Information Systems in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Information Systems in Business - Essay Example In the past for example, most of the business and offices used to maintain physical files, which required a lot of space and paperwork not withstanding the numerous risks involved such as theft and misplacement of files, destruction by environmental factors such as water, fire, and dust among others. The process of accessing the files was also tedious and it consumed a lot of time especially in departments such as accounting, government registries, and the banking sector. In a matter of time, these filing systems have become obsolete after the invention and accessibility of information technologies such as networking and spreadsheets among other applications, which have resulted to the availability of services such as the Automated Teller Machines, electronic money transfer, mobile banking and cloud computing among others (Peppard 39). For these reasons, it is imperative for businesses to have an effective strategic systems planning (SSP), which helps entrepreneurs and businessmen to identify the current and future trends in information systems and make recommendations on the best approach to tackle and anticipate technological shifts (Peppard 28). One of the advantages of SSP is that it enables a business to introduce change as where and when it is required instead of waiting until other competitors have upgraded their systems under which circumstance customers may be compelled to invest or buy products from the competitor. In this context, with an effective SSP, the business is able to maintain its customers and if the changes are implemented fast, the business stands the chance to gain more customers. This is more so because SSP also involves customers, who are represented by a customer representative in the project planning team and therefore, it is guaranteed that the final product is acceptable to them and i s also feasible to the business (Peppard 53). Strategic system planning is also essential in that it enables the

Decisions together to make our performance stronger Essay Example for Free

Decisions together to make our performance stronger Essay The development process in drama is where as an actor or director a person looks, in depth, at the meaning of the plot, the feelings created by this and the stage directions and uses or implements these in his or her own dictation of the scene to his or her own taste and liking. Development can also be achieved in groups where, as diplomacy, we can decide on which aspects of the script we wish to implement and which stage directions we also wish to implement or create so as to better perform a section, or whole, of a play in the surroundings and set provided. In this case I developed my section of the script (pages 70-71) in a group of two, where we made choices and decisions together to make our performance stronger and to make the performance work and flow more easily. Shortly after we began to rehearse, we decided that it would be better if the actor playing Mickey in the section, which was myself, began the scene sitting, so that we could add levels into the performance and so that the mood of Mickey and the entire scene came across as a contrast between the joy of Edward and the depression of Mickey. Another reason we chose to add levels to the performance (from the beginning) was so that we could show the difference in class between Mickey and Edward. We had no costumes so we were forced to show the upset and depression of Mickey purely with expressions and in posture and position. Where as, we had to show the happiness and excitement from Edward, which was far more easy to procure, in the way he moved around the stage quickly and also in happy expressions and in innocence (e. g. when Edward asked questions he needed to not understand Mickey, to not realise how he was feeling and so he needed to be very upbeat and confused). Another factor which came into our minds when rehearsing the section was the time of day we believed the section to have been set in and in this our opinions differed. My partner believed that the section happened in the day, with snow falling from the trees, creating a beautiful picture in the viewers mind which would have been spoiled by the upset of Mickey. However, I believed that the section would have taken place at night. The air would have been dark and smelt of gas and the area around Mickey would have been run-down and worn-out so to speak. This would have, in my opinion, made Mickeys story of unwork seem more plausible to the audience as they would have been able to feel the depression and coldness in the atmosphere. Unfortunately, being limited to the use of only lighting and minimal props we had to settle with the idea of dimmed lighting to show the depression, darkness and resentment in the atmosphere. As I mentioned before we decided to show the difference in moods between the characters in the section (Edward and Mickey) by their movements and actions and the speed of these. We chose to portray Mickey as a slow and upset figure, and this was because we saw that he was upset and depressed by not being in work and also, was jealous of Edwards life at university and the money he had. We hoped that, by making Mickey slow and angry we could show how he felt inside to the audience without having to describe what had happened to him beforehand. On the other hand, we needed to show the excitement and happiness of Edward so as to give a full portrayal of the section. We decided that large amounts of fast movement was the best way to show how happy Edward was, when entering the scene, to see Mickey. Movement on stage (from one side to the other), coupled with various hand motions was also the way we decided to portray the excitement of Edward in the section. This said we had to remember that Edward didnt need to move too much because this would make him look nervous or as if the actor playing him was his or herself nervous. Bearing this in mind we decided to make Edward move in his lines from one side of Mickey to the other, at the beginning of the section. As the section progressed we needed to show how the atmosphere and moods of the characters changed as they confronted one another and we decided to do this by slowing the movements of Edward and changing his actions and expressions to a more uneasy mood and also to change the mood of Mickey so that he was even more angry as Edward revealed the wonderful time he had been enjoying whilst he was away. For example, when Edward says the line: Mickey, its fantastic. I havent been to so many parties in my life. And theres just so many tremendous people, but youll meet them Mick, some of them, Baz, Ronnie and Clare and oh, lots of them. Theyre coming over to stay for the New Year, for the party. Ooh its just . . . its great, Mickey. we decided that he should become happier and more excited and move more as the line goes on but that Mickey shouldnt look at him but that he should become more and more angry in his expressions. Climaxing in perhaps hitting his leg or some other action to show frustration. Also, we decided that as Edward asks more and more questions Mickey should become more and more annoyed and that his speech should become more and more strained as if he is trying to withhold his anger but still remain seated. This is until the line: You. Youre a dick head! where we believe that Mickey should stand and shout the line to contrast from the rest of his speech and to show his anger at Edward in full, for the first time. We decided that, in Edwards next speech he should still sound innocent and speak as if he knows everything about being poor and face the audience, sounding proud and sure of himself. Whilst this happens Mickey would become more and more annoyed at him but now speak more calmly, as if he has regained control of his rage. As the section concludes I think that Mickey should perhaps mock Edward for still being a kid etc. And this would show how he has changed, to contrast from how he was Edwards best friend. Mickey should talk as if disgusted at Edward but remaining calm and envious of him. Oppositely, Edward, as the scene concludes, should turn from being innocent and confused to turn and be on the verge of anger. The line: Im exactly the same age as you, Mickey should be portrayed with a slight hint of anger towards Mickey from Edward. However, after this, Edward should become calm again and then change, as Mickey announces his last line, so that he seems upset and on the verge of tears. In the last line, Mickey should begin facing Edward but as the line moves on he should turn to face away from him, half to the audience, half to the other side of the stage and Edward should stare at his back so that we can see the expressions they expose. Both should be upset, Mickey should sound harsh but actually be upset about what he is saying and Edward should just be upset so the audience can see the brothers, separated and see them upset. In the pause, both of the characters should remain still, Edward staring at Mickey and Mickey staring at the audience. Then, as the pause ends, Mickey should turn to face Edward and shout the final line: Go on . . . beat it before I hit y and, at this point, there should be another pause. After this Edward would slowly back away and Mickey should turn again to face the audience. Both characters should have expressions of upset on their faces to show how the mood of the scene has changed. So that the audience can feel the upset and the separation of the brothers, the lights should fade so that a spot is left on each brother. This would not only portray the mood but would show how the brothers feel inside without each other.

Ophelia and Hamlet :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Ophelia and Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Norrie Epstein in â€Å"One of Destiny’s Casualties† presents her testimony in favor of Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet outranking the protagonist in her ability to draw an empathetic reaction from the audience:    It is Ophelia, not Hamlet, who most commands our sympathy. One of destiny’s casualties, she’s swept along by political events just as she is borne by the river at her death. . . .At her first appearance we see an innocent, trusting, and spirited young girl, but by her last scene she is contaminated, mad, and knowing. Whatever she might have become has been blighted. Insane, Ophelia at last speaks the truth, although no one understands her, and Shakespeare gives her one of the most cryptic lines in the play: â€Å"Lord, we know what we are, but know not what we may be.† Ophelia goes mad because she discovers what others â€Å"may be.† (74)    It is the intent of this essay to examine the victimized and empathetic aspect of Ophelia, as well as many other facets of the interesting personality of Hamlet’s girlfriend – with the help of literary criticism on this subject.    The protagonist of the tragedy, Prince Hamlet, initially appears in the play dressed in solemn black, mourning the death of his father supposedly by snakebite while he was away at Wittenberg as a student. Hamlet laments the hasty remarriage of his mother to his father’s brother, an incestuous act; thus in his first soliloquy he cries out, â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman!† Ophelia enters the play with her brother Laertes, who, in parting for school, bids her farewell and gives her advice regarding her relationship with Hamlet. Ophelia agrees to abide by the advice: â€Å"I shall the effect of this good lesson keep as watchman to my heart.† After Laertes’ departure, Polonius inquires of Ophelia concerning the â€Å"private time† which Hamlet spends with her. He dismisses Hamlet’s overtures as â€Å"Affection, puh!† Polonius considers Ophelia a â€Å"green girl,† incapable of recognizing true love: â€Å"These blazes . . . you mu st not take for fire.† He gets her assurance that she will not talk with Hamlet anymore.    When the ghost talks privately to Hamlet, he learns not only about the murder of his father, but also about the unfaithfulness and adultery of his mother. Gertrude was seduced by â€Å"that incestuous, that adulterate beast,/With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts† – Claudius himself – prior to his brother’s passing.

Essay --

2.1 INTRODUCTION The first chapter of this dissertation has indicated organizational commitment (OC) as the way to improve a wide range of positive organizational outcomes and in curing turnover and absenteeism problems. It is vital to have a thorough understanding of the overall concept of OC. Therefore, the main objective of this chapter is to provide a review on OC based on an extensive search of existing literature. This chapter starts with the theoretical background of OC and its definition in the current world. Different approaches of OC are then discussed and Three-Component Model will be presented in detail. This chapter progresses to evaluate the OC in the construction industry based on the existing literature. Finally, a summary is provided at the end of this chapter. 2.2 BACKGROUND AND DEFINITION OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT (OC) Commitment is a multi-foci concept. One may find commitment to the profession associations, the union, the work teams as well as commitment to the family, the state or religion, projects, values or career (Reichers, 1985; Baruch, 1998; Meyer & Herscovitch, 2001; Paillà ©, Fournier & Lamontagne 2011). OC is one of the five forms of work commitment indicated by Morrow (1983) and has been conceptualized in different constructs, definitions and interpretations to better understand the intensity and stability of an employee’s dedication to the organization (Cohen, 2007; Singh & Venugopal, 2008). The earliest attempt of the conceptualization of commitment is by Becker’s (1960) side-bet theory. He argued that an individual is committed in an organization is because of the hidden investments. The threat of losing these investments, along with a perceived lack of alternatives to replace or make up for th... ...onship is essential in undertaking project tasks to attain the goals. To the QS, goal attainment within the work group creates a positive influence to be a member of the group. Hence, QS is likely to gain or maintain their membership in the group (Chiu & Ng, 2013). In order to achieve the desired attitude and behavioural changes among employees, it is essential to understand the objectives, expectations and goals of the organization and the employees (Mohyin, Dainty, & Carrillo, 2009). Failing in understanding what employees require and expect from the employment relationship will often lead to the deterioration in commitment and loyalty and thus increase employee turnover (Loosemore et al., 2003). This reflects a need in studying the antecedents of OC among QS, by looking at QS who work in different consultant and construction firms to fill the gaps in knowledge.

