J. Crew Company Analysis - 3233 Words

I. Problem Definition J.Crew at Stonestown mall is having difficulty targeting San Francisco State students to shop at their store, even when J.Crew offers a 15% off discount to college students. J.Crew is a very successful brand that reaches out to young business professionals; however J.Crew, specifically at Stonestown mall, is having difficulty reaching out to the college students at San Francisco State University. J.Crew believes the students at SFSU are a smart target to reach, considering the University is located right next to the Stonestown mall. Although J.Crew believes the college students are smart target to reach, many students are unaware of the student discount they offer. Looking over J.Crew’s past marketing campaigns,†¦show more content†¦They need to be able to finance their money well and buy good quality products with long durability. Profile of Typical Target Consumer †¢ Female †¢ 18-25 years old †¢ Single †¢ College education †¢ Part-time job †¢ Aware of quality price †¢ Regular shopper †¢ Sociable †¢ Enjoys nightlife †¢ Active in the community †¢ Stylish/Fashionable †¢ Full-time Student V. Consumers’ Perceptions Our consumers’ perception of the brand, J.Crew, usually entails the style they advertise in commercials and television. J.Crew can be seen as a style with practical women in finely cut business suits and overcoats. When most people visualize the company they visualize classy and professional clothing. The problem is they are not seen as the standard, like Gap, for instance, they lack the basic necessities to attract young college students. J.Crew just wants to maintain its professional status, but attract a younger crowd who are establishing their position in the real world applying and interview for jobs. When walking into the store, consumers see bright lights and a variety of fabrics and styles. 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Psychology of Human Sexuality Free Essays

65 million people are living with an incurable STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) in the United States. This is an extremely high number which includes many different types and forms of diseases. Some are curable and others are not. We will write a custom essay sample on Psychology of Human Sexuality or any similar topic only for you Order Now So this is a huge problem in the USA and all over the world that I had no idea about or put much thought into. It is incredible the outstanding number of people with STI’s and the growing rate. This truly is in every sense of the word a pandemic as referred to in the book. I will discuss a few things from this chapter about STI’s that I found most interesting besides the STI’s themselves that almost made me hurl due to some of the graphic pictures. Some issues that are related and need to be learned include the lack of symptoms, lack of accurate information, unhealthy sexual emotions and attitudes, poor sexual communication, and substance abuse and its relation to STI’s. All of the above mentioned things I will discuss are important to me because they are risk factors that I needed to learn and be aware of. For example, not all STI’s have symptoms or show signs of physical problems such as rashes or a discharge. Most sexual transmitted infections have symptoms that are often absent. That is scary due to the fact people may not know they are infected and maintain their normal sexual activity with no knowledge of infecting others. This is a huge problem to me because it’s not like people carry their results with them of their last STI test results. In my case I get tested in 3 days due to the fact ignorance is bliss and I don’t want to be irresponsible in my actions. I also think that some people don’t get tested for the mere fact they just don’t want to know even if they have been involved in risky sexual behaviors. Asymptomatic means that symptoms may not be produced at all. Not know if you are infected and affecting others leads to a bigger problem because most STI’s leads to greater health problems down the road. A sexual act of of love or lust can turn into a nightmare. Lack of knowledge is a huge risk factor because the number of our youth participating in sexual activities is indeed increasing. They partake in oral sex and think it is ok because pregnancy can’t occur. However, being one of these ignorant kids’ years ago myself I didn’t know that oral sex increases the chances of STI’s or what an STI was. Especially, these hormone and sexually driven kids don’t care or have the knowledge of knowing the ease at which STI’s can spread through sexual activity and oral sex, or even the lack of knowing how severe this problem can occur. I’ve heard a lot of my friends say oh man I just got tested after I hooked up with that slut and I’m clean, guess I dodged a bullet. It is a complete joke and the severity of these issues is not driven home properly. Sexual emotions and attitudes are something I have learned to be true. I know a lot of girls who were told sex is bad by their parents and they seemed to take it out on their college exploits. Avoiding the safe sex talk and that sex is not a horrible thing when handled correctly can lead to better understanding and decision making by the child. Also, the the fear and stigma of people who have STI’s or don’t want to be tested for fear they might have one creates more issues for them and may lead to them not telling their partner out of shame and embarrassment. This I thought I knew but this chapter justified that thought. I for sure learned that sexual communication is important for a healthy sexual relationship. It is healthy for my relationship and makes things more comfortable and easy. I learned that not just condoms and knowledge are important in preventing STI’s, but communication has an essential role as well. Parents must discuss safe sex with their children and openly discuss sexual matters due to the fact it is normal eventually inevitable. Talking to your partner about being tested or that you have an STI is the responsible thing to do. I knew that substance abuse had to play a role in increasing the chances for the spread of STI’s. it only makes sense due to the fact we all know what it feels like to be under the consumption of alcohol where our morals and principles go at that point. Things become more in the moment as mentioned in the book and risky sexual behavior is more likely to occur. For example, I know a lot about this from attending San Diego State University a big party school in California, but the statistics provided in the book that 1 in 5 teens reports having unprotected sex while under the influence of drugs and lcohol just solidifies that theory. I learned a lot and was shocked about the STI pandemic and all the issues related such as the lack of information and health risks associated with it. This really does scare me to know that my previous partners could have unknowingly passed an STI to me. I was tested before my girlfriend and I started dating but I will get tested again in three days just to be sure. It is really important to do so and people should be made aware of the severity and problems related to STI’s followed by knowledge and prevention methods. I am thankful for this class and my newfound knowledge. How to cite Psychology of Human Sexuality, Papers

Compare/Contrast Paintings at Palmer Essay Example For Students

Compare/Contrast Paintings at Palmer Essay He has already been shot by n arrow where as the daughter is awaiting her father to stab her with the spear in his hand. Both characters are half naked with a cloth covering their lower bodies. Asphalts daughter is more ashamed of her nakedness while Sebastian seems to accept it, In biblical times the fattest goat was to be sacrificed to gain Gods favor. The heavy set nature of Asphalts daughter appears to be an allusion to that sacrificial procedure. SST Sebastian is fit and is being healed by a female angel. The daughter is tat about to be hurt by her tatter Jehovah. There is a major difference between the healing angel and the overly religious father, The angels presence makes the viewer calm and feels like SST Sebastian is going to pull through, The presence of the father is one of fear and is rather disconcerting. Even though he is embracing his child the idea that she is about to be killed by him makes him an ominous figure. These pictures seem to scream the difference between a loving God and a vengeful God. Jan Maestros Portrait of a scholar is different than the Portrait of Marie Ammonia y Pulls Morsels in a couple different ways. The first major difference is the size. The portrait of a scholar is not much bigger than a piece of paper while Marie Ammonia is the size Of a movie poster. This large size creates a heightened sense of importance. She is powerful, regal, and he is a commoner. One can tell that she is important as well by her attire. She is wearing lavish expensive clothing fit for a queen. The scholar is wearing traditional clothing and has a skull sitting next to him. Marie Ammonia is clean and in a way sterilized from traditional arming or other unfitting activities for someone of her status. Another notable difference between the paintings is simply the quality of the canvas itself. Portrait of a Scholar has a simple wood frame and the painting itself is cracking, Marie Ammonia is beautiful oil on canvas that is as flawless as she tries to be. Even the frame is a polished black that is more expensive than the one of the scholar, In Marias hand is a small elegant tan. The tan says to the viewer that this is not someone who does hard labor or for that matter the dishes. The skull in the Scholars hand implies that this is someone who is of lower class, and connects him to the dead by the juxtaposition of the skull next to him. These two portraits show two very different people. The next two paintings are the Denial of SST. Peter 1630 (Master Acorns), and Mythological figures in a landscape 1739 (Jacob De Wit). The element in these paintings that is most consistent is the lighting. They are both oil on canvas and about the same size, but the use Of lighting to highlight certain attributes Of the paintings is what jumps out. In the Denial of SST. Peter the womans face and peters face are noticeably brighter than the dark background. The roman soldier is dark except for a line down his right shoulder. Of which the meaning is unclear. In Mythological figures in a landscape the woman figure is lit up while the area around her gets steadily darker. She is literally a light, and brings life to those who surround her. She is placed in the center of two men just as the woman from the Denial of SST Peter, In her case she is trying to decide between the two men while the woman of SST Peter is trying to keep the vivo men apart.

Psychological Disorder †Bipolar

Manic-depressive disorder or bipolar disorder is a mental illness characterized by radical and unprecedented emotional changes. These mood changes swing from depressive lows to manic highs.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Psychological Disorder – Bipolar specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More People inflicted by this disorder generally encounter alternating episodes of depression and mania (Collingwood, 2010, Para. 2). National institute of mental health reported in 1991 that, in just the US alone, two million persons suffer from manic-depressive disorder causing the US to incur an expense of about $45 billion annually in diagnosis and subsequent treatment process. Unfortunately, the disorder’s diagnosis proves difficult due to the sophisticated nature of the disorder. Consequently, More often than not, the diagnosis experiences a delay of several years (Steger Kashdan, 2009, p.299). In the light of the quantification of repercussions of the disorder in monetary terms, its effects on individual or personal development and socialization remain worth noting. Socialization and Some Normal Socialization Processes Socialization entangles an active participation and being part of other people. Socialization is a process associated with some ardent steps that one must take to ensure that other people develop substantial trust in him/her so that they can confide in him/her. The other way round should also hold true for any group of people considered socially right. Some of the normal social behaviors include hanging out with friends, calling them up, joining similar or same clubs with friends among others (Elgie Morselli, 2007, p.145). This way, individuals can work actively towards some common goals and objectives, as spelt out by the membership groups to which they belong. The desire to socialize originates from an individual intrinsically. Therefore, for the socialization process to ta ke place, one must make personal decisions to identify oneself with a certain group. This can come through starting interactions with family members or even friends. Initiation of interactions is achievable for instance through inviting other people for chats, party or any other way of spending time together. One can also create personal profiles in social networks or join other hobby social networks. Participating in civic, religious, service and all sorts of community forums or even making personal introductions as much as possible to new neighbors and new people in general are all crucial catalysts of fostering socialization processes. Human development The word development is employed to describe some aspects of biological, physical, social and cognitive capacities growth throughout the entire human life. The scientific approach in human development attempts to unveil the reasons as to why people change throughout their life (Martin, 2010, Para. 11).Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The topic is important to many subjects such as anthropology, biology, history, education, psychology and more importantly, for this case health among others. Understanding emotional, social, personality, physical, Intellectual and perpetual human development processes from a health dimension is crucial since it provides a mechanism of identifying the causes and where possible the remedies of health problems can be determined. In relation to mental health problems, personality development is a crucial process. It encompasses complex mental traits, which direct individuals to act uniquely compared to all other people. During the developmental process, some of these factors may cause anxiety for instance by inculcating a feeling the desires of being more or less like one’s social group members despite different personal affiliations. Such a behavior is perceived as normal un til it becomes excessive to the extent that it can cause mental disorders such as bipolar disorder. Relationship between human development and socialization Factors such as cultural beliefs, emotions, and expectations among others play key roles in shaping an individual’s normal personality development. Majority of the influences of this growth in human beings are believed to be either genotypic or phenotypic. According to scholastic psychological studies, factors contributing to basic personality development such as emotional tone are attributable to heredity. On the other hand, beliefs, values and expectations are directly relatable to socialization particularly during childhood (Steger Kashdan, 2009, p.291). Some of the hereditary personality development factors greatly interact with the social environment to determine how one perceives himself or herself. For example, how a person perceives himself/herself is amicably dependent on how others see him/her, which again depe nds on the mental, and physical capabilities that have been genetically inherited (Collingwood, 2010, Para. 8). Evidently, the characteristics of human beings are rigidly tied together by the existing inseparable relationship between socialization and factors that foster human development. Effects of bipolar disorder on human development and socialization All strategies for initiating the socialization process demand an individual to have enthusiastic urge characterized by enormous desire to achieve results. Unfortunately, people with manic-depressive disorder have ‘nothing’ or ‘all’ behavior. During times of highs, those afflicted by the disorder, are more likely to socialize more and poorly during the times of lows. Since temporally relations are deemed to cause less benefits as opposed to deeper and caring relationships (Elgie Morselli, 2007, p.149), bipolar disorder impairs one’s capability to establish long lasting social relationships. On the other hand, bipolar disorder can affect the way one perceives herself or himself especially during periods of low self-esteem (‘nothing’ behavior period).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Psychological Disorder – Bipolar specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As Collingwood (2010) notes, bipolar disorder has the capacity to cause negative effects on the patients family, social life and work particularly during acute phases (Para.12). Having negative perceptions to the key spheres indentified above poses a mega challenge to personality development since the workmates, family members and social life members incredibly dictate this form of human development. References Collingwood, J. (2010). Working and Socializing Through Acute Health Episodes. Retrieved From  https://psychcentral.com/lib/working-and-socializing-through-acute-mental-health-episodes// Elgie, R., Morselli, P. (2007). Social Function ing In Bipolar Patients: The Perception and Perspective Of Patients, Relatives and Advocacy Organizations- A Review. Bipolar Disorders, 9 (2), pp. 144-157. Martin, H. (2010). The Processes of Human Development. Retrieved From  http://www.integralworld.net/martin03.html Steger, M., Kashdan, T. (2009). Depression and Everyday Social Activity, Belonging, and Well-Being. The Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56(1), pp. 289-300. This essay on Psychological Disorder – Bipolar was written and submitted by user Emmett Noble to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

