of colonial territories making it a vibrant and easily noticeable player in the game of world power dominance (Roosevelt, 1913/1967). It is during this time (the 1890s) that the idea of colonizing nearby assets such as Cuba and Puerto Rico came into central focus.3 After a few futile attempts of peaceful negotiations for the colonization of these countries failed, it was eminently clear that the only way to colonize the likes of Cuba and Puerto Rico was through war or some form of battle (Loveman, 2010).4Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Principal Causes and Consequences of the Spanish-American War specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The influence of Mass Media and â€Å"Yellow Journalism† In the 1890s, very few media organizations existed based on immense costs that were needed to run the outlets (Kaplan, 2003). In America, the domination of the media was by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. The competition between these two media bigwigs led to the birth of journalism whereby facts and ideas would be exaggerated or twisted to get public attent ion and increase the sale of newspapers (Lennon, 2002). This competition is what later came to be known as Yellow Journalism. Owing to the increasing rivalry between America and Spain in their world dominance and colonization efforts; Hearst and Pulitzer chose to capitalize on the opportunity by exaggerating facts and events- obviously favoring the USA, which was their mother country. For example, in the bid to make the Spanish look bad and unwilling to allow Cuba to gain their independence; Lennon (2002) reports that Hearst and his journalists produced fictitious and ridiculously salacious stories of how the Spaniards were oppressing the Cubans. Soon, public interest in USA regarding the alleged suffering and oppression in Cuba began to grow with several people calling upon President McKinley (USA president at that time) to â€Å"do something† so as to change the situation and help the Cubans (DeGuzmn, 2005).5 It is based on these reports that President McKinley sent America n troops into Cuba- something which angered the Spanish and, after a series of other unfortunate events in Cuba which will be explained later, soon led to the war (Schoultz, 2009). The Cuban Connection In many ways, the Cuban connection was the major highlight and cause of the war. As was earlier mentioned under the contribution of Yellow Journalism towards the war, the public outcries in USA regarding the Spanish oppression in Cuba pushed the President McKinley towards taking an action- even though, personally, he was not a big proponent of the war (DeGuzmn, 2005).Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In January 1898, President McKinley eventually found a reason for justifying his response to the public outcry regarding Cuba when reports by various media indicated that there were escalated riots by Anti-American â€Å"Volunatrios and Pro-Spanish people in Havana detesting against the USA saying that it (the US) was poking its nose where it does not belong (Herring, 2008). It is also around this time that the Spanish Minister to US, Mr. Enrique Dupuy de Là ´me is reported to have said that President McKinley was â€Å"weak and a bidder for the admiration of the crowd† (Lennon, 2002). Not being able to stomach the criticisms anymore, President McKinley decided to send US warships to Cuba. A few weeks later, one of the US warships was sunk and, as earlier stated; the yellow journalists together with the US navy soon corroborated a story alleging that the US Maine disaster, which resulted in deaths of around 250 people, was an act of saboteur by the Spanish (Lennon, 2002). O n the other hand, the Cubans who were in dire need for independence had promised support to the USA, in case they decided to help them fight the common enemy- the Spanish. The culmination of these factors is reason why the war eventually erupted.6 The Consequences of the Spanish-American War Before delving into the effects of the war, it is worth taking note of the following facts about the war. To begin with, the war reportedly began on 3rd July 1898 with the battle of Santiago de Cuba, the fiercest of the naval battle between the Spanish and Americans. In this battle, the Spanish Caribbean fleet was destroyed courtesy of the American soldiers supported by the Cuban independence fighters thus resulting into the besieging of Santiago de Cuba, and, eventually the entire island (Lennon, 2002). Moreover, Theodore Roosevelt, together with his Rough Riders, were very monumental in the war based on their dedicated attacks and assaults on San Juan Heights and San Juan Hill- two important h ills close to the Santiago Harbor which was in great contention (Roosevelt, 1913/1967).7 Seeing that they were overpowered by the Americans, the Spanish tried to flee from the Santiago Harbor. However, the Americans captured them, sunk their ships and killed 323 people with only one American dying as a casualty (Lennon, 2002). This paved the way for retreat and surrender. In finality, the Spanish-American war ended after 109 days with the signing of the â€Å"Treaty of Paris† being the major highlight. It is from this point where the treaty was signed that we are going to consider the consequences of the war. Treaty of Paris and The Political Effects Primarily, this treaty was signed on the December of 1898 (109 days after the war had began) between the US and Spain- with the Cubans, Puerto Ricans and Filipinos being sidelined from negotiations of the treaty. So, even though the treaty mentioned Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Filipinos, it is clear that the treaty was mainly signe d to benefit and satiate the interests of the Spanish and Americans (who were the war winners) while sidelining the losers and people who had apparently contributed greatly towards the starting and ending of the war (Musicant, 1998).8 In the treaty, America’s possessions, in terms of colonial power, was increased as they were given control of Puerto Rico, and Guam while they sold the Philippines for $20 million (Lennon, 2002). Also, the treaty managed to free Cuba who, for long, had been fighting for their freedom. On the other hand, the US gave back the city of St. Augustine Florida to the Spanish. It is worth mentioning that, unlike the treaties signed previously, the Treaty of Paris did not give the acquired territories a promise of rights for citizenship or statehood. In other words, the treaty considered the acquired territories like Puerto Rico of being unable to self-govern their own based on their inferior ranks going by the imperialistic characteristic of ethnocentri sm (DeGuzmn, 2005). Additionally, America’s name was added to the list of existing colonial empires- something which they had previously fought against and branded as demeaning during the days when they were subjects of Britain (Lennon, 2002). Other treaties, or rather legal amendments also saw their way into the extensions of this treaty. For example, before the war, US congress (which chiefly constituted of Anti-imperialists) had passed the Teller Amendment committing to grant Cuba Independence. After the war and Cuba being awarded its freedom, the senate (mainly consisting of pro-imperialists) passed the Platt Amendment which forced a peace treaty on Cuba which forbade the Cubans them from getting into treaties with other nations. According to Herring (2008), the Platt Amendment was considered to be a stab-in-the back move to the Cubans who had trusted the US and helped them during the war, only for US to go against their words after the war. As a matter of fact, the Platt Amendment gave the US control of Cuba in terms of providing a permanent Navy base in Cuba and giving them freedom to stabilize Cuban Militarily as they wished. It is from such freedoms that later treaties were signed between US and Cuba thus paving way for the rise of imperialistic strongholds of US in Cuba like the famed Guantanamo Bay. The Philippine-American War The annexation of the Philippines, as a result of the Treaty of Paris, caused huge problems. In essence, the Filipino had allied with US during the Spanish-American war hoping that they, just like Cuba, would be able to gain their independence. Failing to accord them independence infuriated the Filipinos and made them feel betrayed. Consequently, on the 23rd day of January 1899, the Filipinos forcefully proclaimed independence and elected Emilio Aguinaldo as their president. Immediately, the US responded by sending its army to put down the fake Filipino government thus resulting in war and protests from the natives silen tly supported by Germans who had vested interests in Puerto Rico. In spite of not having a strong military influence, the Filipinos dragged the US into a hot battle that lasted longer than the Anglo-Spanish war claiming close to 4000 American lives and immense destruction of properties being witnessed. However, on 21st March 1901, America finally managed to capture Aguinaldo, forced him to oath loyalty, take a pension from the US and retire peacefully while ensuring that no more revolts were witnessed from the Filipinos. This, eventually, led to the calming down of the Filipinos and thus the halt of the Philippine-American War. Socio-Economic and Cultural Effects The Spanish-American war has both positive and negative socio-economic and cultural effects. Starting with the negative side, Loveman (2010) asserts that the war