Ethics of Kant and the Categorical Imperative Essay

What is a categorical imperative? A categorical imperative is a moral obligation which is absolute and necessary in any moral situation and isn’t reliant on a singular person’s desires or wills. For Kant, categorical imperatives are the foundation for morality because they invoke â€Å"pure† reasons for our moral actions and decisions since each rational being reasons to act outside of their own personal desires or will which may cloud judgments or impose a biased verdict of the situation. Kant explains this by distinguishing two different kinds of imperatives; categorical and hypothetical. Obviously Kant is interested in categorical imperatives and uses this distinction to show the difference between them so that categorical imperatives come out stronger. As stated before, categorical imperatives according to Kant are moral obligations which are absolute and necessary in any moral situation and isn’t reliant on a particular person’s desires or purpose. He also says that categorical imperatives (obligations) are such if they are of a commanding or imposing nature. For example â€Å"Don’t murder! † is a categorical imperative which is binding to every rational person and forces a person to act of good will. Hypothetical imperatives on the other hand are obligations in which there is an end result of your action which is in turn a result of your personal desires our thoughts. An example of a hypothetical imperative is the statement â€Å"If you want to stay out of jail, then don’t murder†. Here, there is no sense of authority behind it; it doesn’t have any weight or value behind it. He further distinguishes that there are different types of imperatives which make us act or think the way that we do in a question of morality. These distinctions are imperatives of skill, imperatives of prudence, and imperatives of morality. Kant does recognize the imperatives of skill and prudence even though he doesn’t believe them to be intrinsically â€Å"good† or â€Å"of good will†. Imperatives of skill call for action and are a means to an end in which the end that the person is seeking isn’t the end result of happiness but something else. An example of this would be the duty to not smoke cigarettes in order to live a healthy lifestyle. Here, your end goal is to live a healthy lifestyle in order to avoid conditions associated with smoking. Imperatives of prudence also calls for action and is a means to an end but with the end result being a product of the person hoping to achieve happiness. For example, the duty to be polite and respectful so that others will do the same unto you and in turn you will be happy. Here, you are hoping to achieve the end of being happy by acting in a polite and respectful way. Imperatives of morality for Kant are totally different from those of prudence and skill. These duties do not have a specific means to an end but instead they represent a way of determining what to do because of what is morally right. These imperatives are the ones in which they are categorical since a rational being is one in which you are exposed to a situation in which you must determine what the right thing to do is and being a rational being, you choose the action which has good will which in turn means you are acting my duty due to respect and understanding of morality in general. For example the duty to not physically harm another person doesn’t have a specific end that will satisfy yourself but it is the morally right thing to do if you are a rational person who respects the wellbeing of yourself as well as others. How does he arrive at the conclusion that The Categorical Imperative is the â€Å"purest† way to reason your morals? He reasons that the only thing that is unconditionally good is the good will and that good will is an act of duty. For Kant, acting from your duty means not acting by your own desires and wills but for respect of morality in general. Looking at the Categorical Imperative versus other moral theories, the Categorical Imperative is the only one in which a person’s desires or inclinations aren’t needed to make a moral decision (versus Aristotle’s view that a person’s skill and acting prudently is what contributes to moral decisions). Therefore; the only thing that is unconditionally good is to act according to The Categorical Imperative. From this, Kant is saying that the amount of value placed on morals of any action or decision depends on moral duty and moral law. For Kant, if a person acts from a good will then they are acting by moral duty and if a moral decision is binding to every person capable of having a rational thought, then they are acting by moral law. Since both are required for a â€Å"pure rational reason†, then The Categorical Imperative is the only moral law which allows us to meet these requirements of allowing us to act from good will and to also be binding to every person. Even though Kant does seem to be making his point, he has many flaws in his reasoning. One problem is that he doesn’t look at the big picture; he seems to say that if we are to make a moral decision then it should be based on being intrinsically good so that you are able to universalize it which is a good thought however he doesn’t look at situations case by case. He doesn’t believe that there are any exceptions to his theory about categorical imperatives, he believes that it is morally right to act in a certain way for one situation, then you should act that way in all situations and also if it is wrong to act a certain way then it is wrong to act that way in any situation you are in. An example of this is say your best friend is very sick in the hospital and is feeling down. None of his/her friends seems to be coming to visit so your friend’s mom asks you to go and visit but then she adds that she will pay you twenty dollars if you go and do it. So you go and visit your friend which cheers them up. A few weeks later when they are out of the hospital, your friend’s dad accidentally tells your friend that you were paid by their mother to go visit. Your friend is infuriated and confronts you about the situation. Here is the dilemma: do you tell your friend that you were going to visit them anyway and the money was a bonus or do you lie and say that you never took the money in order to save your friend from hurt feelings and a damaged friendship? In this situation Kant would have you tell the truth because lying in general is immoral so if it is immoral in one situation, it is immoral in all situations no matter the circumstances. Another problem with Kant’s theory is that it creates contradictories since there is no room for exceptions even though some duties conflict with each other. An example I will use to show is this from the Bible in Numbers 10:4-6: â€Å"Who will give us meat to eat? † they said. â€Å"Think of the fish we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic! Here we are wasting away, stripped of everything; there is nothing but manna for us to look at! † Here, the Israelites are complaining about their new source of food which God provided for them, because it isn’t tasty and that is the only thing they have to eat. The Israelites are contradicting their new found freedom by wishing for the food they had back in Egypt when they were enslaved under the Pharaoh. Should they be thankful for their newfound freedom even though they have bad food or should they desire the good food they had while they were enslaved? This is a contradiction. Kant seems to only focus on the motives for our actions in moral situations versus the actual outcomes of our actions (which is kind of the point in acting or not acting in a dutiful way). There are many times in which we have good intentions for a situation but what ends up being the outcome of those intentions are abysmal. For example, consider a family member is terminally ill and is in constant pain on a daily basis. There is no hope of a cure or for the pain to diminish; your family member must endure the pain until the illness kills them. What if your family member asked you to aid in their plan to commit suicide in order to escape their pain? Say you come to the decision to help them after deciding it is the morally right thing to do. Without thinking of the outcome of the situation, you are soon found guilty of a felony charge of aiding in a suicide. Even though you had good intentions, the outcome of a person dying with the help of another person clearly outweighs the good and the outcome of the act is just as important as the decision itself. Overall, morality is too complex and full of exceptions to situations so that specific decision procedures won’t work. Kant believes that morality necessitates that we do the morally right thing because it is right, and for no other reason. He also believes that we should account ourselves to the same standards we would require of everyone else so that we aren’t placing exceptions for our own benefit. We must use our reason to come to our own conclusions about good will and ignore our predispositions even if they tend to point in the right direction. An action or decision is only intrinsically worthy because of your ought to do it, because of your obligation to do it. I think what Kant was trying to aim at was the importance of a person’s character (acting the right way even when you may not want to). Only the actions done from our obligations have any value. They have value because we will them from our obligations not because of the goal we try and achieve or the outcome we intend to happen. We have obligations to each other and our actions are right when we are correctly motivated in the face of every obstacle keeping us from those obligations. It isn’t easy being unbiased by our predispositions or desires, but predispositions and desires are often conflicting with what is right. Works Cited The Holy Bible: King James Version. Dallas, TX: Brown Books Publishing, 2004. Kant, Immanuel. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Cambridge University Press. 2012. Print.

Rules for Assigning Oxidation Numbers

Rules for Assigning Oxidation Numbers Electrochemical reactions involve the transfer of electrons. Mass and charge are conserved when balancing these reactions, but you need to know which atoms are oxidized and which atoms are reduced during the reaction. Oxidation numbers are used to keep track of how many electrons are lost or gained by each atom. These oxidation numbers are assigned using the following rules. Rules for Assigning Oxidation Numbers The convention is that the cation is written first in a formula, followed by the anion. For example, in NaH, the H is H-; in HCl, the H is H.The oxidation number of a free element is always 0.  The atoms in He and N2, for example, have oxidation numbers of 0.The oxidation number of a monatomic ion equals the charge of the ion.  For example, the oxidation number of Na is 1; the oxidation number of N3- is -3.The usual oxidation number of hydrogen is 1.  The oxidation number of hydrogen is -1 in compounds containing elements that are less ​electronegative than hydrogen, as in CaH2.The oxidation number of oxygen in compounds is usually -2.  Exceptions include OF2 because F is more electronegative than O, and BaO2, due to the structure of the peroxide ion, which is [O-O]2-.The oxidation number of a Group IA element in a compound is 1.The oxidation number of a Group IIA element in a compound is 2.The oxidation number of a Group VIIA element in a compound is -1, except when t hat element is combined with one having a higher electronegativity.  The oxidation number of Cl is -1 in HCl, but the oxidation number of Cl is 1 in HOCl. The sum of the oxidation numbers of all of the atoms in a neutral compound is 0.The sum of the oxidation numbers in a polyatomic ion is equal to the charge of the ion.  For example, the sum of the oxidation numbers for SO42- is -2.

Child And Youth Care Work Essay Example

Child And Youth Care Work Essay Example Child And Youth Care Work Essay Child And Youth Care Work Essay Introduction The profession of kid and young person attention requires a great sum of attempt, finding and accomplishment. Within the field, kid and young person attention workers are expected to get and continue a swearing bond with the young person involved ( Quinn, 2004: 18 ) . Although the chief purpose of the kid and young person attention worker is to care for, love, and protect the kid, this may turn out hard in many fortunes. Therefore, the young person attention worker needs to hold acquired accomplishments in order to get the better of these challenges while still wining in constructing a strong relationship with the kid involved. This essay will discourse the elements of kid and young person attention work every bit good as the outlooks of kid and young person attention workers. In peculiar, it will concentrate on the accomplishments needed within the profession and the troubles faced when seeking to care for kids and young person. Elementss of Child and Youth Care Maier ( 1987 ) describes the nucleus elements of kid and young person attention work as supplying kids with physical comfort, cognizing the different dispositions of each kid, rhythmic interactions with kids, predictability, dependableness and besides behavioral preparation. When practising within the field of kid and young person attention, the worker is required to hold an apprehension of these elements in order to make their work to the best of their ability. More specifically, the elements of kid and young person attention includes carry throughing the physical and privateness demands of the kids and besides cognizing the differences in their dispositions, in other words, cognizing the differences in their personalities and attitudes. Besides, the kid attention worker needs to do clip for rhythmic interactions with the patient so that they can both hold an experience of intimacy.e.g. vocalizing or dance ( Maier, 1987 ) . Childs have a strong demand for predictability, and rhythmic interactions besides play a function in this. â€Å"Rhythmic activities seem to corroborate the experience of repeat and continuity of repetition† which, as a consequence, provides the kid with a feeling of enduring committedness and predictability. Children and youth necessitate to cognize that they have a dependable grownup to depend on. Lastly, kid and young person attention workers need to add in a personal component to the behavioral preparation of their patients. Children by and large learn quicker from those who have intending to them and hence will larn more readily from their care-giver one time attention has been established ( Maier, 1987 ) . Expectations and Skills Required The chief function of a kid and young person attention worker is to work with kids and young person in ways that are educative, participative and authorising. The worker is expected to promote equality of chance and societal inclusion amongst the kids that they are working with ( Pittman, 2004: 90 ) . Communication plays an of import function within the profession of kid and young person attention. Workers are required to make and keep relationships of trust with the kids and young person involved and should present information so that it is received in the mode intended. Child and youth attention workers need to pass on good and convey and explicate information assertively and â€Å"in linguistic communication of the community† ( Quinn, 2004: 18 ) . Child and youth attention workers are besides expected to implement programmes which aid the kids and young person in their growing, larning and development. In order to make this, workers are required to hold knowledge on group work and should cognize how to help groups in times of demand. Child and youth attention workers should continuously be be aftering and implementing new activities for kids to take part in. While making this, the patients should be motivated and encouraged to prosecute in these activities ( Quinn, 2004: 18 ) . In order to demo regard for the household of the kid and the community in which they reside, it is critical that the worker additions an apprehension of the household civilization and constructions ( Quinn, 2004: 19 ) . This will let workers to cover with struggles easier as they will so be more sensitive when keeping treatments on certain subjects and will therefore be-able to make relevant schemes in order to fulfill the kid s demands. Child and youth attention workers should demo a high degree of apprehension of kids and should be able to â€Å"recognise demand for intervention† so that they can assist with the kid s job with immediateness. Troubles in the Field Supplying good kid attention means â€Å"providing kids with important control and giving them antiphonal nurturance† ( Cancian, 2002:65 ) . However, it may be hard to transport out good kid attention efficaciously at times. Troubles in the field may include communicating jobs like non being sensitive or important plenty. Bing in the profession involves a batch of emphasis as it is a challenge to care for kids and young person and to accomplish a professional image amongst society for the kid and young person attention profession. It is besides disputing in the fact that it requires us to be flexible in alterations that may happen. Child and youth attention workers need to be willing to turn and larn from good and bad experiences in the profession and therefore prevent certain bad facets from happening in the hereafter, which may turn out hard for people who do non like alteration and who do nt take bad experience and unfavorable judgment lightly. Decision It is concluded that the kid and young person attention profession involves supplying kids with basic and indispensable demands such as love, attention and protection. Child attention workers need to pass on efficaciously with the kids in order to expeditiously assist with their jobs and set up a trusting relationship with their patients so that proper attention can be given. However, the profession does supply a few challenges but none which can non be overcome with clip and more experience in the field of kid and young person attention. Mentions Cancian, F.M. ( erectile dysfunction ) . 2002. ‘Defining â€Å"Good† Child Care: Hegemonic and Democratic Standards , Child Care and Inequality: Rethinking carework for kids and young person. Great Britain: Routledge. p.65. Maier, H.W. ( 1987 ) . ‘Essential Components in Care and Treatment Environments for Children , Developmental Group Care of Children and Youth: Concepts and Practice, USA: The Haworth Press, Inc. p.40-58. Pittman, K.J. ( 2004 ) . ‘Reflections on the route non ( yet ) taken: How a centralised public scheme can assist youth work focal point on young person , ( In Garza, P. , Borden, L.M. , A ; Astroth, K.A. ( explosive detection systems. ) , New Directions for Youth Development: Professional Development for Youth Workers, 104: 90, Winter. Quinn, J. ( 2004 ) . ‘Professional development in the young person development field: Issues, tendencies, chances, and challenges , ( In Garza, P. , Borden, L.M. , A ; Astroth, K.A. ( explosive detection systems. ) , New Directions for Youth Development: Professional Development for Youth Workers, 18-19, Winter.

Sociology Delinquency essays

Sociology Delinquency essays 1) Delinquency refers to the undesirable, anti-social behavior of young people. It may include some crime, but it also covers deviant behavior that is not criminal, such as defying authority, truanting from school and so on. Delinquent behavior can come in many forms, staying out late, swearing, outrageous dress or tattoos and body piercing may all be considered as delinquent behavior depending on the society and household. When trying to define delinquency or an action as a delinquent one, one must bear in mind that the term is vague, and covers a wide spectrum. Delinquency can also be juvenile; however, use of the word juvenile is just as vague as use of the word as what age one may consider as juvenile may vary from person to person. For example, even though someone at the age of 14 may be considered by juvenile by some, he may still be charged criminally. Delinquency has come in many shapes and forms as time went on. In the 1840s the gangs of street Arabs seemed to be the main ca use, in the 1890s, it was hooligans and in the second half of the twentieth century it was the Teddy Boys, skinheads, punks, Goths and so on. There may be many causes of delinquency, but the main causes of it are family problems such as divorce, failure at school, and use of alcohol and drugs. 2) Sociologist Albert Cohen made the suggestion that delinquency was caused by something called status frustration which was felt by boys who were failing at school. The two main values of the anti-school subculture that was created by status frustration were the need to have the approval of their peers and a feeling of success they could not attain at school where they had already been labeled as failures. Because of these values, the types of behavior that this anti-school subculture led to are rudeness, disobedience, and breaking the rules. They could wi ...

Ancient Greek Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ancient Greek Architecture - Essay Example The Greek architects also adopted designs and patterns from foreign architectural styles that include illustrations of women figures and animals including birds, winged lions and other beasts (Raaflaub and Wees). The archaic period mainly based on the artists` practices of adopting foreign styles for introducing an innovative style of the Greek art. Furthermore, a dominating influence of this innovative style has been observed in various city states of the Greece such as, in Sparta architects and other creative artists started learning ivory carving and bronze styling in order, to utilize these motifs and designs in the stylish buildings of the new period (Raaflaub and Wees). Additionally, artists of the Laconia and the Corinthians discovered a pattern of using small animals and floral prints and called it as silhouetted style. As this period`s main theme was associated with the natural scenes, thus Athens started demonstrating nature and methodological characters in the abstract paintings (Couprie, Hahn and Naddaf). However, during the whole period main focus of the artists remained with the innovative and natural representation of human figures specifically, children and women (Couprie, Hahn and Naddaf). The metropolitan Museum is a self-speaking evidence of Egyptian influence on the Archaic Greek period. Other examples of the archaic period influence include two main orders of Greek art such as, Doric order of western colonies and mainland Greece and the Ionic order of the Ionic Islands (Raaflaub and Wees).

Target market and segmentation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Target market and segmentation - Research Paper Example There is a special emphasis on the small to medium sized business. The businesses that are likely to benefit most from the services offered by Capstone accounting firm include the non-profit organizations, servicing entrepreneurs as well as individuals (Trugman & Person, 2005). Based on the competition that already exists in Indiana with regards to the accounting firms available, the firm will not be that big. It will begin as a small firm that only caters for the needs of individuals and the small and medium firms. From what has been projected by the US Bureau of statistics, since the accounting jobs are projected to grow at a rate of 13% between 2012 and 2022, the capstone firm is likely to grow at the same rate or at a slightly lower rate of 10% per year. This is the growth rate of the target markets. This is reflected as a result of the growth of the already established markets as well as the movement into the Indiana area. This growth rate has plateau for a long time but is expected to gain stability in the near future. This is based on the constant need for accountancy jobs in the area. In addition, there is evidence that the consulting services are growing much faster that the auditing business. This will enhance growth as it will be possible to diversify the kind of services offered. There is also a great need for accountants as the economy of the region also grows. It is projected that the demand for accounting services will be increased and converted to billable hours due to the impac t of the regulatory environment and the stricter laws and regulations placed on the financial sector (Ahmed & Hopson, 2000). The most common unique features and dynamics of the business include the fact that the business can offer services for the low unemployment and the tax incentives for new businesses. As such, the firm will only begin at a small scale. However, it is indicated that with a longer stay into the market, full range services that offer services to the

The Castle of Otranto Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Castle of Otranto - Essay Example However, at some point she could also be seen as one who deliberately chose to be blind to her unreciprocated feelings toward her husband and has thus fooled herself to believing that Manfred simply did not like her to worry about difficult situations. For instance, it has been expected that when Conrad died, the family members should be the ones gathering together to comfort each other. Hippolita was very worried about her husband so she sent her daughter to his side but she was driven away. Instead, Conrad’s fiancà ©e, Isabella, was summoned and without any inkling, Hippolita sent the young princess to her husband and never thought ill of her husband. The above-mentioned attitude of Hippolita may be understandable at such an emotional moment however her character is questioned at a time when she is able to think more clearly about her family’s affairs. When Manfred suggested that Matilda should be married to Prince Frederic, the woman later learned of the evil plans of the prince. Everything fell into place as she learned that Manfred had plans of divorcing her as â€Å"the recollection of Manfred’s late ambiguous discourses confirmed what she heard† (p. 79). Nevertheless, instead of trying to save her marriage or her daughter from a future she did not like to live, Hippolita used all her influence on her daughter to give in to the desires of her father. It is this event that puts into question how Hippolita claims to feel toward her daughter especially when she learns that Matilda is in love with the young Theodore. For a modern individual, it is quite difficult to comprehend a doting mother to let her child suffer a long-term relationship that can rob her daughter of the happiness she should experience with the man she loves. Having herself experienced a difficult life with her husband, Hippolita should be the first to understand and foresee what Matilda

The Baroque Era Art and Modern Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Baroque Era Art and Modern Art - Essay Example According to Craig Lockard (451), Baroque artists placed more focus on new perspectives such as movement, amplified light, tension, decorations, and strong emotions to produce the various quality artworks. The enlarging horizons of thinking created by the Renaissance and Reformation resulted in an extravagant and, as considered by many people, outrageous artistic movement in the 1600s. In the modern art, artworks are made powerful by the use of current features such as color, form, and line to come up with often violent paintings that are both indications of creativity and uprising against convention. The current group artists are said to be inspired by various French artworks and architecture and the theatrical Italian Baroque style art. Although slightly different from the Baroque era, the Greek myths also continued to encourage some prominent artists during the period beginning the 20th century. In conclusion, the end of the Baroque era perhaps, had a significant impacted on the m odern state of art since it ushered in a new age of ornamentalization. Various forms of art such as painting and dà ©cor both opted to involve ornaments including the common paintings such as â€Å"the Garden of Earthly Delights.† As a result of forces causing a drift from the Baroque period, painters and sculptors also shifted from producing overdone artworks back to producing more sleek, modest and sharp finish. The world has seen massive transformations in the state of the modern art where it remains evident.