5 Different Ways to Say To Leave in French

5 Different Ways to Say To Leave in French There are five different French verbs that mean to leave. They are  partir, sen aller, sortir, quitter,  and laisser. These words all have different meanings, so for a non-native speaker, it can be tricky to understand what verb to use in which context.   French Verb Partir Partir means to leave in a general sense. It is the opposite of arriver, which means to arrive.  Partir is an  intransitive verb, meaning it cannot be followed by a direct object; however, it may be followed by a preposition with an indefinite object, which in this case, will normally be the destination or point of departure. Here are some examples using conjugations of the verb  partir: Nous partons jeudi. Were leaving on Thursday.Ils partent de Paris. Theyre leaving (from) Paris.Je suis parti pour le Quà ©bec. I left for Quà ©bec.In addition, partir is a euphemism for death:Mon mari est parti. My husband passed away. French Verb Sen Aller Sen aller is more or less interchangeable with partir  but it has a slightly informal nuance of one  going away/off, such as leaving a job after retiring. It can also mean to retire or to die. Examples using conjugations of sen aller  are below: Ils sen vont Paris.  Theyre going away to ParisJe men vais, salut!  Im off, bye!Va ten!  Go away!  Mon pà ¨re vient de sen aller. My father just retired (or died, depending on the context of the sentence). French Verb Sortir Sortir means to go out, to get out of something, or to get something out. It is the opposite of entrer (to enter) and can be transitive or intransitive. A few examples of the use of  sortir  include: Je sors ce soir.  Im going out tonight.Tu dois sortir de leau.  You have to get out of the water.Nous allons sortir en bicyclette.  Were going out for a bike ride.Il doit sortir la voiture du garage.  He has to get the car out of the garage. French Verb Quitter Quitter means to leave someone or something. It is a transitive verb, meaning that it must be followed by a direct object. It often indicates a prolonged separation, which is illustrated in these examples: Ils quittent la France.  Theyre leaving France.Il quitte sa femme.  Hes leaving his wife. The only exception to the direct object rule is when youre talking on the phone, in which case you might say Ne quittez pas which translates to Dont hang up. French Verb Laisser Laisser means to leave something in the sense of not taking it with/for oneself. This word is also a transitive verb, so similar to with  quitter, you must have a direct object to complete its use. Jai laissà © mon sac chez Luc.  I left my bag at Lucs house.Laissez-moi du gà ¢teau!  Leave me some cake! (Leave some cake for me!) Laisser can also mean to leave someone alone. For example, if someone were to say Laissez-moi tranquille!   it would translate to Leave me alone! or Let me be!

English Spelling is Not Total Chaos

English Spelling is Not Total Chaos English Spelling is Not Total Chaos English Spelling is Not Total Chaos By Maeve Maddox Daniels recent fun spelling test got me thinking about English spelling. Google English spelling and youll get 23,300,000 hits. Visit a few of the sites and you will be told how ridiculous, crazy, outrageous, cruel, and in-need-of-reform is English orthography. English spelling is more complicated than that of some other languages, but its not total chaos. The strangest spellings are those of the commonest words, so practice soon familiarizes even young children with the most irregular forms. Overall, there are predictable patterns and rules to guide the spelling of most English words. It would be impossible to cover all the phonetic facts of English spelling in one article, so stand by for a sequence of articles (you can also check the spelling section on TeachingIdeas.co.uk, which sums up most of the rules). For starters, Id like to point out some aspects of the English alphabet that lead to misunderstandings about English orthography. The 26 letters of the English alphabet are insufficient to represent the 44 or so sounds used to speak the English language. Written English has compensated for this lack of letters by inventing extra letters to represent eight consonant sounds and seven vowel sounds that do not have letters of their own. For example, the combination sh does not represent the combined sounds of /s/ and /h/. The sound represented is /sh/, which is the sound heard at the beginning of the word ship. Written English has not just compensated, but overcompensated for its insufficient alphabet. Numerous alternate spellings exist to represent sounds already represented by letters or letter combinations. This overabundance of spellings is a result of Englishs unabashed habit of importing words from other languages. In many instances new words brought along the spelling conventions of the language of origin. Clearly English orthography requires more study than that of other modern languages. Keep in mind, however, that English grammar is simpler than most. You can use the time saved in studying the grammar to learn the spelling system! I hear a lot of people admit to being unable to spell as if it were a genetic defect. I suppose that in a tiny percentage of the population it may be. In general, however, poor spelling is the result of insufficient information. In sum: the English alphabet has 26 letters; spoken English uses 40+ speech sounds; written English makes use of 70 spelling symbols. English spelling is complex, but learning 70 phonograms (sound symbols) and a few rules is a small price to pay for the use of the enormous vocabulary of English. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Synonyms for â€Å"Leader†"Replacement for" and "replacement of"50+ Words That Describe Animals (Including Humans)

Ethics and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics and Leadership - Essay Example reporting relationship of the CECOs, as in to whom should they report, and that CECOs should be given the power to enforce the standards at all levels. Not only that but they should also â€Å"have direct, unfiltered access to the governing authority to solicit advice and receive information† (Kavanagh, 2007). The paper outlines the responsibilities that a CECO has in an organization s/he is assigned to, proposing that for a CECO to effectively do his/her job, it is essential that s/he be provided with adequate resources. The paper also remarks on the professional and personal skills, qualifications and characteristics that a CECO must possess to be successful at his/her job, also recommending that the CECO be made to continue his/her education and training. Ethics is basically a study of what is the right thing to do in any given situation and what is morally, not in a religious context, correct. It is to do something right. Leadership is also concerned with action, and effective leadership is where the leader guides his/her followers to the right path and, ultimately, towards success. In essence both ethics and leadership are intertwined in the sense that without ethics there is no effective leadership. There is a strong link between the two as it is often the leadership that comes from adhering to ethics that leads to success in any given situation in life, whether it is in a personal capacity or a professional

War and Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

War and Terrorism - Essay Example These are some of the factors that the US could have put into consideration before making the decision to get into war with these two countries. The decision to get into war in Afghanistan and Iraq was a reactionary move rather than one that was based on a plan. As a result, United States committed many mistakes which gave the enemies an upper hand in the fight. This explains the reason why there were very many casualties among the US soldiers, an aspect that was not anticipated when the decision was being made. After the September 11 attack, the US was under intense pressure to apprehend the people behind the attack (Boss, 2010). However, the planners never took into consideration the experience of the local fighters in the hostile terrain. Instead, they based their decision on the military power. Furthermore, the US used force rather than intelligence. This made it hard for the US to win the war in both countries. According to Just War Theory, taking human life is wrong and states have a duty to defend their citizens and justice. However, going to war against Iraq and Afghanistan was not the right thing because it led to a war of religions (Boss, 2010). It led to massive killing of innocent people especially women and children, an aspect that increased hatred between people emanating from different religious backgrounds. Initially, people used to exist freely without taking into consideration the religion affiliation of others. However, since the insurgence, the Muslims have taken it upon themselves to protect their religion. Although the war against the two countries was not meant to divide Christians and Muslims, the terrorist groups have been able to win the hearts of some of their fellow Muslim brothers and sisters. As a result, they have been able to use the religion issue to attract more followers and fighters to these groups. Therefore, poor planning by the US escalated the war, an asp ect that explains why the