expectedly resulted in the loss of properties, deaths of useful individuals in the society, and the loss of freedoms and political power- all which had a direct ne gative economic impact. To this effect, Herring (2008) reports that the collapse of the Spanish empire- especially in losing Cuba- caused national trauma which, in effect, reduced their economic strength.9 Still on the negative side, the war resulted in blood between some Spaniards and Americans, Filipinos and the US, Cubans and Spaniards, Germans and Americans (based on the Filipino contention) thus destroying the moral fabric of the relatively good cultural and social environment that previously existed (Musicant, 1998). On the positive side, however, the war resulted in better economies by some nations, like the US who had new trade avenues in their colonized countries (Lennon, 2002). Cuba’s freedom also had a relative positive impact as the exit of the Spanish paved way for investments by their own people (Schoultz, 2009). In Spain, modicum economic gains were witnessed from the investments made by Spaniards who came back from US and Cuba pumping money and business ideas into their home economy. Socially and culturally, some good language patterns emerged. For example, the intermingling between the US and Puerto Rico led to a hybrid of people able to speak English and Spanish on top of their native languages. Similarly, Filipinos were also able to speak German, Spanish and English on top of their native language (Immerman, 2010). Also, there was an improved interrelation between the Northern and Southern people who, prior to the war were not able to speak to one another (Lennon, 2002). Other General Impacts of the War The birth of opinion-based and hyperbole journalism (Yellow Journalism) The shift in global power and recognition of the US as a superpower and the rise of a new generation of imperialist leaders in the USA like Theodore Roosevelt. Increased Involvement of Africans into the military based on their monumental impact during the war, for example, Booker T. Washington. Increased involvement of political groups like the rough riders in na tional politics Conclusion In conclusion, the increase of imperialist leaders getting into the US government led to more expansionist ideas being circulated around the country thus creating the thirst for power consolidation rather than just focusing on progress. Nonetheless, the lessons learnt from the war by all the involved parties served, and still serves, as a great reminder for the importance of dialogue, peaceful coexistence and good international relations amongst various nations and countries regardless of their different ethnicities. This, probably, is the reason why, up to date, the politics of international relations still plays an irreplaceably key role in the balance of social, political, cultural, technological and social aspects of our lives. List of References DeGuzmn, M., 2005. ‘Consolidating Anglo-American Identity around the Spanish-American War’, Ch.3 of Spain’s Long Shadow. The Black Legend, Off-Whiteness and Anglo-American Empire, Minneapol is: University of Minnesota Press. Herring, G. C., 2008. From Colony to Superpower: U.S. Foreign relations since 1776. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Immerman, R. H., 2010. Empire for liberty: a history of American imperialism from Benjamin Franklin to Paul Wolfowitz. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Kaplan, R. L., 2003. American journalism goes to war, 1898–2001: a manifesto on media and empire. Media History, 9 (3). Lennon, K., 2002. Causes and Impacts of the Spanish-American war, https://luceo.net/spanish-american-war/ Loveman, B., 2010. â€Å"The New Navy’, Ch.6 of No Higher Law. American foreign policy and the western hemisphere since 1776, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. Musicant, I., 1998. ‘State of the Union’, Ch.1 of Empire by Default. the Spanish-American war and the dawn of the American century, New York: Henry Holt. Roosevelt, T., 1913/1967. ‘An Autobiographical Defense’, Ch.11 of The writings of Theodore Roosevelt, New York: Bobbs-Merrill. Schoultz, L., 2009. That Infernal little Cuban republic: the United States and the Cuban revolution. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. Footnotes 1 Schoultz, L., 2009. That Infernal little Cuban republic: the United States and the Cuban revolution. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. P.10-20. 2 Lennon, K., 2002. Causes and Impacts of the Spanish-American war. 3 DeGuzmn, M., 2005. ‘Consolidating Anglo-American Identity around the Spanish-American War’, Ch.3 of Spain’s Long Shadow. The Black Legend, Off-Whiteness and Anglo-American Empire, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 4 Loveman, B., 2010. â€Å"The New Navy’, Ch.6 of No Higher Law. American foreign policy and the western hemisphere since 1776, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. 5 DeGuzmn, M., 2005. ‘Consolidating Anglo-American Identity around the Spanish-American War’, Ch.3 of Spain’s Long Shado w. The Black Legend, Off-Whiteness and Anglo-American Empire, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 6 Musicant, I., 1998. ‘State of the Union’, Ch.1 of Empire by Default. the Spanish-American war and the dawn of the American century, New York: Henry Holt. 7 Roosevelt, T., 1913/1967. ‘An Autobiographical Defense’, Ch.11 of The writings of Theodore Roosevelt, New York: Bobbs-Merrill. 8 Musicant, I., 1998. ‘State of the Union’, Ch.1 of Empire by Default. the Spanish-American war and the dawn of the American century, New York: Henry Holt. 9 Herring, G. C., 2008. From Colony to Superpower: U.S. Foreign relations since 1776. Oxford: Oxford University Press. P.15-25.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Biography of Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria

Biography of Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria Franz Ferdinand (December 18, 1863–June 28, 1914) was a member of the royal Habsburg dynasty, which ruled the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After his father died in 1896, Ferdinand became next in line for the throne. His assassination in 1914 at the hands of a Bosnian revolutionary led to the outbreak of World War I. Fast Facts: Franz Ferdinand Known For: Ferdinand was the heir apparent to the Austro-Hungarian throne; his assassination led to the outbreak of World War I.Also Known As: Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph MariaBorn: December 18, 1863 in Graz, Austrian EmpireParents: Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria and  Princess Maria Annunciata of Bourbon-Two SiciliesDied: June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo, Austria-HungarySpouse: Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg (m. 1900–1914)Children: Princess Sophie of Hohenberg; Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg; Prince Ernst of Hohenberg Early Life Franz Ferdinand was born Franz Ferdinand Karl Ludwig Joseph on December 18, 1863, in Graz, Austria. He was the eldest son of Archduke Carl Ludwig and the nephew of Emperor Franz Josef. He was educated by private tutors throughout his youth. Military Career Ferdinand was destined to join the Austro-Hungarian army and quickly rose through the ranks. He was promoted five times until he was made a major general in 1896. He had served in both Prague and Hungary. It was no surprise when later, as heir to the throne, he was appointed to be the inspector general of the Austro-Hungarian army. It was while serving in this capacity that he would eventually be assassinated. As a leader of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Ferdinand worked to preserve the power of the Habsburg dynasty. The empire was made up of multiple ethnic groups, and for some of them, Ferdinand supported greater freedom for self-determination. He argued for better treatment of Serbia in particular, fearing that suffering among the Slavs might lead to conflict in the region. At the same time, Ferdinand opposed outright nationalist movements that might threaten to undermine the empire. On political matters, it was reported that Ferdinand frequently disagreed with Emperor Franz Joseph; the two had bitter arguments when they discussed the future of the empire. Heir to the Throne In 1889, the son of Emperor Franz Josef, Crown Prince Rudolf, committed suicide. Franz Ferdinands father Karl Ludwig became next in line to the throne. Upon Karl Ludwigs death in 1896, Franz Ferdinand became the heir apparent to the throne. As a result, he took on new responsibilities and was trained to eventually become the emperor. Marriage and Family Ferdinand first met Countess Sophie Maria Josephine Albina Chotek von Chotkova und Wognin in 1894 and soon fell in love with her. However, she was not considered a suitable spouse since she was not a member of the House of Habsburg. It took a few years and the intervention of other heads of state before Emperor Franz Josef would agree to the marriage in 1899. Their marriage was only allowed on the condition that Sophie would agree to not allow any of her husbands titles, privileges, or inherited property to pass to either her or her children. This is known as a morganatic marriage. Together, the couple had three children: Princess Sophie of Hohenberg; Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg; and Prince Ernst of Hohenberg. In 1909, Sophie was given the title Duchess of Hohenberg, though her royal privileges were still limited. Trip to Sarajevo In 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was invited to Sarajevo to inspect the troops by General Oskar Potiorek, the governor of Bosnia-Herzegovina, one of the Austrian provinces. Part of the appeal of the trip was that his wife, Sophie, would be not only welcomed but also allowed to ride in the same car with him. This was otherwise not allowed due to the rules of their marriage. The couple arrived in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914.