Classical Period and Romantic Period Research Paper

Classical Period and Romantic Period - Research Paper Example When we talk about classical music it is important to know that the term is applicable to music that was composed in a particular style from the 1740s to 1820. The composition of music during these years comprised of a distinct sense of proportion. Initially it was somewhat difficult for listeners to derive pleasure and enjoyment from, however after a certain time the music began to dominate their music preferences. Initially the perception modern listeners have of the classical era is that it was either too serious or plain music; however to the listeners in that era, the music was unique and very different from that of the Baroque era. The key distinction between classical era and that of the Baroque era was that the classical music had more variety when it came to divergent rhythms throughout a piece. Melodies which were introduced in the classical era were a lot more balanced, easier to sing and to remember. It was in this era that numerous nursery songs were written. It was in t he classical era that the social function of music started to evolve from that of its prior aristocratic and religious affiliations towards the public and secular sphere with its middle class connections. The gradual increase in public concerts, the growth of commercial opera houses, the increase of publishing of music, and the increase in the number of musical pieces that were composed as well as played were all implications of the change in musical times. Form was of critical importance to the composers of the classical era, and this period had a lasting effect as far as form is concerned, especially when it came to the various instrumental music forms. Previously composers had already begun to pay special attention to the various musical instruments and their capabilities. Hence the move to writing not just solo music for one specific instrument, but focusing on music which had mixed ensembles with a variety of instruments. The modern orchestra was of key importance here. It was in the classical era that the common instruments like the toccata, concerto grosso, and fugue became replaced by forms which had matured as a result of the classical period. This is where the roots of the sonata, concerto and symphony can be traced. Even though each of these forms had significant precursors prior to the classical era, but it is this version of the form that came to become the most influential through the course of the other following eras, the romantic and modern era, and even today it is still highly recognized by a multitude of art music audience and performers (Jones, 2006). Among the many kinds of music of this period, the classical era is well known for symphonies, which is a type of a large orchestral ensemble. These pieces of symphonies primarily had three movements; the first of these was the sonata, followed by the minuet, and the finale. Taking inspirations from earlier composers, Haydn and Mozart took symphonies to their peak in the late 18th century. Whi le Haydn concentrated on achieving rhythmic excellence and the composition of theme based music Mozart contributed to the symphonies by a contrast of memorable lyric themes which made use of a full sounding orchestral settings (Roger, 2008). To cater to the middle-class, classic composers came up with a ton on new chamber music which made use of a magnitude of combinations. The piano sonata became one of the important forms of chamber music. This was mainly after the refinement it received at the hands of composers like Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. The string quartet played an

The Baroque Era Art and Modern Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Baroque Era Art and Modern Art - Essay Example According to Craig Lockard (451), Baroque artists placed more focus on new perspectives such as movement, amplified light, tension, decorations, and strong emotions to produce the various quality artworks. The enlarging horizons of thinking created by the Renaissance and Reformation resulted in an extravagant and, as considered by many people, outrageous artistic movement in the 1600s. In the modern art, artworks are made powerful by the use of current features such as color, form, and line to come up with often violent paintings that are both indications of creativity and uprising against convention. The current group artists are said to be inspired by various French artworks and architecture and the theatrical Italian Baroque style art. Although slightly different from the Baroque era, the Greek myths also continued to encourage some prominent artists during the period beginning the 20th century. In conclusion, the end of the Baroque era perhaps, had a significant impacted on the m odern state of art since it ushered in a new age of ornamentalization. Various forms of art such as painting and dà ©cor both opted to involve ornaments including the common paintings such as â€Å"the Garden of Earthly Delights.† As a result of forces causing a drift from the Baroque period, painters and sculptors also shifted from producing overdone artworks back to producing more sleek, modest and sharp finish. The world has seen massive transformations in the state of the modern art where it remains evident.

Operating Risk Management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Operating Risk Management - Term Paper Example This caution would not only save their client, but it would also save the personnel or employees they will use in the project. Tetra Tech’s Task Initiation Procedure (TIP) requires that before a project is undertaken all risk associated with the project are known, understood and the management of these risk are defined and detailed (Fletcher and Newell). The Task Initiation Procedure based on the RFP (request for proposal) is conducted even before a bid for the project is put together. Short of coming up with an actual project plan or implementation plan of the project from start-up to its completion the TIP will detail the resources needed as well as the materiel that will be needed by the project. Another aspect of Tetra Tech’s unique risk management strategy is also to stop and suspend the project when it encounters an unknown variable that was not included in the project plan prepared at the onset of the project a re-assessment and re-evaluation of the risk base on the new variable is conducted. This unique aspect of Tetra Tech’s operation sometimes led to a renegotiation of the project. However, this practice has avoided near misses and potential disasters for the client, stakeholders and even the project resource that Tetra Tech is using. An essential component of an effective risk management is being prepared for all known risks, and being prepared to handle unknown risks. The employees of Tetra Tech have appreciated the fact that the TIP is not a rigid mandatory requirement but a strict guideline that allows project manager to tailor fit their requirement to the uniqueness of their individual project. The innovation contributed by each employee to the TIP make the employees feel that they own the risk management and compliance process of Tetra Tech. Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 with regards to risk assessment and risk management in the context of good corporate governance (Lahti, Peterson and Lanza) used the COSO (committee of Sponsor ing Organization of the Treadway Commission) model that identifies an Eight Framework Component in managing risks (Moeller). Tetra Tech has an Internal Environment that is geared towards risk management specifically its operating impetus to â€Å"plan to address the risk before execution†. Not only is this enshrined in their operation it is how they do business. For Tetra Tech, the successful risk free implementation of the project that is according to plan is the objective. The TIP in itself is the Event Identification and Risk assessment. The implementation plan is the risk response and the Control and Monitoring activities are the three layers of audit it conducts (Peer review, executive review and compliance audit). Information and Communication is enshrined in the feedback mechanism that would include lessons learned that strengthened the knowledge base of Tetra Tech. Tetra Tech even exceeds the requirement of established Risk Assessment and Management frameworks. Elabor ate on risk assessment in the task initiation procedure and oversight Process The risk analysis of Tetra Tech starts at the TIP process using the RFP as basis. Tetra Tech’s appetite will be the basis for joining a bidding process or not. However, the TIP ensures that what is considered as high risk is converted into low risk

Sociology - The Comparative Method Essay Example for Free

Sociology The Comparative Method Essay Sociologists have embraced what is known as the comparative method as the most efficient way to expose taken-for-granted truths or laws that people have adopted. But what is this comparative method and how does it work? Are there any advantages/disadvantages to exposing these false truths. What forms or variations of the comparative method exist? In the pages to follow I will attempt to give you some insight and understanding of what the comparative method is, and how it works. The comparative method, simply put, is the process of comparing two things (in our case societies, or the people that make up society) and seeing if the result of the comparison shows a difference between the two. The comparative method attempts to dereify (the process of exposing misinterpreted norms. Norms that society consider natural and inevitable characteristics of human existence) reified (the human created norms or truths) beliefs. Obviously there are various ways in which a nomi (a labeled, sometime constructed, norm or truth) can be exposed. Which form of the comparative method should one use however? The answer, whichever one applies to the truth in question. For example, you certainly would not do a cross-gender form of comparison if you wished to expose whether or not homosexuality has always been feared and looked down upon by most people throughout history. No, rather you would perform a historical comparison of two or more different societies to see if these beliefs always existed, or, whether or not this is a newly constructed belief. Lets look at little more closely at the above mentioned historical comparison and see how the comparative method works with a specific example. There is no question that in todays western society there is a lot of fear and trepidation towards people who are labeled homosexual. The question we will attempt to answer however is whether or not it has always been like this and is this a universal truth. In ancient Greek societies people had a very different opinion of men that slept with men. For example, it was considered quite an honor for a family with a young boy under the age of 10, to be given the privilege on an older man of high society taking their son into his house. The young boy would go and live with this older man. The older man would have sex with the young boy on a regular basis until the boy developed facial hair. It was not until then that the boy was considered a man. Society thought that an older mans, of great reputation, semen would help the boy develop into a fine young man. Once the boy developed the facial hair, the sex between the two would stop. The older mans job was finished. Obviously this would be considered an atrocious and disgusting act these days. The older man in this case would certainly go to jail for the crimes that he had committed. However, in Ancient Greece this was not only considered perfectly normal, but as I already stated, it was an honor and a gift that not every boy was lucky enough to be given. Therefore, we can conclude from this comparison that homophobia, as we know it, is not a natural truth, nor is it a universal belief. Rather it is a socially constructed belief that many people have taken for granted as an inevitable part of human existence. It is important at this point to clarify something however. It is said that the role of the sociologist is a descriptive one as opposed to a prescriptive one. That is to say that the sociologist should describe the various practices, customs and structures that exist in various societies rather than suggest to people which one is actually the correct belief or the real truth. Cross-gender comparisons is another commonly used comparison used to reveal socially constructed truths. In Carol Gilligans book In a different voice we find a fine example of a cross-g ender comparison. She states that most people believe that the majority of people, both men and women, view morale issues in the same way. However, through empirical data collection, Carol Gilligan concludes that this is not most often the case. Rather, she states that men tend to approach moral issues quite differently than women. Where as men view morale issues with a dont interfere with my rights view, women focus more on the responsibility end of the morale involved. Thus we can conclude, thanks to the comparative method, that the constructed truth that all people view morale issues the same is not a correct one. Another quick example of a cross-gender comparison would be that of the house-wife. Still today most men view the role of the married woman as one that involves being a house-wife, in the traditional sense of the term. However, women today certainly would not view themselves in the same manner. The data collected from a comparison such as this could help to dereify this socially constructed truth. Cross-class comparisons is also a comparison commonly used when attempting to expose constructed truths between two classes. i.e. lower-class, upper-class, middle-class. For an example I refer to my lecture notes. Our professor gave us a fine example of a cross-class comparison involving his own life. He was from a middle-class family and attended a public school where he got involved with various kids from the middle and lower class. He grew up in this type of environment and accepted it as the his life as the way society was. To him, there was not another lifestyle. This was life. Several events occurred and because of these events our professor was moved, by his parents, to a private school. This private school and the new society that accompanied it resulted in a form of culture shock for him. All of a sudden he was placed in a new world, a world that he never even knew existed. As you can see, our professor socially constructed the view that society was like the one that he lived in when he went to his public school, hung around with middle and lower-class friends, and did what middle and lower-class kids did. When he was afforded the chance to compare that type of lifestyle to one of the upper-class he dereified his constructed view and his eyes opened to a new reality and a new view of the way society was. Another major comparative form is that of the cross-generational. This one is fairly straight forward. The name basically says it all. In fact, its much like the historical comparison method but on a much smaller scale. I believe that in order for it to be termed cross-generational, the generations that are being analyzed have to be living at the same time. Otherwise it becomes a historical comparison. Karen Anderson gives an example of a cross-generational comparison in her book Sociology : A Critical Introduction (1996, pg. 12). Canadians pride themselves on their tolerance and lack of prejudice. But we do not need to look very far into our history to find examples of taken-for-granted understandings that have led to discriminatory and prejudicial treatment. Some segments of the population have been classified as undesirable and thus as unwanted or undeserving outsiders Anderson is pointing out that the constructed view in Canada is that we pride ourselves on the fact that we have very little prejudice in Canada. She goes on to point out that this is not at all the case. She gives the example of Canadas history of immigration. She discusses the fact that a lot of Chinese people were allowed to immigrate to Canada, much to the dismay of current residents and already established European immigrants, during the time when the transcontinental railroad was being built. Sir John A. Macdonald was the Prime Minister at this time and defended his reputation by telling the people of Canada, who were very disturbed by his actions, that the Chinese immigrants would live in Western Canada just temporarily. To reassure the people further Macdonald said no fear of a permanent degradation of the country by a mongrel race. This would be considered horrific these days. Most Canadians would not even realize that their country was very closed to the idea of the immigra tion of certain types of people. The social idea that Canada is, and always have been, a very tolerant country is exposed as a false, constructed truth through this cross-generational comparison. Finally we come to the last major comparative form. That of the cross-cultural. Cross-cultural comparison consists of comparing two societies or cultures in an attempt to reveal and expose some socially constructed truths in order to prove that they are not universal but rather they are relative to each society. There are literally thousands of differences between almost every culture that people would be surely shocked to learn of. For the next example I will show how the cross-cultural comparative method dereifies some of the constructed so-called universal-truths that people in our society may have. India differs in its customs considerably from that of Canada or Northern America. For example, in Western Civilization families sit together when they attend church, in India this is not acceptable at all. Men and women must sit on opposite sides of the church. Men and women in India for the most part will not eat together, whereas in Western civilization it is a common practice and is actually looked upon as a good time for a little family bonding. In India it is considered rude to eat with both hands at the table. The right had is solely used for eating and the left for drinking. Obviously we have a completely different practice in Western society. Another shock that a Westerner might face if he/she were to travel to India would be the fact that it is still considered a major social impropriety for a man to even touch a woman in public. In North America public displays of affection can been seen everywhere. . (Stott, John. Down To Earth. 1980. Pg. 12-15) These are all prime examples of Western universal truths that are exposed when compared to another culture. One of the major benefits for exposing these truths through the comparative method is the fact that dereifying accepted truths leads to a decrease in ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the act of interpreting all societies through ones own cultural lenses and believing that there idea of truths are the only correct ones. This could lead to the imposing of ones own beliefs onto other societies. In other words, comparing, exposing, and dereifying helps educate and eliminate ignorance when it comes to social truths. However, there is a danger to exposing social constructs. It could lead to one taking on the perceptive of a radical relativist (all truths are correct) or a nihilistic view (the belief that all truths are relative and therefore there are no truths). Obviously this is a very negative, and possibly a destructive, way of thinking. As you can see, the comparative method is an essential part of a sociologists practice. Without it there would be a lot of confusion and misunderstanding between people and societies. Hopefully I have shown by example the various forms of the comparative method and how each of them applies to society and how they attempt to expose falsities.

