Monday, September 30, 2019

If I Could Meet Any Historical Figure Essay

If I could meet any historical figure I would chose to meet Rosa Parks. She is an  unbelievable inspiration and a great role model. She is also a great example for everyone that no matter what race you are, you should stand up for what you believe in. Rosa Parks is not only one of the most important people in Black History; she is also a great role model for women everywhere. If I was ever blessed to sit down and meet with her; I would ask her how long it took her to get up enough courage to refuse to move. I’ve often wondered if she planned that out or if she did it as an adrenaline rush, spur of the moment kind of thing. If she had planned it out, I would ask her if she tried to get people to do it with her or if she wanted to do it by herself. What made her finally want to stand up for herself and do it? Next I would want to know if she had any role models her self and what she valued most in life. These characteristics are extremely important to me and in my opinion they show stability and strong sense of character. It’s interesting to think about if she valued the same type of things like me because she seems so much more courageous. Then would be a good time to inform her on how much of a role model she is and how much of an impact she made in the world today. On the topic of black people who made great impacts, she would probably wonder who else was big in black history. It would be my pleasure to tell her about many the great names in black history such as: Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Angela Davis, Wilma Rudolph, Sojourner Truth, Madam C.J. Walker and Malcolm X. Hopefully she would find this information interesting. I would have loved to have gotten the chance to meet her and discuss all my questions with her. I’m proud of her and I hope she can still see today what an impact she has made in American Black History.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Dare to Dream Essay

Batangas is a first class province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON region. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the island of Mindoro and to the west lies the South China Sea. Poetically, Batangas is often referred to by its ancient name Kumintang. Batangas is one of the most popular tourist destinations near Metro Manila. The province has many beaches and is famous for excellent diving spots including Anilao in Mabini, Sombrero Island in Tingloy, Ligpo Island in Bauan, these areas more popularly known as Anilao. Matabungkay in Lian, Punta Fuego in Nasugbu, Calatagan and Laiya in San Juan. Batangas is also where Taal Volcano, one of the Decade Volcanoes is located. It is also where the Taal Heritage town lies, a small picturesque town that has ancestral houses and structures dating back to the 19th century. The first recorded name of the Province was Kumintang, after the Datu who inherited the dominion from Datu Balensusa. Its centre, the present day Balayan, was the most progressive town of the Province and the traditional centre of governance. Later, as the eruption of the Taal Volcano destroyed a significant portion of the town, the provincial centre was transferred to Taal, which was then called Bonbon and the name of the province was changed after that of the town. The term batangan means a raft, the people used so that they could fish in the nearby Taal Lake. It also meant the numerous logs found in the Calumpang River, the body of water that runs through the northeastern portion of the town and assumes the shape of a tuning fork. Batangas is a combination of plains and mountains, including the world’s smallest volcano, Mt. Taal, with an elevation of 600 meters, located in the middle of the Taal Lake. Batangas also has many islands, including Tingloy, Verde Island(Isla Verde), Fortune Island of Nasugbu.Although attached to the big Island of Luzon, Batangas boasts of flora and fauna that is distinctively theirs. The local tree malabayabas is endemic to the province alone while the endangered flying fox thrives there without fear. Batangas is also home to the kabag, one of the world’s smallest fruit bat. In the Municipality of Nasugbu, wild deers are still inhabiting the remote areas of Baranggay Looc. But although Batangas has these land flying mammals, marine wildlife remains to be the province’s crowning glory. In fact, in the second half of 2006, scientists from the United States discovered that the Sulu-Sulawesi Triangle has its centre at the Isla Verde Passage, a part of the province. According to this study, made by the American Marine Biologist Dr. Kent Carpentier, Batangas Seas host more than half of the world’s species of coral reefs. It is also home to dolphins and once in a while, a passage of the world’s biggest fish the whale shark or the butanding, as the locals call it. Batangas also has other industries that makes it famous not only in the country but also in the world. More than anything else, Batangas is known for its fan knife, called balisong by the natives. This industry has become so famous that an urban legend exists about every Batangueà ±o carrying a balisong everywhere they go. This is also the reason why most Filipinos would warn never to mess with a Batangueà ±o. Pineapples are also common in the province. Aside from the fruit, the leaves are also useful that it becomes an industry of its own. In the Municipality of Taal, pineapple leaves are being processed to be a kind of cloth known as the gusi. This is further processed to become the Barong Tagalog, the National Costume of the Philippines. In fact, the Barong Tagalog that was used by the heads of states in the last Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation in 1995 was from Batangas. Princess Diana Spencer was also known to possess a scarf made of gusi. Batangas is also known for its livestock industry. Cattle from Batangas is widely sought throughout the country. In fact, the term Bakang Batangas (Batangas Cow) is actually synonymous to the country’s best species of cattle. Indeed, the cattle industry in Batangas is so famous, that every Saturday is an auction day in the Municipalities of San Juan, Bauan and widely-known and famous Padre Garcia every Thursday and Friday. Being near the sea, it is only expected that fishing plays a very important part of the Batangan Economy. Although the tuna industry in the country is mainly centered in General Santos, Batangas is also known for the smaller species of the said fish. The locals even have their own names for the said fish. Some of them include the term, Tambakol,yellow-finned Berberabe, tambakulis, Tulingan, Bonito and another species also called Bonito but actually the Gymnosarda unicolor. There is also an important industry for the Tanigue. Aside from the South China Sea, Taal Lake also provides a source of fresh water fishes to the country. The lake is home to Sardinella tawilis or simply tawilis, a species of freshwater sardine that is endemic to the lake. Taal Lake also provides farmed Chanos chanos or bangus. There is also a good volume of Oreochromis niloticus niloticus and Oreochromis aureus, both locally called tilapia. It is ecologically important to note that neither bangus nor tilapia are native to the lake. Thus they are considered invasive species to the lake. As mentioned in the section of culture, Batangueà ±os are indeed fond of drinking. This is of no surprise as it lies in what is called the coconut belt that is the raw material for the local liqueurs, the lambanog (with 90% proof) and the tuba (which is made of 5.68% alcohol and 13% sugar). Sugar is also a major industry. As a matter of fact, after the Hacienda Luisita, the country’s former largest sugar producer, was broken-up for land reform, the Municipality of Nasugbu has been the home of the current largest sugar producing company, the Central Azucarera Don Pedro. This also means that Batangas is also a home for a wide industry of sweets. Rice cakes are also a strong industry. Last May 7,2011, We, my family and my auntie and her daughter who were just here in the Philippines for a vacation went to a resort in batangas called La Virginia Hotel & Resort, it is set in 6 hectares of secluded grounds yet only 2 hours from downtown Metro Manila. La Virginia offers one of the largest privately-owned natural getaways in Lipa City. The resort is located in the Batangas side ridge around the Taal Lake, it offers breathtaking views of the lake and the Taal Volcano Islands. It is completely surrounded by coconut groves and forests so that is is set in a pristine environment. The resort boasts of five (5) world class swimming pools and a heated jacuzzi for family and personal fun. In that day also, I with my co-vacationist saw a flying 6 jets roaming around who are just from the air based near in the resort. There is a small chapel located inside the resort as well. The resort also offers well-appointed accomodation and picnic facilities for day trippers and extended stay visitors. Well, I will share to you the things that I experience and enjoyed on having a vacation. First, The View of Taal Lake in this nature’s beauty never fails to amaze me. La Virginia Resort offers a generous view of Taal Lake. It brought serenity down to my soul. Naks. But seriously, it did. Second, The Buddha View Deck I had a couple of pictures in front of the huge Buddha statue and when I used one of the photos as my Facebook profile picture, a couple of friends thought I went to Thailand! Nah, it’s one of the best backgrounds there for photo, with family. Make sure you have a picture with the Golden Buddha as your background. Aha! Third, The Ifugao Village, I’m Ilocana and that’s why I have close affinity to what’s there up north; not an Ifugao native though. This part of La Virginia features cottages which resembles the abode in Ifugao. It’s like you’re visiting the Tam-Awan Village in Baguio City. Fourth, The Infinity Pool because it gives you a good spot for the sunset. Imagine swimming in the infinity pool while the sun sets on the horizon. Then we went to the Hanging Bridge, I like bridges because it brings that certain shake on your nerves but at the same time, it challenges you to go on keep walking until you reach the other end. And last, The Tree House, See the best features of La Virginia Resort from the top of the tree house and you’ll wonder how it was landscaped to become what it is now. It was breathtaking up there. Perfect for some more picture taking. I wasn’t able to experience the La Virginia Zipline Rides due to its expensive price and my mother wouldn’t allow me to ride without my father due to his fear and we just went their because of my auntie’s vacation here in the Philippines and lack of time because after their we went to Laguna and explore in Enchanted Kingdom and take some rides.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Depth Scales