The cult of Stalin Essay Example for Free

The cult of Stalin Essay Is there sufficient evidence in sources A to F to explain why there was an anti-war movement in the US during the late 1960s and early 1970s? The anti-war movement in the US during the late sixties and early seventies was a number of independent interests that had allied together, because of their common interest of being against the war in Vietnam. The types of people who protested varied greatly, such as people at college campuses, middle-class suburbs, labour unions, and government institutions, there were many different types of protest and many different reasons for people from all racial and cultural backgrounds protesting. Draft Burning was one important type of protest; this was done by thousands of conscript able men in the United States, to show to the American government that they werent going to go war in Vietnam. A Draft was the document that told Americans they had been conscripted to go and fight, many thousands of Americans would burn these in the streets as a protest to the Government against the war. There were hundreds street protests throughout the war by Americans from all walks of life, despite racial tensions blacks and whites and people from different classes banded together to show the authority what Americans really felt towards the war. There were also thousands of letters, phone calls and confrontations with the American Government to persuade them to stop the war. Many of the independent groups had their own reasons for disagreeing with the war in Vietnam, and so there is great depth to why an anti-war movement on such a scale began. One of the main reasons is the role of the media during the Vietnam War. Most homes in the sixties owned televisions and some even colour televisions, so the war could be seen by nearly all Americans daily. There were no restrictions on the media during Vietnam as there are today so shocking images and newsreel could be sent back home for Americans to see. Americans saw devastating images of dead Vietnamese, dead and injured American G. I. s, refugees, injured civilians etc. For example the My Lai Massacre on the 16th March 1968 horrified the world as people found that the Americans were the cause of a 350-500 casualty massacre of unarmed Vietnamese civilians. Adam Whybro The war was proving to be a heavy drain on manpower and casualties were starting to mount up. 562 men were killed in just one week during May 68 to add to the mounting casualties of thousands. The United States needed 33000 conscripts by 1965 to replace the dead and those who had finished their tour of duty. This generated a lot of opposition from men who did not want to fight resulting in the many draft burning protests that took place. Drafting caused large amounts of resentment between the social classes as white middle class men could easily be cleared, whilst ethnic minorities were drafted. The poor morale of American troops and of veterans fueled the anti-war movement leading to two big protests in Washington in 1967 and 1971 and a record amount of desertions, some 503,000 in 1966 alone. The American tactics being used and Guerrilla warfare lowered both American troops morale and that of Americans back home. The use of Napalm alone was strongly opposed and added to the destruction of rainforests and spraying of chemicals caused massive opposition to the tactics being used to win the war. Americans thought the war, which at the time was costing them $20 billion year, was weakening an already fragile and weak economy, and at the time the President Lynden Johnson had promised that he was going invigorate the economy and make it stronger. Johnson had also promised better health care, better housing, a better transport system and reducing the social divisions between Americans. The war took valuable funding and resources from these projects, resulting in more people showing their opposition to the war. The Black Civil Rights protests greatly backed up the anti-war movement, as they believed that mostly ethnic minorities were being drafted into the armed forces. Some of the higher officers were racially abusing some of the black soldiers, which caused lots of resentment between black and white soldiers in the American army. The black civil rights movement acted alongside the anti-war movement rather than being a direct consequence of the war, whereas the other reasons to why there was an anti-war movement are direct courses of the war, because they only came about during the Vietnam War. The sources A-F, do not explain all the reasons to why there was and anti-war movement, but they do help us to understand a few of the reasons why such a strong anti-war movement took place during the Vietnam Conflict. There was an anti-war movement due to the unrestricted role of the media which showed many disturbing pictures of the Vietnam Conflict, including both dead and dieing civilians and soldiers, horrific injuries such as napalm burns and destroying buildings. Sources B, C and E help us to understand the role of the media during the conflict. Source B is a famous photograph that shows children running followed by American soldiers and imparticular a naked girl running and screaming with severe, distressing napalm burns. This is a very distressing picture, which received extensive media coverage. This picture changed many peoples views on the war, mainly to anti-war, but what the image doesnt show us is that the US gave her medical treatment which she recovered from, and she is still alive today. The image does show the public how bad the war was though and the ineffectiveness of American tactics and the lack of care shown by the American military not to hit civilians. Adam Whybro In Source C the writer, Richard Hamer, tells us about a scenario where a US patrol is attacked by a mortar on a road between paddy fields containing Vietnamese civilians. Hamer describes the decision that many American soldiers must have faced when in Vietnam, whether the civilians attacked the patrol and whether to kill all of them or none of them. He gives the readers an insight into what it must be like to be an American soldier in Vietnam to everyone back in America. This shows how bad being a soldier was and to parents or close ones back in America of soldiers would have made them want the war to stop and to bring their sons home, heightening the anti-war movement. Hamer goes on to give the horrific details of the tactics used by the US during the war. He does not however inform us of the types of horrific tactics that the Vietcong Guerillas used, such as the horrific booby traps they set for American patrols, which is biased against the war. The American tactics were dammed by much of the world as they were deemed as harsh; this was brought about by the media. The Americans used chemicals to destroy rainforests around the Ho Chi Minh trail and villages like Napalm and Agent Orange, which still has an effect on the Vietnam life today! Each new generation still suffers from the chemicals used in the military campaigns by the Americans during Vietnam. Source E is an oral statement by Robin Day a BBC commentator who says that TV has changed American views on war more than anything else, to be more anti-war and anti-militarist. Day says now people all over the world can watch conflicts on television, whether in the future a democracy which has uninhibited television coverage in every home will ever be able to fight a war again, as the full brutality of war will be there in close-up and in colour. Day also says, Blood looks very red on the colour television screen. This source does not tell us anything about the war itself, or about the anti-war movement in America, but just how technology such as colour TVs have changed the war, and the views of the war by ordinary people. Source A is a written source from the book Four Hours in My Lai by Michael Bilton which attempts to explain why the United States suffered such high casualties throughout the war. Most soldiers were more likely to die in the first few months of their tour of duty than at any other point, because the soldiers were inexperienced and usually did not get on well with the platoons they were put into, which lowered morale. A lot of the new recruits were quite stupid, because of the need for replacement troops; the army overlooked the poor I. Q. scores of many men when they were conscripted. A lot of the new conscripts werent that clever as the men available for conscription in Universities could get out of it with studying by studying a degree. This source doesnt explain the anti-war movement; it just helps us to understand the effects of the tour of duty and the high casualty rate. The source is biased however as not everybody in the army scored a poor I. Q. and died within the first months of the year. In the late 60s early 70s President Lynden Johnson promised the American people he would make the American economy stronger. He said he was going to make a Great Society and he had a vision to feed and shelter the homeless to provide more education and better medical care. This didnt occur on as large a scale as was planned Adam Whybro as consequence of the Vietnam War, which upset a lot of lower class people. Source D is a cartoon published in the British magazine Punch in 1967, which represents the American economy at the time. The US economy is represented as a steam locomotive, and in the smoke coming from the funnel of the train it says Vietnam, as well as the cartoon indicating that Vietnam is destroying the US economy and all the resources are going to waste, it also represents due to the carriages being broken up which read Great Society to fuel the train, that the dream of the Great Society will never happen as the resources that were meant for it are being used to fuel the US economy for the war in Vietnam. The cartoon shows a lot of angry people, which represents some of the American people at the time, who must have thought President Johnson was lying to them and that services wouldnt get better. What the cartoon represents would have angered many Americans, especially the lower classes resulting in them supporting the anti-war movements, as they wanted funding putting back into improving their quality of life as had been promised. The cartoon does not show however how the war in Vietnam provided millions of jobs in arms factories and in the armed forces etc.to low paid or the unemployed which did boost the economy and reduce unemployment. The book We Were Soldiers Once and Young by Hal Moore and Joseph Galloway gives a good indication of the tactics used by the American military early in the Vietnam War. It gives an eye witness account of the helicopters tactics used, the air support, and the napalm attacks used by the American military. It also highlights why the Americans casualty lists were so high, as before Hal Moore went into battle in the Ia Drang Valley some of his trained men were taken away as their tour of duty had finished. During the battle a reporter takes pictures of the horrors of the battle, and at the end of the battle a helicopter full of reporters arrives to take pictures and interviews etc. The source gives a real life example of sources A and C which both contributed to the anti-war movement. The source is slightly biased as it was written by two Americans who were there and could have therefore changed slight details to put the Americans in a better light. Although the Sources do tell us a lot about the why the anti-war movement began they do not tell us everything. They do not tell us about the black civil rights movement which was happening at the time which acted along side the anti-war protests, because they thought that a lot of black people were being discriminated in the army and Johnsons promise which would have benefited many black Americans. The Sources do not tell us about the numerous student protests, especially the Kent-State-Protest in May 1970 where 4 students were killed by the national guard causing the start of 400 more protests. The sources dont highlight the number of cultural changes during the war, which sparked up. Many blacks werent granted places in universities and so it was harder for them to escape conscription. Therefore in 1967, 30 percent of black men who were the right age for the conscription were conscripted, whereas only 19 percent of whites were. There were many black protests and questions towards the government from black people included comments like why should we fight a war that we dont believe in? and why are we fighting for a country that refuses to give us basic human rights? Black opponents of the war were quick to point out that the Vietcong never called us nigger! Also in 1967, Martin Luther King, the best known of black civil rights campaigners, Adam Whybro spoke out against the war. A year later, King was assassinated by a white opponent of civil rights and there were hundreds of race riots all over the country. The sources are quite sufficient but they do not cover all explanations to why there was an anti-war movement in the US during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The best sources in my view are the picture of the Napalm Girl and source C, as both these two sources show us the violent tactics the American armed forces used in Vietnam and with the disregard for human lives they were used. The two sources persuaded a lot of people to go against the war and join the anti-war movement. I feel it was because both are media items which was the main factor in there being such a large anti-war movement in America.

Sirius Satellite Radio, Inc. :: Marketing Business Plan Essays

COMPANY BACKGROUND SIRIUS Satellite Radio was incorporated on May 17, 1990 as Satellite CD Radio Inc. On November 18th 1999 the company changed their name to SIRIUS Satellite Radio Inc, which is the name under which the FCC license to distribute satellite radio was given to. SIRIUS Satellite radio currently offers over 100 of music, news, sports, talk, entertainment, traffic, weather, and children’s programming to subscribers throughout the United States. Their primary source of revenue is through subscription fees, with most of their customers subscribing to SIRIUS Satellite Radio on either a monthly or a yearly basis. They also derive revenue from activation fees, advertising sales on non-music channels and the direct sale of SIRIUS radios, which are currently sold in over 6,500 retail locations around the nation. As of December 31, 2004, SIRIUS has had over 1.2 million subscribers and 375 employees. MARKETS The overall market for Sirius is any consumer that listens to the radio. The target market that Sirius is aiming for is the 100 million automobiles currently on the road today. Sirius only has to gain a small portion of this market to become a profitable company. COMPETITION Sirius faces competition for both listeners and advertising dollars. In addition to pre-recorded entertainment purchased or paying in cars, homes and using portable players, Sirius competes most directly with the following providers of radio or other audio services: XM Radio. Sirius’s direct competitor in satellite radio service is XM Radio, the only other FCC licensee for satellite radio service in the United States. XM Radio broadcasts certain programming that we do not offer. XM Radio service is also offered as an option on various car model brands, certain of which do not also offer SIRIUS radios. Traditional AM/FM Radio. Sirius’s competition also includes traditional AM/FM radio. Unlike SIRIUS radio, traditional AM/FM radio has had a well established market for its services for many years and generally offers free broadcast reception paid for by commercial advertising rather than by a subscription fee. Also, many radio stations offer information programming of a local nature, such as local news and sports, which Sirius does not offer as effectively as local radio. Some radio stations also have begun reducing the number of commercials per hour, expanding the range of music played on the air and experimenting with new formats in order to compete more directly with satellite radio services. Internet Radio and Downloading Devices. Internet radio broadcasts have no geographic limitations and can provide listeners with radio programming from around the country and the world.