Django Unchained (2012) Film Analysis Postmodernism

Django Unchained (2012) Film Analysis Postmodernism Django Unchained (Tarantino, 2012) set in Texas in 1858, deals with a variety of issues such as race, slavery, revenge and violence. The film sparked controversy worldwide and amongst critics. Filmmaker Spike Lee talks about the film during an interview with Vibe magazine: All Im going to say is that its disrespectful to my ancestors. Thats just me. Im not speaking on behalf of anybody else (2012). Tarantino argues that although the film is indeed graphic and brutal, it does not compare to the real-life discoveries and findings from the research into this topic. The film sugar coats the violent happenings, as it leaves out factual gory details: We all intellectually know the brutality and inhumanity of slavery, but after you do the research its no longer intellectual any more, no longer just historical record you feel it in your bones. It makes you angry, and want to do something Im here to tell you, that however bad things get in the movie, a lot worse shit happened (Child, 2013). Django Unchained is a gruesome depiction of what life as a slave was like during 1858 pre-civil war Texas, as well as a glimpse of existence outside the slave industry such as in Dr. King Schultzs (Christoph Waltz) case or the wealthy Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). It is a highly entertaining film which simultaneously disturbs and thrills, while also incorporating a healthy dose of humour throughout. The purpose of textual analysis is simply to critically analyse a piece of cinema. As a research method, it can be used to deconstruct the aim or overall meaning of the film. Focusing on elements such as narrative structure, exposition, narrative voice and editing is important when using textual analysis. Mise-en-scene, setting, colour, tone, costume, props and lighting all play important roles in the examination process. A textual analysis approach allows the text to be thoroughly studied, for example, looking for patterns/relationships, finding the key/central themes and symbolic significance, as well as the ways in which the audience engage with the text, for instance, if an audience feel sympathy or pleasure towards a certain part of the film. Monaco discusses the importance of visuals, describing that it is useful, even vital, to learn to read images well so that the observer can seize some of the power of the medium (2000, p.159). I intend to examine the ways in which Django Unchained can be viewed as a postmodern text. Postmodernism is a critique of modernism, the idea that there is no set genre or structure; no absolute truth: Post-Modernism is fundamentally the eclectic mixture of any tradition with that of its immediate past: it is both the continuation of Modernism and its transcendence (Jenks,1996). Jean Baudrillard talks about simulation, simulacra and hyperreality. Baudrillard argues that the audience live in an artificial world, drawn in by images and media; this is not reality and leads to hyperreality: Images are no longer the mirror of reality, they have invested the heart of reality and transformed it into hyperreality, where from screen to screen, the only aim of the image is the image. The image can no longer imagine the real because it is the real; it can no longer transcend reality, transfigure it or dream it, since images are virtual reality. In virtual reality, it is as if things had swallowed their mirror (Zurbrugg, 1997, p.12). Disneyland is an example of this as the fine line between reality and fantasy is unclear. Postmodern cinema contains a variety of features such as intertextuality, non-linear narratives, referentiality and pastiche. Frederic Jameson talks about the importance of pastiche in postmodern films: Pastiche is, like parody, the imitation of a peculiar or unique, idiosyncratic style, the wearing of a linguistic mask, speech in a dead language. But it is a neutral practice of such mimicry, without any of parodys ulterior motives, amputated of the satiric impulse, devoid of laughter (Jameson, 1991). Django Unchained demonstrates features of postmodern theory and this is often the case with Tarantinos work, as described by Rehling: Tarantino is generally considered the postmodern filmmaker par excellence due to his penchant for intertextual allusions (2010, p.203). The film follows the story of a bounty hunter (previously employed as dentist) Dr. King Schultz, who is searching for a trio of men named The Brittle Brothers. Schultz understands that Django (Jamie Foxx) is familiar with the brothers as he was once a slave to them, and realizes he must free Django for him to assist Schultz on the journey. Schultz mentors Django, and offers to pay him for his services while helping Django to live as a free man. The pair begin finding and killing various wanted men. Django explains he wishes to rescue his wife Broomhilda Von Shaft (Kerry Washington), and is determined to find her. Schultz agrees to help Django on his mission to release Broomhilda, who they later discover is a slave of Calvin Candie at his plantation CandieLand. The two men begin their journey to CandieLand and adopt a strategy in the hope to free Djangos wife. The film has been described as a spaghetti western due to the amount of violence involved as well as a Blaxploitation film. The main hero of the film is Django, a black character, and this contrasts with other 19th century Western movies where the central hero is often white, such as John Waynes character in The Searchers. It is also uncommon for a German character to be shown as the hero in this film genre. Djangos main goal is to locate and save Broomhilda from the slave trade. Although the film is violent in nature, comic relief is used throughout, for example, when Broomhilda faints at the sight of Django after he says Hey little troublemaker, to which Schultz replies you silver tongued devil, you. Pastiche is apparent when the Klansmen are preparing for a raid. The men bicker over the quality of the masks provided for them and this allows the spectator to laugh or poke fun at the characters. Humour is used as a tool to help the audience cope with gory imagery and the overall neg ative themes. Hyperreality is evident in Django Unchained as the film mimics a fictional world. Schultz tells Django about the famous German myth concerning a princess named Broomhilda who is held in captivity by a fierce dragon, until she is finally saved by her hero. This relates to Djangos main objective to free his wife and adds to the fairy-tale notion. Calvin Candies estate is referred to as CandieLand which has rather positive connotations however the harsh reality is that CandieLand is where Broomhilda and other slaves are kept as prisoners. Another aspect of postmodernity within Django is the intertextuality used, such as the reference to other films. The 1966 film Django is referenced firstly with the films title and actor Franco Nero (1966 Django) plays a cameo role. During Django and Schultzs time within the Candie mansion, Nero asks Django how he spells his name. Django replies that the letter d is silent, to which Nero replies, I know. It then becomes evident why Neros character is i mportant and his presence may spark curiosity in the viewer. In addition, Broomhilda Von Shaft is a reference to the Blaxploitation film Shaft. The soundtrack within the film is somewhat mismatched, combining a variety of different genres, and this seems unusual due to the historical period when Django is set. Costume design stands out greatly, especially during the scene were Schultz encourages Django to pick his own clothes. His first freedom outfit is extravagant and the blue suit imitates to the famous painting The Blue Boy (Gainsborough, 1770). This mimicking effect encourages a postmodern feel, and the notion of bricolage or that nothing is infinite; everything in existence is a copy of itself. Gender in cinema is significant and Django Unchained represents gender in different ways. Laura Mulvey (1975) talks about the male gaze: The determining male gaze projects its phantasy on to the female figure which is styled accordingly. In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness (Mulvey, 1975, p.62). Mulveys theory can be applied to Django Unchained as the female characters do not have demanding roles or are depicted as damsels in distress. Mulvey talks about woman as image, man as bearer of the look (1975, p.62) implying the notion that female characters are admired by a male audience solely down to their physical appearance. The male characters keep the film moving forward as Django and Schultz lead the story, while supporting males are crucial to the plot such as Calvin Candie and Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson). The viewer may appreciate the visuals provided by the female however can relate more to the male characters: Voyeuristic visual pleasure is produced by looking at another (character, figure, situation) as our object, whereas narcissistic visual pleasure can be derived from identification with the (figure in the) image (Smelik, 2001, p.9). Throughout Django, the female image is displayed in soft lighting, encouraging a sense of beauty and romanticism. During these moments, for example, the hallucinations Django has of Broomhilda, the viewer appreciates the imagery and momentarily shifts away from the narrative, as the female characters appearance tends to work against the development of a story line, to freeze the flow of action in moments of erotic contemplation (Mulvey, 1975, p.62). Although Broomhilda is incredibly important to Django, her character alone is not of importance. We witness Broomhilda being whipped and beaten however it seems we are not so concerned about her wellbeing but more so the way in which this affects Djangos actions. There is an underlying notion that the women in the film are the property of the male characters (Broomhilda belongs to Django, Lara Lee (Laura Cayouette) belongs to Calvin Candie, etc.). The female characters have little dialogue compared to the male characters, implying the idea that they should be seen and not heard. It can however be argued that Broomhilda is strong and independent, due to the fact she has endured endless torture and