16. 7 Depth Scales * Explain what is meant by a â€Å"hypnotic depth scale. † * Give examples and explain the issues relating to the use of depth scales When discussing the topic of hypnotic depth they are referring to how ‘deep’ the subject is/can go into hypnosis and what is possible at that perceived level of depth. If you do the research you will find lots of different scales of depth, here I have taken the scale from the coursework provided by Adam Eason School of Therapeutic Hypnosis which upon research appears to originally come from Harry Arons, 1961 1. Hypnoidal – heavy muscle and relaxed nerves – drowsiness – awareness (got out of bed feeling). 2. Light hypnosis – physical response to suggestions – mind focused on suggestions – reacts to arm, etc. rigidity. 3. Medium Hypnosis – deeply relaxed – subject will not speak unless asked – unable to perform actions unless asked to do move arm – rise from chair – move head. 4. Profound Hypnosis (deep hypnosis) – partial amnesia when awakened – posthypnotic suggestions can be submitted – numbing parts of the body (ANALGESIA). 5. Somnambulism – total amnesia and anaesthesia is possible – age regression is possible – positive hallucinations possible. . Profound Somnambulism – removal of programmed information – posthypnotic suggestions – most all suggestions are carried out without questions. Often referred to as a coma state! Difficult to get out of this state – may need to bribe unconscious mind (you will not be allowed o experience this again unless†¦) Now, in 1961, the above scale may have seemed perfectly accurate and as time passes, more and more discoveries are being made about hypnosis and one of those discoveries is that some, if not all of the intended suggestions can easily be obtained at a lower level of depth or lighter trance as is suggested. For instance, amnesia and ideomotor suggestions can take place within light hypnosis and I also know this personally from experiencing this myself from both being a subject and a facilitator of hypnosis. There have also been many scales of susceptibility created to test suggestibility within the ‘depth’ of hypnosis or trance that the subject is in. One particularly scale is the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale created in 1938 which created 3 forms, A, B and C on which consisted of varying levels of tests to be given to the subject. The below list is the example of form A 1 Postural Sway 2 Eye Closure 3 Hand Lowering (left) Immobilisation (right arm) 5 Finger Lock 6 Arm Rigidity (left arm) 7 Hands Moving Together 8 Verbal Inhibition (name) 9 Hallucination (fly) 10 Eye Catalepsy 11 Post-hypnotic (changes chairs) 12 Amnesia There are many more of these scales available for research but I have shown the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale as a prime example of what they consist of. A big issue with the depth scale is does really exist? Are there really levels of hypnosis? I cannot prove it either way, but in therapy, do we need to, If the client believes through our suggestion that they are going deeper, then isn’t real to them.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Strategic management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Strategic management - Research Paper Example a continuous process that controls and evaluates the business organization and the industries, which it involves, makes competition assessment and sets strategies and goals to enable it meet all potential and existing competitors. The business organization, then reassesses each employed strategy quarterly and annually (regularly) to evaluate its implementation to determine whether it is successful or they are need of replacement with a new strategy, which will meet charged circumstances, new economic environment, new technology, new competitors, and new financial, social, or political environment (Adair 50). Attaining a competitive advantage and enhancing business performance relative to its competitors are the core objectives of a business organization. This paper purports to discuss how strategic management can affect business organization. Strategic management depends on the size of the business organization and its environment’s proclivity to change. This means that a global transnational business organization needs to employ more structured strategic management approach, due to the large size, operations’ scope, and encompass views and requirements of its stakeholders. Most of major management theories emphasize that private business organizations can exercise choice of strategy (Adair 52). The manner and way in which they face strategic issues may affect the overall development and growth of the business. Additionally, strategic management must address fundamental aspects such infrastructure constraints, resource base, appropriate technology level, and input of raw materials. In terms of strategic planning functions, one can define it as an action employed by a business organization to achieve a superior performance in order to maximize its profits. Strategic planning is a part of strategic management, which assists a business organization to be able to determine the actions and decisions that are extremely important than others (Bryson 70). This

Thursday, September 26, 2019

HOW IMPORTANT IS RACE TO AMERICAN IDENTITY Essay

HOW IMPORTANT IS RACE TO AMERICAN IDENTITY - Essay Example On the other hand, the history of Asians is another example how race influences American identity especially on the exclusion act of 1882 (Carter 1). The few examples provide evidence on the significance of race in the United States. Race is the variable content that matters most in the United States. Race has shaped itself as the most visible of all cultural differences in the United States. In addition, it has contributed to racial discrimination and bigotry (Carter 1). Moreover, it acts as a means of social inclusion and exclusion to members of a race. This term has also been used as a determinant of social status. This paper seeks to focus on how valuable is the race to the American identity. The important of the race to the American identity is clearly identified from how people from different races are treated. This is seen on the racial status of individuals. In America, individuals have been defined by where they are going rather than what they have been. However, achievements should matter rather than origin. The American dream was that people should be able to participate as equals no matter their background. However, this dream has been thwarted and has led to fragmentation of society since its earliest days. In fact, racial classification leads to disregard of the achievements ideals. For example, the non-whites, whatever their achievements, have been unable to change their racial status (Martin 549). This has been evident since the onset of the civil rights movement. For these reasons, we aspire for the day when all Americans will be treated equally without considering their race. As Martin Luther king puts it, he has a dream where everybody will be treated equa l (Martin 549). He also notes that one day there will be equal treatment in various aspects of the society primarily on education and transportation system. This has led to implementation of legislation to protect individuals from those who

Relationship between Stock Market Prices and Macroeconomic Variables Essay

Relationship between Stock Market Prices and Macroeconomic Variables - Essay Example This is an indication that the indexes will rely majorly on the stock prices of the major companies in the capital market. Therefore most financial experts like relying on this index as it is closer to representing the real market. According to Madura (2008, pg 347), the index is calculated by considering the stock price of five hundred biggest companies in the market. It explains that the companies are selected based on their market capitalization. To understand this dynamic relation the relation between the stock price and the variables in the macro economy, a clear and incisive analysis of the effects of these variables on the financial markets is required. This paper examines some of the relationships between the stock prices and market indices and the variables of the macroeconomic environment within economies of countries like the United States and England. Â  The GDP of a nation covers all the products and services produced in a single financial year. In Berezina (2012) opinion, it covers the entire products, from the smallest item to the largest possible item and services purchased by the consumers in this economy. It notes that investors pay keen attention to indicators of sustainable growth in the GDP of an economy to make decisions on investment. When the report shows that there is growth in GDP, many investors will be attracted to the economy. This translates to higher stock prices as investors rush to acquire stakes in companies within these economies. In the absence of growth, the investor confidence is low and the stock prices are likely to slump. This is usually reflected in the performance of the index of the market. Analysts believe that the performance of a market over a financial year will reflect the overall performance in GDP. For instance, Madura (2008) explains that economic factors that affect the stock prices includ e indicators like GDP (Madura 2008, pg 270).

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Virtues that pharmacists should possess 2 Literature review

Virtues that pharmacists should possess 2 - Literature review Example Many of the decisions that pharmacists make are life and death ones, and so we require a strong code of ethics from them. Like many other important professions they are respected but they are also held to high standards. According to Peterson (2004), virtues are core characteristics that are valued by philosophers and religious thinkers which add value to the character possessed by an individual to make them suited to perform in a task, vocation or leadership position. Peterson suggests that although the virtues of wisdom, justice, courage, humanity, temperance and transcendence may be in conflict in the psyche of an individual, these virtues add to the character of a person to make them suited to a position or a vocation. Peterson goes further to state that character strengths are the psychological ingredients that are represented in virtues. For example, wisdom depends on creativity, curiosity, love of learning, open mindedness and having a big picture of life. The nature of professional roles demands a virtue ethic, which emphasises doing good based on the nature and moral significance of such a role. A virtuous agent in a professional role must be able to act in a way that improves society (Oakley, 2003). Oakley argues that a ‘regulative ideal’ is desirable and actions in situations are right only if an agent with a virtuous character would do the same in the circumstances. Thus, according to Oakley, the virtue of benevolence is desirable in pharmacist, a doctor or a health worker because such a virtue results in a desire to save lives. Clearly, a practising pharmacist who deals with patients in need of drugs that can cure, but also kill due to dangerous side effects, needs to act in the best interest of a patient in a wise, benevolent and tempered manner. The Kantian Categorical Imperative presents standards of correct behaviour for professional agents. Indeed, under this scheme, only certain

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

What is Foreign Direct Investment Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

What is Foreign Direct Investment - Term Paper Example FDI or Foreign Direct Investment is defined as the scenario where "A company from one country obtains a controlling interest in a (new or existing) firm in another country, and then operates that firm as a part of the multinational business of the investing firm. FDI may be financed through parent company transfer of funds to the new affiliate, borrowing from home-country lenders, borrowing in the host country by the parent company, or any combination of these strategies." (FDI Definition, n.d.)  Foreign direct investment is also a measure of ownership of private enterprise, its stocks, and resources, and used as a growing tool in economic globalization. These investments add up to the GDP (gross domestic product) of industrialized and industrializing economies.  There are quite a few different modes of entry to foreign markets, but almost all of them can be categorized under the following four- exporting, licensing, franchising and direct investment. Each of these entry modes ha s their own set of advantages and disadvantages, and the appropriateness of each of them depends on the market dynamics of the guest country as well as the factors specifics to each company.  Foreign Direct Investment allows the investing firm to varied a degree of control over its overseas business activities. FDI, additionally, offers higher profitability options to the investing company. Control is one of the most important characteristics of FDI, and hence FDI is generally adopted as a preferred mode of entry when control and coordination are critical to the success of international drive of the company. Foreign direct investment is also preferred when the host market prefers buying products that are locally manufactured. Many governments also actively promote FDI as FDI directly adds value to the local economy and generates employment. Additionally, many retail, as well as institutional customers, feel that local manufacturing presence results in better after sales service an d decreases the overall cost of ownership.  However, FDI has its own set of disadvantages too. FDI, by definition, involves a higher commitment level for the company, and the company is exposed to a range of risks including political, geographical and economic risks. FDI is also subject to probable depreciation of the value of its investment in case of an adverse fluctuation of exchange rates. Despite the fact that FDI is generally encouraged by the government, there are cases where government policies act as a roadblock for FDIs. In many countries, government policies forbid foreign countries from owning majority control of a local company in selective or all industries. In some other countries, there are various levels of restrictions in the repatriation of profits. Companies opting for foreign direct investment as the entry mode to other economies or markets also have to face additional challenges in terms of allocating additional bandwidth, adapting to local political, legal a nd business environments. (Marchick D.M. and Slaughter M.J., June 2008)

Monday, September 23, 2019

The New Classical and Keynesian's Theory of Monetary Policy Coursework

The New Classical and Keynesian's Theory of Monetary Policy - Coursework Example The Curve supported the view that a high rate of unemployment went parallel with the low inflation rate. The notion was that when the demands for goods are high, companies would hire more workforce, leading to lower unemployment rates and would subsequently raise demand. Stagflation is characterized by both an increasing inflation as well as the unemployment rate. When stagflation occurred in the 1970s and the 1980s, there was a shift in the Phillip curve, and the Keynesians reassessed their theory. The Keynesians argued that the discrepancy in the results predicted by Phillips curve was because the curve was shifting in a north-easterly direction. The reason for the shift in the curve was considered to be because of the cut in wages and an increase in the costs of the businesses as a result of inflation. The idea was rejected by Keynesians in the start but has been incorporated into their theory over time. According to the Keynesian’s theory, the answer to the problem of stagflation was to refurbish the supply of materials. According to the theory, the way to make up for physical scarcity was to either to find a substitute for the resources that were scarce or to enhance the productivity and the efficiency in order to produce more output from the inputs. For instance, the challenge of oil scarcity of the late 1970s and the early 1980s was met by increasing the worldwide production of oil and by improving the efficiency of the processes so that more energy is conserved. Ultimately, the concept of NAIRU introduced to deal with the problem. The New Classical view supported the notion that monetary policy could not impact real output and employment. It was of the outlook that only nominal quantities can influence nominal variables like inflation. Since according to the view, unemployment and inflation are not related, its followers attribute inefficient government policies for lower rates of unemployment.  

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Examine what is meant by situation ethics Essay Example for Free

Examine what is meant by situation ethics Essay Joseph Fletcher an Anglican theologian was the main person to challenge the view that ethics and morality have to be based around laws and rules. He developed three ways of making moral decisions, these were: 1. The antinomian way 2.The legalistic way 3. The situational way The antinomian way was a way of making decisions without any laws or principles. It is what feels right at that particular time and on no bases whatsoever, only on how it feels to you. This was also where existentialism arose. Existentialism being a principle developed by a 19th century Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. His theory was that the best way to make decisions was for each individual to find their own unique bases for morality; the foundation for his argument was that no objective or rational bases could be grounded in moral decisions. So the antinomian approach is therefore that in every existential moment or unique situation the situation itself provides the ethical solution. The legalistic approach being at the other end of the scale. This is a way of making decisions with regard to laws or rules. The legalist will live their life in accordance with a set of guidelines or rules. For example Jews will abide by the rules of the Torah and make their decisions primarily from this source. Joseph Fletcher suggested a third way of making moral decisions and this was called the situational way, which consists of a compromise between antinomianism and legalism. In the situational approach every decision is made on one universal principle and that is love. In situation ethics his view was to look at each situation individually. His main line of argument was that the only moral principle that could be applied to all situations is that of love, or: To do whatever is the most loving thing. (Fletcher quoted by Jenkins, Ethics and religion p47). Whereas Natural law theorists ask what the law states, Fletcher asks what is the best possible decision to help others and provide love in doing so. Therefore in his view this is not a law in itself, and its not dictating what should be done in any particular situation but rather an approach that informs moral choice. In other words you should always have someones best interest at heart. Another one of Fletchers arguments was that Christians are meant to love and care for each other and God is also portrayed to be all-loving. As this is the case for Christians shouldnt morality also be based around this theory to do the most loving thing? The Christian perspective like many other religions is based around the idea of natural law. The natural law ethic arose in the 4th century BCE by Aristotle. The Christian theologian and philosopher Thomas Aquinas further developed the ideas first put forward by Aristotle. He argued that the natural purpose of the world is found in God. He outlined natural law in the following way by suggesting that all people should follow the law of God. He also believed that Human purpose was to reproduce, to learn, to live harmoniously in society and to worship God. (Jenkins p26, quoted by www.faithnet.freeserve.co.uk/situation_ethics.htm). His ultimate belief was that Natural law describes not only how things are, but also how they ought to be furthermore this happens when things fulfil their natural purpose. Natural law is only concerned with what seems to be the natural course of action for humans to take and this is where the conflict arises with situation ethics. There are many circumstances where what appears to be natural doesnt appear to be loving. This is why theologians such as Joseph Fletcher dont agree with the natural law ethic as it causes much controversy. For example the Catholic Church undertook the natural law approach to guide them in terms of their sexual behaviour. They saw the natural purpose for sexual intercourse to be procreation, so therefore anything that proves to be a barrier to this end result is not allowed i.e. contraception. When developing an approach to Situation ethics Fletcher suggested 4 working principles and 6 fundamental principles to outline his ideas. The 4 working principles are: 1.Pragmatism- being ideas and theories that have to work in practice, to be right of good it has to produce a desirable outcome that satisfies loves demand. The main emphasis is that the practical course of the action should be motivated by love. 2.Relativism- To be relative, on has to be relative to something, as situation ethics maintains it has to relate to love and should always respond to love in each situation. Fletcher says it relativises the absolute; it does not absolutise the relative (Fletcher quoted from Vardy; Puzzle of ethics p126). Meaning each absolute can be made relative to love but relativism cannot be applied to a concrete situation as love acts differently in different situations, it depends on how its applied and this varies with each circumstance. 3.Positivism- this is accepting to act in love by faith rather than by reason, once faith is declared it is supported by logic. In situation ethics positing a belief in God as love or a higher good and then reasoning what is required in any situation to support that belief. 4.Personalism- This is the desire to put people not laws first. It is always what is the best to help a person that makes a decision a good one. As God is meant to be personal therefore morality should also be person-centred. However It is the main framework of situation ethics that is outlined by the 6 fundamental principles. These are: 1. There is only one thing that is intrinsically good- love. Actions are good if they are fulfilling love by helping them but reversibly they are bad if they hurt people. No single act in itself is right or wrong it always depends on the situation the circumstance occurs in. Love always decides the actions that are good or bad. 2. The ruling principle of Christian love is agape love. Agape love is self-giving love and this doesnt require anything in return. The overriding principle of decision-making is love. 3. Love and justice are the same. In Fletchers words love and justice are the same thing, for justice is love distributed. (Fletcher quoted by William Bailay p73). He also claims that justice is love at work in the community in which human beings live. (Vardy, Puzzle of ethics p128). 4. Thout shalt love thy neighbour as thyself (William Temple quoted by Vardy, puzzle of ethics p123). As the neighbour is a member of the human family therefore love wills the neighbours good. Love is practical and not selective. Christian love is said to be unconditional so we should show love to everyone and that includes are enemies. 5. Only the end result justifies the means, love is the end- never a means to something else. Love can justify anything in situation ethics as long as the end result satisfies love. 6. Loves decisions are made in the circumstance of each situation and not prescriptively. Humans have a responsibility of freedom. No one is bound by laws, so with this responsibility comes the notion to do the most loving thing and to apply this to every situation. Fletcher claims that it is a mistake to generalise. You cant say Is it ever right to lie to your family? The answer must be, I dont know, give me an example. A concrete situation is needed, not a generalisation. It all depends may well be the watchword of the Situationist. (Puzzle of ethics, Vardy p.130) There are many moral dilemmas when given certain situations, and taking the situational view we are faced with the duty to do the most loving thing possible, and to serve agape love. Taking an example from William Bailay, on a wilderness trial to Kentucky many people lost their lives to Indians who hunted them down. In one case there was a woman who carried her child with her and her child was crying. The babys crying was betraying the rest of the camp as the cries were leading the Indians to them. The mother clung to her child and as a result the whole camp was found and they were all killed. In another case a Negro woman and her party found themselves in the same situation, their lives were in danger, as they too would be found out if the baby continued to cry. However the Negro woman strangled her child to stop its cries, and as a result the whole party escaped. How can we tell which action was love? The Mother who kept her baby and brought death all, or that of the mother who killed her own child to save the lives of her family and friends? This is a perfect example of the type of decisions that situation ethics confronts us with. In situation ethics there is no definite right or wrong, it has to be applied by each circumstance. Likewise there is no intrinsic value, no goodness or badness held purely in an action itself. Situation ethics says it all depends on the situation and whether or not it fulfils love. Goodness and badness are not properties of moral actions they are predicates. This demonstrates one of the key aspects and an advantage for situation ethics. Sometimes morality can be somewhat restricted however in taking the situational approach there are no moral rules. If someone with morals can only abide to duty they cant go outside their own boundaries. This is the case in many orthodox religions. Whereas situation ethics maintains that there are no absolutes, you are allowed to go outside certain boundaries if in doing so you are providing the most loving result. Take the Islamic faith for example. Muslims follow the laws of the Koran; one law is do not steel, which is an absolute. But say if there were a single mother living in the poorer regions of the country who had no money and was struggling to feed her starving children. Would it be right for the mother to let her children starve? Or would it be better for the woman to go against the law and perhaps steel some food in order for them to survive? If the woman followed her religion seriously then it would not be morally right for her to steel and as a result her children lives would be at stake. This is the advantage of situation ethics, it says that words like never and absolute cant be used because their will always be exceptions. Another advantage of situation ethics is that people are always put first, it is a personal matter. People are made more important than principles. This goes against the legalistic approach. Where legalism put laws in first place conversely situation ethics makes people the main emphasis. Furthermore we often find that the outside world is constantly changing. As we live in the modern day and age we are on a constant roller coaster of changing situation. As a result of this many religions find it extremely difficult to apply their laws to the modern world. Take the Torah being applied to the modern age or orthodox Jews attempts to conserve laws against modern relativism to be an example. Because situation ethics can change with time this gives it a huge advantage. Situation ethics also makes the important link between love and justice, which is another key aspect and this is shown as the third of the six fundamental principles. To Fletcher justice is love distributed and Justice is love working out its problems. (William Bailay p73) However there have also been many criticisms of Situation Ethics. When referring to the meaning of love, this is sometimes seen to be too general. As love has no definite meaning, it changes according to the situation, it becomes relative, and so it cannot be said that there is only one moral absolute. As there are no specific guidelines for agape love it could be said that it is possible to justify any action. These are dangerous boundaries. The question What might happen if I allow euthanasia once? could be asked. It may be hard to know where to draw the line; people all over the place might start killing their grandparents because they are too oldin the name of love! Situation ethics sometimes relies on spontaneity, however spontaneity can sometimes be misguided. It may turn out to be irrational and foolish. The abandonment of rules may in turn reduce situation ethics to antinomianism. It may lead to a state of moral flux as rules play an important part in sociological maintenance. It is also been decided that there are certain examples of absolutes. Take rape, child abuse and genocide, these are all examples of absolutes that are wrong and under no circumstance would they be right. You would not be able to justify this with love. It is often quite hard to understand exactly what is meant by the meaning of love. It can be hard to know what they most loving thing to do is. It is also hard to know what the most loving thing is in terms of the consequence. How can we predict all the consequences of an action? This can be shown by euthanasia. Say their was a man who had aids and had only a 5% chance of getting better again, he approached his friend and asked him if he would end his life for him. What happens if he got better? Even if there is only a very tiny chance there is still a chance. The man might suddenly make a recovery and go on to lead a long and prosperous life. How can we predict the consequences? It is also hard when attempting to share love out fairly in a particular situation. This can also be shown by this example of euthanasia; it is hard to know what is the best for the person, friends and family. It might be best for the man but what might be best for him might not necessarily be the most loving thing for the family or their friends. It is also quite hard to view a situation from a totally unbiased perspective. There is a possibility that a decision could be made selfishly with or without realising it but as its in the name of love it is justifiable. This again makes the boundary for love very hard to distinguish. It is also questionable as to whether it is possible for all members of society to judge each situations by its merits. A lot of time and energy has to go into the decision this isnt always accessible to everyone. How practical is situation ethics? Finally on what basis is it possible for the situationist to make moral decisions? What happens when there are no ultimate ethical principles? The situationist is making prejudiced decisions based potentially on personal whims. An example of a danger caused by this can be seen in the actions of Adolf Hitler and his attitude towards the Jews in the Second World War. For those who felt that situation ethics went to far in attempting to set itself free from any conception of law, there is an approach that combines both theories of natural law and of situation ethics. This approach is known as proportionalsim. Proportionalists hold the belief that there are particular situations where moral rules should be abided to unless there is a proportionate reason for not contending with them. This reason would be grounded in the situation itself. In this way the primary precepts of natural law could be accepted (e.g. killing, stealing, lying etc) as the ground rules unless there was a sufficient reason for not doing so. Proportionalists hold a clear distinction between moral and non-moral acts. For example proportionalists would say abortion is wrong, but it may be morally right in the circumstances of that situation. However unlike situationalists they say that love does not then make a wrong action right. Furthermore they still incur the same problems that situationalists face in trying to determine what bests serves love in a situation, and on making decisions by selfish means.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Intervention Developed from Theory of Planned Behaviour