Crisis Management 1: The Day After Tomorrow

There is probably no better movie in the world to look at crisis management and Hollywood’s lack of understanding than â€Å"The Day After Tomorrow†. This movie deals with a major catastrophic event worldwide and shows viewers the alleged reaction of the American government. Although it provides interesting drama for the movie, the way the American government reacts to the crisis is not only a poor example of crisis management, but also paints an unrealistic picture of the efficiency of the government and emergency responders. From the beginning, the movie is a bit preachy about the environment and the American government’s unwillingness to listen to the doomsayers about the coming crisis. No one from the vice president down wants to hear what the government employed climatologist has to say about the weather. The first problem with this is that the climatologist is even trying to report to the vice president. It is possible that in an extreme crisis situation, the chain of command might be broken to get more information quickly to decision-makers, but the main character does so before the crisis even hits the United States. If he had followed the chain of command, it seems more likely that crisis response teams could have begun developing scenarios for the crisis he was envisioning. Evaluating the crisis response in this movie in many ways comes down to evaluating the response to several major crises leading up to the huge global cooling event.   The first event that affects the United States is a huge weather system, so-called super storms which ground air traffic and begin causing flooding in Lower Manhattan.   At approximately the same time, we see a series of huge tornadoes devastate Los Angeles and then we see the President declare a national state of emergency. However, not a single one of these crises were handled in accordance with crisis management theory or crisis management reality as it exists today. First we will deal with the super storm and the subsequent plane crashes. The first evidence that we as viewer have of the increasing storm activity is on the flight of Jake Gyllenhaal’s character from Washington D.C. to New York for a scholar bowl competition. Sam, Gyllenhaal’s character, is supposed to be terrified of flying anyway, so when the plane hits turbulence the effect is supposed to be suspenseful. But from an emergency management point of view, it is evidence that the Federal Aviation Administration would have grounded flights long before the lightning got so bad that it was knocking planes out of the air. The movie claims several major plane crashes occur before the FAA can get planes out of the sky. This is just hogwash. After September 11, 2001, the FAA has procedures in place to scramble to get planes on the ground. Tiny airports dotting the countryside are equipped for emergency landings and after the turbulence on one flight was bad enough to activate oxygen masks, the FAA would have immediately grounded flights flying through that storm. The second major problem that the movie has with crisis management comes in the form of the flooding in Lower Manhattan. When the problem is simply a backed up sewer at a prep school, it is possible that the response would be to move the students to alternate locations in the city until the morning. However, these were high school children. There is no way that the school system would have allowed them to begin randomly moving around the city the next morning when the flooding had extended to the streets and made some roads and rail lines impassable. In addition, major flooding on an island like New York is a major crisis event. The movie depicted the beginning of the horror in New York City as just another rain storm and showed no evidence of a crisis response from city officials. Even if the sudden cold snap had been unpredictable, the rain forecast wasn’t and city officials and emergency personnel would have been preparing in one way or another before the freeze hit. This utter lack of regard for reality and crisis management strikes home again later in the movie when Sam and others have taken refuge in the library. For unknown reasons, the lone police officer in the bunch decides that it is better to encourage people to walk out of the city rather than stay in the relatively warm and dry library where they have shelter and some food. While not all police officers are trained to handle a serious crisis, the idea that this one encouraged people to give up shelter and food to being an unknown trek is completely against any crisis management theory taught in the world. He had no reason to believe that people would not be safe in the library and should have, would have kept them there. The response in Los Angeles to the tornadoes was also just ridiculous. The movie shows the country watching in horror as LA is destroyed, but no once do we hear the Federal Emergency Management Personnel begin mobilizing or calling their local counterparts or in any way reacting to the scene.   Given the nature of the disaster, FEMA officials should have been on the phone before the winds stopped mobilizing search and rescue teams immediately to secure the city and recovery teams should have been getting their alerts as well. Instead, the movie makes it appear that California was basically ignored as it was blown away. Finally, the real tragedy of the crisis approach in the movie is that the movie makers failed to realize that this type of national event would almost immediately result in martial law. Doctors would not be allowed to wait around at hospitals to see if their patients were evacuated and private ambulance companies would not be the ones emptying the hospitals of the transportable patients as the country was evacuated. And, the president would not be allowed to refuse to move out of his office. He would be taken into some kind of mobile command center, against his will if necessary, for the preservation of the country. Like any good â€Å"Die Hard† movie, â€Å"Die Hard with a Vengeance† involves bad guys and hostages. What makes this a classic crisis movie is the portion of the movie dealing with the hostages in a public elementary school in New York City. The basic plot of the movie is that Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson have to stop the bag guys and get the code to defuse the bomb in the school so that the hostages can get away.   The problem is that the bad guys have claimed that if they see anything indicating that the school is being evacuated they will use a remote detonator and set off the bomb as the children try to evacuate. This movie does some things right as far as crisis management theory goes. School personnel, including teachers, are enlisted to help emergency personnel devise a plan to evacuate the building and the bomb squad is brought in to attempt to find and defuse the bomb.   Then, it wanders away from reality and never finds its way back. Detective John McClain (Bruce Willis) runs into a father with two children at the school. Zeus Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) refuses to take no for an answer and insists on helping McClain find the bad guys. Wrong! One of the most important theories of crisis management is to minimize the risk.   The police would never let an untrained civilian get involved in the operation. If Mr. Carter insisted, he would be arrested and held until the crisis was over. The next step would be to remove the children from the location. Even though the bombers had threatened to detonate the bomb as soon as they saw any attempt to rescue the children, the first priority would have been to evacuate the children.   A large portion of crisis theory is risk management and despite the fact that we were dealing with children and the potential loss of life, those in charge of crisis management would have decided that it was better to attempt to get the children out of the building rather than leave them as sitting ducks for the bad guys to blow up at will.   The goal of the crisis management team would have been secure the building in any way possible and to prevent as much loss of life as possible. Though they would understand the potential for second guessing if something went wrong, they would have also seen the potential for the situation to simply get worse if the children were not immediately removed from the building.   While the idea of having the children sprint away from the building as fast as possible seems sound, the reality is that it would not have been tried as the potential for injury there would be great as well. Real crisis management teams would have figured out when the bomb was and gotten the children to the exits farthest from it and then attempted to put in some sort of blast shielding to minimize the danger while removing the children from the situation. Even more disturbing is the fact that the movie depicts the evacuation process as chaotic enough to allow two children to slip away from their teachers and law enforcement personnel to hide out in the school. In a real emergency, teachers would have checked and double-checked to make sure that every student was accounted for and emergency personnel would have been patrolling the building behind the evacuees to make certain that no one stayed behind. Finally, there was only a limited effort to control the news media. In a major crisis event of this type, cellular communication with the building would have been terminated in an effort to prevent word of the hostage crisis from reaching the media and in the event that the media were made aware of the crisis, strict controls would have been used to keep them quiet about the crisis, including blackmail. It is not unusual for crisis personnel to make it clear to the media in the midst of a crisis that cooperation during the crisis will lead to better access to stories once the crisis is over. And, the news media makes decisions daily when it weighs the public’s need to know against security. If the reporters were informed of the delicate nature of the situation and the potential for the loss of human life, most would have willingly gone along with a blackout of the event until after the children were safe. The problem is that real crisis management does not necessarily make for good drama. Though the conflicts in decision-making procedures exist, they are not open discussions that anyone can participate in. In a real emergency, the crisis management is left to the professionals. It’s too bad movies can’t seem to understand that. The beauty of the crisis situation in â€Å"Dawn of the Dead† is that the crisis appears quickly, but not instantly and it develops mostly over night. This crisis is also insidious in that people become infected and may not demonstrate their symptoms for several hours or even a day later. Worse yet, for crisis management teams, it is the worst type of crisis imaginable—the nature of the threat is unknown but rapidly spreading and the disbelief that we have trained into ourselves and our children works to prevent rapid response to the crisis. The plague causing the zombies in â€Å"Dawn of the Dead† has the ability to take hold and gain strength because the first few times that medical personnel run into it, they disbelieve what they are seeing. Though it is important for emergency personnel to be skeptical, they c=should be willing to act based on observable facts even when the facts make no sense. That is the major failing of the emergency response in this movie. Otherwise, the writers largely got it right. When it became clear that a major epidemic was facing the city, officials would first have warned people to remain in their homes and then, barring that would have set up emergency shelters. One of the good things about the use of emergency shelters in the movie is that they used traditional shelters like churches and a military base, an option that definitely would be considered in the event of a widespread event. The fact that before the emergency broadcasts end, they have contacted officials with the Centers for Disease Control and that the CDC is in charge on the event makes a great deal of sense. The only thing lacking would have been a stronger military presence on the streets once the state of emergency had been declared, but at least the movie attempts to explain this too when it mentions later on that the Army base has been overrun. Even more impressive than the outside response to the crisis, is the crisis management implementation that develops within the group of survivors. Though there is some initial posturing between the thief and the police officer, everyone quickly falls into roles appropriate to the situation and begins to work together to overcome their immediate needs: shelter that is safe from the threat. The opening scenes of the movie show people doing what is necessary to survive, even when it contradicts what it their normal behavior pattern, a classic observation of crisis theory. People will do what they need to do in order to survive. This is true in the killing of the zombies and even the decisions to flee their homes. Once they arrive at the mall, after the mall is secured and they have successfully risen up against the mall security guards, the group begins to settle into the realities of crisis management: they determine if they can meet their basic needs and then if there is an escape their condition. They put notes on the building roof to indicate the presence of survivors and they take up whatever pursuits help them get through the monotony of existence while the threat continues, including Steve’s incessant need for sex and the â€Å"games† of kill the zombie that they play from the mall rooftop. Finally, the group reaches the point where it must investigate the threat and determine how to handle it. The movie does a good job of showing the learning process and the impact of all the stresses on the psyche of the people involved.   The group determines to leave the mall when it becomes clear that they cannot live their indefinitely and then they begin a very crisis management approach to leaving, setting up supplies ad making their exit as defensible as possible.   The only failure in their crisis management theory is the lack of available information with regard to other safe havens. It proves to be their undoing. However, unlike the other movies I have reviewed, this one seemed to understand that theory. 1) Control or contain the threat 2) Seek Shelter 3)Seek other basic necessities. I think many other disaster movies would be more enjoyable if they could follow his pattern and stick to reality.

Marketing Strategy for Aston Martin Cars

A critical analysis of the Aston Motors company has showed that the company has a number of strengths that it can based on for its economic success. Some of these include the ability to produce very good quality of cars.This can be traced back to the company's excellent group of engineers who design and recommend the use of high quality materials for their newly designed models. It is also important to note that although the panel of engineers can recommend the best materials, it is the supplies department of the company that is actually responsible for this strength.Second, the company has a very good reputation in the market on which it can capitalize to win the customers amid a very competitive motor manufacturing industry.The company is very well known for producing cars that have severally won in motor sport competitions and which are known for their uniqueness in terms of quality and body as well as chassis designs.Another strength for this company emerges from this aspect of q uality expertise and a good capital base in that it has the capacity and potential to increase its designs and quality products.The brand name of Aston Motors company is Aston Motors and it is very much selling in the market. The company can also consider its reputable brand name as one of its major strengths because it can form a strong basis of the company's further expansion plans.Due to its powerful brand name, the company's branch based in south Africa realised annual sales that were about three times the number of cars it expected to sale. Specifically, it had predicted an annual sale of about forty cars in its first year since establishment in South Africa but it turned out that the actual sales were something to do with one hundred and fourteen cars (Bright 2007).Several weaknesses have also been identified in the Aston Motors company or in the way it makes its daily operations. First, the company was established to have poorly competed in the motor industry especially with when compared with some of the major industries in small car manufacturing.Second, the top management of the company has continuously neglected to address the needs of middle class population all over the world who form a sizeable potential market.Instead, it has chose to address the needs of a very thin segment of the society who are mainly the noble people, the celebrities and companies that sponsor motor sports when they need to buy cars for their candidates (Doolittle 2003). This has been perceived negatively by most people irrespective of race or geographical location.A close look at the history of the Aston Motors company shows that the company has not made faired well in terms of making profits out of its business operations. It is an historic trend that can be traced back to the first world war (Gartman 1994)..Although there are other small car manufacturing companies that have performed much worse than this, for example the Lotus motors, each company operates on its own and the performance of one company can not be a measure of how another is performing.Therefore the Aston Motors company should not use the failure of a few of it competitors as an excuse of its continues poor performance.

EPR Paradox in Physics - Definition and Explanation

EPR Paradox in Physics - Definition and Explanation The EPR paradox (or the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Paradox) is a thought experiment intended to demonstrate an inherent paradox in the early formulations of quantum theory. It is among the best-known examples of quantum entanglement. The paradox involves two particles that are entangled with each other according to quantum mechanics. Under the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, each particle is individually in an uncertain state until it is measured, at which point the state of that particle becomes certain. At that exact same moment, the other particles state also becomes certain. The reason that this is classified as a paradox is that it seemingly involves communication between the two particles at speeds greater than the speed of light, which is a conflict with Albert Einsteins theory of relativity. The Paradoxs Origin The paradox was the focal point of a heated debate between Einstein and Niels Bohr. Einstein was never comfortable with the quantum mechanics being developed by Bohr and his colleagues (based, ironically, on work started by Einstein). Together with his colleagues Boris Podolsky and Nathan Rosen, Einstein developed the EPR paradox as a way of showing that the theory was inconsistent with other known laws of physics. At the time, there was no real way to carry out the experiment, so it was just a thought experiment or gedankenexperiment. Several years later, the physicist David Bohm modified the EPR paradox example so that things were a bit clearer. (The original way the paradox was presented was somewhat confusing, even to professional physicists.) In the more popular Bohm formulation, an unstable spin 0 particle decays into two different particles, Particle A and Particle B, heading in opposite directions. Because the initial particle had spin 0, the sum of the two new particle spins must equal zero. If Particle A has spin 1/2, then Particle B must have spin -1/2 (and vice versa). Again, according to the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, until a measurement is made, neither particle has a definite state. They are both in a superposition of possible states, with an equal probability (in this case) of having a positive or negative spin. The Paradoxs Meaning There are two key points at work here which make this troubling: Quantum physics says that, until the moment of the measurement, the particles do not have a definite quantum spin but are in a superposition of possible states.As soon as we measure the spin of Particle A, we know for sure the value well get from measuring the spin of Particle B. If you measure Particle A, it seems like Particle As quantum spin gets set by the measurement, but somehow Particle B also instantly knows what spin it is supposed to take on. To Einstein, this was a clear violation of the theory of relativity. Hidden-Variables Theory No one ever really questioned the second point; the controversy lay entirely with the first point. Bohm and Einstein supported an alternative approach called the hidden-variables theory, which suggested that quantum mechanics was incomplete. In this viewpoint, there had to be some aspect of quantum mechanics that wasnt immediately obvious but which needed to be added into the theory to explain this sort of non-local effect. As an analogy, consider that you have two envelopes that each contain money. You have been told that one of them contains a $5 bill and the other contains a $10 bill. If you open one envelope and it contains a $5 bill, then you know for sure that the other envelope contains the $10 bill. The problem with this analogy is that quantum mechanics definitely doesnt appear to work this way. In the case of the money, each envelope contains a specific bill, even if I never get around to looking in them. Uncertainty in Quantum Mechanics The uncertainty in quantum mechanics doesnt just represent a lack of our knowledge but a fundamental lack of definite reality. Until the measurement is made, according to the Copenhagen interpretation, the particles are really in a superposition of all possible states (as in the case of the dead/alive cat in the Schroedingers Cat thought experiment). While most physicists would have preferred to have a universe with clearer rules, no one could figure out exactly what these hidden variables were or how they could be incorporated into the theory in a meaningful way. Bohr and others defended the standard Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, which continued to be supported by the experimental evidence. The explanation is that the wave function, which describes the superposition of possible quantum states, exists at all points simultaneously. The spin of Particle A and spin of Particle B are not independent quantities but are represented by the same term within the quantum physics equations. The instant that the measurement on Particle A is made, the entire wave function collapses into a single state. In this way, theres no distant communication taking place. Bells Theorem The major nail in the coffin of the hidden-variables theory came from the physicist John Stewart Bell, in what is known as Bells Theorem. He developed a series of inequalities (called Bell inequalities), which represent how measurements of the spin of Particle A and Particle B would distribute if they werent entangled. In experiment after experiment, the Bell inequalities are violated, meaning that quantum entanglement does seem to take place. Despite this evidence to the contrary, there are still some proponents of the hidden-variables theory, though this is mostly among amateur physicists rather than professionals. Edited by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

Barilla Spa Executive Summary

Distributors will provide actual sales data which will be the basis of forecasting and production thus increasing in efficiency in operation and alleviating stock out among distributors. JITD will lead to improved supplier-customer relationship which in the long run can be perceived as a win-win situation. Internal resistance coming from Sales and Marketing will be resolved by involving the top management and by presenting the benefits of the JITD in figures and by emphasizing that role of Sales team in JITD is of paramount to the implementation. External resistance will be combated by thorough discussion presenting the long term benefits of all parties involved. Implementation of JITD as soon as possible will position Barilla on even stronger pasta producer and will potentially increase growth rate of the company resulting from increased business efficiencies and reduced cost. Barilla can have a pilot run on the DO (Distribuzione Organizzata) where sales representatives functions are dominant, sales representatives are one of the key factors on the success of JITD implementation. Weekly meeting between Barilla and DO will have to take place for couple of months upon implementation to monitor its status. ISSUE IDENTIFICATION A. Immediate Issue Because Barilla is facing extreme variability in demand week by week which causes operational inefficiencies, high inventory and stock outs, Maggiali is fighting for the implementation of Just In Time Distribution (JITD) system despite of the internal objection from Sales and Marketing team and external resistance from distributors. B. Systemic Issues †¢Poor Forecasting system Nature: StrategicTiming: Short term Long term Most distributors like GDs and DOs check inventory levels and place orders with Barilla once per week using simple periodic review. They do not follow any forecasting model; they just do replenishment ordering without minimum/maximum quantity. Barilla has no visibility on actual data, their basis of production is per distributors’ information per week and this causes pressure on manufacturing distribution team of Barilla. Too many SKUs High level of inventory Nature: StrategicTiming: Long term Short term On dry products alone, Barilla offers 800 SKU. Pasta is made in 200 different shapes and sizes and has more than 470 packaged SKUs. Typically distributors carry 150SKU out of 800 SKUs Barilla leaving high inventory on the CDC. There is high level of inventory across the chain; overall there is about 2 months of inventory on the entire supply chain at any given time. †¢Frequent Trade Promotion leads to Bulk Ordering Nature: Tactical Timing: Short term Barilla has 10-12 canvass period which each corresponding to a promotional program. During the canvass distributor can buy as much as he wants in order to avail the promotion and this is welcomed by sales representatives because their incentive is dependent on achieving sales goal for that canvass period. Barilla also offers volume discount and transportation discount in full truck load order quantities. The situation leads to bulk ordering which causes demand fluctuation. †¢Long Lead time Nature: StrategicTiming: Long term and Short term Distributors place order to Barilla once per week only using simple periodic review system and lead time is eight to fourteen days, due to long lead time distributors either order high inventory or it results to stock out at distributor’s customer. ENVIRONMENTAL ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS Barilla is the largest manufacturer of pasta in the world, making 35% of all pasta sold in Italy and 22% of all pasta sold in Europe. However, Barilla suffers from Bullwhip effect due to huge variability in demand that resulted to operational inefficiencies such as increased cost on transportation, distribution inventory. stock out (see exhibit 1). On the production itself the set up are very specific, the company is incapable of meeting fluctuating demand because they consider sequential production to avoid huge set up cost. When demand fluctuates manufacturing and distribution team experience too much pressure. Barilla has complex distribution; presence of multiple intermediaries slows down the delivery lead time to ultimate customer. Carrying too much variety on dry products, 800 SKUs also leads to long production lead-time because they maintain sequence of production based on size and shape of pasta to reduce set up cost. Stock out occurs due to the fact that distributors maintain only 2 weeks inventory and delivery lead time from CDC is 8-14days. On table below it is evident that stock can happen in DC/DO level because 2 weeks delivery lead-time and maintaining 2 weeks inventory on the shelf. Price changes due to promotions and incentives cause demand fluctuation as well. Barilla has no visibility on what is happening in reality with the flow of their products in the market. Barilla lacks centralized information and sophisticated forecasting capability and because of this bullwhip effect occurs ( see exhibit 2). Due to severe fluctuation in demand Barilla is pushed to increase the buffer of finished goods to avoid stock out and this only means increase in raw materials inventory, carrying cost, transportation cost and production cost which is detrimental to the growth of the company. Since Barilla’s production is based on input of distributors, Barilla in the long run may lose the market share if distributors find that other brands are selling more and decide to carry competitor’s product instead. Lack of knowledge on the actual sales data on the market will have a negative effect on Barilla; it has to establish smooth business relationship with all the supply chain channels and not only with the distributors. . RECOMMENDATION From my overall analyses given the facts presented I strongly recommend to proceed with option number 1- to implement JITD. Reason is because thru JITD Barilla will have the centralized information and will have access to actual sales information which they will be using to plan procurement of raw materials, production, logistics , safety stock , inventory accordingly . Also, thru JITD Barilla will have a chance to establish good supplier-customer relationship with the distributors and even with the supermarkets, this is very critical in running successful business. Barilla will have the control of production and not based on the order of distributor. Ultimately Bullwhip effect will be managed. First phase would be to implement with the DO because of the presence of sales representatives on the area. It would be so much easier to implement the plan since sales representatives of Barilla often spends 90% of the time in DO. Barilla Spa Executive Summary Distributors will provide actual sales data which will be the basis of forecasting and production thus increasing in efficiency in operation and alleviating stock out among distributors. JITD will lead to improved supplier-customer relationship which in the long run can be perceived as a win-win situation. Internal resistance coming from Sales and Marketing will be resolved by involving the top management and by presenting the benefits of the JITD in figures and by emphasizing that role of Sales team in JITD is of paramount to the implementation. External resistance will be combated by thorough discussion presenting the long term benefits of all parties involved. Implementation of JITD as soon as possible will position Barilla on even stronger pasta producer and will potentially increase growth rate of the company resulting from increased business efficiencies and reduced cost. Barilla can have a pilot run on the DO (Distribuzione Organizzata) where sales representatives functions are dominant, sales representatives are one of the key factors on the success of JITD implementation. Weekly meeting between Barilla and DO will have to take place for couple of months upon implementation to monitor its status. ISSUE IDENTIFICATION A. Immediate Issue Because Barilla is facing extreme variability in demand week by week which causes operational inefficiencies, high inventory and stock outs, Maggiali is fighting for the implementation of Just In Time Distribution (JITD) system despite of the internal objection from Sales and Marketing team and external resistance from distributors. B. Systemic Issues †¢Poor Forecasting system Nature: StrategicTiming: Short term Long term Most distributors like GDs and DOs check inventory levels and place orders with Barilla once per week using simple periodic review. They do not follow any forecasting model; they just do replenishment ordering without minimum/maximum quantity. Barilla has no visibility on actual data, their basis of production is per distributors’ information per week and this causes pressure on manufacturing distribution team of Barilla. Too many SKUs High level of inventory Nature: StrategicTiming: Long term Short term On dry products alone, Barilla offers 800 SKU. Pasta is made in 200 different shapes and sizes and has more than 470 packaged SKUs. Typically distributors carry 150SKU out of 800 SKUs Barilla leaving high inventory on the CDC. There is high level of inventory across the chain; overall there is about 2 months of inventory on the entire supply chain at any given time. †¢Frequent Trade Promotion leads to Bulk Ordering Nature: Tactical Timing: Short term Barilla has 10-12 canvass period which each corresponding to a promotional program. During the canvass distributor can buy as much as he wants in order to avail the promotion and this is welcomed by sales representatives because their incentive is dependent on achieving sales goal for that canvass period. Barilla also offers volume discount and transportation discount in full truck load order quantities. The situation leads to bulk ordering which causes demand fluctuation. †¢Long Lead time Nature: StrategicTiming: Long term and Short term Distributors place order to Barilla once per week only using simple periodic review system and lead time is eight to fourteen days, due to long lead time distributors either order high inventory or it results to stock out at distributor’s customer. ENVIRONMENTAL ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS Barilla is the largest manufacturer of pasta in the world, making 35% of all pasta sold in Italy and 22% of all pasta sold in Europe. However, Barilla suffers from Bullwhip effect due to huge variability in demand that resulted to operational inefficiencies such as increased cost on transportation, distribution inventory. stock out (see exhibit 1). On the production itself the set up are very specific, the company is incapable of meeting fluctuating demand because they consider sequential production to avoid huge set up cost. When demand fluctuates manufacturing and distribution team experience too much pressure. Barilla has complex distribution; presence of multiple intermediaries slows down the delivery lead time to ultimate customer. Carrying too much variety on dry products, 800 SKUs also leads to long production lead-time because they maintain sequence of production based on size and shape of pasta to reduce set up cost. Stock out occurs due to the fact that distributors maintain only 2 weeks inventory and delivery lead time from CDC is 8-14days. On table below it is evident that stock can happen in DC/DO level because 2 weeks delivery lead-time and maintaining 2 weeks inventory on the shelf. Price changes due to promotions and incentives cause demand fluctuation as well. Barilla has no visibility on what is happening in reality with the flow of their products in the market. Barilla lacks centralized information and sophisticated forecasting capability and because of this bullwhip effect occurs ( see exhibit 2). Due to severe fluctuation in demand Barilla is pushed to increase the buffer of finished goods to avoid stock out and this only means increase in raw materials inventory, carrying cost, transportation cost and production cost which is detrimental to the growth of the company. Since Barilla’s production is based on input of distributors, Barilla in the long run may lose the market share if distributors find that other brands are selling more and decide to carry competitor’s product instead. Lack of knowledge on the actual sales data on the market will have a negative effect on Barilla; it has to establish smooth business relationship with all the supply chain channels and not only with the distributors. . RECOMMENDATION From my overall analyses given the facts presented I strongly recommend to proceed with option number 1- to implement JITD. Reason is because thru JITD Barilla will have the centralized information and will have access to actual sales information which they will be using to plan procurement of raw materials, production, logistics , safety stock , inventory accordingly . Also, thru JITD Barilla will have a chance to establish good supplier-customer relationship with the distributors and even with the supermarkets, this is very critical in running successful business. Barilla will have the control of production and not based on the order of distributor. Ultimately Bullwhip effect will be managed. First phase would be to implement with the DO because of the presence of sales representatives on the area. It would be so much easier to implement the plan since sales representatives of Barilla often spends 90% of the time in DO.