suffering since Django has been apart from her. In addition, she has attempted to escape CandieLand without the help of Django. Mulvey describes female objectification: Woman displayed as sexual object is the leit-motif of erotic spectacle: from pin-ups to strip-tease, from Ziegfeld to Busby Berkeley, she holds the look, plays to and signifies male desire (1975, p.62). At CandieLand, Schultz asks for alone time with Broomhilda due the fact she is fluent in German. Django had predicted earlier that she was being used as a comfort girl (a slave for sex). There is the suggestion that Schultz is expecting a sexual encounter with Broomhilda and this view is held by everyone at CandieLand aside from Django. It becomes apparent that the women are sexual objects for men and this should not be questioned but rather expected. Schultz realises that if he does not pretend this is indeed his intention with Broomhilda, there may be suspicions about him and Djangos presence. We see Broomhilda being removed from the hot box, as she is naked and continues to scream. This contrasts with the next time Broomhilda is seen; she has been dressed up to appear beautiful and presentable for Schultz emphasising the idea that her purpose is only to be looked at and her performance from earlier is unacceptable. Lara Lee is shown in a similar way, as she often appears doll-lik e and attractive, wearing elaborate dresses. She acts elegant and polite around the male characters, as though to impress them. Laura Lees behaviour relates to the idea of fetishism and the notion of these women being hyper-polished: Fetishizing the woman deflects attention from female lack and changes her from a dangerous figure into a reassuring object of flawless beauty (Smelik, 2001, p.11). Sadism is introduced in the film; this is the belief that the woman should be punished or forced to seek forgiveness within the narrative. An example of this is during the scene when Broomhilda is asked to undress and reveal her scars to the group of men in the room. Candie is determined to remind Broomhilda of her place at CandieLand, ensuring she and those in the room understand that Broomhilda belongs to him. He has branded her physically with these scars, and she has evidently been punished through such torture. She is also continuously being punished through the fact she must show herself to these men. Once Djangos identity is discovered, he wakes up to realise he has been tied upside down. A man enters, explaining he is to be castrated using a hot knife. This scene stands out as the man reveals he has received these orders from Lara Lee. This highlights male fears around the female presence; the woman is viewed as a danger or threat as well as male anxiety regarding castration. Classic cinema solves the threat of castration in one of two ways: in the narrative structure or through fetishism (Cook Bernink, 1999, p.354). The black male characters are objectified in Django Unchained, for example, during the Mandingo fighting scene. Candie demands these black slaves to fight one another, for his own pleasure. The men are dressed with little clothing and like the females, do not have any dialogue in the film nor are they given names. They are simply there to be looked at; for Candie to witness them fighting. The men often grunt throughout, implying the notion that they are animals or beasts used only to fight, as though they are being trained like dogs, which also dehumanizes them. The audience observe the fight from Candies objectifying point of view with minimal flashes of Django or Schultzs reactions, to restore the understanding of how cruel this act is. Within Candies dining room, a marble statue of two naked men fighting can be seen. Once Schultz meets Broomhilda and explains the escape plan to her, Django appears at the door however he is filmed in a seductive manner. The camera begins at Djangos feet and slowly moves upwards, scanning over his entire body. This allows the viewer to look at Django and examine him closely before dialogue is heard, and technique is unusual as it would normally be used for a female character: There is, in other words, a specific and even ritualized form of male objectification and eroticization in Hollywood cinema (Weems et al., 2010, p.83). There may be a somewhat homoerotic relationship between Candie and his loyal and oldest house slave Stephen. Stephen always supports Candie and appears desperate to please him or win his respect. Stephen is not afraid to disagree or argue with Candie, which is evident when Django arrives and Stephen is appalled that he has the same rights as a white man. Candie states that he grew up in a house full of niggers, which portrays that Stephen has perhaps raised Calvin and a further reason behind their closeness. Within CandieLand, Stephen has not suffered or been tortured in the same way other slaves have, and thus sees Django as a threat to his position. It can be argued that Stephen may be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome or has simply become brainwashed as his life at CandieLand is all he has ever known. To conclude, Django Unchained is a well written film which deals with an array of issues throughout. The film is evidently postmodern in nature, as it presents aspects of postmodern theory such as intertextuality. It can be argued that Mulveys argument relating to the male gaze is apparent due to the representation of female characters in Django, and the way in which they differ from the male characters, for example, having little dialogue or action/purpose within the films narrative. Male objectification however also manifests itself in Django, and thus the sexualisation of both genders is noticeable. References Bealer, T. (2013) Did Quentin Tarantinos Feminism Take a Step Backwards in Django Unchained? [Online] Available: http://www.genderfocus.com/2013/01/07/did-quentin-tarantinos-feminism-take-a-step-backwards-in-django-unchained/ [Accessed: 9 March 2017]. Child, B. (2012) Django Unchained Wins Over Black Audience Despite Spike Lee Criticism. The Guardian. 3 January. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jan/03/django-unchained-spike-lee [Accessed: 8 March 2017]. Cook, P. and Bernink, M. (1999) The Cinema Book. 1st ed. London: British Film Institute. Doyle, H. (2010) Gender, Sadism, and Masochism in the Works of Wilkie Collins. [Online] Available: http://vc.bridgew.edu/undergrad_rev/vol6/iss1/34 [Accessed: 7 March 2017]. Gainsborough, T. (1770) The Blue Boy. [Oil on Canvas 178 x 112cm] Henry E. Huntington Art Gallery, San Marino. Haastrup, H. (2014) Storytelling Intertextuality. Film International. Vol.12(1), pp.85-97. Jameson, F. (1991) Postmodernism, Or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. 1st ed. Durham: Duke University Press. Jencks, C. (1996) What Is Post-modernism? 4th ed. Michigan: Academy Editions. Monaco, J. (2000) How to Read A Film. 1st ed. New York: Oxford University Press. Mulvey, L. (1975) Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Screen. [Online] Vol.16(3), p.62. Available: https://www.asu.edu/courses/fms504/total-readings/mulvey-visualpleasure.pdf [Accessed: 9 March 2017]. Rehling, N. (2010) Extra-Ordinary Men. 1st ed. Lanham: Lexington Books. Smelik, P. (2001) And the Mirror Cracked. 1st ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Tarantino, Q. (dir.) (2012) Django Unchained. [DVD] The Weinstein Company. 166 mins Weems, C., Berger, M., Wallis, B. and Watson, S. (2010) Constructing Masculinity. 1st ed. New York: Routledge, p.83. Zurbrugg, N. (1997) Jean Baudrillard, Art and Artefact. 1st ed. London: Sage.

Comparing Dantes Inferno and the Movie, What Dreams May Come Essay exa

Comparing Dante's Inferno and the Movie, What Dreams May Come The movie's opening scene gives allusions to Dante's own life and his brief courtship with Beatrice. Chris (Robin Williams) begins, "When I was young, I met this beautiful girl on a lake," just as Dante had met Beatrice when he was young. This lake just happens to be on the boarder of Switzerland and Italy, Dante's native country. Anna, Chris' love, finds him sitting on a hillside overlooking that lake, and that scene will become a major focus for the rest of the movie. They believe that they are soul mates, and unlike Dante and Beatrice, Chris and Anna marry and have two children. Set in modern times, a series of mortal tragedies unlocks a series of immortal adventures. As teenagers, the children die in a car crash, and Chris dies four years later. Anna is stricken by grief for the rest of her life because she feels that the deaths were her fault. As soon as Chris dies, an image begins to explain to Chris what his new situation is. Chris doesn't believe he is dead. Chris recognizes this image as Albert, a doctor he studied under during Med. school. As a guiding light on earth, he has chosen Albert to be helpful after death. Albert (Cuba Gooding Jr.) explains to him that whenever Chris stays on Earth trying to be close to Anna, he hurts her even more. During the movie, flashbacks to their time on earth occur frequently, and while Chris is freshly dead, a painting that his wife had made is shown. This painting looks to me like two figures standing before the Dark Wood of Error. Chris enters his private heaven, which Albert explains is a dream conjured up by the deceased's imagination. In this case, it's the painting Anna drew of the spot they met at in Italy. ... ...cing eternal danger for himself. Freud stays outside (as far as human reason can go), and Chris goes in and sees Anna (who isn't a tree even though she commits suicide). He eventually makes Anna recognize him, and of course their love is stronger than anything (blah, blah, blah), and they end up in heaven- a paradise- if you will- and live happily ever after with their kids and their Dalmatian. The Dalmatian seems like it could be an allusion to the leopard, the symbol of the fraudulent and Malicious, but he's a good dog in the movie. Also, Anna's red scarf is often flying around the heaven in a whirlwind. It's red, so it could symbolize lovers like Paolo and Francesca, but in a positive way, or it could allude to the banner chased by the opportunists, but I doubt it. It symbolizes love, and Chris' inability to grasp a hold of Anna while she still lived- I think.

