Consumer Behavior Tv Advertising

Television advertisements are paid for by an organization (usually a business) to convey a message and to market or promote a specific product or service. These advertisements can range in length from a few seconds to several minutes and have been used since 1941. These advertisements usually get the prospected consumers' attention and often times persuade them to urchasing the product or service.This type of advertisement is in the form of entertainment and needs to be creative. Humor is one of the most widely used techniques in advertising around the world, with about one out of every five television ads containing humorous appeals, but do they actually get us to laugh or smile. Despite the wide array of contemporary advertising formats and media, television advertising remains the most dominant form to which typical consumers are exposed.Research on attitudes toward advertising in general (Att-AiG) implicitly assumes that the Att-AiG measure represents advertising as a whole. A ma jor finding of the current research is that consumers tend to have a mental representation, or exemplar, of the most typical type of advertising†television advertising†when they televtston advertising. To test for typicality effects on reported Att-AiG, we conducted an experiment to test that Att-AiG is closely related to attitudes toward television advertising (Att- TV, ereafter), because television advertising is activated when participants report their Att-AiG.he experiment was a one-factor-between-group design with seven groups: one control group and six experimental groups. A total of 134 undergraduate students from the same population as Study 1 participated in the experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the seven conditions. Gender was balanced. