Analysis of Kony 2012 Campaign

Campaign: Kony 2012 http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc Short versions: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=j36n8Kn_lUY http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=VWd0veKp1R0&hd=1 (this may be a stronger version) 1. Why we are choosing this one: This was a very successful campaign. Most of our group had heard about the Kony campaign and have shared with more than one friend; thus it was a successful viral marketing campaign. The statistics show that 112 million people viewed this video in one week. 2. The Message Targeted towards people who are obliged humanitarian causes.Help create awareness of the campaign, which is to imprison Kony by December 2012 with the help of aid from foreign and Ugandan governments. To do this, they were selling products and promoting a â€Å"Cover the Night† day in which individuals who wear/post/display their products. The video tells you to make these purchases in order to help fight Kony, there are links to the website from the video and so the p urpose of the campaign was very clear and relevant. The Messenger is Jason Russell who is the co-founder of Invisible Children.The film’s purpose is to promote the charity’s â€Å"Stop Kony† movement to make Ugandan cult and militia leader Joseph Kony known to the international world in order to have him arrested by December 2012. Joseph Kony is already an indicted war criminal in the International Criminal Court. Environment – right time and right place. People are interested in this type of cause and it is popular to be a humanitarian right now. It was spread through YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. People feel good sharing this type of information; it makes the Sender feel as though they are helping a good ause and so they feel good. The result It was a triumph in that it has been viewed by more than 92 million people on YouTube and 20 million more on Vimeo, so well over 112 million people by the end of the first week. This is the same amount of people w ho watched the Super Bowl. (Visible Measures) After ten days, 52% of adults in the US had heard of the video. (PEW research center) More people viewed the video in such a short amount of time than any other video on the internet (to date). Kony 2012 facts and figures: http://static. guim. co. k/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/4/20/1334929057518/Kony-2012-in-facts-and-fi-009. jpg Invisible Children won’t yet say how much money it made from Kony 2012, but by conservative estimates, it has likely tripled its $13. 7 million 2011 revenue and it’s possible that the actual number is much, much higher. (http://www. businessweek. com/articles/2012-08-30/kony-2012-guerrilla-marketing) [Add details regarding how it was spread] Celebrities have helped spread the message (Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Oprah Winfrey) Why did it work?The film discusses the desire to share, to be part of something, to inform others. Within the first two minutes, has drawn people in and makes them curious as to what is next. It was a very good quality video; both in resolution and the way it was directed. The director of the film, Jason Russell, is very personable. He is using people emotions to make them feel part of the problem. He even involves his own child in the film to make everyone feel that they are connected to this problem. People really want to feel like they are helping a good cause. It was also really the right moment.The film uses everything that is popular right now to keep people’s attention – instagram photos, facebook timeline. People, especially young people and hipsters, really want to help. The products were not very expensive but enabled the viewer to feel as though they were part of the video and â€Å"creating history. † The video emphasizes being part of, and making, history. Purchasing the products allowed for those who wanted to participate in Cover the Night to be part of the â€Å"in† group. Additionally, f amous and important people became involved and vouched for it.Many politicians and even celebrities became involved. What could have been improved? After the video there were allegations that the project was a scam. The Ugandan people were claiming that Kony was not even in Uganda and so contributing to this campaign will not help us. Also there was a rumor that the US wanted to have a reason to come into Uganda for oil. So they could have been their intentions more clear and probably clarified that even if Kony is currently not residing in Uganda, he still must be found and arrested.

Unfortunate Incident At Your Restaurant

Dear manager of Bella NapoliI am writing to you because of an unfortunate incident yesterday at noontime. You see, what happened was that my son and I wanted to enjoy a beverage and maybe something to eat, but we couldn’t get a table. According to your waiter, all tables were reserved. This, I am sure wasn’t the case, as the restaurant was totally empty†¦Therefore I am writing this complaint to you, as I don’t want to be treated that way. I was actually in a good mood but that incompetent waiter practically ruined my day. I was speaking Italy, but the rude waiter apparently did not understand it. Nevertheless, I wanted to point out to you, that one of your waiters had bad manners, and that I find this unacceptable.I – before this incident – had a good impression of your restaurant, but unless I am going to be given a proper and formal apology, this was my last time at your restaurant. Furthermore I will spread the word, this will be very unplea sant for your restaurant and will affect your sales.I hope I have made myself very clear. The formal apology must be given within 14 days or else the word will spread and I will consider legal actions.I look forward to hearing from you soon,Yours faithfullyJohn Collins

Advantages and disadvantages of mixed-presidential systems

Advantages and disadvantages of mixed-presidential systems The term semi- presidentialism was developed by Duverger in 1970 to describe the mixed constitutional system that incorporates aspects of presidentialism and parliamentarianism. The three main characteristics of a semi – presidential systems are that â€Å"a popularly elected fixed-term president exists alongside a prime minister and cabinet who are responsible to parliament.† Semi – presidentialism is unique in that it has a â€Å"a twin-headed executive,† unlike presidentialism and parliamentarianism.This â€Å"bipolar executive,† is a core criterion of a semi – presidential system which has many hybrid constitutional forms and is therefore a highly contested concept.It is possible to have a semi-presidentialist system that is dominated by the president, or by the prime minister or what is known as ‘cohabitation’ when two opposing parties have leaders in the double executive. This was the case in France in 1988 when Mitterand (left) was elected president and Chirac (right) was appointed prime minister. Although there are several forms of semi – presidentialism for the purposes of analysis, this essay will maintain the premise that semi – presidential system is one where there is a directly elected president, who appoints a prime minister that is accountable to the parliament because semi – presidentialist systems â€Å"all have presidents who are elected in a direct or direct-like manner and they all have prime ministers and cabinets who are responsible to the legislature.† This essay will discuss the merits and drawbacks of a semi – presidential system, focusing on the French semi – presidential system and comparing it to the Russian model of semi – presidentialism and the America presidential system. An advantage of the French semi – presidential system is that it relies on a chain of mutual dependence. According to the French Constitution of 1958 one of the presidential powers is that they can appoint the prime minister whose role as the head of government is to oversee the everyday running of state affairs such as â€Å"governmental, administrative, and information services.†This means that as the head of state the president needs the cooperation of the prime minister, and the prime minister the cooperation of the president in order for France to achieve an efficient government. Elgie supports this highlighting that â€Å"The nature of the French semi-presidential system is such that the president cannot exercise power without the help of the prime minister.† The French president has the constitutional right to appoint government ministers to the cabinet, however these ministers are chosen from a list that the prime minister has proposed. An effective government therefore is selected by the president and the prime minister. This dependant relationship is mirrored by the prime minister and the National Assembl y. The prime minister â€Å"is closely associated with the work of parliament and with the conduct of legislative elections,† because they are responsible to and accountable the legislature.This chain of mutual dependence is a positive characteristic of a semi – presidential system because it creates a strong and efficient government. France compared to the American presidency, has a system of checks and balances through mutual dependence that is similar to American system. Both France and the United States have a constitutional system that aims to prevent the executive and legislature having too much power. In the United States this is achieved through the separation of powers which â€Å"encourage[s] competition for the share of governing authority.† The fact that both the legislature and executive approve legislation checks and balances political authority and that prevents authoritarian rule forcing compromise. Similarly in France the chain of dependence for ces compromise and prevents one executive from having too much power and becoming autocratic. In France the checks and balances are rooted in the principle that in order to govern efficiently the prime minister and president need mutual support. Mutual reliance creates political stability in the French semi – presidential system which is furthered by the fact that semi – presidentialism prevents authoritarian rule in the dual executive and the legislature.

IT Applications and Collaboration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

IT Applications and Collaboration - Essay Example The team may grow in size. New people can be invited into the same discussion group and access the same resources. This includes also publishing spreadsheets for others to see, (Macdonald 163). Network applications are slower compared to stand alone programs. They also require a lot of security so that there is a secure flow and exchange of information. However, they are extremely effective in that multiple tasks can happen simultaneously. Widows live also facilitate sharing of documents, (Macdonald 253). A word processing document can be shared on email with more than twenty people. This simply means that these people can see the document in their emails. If these people are given the administrative rights, then they can edit the same document and inform others within the same group, (Macdonald 256). This application is available to those who use Microsoft network (msn). It is worth noting that Microsoft offered a significant size of free data storage space for free. This includes free applications for developing basic and personal websites. These incentives facilitate communication and content management. Macdonald, Drew. Getting StartED with Google Apps Getting StartED Friends of Ed Series. 1st ed. Apress, 2012. Web. 8 Aug. 2012.

What options do the elderly have for housing and what is the best Research Paper

What options do the elderly have for housing and what is the best option - Research Paper Example Knowing this, we come to realization that there will be an increased need for a vast array of different types of housing. The choice of the living arrangements largely depends on the capabilities and needs of the individual. Despite needs for changes, there are things, specific to aging that do not change. Throughout the retirement time the individual will likely have smaller income, and his problems with health are likely to increase. According to statistics, those who live to age 65, on average are likely to live to over 80 years, which makes about 15 - 20 years of life after the retirement. That is a long enough period of time, which presents its challenges: economical, health and psychological pressure, etc. This often leads to the necessity of changing the housing situation a number of times during the time between the onset of retirement and death. To get information on the available housing options for elderly, to determine what are the options preferred and recommended, we lo oked into variety of sources such as articles, congress Acts, governmental and non-governmental Internet resources. Study of the sources provided both the clear description of the problem of housing for elderly as well as wide variety of options of solving the problem. There are many reasons of why the senior citizens might have issues about the housing. However, as the professor McFadden summed it up: â€Å"The main issues in housing the elderly in the United States are affordability and suitability.† (Noguchi, p.109) Once a person or household gets retired, they face the fact that their income will get significantly lower than on the peak of their life. The Government provides senior citizens with Social Security income, private pensions, and public assistance programs. All of these will enable most elderly not to live in poverty. However, the more they age, the less income they will receive. Other issues such as healthcare and quality of life will become more urgent as wel l. Therefore the housing itself will become a problem. The society at large is aware of this problem and significantly contributed to its solving. As of now, elderly citizens have different options to accommodate their housing needs. When considering housing options, the first question is if in-home care is possible. The best advantage for the elderly is that he would stay in the most comfortable place – their own home, and the care givers, such as medical assistant or companion and helper in the home comes to the house. However, this option can too costly. According to the Fair Housing Act (Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968) and The Housing for Older Persons Act of 1995(HOPA), there are two basic federal strategies to accommodate housing needs of the elderly. One of them is building new public complexes. This project is under supervision of Section 202 HUD governmental department. The other strategy is to assess the needs of residents through the governmental fundin g. However, there is large percentage of senior citizens, who will not use federal assistance in solving their housing situation. They do have many options to choose from. All of those options have one big disadvantage to the elderly – they will have to permanently leave their home and start living in a totally new environment. For some, it will be difficult to adjust. Considering housing options, these are the main factors of concern of senior citizens or their relatives: safety issues, location – to be close enough to their children; availability of transportation; challenging inside house set up – staircases, facilities matching to the need and ability of the senior; present house is too big or too costly to maintain, etc. â€Å"Seniors Only† complexes or communities These are apartment complexes,

Character Analysis on EDNA from the novel The Awakening by Kate Essay

Character Analysis on EDNA from the novel The Awakening by Kate Choplin - Essay Example Bloom posits that women of this time were barred from agitating for their independence and self-actualization (51). In contrast, Edna rediscovers her self -worth and acknowledges her emotional urges. This makes her abandon her former, domineering husband. She later marries Robert. In all the maneuvers, Edna, in a bid to break free from the societal norms and expectation, finds that her independence will attract isolation from the society. This owes to the general belief of many women in the society during that time. According to Bloom, Edna’s husband also objects her clamor for independence given that he strongly believes in the doctrines of society pertaining to the position of a woman in society (39). In her pursuit of painting, Edna is able to realize the beauty of individual creation and architecture. This makes her seek self-independence, regardless of the inevitable hurdles of society. Her quest for independence is emotionally driven and events happen in a sequential manner with regard to her quest for autonomy. Robert’s passion for Edna’s love is not strong enough to overcome his sense of morality. In fact, the note that Robert leaves behind is evident to Edna that she was alone despite the fact that she has obtained the hard-earned independence and self-achievement. The note articulated the fact that Robert was not ready to contravene the societal norms pertaining to women. This confirms that loneliness presents room for the independence Edna desires. The discovery of self-expression by Edna informs her of her long overdue independence. In fact, the awakening of Edna makes her learn three new concepts, including the mode of expression for the Creole women. The Creole women express themselves in a free manner and share their feelings regardless of their chastity. In addition, Edna is challenged by their faithfulness and liberty. In this regard, Edna learns that she is the architect of her

Week 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Week 2 - Essay Example I will also look for conflicts of interest within the article to ascertain its relevance to the topic. The above questions will help in critically appraising an article and give me enough evidence to judge whether the articles are fit to be used on the topic (Fineout-Overholt, Melnyk, Stillwell, & Williamson, 2010). There was a clear explanation of the study. The study was done to determine the relationship between the levels of education of nurses, years of work experience and medication errors to guide in the development of methods to reduce the errors. The sample size of the study was 47 BSN registered nurses. There were enough people in the study to establish that the findings were valid. In fact, the results of the study are linked to the surveys that were completed by the 47 participants two of which were discarded because of a lack of inclusion criteria. This research is important for clinical practice because it shows that the level of education and experience affects clinical practice, in this instance, nursing practice (Bailey, Engel, Luescher, & Taylor, 2008). Child abuse and maltreatment is not limited to a particular age and can occur in the infant, toddler, preschool and school age years. In the school-age year’s stage, the types of abuses that such children could face include sexual abuse, physical abuse, such as excessive punishment and emotional abuse, such as child neglect through isolation. The warning signs for child abuse in this age group will include withdrawal, extreme fear and anxiety, lack of concentration, lack of interest, sleeping in class, extreme hunger, malnourishment and physical wounds (Fang, Brown, Florence, & Mercy, 2012). Cultural variations of health practices that can be misidentified as child abuse exist. For instance, in certain cultures, children above 5 years can help in work duties especially if they are boys. In other cultures for instance

Solution for a problem in the contraction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Solution for a problem in the contraction - Essay Example All the same, the contract with the city managers was exclusively related to loans and the terms agreed had no mention of leases. As such, Wasserman’s lease deal was very attractive and promised Davenport huge profits. Therefore, leasing the property to Wasserman, who could then sublease to the tenants did not violate the terms of agreement; the immediate usage of the property would continue as agreed. Thus, Davenport would be right in leasing the property to Wasserman while at the same time respecting the loan terms not to change the usage or ownership of the property within the stipulated period. All the same, Davenport faces some unethical dilemma. Any contractual deal has to be in good faith and to the best interests of the two parties involved (Hellman 2011). As such, any change or implied change in terms of agreement breaches this good will and partially changes the terms of the investment in question. In the case above, though the agreement with the city managers did not address the issue of leases, leasing the property to Wasserman with the promise of the latter buying the property afterwards amounted to forfeiting the ownership of the property to the second owner, while at the same time pretending that the terms of the agreement were still intact, to benefit unethically from the mortgage waiver. Therefore, in the above deal, though Davenport was legally correct, there were some ethical issues involved in the deal with Wassermann. Helman, Christopher. Chesapeake Energy: Whats Up With These Lawsuits? Forbes. Jan 11, 2011. http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2011/01/21/chesapeake-energy-whats-up-with-these-lawsuits/ March 19,

Applications of Linear Algebra to Electrical Engineering Research Paper

Applications of Linear Algebra to Electrical Engineering - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that matrices are used to find the simplest method of solving complex electrical circuits. A mesh is a loop that has a single current flow path. In the circuits where there are different current paths and different voltages, the simplest method is to utilize the matrices to solve for the currents and voltages. Every electrical network must have three basic quantities current, voltage or potential difference and resistance. There could be impedance or reactance at the place of resistance but the two quantities voltages and current are the constant in every electrical network. Many scientists proposed theories shoe the relation between the voltage or potential difference, current and resistance but ohms law presented the best relation in between the three quantities. The writers ‘Shamieh Cathleen and Gordon McComb’ in the book ‘Electronic for Dummies’ write â€Å"Ohm’s law is a master key, unlocking the secrets to the electronic circuits†. The problem then arose in solving the complex electrical networks, which have more than one resistance, current, and voltages. At every loop, the current is different and at every node, the difference in voltage and current could be seen. To solve the matter the engineers and scientists relied upon utilizing the different mathematical methods and formulas but linear algebra has the right method to solve the complex electrical circuits and electrical networks. Kirchhoff’s laws presented by Gustav Kirchhoff in 1845 relate to the power conservation in the electrical circuits and have vast applications in electrical engineering. As we know the Ohm’s law states that V = IR, it is the simplest estimation to calculate the voltage or current into the circuit if the third variable is known. Kirchhoff’s voltage law states, â€Å"The algebraic sum of the voltages around any closed path in a circuit is identically zero for all time†. In this way, if we consider a mesh in which, there only a single loop, the method that represents the mesh current is used to the determine the current in each of the mesh. If we have a single loop consider the situation, it will be easier to evaluate the unknown quantity but it the circuit consists of several mesh circuits, the will be complex to evaluate an unknown current in different mesh circuits. For this reason, Kirchhoff’s voltage law provided an easier method to apply it to every mesh of the circuit. It should be kept in mind the circuit contains resistances, and if a mesh has a resistor that the other mesh also has, the voltage must be the product of the resistance and the subtraction of analyzed current and other currents.  

US Army Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

US Army - Essay Example A) Supporting evidence – The leader’s self confidence and effectiveness positively impacts team performance (Stephen, 2011). B) Explanation – This statement was completely true in the team that I belong too. The leader was instrumental in inspiring the team to achieve a higher level of performance. C) So what? – I firmly believe that if our team leader was not so inspiring and effective the team would not perform so well. Body Paragraph II: Topic sentence - Communication is an extremely important aspect of group work. A) Supporting evidence - â€Å"Communication traits are an individual's verbal and nonverbal behaviors that explain the individual's consistency in message sending and receiving† (Anderson & Martin, 1999). B) Explanation – The article described different ways in which verbal and non verbal communication affects small teams. C) So what? The team that I was a part of created its own nonverbal communication language. Body Paragraph III: Topic sentence - Task and maintenance roles played a big part in the functionality of the team. Tasks roles help get the job done, while maintenance roles provide the oil for the machinery (Srds). ... Verbal and nonverbal communications are important to send and receive messages effectively during conversations. Task and maintenance roles are a way that groups are able to achieve their desire outcome The group that I will describe is a special task force group which I belong too at a former employer. The group was composed of five members. The size of the group was adequate. The purpose of the group was to brainstorm ideas for new products. The group was extremely effective. The first attribute that made the group so successful was the presence of a tremendous team leader. The team leader had superb communication, leadership, and people skills. She made everyone feel that their opinions and input were valuable. All the team members got along well and they supported each others ideas. One of the primary reasons that the group was so effective was due to the fact that the group was able to achieve synergy. Synergy occurs when the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Three cha racteristics that made the team effective were leadership, effective verbal and nonverbal communication, and clearly defined tasks and maintenance roles. The team leader was very flexible and from time to time she let the other members take charge of the group to help them develop their leadership skills. This enabled other team members to develop their leadership skills. Everyone on the team was very responsible, attentive to details, and they delivered their work tasks on a timely manner. Absenteeism among team members to meetings was minimal and rarely would a team member arrive late. Team meetings were held during and after work hours. The meetings after work hours were informal and its purpose was to socialize more than to do actual work. The team

Britain of evacuation in World War Two Essay Example for Free

Britain of evacuation in World War Two Essay During the course of World War Two, many people were evacuated, not just children. There were many differing reactions to evacuation. The reaction would depend on the experience you had. Reactions would also change over time during the war and even after the war had finished. One set of people affected by Evacuation was the Children. Many children did not know where they were going and therefore experienced feelings of fear and anger. The children disliked being separated from their parents but put on brave faces so not worry their families. When the children arrived at their destination, they were taken to school halls of town meeting places where the were chosen by their foster families, which they disliked because often they were split from their sisters and brothers. If they had negative attitudes, they very often did not settle quickly like those who had positive attitudes and would see their stay as a holiday. If an evacuee had a positive experience, they would have pleasant memories of being treated as one of the family. Evacuation was described as no better than a paedophiles charter as it would have been easier to abuse children away from home. However, in a study of 450 ex-evacuees, only 12% of them had bad experiences. Michael Caine remembers being evacuated with his brother Clarence. He said My brother used to went the bed when he was nervous. My foster mother could not figure out who it was so she beat both of us, and Clarence became more nervous and wet the bed more. However, not all experiences were bad. On ex-evacuees remembers being given clothes when he was evacuated. A childs reaction to evacuation would depend on their experiences while in care. Another set of people who were affected by evacuation was the childrens parents. Most parents were reluctant to send their children away but agreed because of propaganda. Not all parents sent their children away though. Some parents thought that their children were safe in their family home. However, most parents brought their children home due to the phoney war. But the children were evacuated again when the Blitz happened, although the scale of evacuation was not as large as the first wave in September 1939. Thanks to the Blitz, many parents changed their opinions on evacuation, now agreeing that it was probably best for their children.

Youth Involvement in Sports Essay Example for Free

Youth Involvement in Sports Essay Parents have been involved in youth sport for quite some time now, and they always will. Help from parents is essential, but sometimes parent’s involvement can be a bit too much. Fast growing team sports like hockey and soccer traditionally have a lot of parent involvement because they can be expensive, scholarship opportunities seem to be everywhere, and way too many parents think their little one will be the next big superstar athlete. Violence, controlling behavior and abusive behavior towards officials, athletes, coaches and spectators has a lot of youth organizations second guessing the role of parents in youth sport. Mandatory training classes for parents on sportsmanship and behavioral conduct are becoming more popular, because a lot of parents just do not know how to act. The involvement of parents in youth sport is essential because some one has to get little Johnny to and from games and practices. Plus expensive league fees and equipment do not pay for themselves, but should this be looked at as an investment or a recreational expense. (Especially at the youth level) The parents of today are investing huge amounts of time and money into the development of children, when the children should just be focusing on fun and friends. This over involvement of parents can negatively affect the child’s feelings towards sport because fun and enjoyment is taken out of the equation as business, skill development, and financial return is emphasized. Parents just need to support their child’s involvement in sport as it relates to participation and enjoyment. What happens in a lot of cases is the parents try to live through their kids and when the parents take control the fun goes out the window. So why do children participate in sport? That is the million dollar question. Well a recent study was taken on what the most popular reason for youth sport participation was. The number one reason for youth participating in sport is to have fun. It is not about winning and bring home a huge trophy and having championship medals, kids just want to have fun. New skills, to be with friends and the thrill of competition were the next on the list. (Winning was not one of the most popular reasons) Parents need to focus on emotional and financial support of their children during their sporting experience. Children will experience a lot of ups and downs while participating in sports, wins losses cheaters as long as verbal encouragement is shown and support is given things should go pretty well. When parents get emotionally involved things usually start going down hill and kids tend to lose their interest. The two most visible types of parents in youth sport are excitable and fanatical. Excitable parents are usually supportive, but they tend to get caught up in the moment. They have good intensions, but at the end of the day they probably create more bad then good. Excitable parents can be embarrassing and the children of excitable parents usually do not want their parents involved in competition, or practices. Fanatical parents put a lot of pressure on their kids and are constantly creating scenes with officials and coaches. The kids of these parents do not show a lot of excitement towards games and practices, and chances are they will drop out of sports completely. Fanatical parents are way too focused on winning and losing. The fanatical parents are the parents who are living through their children and who push them way too much on a consistent basis. These parents do not recognize the ability levels of their kids and they believe their kid will become the next superstar athlete. Parent orientation meeting are becoming more popular in youth sports. I believe they are a great way to start off the season. The meetings are planned to create a connection between the coach and the parents. The meeting helps everyone get on the same page, and it gives the coach a chance to lay down the laws and it give parents a chance to answer questions. Coaches will get a chance to introduce themselves and explain their philosophy. Safety procedures, schedules, parent responsibilities and league rules can be explained. Playing time and disciplinary actions will also be covered. I believe if parents let coaches coach, ref’s ref and kids play everything will be alright. At the end of the day everyone just wants to have fun, and the youth sport experience can be improved when everyone is supportive of one another. Winning should never be the priority when it comes to youth sports. Of course winning is fun, but at the end of the day it is not the most important thing in the world. If parents let their kids make the decisions about when, where and why they want to play sports then everything will be alright, but if parents get too involved things will go down hill and youth participation levels will follow.

Impact Of Social Networking Sites On Brand Promotion Marketing Essay

Impact Of Social Networking Sites On Brand Promotion Marketing Essay If considering the example of Skoda, it gives the substantial results for such instance. Skoda has created the community of about 2000 people through social media. This community was started when a female customer has posted its comment about the after sales services of Skoda and a person has picked this comment and posted it on social networking site (Muncaster, 2007). It is not only the corporate biggies who have used social networking sites as a medium to promote their brand but also a phenomena of retailing the designers label to increase the brand awareness among the target customers. Looking at the importance of social networking, this research aims to analyzing the impact of social networking sites on brand promotion. This chapter provides the brief introduction about the research study, including the aims and objectives of the research, significance of the research and rationale behind conducting this research study. Aims and Objectives of the Research: The aim of this research is to analyze the impact of social networking sites on brand promotion. In order to fulfill the aim of the research, researcher has laid down following research objectives which has been achieved in this research as a part of research aim. To understand the importance of social networking websites in branding strategy To determine the advantage of using social media in marketing and branding To understand the current and future scope viability of social media To identify the strategies of companies using social media as a medium for promoting their brand In order to achieve the above research objectives, the research has addressed the following research questions in this study. RQ1: What is the importance of social networking sites in branding and marketing? RQ2: What are the advantages for a marketer in using social media for its marketing and branding strategy? RQ3: What is the current and future scope viability of social media? RQ4: What are the strategies used by companies for using social media in promoting their brands among the target customers? Significance of the Research: This research study is contributing significantly in the studies of marketing and brand management where the researcher has provided some key facts about the current usage of social networking sites in brand promotion and marketing. The research findings will help the marketers to understand the advantage of using social media as a medium for promoting their brands and they can integrate these findings in preparing their brand strategy. In addition to this, the research work provided the base for future academic researchers to conduct the research in the social networking space in relation to the marketing and branding management. Rationale behind the Research: Reason for conducting this research is to get the deeper insight about how the companies are using social networking websites for promoting their brand and in what ways they are making it effective among the target customers. In this way researcher would be able to get greater learning in the field of marketing and brand management and can integrate these findings into its professional career. Chapter Scheme of the Research: It is essential to divide the complete research into sub sections or chapters to get the sequential understanding of every step taken by the research for completing the research. Therefore researcher has segregated the complete research into fiver chapters. First chapter of the research provide the brief introduction about the research. Second chapter provided the literature of the research. Third chapter includes the research methodology. Fourth chapter provided the discussion, analysis and findings of the research. Last and fifth chapter includes the conclusion drawn by the research from the key findings and provided the recommendation to marketers. Summary: There is a latest trend of using social networking sites for brand promotion however the businesses are realizing slowly of using social networking sites for brand promotion. The aim of this research is to analyze the impact of social networking sites on brand promotion. Social network affect the purchase decision making process of consumers which make the difference in the branding and marketing strategies. However social networking websites are useful for the marketers to increase the brand awareness and product awareness. Reason for conducting this research is to get the deeper insight about how the companies are using social networking websites for promoting their brand. This chapter provided the brief introduction of the researcher to the reader. Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Introduction: Social networking sites such as Facebook (400 million users worldwide) and Orkut (100 million), or the micro-blogging site Twitter (which crossed 10 billion tweets recently) may offer engaging distractions to the average user. But the numbers add up to a dizzying truth for brands: social networking sites (SNS) and sites like Twitter are prodigiously fertile spaces to harvest ad business. Adgully speaks to Indias leading brand nurturers and digital agencies to understand how they are leveraging the networking revolution. Social Networking soon became a way for brand Marketing and promotion on social sphere, whereby, the enterprises started using these online communities or websites for developing contacts and driving traffic to their respective websites. Today, these social networking websites form the main tool of social media marketing. The most commonly used websites that have become drastically popular over last couple of years are Twitter and Facebook. Following these two are som e other sites such as LinkedIn, My Space, Digg and StumbleUpon (Adler Kwon, 2002).   Facebook is a Social Networking Site which helps friends and colleagues to share dialogues with each other through Wall Posts, Messages and Comments. Today, Facebook has more than 350 million members and still counting. This site experiences more than two million clicks per day. Statistics state that users spend an average of 20 minutes per day in Facebook. The advanced functionalities of Facebook allow the users a longer shelf life. A user can view your files which are more than five years old. With such wonderful features, Facebook soon became one of the lethal tools of SMM and SMO. Businesses, especially small scale business houses started using the medium of Facebook to promote their brands and services. Setting up a business page and initiating and regulating interactions with the visitors are some of the strategies that business houses adhere to, in Facebook (Alba, 2003). 2.2 Popularity of Social Networking Sites in Developing Countries: The online penetration is just 3-4 per cent, and less than 1 per cent of our total population has a Facebook account. And the percentage of people using Twitter is even smaller. Mehra said that despite the percentages, developing countries like India were already the 5th largest consumer of Twitter in the world, owing largely to Bollywoods enthusiasm for it. And we are in the Top 10 list of consumers of Facebook. Rahul Mehta, the business head of Chings Secret, said, There are approximately 5 crore Indians and 1 crore NRIs online. Facebook alone has 1.2 crore Indians and 40 lakh NRIs. Mehta said the RoI on social media was substantially higher than what was offered by traditional media (Albrecht Adelman, 2007). These numbers are comparable to most national newspapers, Mehta said. Facebook is best place to reach Sec A+, A and B+. With internet penetration deepening, the numbers will rise in the next three to four years, he said. Chings Secret has 98,826 (and counting) fans on Faceboo k. Khushboo Maheshwari, the head (digital) of OMD, said, Today, 5% of Indian population has an online presence and it is growing at a rate of 35% CAGR. In other words, 50 million users have a presence on social media. And the numbers were growing, Maheshwari said. With the government planning to spend Rs18,000 crore over the next three years to lay a 5 lakh km optic fibre cable network to reach every gram panchayat, the growth rate is going to touch 100% CAGR, Maheshwari said. Mobile, web, and broadband will be critical to the growth in the coming years, Maheshwari said. Mihir Ferrao, who looks into Social Media Optimization and ORM at Starcom IP feels that Internet in India needs to grow by at least 20 to 25% year on year, to shake off the constant comparisons with TV and Print (Alkire, Collum, Kaswan, Love, 2008). He said, The only reason why we do not get a fare share of advertising budgets is because, next to the reach penetration of TV or Print, we are very small. But if we look at the concentration of brand TGs on TV Internet, then surely the Internet will have higher traction. Sagar Dhoke, the founder of Fun Element said that the e-revolution had helped to bridge the gap between the product and the end consumer, be it for a movie or an FMCG product. As for the group being targeted online by marketers, Ritesh Patel, the brand manager of CEAT, said, Social media has indeed proved to be a very useful medium for a brand like CEAT. He said that CEAT aspired to be a youthful brand and it finds complete match of TG in this medium (Arabie, 2004). 2.3 The Approach: Sandeep Singh, the business head of Quasar, said that promotional activities designed for online platforms could be a campaign lead in which the target audience is engaged for a specific purpose and for a short duration. Or, brands could choose a more strategic and long-term initiative. In a campaign lead, the idea is to use social media platforms to create a buzz and receive feedback from the community represented by the target audience, Singh said. Strategic initiatives involve the management of social presence from brands online-reputation standpoint, and the use of social platforms as a medium of continued dialogue with the prospects and customers. Singh said experience suggested that the one-size-fits-all approach did not work. Every product and campaign needs a different approach and activation strategy, he said (Bainbridge, Brent, Carley, Heise, Macy, Markovsky, Skvoretz, 1994). Maheshwari of OMD described one of the agencys typical media activities. Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited has been quite active on the social media, Maheshwari said. We have uploaded Wealth Creation Study (WCS) Videos on You Tube and also created a Linked In event page for the WCS awards ceremony. Besides, we also have a scribed page where we have uploaded different annual WC Studies. The creation of Wikipedia pages on the Motilal Oswal Group, on Motilal Oswal and Raamdeo Agrawal had been completed, Maheshwari said. As a result of these activities, seven out of 10 results on Google are owned and controlled by Brand Motilal Oswal for the search Wealth Creation Study, Maheshwari said (Baker Hubert, 2001). Zapak has carried out several similar campaigns; Axe, Ponds, and Mahindra campaigns which used a mix of available options are among the most successful Zapak works. Mehra listed the focus areas: Fan pages and groups, gaming and other fun applications on platforms like Orkut and Facebook, an active handle on Twitter. Mehra said it was essential to link the APIs (application programming interface) like OpenID and Facebook Connect to ones site to promote easy communication and conversations (Barabasi, 2002). Chings Secret advertises regularly on Facebook and YouTube, the brands Mehta said. But a lot of traffic has been generated virally because of the content, quizzes, contests on Facebook. He said that in the end, social media was a long-term strategic investment. It is not brand building but genuine relationship creation and maintenance, he said. And like any relationship, it takes time to build. Describing the two aspects of promotion social applications and paid advertising -they use both options equally well. For Emotional Attyachar, social advertising was placed on Facebook and other sites. And we also released an application on Facebook, Mistry said. Applications turn on engagement to high levels, users get to communicate with the brand, and they understand the values of the shows. On the other hand, advertising draws people who are unexposed to the brand. So the two options serve different purposes and we use as much of both as they can (Barnlund Harland, 2005). Patel of CEAT said that any one people-engagement tactic would not work in isolation. If they create a fantastic social application and do not promote it, it will die a natural death owing to the lack of critical mass required to give it a viral effect. Similarly, only paid advertising will fail to generate brand interaction with consumers which is the essence of social media. Such a tactic would evoke the fee ling of a one-night stand and customer would probably not engage with the brand in question in the future. Starcom IPs Ferrao, also said that lots of their clients are slowly waking up to the fact that social media is a growing phenomena in India. Some of their clients whom they have brought onto the social space are Himalaya Herbal Tea and Foster, while they are enhancing the social presence of brands like Tata Teleservices and Pantaloons. The results they have got, in terms of fans on Facebook and followers on Twitter etc. have given the client reasons to be excited. And has initiated thoughts of how do they leverage these groups further (Bernard Killworth, 2003). 2.4 Pros and Cons: Every platform has certain advantages and disadvantages, so its a question any longer of them wanting to be on it or not. The advantages are varied: right from being able to monetize certain things to being able to put your content out there; to getting feedback from users. In the past, people could not connect to a brand on a one-on-one basis, but social media allowed that to happen. Most brands feel that going to SNS will put their brands up for public scrutiny, which is considered a disadvantage. But it is considering that to be an advantage because it gives them a good reality check to improve your product or service. But on this channel, Singh warned, one wrong step could snowball into something highly detrimental to ones brand, in matter of minutes. So they should learn to do it well than not doing it at all, as you cant run away from such platforms if their consumers are flocking them (Bonacich, 2002). They will have to embrace them today or tomorrow. SNS can definitely contri bute to making or breaking the brand image. Brands should be very cautious in venturing into SNS. While developing games for the brands, Dhoke suggests subtle branding techniques to his clients. Constant hammering of the product is a complete turn-off to the player and user, he said. Same applies to social applications and games. The app should highlight the main features of the app in a very exciting way rather than in the brochure style. Maheshwari endorsed Dhokes assertion about treading carefully. Yes, a single bad comment or rumor can severely damage the reputation that a brand like MOFSL has taken great pains to establish over the years, Maheshwari said. Also since SNS connect users from different parts of the world, it takes little to no time for bad news to spread. Patel strongly believes that a consumers negative feedback could be used to create customer delight. Today, more and more brands are engaging directly with consumers through various discussion forums, networking sites and forums to understand their expectations (Borgatti Everett, 1999) Ferrao of Starcom IP sees the clear advantage of social networking sites in the entire brand experience which one can bring to the consumer. He said, With Facebook and Twitter, you can communicate so many brand properties to those people who want to listen! he believes that by doing so, you know the effort is not going to waste and that your initiatives could actually lead to sales (Burt, 2008). 2.5 The Future: Patel also highlighted the fact that only a select age group was active in social media. While Youngistan is spending more time online, the older age group is not very active yet. Also, online options are more popular in metro and tier-II cities. Internet penetration is still an issue in rural India. But Dhoke sees things differently. Things will change in the next five to six years. When 3G is operational, the number of internet users will grow by about 25-35%. It is estimated that by 2013, India will have the third largest Internet user base. Singh goes a step further and says that as in the West, the audience is now online. When you refer to the audience, these are the guys with high disposable incomes and spending power. These guys are online for sure. And most brands are eying their wallets. If you talk about numbers, we still have some way to go to before the medium reaches the masses. The Indian audience was enjoying the internet and its offerings. Gaming is an offering that h as now become a passion among the youth (Carley Krackhardt, 1996). The online gaming industry is growing and how! Year-on-year, they are recording a rise in the number of gamers in the country. Zapak, which was started just three years ago, already had 7 million unique registered users, and continues to grow. Soon, there will be a day when the online Indian farmers on Farmville will outnumber all the real farmers of our country put together. Other than Twitter and Facebook, there are couples of other websites that have gained immense popularity. LinkdIn is a professional social media website where a stream of professional gets the chance to review and interact with their counterparts. With more than 50 lacs people registered with this site, LinkedIn offers a solid platform for establishing new business relationships. LinkdIn by facilitating more of a personal communication between the business professionals can help the business as a whole. MySpace also have a massive impact in the social networking world. Once registered with MySpace, a user can not only inform the entire networking circle about their likes and dislikes but can also submit videos. A lot of personal stuffs can also be added to the site, and an active mode of communication can be initiated. MySpace also helps in Social Media Marketing by enabling the businesses to create their own profile page and communities and develop interactive dialogues with targeted mass of people. This enables in building brand awareness and can be of immense help to small business houses. Social media and networking Sites have not only contributed to take inter-personal communication to a different level, but also have been a great marketing tool for the small businesses. Well planned approach to social media marketing via social networking sites can be of great help in promoting the business, create proper brand awareness and in the end, meet the ultimate business ends. A business house must have proper expertise and planning to approach in the network so as to reap the fruits of benefits to the very best (Cartwright Harary, 2007). 2.6 Spreading brand awareness: We all know word-of-mouth propagation is a great way of spreading your brand awareness. This is what social network can do. As soon as brand becomes recognizable to a large number of customers, they start discussion about the product. Maximum people who are satisfied with the product they often post their comments through these social networking, which encourage other customer to buy the product. Big companies create a blog in relation with the social network to give customer a wide area to discuss about product and give reviews. This way social network spread your brand awareness to millions of customer online (Cohen Prusak, 2001). 2.7 Engage customer interest: A social media website is ideally suited for product discussions, demonstrations, and showcasing of expertise and quality. Businesses can engage the interest of customers from a global market and build a powerful brand image. People will become fans of your website, product or business because they choose to; Make them feel comfortable with this decision by posting quality information. Talking about online business, social networking is a great opportunity to keep your site busy by attracting potential customer with well developed networking strategies. Organizations are already making use of new and creative way to utilize the massive popularity of various social media to promote their particular product. The additional benefit is the long-term impact on business revenue through brand management. Social media websites are just right for business marketers to spot potential customers (Eveland Bikson, 2007). But in order to get benefit from social networking, business owner should study to handle their social networking assets carefully. Most famous social networking sites like facebook, twitter and my space are the great for carrying your message to abroad. But new businesses must always remember that benefits from social networking solely include arduous work (Crane, 2009). 2.8 Summary: A social network is a social structure made up of individuals or organizations called nodes, which are connected by one or more specific types of mutuality, such as friendship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige. It was initially intended to make friendship and stay connected with colleagues, but now days every businessman would have known how important social networking is for their business. Mainly online business has made social networking a priority as well. Premier Websites have made it possible for businesses to develop their contact lists, handle their relationships and created the ideas of viral marketing. It is because Shopping and social networking Web sites gather a lot of information about online users, and has become tremendously useful for companies to track and model consumer behavior. Businesses are looking to companies like Twitter, MySpace and Facebook to help companies to sell more products and services. Let s see how it makes an impact on your business in reality (Fararo Skvoretz, 2004). Chapter 3: Research Methodology Introduction: A research methodology enables the researcher to get the right direction in achieving the research aim and objectives. Therefore it is important for the researcher to understand the different research methods available and making the right selection of the appropriate research component to design the complete research methodology. This chapter provides the detailed explanation of the research methodology that has been used by the researcher for this particular research. The aim of this research is to analyze the impact of social networking website on brand promotion which requires a robust research methodology. Research Methodology: Before moving further, a research first needs to understand the difference between exploratory and explanatory research and make the appropriate selection between them. Exploratory research is useful where the research wants to conclude the research through in-depth and detailed discussion about the research objectives and findings of the research. On the other hand explanatory research is useful where the researcher conclude the research based on the key facts and using statistical measures without having in-depth discussions. Here the research wants to conduct the analyses to understand the impact of social networking websites on brand promotion therefore it requires statistical measures to conduct the impact analyses. Hence researcher has used explanatory research in this study. Research Design: There are the various authors who have provided the approach to design the suitable research methodology. However the most relevant research methodology design is given by Saunders et al (2003) by developing the research onion. Each layer of this research onion provided the research component and selecting the research components gives the complete design of the research. Research has used the research onion developed by Saunders et al (2003) for designing the research methodology. Description of selecting the research components by using research onion is provided in the following section. Research Approach: Research approach is chosen from the first layer of the research onion. A research can go for deductive, abductive or inductive research approach. In this research, researcher has used abductive research approach which enables the researcher to get the deeper understanding of research objective and need of correlating the literature with key findings of the research. Other research approaches such as inductive and deductive approach has been rejected by the research since both the approaches more focused towards the theoretical implications and less towards the practical implication of the research. Research Philosophy: Research can select the research philosophy by removing the second layer of the research onion. There are the two research philosophies such as positivism and interpretivism research philosophy. Interpretivism research philosophy is useful where the researcher interpret the study results using literature and less focused towards the practical implications of the research study. Since the research approach used by the researcher is abductive which requires the practical implication hence interpretivism research philosophy is irrelevant. In positivism research philosophy researcher only considers the practical implication along with the use of literature to be linked with research findings. Hence in this research, researcher has used the positivism research philosophy. Research Strategy: Research strategy can be chosen by removing third layer of the research onion. Research strategy enables the researcher to conduct the analysis and presenting the key findings of the research. In addition to this research decides on methods of data collection. A research can use survey questionnaire methods or face to face interview method to collect the data. It is essential to capture the views of marketing managers about the impact of social networking websites in brand promotion. Hence the research has used survey questionnaire method for collecting the data. Once the data is collected, a researcher needs to understand the way of conducting the analysis and presenting the data. In this research, research has used question by question analysis and drawn the conclusion. Research has used both the secondary and primary data in this research and method for each of type of data is described below: Data Collection Methodology: Secondary data is the data which is already existed in the published format. On the other hand primary data is the data which is not available and researcher collect the information using questionnaire method from the relevant respondents. In this study, researcher has collected both the secondary and primary data. The methodology description of collecting each type of data is provided below: Secondary Data: Secondary data in this research has been collected using various secondary sources such as academic journals which have been procured from the university library, books, news articles, web articles, company websites and general internet search. Secondary has been used to compile the literature in this research. Primary Data: In order to capture the view points of marketing managers towards the impact of social networking websites, the data has been collected using primary research. In primary research, researcher has prepared the quantitative questionnaire and administered the questionnaire using email. Others details of primary research is provided below. Target Respondents: Target respondents were marketing managers who must have knowledge about the social networking concepts and websites and responsible for preparing branding strategy for their companies. Sample Size: A total of 200 questionnaires were sent to the target respondents out of which 59 responses were received by the researcher. Therefore the total sample size of this study is 59. Sampling Methodology: Convenient sampling methodology has been used by the researcher for designing the samples in this study. In this research, the researcher already known to the screening and qualification criteria of the target respondents therefore the convenient sampling methodology is useful for this research study. Data Analysis: A researcher has used excel tool for analyzing the data. Each questionnaire responses are filled in Excel and developed a final data file. Researcher has used some basic statistical measures to analyze the data and key findings of the research has been presented using charts and graphs which have been prepared using Excel. Ethical Consideration Research Limitations: There are certain ethical issues that have been taken into consideration by the researcher. Researcher has followed the market research guidelines to meet the ethical challenges in this research such as disclosing the respondents names contact information as per the respondents consent, acknowledging the information sources, use of authenticated data sources and websites and meeting the university guidelines to avoid plagiarism. Some limitations faced by the researcher are access to the company information, coverage of sample size and reach out to the target respondents.

Hong Kong must move with the times by making itself an efficient :: Economics

Hong Kong must move with the times by making itself an efficient platform for Mainland financial intermediation. A number of journalists with specialised interests in financial developments in Hong Kong asked for my interpretation of the "move with the times" speech delivered by the Governor of the People's Bank of China, Zhou Xiaochuan at the Annual Dinner of the Hong Kong Association of Banks on 30 September 2005. The "move with the times" comment was made by Governor Zhou in relation to maintaining the status of Hong Kong as an international financial centre. We should of course all move with the times and be alert to changes taking place around us if we do not wish to be left behind. This comment has a universal application and is particularly important when times are changing rapidly. Those with the ability to anticipate changes and prepare for them stand a much higher chance of success. Those that carry on doing the same things in the same old way will simply be left behind. This is the reality. I obviously do not wish to quote others out of context or to put words in others' mouths, just as I do not wish anybody to do the same to me. But Governor Zhou delivered an important speech on a matter of great importance to Hong Kong - so important that it merited special reference in Article 109 of the Basic Law - the maintenance of the status of Hong Kong as an international financial centre. And the HKMA does have certain indirect responsibilities for this subject, derived from the Financial Secretary's authority in the Exchange Fund Ordinance to use the Exchange Fund, with a view to maintaining Hong Kong as an international financial centre, to maintain the stability and the integrity of the monetary and financial systems of Hong Kong. So, for what it is worth, I will make an exception to my usual practice and offer my (undoubtedly subjective and possibly biased) interpretation. Since I don't speak from a position of authority, my comments will concentrate more on how times are changing and less on how we in Hong Kong should move with them. Governor Zhou made it abundantly clear that, in terms of the financial environment in which Hong Kong operates, times are changing and changing fast. He made six important points. First, the savings rate on the Mainland is high by international standards and increasing, in contrast to a zero savings rate in the United States. I take this to mean that there is an exceedingly large amount (relative to GDP) of domestic savings on the Mainland to be mobilised and channelled into

Macbeth :: essays research papers

Macbeth is presented as a mature man of definitely established character, successful in certain fields of activity and enjoying an enviable reputation. We must not conclude, there, that all his volitions and actions are predictable; Macbeth's character, like any other man's at a given moment, is what is being made out of potentialities plus environment, and no one, not even Macbeth himself, can know all his inordinate self-love whose actions are discovered to be-and no doubt have been for a long time-determined mainly by an inordinate desire for some temporal or mutable good.Macbeth is actuated in his conduct mainly by an inordinate desire for worldly honors; his delight lies primarily in buying golden opinions from all sorts of people. But we must not, therefore, deny him an entirely human complexity of motives. For example, his fighting in Duncan's service is magnificent and courageous, and his evident joy in it is traceable in art to the natural pleasure which accompanies the exp losive expenditure of prodigious physical energy and the euphoria which follows. He also rejoices no doubt in the success which crowns his efforts in battle - and so on. He may even conceived of the proper motive which should energize back of his great deed:The service and the loyalty I owe,In doing it, pays itself.But while he destroys the king's enemies, such motives work but dimly at best and are obscured in his consciousness by more vigorous urges. In the main, as we have said, his nature violently demands rewards: he fights valiantly in order that he may be reported in such terms a "valour's minion" and "Bellona's bridegroom"' he values success because it brings spectacular fame and new titles and royal favor heaped upon him in public. Now so long as these mutable goods are at all commensurate with his inordinate desires - and such is the case, up until he covets the kingship - Macbeth remains an honorable gentleman. He is not a criminal; he has no criminal tendencies. But once permit his self-love to demand a satisfaction which cannot be honorably attained, and he is likely to grasp any dishonorable means to that end which may be safely employed. In other words, Macbeth has much of natural good in him unimpaired; environment has conspired with his nature to make him upright in all his dealings with those about him. But moral goodness in him is undeveloped and indeed still rudimentary, for his voluntary act s are scarcely brought into harmony with ultimate end.

Feelings in Anton Chekhovs The Bear :: The Bear Essays

"The Bear," which is a classic one-act play written 1900, is one of the great works of Anton Chekhov, which is very much about a widowed woman. The Bear can be regarded as a comedy since it is to give the audience entertainment and amusement. This comedy reveals the fine line between anger and passion. The theme is about a strange beginning of love between Mrs. Popov and Smirnov. It demonstrated that love changes all things it touches. Dialogue of the characters, the action of the characters, and the characters themselves shape the theme. Unbelievable actions and change in mood on the part of the characters show that love can sometimes come from an odd turn of events. Anton Chekhov?s classic play the bear revolves around two protagonists, Mrs. Popov and Grigory Stepanovich Smirnov. Mrs. Popov is a landowner and widow, who after seven months ago is still mourning her husband?s death and decided to isolate herself from the out side world and mourn until the day she dies. Grigory Sepanovich Smirnov is also a landowner, who lends money to Mr. Nikolai Popov before he died and he demands the debts be paid at once because his creditors after him. Smirnov insists, makes light of Popov?s mourning, and refuses to leave her house. Popov and Smirnov angrily fight with one another. Then Smirnov challenges Popov to a gunfight for insulting him and Popov brings out her husand?s pistols. At this point Smirnov realizes that he has fallen in love with Popov. At the end of the play, they end up in love and kiss each other. Dialogue would have to be the most unbelievable part of this play. As the play progress the dialogue changes from a respectful manner to yelling and mixed feelings coming from both of the character. For instance, in the early part of the play Mrs. Popov speaks to Mr. Smirnov with respect, ?You?ll receive you?re money the day after tomorrow,?(1096) she said with a respectful and polite tone. Later Mrs. Popov insulted and yells in this manner ?You?re nothing but a crude, bear! A brute! A monster!? (1101). At the end of play, she is confused for a moment, ?go away?.No, Get out, get out! I hate you! But- don?t go!?, but they end up in each other?s arms. The difference in the dialogue shows how love is having its effect on Mrs. Popov?s emotional control as her dialogue changes.

Labor Laws of Vietnam Essay

I. Overview Vietnam is known for being a disciplined, hard-working, and fast-learning population. Traditions emphasizing learning and respect for authority as well as low wages and a high adult literacy rate are often cited by investors as among one of the most attractive aspects of the country’s investment environment (Treutler &Kien, 2010). The Labour Code of Vietnam serves as the main legal base for all the labour matters. It applies to both employees and employers including foreign organizations employing local and foreign staff working on regular basis in Vietnam (Chee &Le, 2008). On the other hand, there are also a number of implementing regulations such as Decrees, Decisions, and Circulars, which provide detailed guidelines for implementation the Code. These regulations play useful and significant roles in the Vietnamese legal system, as the government authorities would often refer to them in practice. In this Code, employment in all business entities, including foreign-invested en terprises, should be based on a written employment contract, which contains sections relating to: * The scope of work * Working hours * Rest/breaks * Recreation time * Wages * Place of work * Terms of contract * Occupational safety and hygiene, * Social and medical insurance II. Preamble â€Å"Labor is the most important activity of man. It creates the material wealth and spiritual values of society. High-productivity, high-quality and high-efficiency labor is the determinant factor of national development. Labor legislation defines the rights and obligations of the employee and the employer, the labor standards and the principles for labor use and management, thus contributing to the promotion of production. Therefore, it plays an important role in social life and in the legal system of the country. Inheriting and developing the labor legislation of our country since 1945, the Labor Code institutionalizes the renewal line of the Communist Party of Vietnam and concretizes the provisions of the 1992 Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on labor and on the use and management of labor. The Labor Code protects the right to work, the interests and other rights of the employee. At the same time it protects the legitimate rights and interests of the employer, thus creating conditions for the establishment of harmonious and stable labor relations, helping to develop the creativeness and talent of the intellectual and manual workers as well as of the labor managers, in order to achieve high productivity, quality and social progress in labor, production and service, efficient use and management of labor, thus contributing to the industrialization and modernization of the country in the cause of bringing prosperity to the people and strength to the nation and building a just and civilized society.† III. Main Sources of Labor Law * The Labor Code * The Law on Sending Vietnamese Laborers to Work Overseas * Government decrees, ministerial circulars and decisions, provincial decisions and guidelines * Collective labor agreements, company rules, individual contracts * The Supreme Court’s annual practice summaries and guidelines IV. Special Hiring Considerations A. Hiring Non-Citizens * Generally, if an expatriate wants to work in Vietnam for three months or longer, he/she must obtain a work permit. Vietnamese employers are required to provide support and submit application documents for the work permit. B. Hiring Specified Categories of Individuals * Employers are prohibited from employing female employees, pregnant employees, child employees, and old employees for hazardous and hard work that may cause health problems. * Normally, the minimum working age is 15. There is no restriction on the maximum working age. The daily working hours of senior workers (over 60 for men or over 55 for women), however, should be reduced. C. Outsourcing and/or Subcontracting * The Labor Code contains an inflexible provision stating that a labor contract must be directly entered into by an employer and an employee. In addition, the tasks stipulated in the labor contract must be carried out by the employee under his/her labor contract; the transfer of such tasks to another person must be approved by the employer. In practice, if an employer wishes to use a labor outsourcing service, he/she will not enter into a direct labor contract with workers, but will enter into a labor outsourcing service agreement with the service provider. Therefore, there is no clear definition of outsourcing or subcontracting under the Vietnamese Labor Code. V. Basic Employment Terms * A labor contract must be written in Vietnamese or in both Vietnamese and the foreign language that is applicable to the employer and employee. Contracts for temporary jobs lasting less than three months or for domestic helper work do not need to be in writing and can be oral. A. Working Hours and Rest Hours * The maximum working hours are eight hours per day or 48 hours per week for normal working conditions. Daily working hours must be reduced by one or two hours for employees subject to extremely heavy, dangerous, or toxic working conditions. Employees must take a rest period of a minimum of 24 consecutive hours per week. There are also various compulsory daily and weekly rest periods and breaks that must be observed. B. Wages * Employees may not earn an amount below the minimum salary level, which is reviewed from time to time. Different minimum levels exist and depend on the location of the workplace. C. Working Place/Location * An employee’s place of work must be stated in the labor contract. Mobility clauses can be included in employees’ labor contracts, if necessary. Where a job requires travel to other temporary locations, it is normal for employers to reimburse all reasonable travel expenses. D. Duration of the Contract * Under the Labor Code of Vietnam there are three types of labor contracts: * An indefinite-term labor contract * A fixed-term labor contract with duration of 12 to 36 months * A labor contract for a specific or seasonal job of less than 12 months E. Conditions on Occupational Safety and Hygiene * Employers are required to provide employees with sufficient protective equipment to ensure occupational safety and hygiene and to improve working conditions in the workplace. Employees must comply with occupational safety and hygiene regulations and the internal labor rules of employers. VI. Social Insurance and Leave * Compulsory Social Insurance applies to enterprises, entities, and organizations that employ employees under indefinite-term labor contracts or under definite-term labor contracts with a duration of three months or more. Both employees and employers are required to contribute to the social insurance fund at statutory rates. The social insurance fund pays allowances for sick leave, maternity leave, work-related accidents, occupational disease, and pensions. A. Sick Leave * Employees who suffer from illness and/or disability or take leave in accordance with a doctor’s order receive an allowance paid by the social insurance fund, provided that they submit the required documentation evidencing their leave. The sick leave allowance is based on the employee’s salary used to calculate the social insurance premium. The maximum entitlement is: * 30 days per year (if the employee contributes to the social insurance fund for less than 15 years) * 40 days per year (if the employee contributes to the social insurance fund for between 15 and 30 years) * 60 days per year (if the employee contributes to the social insurance fund for more than 30 years). B. Maternity Leave * Employers must allow pregnant workers to have their health checked regularly. A female employee (who works in normal working conditions) is normally entitled to take four months’ maternity leave. If the female employee works in heavy and/or harmful working conditions or works in a remote location, she is entitled to take up to six months’ maternity leave. Where an employee gives birth to more than one child at one time, she is entitled to take an additional 30days’ leave for every additional child calculated from the second child onwards. The employee will receive a maternity allowance from the social insurance fund during maternity leave. C. Accidents at Work * Work-related accidents are defined as accidents that injure any bodily parts or functions of an employee or cause the employee’s death during the process of working and closely relate to work performance or labor activity. An employee who is injured in a work-related accident must be immediately treated and be fully attended to. The employer must take full responsibility for the occurrence of the work-related accident. During the period in which an employee is absent from work for medical treatment related to a work-related accident or occupational disease, the employer must pay the employee his/her full salary and expenses for the treatment. After the treatment, the employee will be examined and assigned a category of injury, which depends on the reduction of his/her ability to work due to the work-related accident or disease. The employee will be entitled to a social insurance benefit paid as a lump sum or in monthly installments by the social insurance fund. D. Pension Plans * There is no scheme for pension plans under Vietnamese Labor Law. Both employers and employees are required to contribute to the compulsory social insurance fund that payspensions to employees when they retire. E. Absence for Military or Public Service Duties * Employees are entitled to suspend performing their duties under labor contracts if they are required to carry out military service or other public civic obligations. Employers are required to reemploy the employees at the end of the suspension period. VII. Rights of the Employees A. Harassment/Discrimination/Equal Pay * Employees have the right to work without being discriminated against on the basis of their gender, nationality, social class, beliefs, or religion. Moreover, employers are strictly prohibited from discriminatory behavior toward female employees or conduct that degrades female employees’ dignity and honor. Employers must implement the principle of gender equality in regard to recruitment, utilization, wage, and wage increase. B. Work Councils or Trade Unions * Employers are required to facilitate the establishment of a trade union organization within their company. A company’s trade union should be established within a company within six months after the company is set up and put into operation. The obligation for establishing a trade union organization within a company falls on the local trade union or industry trade union, not the employer. The main function of a trade union organization is to represent and protect employees’ legal rights and interests. Therefore, most decisions relating to employee benefits should involve the trade union representative, such as execution of a collective labor agreement, decisions regarding labor discipline, and termination of labor contracts. Any act that obstructs the establishment and activities of an enterprise’s trade union is strictly prohibited. C. Employees’ Right to Strike * Employees may voluntarily go on strike. However, strikes must be organized and led by the executive committee of the company’s trade union or representatives of employees. Employees must also adhere to statutory procedures and steps for the organization of strikes. Strikes are prohibited at businesses that supply certain types of products and services and at enterprises that are essential for the national economy or for national defense and security. D. Employees on Strike * Employers are not required to pay salary or other benefits to employees who participate in a strike. Employers are prohibited, however, from terminating labor contracts or applying labor disciplinary penalties to employees or to organizers of strikes or transferring employees or strike organizers to do other jobs or to work at other locations because of their preparation for or participation in a strike. VIII. Terminating the Employment Contract A. Procedures for Terminating the Agreement * Proper legal grounds must exist in order for an employer to terminate a labor contract with an employee, such as performance issues, prolonged illness, a force majeure event, or winding up of the company. Employers are required to follow a number of statutory steps such as sending a warning letter to employees and/or sending advance written notice regarding the termination of employment to employees within a statutory time limit. If an employer fails to prove that there are legal grounds for the termination or fails to follow the proper statutory procedure, a termination may be declared wrongful. In the event of a wrongful termination, employers may be required to reinstate the employee, pay their salary for the period that they were not allowed to work, and pay two months of the employee’s salary as a penalty for the wrongful termination. B. Types of Termination i. Employee’s Resignation * An employee may resign from his/her job without giving any legitimate reason, so long as the employee gives advance notice to the employer (30 working days for termination of a fixed term labor contract or 45 working days for an indefinite labor contract). ii. Instant Dismissal * Dismissal is the severest labor disciplinary measure. Employees may be dismissed when they commit an act of gross misconduct such as theft, embezzlement, disclosure of business or technology secrets, or repeatedly commit acts in violation of the employers’ work rules or policies. A disciplinary hearing meeting must be held and a number of statutory procedures must be followed. iii. Termination on Notice * An employer may terminate a labor contract by serving advance notice of 30 working days for termination of a fixed term labor contract or 45 working days for an indefinite labor contract. Note that employers must have proper legal grounds for termination (see the above section onprocedures for terminating the agreement). iv. Termination by Reason of the Employee’s Age * There are no specific provisions governing the termination of labor contracts based on an employee’s age. The normal retirement age is 60 for men and 55 for women. A retired person will receive his/her pension and/or allowance from the social insurance fund. The Vietnamese Labor Code allows employers to extend labor contracts or enter into a new labor contract with a retired employee. v. Automatic Termination in Cases of Force Majeure * Force majeure is one of the legal grounds for employers to terminate labor contracts with employees. Employers are required to send advance notice to employees and a number of procedures should be followed. Employers are also required to pay severance to their employees due to the termination of employment. vi. Termination by Parties’ Mutual Agreement * The parties are entirely free to agree to terminate an employment contract on any grounds they desire. Where the parties agree, they are not required to give advance notice of termination. The parties may also waive certain procedures. All the necessary terms, such as employment termination, severance payments, personal income tax, and social insurance, should be finalized and addressed in a document and should be signed by both parties. C. Severance Payments * Employers must pay severance to employees who have continually worked for the employer for 12 months or more. There are certain cases in which employers are exempted from paying severance, such as dismissal or retirement. If employees have made contributions to the unemployment insurance fund, employers are not required to pay severance for the duration of time that the employees paid their unemployment insurance premium. i. Special Tax Provisions and Severance Payments * Any income earned by an employee in the form of salary, wage, allowance, and bonus is subject to personal income tax (PIT). Severance payments at the minimum statutory level are not subject to PIT, whereas any extra payments are subject to PIT. Employers are required to withhold and pay PIT to taxation authorities. ii. Allowances Payable to Employees after Termination * Employers are not required to contribute to any allowances after termination, unless otherwise agreed by the parties in the labor contract and so long as all required severance payments are paid in full. iii. Time Limits for Claims Following Termination * The statute of limitations runs one year from the date of the conduct that any party claims breached its rights or benefits, where the claim arises from: * Disciplinary measures resulting in dismissal * Unilateral termination of a labor contract * Compensation for loss and damage or payment of allowances Reference/s: Duc Manh, N. (n.d.). The Labor Code of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Retrieved on February 24, 2013 from http://www.dncustoms.gov.vn/web_ english/english/luat_pl/LABOR-CODE.htm Chee, P & Le, D. (2008). Overview of Labour Law in Vietnam. KhattarWong. Retrieved on February 24, 2013 from http://www.khattarwong.com/index.php/knowledgemanagement/articles/41-vietnam/205-overview-of-labour-law-in-vietnam.html Treutler, T. J. & Kien, T. T. (2010). An overview of Vietnam Labor Law. Tilleke & Gibbins. Retrieved on February 24, 2013 from http://www.tilleke.com/sites/default/files/Overview%20of%20Vietnam%20Labor%20Law.pdf (2008). Labor in Vietnam. Vietnam Trade Office in the USA. Retrieved on February 24, 2013 from http://www.vietnamustrade.org/index.php?f=news&do= detail&id=35&lang=English

`A dolls house` act 3 analysis

A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen is about the oppression of women and how they were asked by men to live in a ‘Doll's House.' We see throughout the play how Torvald acts like a dictator with Nora and talks to her condescendingly.However, in Act III things start changing. Torvald's tone becomes harsher, he actually starts treating her like a possession and dresses her up like a doll in all the things he finds most ‘desirable'.After the party he tries to have her in order to satisfy his desire but when Nora reveals Krogstad's condition Torvald tries to use his desire as a point of consolation. When Nora talks to him and tell him her own secret. He unravels. He abuses her verbally and claims she has shamed him. He completely rejects her position.Yet, as soon as the truth is revealed through the letter the maid brings, he forgives her. By then Nora has had enough and decides to leave him unable to live anymore as a possession with no will and a person with no individual identity . She said of her position with her dad and then Torvald as her husband, â€Å"He played with me just as I used to play with my dolls. And when I came to live with you I was simply transferred from Papa’s hands to yours.†It is this Act that summarizes Nora's conflicts throughout the play where she struggled to see herself as an independent woman but was confined by her sense of duty to her husband and society. She felt she was freed and her ties with Torvald severed when he refused to help her and honor her when faced with baseless accusation. It showed her that she had been sacrificing herself for a man who would never love her as she needed to be loved. He valued his possessions more than her and that was something she would not accept.She has discovered that as a woman she has been continuously asked to do her ‘duty' and has done so but she is also expected to remain a plaything for her husband and that she can no longer do. She has discovered that she values her sense of the self, her discovery of herself as an individual over her role as a wife, mother and daughter and she is no longer willing to sacrifice her life for people who cannot return the same emotions for her sake.ReferencesDolls House by Henrik Ibsen

Epekto Ng

————————————————- History of Computer A computer is basically an electronic device which is used to input, output, process, and store data but there are some definitions which will include devices such as digital calculators and digital watches in the category of a computer. Software is also considered when looking at the history of computers, not only the physical hardware and the capabilities of the hardware available at the particular time. Operating systems with the features they carry and videogames with their utilization of the available technology are sometimes also used as markers in computer history.The earlier computers were much larger in comparison to the computers available today, sometimes filling entire rooms or sections of buildings. Some persons may be familiar with the term â€Å"mainframe† which is a large computer which can do many different tasks simultaneously. Modern mainframes and older mainframes were not much different in their function which is to provide a centralized point for all data to be processed and sometimes stored but older mainframes did not have the benefit of the newer technologies available today.As computers evolved and got smaller and smaller, the use of mainframes to handle workloads decreased as standalone computers became more popular. The difference with standalones versus those attached to the mainframe – which were called workstations, is the fact that standalones could run applications by themselves while workstations depended on the mainframe being online in order to function. Much older mainframes would run different programs based on a schedule and persons were assigned to feed or load the scheduled application at the appointed time.When the appointed program was scheduled to be run a person would have to load either punch cards or tape spools into the mainframe in order for it to run the specified application and the workstations would then load the application to the mainframe. In more recent times servers have generally replaced mainframes but in some companies there are still those who use modern mainframes as an alternative to having hundreds of servers in different locations. The size of the computer is the greatest measure of how far technology has come.We have moved from computers filling entire buildings to laptops that have as much functionality as a desktop and portable enough to tote around everyday. A quick timeline of how computers have evolved include the movement from punch card program input to magnetic tape program input, the moving of storage devices to magnetic drum media, moving from vacuum tube electronic components to transistor electronic components and ultimately the reduction in the size of transistors which is the primary reason for computers having reached where they are.An interesting concept to examine in computing would be Mooreâ₠¬â„¢s Law which outlines a trend in computing and the ‘block’, which will be the farthest point that computing will reach. As components keep getting smaller and smaller allowing for more features to be crammed into a single circuit, Moore’s Law dictates that once transistors reach atomic particle sizes the improvement of computers will have to stop.

Marijuana Tax Act

Marijuana was declared an illegal drug in the USA with the passing of the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937 under dubious circumstances. 1 Since that time numerous studies have shown that the drug is less harmful than tobacco and alcohol. Despite the available evidence and the enormous cost of enforcing the marijuana ban, it is hard to understand why this relatively harmless drug continues to remain illegal in the United States. This essay argues why marijuana should be decriminalized without further delay. Opponents of legalizing marijuana contend that it is a dangerous drug; this is far from the truth. For example, there has not been a single recorded case of death due to marijuana overdose. On the other hand, a legal intoxicant like alcohol results in the death of about 5,000 persons every year due to overdose. The reason for this is that the ratio of cannabinoids2 necessary for intoxication is 40,000:1 while that for alcohol is generally between 4:1 and 10:1. (â€Å"Answers To†¦ ,† 2005) As such marijuana is one of the least toxic substances and would have to be consumed in physically impossible quantities to prove fatal. As for the health effects of marijuana, a World Health Organization (WHO) Study, which was scheduled to be published in December 1997 but was suppressed by its top management due to political pressure, had reported that Cannabis fared better than alcohol and nicotine in five out of seven comparisons of long-term damage to health. (Concar, 1998) In terms of addictiveness too, most studies show that marijuana was less addictive than alcohol, nicotine and caffeine. (Quoted in â€Å"Study Compares†¦ ,† 1994) A common myth about marijuana is that it acts as a ‘gateway' drug, i. . , marijuana use leads to use of harder drugs such as heroin or cocaine. This theory is disproved by the fact that after the legalizing of marijuana in Holland in the 1970s, heroin and cocaine use declined markedly, despite a slight increase in marijuana use. If the ‘gateway' theory were true, the use of hard drugs should have gone up rather than down. (â€Å"Answers to†¦ † 2005 ) Other charges against marijuana, based mainly on prejudiced and unreliable studies, are that it contributes to an escalation in crime and is responsible for increased driving accidents. The linkage between marijuana and crime is absolutely false because, if anything, marijuana actually lessens aggressiveness in the user. Only â€Å"driving under the influence of marijuana† could be hazardous but it is far less problematic as drunken driving. (Ibid. ) Enforcing the ban against marijuana in the US costs the tax payers as much as $ 12 billion annually; it also diverts the energies of the law enforcing agencies that would be better served in fighting the spiraling crime rates in the country's cities. This is reflected in the fact that there have been nearly 6. 5 million marijuana arrests in the United States since 1993,3 far exceeding the total number of arrests for all violent crimes combined, including murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. (â€Å"Marijuana Prohibition Facts,† 2004) Apart from the ‘direct' estimated cost of $ 12 billion that would be saved by legalizing marijuana, the government would also be able to collect a considerable amount of money by way of taxes. Moreover, de-criminalizing of the drug would eliminate much of the underground criminal network in the country that gives rise to numerous social problems such as spreading corruption and graft among the law enforcing agencies. It is unfortunate that policy makers and law enforcers have failed to learn the lessons of Prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s when a similar ban against alcohol had escalated crime to astronomical levels and deprived the government of much needed tax revenue. It would, therefore, not be wrong to conclude that the rationale behind the continuing criminalization of marijuana is based on false premises and difficult to defend. Most scientific studies have conclusively shown that marijuana is a far less harmful drug than alcohol and tobacco. The cost of enforcing the existing harsh laws against marijuana possession is unnecessary and diverts the attention of the American justice system, which would be better served in fighting violent crime and terrorism. As such, there is no reason why marijuana should not be legalized forthwith.

The U-boats Come to America, PDF attached and CITED Assignment

The U-boats Come to America, PDF attached and CITED - Assignment Example The mobilization for World War I was no easy task as the nation was still divided regarding Wilson’s decision to enter the way. Nevertheless, WWI became a focal point in American history because it gave an opportunity for America to assert its dominance as a foreign power and give rise to social reforms. Without a doubt, WWI was a turning point in American history because it gave an opportunity to America to display its awesome power. World War was a war that was indisputably fueled by American propaganda by portraying the Axis power as supreme evil. Unmistakably, this was a heavy task since so many European descents resided in America. The sinking of the U-boat was undoubtedly a huge catalyst that initiated the American involvement. This is greatly depicted via the article in the newspaper which states, â€Å"The U-boats come to America.† The author states that â€Å"It may be argued that the foreign assumptions are purely subjective.† (Skeet 2) However was evident that the United States Navy had to prepare itself for the worse and was already aligning itself with future Allies. It is clear that this was to issue somewhat of Propaganda to rally the American citizens. Europe’s condition at this point was tense, and the American aid to Allies illustrated the fact that America’s involvement was much needed (Michaels 40). Suddenly, the American economy was jolted with a huge shock as it began to produce war-related goods. The United States did not hesitate to supply its war-related products such as weapons, supplies, and ships in order to change the tide of the war (Ebert 9). Although American troops were sent overseas, they fought very little and were responsible for providing moral support. Secondly, World War I was a focal point in American history because it gave rise to social reform throughout the nation. Women and African Americans, in particular, were two groups that were able to take an opportunity to break their â€Å"cult  of domesticity†.