Intervention Developed from Theory of Planned Behaviour Develop Intervention The Chosen Construct The construct feedback was decided as the most viable choice for the intervention. The intention was to increase low carbon behavioural performance by ‘nudging’ individuals to act on a series of existing prompts in order to increase the speed of the stop/start procedure. It was decided that the central hub was the ideal location for the pilot study. Owing to budgetary limitations, this intervention proved to be the only viable option and was achievable as it would build on an existing system and simplify an extremely complex task. However it was made mandatory that every shift be given the opportunity to take part. Whilst it would have been preferred to establish a control group, the team leaders stated it could bring unrest between shifts that need to be in complete symbiosis with one another. Any detrimental effect in one shift can affect all shifts and due to the extreme economies of scale with regards to energy usage at the plant, any slight change could have a costly negative effect. Rationale An energy saving intervention derived and created from identified behavioural constructs will result in lower utility costs. Based on the evidence within the literature review and the interpretation of the results from the thematic analysis and semantic questionnaires, the introduction of a feedback dashboard will significantly lower energy use at the plant. Participants The 55 participants all worked within or were connected to the open plan area of the central hub. They consisted of shift managers, group leaders, team leaders, logistics, schedulers and other operatives. Three shifts operated from this section over a 24hour period. Materials The dashboard was provided and designed by the target company. Prior to the intervention the dashboard was available by logging into a PC however this system was seldom, if ever used by the employees. In addition the researcher discovered a switched off 40’ LCD TV placed in an obscure location at a material delivery point, when the researcher switched this on, it displayed a version of the dashboard below. The intervention materials required to display this dashboard live within the central hub involved the use of a 50† plasma TV screen, a computer (Revo PC) and Ethernet connection. The dashboard was mounted in a central location which provided easy visual access to every operative who worked within the open plan offices of the central hub. Figure 14 The Feedback Dashboard Design Implementation The above dashboard works in the following manner. The 10 process lines are all monitored via numerous energy meters placed at key locations along the process line. That data is fed into a central processing unit and then displayed as a dashboard in visual form. The green running lady indicates a line is running and everything is good. If a line stops for whatever reason, the person turns and holds up a hand indicating a stop. If the person is indicating a stop and is red then the line has stopped and components are drawing power. The viewer then picks up the schedule of works – stop start system of prompts and follows the prompts to power down components. If the person is indicating a stop on the dashboard and is green, then this means enough items have been turned off and the line is at an acceptable level of usage. The feedback dashboard was installed and operated live non-stop for 8 weeks. The effects of the monitor were analysed not by retesting the constructs and disrupting the workforce, but through examining the weekly utility consumption and comparing that to past utility data. If the performance dashboard has an effect then savings in energy should be made. In addition for this period no new technology was added that could affect the energy use of the plant. Post Intervention Results Utility Results The regression graph titled ‘Energy Conversion Costs ( £/Tpiw) over last 4 years’ was generated by the targeted workplace energy team in order to assess if the intervention has been successful. The graph demonstrates that savings occurred. The energy management team reported that two weekly meter reads were the lowest ever achieved for throughput at the plant. In addition in was the first time that savings were achieved consecutively i.e. both months back to back. This graph contains the energy data from 2010 to 2014 used to create the product at this plant. The FC 10/11 dots indicate how much energy was used in the year 2010 to create the product. The X axis shows how much product was made in tonnes per 1000. The Y axis shows how much energy, expressed in British Pounds, was needed per tonne to produce the product. The FC10/11 line, is a fit line. The 11/12 12/13 fit lines were left off to simplify the interpretation of the graph. However their location is slightly under the FC10/11 for the 11/12 fit line and slightly above the FC13/14 for the 12/13 fit line. The two fit lines of interest are the FC13/14 and the FC14/15. The FC13/14 is the energy used in the year 2013 – 2014 up until the point of the implementation of the intervention. This fit line is referred to by the company as the tracking utility standard. The FC14/15 fit line is generated from the 8 weekly meter reads during the intervention. The large black squares are the weekly meter reads that create this fit line. The FC14/15 intervention fit line indicates that energy usage for this period is significantly under the FC13/14 target utility standard and that savings have been achieved. In addition the shape of the line is different. As throughput increases there is more opportunity to activate the stop/start procedure and therefore more opportunity to engage in energy saving behaviour. If the outlier at 6.2KT was closer to the FC13/14 line then the new FC14/15 fit line would initially sit on top or close to the FC13/14 standard. This is an important factor, because the normal fit line pattern over the years due to technology improvements has produced the same curve fit, the change in curve shape indicates that behaviour as opposed to technology is probably driving the utility savings. In order to provide some clarity of the effect of the intervention, a CUSUM chart was created. A CUSUM is a sequential analysis technique developed by E. S. Page with the purpose of monitoring change by calculation of a cumulative sum. The 8 weekly meter readings were used to create the CUSUM by adding how much in British Pounds was actually saved or lost over the intervention period. The X axis is the meter reads. The Y axis is the win or loss expressed in British pounds in comparison to the FC13/14 fit line. Figure 14 CUSUM Graph The CUSUM graph above indicates that approximately for the 8 week period that a saving of  £84,000 was achieved when compared to the FC13/14 energy target tracker. If these savings are sustained for a 12 month period then a saving of  £546,000 will occur (6.5 X  £84,000). The utility data and the CUSUM indicate that the intervention has been successful. This was also confirmed by the energy team who stated there had been no changes in product or significant technology upgrades. One energy manager confirmed that within this intervention period that two of the lowest meter readings for production had been achieved and for the first time in its history the plant recorded two consecutively monthly savings. However one possible confounding variable is outside temperature i.e. degree days. The energy team explained this will have an effect but the affect is not large enough to negate the findings. Three months after the intervention, the energy team are still reporting improved savin gs indicating degree days are not having a negative impact. Methodological Evaluation Validity Validity refers to the level of knowing that what a researcher believes is being measured is actually being measured. The different types of validity fall into two categories internal and external. The measuring tools for this study did not rely on one method to identified constructs and ascertain how active the constructs were within a targeted environment. Regarding internal validity, the method used a range of interviews, questionnaires and open-ended questions to obtain this knowledge. A similar pattern or analysis was derived from the thematic analysis, percentile data and multiple regressions indicating a level of face validity. The utility data provided some external validity as the change in PBC via an intervention was measured in real time in a real working plant. As this was expected, then predictive validity increases, as operatives need the tools to achieve the set goal. Overall this allows for some generalisation to other populations involved in the same manufacturing procedure but it does not necessarily translate into generalisations to other industries. However the TPB has been shown to be effective in many working environments. There were no technology changes during the intervention that could affect the energy usage of the plant. Likewise there were no product changes as the company makes the same thing repeatedly. Therefore it is probable that the cause precedes the effect in this situation. The introduction of the smart dashboard reduced the time operatives took to activate the stop start system of shut down prompts resulting in saving energy. However without retesting the model after the intervention or having data to show the increase reaction time it is only possible to claim a covariation effect as oppose to temporal precedence. Reliability Reliability refers to how consistent is the observed measure. In order to thoroughly test reliability then the study needs to be replicated at another plant. The results of these findings were presented to the company’s board, energy team, EU energy team and various plants in person and live via WebEx (Web Video Conference). The outcome of this presentation was the offer by the board to repeat the study at other plants. In essence, this can be interpreted as a measure of external reliability because the most knowledgeable individuals within this company made comparisons with this intervention and other interventions. By proxy this created a level of inter-rater reliability (Appendix E for presentation and notes). Rebound Effect Communications with the plant have been maintained and savings are still being reported at the plant and have been sustained and improved on for the 12 weeks after the intervention research deadline. There is no indication of the utility usage returning to baseline at this present time (08/01/2015). Field work issues Whilst all effort has been used to increase validity and reliability to acceptable levels, the fact of the matter is that this is not a laboratory based experiment. As a result there are trade-offs to be made requiring a degree of psychological bricolage to achieve the desired outcome. There are a mass of problems to overcome. For example the N, the number of participants was low. However despite the company having numerous employees, not all employees have influence over the energy usage. In this particular environment 55 operatives control the  £23,000,000 energy bill. Therefore they are the prime candidates for saving energy and including others would be of little value. This in turn presents challenges when using questionnaires as a Cronbach Alpha / Factor analysis would not produce the desired results due to the low N. This was catered for with the use of judges as reported earlier. Similarly the low N is not ideal for conducting multiple regression, this is why the thematic a nalysis was also created so comparisons could be made between the quantitative and qualitative data. If they produced similar results then this could cater for the low N. For example if the regression showed social norms to be low, then this should also be present in the thematic analysis, which it was. There are positives to these trade-offs as high internal validity i.e. random selection, random assignment, control group etc. can limit the generalisability / external validity of the findings. These validity factors will not exist when the study is used in the real world. This is of critical importance as research on saving carbon / energy in the workplace needs to have some form of scalability, practical value and achieve real-life results for the benefit of all. There are a range of issues and theoretical questions that need to be raised and considered between psychology conducted in strict academic settings and psychology conducted in working environments, which simply cannot be covered within this thesis. Discussion The study examined if an intervention derived from Theory of Planned Behaviour combined with psychology knowledge could reduce energy consumption in a metallurgy plant. The results indicate that TPB plus added constructs can be an effective system for developing energy saving interventions. The results clearly showed that employees saved more energy during the intervention period than at any time in the 4yrs prior to the intervention. If sustained, the intervention resulted in energy savings circa  £500,000 pa. The intervention worked by increasing the group’s perceived behavioural control via feedback. This enabled group members to use the monitor to inform them when ‘action’ was needed. The schedule of works / system of prompts enabled them to act out the required behaviours. In essence, any group member could view the live dashboard and observe a line is down and drawing power due to the red lady indicating a stop. Then they have the choice to inform other me mbers about the stop or take action themselves. In order to take action they pick up the schedule of works mounted on the office wall and follow the instructions to contact engineers to shut certain items off. The schedule is an already established and familiar system to the group members, so no new learning was required to activate the behaviour. The dashboard provided the missing trigger which in turn increased PBC and influenced behaviour. Limitations In this particular study the increase in PBC can only be inferred as it was measured via savings in energy as opposed to measuring the constructs after the intervention. However Siero (1996) argues that within metallurgy plants employees who control energy work in predominantly small groups, and therefore talk more to each other with regards to energy. Similarly comparisons and competition may have occurred between employees who were responsible for certain productions lines. This could result in begin peer pressure i.e. an operative who is not responsible for a line that is down could notify another operative that his line is down. This could lead to a conclusion that perhaps subjective norms increased, resulting in savings. However this would be a mistake, if they did exist they would be a contributory factor as opposed to a confounding variable but in order to act on them an operative would need to have the belief and means to do so i.e. PBC actual control. The research also indi cates that behaviour can change without changes in attitude. However the operative’s attitude towards energy were measured as part of the model and shown to be exceptionally positive. Perhaps attitude did play a role by increasing operatives ‘buy-in’ for the intervention? Whilst the TPB was used as a developmental tool to create the intervention, the same process could be developed by simply understanding the taxonomy of constructs identified by existing academic work in psychology. Behaviour itself can be broken down in this fashion as shown by many of the available meta-analysis of which constructs affect energy saving behaviour in given environments. A research could take measurements of these constructs and make a decisions on what construct to positively or negatively influence for the targeted environment. This notion brings into question the idea of a model. Perhaps models have more use for those who are not familiar with the taxonomy of constructs, and can be used to simplify the behaviour change process and achieve results over a short timeframe due to limited time to study behaviour at this level of reductionism. Conclusions TPB with the use of added constructs was used as a framework to ‘develop’ an intervention, as opposed to using TPB as ‘predictive’ tool to reduce energy consumption. This methodology appeared logical for field work and was well received by the target company. However this methodology required balancing act between the scientific method and practical application. Thus creating a form of psychological bricolage to achieve a working model to produce field based results. It can be concluded that this methodology based on TPB plus added constructs identified in the literature review significantly reduced energy consumption through behavioural means at this workplace. It is critical to measure utility data prior to and after behaviour change programs as the results are then truly judged in real life settings. The goal is to save energy and save carbon not theoretically but actually, by specifying the elements that make up behaviour in quantifiable terms will one s hould be able to effectively change behaviour via intervention.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Post Feminist Television Film Studies Essay