​ Unbeknownst to Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, a Serbian revolutionary group called the Black Hand had planned to assassinate the archduke on his trip to Sarajevo. At 10:10 a.m. on June 28, 1914, on the way from the train station to City Hall, a grenade was launched at them by a member of the Black Hand. However, the driver saw something racing through the air and sped up, causing the grenade to hit the car behind them, seriously wounding two occupants. Assassination After meeting with Potiorek at City Hall, Franz Ferdinand and Sophie decided to visit those wounded from the grenade in the hospital. However, their driver made a wrong turn and drove right past a Black Hand conspirator named Gavrilo Princip. When the driver slowly backed up out of the street, Princip pulled a gun and fired several shots into the car, hitting Sophie in the stomach and Franz Ferdinand in the neck. They both died before they could be taken to the hospital. Ferdinand was buried alongside his wife in Artstetten Castle, a royal property in Austria. The car in which they were killed is on display at the Museum of Military History in Vienna, Austria, along with Ferdinands bloodied uniform. Legacy The Black Hand attacked Franz Ferdinand as a call for independence for Serbians who lived in Bosnia, part of former Yugoslavia. When Austro-Hungary retaliated against Serbia, Russia- which was then allied with Serbia- joined the war against Austria-Hungary. This started a series of conflicts that eventually led to World War I. Germany declared war on Russia, and France was then drawn in against Germany and Austro-Hungary. When Germany attacked France through Belgium, Britain was brought into the war as well. Japan entered the war on Germanys side. Later, Italy and the United States would enter on the side of the allies. Sources Brook-Shepherd, Gordon.  Archduke of Sarajevo: the Romance and Tragedy of Franz Ferdinand of Austria. Little, Brown, 1984.Clark, Christopher M.  The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914. Harper Perennial, 2014.King, Greg, and Sue Woolmans.  The Assassination of the Archduke: Sarajevo 1914 and the Romance That Changed the World. St. Martins Griffin, 2014.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Why People Consider Malala Yusafzai To Be A Heroine Essay

Why People Consider Malala Yusafzai To Be A Heroine - Essay Example Malala's courage and her strong opinion towards girls' education have won her awards, medals, and fame. So far, Malala is the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Malala was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize by The KidsRights Foundation and she was awarded National Peace Award by the Pakistani government. Magazines and Medias also followed closely Malala’s campaigns, and her profile was published in Vanity Fair Magazine. The Times Magazine also published her profile stating she was one among the most influential people at the time. Her inclusion in the media, being recognized by the government as well as magazines publishing about her passion for the girl's education contributed to Malala's heroisms. And as Merriam states, success comes because of hard work, skillful and creative political analysis. Being noted by the media gave Malala the enthusiasm to follow her instincts, which led to increased vocals on the subject of girls’ education. Encouragement from her father motivated her, especially after her recovery. Malala confronted anyone who could do something to ensure this dream comes true. For example, the US convoy at the valley was not left out. Even though her campaigns increased the threat to herself and family, Malala never gave up, she even went further to take her campaigns around the world. Malala has been to Nigeria where she personally met President Goodluck Jonathan and requested him to press for action to free the 200 girls held by Boko Haram, Islamist militants.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Morality based on consequences (like utilitarianism) or morality based Essay

Morality based on consequences (like utilitarianism) or morality based on duties - Essay Example On the other hand, the Morality based on consequences (like utilitarianism ethics), provides that the consequence of an action that an individual has taken outweighs whatever intentions such an individual had when taking the action (Vaughn, 2012). Therefore, the Morality based on consequences, for example utilitarianism ethical theory, provides that an action is defined as either morally right or wrong, depending on whether the action produces favorable or unfavorable outcomes (Vaughn, 2012). In this respect, the utilitarianism theory of ethics provide that the outcome of an action should not be undermined, and thus individuals should first measure the possible consequences of an action before taking it. This way, the individuals will only take the action that has favorable outcomes for them and for everyone (Vaughn, 2012). Therefore, given an opportunity to choose between the morality based on consequences (like utilitarianism) and morality based on duties, separated from consequences (like Kants ethics), morality based on consequences (like utilitarianism) will be preferred. The choice of the utilitarianism ethical theory over the Kantian ethics is informed by the fact that; the utilitarianism ethical theory recognizes that any action may have either good or bad consequences; or both good and bad consequences at the same time (Vaughn, 2012). In recognition of this fact, the utilitarianism ethical theory provides that individuals should first weigh the possible consequences of their actions, such that they can determine the favorable and the unfavorable consequences. Further, the utilitarianism ethical theory provides that on the event that an action produces both good and bad consequences; the individual should weigh which one of the two weighs out heavily, and then act upon the action that will have an overall weighty favorable

Sunday, November 17, 2019

The Movie Supersize Me Essay Example for Free

The Movie Supersize Me Essay Supersize Me is the perfect movie to watch to understand the importance of diet and eating habits. It teaches us specifically about the dangers of fast food as well as what foods are better options! Supersize Me is a great teaching tool for all who watch. This documentary shows us the risks of eating fast food, specifically McDonald’s. Morgan Spurlock ate nothing but McDonald’s fast food for thirty days straight. He gained 25 pounds and also doubled his chances for heart disease, which shocked me. I knew that fast food was terrible, but that quick of a weight gain plus the drastic increase for chances of heart disease was astounding. It took Morgan 14 months to lose his extra weight and he said it was nothing close to being easy, which I can believe. The fact that forty percent of meals are eaten out of the house daily is a crazy statistic and one that I believe should not exist! I completely agree that fast food is a problem that contributes to obesity. As the documentary stated, sixty percent of overweight people eat fast food consistently. I am very glad that this documentary included ways schools are affecting obesity in their students, as I think that bad eating habits start at a young age. Any chance to decrease obesity and poor health due to diet is a positive change, and I salute the schools that are trying to do so. Some schools have banned soda vending machines and even prohibited students from bringing soda, which I think is a great start. I think that school lunches, however, are generally on the unhealthy side. More should be done to promote healthy dietary habits that go beyond removing soda. Overall, this documentary was a great one. I hate it for Spurlock that he had to go through all the health issues. It scared me when he got so bad that the doctors were telling him to stop so his heart and liver didn’t give out. To watch that happen to someone is hard, especially when it is 100% preventable from a dietary standpoint. Also, I like how this film pointed out McDonald’s specifically. Being the first fast food restaurant in the world has also led it to be the biggest. Which, may be great for them and all, but the fact that it contributes to forty-three percent of the fast food industry is incredible, and not in a good way. Going into nursing really  makes me view the world in a different light. This documentary opened my eyes to the dangers of fast food. I personally enjoy eating some French fries and chicken nuggets every now and then. But now I am much more cautious about how often I do this. I know that eating it every day for every meal is way different than eating it every now and again, maybe a few times a month, but the fact that the food served at these restaurants (can you even call it that?) have so much power to harm the body is something that the world should know! And I am g lad that Supersize Me aimed to inform!