HR0376 - Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

HR0376 - Leadership - Essay Example For 18 years, I have been working as a soldier in the infantry as Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2). Based at Fort George, the Black Watch is the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) (Army 2011). Serving the Black Watch as a Company Sergeant Major, I handle a total of 120 soldiers under my command. To become successful in each of the military mission, the Army as a group needs good leadership. Considering my role and responsibilities as Company Sergeant Major, this report will focus on applying leadership theories, principles and techniques in my chosen profession. Prior to conclusion, factors that make a good leader will be thoroughly discussed. Application of Leadership Theories, Principles and Techniques in My Profession Leadership Definition Unlike the role of managers who are managing business organizations, leadership in military is not about organizational hierarchy, top-down management, or even the use of positional or authoritative power in terms of controll ing a group of soldiers. Likewise, it is a myth that military officers within the army is all about following the chain of command since soldiers who are in the military service treat one another as members of a large family. Even though effective commanders are expected to possess command skills and practice good leadership, the true concept of leadership is not about commanding a group of soldiers who are under the control of the commanders Yukl (2002, p. 2) defined leadership as â€Å"a process whereby intentional influence is exerted by one person over other people to guide, structure, and facilitate activities and relationships in a group or organization†. On the other hand, McNamara (2008) defined leadership as â€Å"a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent†. In relation to these definitions, Taylor, Rosenbach and Rosenbach (2009, p. 1) explained that ef fective leadership â€Å"is all about getting people to work together to make things happen that might not otherwise occur or to prevent things from happening that would ordinarily take place†. It simply means that effective military leaders include those individuals who are capable not only in influencing other soldiers to strictly follow what is being commanded to them but also motivate, inspire and empower a group of soldiers as unique individuals under my guidance. Formal and Informal Leadership Training As defined by Winstanley (2005), â€Å"a team is composed of a social unit or group of people who interact and communicate with each other and are willing to exert effort to seek common goals and objectives†. As a leader, I spend time and effort trying to motivate and inspire my soldiers to become achievers and self-directed. Because of my ability to develop a strong working relationship with them, I can easily work together with my subordinates as a team each time we need to complete a mission. According to Brungardt (1997), leadership can be taught either by receiving formal or informal leadership training. In line with this, formal leadership training program or seminars can be delivered within the four-corners of a classroom or inside an auditorium whereas informal leadership training program includes each person’s decision to read a book about leadership, leadership learned from on-the-job training activities, discussing the importance

Ways of Seeing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Ways of Seeing - Essay Example you agree with Berger that women, unlike men, are continually watching themselves being watched by others and making adjustments based on how they perceive that others see them? I think that Berger is right that many women watch themselves being watched by others and make adjustments in what can be seen because of the perceptions of others about them. Women do this because, as Berger correctly said, women are raised to become â€Å"women† according to how the public sees them, specifically, how men want to see them. As a result, many women want to be beautiful because this is what society says should be their primary goal in life- to be attractive so that they can be seen and be rewarded by men’s ownership of women. Third, what do you think Berger means when he says that "Nudity is a form of dress?" Here are some paintings of nudes, some of which he discusses in the book and some others that he does not discuss. As you look at these paintings, do you find yourself agreeing or disagreeing with him about the culture of nudity in Western civilization? ( the pictures that was mentioned in above will be uploaded) again provide a short paragraph please. Nudity is a form of a dress because it is a dress that men want to put on women, the dress of passivity and submission to male sexual desire. I agree with Berger that the culture of nudity in Western civilization is a process of telling women how they should act when they are seen by men. Nudity is not about women’s expression of their identities, including her sexuality. Nudity, as Berger shows, is a submission to men and their desires. Nude paintings are then in â€Å"languid† poses that are not about women actively showing their identity and sexuality, but women who are â€Å"available† to pleasure men. Nudity is about the culture of men who want to control women, not only sexually, but socially. Berger believes that art is valuable when it is original or unique. I believe that what gives art value is that is

People and Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

People and Organizations - Essay Example Assembly lines were dedicated to the production of a single thing, implying the development of dedicated machine tools and workers, operating individually rather than as a work team, were responsible for the performance of single tasks within the assembly process. The implication here is that the said philosophy is funding upon the division of a single project/process into its constituent elements and the total dedication of man and machine to the efficient and timely execution of those single tasks. The Fordist production system, as defined in the above, reduced the cost of automobile manufacturing by 90% and led to the evolution of mass production and the associate mass consumption, and consumer culture. Although incontrovertibly efficient, however, it was not flexible and led to the accumulation of significant inventories. This, however, does not imply that the Fordist system has passed out of existence since several of its elements have been integrated into contemporary organizations and management systems. These elements are lack of specialization, as in workers and employees being able to fulfill a number of tasks if and when required, control over the business processes, efficiency predicated on the division of single projects into its constituent parts, calculability, predictability and, importantly, the organization as an efficient machine. In the final analysis, therefore, while the Fordist system of production may have been replaced by others more compatible with current requirements and realities, its philosophical elements have survived and have been integrated into organizational management. II Despite their positive impact upon production and their contribution to the evolution of more efficient and effective organizations, Taylorism and Scientific Management were, as a result of the controversy they inspired, replaced by the human relations approach to management. Following a brief overview of both, the differences between the two approaches shall be elucidated. Scientific management adopts an objective, rational approach to organizational management, such as which decentralizes socio-cultural and human factors and considerations. This approach advocates the division of labor in the production process for the attainment of maximum productivity, even as it insists upon the separation of the physical from the mental tasks. The aforementioned practices are predicated on the belief that the work process is measurable, in that the componential elements of a single process can be quantified, just as the steps involved in the completion of each can be measured. The implication here is that through the rational quantification of work process steps, the calculation of the time it tales to complete each, the work process can evolve into a semi-automatic and highly efficient phenomenon. Scientific management, as may have been determined from the preceding, marginalizes the human factor, to the extent of rendering the work process an unthinking and routinised one wherein workers are isolated one from the other. Its focus on the rational, leading to its failure to acknowledge the human factor was a source of criticism and controversy. More importantly,

A Reality Check In Contemporary Indian Media Media Essay

A Reality Check In Contemporary Indian Media Media Essay The paper discusses the evolution of the Gatekeeping Model over the years and examines how the traditional roles of gatekeeping have witnessed a change. From editors and reporters, the news and information is now being filtered by corporate houses, sponsors, advertisers, politicians and in case of the social media, the audience themselves. The research also offers an overview of the trend of cross media ownership in India and how the sponsors are influencing the information carried where corporatization of the media has affected the flow of news. Besides, it also studies the idea of gatekeeping in India in the context of social networking where the users themselves are gatekeepers. The paper suggests that the traditional methods of gatekeeping have decayed and hence it should be understood in novel contexts keeping in mind the rapid growth of new technologies and different ways of mass communication. Keywords: Gatekeeping, Advertisers, Social media, Indian media. Which news is more valuable? Twenty one persons killed and dozens injured in train collision or The speeding train kills seven elephants. Most people would say both are equally important but the people who are actually involved in the process of news selection and placement will be holding a different view. One of the news stories will be given more value than the other and so would be placed accordingly in the news paper. One of them might take a position on the front page while the other might have to be satisfied by being on some inside page. Most of the times, the stories with comparatively less value might not even get a chance to be published if the space on the page is not enough. Everyday numerous events take place that need reporting but not all of them can be published in a news paper or be flashed on a TV screen or announced on a radio set. The idea of gatekeeping seems logical at first since there is a limitation of time and space in publications and channels and very sim ply put, not everything can be shown or published. Thus, some kind of filtration is but natural. However, there are conscious processes involved which decide what has to be transmitted and what has to be withheld. The earliest concept of gatekeeping has assigned this conscious role to the editors of media houses. Traditionally, such decisions were based on the principles of news value and making such decisions used to be the major task of a gatekeeper which was taken up by the editor of a news paper. Every story that used to enter the newsroom had to go through the scrutiny of the editor and only after the editor approves, it was allowed to be published. Hence, it can be said that an editor used to have the final say in what is to be sent to the readers and what not. Editor was the sole authority holding the gate through which the stories pass. The traditional theories and models on gatekeeping also laid emphasis on the importance of the role of an editor in the paradigm of news communication. The famous model of gate keeping given by D.M. White(1950) focused only on the role of an editor as the man who made decisions. However, his theory was criticized when the other factors influencing the decision started gaining recognition. The editors started losing their say in the news selection process as the media got locked into the power structure, and consequently as acting largely in tandem with the dominant institutions in society. The media thus reproduced the viewpoints of dominant institutions not as one among a number of alternative perspectives, but as the central and obvious or natural perspective (Curran et al, 1982). The element of biasness affects the information that is received by the reader. The editor is required to keep in mind a number of things other than the news value principles for letting a story be published. The flow of information is being regulated by the gatekeepers who are not directly involved in the news gathering process but are the managers and the owners of the media firms or the advertisers or other stake holders. Money and power are able to filter out the news fit to print, marginalize dissent, and allow the government and dominant private interests to get their messages across to the public (Herman and Chomsky, 1988). The political affiliation of a media outlet determines the ideology it would stand for and hence the gatekeeping will be done accordingly. The gatekeeper moulds the stories in a way that satisfy the interest of a political leader or a group and so changing the angle and slant of the real truth. Mass media content is influenced by media workers socialization and attitudes. Their professional training, personal and political attitudes and affiliations lead them to produce a social reality (Riaz, 2008). To a certain level, gatekeeping is very important for communication planning but as the news media has been overpowered by the top tier of corporate, it is becoming more of a negative term. Commercial advertising is the principal source of revenue for media and is very important for ensuring the survival of the media houses. In fact, the biggest regulators of the flow of information are the commercial organizations providing financial support to the media outlets in the form of advertisements. This has not only changed the nature of flow of news but also the entire set up of a news paper. Twenty five years ago, we could never imagine that first page of a newspaper in India would be full page advertisement. The news paper today looks more of a product catalogue than a news journal. On one hand, the globalization and liberalization provides a better scope of mediating while on the other it has given rise to commercialization of news. The profit making motive of the owners and publishers has led to backroom negotiation and encouraged payola which further leads to withholding of information and possibilities and hence preventing the readers from realizing the importance of truth in order to create the desired effect in the society. This can be easily related to agenda-setting. The gatekeeping today, is a vital part of the agenda-setting function of media as it is vastly used as a helping tool by the agenda setters. According to the agenda-setting theory, because of the fact of paying attention to some issues and neglecting and ignoring some others, the mass media will have an effect on public opinion (Riaz, 2008). For example, while watching a cricket match on television, one cannot watch the action taking place in the whole ground and also the spectators present in the pavilion from every angle at the same time. Even though today the information is coming from all corners, newspapers still remains as the top most trusted source in India and so the editorial decisions made in the dark without proper justification is not only an irresponsible act but also a corrupt practice. Keeping the gate is a serious responsibility and if the gatekeepers integrity is lost, the news paper too will loose its integrity. The gatekeeper has the power to forward the selected news items to the consumers. Therefore, the gatekeeper must have a moral justification of selecting a news story over the other because with power comes the accountability. News comes from the people and goes back to them. People are the ultimate source and the consumers of information. Hence, it is very important to ensure that the interests of the people are met. But the commercialization of media has led to conscious manipulations in sending back to the public what they are interested in and what can be discussed.Gatekeeping today can be called as one of the barriers to communication because the gatekeepers decide the nature of thoughts that will be created in the minds of the people and dictate what is worthy of the attention of the receiver. Here, one can raise an eyebrow and can ask for ones right to information. There has been numerous instances where biased gatekeeping created false or skewed notion of an institution, event or an individual. These will be discussed later in the paper.    Gatekeepers of news and information: The theoretical underpinning The gatekeepers model has been the bedrock of many communication studies in India and abroad and it has been the most debated theory as well. Communication scholars like Wilbur Schramm have outlined the basic tenets of the process of communication. A message is sent by a sender to a receiver through a channel and the receiver gives feedback making the communication process a dynamic and continuous one. However, the gatekeepers model has been seminal in the sense that it has identified influences of the institutional roles of editors on the information, especially information in news form, being passed on to readers, listeners and viewers. The evolution of the Gatekeepers theory has been charted by Chris Roberts, a Doctoral student at The University of South Carolina in a paper titled Communication Theory and Methodology Division Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication presented in August 2005 at Communication Theory and Methodology Division Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication San Antonio, Texas. Roberts has termed the concept as the vanilla ice cream of mass communication theory. He says- this is so since it may not be everyones favourite, but nearly everyone can tolerate it and while it may have an unremarkable flavour, it serves as a building block for other theory and methodological approaches. In post-war America in 1947, it was Prussian scholar Kurt Lewin who coined the term gatekeeping. He concluded in a study of sweetbreads on Iowa housewives that they are the gatekeepers who control what food enters the channels that ultimately bring it from the garden or super market into the household and onto the dining-room table. Each channel is walled into sections surrounded by gates the decision-making points that determine whether the food will enter the channel to start with, or move to the next section. But there are forces which exert pressure along the way to accept or reject food. He however added that the theory holds not only for food channels but also for the travelling of a news item through certain communication channels in a groupà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Lewin, 1947). It was in the same year 1947 that David Manning White decided to observe how an editor of a newspaper chooses or leaves out news. Aided by a telegraph wire editor Mr Gates for his study on a newspaper titled The Peoria Star, White proposed the flow of communication in 1950 which was later integrated into Lewins theory(Figure-I). The theory was published in Journalism Quarterly, 27. FIGURE I http://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Media,%20Culture%20and%20Society/gatekeeping.doc/gatekeeping-1.gif White suggested that a news source has several items some of which are filtered by the organizations editors who act as gatekeepers. The news that thus reaches the audience is selected consciously. However, editors can also publish only what is provided to them by the sources like news wires. This aspect was elaborated by Dr Walter Gieber in 1956 whose dissertation at the University of Wisconsin expanded Whites early study to 16 wire editors. Where Gieber differed from other scholars was that he gave equal importance to the processes surrounding the agents who act as gatekeepers. Chris Roberts outlines that in Giebers theory, these gatekeepers are passive and reactive, unable to do much to influence the copy they receive. A very key factor in the news flow process was overlooked by White which is the organizational influences like work culture, work routines and story deadlines which were also noted by Gieber. The Westley-MacLean model (Figure-II) introduced the idea of gatekeeper C and feedback between the three centres. According to them, C filters some component of the message which is being sent to B. But feedback between the sender and receiver remains all throughout. FIGURE II http://communicationtheory.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/westley-and-macLean%E2%80%99s-model-of-communication-diagram.jpg (Available at: http://communicationtheory.org/westley-and-maclean%E2%80%99s-model-of-communication/) Here, X1 and X2 are news items which reach the client A (media house, reporter) who passes it on to audience B. There is the intervention of C, a gatekeeper who can also receive some news directly (X3, X4). Westley and MacLean have suggested that communication begins when receivers start to give feedback (f) according to their own surroundings. This model was applicable for both interpersonal and mass communication and identified the very important element of feedback despite the presence of a gatekeeper. If we take an example from India, a newspaper reporter might get news and the editor might edit it before publishing. But whatever information reaches the audience is acted upon by them- the thriving Letters to the Editor section, especially in the Hindi press, being a good example of that. But if one talks about gatekeeping, it should be kept in mind that it is not only about the selection and presentation of news but also about gathering of news from various sources. J T McNelly(1959) focused not on editors but also on reporters, who according to him were the first of the multiple gatekeepers(Figure-III). According to him, news can be modified in different ways and by different authorities. FIGURE III C:UserssargamDesktopDocs n FilesThird SemDev CommShowcases-McNelly-and-News-Flow-4.jpg Available at http://www.alanmachinwork.net/Showcases The scenario in contemporary Indian media industry In terms of investment in men and machinery, the Indian media industry has become a corporate structure both in operation and management. And it has witnessed a definite transformation from a mission to a profession. Commercialization of media is almost complete and all sorts of manipulations are being used as are done in the case of product marketing. This has tremendous impact on gatekeeping functions also. It has given rise to many gatekeepers of news and information apart from traditional gatekeeper like editors. Today, there are different powerful gatekeepers who influence the media and their coverage because of either their economic clout or influence. Broadly speaking, the gatekeeping scenario in the Indian media has undergone a change due to three key factors, viz., Cross-media ownership, Corporatization of media, Popularization of social media. Gatekeeping in cross media ownership situation Post the reforms of 1991, the Indian economy has opened up many sectors for private entrepreneurial interest. Since the last two decades of liberalization, the phenomenon of concentration of wealth has been marring the economy. A 2009 study India 2039 an affluent society in one generation funded by the Asian Development Bank has shown that a handful of 50 people (50 billionaires in a country of more than 120 crore) controlled wealth equivalent to 20 per cent of Indias Gross Domestic Product(Available at: http://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/programs/ai/rti/international/laws_papers/india/india_2039_an_affluent_society_in_one_generation.pdf). The corporate world has been able to carve its own huge space in the economic domain of the country in a short span of time. This space has also in a sense intruded into the media in a hegemonic manner. Both in the print and electronic media, the corporate sector has become an investor and a power to reckon with. Quoting a research conducted by Dilip Mandal and R. Anuradha, that has been published in Media Ethics (Oxford University Press, 2011), Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, (member of the committee set up by the Press Council of India to check ethical and legal violations by the media) has elaborated how the boards of directors of a number of media companies now include (or have included in the past) representatives of big corporate entities that are advertisers(Guha Thakurta, Media Ownership Trends in India, The Hoot, July 3, 2012). The board of Jagran Publications has had the Managing Director (MD) of Pantaloon Retail, Kishore Biyani, McDonald Indias MD Vikram Bakshi, and leather-maker Mirza Internationals MD Rashid Mirza; besides the CEO of media consulting firm Lodestar Universal India, Shashidhar Sinha, and the chairman of the real estate firm JLL Meghraj, Anuj Puri. The board of directors of HT Media, publishers of Hindustan Times and Hindustan, has included the former chairman of Ernst You ng K. N. Memani and the chairman of ITC Limited Y C Deveshwar. Joint MD of Bharti Enterprise Rajan Bharti and MD of Anika International Anil Vig are a part of the TV Todays Board of Directors. The board of directors of DB Corp (that publishes the daily, Dainik Bhaskar) includes the head of Piramal Enterprises Group, Ajay Piramal, the MD of Warburg Pincus, Nitin Malhan, and the executive chairman of advertising firm Ogilvy Mather, Piyush Pandey. NDTVs Board of Directors has Pramod Bhasin, President and CEO of the countrys biggest business processing outsourcing company GenPact as a member of its board of directors. The idea behind giving such details is to show the constant overlapping of corporate and citizens interests. News and information published/broadcast was traditionally meant to inform, awaken or entertain people which now has become a tool for publicity, public relation, relationship management and veiled advertising for the corporate firms. They do so through having an i nterest in media houses via investment and ownership. As Guha Thakurta has said, Instead of media houses relying on advertisers to fund quality journalism, the relationship becomes insidiously reversed. Advertisers and corporate units begin to rely on news outlets to further their interests. In 2003, Bennett Coleman Company Limited (publishers of the Times of India and the Economic Times, among other publications) started a paid content service, which enabled them to charge advertisers for coverage of product launches or celebrity-related events. Radiagate and the control of information by the corporate media In late 2010, Open magazine published records of leaked telephonic conversation between corporate lobbyist Nira Radia and influential media persons, politicians and corporate houses which seem to point to a nexus between the three sectors in the appointment of ministers and in important corporate deals. Among the mainstream newspapers in India, newspapers The Hindu and The Pioneer were one of the first to publish the records and carry the story. However, a highly conscious process of selection went into the coverage of what came to be known as Radiagate. Many news publications and news channels did not carry the story at first and the tapes leaked were also allegedly selective. In an article Media ethics: Why we need both panic and a pinch of salt (Tehelka Magazine, Vol 7, Issue 48, Dated December 04, 2010), Shoma Chaudhary has pointed out how the media is under immense pressure while reporting a story. She says that one of the most damaging symptoms in Indian media today is its slav ish relationship with corporate power. Political misconduct is often brought to book, corporate crime almost never. Big business has its tentacles everywhere. Almost all the premier publications and channels The Times of India, Times Now, The Economic Times, CNBC etc come across as compromised in differing percentages, she has stressed. Therefore, even if the editors and reporters wish to play out the role of gatekeepers, they have corporate concerns in mind since the private sector has become a major source of revenue for the media houses. Prominent media houses have a diverse set of people with varying financial interests investing in them and thus proving to be a huge financial support which is how the corporate sector can also be considered a gatekeeper- a force that controls or influences the selection and consequent flow of information. Senior Associate Editor, The Hindu Business Line, Rasheeda Bhagat has discussed the media blackout of the issue pointing out that the TV cha nnels (employing journalists allegedly involved in the scandal) remained silent on the issue for long. (Those Living In Glass Houses, The Hindu Business Line, November 23, 2010). Though the print and electronic media tried to control the information, the traditional role of gatekeeping by the editors or even the new role of gatekeeping by the corporate sector eventually failed when it came to Radiagate. This was due to the alternative of social media which proved to be a powerful tool in mounting pressure on the government to start investigating in the 2G scandal. Face book and Twitter helped people to access opinions of fellow citizens and thinkers while the leaked tapes were also available online on video-sharing websites like YouTube. Advertorials have been another form of corporate intrusion into the business of news and information. They are actually advertisements furthering the commercial interests of a corporate house, a firm or an organisation presented in the manner of a piece of news or an editorial. Bart Pattyn (Media Ethics: Opening Social Dialogue, 2000) says that advertorials employ a language not directly persuasive but more oriented at conveying information about the product. Generally, the editor has no role to play while an advertorial is being carried since it is the advertising department of the media house which decides in this matter. While it is not illegal or unethical to publish or carry them, many experts feel that the concept of advertorials has made media houses compromise on their ethics since they try to avoid conflict of interest between them and the sponsors. The level of investment that the advertisers and sponsors have achieved indicates that they have become the main source of reve nue for media houses. However, Professor J. J. Soundararaj (Try Advertorial to Overcome the Challenges of Commercial Clutter, Excel International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies, Vol.1 Issue 2, November 2011) points out that advertorials are costly. Hence not all firms can afford them. Thus, it is the financially sound organisations that use this method of promotion. Hence, this can be another example of how the corporate sector is acting as a gatekeeper and controlling and selecting what information should reach an audience. Politicians as gatekeepers Several politicians in India today run a news channel or publication. Commenting on this trend, journalist Archna Shukla studies the case of Piccadilly Group, owned by Kartikeya Sharma which manages Hindi newspaper Aaj Samaj and runs news channels under the name of India News. (We also make TV news, The Indian Express, August 19, 2012). Sharma is the son of Congress leader Shri Vinod Sharma. It is said that Sharma senior took a vow to launch his own newspaper and TV channel after he felt that it was media activism that led to his son Manu Sharmas conviction in the Jessica Lal murder case of 1999, Shukla says. In the South India, AIADMKs J Jayalalitha owns Jaya TV while rival DMKs M Karunanidhi owns Kalaignar TV and his nephew Kalanidhi Maran owns Sun TV. Mediapersons have pointed out how they give favourable coverage to the political parties of their owners. Election Commission officials have said that they do not receive complaints about paid news in Tamil Nadu since the party affiliations are already clear. Even if the channels are not owned directly by the politicians, the evil of paid news has hit the Indian media showing how anyone with money can be a gatekeeper. Guha Thakurta has pointed out that many candidates have fixed rates in case they want a newspaper to impart favourable coverage during elections. There have been instances when even the government and its machinery have controlled the flow of information for safety and strategic purposes. Gatekeeping of information can also be beneficial in instances where the media goes overboard with reportage. During the coverage of the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, the editors at first went ahead with the complete coverage focusing only on Nariman House and Trident Hotel, completely sidelining the attack on Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. Television channels broadcast gory images and were also in competition with each other for exclusive footage which interfered with the ongoing army operations. The government and military authorities had to finally intervene to urge the media for a balance and controlled coverage. People as gatekeepers: The rise of social media It is very interesting to note that in areas untouched by technology (like many villages), the tradition of sitting together to discuss the days happenings is strong. Here, the better read people in the village or those who own a radio or television set can gatekeep and let out selective information to fellow villagers. Hence, the audience itself doubles up as a gatekeeper. The same phenomenon can be noticed in areas completely engulfed by technology. India has been witnessing a growing craze for social networking with more than 50 million Indians registered on leading networking site Facebook. The very idea of social media activities like chatting, posting and blogging is the concept of Freedom rather freedom from censorship. A blog is a free platform where people or bloggers themselves are gatekeepers who control information and decide what their fellow netizens will read. A tweet by a celebrity (as a note on social networking site Twitter is called) can be read by anybody followin g the celebrity. The followers can also comment on the tweets and there have been instances of uncontrollable and harsh commenting on scams and scandals on Twitter. Commenting on the social media scenario today, noted filmmaker Shekhar Kapur says: As Newspaper and Media empires fade, Gatekeepers as we know them, are being replaced by Platformers that enable communities to share ideas, thoughts, knowledge, news, between themselves at an unprecedented speeds, letting them transact   and exchange even real goods and services between themselves. Communities will now reject Gate Keepers that thrive on a system that tries to control that flow. Social networking has become a rage precisely because of the free flow of information it allows on an immediate basis. There is no editing authority which can delete or control what a user writes on several websites. As a result, one can also come across inappropriate content online showing how people themselves have the power to gatekeep and decide what can be filtered. In the wake of the recent misuse of social networking websites by groups trying to spread rumours regarding dangers to lives of the residents of the north-eastern states in India, Union Minister for Information Technology Kapil Sibal has called for some regulation to avoid such instances. As a result, a few websites have agreed to share user information with the government authorities. Conclusion The concept of gatekeeping in India has undergone a transformation due to the trend of cross-media ownership, corporatization of the media and increasing popularity of social networking websites. Consequently, the traditional role of gatekeeping by the editors or reporters are now being performed by sponsors and advertisers who influence content selection due to their economic clout and politicians who own news entities or have significant financial holdings in them. A platform where the audience itself can gatekeep is the arena of social networking where the absence of strong censorship allows users to generate the desired content and share it with fellow users. Examples include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Orkut and others. The Indian authorities have recently called for some kind of regulation in this arena to prevent the misuse of this platform. Disregarding the older concept of gatekeeping, it is now recognized that gatekeeping is exercised at almost every stage in the whole process communicating news. Earlier, due to the lack of space and time the editors used to leave out or ignore so many things but today, in the era of information over flow, the gatekeeping starts from the very first stage i.e. from the place of origin of event. The sources give some information and leave some and so the people who are the source of events act as a gatekeeper; a reporter is a gatekeeper as she might not send the full information to the newsroom or might send biased information and the chain goes on and stops back with the people as the consumers of the news by choosing what to consume and what to leave. So, the earlier notion of editors as the only gatekeeper is no more true. Some exogenous factors like pressure groups and flak (Herman and Chomsky, 1988) are also keeping the gates and mark their presence by pressurizing the media outlet s to stop certain information from being conveyed to the citizens. For an example, Salman Rushdies Satanic Verses received the highest level of criticism by the religious pressure group accusing Rushdie for blasphemy. This not just banned the readers to read this book but also did not allow Rushdie to openly address the public. Not allowing people equal access to information is also a form of gatekeeping. This creates information gap and disparity between the haves and the haves-not of knowledge. In a democratic set up like India, everyone should have the right to equal access to information. For example, the Internet service providers including both private and government provide higher speed at higher prices. Therefore, somebody who cannot afford higher prices cannot have the information. Similarly, the uploading speed provided is much less than the downloading speeds. This again acts as a gate for the citizen journalists who wish to share some important piece of information they have with the world. The power of gatekeepers seems to diminish in a modern information society. The Internet defies the whole notion of a gate and challenges the idea that journalists (or anyone else) can or should limit what passes through it (Shoemaker et al, 2001). The statement is an eye opener for many, who have still not r ealized the power of internet to control the information at various levels, and which is indeed proving out to be real in the current scenario. As after its unparalleled debut in the information sector, it has set a bench mark for its competition, and in a very short span, the internet became one of the most viewed and dependable source and controller of information, with a global consumer base at its disposal, and hence a very powerful gatekeeper.