Post Feminist Television Film Studies Essay The media creates powerful representations and therefore has a strong impact on what people believe in. Gender has always been present in media and it is the media that creates stereotypes and assumptions of it. The representation of women in media has changed throughout the years. In the 1950s women were always at home, taking care of their children and making sure that the house was clean and dinner served on time. In other words they were born to become mothers and wives and it was a mans role to work and provide for the family. In recent years on the other hand women in television are presented as successful businesswomen with extremely good sense of fashion and most of the time they are single. Lotz explains that the term postfeminism is used in media to explain contemporary gender politics (2001:106). Women are more present in media than ever, they play leading roles; they can be mothers, wives, and successful businesswomen without losing their femininity. The process was possible by connecting postconvergence of television with postfeminist culture. Bonnie J. Dow (1996) notices that The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977) was one of the first examples of the shift from the domestic family situation shows into a single woman, career-oriented program. It is seen as the result of how powerful and influential feminism was at that time, creating new female audiences and allowing social changes in the way that women could fulfill themselves as successful and independent businesswomen without the need having a family. Dow (1996:26) argues that The Mary Tyler Moore Show created important parameters for future television discourse representing feminism, parameters that include a focus on working women (and a concomitant avoidance of a critique of the traditional patriarchal family), the deception of womens lives without male romantic partners, the enactment of a feminist lifestyle by young, attractive, white, heterosexual, female characters, and a reliance on the tenets of second-wave liberal or equity feminism. The show helped in creating new audiences and encouraged women to find new ways of fulfilling themselves outside their shallow, filled with housework and looking after their children lives. At the same time it was addressed to women experiencing changes in their economic and familial status with stories infused with consciousness-raising perspectives and lifestyle politics (Lotz, 2001:107). Year 1986 brought significant changes to the way women were represented in media (Dow, 1996:nr). A third-wave of feminists movements found coverage in television and press, women were more interested in educating themselves and building their careers around their family lives. Professions occupied previously only by men were now available for women, even though their pay was significantly lower. Bonnie J. Dow (1996:105-108) recognises three modes of postfeminist US drama series: professional serial drama, with the example of L.A. Law (1986-1994) where women characters struggle to find a balance between professional life and a family life, postfeminist family television (e.g. thirtysomething (1987-1991)) which illustrates an idealised version of a woman who can be a successful businesswoman and a perfect mother at the same time, and finally a postfeminist nirvana (e.g. Designing Women (1986-1993)) showing successful women who are also single mothers and divorcees. It was the end of 1990s when a new kind of television programs emerged with women as protagonists, these include: Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003), Ally McBeal (1997-2002), Sex in the City (1998-2004) or Family Law (1999-2002). This was the time when a new, new woman was introduced to television shows, much more complex than Mary Richards in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and bringing a new wave of feminism, also identified as postfeminism. As Elyce Rae Helford says the late 90s offered some of the most developed and compelling (if contradictory and sometimes even reactionary) televisual representations of gender politics and debates over (and within) feminism (2000a:6). One of the most significant feminine role models in prime-time US television series was Ally McBeal (played by Calista Flockhart). She is an attractive, young, single and successful lawyer and a problematic character at the same time, struggling to find a man who would meet her expectations. Moseley and Read (2001:222) suggest that it was a combination of feminine discourses and feminist discourses that made Allys character a subject of men gaze and a role model for feminists. The show challenges feminists conventions regarding natural differences between men and women, underlying the fact that these differences can be eliminated or ignored entirely. Sex and the city series is another example of how influential feminism is. Main characters are a group of friends, single independent women who gave up on looking for their perfect life partners, but unlike Ally they decide to live life to the full and act like men, without any commitments, feelings or sentiments. Every detail of their lives has its meaning: Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) rents a house, lives from paycheck to paycheck, but spends fortune on top of the range designer clothes and accessories which indicates on her lack of stability and frivolous relationships with opposite sex; Samantha Jones (played by Kim Cattrall) treats men like objects, repulses relationships, monogamy, institution of marriage and children; Miranda Hobbes (played by Cynthia Nixon) is a wealthy, cynical feminist who criticises men for taking advantage of women and cannot understand why no men are attracted to her; and finally Charlotte York (played by Kristin Davis) is an outcast of the series, who dreams about her ideal wedding and children, which shows her dedication to one person and traditionalism. There are no taboo subjects in this circle of friends, they share their sexual fantasies with each other, insult men and cherish their singledom. There is a connection point between Ally McBeal and Sex and the City: both shows seek to change female nature into male behavious, but in both cases characters end up choosing traditional routes. Unlike single women in Sex and the City, protagonists in Desperate Housewives (2004-) are far from being perfect feminine heroines: Mary Alice Young (played by Brenda Strong) kills herself in the first 5 minutes from the start of the series because she cannot live with the guilt of the crime she committed, Bree Van De Kamp (played by Marcia Cross) who is a widowed recovering alcoholic, obsessed with keeping a perfectly clean household to hide dirty secrets of her life, Lynette Scavo (played by Felicity Huffman) who used to be a successful businesswoman, but had to leave her job after giving birth to six children; Susan Meyer (played by Teri Hatcher) who is an emotionally unstable divorcee living with her teenage daughter; and finally Gabrielle Solis (played by Eva Longoria)- a former super-model who is an unemployed trophy wife to her wealthy husband and cheats on him on every occasion. The series suggest a completely different ways of finding fulfillment in lives of these domestic g oddesses as they do not seem to find satisfaction in their family lives, struggle with their ungrateful and overpowering children. There are certain but slight different aspects of postfeminism visible in Gossip Girl (2007-). This new teen drama portrays young women as successful, independent, socially mobile and free to choose their destiny (McRobbie, 2007:270). The freedom that young women represent in the series is highlighted through material and sexual consumption. Just like in Sex and the City, protagonists in Gossip Girl are attractive, thin and well off. Anita Harris (2004:128) argues that a young in-control woman in twenty first century needs to actively participate in the flow of information technology, which shapes her sense of identity and gives her a technological capital, which can be acquired through knowing the latest technological trends, having the latest camera phone and Facebook or Twitter account. Gossip Girl is based on the book series of the same title written by Cecily von Ziegesar and tells the story about a group of teenagers living in Manhattan. Two main girl characters, Serena van der Woodsen (played by Blake Lively) and Blair Waldorf (played by Leighton Meester), are almost every girls wannabies: extremely beautiful, wealthy and privileged, and at the same time very unrealistic. It is almost impossible to identify with them, but the viewers can take pleasure from fantasising about the world they live in or identify themselves with Jenny Humphrey (played by Taylor Momsen), who attends the same school and Blair and Serena, but comes from a normal middle class family and can never be one of these girls (Pattee, 2006:167). The aspect of post-feminism in Gossip Girl series is portrayed through the lifestyle and the consumption of culture of Blair and Serena. They are both socially active, but it is Blair who has the most dominating characteristics. She named herself the Queen Bee, positioned herself at the top of the hierarchy at school, which means that every decision made by any of her peer needs to be authorized by her. She victimises girls that do not match her taste, makes fun of them and blocks their way to all social evens. On the other hand Blair is very insecure about herself, hates losing or being alone. She needs constant appreciation and acceptance, especially when Serena tries to steal her crown. In episode 4 of the first series she says to Serena: (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) you could not deal with the spotlight shining on me for once, could you? Because you steal everything from me: Nate, my mom and girls at school (2007). Throughout the years women revolutionalised prime-time television. From Ally McBeal from Ally McBeal, Carrie Bradshaws from Sex and the City, Bree Van De Camp from Desperate Housewives and Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf from Gossip girl, every woman finds her ideal character features she wants to implement into her life. FEMALE NARRATORS- VOICE-OVER NARRATION IN POSTFEMINIST DRAMA SERIES The female voice has enormous conceptual and discursive range once it is freed from its claustral confinement within the female body. It is capable of talking about terrorism, anger, melancholia, homosexual as well as heterosexual desire, ancient Mexican divinities, soap operas, Emma Goldman, the circulation of money and even cinema itself (Silverman, 1988:186). Kathleen A McHaugh (2001:3) notices that voice-over narration has a long history in American cinema, began in 1930s and was mostly presented by men. Silverman (1988:ix) argues that female voice-over narration is rare and only occurs in experimental feminist productions. McHaugh (2001:3) says that women storytellers is only a recent development, but very rarely occurs in noir films. Susan Snaider Lancer has described female narrators voices as a site of crisis, contradiction, or challenge (1992:7). Women narrators help in defining textual effects and function as a link between language and the feminine body. Voice-over narration is typical in most television programs and as Kozloff (1987) notices, the voice-over narration helps to introduce the story, reveals thoughts and emotions. The number of prime-time television shows with voice-over narration has risen in recent years, these include: Felicity (1998-2002), Aliens in America (2007-2008), How I Met Your Mother (2005-), Heroes (2006-2010), Everybody Hates Chris (2005-2009), Scrubs (2001-2010), Greys Anatomy (2005-), Pushing Daisies (2007-2009), My Name Is Earl (2005-2009), Dexter (2006-) and analysed in this work Gossip Girl, Desperate Housewives (which popularised omniscient narration with its premiere in 2004) and Sex and the City. Although female voice-over narration is most often associated with television series, there are examples of it on the big screen. These include films like Fried Green Tomatoes (Avnet, 1991), Orlando (Potter, 1993), Clueless (Heckerling, 1995), Bound (Wachowski Bros, 1996), Daughters of the Dust (Dash, 1996) or Mansfield Park (Rozema, 1999). The common characteristic for all these films is that they are either experimental cinemas or independent productions, which leads to the conclusion that female voice-over narration very rarely occurs is box office productions. The voice-over narration is repeatedly chosen in films where the characters deal with trauma (McHaugh, 2001:5) to mark the seriousness of its circumstances (war films, in these cases however, the narrator is male) or in films where protagonists tell their coming of age stories, with the examples of Titanic (Cameron, 1997) and Notebook (Cassavetes, 2004). THE IMPORTANCE OF VOICE-OVER NARRATION: OMNISCIENCE IN THE AGE OF GOSIPDOM Sarah Kozloff (1988:5) says that voice-over narration can be formally defined as oral statements, conveying any portion of a narrative, spoken by an unseen speaker situated in a space and time other than that simultaneously being presented by the images on the screen. Kozloff (1988:3) claims that in voice-over narration all three words are fully operative. Voice controls the medium, over is a connection between the narrator and the image on the screen (the narrator in not visible at that time) and narration is the message being sent from the narrator to the viewer (Kozloff, 1988:3). The aim of this section is to explore forms and functions of female voice-over narration in the television series Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives and Gossip Girl with the main focus on Desperate Housewives series. To fully understand the agenda of each one of them, it is important to fully analyse who the narrators are and what they represent. The research for this article is based on analysis of the first three series of each television program with the main focus on their voice-over narration. It is worth noticing that all three television shows belong to different genre. Although Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives both focus on private lives of their four main characters, they differ in length of the episodes: approximately 25 minutes of Sex and the City, which classifies it as a sitcom and approximately 45 minutes of Desperate Housewives, which classes it to a drama series category (similarly to Gossip Girl, which is a teen drama with episodes approximately 45 minutes long). Although in Desperate Housewives and Sex and the City we know who the narrator is, we rarely see them speaking. It is what Allrath et al. calls a non-visible narrators voice (year:15). The narrator shows the viewers around, introduces the scenes that they look at without showing his or her face to help them understand the main focus of the episode. One of the reasons why the narrator is present in television series is that he or she gets to choose what the viewer should focus on by defining what scenes are shown: Voice-over narration changes the quality of the visual, adding a subjective note by implying that what the audience is watching has been chosen by the narrator (Hoth, 2010:82). In Sex and the City the voice-over is provided by one of the protagonists- Carrie Bradshaw. She is a newspaper columnist writing about female sexuality and her voice-over represents her thoughts about hers and her three friends sexual exploits. The Sex and the City series start with the narrators statement, the naked truth about the times we live in: Welcome to the age of un-innocence. No one has breakfast at Tiffanys and no one has affairs to remember. Instead, we have breakfast at 7 a.m. and affairs we try to forget as quickly as possible. Self-protection and closing the deal are paramount. Cupid has flown the co-op (S01E01, 1998). The message that comes with the above statement is cruel but simple: romantic love does not exist any more, but it becomes untrue later on in the series as we learn that all of the characters are looking for true love, romantic dinners and honest feelings. The theme of each episode is a series of questions of different sexual subject that she ponders about with her closest friends, and answers to these questions she puts in a form of an article to her sex column: I explore those sorts of issues in my column and I have terrific sources- my friends (Carrie Bradshaw: S01E01, 1998). Each episode starts with the view of Carrie sitting in front of her laptop. She ponders on the sexual dilemmas by sharing her internal thoughts, which is a rare characteristic for television series featuring single women. Singledom is the subject that Carrie very often comes back to. As an unmarried woman herself, she tries to find the resolution to the nurturing stereotype that it is easier to be killed by a terrorist that it is for a woman to get married after 30 (Carrie Bradshaw: S01E01, 1998). She often brings up the statistics about the number of singles in Manhattan, trying to convince herself about the endless possibilities of finding a perfect life partner. The filming technique being used in the series help the viewer to identify with the narrator. The camera movements makes the viewers feel that they perform the same activities as Carrie: the camera moves as she looks through the window, walks around her flat or zooms in on her computer screen the same moment when Carrie looks at it. Carries voice-over is technology mediated, whatever she thinks she types on her laptop. Her thoughts at the same time are available to public audience, making her private life dilemmas a public read. Sex and the City uses female narration to intervene in feminine discourses regarding female sexuality and lifestyle choices. For example in episode in episode 2 of the first series Carrie says: the truth was I thought I had come to terms with my looks the year I turned 30, when I realised that I no longer had the energy to be superficial (1998). She is very honest about her sexuality. When at the beginning of the third series Carrie starts dating a twenty six year old, bisexual man named Sean (played by Eddie Cahill), she soon realises how uncomfortable she feels being with someone who is not only attracted to her, but still has feelings for his ex boyfriend. But this is not what she was expecting. At the beginning of episode 4 of the third series she states: its been said that New Yorkers are the most jaded people in the world. The fact is weve pretty much done and seen it all. It takes quite a bit to shock usà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦'(S03E04, 2000). It was only after she met Seans ex boyfriend, who also happened to be married to a guy and had a daughter with his ex girlfriend who was also married to another woman, when Carrie realised how strong she feels about her sexuality. Carrie provides the voice-over narration to each episode. Her voice-over also frames each episode. Her prologue introduces the topic of the episode, e.g.: Lets be honest. Sometimes there is nothing harder in life than being happy for somebody else, like lottery winners or extremely successful people who are twenty something. And then there is the hell on earth that only your closest friends can inflict on- the baby shower (S01E10, 1998). The statements that she gives us at the beginning make the viewers aware of her insecurity and subjectivity. Usually the entire episode is based on Carries thoughts and dilemmas that she shares with her friends, analyses them and provides possible answers and resolutions at the end of the episode. Carrie uses a very innovative and unusual technique to share her thoughts with the viewers. Especially in the first and the second series she gives background information by directly addressing it to the audience. It seems like she pauses the world behind her, e.g. during a telephone conversation, she stops talking, looks in the camera and starts talking to the viewers. Similarly, when Carrie does the research for her column article, she asks random passers-by for their opinion and usually they look straight in the camera while giving their answers. Both mentioned above techniques cause confusion to the viewer, it is hard to say if she talks to the viewer or becomes one. Mary Alice Young The first series of Desperate Housewives opens with scenes of a model housewife, Mary Alice Young (played by Brenda Strong), preparing a family breakfast, painting a chair, polishing and dusting- and then killing herself just after she has finished these tasks. Her voiceover interrupts the suicide to say: in truth I spent the day as I spend every other day, quietly polishing the routine of my life until it gleamed with perfection. Thats why it was so astonishing when I decided to go to my hallway closet and retrieve a revolver that has never been used (S01E01, 2004). She says these words with a very calm tone of voice, almost as she was telling a story that ends with a happy end, or even as she was talking about somebody else. Does she think of her suicide as of a happy moment? What about her family? What about all these people she left behind? Why did she even do that? Why did no one predict it? Apparently suicidal thoughts are an involuntary thoughts and people who want to take their lives away just want to stop hurting. This proves the point that Mary Alice did stop hurting and it seems that committing suicide dehumanised her and took away all her feelings. This moment of suicide enables her to become the omniscient god-like narrator of the series, whose voiceover tells the story from Heaven. Marys suicide thus makes her central to the main plot line of the first season of the show, since her fatal pulling of the trigger is precisely what triggers the dynamics of investigation and the shows gradual revelations about her past. Listening to Mary Alice the viewer gets the impression of listening to a good old friend, which gives the feeling of authenticity of the series. She can be classified as a heterodiegetic, third person narrator, because she talks about her past, has no active position in the series and her voice starts and ends each episode. This kind of narrative sets up an enigma, which incites the series and gives the viewer something to look forward to every week. Sarah Kozloff (1988) has called the narrator who begins and ends the story a frame narrator. She claims that frame narrators possess a greater degree of believability, also called authentication authority- the ability to establish and verify the facts of the fictional world. At the end of each episode she sumarises it and helps to understand its message that people believe is true, sharing her worldly wisdom with the viewers: we honour heroes for different reasons. Sometimes for their daring. Sometimes fort heir bravery. Sometimes for their goodness. But mostly we honour heroes because at one point or another we all dream of being rescued. Of course if the right hero doesnt come along, sometimes we just have to rescue ourselves (S01E17, 2004). A perfect housewife leaves her family behind to lead us through the mysterious lives of the people of Wisteria Lane, but what her best friends, and at the same time the main protagonists of the story, want to know is why did she do it? Suspicions arise when four of Mary Alices best friends: Susan (played by Teri Hatcher), Bree (played by Marcia Cross), Lynette (played by Felicity Huffman) and Gabrielle (played by Eva Longoria) find a note in her belongings: I know what you did, it makes me sick, Im going to tell (S01E01, 2004). This opening to the series provided an effective entry into the unfolding narrative, setting up new enigmas week by week and encourages watching following episodes. The secret is revealed at the end of season one and after that the stories that she tells are not related with her family or herself. This is also the time when her son and husband move out from Wisteria Lane. All she does from this moment is commenting on her friends problems, lies and affairs. Surprisingly to all the living, she says something that no one would ever think about, which intensifies this enigma: an odd thing happens when we die, our senses vanish: taste, touch, smell and sound become a distant memory, but our sightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ oh our sight expands and we can suddenly see the world weve left behind so clearly. Of course, most of whats visible to the dead, could also be seen by the living, if theyd only taken time to look (S01E02, 2004). This provides the characters way of explaining where her omniscience comes from. By saying this she also explains herself that all she has got left are memories, but what she gained is the limitless access to peoples lives and thoughts. Thanks to Mary Alice the dirty secrets, affairs, illnesses and financial problems of Wisteria Lane are made public. At the beginning of each episode the voice-over prologue introduces more and more complications to the narrative and new information about the characters in the series. For example in episode 2 of the first series Mary Alice reveals Gabrielles secret: (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) like my friend Gabrielle. I should have seen how unhappy she was, but I didnt. I only saw her clothes from Paris and her platinum jewellery, and her brand new diamond watch. If I looked closer, I would have seen Gabrielle was a drowning woman, desperately in search of a life raft. Luckily for her, she found one. Of course Gabrielle only saw her young gardener as a way to infuse her life with little excitement. But now she was about to discover just how exciting her life could get (2004). Following this statement Mary Alice proceeds to showing Gabrielles husband getting out of his car while she is having a bath with her lover. Narrators prologue functions as the time to reveal her friends dirty secrets and also to show who they really are behind the closed doors. Another example could be episode 15 of the first series where Mary Alice shows Bree finding a condom in the laundry basket: Bree Van De Kamp believed in old-fashioned values, such as respect for God, the importance of family and love of country. In fact Bree believed so strongly in her values, it was always a shock whenever she was confronted with those who didnt (2004). Mary Alice knew her friend so well that she instantly knew what Brees reaction would be- to find out if her husband is cheating or if one of her children has pre-marital sex. She predicts characters actions, knows the resolution to their problems, but waits with the reveal and gives hints of what is going to happen next. At the end of every episode Mary Alices voice-over summarises the events, which she has unfolded with an epilogue and teases the viewer with what is going to happen next: (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) yes, each new day in suburbia brings with it a new set of lies, the worst are the ones we tell ourselves before we fall asleep. We whisper them in the dark, telling ourselves we are happy or that he is happy, that we can change or that he will change his mind. We persuade ourselves we can live with our sins or that we can live without him. Yes, each night before we fall asleep we lie to ourselves in a desperate, desperate hope that come morning it will all be true (S01E15, 2004). Suburban areas used to be portrayed as idyllic places, where people grew up in their communities, raised their kids and everyone was extremely nice to each other. With Mary Alices words the impression that the viewer gets is that the association of this idyllic place has been turned upside down. It seems that there are lots of lies and secrets that it holds, which makes it an example of juxtaposition for the truth about the series, she explains: Suburbia is a battleground, an arena for all forms of domestic combat (S01E06, 2004). Another example of this kind is shown in episode 2 of the second series, where Mary Alice says: beautiful lawns. Spacious homes. Happy families. These are the hallmarks of suburbia. But if you look beneath the veneer of gracious living, you will see a battle raging. A battle for control. You see the combatants everywhere, engaged in their routine skirmishes fighting fiercely to have dominion over the world around them (2005). The way that suburbia is presented in Desperate Housewives denies being a sacred domestic space of mutual trust and affection, altruistic care, peaceful innocence, religious inspiration, security from outside interference, and all-encompassing virtue (Hebel, 2005:187). What is striking about this statement is that the narrator of the series is presented as authoritative, truthful and realistic, while people living on Wisteria Lane and the idea of the place itself are illusive. Everyone attends Mary Alices funeral, which either proves a strong relationship between neighbours or is a gesture of politeness in the community. Everyone seeks scandal in modern world, there are no perfect places mentioned by Hebel (2005:187), they varnished the moment the first crime was committed and the truth hidden: (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) yes, everyone loves a scandal, no matter how big or small. After all, what could be more entertaining than watching the downfall of the high and mighty. What could be more amusing than the public exposure of hypocritical sinners. Yes, everyone loves a scandal, and if for some reason youre not enjoying the latest one, well, the next one is always around the corner (Mary Alice, S01E16, 2005). Mary Alice is initially portrayed by her friends- the main protagonists- as the nicest person they have ever met. At the wake, Bree, Lynette, Gabrielle and Susan gather at a dining table, stare briefly at the chair that Mary Alice used to sit on and start pondering about their friends life. They cannot believe that someone so happy could have done something so terrible. Gabrielle reflects: what kind of problems could she have had? She was healthy, had a great home, a nice family. If Mary Alice was having some sort of crisis, we would have known, she lives fifty feet away for Gods sake (S01E01). There are many situations throughout the series when Mary Alices apparent narrative omnipresence and omnipotence are demonstrated. When she says that to understand Maisy Gibbons (played by Sharon Lawrence), you first need to know how she spends her afternoons (S01E10, 2004) and then proceeds to show the viewers how Maisy does her husbands laundry, helps her children with their homework and works as a prostitute in the afternoons when her family is not at home. It is a shocking juxtaposition to the way that her neighbours see her: as a perfect mother and an exemplary housewife. The interesting fact here is that Maisy is not a main character in the series and here almost the whole episode is dedicated to her. The narrators voice is always very calm, the viewer is never able to notice any emotions driving her. She speaks with a lot of confidence and authority because she is aware of the fact that she knows everything and everyone. Sometimes she gives the viewer the impression of interacting with other characters. When her friends gather to pack up her belongings and Gabrielle notices that all Mary Alices clothes were size 8, not size 6 like she had been telling everyone, she drops a comment: Guess we found a skeleton in her closet (S01E01, 2004), Mary Alice responds: Not quite Gabrielle, not quite (S01E01, 2004), which insinuates that even darker secrets are to be revealed in the future. Mary Alice seems to be enjoying her power and knowledge. She knows in what emotional state her friends are, e.g. when Edie Britt (played by Nicollette Sheridan) decided to ask Mike Delfino (played by James Denton) out on a date despite the fact that she knew that Susan was interested, Mar