Essay --

The question â€Å"Is this product genetically modified?† has gained increasing popularity among the health concerned and those who worry about where their food comes from over the past couple of years. A decade or two ago, this question had no meaning and has no significance in society. However, thanks to the development of technology and a larger understanding of the underlying properties of foods, down to the molecular scale, humans have created a new field of engineering to combat worries that have plagued the food industry to centuries upon centuries. And as always, the advent of a new a product or procedure that changes the way we think and create will always usher along with it self opinions from every strata of society. The genetic modification of food in the United States of America has become a pertinent topic of debate, just recently gaining its popularity in the past couple of years. To modify or not to modify? There are both pros and cons to whether or not c hange the DNA sequences of foods in order to better them in some way or another. However, like every other major, groundbreaking change in this country comes regulation in hopes to appease everyone in the country and give each participant a fair chance in the race, in particular, the race for the production and distribution of foods. Such regulation in the United States has been done in order to protect and support people that have not devoted their time and money to the biological nuance and also to give every consumer in the country products that are labeled, identifying what they are putting into their systems on a daily basis. As time and society progress, how we view tasks that have been usually kept hidden and now placed onto a pedestal for everyone to se... ...lation. The policy has three priorities at its forefront: (1) U.S. policy would focus on the product of genetic modification (GM) techniques, not the process itself, (2) Only regulation grounded in verifiable scientific risks would be tolerated, and (3) GM products are on a continuum with existing products and, therefore, existing statutes are sufficient to review the products. The framework is also responsible for the governing of specific agencies and their policies, as mentioned briefly before, and also which agency has responsibility for a particular experiment. The delegation of responsibility is laid out in great detail in large tables, showing specifically which agency is to assume responsibility. If two or more agencies have potential jurisdiction, then one agency is considered the lead agency, as the other ones are then subordinate, as mentioned earlier.

Health Care Provider

A. S. Course: Health Policy $ Ethics in Public Health April 8, 2013 Health care as a right or privilege Our moral duty is to take care of each human been regardless the cost. There is nothing more valuable that we possess rather than our health as well there is nothing that should be more costly and more protected then life itself.On the question â€Å"whose responsibility is to protect† our personal health, the right answer, about the individual or society responsibility most probably â€Å"lies somewhere between† those choices, furthermore by having healthy basis each of the society from one side and society from the other side as well should â€Å"have something to gain†.Neither of individuals or society should expect that the other should take on whole responsibly, therefore individuals should take at least some responsibility, as well society will serve as a â€Å"safety net†. (Williams, 2012). Over the time, taking care for people who are unable to a llow themselves a health care was based on charity, compassion, benevolence rather than some principle of ethics or justice.Within United States of America and mainly industrialized countries, the â€Å"primary barrier to health care† is related without appropriate â€Å"insurance reimbursement† (National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2001) The constitution of World health Organization at the time will be the first international step to ensure the highest enjoyment health standards settle them up as fundamental and necessary right for every human being as (â€Å"the right of health†), those international human rights as a set of social—norms, laws, institutions based on agreements that secure the right of health enjoyment.Furthermore every world country is a part of at least â€Å"one human rights treaty† that involves health related rights as well this one will include and health necessary conditions (World Health Organization, 2013). Comm on set of goals, and objectives for both private and public sector partnerships actions to help ethnic, and racial minorities will be provided by the national stakeholders Strategy for Achieving Health Equality under whose umbrella will be covered incorporates ideas, suggestions and comments from â€Å"thousands individuals and organizations, country wide.National Partnership for Action will state: â€Å"Health equity is attainment of the highest level of health for all people† (National Partnership for Action, n. d. ) Furthermore, across United States 45 million citizens reaming uninsured, borderline or underinsured. The ones who are living in â€Å"poverty† are experiencing the worst health status, keeping in mind several important factors as educational, employment, income and race that determinate personal ability and adequate health care access (National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2007).Opposite, for instance health plan members in California have many rights, as to have appointment when they need one as well waiting time is limited, to have appointment with a specialist when you needed, to have continuity of care, to receive continuity of care, to receive treatment for certain mental health conditions, second doctors opinion, to know why your insurance plan denies a service or treatment, the right to understand your health problems and treatments, to see writhen diagnosis, to be informed consent when you have a treatment, the right to file a complaint and ask for an independent medical review, right to choose your own doctor, the right to language services, the right to see medical reports and keep your medical information private, the right to have an advanced directive est. (Department of Menaged Health Care, 2012). The Affordable Care Act The affordable care Act brings consumers back in charge of their own health care.Undress this law the â€Å"Patient’s Bill of Rights† was created and gives all the United state s of America’s people the stability and flexibility they need to make informed choices about their own health: * Provides coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions * Protects your choice of doctors * Ends lifetime limits on coverage * Ends pre-existing condition exclusions for children * Ends arbitrary withdrawals of insurance coverage * Reviews premium increases * Helps you get the most from your premium dollars * Restricts annual dollar limits on coverage * Removes insurance company barriers to emergency services In the frame of health care law after the Patient’s Bill of Rights was adopted, the Affordable Care Act in regards â€Å"has provided additional rights and rotections† as preventive care at no cost to you and as well guarantees your right to appeal (U. S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2012). Furthermore the Affordable care act will frame individuals, families and business owners in control regarding their health care. Working familie s and working families will reduce their premium costs providing tax relief as of billions of dollars, which one will represent the largest middle class tax health cut in the United States. From the other side noninsured Americans will have the option to choose health insurance that best works or them in a new open and competitive market (U. S. Department of Health & Human Services, n. d. Unfortunately, today huge gaps remain between poor and rich countries, has been widened mainly in Africa what is not case with the wealthy nations, income inequality has been increased for instance worldwide one billion people live on less than one dollar a day and New York city will remain one of the â€Å"world’s wealthiest cities, but its south neighborhood is one of the nation’s poorest communities† and health care even available is not applicable. Based on this â€Å"public health workers incorrectly† will use the word disparity as a synonym for poverty and a the sa me time they will establish link the disparities in regards health care availability between rich and poor, White and non-White, native or foreign born, and so on (National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2006).Keeping in mind that most countries around the world decided that health care is a right instead of privilege the congress session in 2011 immediately will vote to repeal the healthcare reform bill where the reforms will came to the question: â€Å"Is health care a right or privilege? † (John L. Marshall MD, 2011) References: National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2001, June). Retrieved April 7, 2013, from Justice and the right to a decent minimum of healthcare: http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/11890080 National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2006, December). Retrieved April 7, 2013, from Health for All in the 21st Century: http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC1698153/ National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2007, March 2 8).Retrieved April 7, 2013, from Healthcare access as a right, not a privilege: a construct of Western thought: http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/17391522 Department of Menaged Health Care. (2012). Retrieved April 6, 2013, from Health Care Rights : http://www. dmhc. ca. gov/dmhc_consumer/br/br_rights. aspx U. S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2012, February 6). Retrieved April 8, 2013, from Patient's Bill of Rights: http://www. healthcare. gov/law/features/rights/bill-of-rights/ World Health Organization. (2013). Retrieved April 7, 2013, from Human rights: http://www. who. int/topics/human_rights/en/ John L. Marshall MD. (2011, February 3). Medscape. Retrieved April 7, 2013, from Is Healthcare a Right or a Privilege? http://www. medscape. com/viewarticle/736705 National Partnership for Action. (n. d. ). Retrieved April 7, 2013, from Health Equity ; Disparities: http://www. minorityhealth. hhs. gov/npa/templates/browse. aspx? lvl=1;lvlid=34 U. S. Department of Health ; Human Services. (n. d. ). Retrieved April 7, 2013, from The Affordable Care Act, Section by Section: http://www. healthcare. gov/law/full/index. html Williams, A. (2012, December 2). Is health care a right? And whose responsibility is it? The Washington Times. Retrieved April 7, 2013, from http://www. washingtontimes. com/news/2012/dec/2/williams-is-health-care-a-right-and-whose-responsi/