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Effects of Alcohol Essay -- Papers Alcohol Drinking Liquor Essays

The Effects of Alcohol Works Cited Not Included Alcohol is a substance that has numerous diverse affects on the body-both positive and negative. Alcohol not only kills brain cells, but when taken in profusion it has almost no constructive affects. Sure it can make one overlook his/her problems, but the consequences of drinking in excess far outweigh the benefits. It is not a crime to get drunk, however alcohol will almost always cause one to conduct them self in a way he or she would not normally behave. For instance, a sober man will not usually drive ninety-five mph down I-95, however, after consuming a good amount of alcohol, his eyesight, judgement, reflexes and abilities are hindered to the point that he feels indestructible. Alcohol is a drug, and when abused it has almost no positive affects. It is the most widely used and socially acceptable drug in the world. (Taylor, 6-7) Alcohol abuse is more physically destructive than the abuse of any other popular drug. When much is consumed in a short period of time, alcohol (ethanol) causes immediate changes in the body. First it slows down the workings of the brain. The drinker?s speech may become slurred and his steps staggered. The body?s reflexes become dulled as the nervous system slows down. (Taylor, 14) The drinker does not always realize this and may feel as if he is perfectly capable of normal functioning, but this is not always so. His abilities are impaired and he should not be given responsibility. Alcohol is often incorporated in many different aspects in our society. It is drunk as part of social celebrations such as birthdays, weddings, and parties. It is also drunk as a salve for the emotional pain of rejection and heartache. Alcoholi... ...teens are purchasing alcoholic beverages from irresponsible storeowners. In 1997, it was recorded that 56% of eighth graders have tried alcohol, as well as 71% of tenth graders, 80% of twelfth graders, rising to 88% in college students. These are large numbers when stated that the legal drinking age in almost all fifty states is twenty-one. In conclusion, the public as a whole needs to learn when enough is enough. It is fine to drink, but the key is to drink in moderation. People should not allow themselves to get ?totally trashed? or ?ridiculously wasted?, but drink with maturity. It is not a crime to get drunk, it is the things one does when he/she becomes intoxicated that will get them incarcerated. People will always drink, but there need to be strict laws enforced for the punishment of those who choose not to be responsible while under the influence.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Case Analysis: Michael Eisner has More Problems than He Can Face

Eisner's Mousetrap Disney's CEO says the company has a lot of varied problems he can fix. But what if the real issue is something he can't face? By Marc Gunther Reporter Associate Carol Vinzant September 6, 1999 FORTUNE Magazine) – Michael Eisner, the famously hands-on CEO of Walt Disney, is up to his old tricks. Last night he screened a rough cut of Dinosaurs, Disney's big animated movie for next summer; he loved the story but complained that some jokes were stale. Today he's holding a four-hour brainstorming session about Mickey Mouse, looking for ways to keep the 71-year-old rodent relevant. One idea: a skateboarding Mickey. ) Later, he'll watch Peter Jennings' newscast on Disney-owned ABC and surf the Internet to see how the company's Websites stack up. Is this any way to run the world's most troubled entertainment giant? After all, as Eisner sweats the details, earnings are dropping, top executives are defecting, and Disney stock is plunging like a ride down Splash Mounta in. â€Å"Maybe I'm crazy,† Eisner says, â€Å"but I don't consider this a crisis. I don't think our problems are in the fabric of our company. And I don't have my head in the sand. Sitting down for a two-hour interview, he admits mistakes. He says, for instance, that he should have settled former studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg's suit against the company earlier to avoid a â€Å"parade of horrors† (see box). And he concedes that the company has sustained real damage: â€Å"It's like a train wreck, only nobody got killed. † But Eisner denies that he has lost his touch. â€Å"The criticisms of me and Disney today,† says the 57-year-old chief executive, â€Å"are as shortsighted as were the praises of me and Disney in the high economic times. Sunday nights on ABC, Michael Eisner–celebrated CEO, business magazine cover boy, and author of his own life story–still hosts The Wonderful World of Disney. The rest of the week, life is not so sweet i n the Magic Kingdom. Certainly shareholders have reason to feel grumpy, with the stock trading at about 37% below last year's high. There's no quick fix in sight either. Tarzan, the $160 million summer blockbuster, won't have much impact on earnings; the movie cost too much to make and isn't selling enough T-shirts and toys because the market's glutted with Star Wars stuff. That's one of the scary things about today's Disney: The company has grown so big and its problems are so far-reaching–ranging from the phenomenon of â€Å"age compression† to the explosion of media choices–that they can't be fixed by a couple of hit movies or TV shows or more Disney stores. The other scary thing is this: Disney seems less able than ever to cope with adversity. That's because Eisner, for all his creativity and charisma and grand plans, presides over an insular–some say arrogant–corporate culture where decision-making is hierarchical, centralized, and slow. It's an utter mismatch for the Internet age. â€Å"This isn't Mickey's house anymore,† says a former Disney insider. â€Å"It's a multibillion-dollar company. † Eisner does have a plan. He is cutting costs and reengineering a company that got bloated with success. He's making overseas growth a top priority. He wants Disney to be an Internet giant, taking on Yahoo and America Online. And, yes, he'll keep on tweaking theme park rides and screening ABC pilots and driving subordinates up the wall with his meddling, because he fervently believes that if you demand high quality and develop synergy, financial results will follow. The interesting thing about our company,† Eisner says, â€Å"which I think is extremely flattering, is that everybody takes for granted that we make good products. They think, Oh, the Disney cruise ship, they take a wand and a little pixie dust and all of a sudden you revolutionize the cruise industry from floating Vegas hotels to romantic ocea n liners. There are zoos all over the world, and up comes the Animal Kingdom. Or Tarzan, or the Lion King on Broadway–people say, ‘They have no trouble with the creative thing. Well, it's the creative thing that turns the company around. † Besides, he declares, a bit impatiently: â€Å"We are the most profitable media company in the world. We're being buried a little prematurely here. † He's right about the bottom line. Last year Disney reported revenue of $23 billion, operating income of $4 billion, and net income of $1. 