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Love Between a Parent and Child in After Making Love We Hear Footsteps

Love Between a Parent and Child in After Making Love We Hear Footsteps There are several different definitions for the word love. Love is a simple four-letter word, with a multitude of caring and feeling behind it. There is a difference between loving somebody and being in love with somebody. The love between two best friends or between a husband and wife are the types of love that people want to last forever. However, there are no guarantees that it will last forever. Furthermore, the love between family members and the love between a parent and child is the kind of love that will last a life time. In Galway Kinnell’s poem â€Å"After Making Love We Hear Footsteps† Kinnell writes about the love between a parent and child. Galway Kinnell describes the familiar middle of the night act of a child climbing into bed with the parents. The poem begins with the father describing that no matter how much noise is being made, the child is able to sleep through anything. For example, Galway Kinnell states: or play loud music or sit up talking with any reasonably sober Irishman and Fergus will only sink deeper into his dreamless sleep, which goes by all in one flash, However, let there be a slight sound from the parents when they want to be alone and the child wakes up instantly. For example, Galway Kinnell writes in his poem: but let there be that heavy breathing or a stifled come-cry anywhere in the house and he will wrench himself awake Being a parent has many responsibilities. Parents have to give up a lot of their own privacy and time when it comes to their children. For example, starting on line sixteen, Galway Kinnell writes: after making love, quiet, touching along the length of our bod... ...will never die. There may be some times in the child’s life when they think that their parents do not love them. Some families end up not speaking to each other for a long period of time. It could last a couple of days, a couple of weeks, or even a couple of years. No matter how long it takes, the child will always know that they can count on their mother and father loving them forever. The parents will always be there for their children. The children can always rely on the parents for support and complete understanding through the good times and the bad times. Unlike other love relationships, the love relationship between a parent and child will never fade away. There are no guarantees with normal relationships lasting forever. However, the relationship between a parent and child is guaranteed to last forever. They will love each until the day they die.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Importance of Winning Essay -- Personal Narrative