Pestle, Porter and SWOT analysis of Lukoil Essay

LUKOIL, a vertically integrated oil company, and carries out exploration, acquisition, integration and subsequent efficient development of oil and gas fields outside the Russian Federation to facilitate the transformation of LUKOIL into a transnational energy corporation. LUKOIL operates in 25 countries (the most major of them are Russia, Azerbaijan, USA, Georgia, Turkey and Czech Republic). Net income in 2013 is $3.105 billion. Basic earnings per share – $4.11. The Company’s 2012 net income rose by 6.2% and reached record $11,004 billion. EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization) rose by 1.7% and reached $18,915 billion. Sales revenues were $139,171 billion (+4.1% y-o-y). In 2013 Forbes estimated LUKOIL as #43 in Sales, #34 in Profit, #254 in Assets, #139 in Market value. According to these data we can assume, that LUKOIL is successful Russian company with a lot of strengths, like good prospects regarding financial indicators. And fortu nately, it doesn ´t need any financing. Usually, the company invests in different projects regarding environmental protection and  employee ´s support. 2. Mission and Vision Mission: â€Å"The Company’s mission consists in increasing shareholder value through the exploration and production of hydrocarbons outside Russia.† My vision of the situation is that company wants to be a reliable supplier of hydrocarbons on the international market. Moreover, Lukoil has a purpose to support economic growth and social stability in long-term prospects. Thus, it has some main aims such as to achieve reputation of a reliable and dependable hydrocarbon supplier in the world; to deliver high-quality petroleum products to end-users; to ensure long-term sustainable growth; to reach leading position on the market; My formulation of the mission: Lukoil as a company in the oil and gas industry using natural energy recourses is trying to be a leader in the international market by reducing costs, increasing operations and stabling social aspects. Vision: â€Å"The company wants to be world’s leader in oil and gas sector by first-class services to our customers, effective HR policy, reliable and positive image of the company, effective environmental policy, optimization of the operational efficiency, decrease of the operational costs, sustain high-profit level.† In conclusion, company’s mission determines a purpose within the organization; provides standards for allocating organizational resources; establishes a general organizational climate; shows purpose and direction. Consequently, mission and vision are clear and give a lot of advantage. 3. Macro-environment (PESTLE) At the beginning of this part, it is necessary to mention some relevant facts: Population in Russia: 139mln Area: 17mln sq. km Time zones: GMT +2 to +11 9th largest economy in the world in terms of GDP, reaching USD 2014,8 bn 2013 Exports and Imports exceed 50% GDP Highest GDP per capita among BRICS countries Winter Olympic Games 2014 in Sochi 2012 and FIFA World Cup 2018 are coming 1. GDP Figure 2.1 Real GDP As we can see on the Figure 2.1 Real GDP has a tendency to grow up. Moreover, the present value of Real GDP is about 2014.8 USD billion which is the highest point during the history. Real GDP had been increased up to more than 6% in comparison with the previous period Contemporary situation in economy, especially in Real GDP, shows the opportunity for a company to increase production, because higher GDP means higher consumer expenditures; in turn, it is an alleviating competitive pressure within industry, then it’s the potential for expansion. As we can see GDP is constantly growing that means an opportunity to have higher revenues for LUKOIL Company because people have a higher profits and respectively higher consumer expenditures. 2. Interest rate The interest rate in Russia was last recorded at 5.50 percent. Interest Rate in Russia is reported by the Central Bank of Russia. It is quite high interest rate in comparison with for instance European countries. The average interest rate in Europe is 0.25%. For LUKOIL it is a threat of decreasing the company’s sales, because during high interest rate potential consumers tend to spend less (borrowings become more expensive). Therefore the consumer purchasing power is quite low and company’s sales will be decreased. Figure 2.2 Russia interest rate 3. Inflation rate Figure 2.4 Russia inflation rate Figure 2.5 Petroleum price RUB per liter As we can see Figure 2.4 and Figure 2.5, the oil price and rate of inflation  are connected directly: when oil price goes up, the inflation follows in the same direction. We can explain it by that the oil is the major input in economy (oil is used for manufacturing and transportation). The inflation rate in Russia was recorded at 6.30 percent in October of 2013. It has a positive impact on Oil and Gas industry. LUKOIL can estimate future profit more accurate and eliminate several risks which effected by the oil price and inflation rate. 4. Unemployment rate Figure 2.5 Russia unemployment rate At the moment the rate is 5,5%. And the tendency has a declining character. Thus it could be opportunity to find high-qualified employees. There is a competition on a labor market. 5. Reservoirs of oil Russia is the first country in the world in crude oil production. Its share is 12%. This indicator makes the country attractive for the investors. Consequently, LUKOIL could use positive investment climate of Russia as the company’s benefit. 6. Taxes Nowadays there are three main taxes which have influence on economic in Russia: a) Corporate tax rate – 20% b) Personal income tax rate – 13% c) Sales tax rate – 18% Accordingly to these indicators the corporate tax rate is quite low in comparison with Japan – 38,01%, United Arab Emirates – 55%, US – 35%. Therefore, it is opportunity to increase a profit (low taxes increase net profit). We are analyzing oil and gas industry in Russia. Fortunately most of deposits are situated in cold geographical areas like Tyumen Region, called Extreme North or Far North. Government gives a lot of benefits like people who work there are used to receive an extra grade of payment, referred to as the â€Å"Northern Bonus†, as well as other benefits, including extra vacation, extra disability benefits, extra retirement benefits, and housing benefits. LUKOIL won’t increase outflow of money into pension funds  etc. 4. Technological factors (PESTLE) New technologies are an important competitive advantage of LUKOIL Group. Key technological aspects: 1. The company conducts R&D to develop new technologies and upgrade the existing ones. 2. Cooperation with national projects is actively developing, including the Skolkovo innovation project and the RUSNANO Corporation. 3. Great attention is paid to developing information technologies and improving business processes. 4. The total financing of scientific and technical works in 2012 amounted to US$ 150 million. It is opportunity to use own technology and ability to exclude costs for using technologies from elsewhere. 5. Environmental factors (PESTLE) Waste disposal Russia drowns in 60 million tons of garbage a year. It is serious problem in waste disposal issue. Today, only 11% of the whole volume is recycled. Unfortunately, it is substantial evidence of contemporary problem and the threat for environment. LUKOIL uses chemicals for production, which could be statutory restrictions by the government for environmental protection. It is the threat for company of activities’ restriction. Pollution Oil and Gas industry damages nature by pollution. Many risks occur like spilling of oil into the sea or into the ocean. In this case LUKOIL will pay damage to nature and spoil its reputation. Consequently, LUKOIL should take into account all risks and try to avoid them. Climate There is the dominance of the continental climate on the territory of the country. Russia faced to one serious problem during springs. It is flood. For oil industry it could be a relevant threat because it directly depends on transportation, for instance if roads are damaged it is becoming complicated to transport oil to different regions. 6. Political factors (PESTLE) Strictly speaking, two of the most dangerous threats are the high level of corruption and terrorism. High level of corruption Russia is ranked 127th out of 175 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index in 2013. This score indicates the perceived level of public sector corruption in a country or territory. Terrorism There is a terrorist war aimed at destabilizing Russia politically and economically. Few weeks ago there was the 3rd terrorist attack in Volgograd during last 2 months. Membership in World Trade Organization In August 2012, Russia officially became a World Trade Organization member. Moreover, European Union contributes half of Russia trade flows. It is opportunity of simplified international market access with the purpose of trade and it is opportunity of hiring professional and administrative staff on fixed term contracts. Index of Economic Freedom Index of Economic Freedom in Russia is 51.3 out of 100 and it ranked as mostly unfree. These ranking means that the country is not attractive to do business and indicates a low possibility of obtaining investment. Thus, it is a threat for LUKOIL, it will be difficult to attract foreign investors. Protection of property rights It is an opportunity to protect LUKOIL’s innovations and to get patent. 7. Legal factors (PESTLE) The following laws of the Russian Federation form the main legal framework of the oil and gas industry: Constitution of the Russian Federation. Federal Law On Subsoil (Subsoil Law). Federal Law On Gas Supply in the Russian Federation (Gas Supply Law). Federal Law On Natural Monopolies. Federal Law On the Continental Shelf of the Russian Federation. Federal Law On Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency. Federal Law On Production Sharing Agreements. The following federal laws are also relevant to the legal framework of the natural resources industry of the Russian Federation: The Codes of the Russian Federation, including the Civil Code, Land Code, Water Code, Forest Code, Tax Code, Code on Administrative Violations and Criminal Code. Federal Law on Environmental Protection. Federal Law on Ecological Expertise. Supreme Council Regulations on the Procedure of Enactment of the Provisions on the Procedure of Licensing of the Subsoil Use of 1992 (Subsoil Use Licensing Regulations). The fundamental rights that are guaranteed to each Russian citizen are: All people shall be equal before the law and court. The State shall guarantee the equality of rights and freedoms of man and citizen, regardless of sex, race, nationality, language, origin, property and official status, place of residence, religion, convictions, membership of public associations, and also of other circumstances. All forms of limitations of human rights on social, racial, national, linguistic or religious grounds shall be banned. Man and woman shall enjoy equal rights and freedoms and have equal possibilities to exercise them. That means that Lukoil should take into account all this rights and keep it in mind when hiring the employees. 8. Socio-cultural factors (PESTLE) Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.7% (male 11,498,268/female 10,890,853) 15-24 years: 12.4% (male 9,031,057/female 8,662,557) 25-54 years: 45.8% (male 31,894,116/female 33,432,996) 55-64 years: 13.1% (male 7,926,184/female 10,711,347) 65 years and over: 13% (male 5,622,464/female 12,847,828) Most of population is in â€Å"capable of working† age. There is a competition on labor market. It is an opportunity to find employees corresponded to the standards of the company. Main religion: Christianity No requirement in the organization of labor. Thus, it is opportunity for LUKOIL to organize manufacture easily. High level of education Opportunity to attract well-qualified personnel. 9. Porter’s 5 Forces 1. Threat of New Entrants (Low) The LUKOIL is protected by high barriers to entry. Therefore the threat of new entrants is very low Huge amounts of capital expenditure are needed to perform the activities, for example the cost of refinery is almost $7 billion, the price of petrol station is $600 000. Large amounts of fixed are require for the development of oil fields and the installation of production facilities Costs for entering the industry: drilling costs, oilfield services, skilled labor, scientific research, materials and energy Only companies that operate economies of scale can survive, for example LUKOIL has been searching for oil since 1991. They invest a huge amount in up-to-date technologies making it difficult for new entrants to compete. Russia allows only national companies (or foreign companies in partnership with the national company) to exploit oil reservoirs, because it is owned by the state. It is barrier to entry. 2. Power of Suppliers (High) There are more then 100 suppliers in Russia; OAO â€Å"Gaztrubinvest†, TOO â€Å"KST Steel†, OAO â€Å"Severstal† are some of them. But their products are unique: tubular products, electric centrifugal pumps, oil cable, spurt steel framework. What gives them high bargaining power to dictate conditions. Moreover there are no substitutes, because the equipment needed for oil industry is special and impossible to replace. 3. Power of Buyers (Low) The main buyers are government and car owners. Product differentiation is low and customers don’t have opportunity to choose, only to buy. The market share of LUKOIL is almost 17% and it has contracts with government, because  they have a big chain of petrol stations. Consumers’ willingness to pay is the only power buyers have. Only very large buyers of oil such as big countries like US may influence oil price. Overall the buyer power is low 4. Threat of Substitutes (Low) At the moment customers can not switch from using oil and gas for other sources of energy. Only some European countries introduced renewable sources of energy instead of gas and oil. But there are many alternatives of energy: coal, solar, and wind power. Instead of this fact, we notice the demand for oil increases every year and there is no chance of decreasing in consumption. 5. Industry Rivalry (High) LUKOIL has 4 serious competitors: Rosneft (22% share of market), TNK-BP (14%), Surgutneftegaz (12%), Gazprom neft (6%). Even though there is a very strong rate of growth in oil and gas sector the rivalry remain small due to large switching costs, required investments for a new entrance, size of competitors, and political barriers. There is no place for small companies because of few market leaders. Also there is no possibility that competitors will offer a lower price. LUKOIL is second company that operates in Russia. The leader is Rosneft and its main competitor‎. LUKOIL has 17% share of Russian market, Rosneft 22% respectively. 10. SWOT analysis Strengths Weaknesses – 1st among the largest private oil and gas companies in the world. – 1.3% oil reserves of total reserves of oil worldwide – and second in terms of volume proven hydrocarbons reserves – about 2% of total global reserves; – Increase in oil index price in the world. – High entry barriers in the market, which eliminates small competitors. – Very sufficient technology of research and exploration. – Geographical business diversification (30 countries). – Large amount of oil reserves(17%) – Superior oil related technology. – Fully vertical and horizontal integrated. – Well supported by Russian government. – Constant increase in demand for gas and oil in Russia. – Constant research and innovation. – Production costs are relatively high compared with levels achieved by its main competitors. – The company’s communication both inside and outside is slow and bureaucratic. – Cost of environmental hazards. Opportunities Threats – Increase in oil and gas demand in Russia. – New exploration projects. – Investment into new businesses. – Iraq oil project. – Corruption. – Terrorism. – Floods. – Decrease sales (high interest rate). – Competition on the market Internal analysis Revenue $139.2 billion Employees 150.000 Recommendations Despite having a relatively good position in the regional market of Central and Eastern Europe, LUKOIL faces strong competition. In this context, LUKOIL should increase its market share through an offensive strategy of territorial expansion and to attract new customer segments. In addition, LUKOIL should ensure implementation of new technologies for modern and efficient production in terms of cost and continues its efforts to improve product quality and competitiveness, in order to meet international standards, including API and ACEA. Another important trend is the application of marketing strategies on the downstream, taking into account  the factors influencing consumer choice of stations: location, value for money, image, service, the existence of ancillary services. These strategies are reflected in the mix of marketing, in which both product and promotion play a central role.