9 billion–its net was far more than that of Time Warner (owner of FORTUNE's parent), News Corp. , and Viacom combined. For the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 0, Disney's revenue is expected to reach $24 billion. But all other key indicators are down, some shockingly so. For the first nine months of fiscal 1999, excluding a one-time gain from an asset sale, Disney reported declines in operating income of 17%, net income of 26% , and earnings per share of 27%. Some Wall Street analysts have cut their fiscal 1999 earnings estimates as many as five times since last summer, and 13 of 25 analysts have a â€Å"hold† on the stock, according to Zacks Investment Research. The company has simply stopped growing, and it isn't a momentary dip either: Operating income fell slightly last year too, and Disney isn't expected to match its fiscal 1997 earnings until 2001 at the earliest–a startling comedown for a company that, for a decade after Eisner took over in 1984, delivered annual profit increases of 20% and a return on equity of 20%. Return on equity, a key benchmark that has been sliding ever since Disney's 1996 merger with Capital Cities/ABC, has slipped below 10%, estimates analyst Laura Martin of Credit Suisse First Boston. Some people have the impression that Disney still is what it was–an animation company that generated great returns on capital,† Martin says. â€Å"But that may be over. † Until recently Disney was propelled by a handful of big ideas that were executed almost flawlessly. First, Disney released its library of beloved animated films on video just as VCRs took off; nine of the ten bestselling titles of all time are Disney movies, and most, like Snow White and Cinderella, were paid for long ago. Second, Eisner and Katzenberg revived Disney animation with instant classics like Aladdin and The Lion King, which made big profits at the box office and on video and spawned even bigger ancillary revenues from licensing and merchandising. Third, Disney built more than 700 retail stores in the U. S. , Europe, and Asia. Finally, the company embarked on a vast expansion of Walt Disney World, creating and updating dozens of attractions and building an astonishing 15,000 hotel rooms since 1988. (They called the strategy â€Å"Put the heads in the beds. ) Disney's market capitalization soared from about $2 billion before the Eisner era to $85 billion at its peak in April 1998. Thanks to the rising stock price, Eisner got fabulously rich too, exercising accumulated stock options that gave him pretax gains of more than $500 million since 1992. He still holds 12. 7 million shares, according to Disney's latest SEC filings, worth about $330 million at today's prices. So what's gone wrong? Sta rt with the fact that all the businesses that powered Disney, with the exception of the theme parks, are slumping. Home-video earnings have tumbled, partly because consumers now have shelves filled with Disney animation. Revenues from licensing and merchandising are down, partly because of the economic downturn in Asia, and sales and profits from the Disney Stores have declined because product lines have grown stale. â€Å"How many Mickey Mouse T-shirts can you sell? † asks Christopher Dixon, entertainment industry analyst for Paine Webber. Altogether, Disney's all-important Creative Content segment, which includes movie and TV production, home video, licensing, merchandising, and the stores, saw its operating income fall from $1. billion in 1997 to $1. 4 billion in 1998; it decreased by another 42% during the first nine months of fiscal 1999. If that were a movie, they'd call it Honey, I Shrunk the Earnings. In Eisner's view, the problems are unrelated. â€Å"A lot of things happened together to make our earnings slide,† he says. Disney is attacking each concern, slashing costly pr oduction deals in the movie business, releasing fewer live-action movies, resting its classic video titles longer between releases to rekindle demand, and merging overseas distribution forces for film and video. To boost demand for consumer goods, the company will try to coordinate marketing in big retailers such as Wal-Mart. â€Å"We'd like to have a Disney boutique to sell the T-shirt, the lunchbox, the sheets and towels,† says Peter Murphy, Disney's self-assured 36-year-old head of strategic planning. Suppose, though, that the declining sales of videos and merchandise reflect a more fundamental issue–weakness in the Disney brand. This notion is such heresy inside Disney that everyone, including Eisner, dismisses it out of hand. We have research on our brand in 20 or 30 countries, and we are almost without exception the No. 1 or No. 2 brand,† Eisner says. Disney executives say that if the brand were in trouble, Disney's theme parks would be suffering along with the rest of the company; as it is, they're thriving–even the one in France. In the theme parks and resorts segment, revenues and operating income grew by 10% and 13%, respectively, in 1998, and they've gro wn by 14% and 13% so far this year. â€Å"We have as many kids lining up to see Mickey Mouse as ever,† says Paul Pressler, 43, the president of Walt Disney Attractions. And our merchandise has done great. † Disney World has reached beyond its core audience of young families to beckon convention-goers, older people, and â€Å"pre-families,† which is Disney-speak for single people. And it's capturing more money from visitors who stay in all those new hotels. Sure, Disney's theme parks rule–it's parents who decide on family vacations–but the brand isn't holding up as well in crowded arenas like videogames and cable TV, where kids are more autonomous. Disney's interactive unit is an also-ran in the booming videogame business. On cable, the Disney Channel ranks a poor third in viewing among kids ages 2 to 11, behind market leader Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network. Both Nick and Cartoon, relative newcomers to the kids' business, exploited Disney's vulnerabilities. â€Å"The Nickelodeon opportunity was to get inside the lives of today's kids,† says Nickelodeon President Herb Scannell. â€Å"We've been contemporary. They've been traditional. † While Disney characters are drawn from myths, history, and storybooks–just about every big Disney animated feature could begin with the phrase â€Å"long ago and far away†Ã¢â‚¬â€œNickelodeon's TV shows and movies tell stories about real kids. Today the Viacom unit captures more than 50% of the audience of all children's TV programming. When Disney tries to exude a hipper aura–think of the bestselling Phil Collins soundtrack from Tarzan–the company is more likely to speak to baby-boomer parents than to their offspring. Here's where that idea of â€Å"age compression† comes into play. Kids grow up faster these days, the experts say, and start emulating teenage behavior when they're 9 or 10. They rebel against their parents and shy away from a â€Å"good for you† brand like Disney. Ten-year-old boys who watch wrestling or South Park on cable and 9-year-old girls who love Ricky Martin think Disney is for little kids. â€Å"They've never gotten past the problem that their core audience is girls 2 to 8 and their moms,† says a former Disney executive. And even among young kids, the hot properties lately are Nickelodeon's Blues Clues, PBS's Tele-tubbies and Nintendo's Pokemon, now a hit TV show on the kids' WB, yet another new kid-vid network. The cluttered kids' marketplace points to another fundamental problem facing Disney–competition on a scale the company hasn't faced before, across all its businesses. Warner, Dreamworks, and Fox do feature animation. Universal just opened a second Florida theme park. Fox Sports is taking on ESPN. Can you begin to see why managing Disney today is harder than it was a decade ago? What changed everything, of course, was Eisner's boldest stroke as CEO: his $19 billion merger with Cap Cities. That deal, cheered at the time, still appears strategically sound–the idea was to marry Disney content with ABC's broadcast and cable distribution. The problem has been execution. While ESPN and other cable properties have grown, no unit of the company is as besieged as ABC. It will lose money this year for the first time in a decade, despite a fantastic advertising marketplace, because audiences are splintering and programming costs keep climbing. (Disney agreed under competitive pressure to spend $9. 