The Importance of Winning There is an old saying â€Å" It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.† How true is this? Can this be applied to all situations in life? This may be pertinent to children in schools who participate in trivial events such as sports, for example. However, with these types of ideas we are saying that losing is fine. Consequently, youths are goaded to contend with the ideas of being losers and also-rans. In events such as sports, politics, and even war, the old saying should be paraphrased to â€Å"It does matter if you win or lose and how you win.† Winning or losing can be a matter of life and death. Today’s professional sports players are so responsible for the team that they know they have to play at their best, with one hundred percent effort. Otherwise, the consequences are some times fatal for the fans and players as well. For instance, at the U.S. Soccer World Cup of 1994, the national team of Colombia was playing against the U.S. to qualify for the second round. One defender from the Colombian team, Andres Escobar Gomez, in an effort to kick the ball out of the terrain, accidentally kicked it into the goal of his team. The opposite team jeered the auto-goal because the victory for the U.S. was eminent. The Colombian fans were so angry that when the team went back to Colombia, the soccer player who scored the auto-goal was murdered two days later by radical fans. This is just a tragic example of how important it is to win. ...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Analyse the Marketing Opportunities and Challenges Faced by a Selected Business When Using Internet Marketing

M2 – Analyse the marketing opportunities and challenges faced by a selected business when using internet marketing. Footlocker is an American sportswear and footwear retailer, its headquarters is located in New York City. This company originated in America but has made an international expansion buy placing stores in Europe, Canada, Asia and Australia. The internet gives Footlocker many opportunities to advertise and promote online to a wider audience which results in more sales and profits. Footlocker has exploded internationally and because of this, the company has to take into consideration the choices they make because of their international buyers. An advantage of marketing online would be immediate sales. For example, in my opinion it is easier to shop online because it is more comfortable to shop within the comforts of your own home and it is easier to resolve problems when you are ordering from the country however for international buyers, company’s have to make sure there are procedures put in place that will secure people’s bank card details preventing any troubled to be caused. Things such as the padlock and security checked tags this automatically wins over your customer because it shows that the company cares about the customer’s well being. In order for footlocker to succeed internationally they have to meet to customers expectations and provide them with a good customer service. Another opportunity that the internet brings is exposure. The internet gives footlocker the opportunity to become more known and become global. Different ways that the internet could help to advertise footlocker is by advertisement banners, pop up adverts with a link that leads customers to the website of footlocker, advertisements on other company’s websites. For example if you buy over ?50 worth of clothes from office then you get a 10% voucher off footlocker purchases. The internet helps these promotions to expand even more widely. This is a positive impact because everybody likes to save money so by having this promotion it would interest your customer, however the negative is because this is only for a short period of time some customers might not return and only use the sale as an excuse to take interest. However a challenge that footlocker faces is other competition with other companies. For example JD Sports ships products internationally just like foot locker and offers the same services like footlocker does. In certain countries JD Sports is more recognised in more European countries. A way that Footlocker could resolve this is by using a celebrity endorsement (preferably an influential sports person) to enhance their sales to attract a wider audience making a bigger audience aware of the organisation. A way that the internet benefits by internet marketing is by providing all the necessary information about the product or service that the person is providing. Businesses are increasingly enabling the customers to find out even more information about their product. For example some companies advise you how to wash certain clothes so they do not get ruined and stay preserved. Organisation strives on building a customer and business relationship so by maintaining this they cater to the customer’s needs and wants. On the other hand on a customer’s point of view, this is a down fall because they would not be able to see or feel the product unless they purchased it first which increases product risk. Also another disadvantage of this is because the items get shipped, and if product gets to the consumer damaged the company does not have to be liable for this. Marketing on the internet gives organisations the opportunity to sell to a wider market; however some companies do not have the right amount of staff to be able to fulfil orders on time. The company has to be well structured in order to do this. For example footlocker has different departments in order for the company to succeed by sharing the work load. They have departments such as marketing, merchandising, finance, technology and human resources. Human resources would have to analyse the employees to see whether they would have to employ more people or spend money on training people how to cope with a larger customer base. Shops are easier to have a set structure because you only have to really please your customers. On the other hand when you are marketing online you have to have many departments to deal with your customers queries. For example Footlocker provides a page on their website which answers general frequently asked questions (FAQ) if the customer experiences any type of problem, such as payment problems or assistance using the website they provide an automated system which helps customers within 24 hours. The negative thing about this could be that the customer does not get the straightforward or type of answer they were hoping for, whereas in the shop you would be able to go up to an sales assistant to help you.