2 billion–that's right, billion–for NFL rights for ABC and ESPN through 2008. ) Operating income for the company's broadcasting segment, which includes ABC, its TV stations, 80% of ESPN, the Disney Channel, ABC Radio, and stakes in Lifetime, A&E, the History Channel, and E! Entertainment, grew by just 3% last year; it's down 18% so far this year, mostly because of ABC. I'd be the first to say the results of the ABC television network, particularly in prime time, have been disappointing since the merger,† says Robert A. Iger, 48, the lifelong ABC executive who is chairman of ABC Inc. While Iger's bailiwick extends way beyond the network, he keeps a close watch on programming and told FORTUNE in 1997, â€Å"Prime time is my No. 1 priorit y. † Since then, ABC's ratings for its 18- to 49-year-old target demographic have fallen by another 13%, leaving the network No. 3, behind NBC and Fox. Oops. Wait, it gets worse. Remember how the merger was supposed to marry content and distribution? That's not working well either. Owning and broadcasting a hit, then selling the reruns, is the best way to make big money today in television. Just ask Rupert Murdoch, whose Twentieth Century Fox TV studio not only owns the biggest hits on Fox–The Simpsons, The X-Files, and Ally McBeal–but also produces The Practice and Dharma & Greg for ABC, as well as key shows for NBC, CBS, and the WB. By contrast, Disney's Touchstone Television production studio has failed to develop a prime-time hit for ABC or anyone else since creating Home Improvement in 1991. Out of sheer frustration, Eisner last month merged the Touchstone studio into ABC; the idea is to save money and force the two units to cooperate. â€Å"It's a fantastic opportunity to reengineer the way television is done,† says Lloyd Braun, the studio president who co-chairs the merged unit with ABC's Stu Bloomberg. Like a movie studio, ABC Entertainment now will develop, own, finance, and distribute more of its own content. The trouble is, the new model could seal ABC off from the rest of the television world. While ABC executives say they'll still buy shows from studios like Warner Bros. nd Fox, the studios worry about doing business with the new, vertically integrated ABC. â€Å"You're going to have to demonstrate to me in tangible ways that I'm going to get a fair shake,† says Sandy Grushow, president of Fox's Twentieth Century Television. The other networks, meanwhile, suspect that any show they get pitched by a Disney entity will be an ABC reject. Beyond that, t he merger adds another layer and the prospect of infighting at ABC Entertainment, now run by a posse that includes newcomer Braun, programmers Bloomberg and Jamie Tarses, network President Pat Fili-Krushel, ABC Inc. resident Steve Bornstein, and Bob Iger, who still reads scripts of key ABC shows on weekends. Nor is Eisner shy about weighing in; he helped shape the fall lineup and ordered ABC to negotiate tougher deals with its affiliates and program suppliers, which are not happy. This management by committee has never worked in television, and it's not working at Disney-ABC. There is much more at stake here than the unwieldy operation of the TV unit. The new ABC structure is emblematic of what may be Eisner's thorniest problem, if only because he doesn't seem to recognize it: It's Disney's corporate culture. Under Capital Cities, ABC was run in a determinedly decentralized way; executives were given authority and responsibility as long as they exercised fiscal discipline, and the company was generally well run. The Disney approach reflects different values: centralized control, an obsession with synergy at the expense of individual business units, a suspicion of outsiders, and a muddying of responsibility. The results speak for themselves. Writing about the Disney culture is tricky because knowledgeable critics are unwilling to speak on the record; the company's just too powerful. But talk to enough people and you hear similar complaints. One persistent theme: Eisner insists on making too many decisions himself, which clogs the decision-making process. So do the roomfuls of strategic planners who analyze everything. A second complaint: Eisner's too tough. Working with Disney is notoriously difficult, so much so that a group of partners, including Coca-Cola, AT;T, Delta, and Kodak, used to meet informally to trade tips on how to cope. A related point about Eisner: In spite of his affability, he doesn't really value other people. That's one reason the death of his longtime second-in-command, Frank Wells, in 1994, was a seminal event. Wells commanded Eisner's respect like no one else, told him when he was off-base, and deftly softened his edges. They were a great team. Eisner tried to replace him with Michael Ovitz, a crucial error at just the wrong moment. Ovitz's management got the ABC merger off to a dismal start, and his 16-month tenure scarred the company. Since then, strong executives have left, among them former CFOs Stephen Bollenbach and Richard Nanula, Internet guru Jake Winebaum, and former ABC executives Geraldine Laybourne and Steve Burke. Finally, the critics say, the company has simply grown too big to be run from the top down. Eisner's approach worked for the old Disney, where the focus was on a single brand; he could gather a cadre of executives at his Monday lunches and get things done. Now Disney must manage multiple brands in a world where speed counts and partnerships are vital. A respected ex-Disney executive told me, â€Å"The company has changed and the world has changed, but Michael hasn't changed. Now he's got to change. † Eisner and his lieutenants bristle at the criticism from unnamed sources, and you can't blame them. Yes, they say, Disney is tough, but so are GE and Microsoft–which, by the way, lose lots of executives, too, because they have an abundance of talent. To the charge that he meddles, Eisner pleads guilty with an explanation: He wants Disney to excel. (Even his detractors say he has great instincts. ) When he heard from a friend that the cast members at Disneyland Paris weren't as helpful as those at Walt Disney World, he recommended better training. â€Å"Is that meddling or is that insisting on a high standard of excellence? † Eisner asks. â€Å"If there's an area where I think I can add value, I dive in. Yes, at certain times I paralyze people. I'm never satisfied. It gets people crazy, I know that. † But Eisner also says he leaves his best executives, like theme park chief Pressler, alone. â€Å"There's no brain drain,† he says. â€Å"We have unbelievably strong management. † Eisner's turnaround strategy focuses not on Disney's culture but on operations, fiscal engineering, and growth. Consolidation and cost cutting are already under way across the board, with the movie division leading the way. Studio chief Joe Roth has already cut spending by about $550 million annually, by making fewer movies. It focuses everyone much more closely on the films at hand,† Roth says, â€Å"and ironically, I am quite sure that–for the fifth time in six years–we will be No. 1 in market share again this year. † Disney is also looking to sell Fairchild Publications, a magazine company. Sources say Disney also expects to write off a big chunk of the $9. 2 bi llion NFL deal. In a move that should please Wall Street, CFO Thomas O. Staggs is reworking Disney's compensation system so that executives will be evaluated on cash flow and return on equity as well as on reported earnings; that's designed to encourage business units to use capital more efficiently. The theme park segment, in particular, has been a huge consumer of capital, but it will use less after new parks open near Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland in 2001. Disney's best growth opportunity probably lies overseas. Right now, the company gets about 21% of its revenues from abroad, less than other global brands like Coca-Cola (63%) or McDonald's (61%). That's why Bob Iger's recent promotion to president of Walt Disney International puts him in a crucial role, spearheading what Eisner calls â€Å"a monumental change in the way the company is structured. Iger has begun to overhaul all of Disney's operations outside the U. S. , which grew up haphazardly as each business–film, TV, the stores, cable, or theme parks–built foreign outposts that reported back to the home office. Now those businesses will also report to regional executives in charge of continents or key countries; each territory will also get its own CFO and brand manager. That may sound like more Disney l ayering, but Iger says it offers major advantages. First, the company will save money through consolidation, whether in renting office space or buying advertising. Disney also expects to do a better job of tapping into local trends. Iger cites a revealing example: â€Å"It's having someone in Japan who would see the Pokemon phenomenon at an early stage and have the clout, really, through me, someone who has a seat at Michael's table, to be able to raise the consciousness level of the company about that potential quickly and effectively. † Interestingly, the idea is not to delegate authority but to shorten the distance between the rest of the world and Eisner. Eisner's other major focus is the Internet. Here, too, centralization is the watchword. Last month Disney agreed to combine its Internet assets with Infoseek, a search engine and portal company that it is buying outright; the properties, including the Go portal, ABCNews. com, ESPN. com, Disney. com, Family. com, and others scattered in five locations on both coasts, will operate as a single unit under a CEO to be named later. â€Å"This is to consolidate the Internet assets so that we can have them under common management with one agenda and one vision,† says CFO Staggs, the 38-year-old architect of Disney's Internet strategy. The company will then issue a tracking stock called go. com that can be used as acquisition currency and a way to compensate talent. Disney's assets should make it a force online. Its ESPN. com and Disney family sites are category leaders, and the company has unparalleled promotional platforms in ABC and ESPN. In a matter of months, they helped make Go the fifth-ranked portal, behind AOL, Yahoo, Microsoft, and Lycos. And all the Disney Websites should sing when high-speed access makes it easier to watch video online. â€Å"As bandwidth expands,† Eisner says, â€Å"content becomes more important. You must have sports and news and entertainment, or you are going to be a Western Union messenger in a fax world. † He envisions a universe in which ABC News clips, ESPN game highlights, and movies like Aladdin are distributed online, cutting out middlemen like cable operators or Blockbuster Video. â€Å"I believe the entire company's product will mostly be distributed through the Internet,† Eisner says. He's a passionate Internet user too, peppering his web guys with suggestions. Says Staggs: â€Å"The only person I get more e-mail from than Michael is my mom. † The strategy sounds smart. Of course, buying ABC sounded smart too. Once again, it'll come down to execution. Patrick Keane, a Jupiter Communications analyst, likes Disney's web assets but worries that â€Å"diversified media companies move at glacial speed when it comes to the Internet. † Disney can't be as focused on new media as people at AOL and Yahoo are every day. And the straitlaced Mouseketeers will have to learn to live in an unbuttoned Internet culture, says new-media consultant Gary Arlen of Bethesda, Md. â€Å"Have you ever been to Disney World? † he asks. â€Å"You walk out of a ride and land in a place that sells souvenirs. They'd like to manage the Internet that way. Even with perfect execution, Disney's Internet investments need time to pay off; in the meantime, they'll dilute earnings. Time is what Eisner needs too. Time for the cable and phone companies to help make his broadband Internet vision a reality. Time to build overseas. Time for DVD to take hold and provide another chance to resell the library. Time to creat e the next Tarzan and a hit for ABC, time for new theme parks to open, time to reinvent Mickey once more. Time, perhaps, to appoint a strong second-in-command with clout, whether it's Bob Iger or Paul Pressler or a dark horse who has yet to emerge. Because he enjoys the support of the Disney board, Eisner can be patient. â€Å"We're in a transition period,† he says. â€Å"I would rather have every quarter be up. It was for 13 years. Everybody loves you. [But] you can't manage a company like ours quarter to quarter, maniacally, so that the media will write good things about you. † He likes to quote Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway, at last count, owned 51 million Disney shares: â€Å"I close my eyes and think about what a company's going to look like in ten years before I invest. Paine Webber's Chris Dixon says Disney's assets are top-notch: â€Å"It may take time, but we believe the values are there. † Other investors won't wait. They note that despite the earnings downturn, Disney is still priced as a growth stock; it trades at about 35 times this year's projected earnings, a 25% premium to the S;P 500. The Capital Research ; Management Group, whose entertainment industry investments are managed b y respected media analyst Gordon Crawford, used to be Disney's largest institutional shareholder, with 41 million shares as recently as last year. Crawford has sold them all. So be it, says Eisner. â€Å"You can always tell your friends through the rough times,† he says. He still gets to go to the movies, test-drive theme park rides, surf the Net, and call it work. And maybe it's just his turn to suffer in the media doghouse. After all, CEOs Gerald Levin of Time Warner and Sumner Redstone of Viacom fell out of favor when they struggled to get their arms around companies engorged by big acquisitions. Such mergers aren't easy. The challenge for Eisner is to learn from experience, show a little humility, seize the opportunity to shake up his company, and, perhaps, change his own stripes and let go a little. That's a lot to ask of anyone who's been as successful as he has for so long. But this isn't the old Disney. And the old Disney magic just isn't working anymore. REPORTER ASSOCIATE Carol Vinzant http://money. cnn. com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1999/09/06/265291/index. htm

Sunday, November 10, 2019

I.T. solution for Castle Couriers Essay

Analysis 1.1 Statement of the problem 1.1.1 Introduction For this project I will be constructing an I.T. solution for Castle Couriers. Castle Couriers is a company, which provides a number of courier services, mainly for car showrooms. Their main service is the transportation of vehicle registrations to the V.R.O. (Vehicle Registration Office) and their return, and also the transportation of tax related forms to the tax office, also from car showrooms. It is currently a company with a small number of employees, approximately 4, and a very local customer base. However they plan to expand in the near future and do not believe their current system will be effective with much more data. The current system, Lotus SmartSuite, is not designed with their company in mind and is therefore complicated to operate and the addition of data is often laborious. I hope to improve their situation by creating an automated database, so that creating documents and modifying data is a very simple task. 1.1.2 User Requirements The owners of Castle Couriers have a number of requirements: -Reduce time spent on inputting data -This will aid the expansion process because an increase in data will not lead to a further increase in time spent processing. -Increase ease of finding data -Again a time saving requirement, useful during the complicated period of expansion. -Producing a sufficiently high quality document range -Now that the production of documents is virtually automatic, the end users are keen to see that the quality does not decline. -Must be user friendly due to lack of computer literacy of end user -There must be very few complicated procedures, as having to increase the end users I.T. skills will take time and possibly money. 1.1.3 Current system At the present moment Castle Couriers uses a generic program called Lotus Smartsuite. My knowledge of Smartsuite is minimal but the program has not been specifically designed for this company. I have been informed that it is similar to Microsoft office, which I have good experience in. It is very popular with many businesses because of the amount of very professional tools available. However, in the case of Castle Couriers, these tools are not linked together effectively, allowing for a minimal amount of automation. They store data in both spreadsheets and databases, with certain functions allowing a limited level of automation. 1.1.4 Data Flow diagram of current system The following diagram illustrates the current processes involved in dealing with an order 1.1.5 Problems with the current system Castle Couriers’ main problem with their current system is its complexity, which is leading to an increase in the amount of time they spend producing documents and organising orders. Adding new customers, as they are planning to do, should they decide to continue with expansion, is very difficult and is adding to the already complicated and overloaded system. Modifying data is also a time consuming problem as it takes time to navigate through the procedures necessary. 1.1.6 Objectives of the new system The new system should meet a series of criteria, firstly the time spent inputting data and the ease with which this is done should be improved. Making the system less complex than Lotus Smartsuite should solve both of these objectives. Secondly they would like to be able to search for details of customers and services easily. Very importantly, this program must maintain the high quality of documents such as invoices and memorandums. Finally none of the staff who will be using the system have very much experience in IT, so the system must be easy to operate and difficult to corrupt. 1.1.7 Performance indicators The following performance indicators will be used: – It should take less than 1 minute to construct and print invoices – Data entry should be made simple enough for all queries to be 100% accurate – The system must be able to cater for any number of staff/customers/services to be added without improvements as the company expands – It must be impossible to erase any fields or tables – The system should be simple enough for users with only a basic I.T. knowledge to operate 1.1.8 Volume of data The level of data that will be stored in the database is likely to be quite small at first, but this should increase as Castle Couriers continues expanding. Initially there are likely to be about 40 customers, with a choice of 3 services and 5 members of staff. Details of each customer will need to be stored and will cover name, address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail, contacts within the firm and their history with Castle Couriers. 1.1.9 Hardware and Software The majority of the design will be carried out on my school’s computer network with the equivalent to a 1.6Ghz Pentium processor, 128MB of RAM and an easily sufficient sized hard drive. My home PC and the computers of Castle Couriers are of a similar specification. Therefore there should not be any problems in compatibility. However, at home, where some aspects of the design will be carried out, I have a newer version of Microsoft Office, and therefore a newer version of Access. This should not cause any problems, however should I wish to incorporate functions not available in the school’s version, I will have to do this last. All of the designing will be done in Microsoft Access, with some links to Word, for better quality documents, and Excel, for data interpretation. This is available on all three of the concerned systems. 1.1.10 End user skill level None of the people who will be using the system have any formal I.T. qualifications. Their only previous I.T. experience is based around the use of Lotus SmartSuite. This will be a problem for me because the system I will be designing for them will be entirely based within three programs, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word. It will therefore be necessary to make the project very simple to use with automatic functions. 2 Design 2.1 Consideration of solutions 2.1.1 Manual System This would be based around data being processed, stored and filed in the form of paperwork, with calculations being manual and documents handmade. -Easily the slowest -Higher risk of loss/damage to data -Complicated and tedious -Lower quality documents -High risk of mis-calculations We have therefore judged that this system would not be suitable for Castle Couriers, as it is far too slow and complicated and will not be better than the current system. 2.1.2 Spreadsheet System A spreadsheet system would be designed and operated in a program such as Microsoft Excel. -Easy to design -Little chance of damage/loss -Simple functions A spreadsheet system would not allow for the necessary functions and operations to improve on Lotus Smartsuite. 2.1.3 A specifically designed courier system A package, which has been specially designed for this type of business, could be obtained from certain software companies -Best program -Expensive -All necessary functions present This is probably the best option as it is designed only for use in this type of company, however due to the expense of this program Castle Couriers have allowed me to attempt a database before deciding. 2.1.4 Access database This is the option they have allowed me to attempt and this will be designed and implemented by me -Very cheap and easy to design -Inter-personal interaction during design -Easier to train users Using this system has the advantage of allowing Castle Couriers to have an influence in the design of the system. 2.2 Database Design 2.2.1 Entity-relationship diagram There are six entities, or tables, within this database. They are basically split into two separate functioning databases, however I will keep them in one for ease of use and because the ‘services/tasks’ table will be used by both systems. The first system, outlined in red, will concern the receiving and payments of orders, whereas the second, outlined in blue, will allow allocation of tasks for employees.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

To Kill Mockingbird essays

To Kill Mockingbird essays One theme of the novel To Kill A Mockingbird is the transition from innocence to experience. At the beginning of the story To Kill A Mockingbird Scouts world is limited to the boundaries of immediate neighborhood. She feels safe and secure, and totally confident that the way things are done in her home is not just the right way, but also the only way. The arrival of Dill, who comes from a broken home and has lived in another state, gives Scout her first hint of a variety of many experiences beyond her narrow horizons. Then, Scouts first day of school in Maycomb is not necessarily correct. She also learns that sometimes it is necessary to compromise in order to get along. Even though Scouts teachers ideas about how to teach reading may be wrong, Scout must respect her teachers authority. Her own father advises her to ignore the teachers ban on reading at home, but to pretend to go along with the teachers methods in the classroom. This kind of social hypocrisy is new to Scout, and sh e is surprised to hear her very own moral father Atticus advocating it. As the story progresses, Scout encounters other numerous examples of the complexity of human motivation. Sometimes characters that do evil things, such as Mayella Ewell, are nevertheless more pitiful than hateful. On the other hand, it is possible for some individuals to do the right thing for quite unexpected reasons. Mr. Underwood does not like blacks and is a mean-spirited person in general, yet he alone helps Atticus during the quarrel at the jail. By the final chapters of the novel, Scout has learned that good and justice do not necessarily triumph every time. Harmless individuals such as Tom Robinson and Boo Radley can become victims through no fault of their own. Sometimes the system can do nothing to defend them. In one of the final scenes of the story, the sheriff puts compassion ahead of the letter of the law so th...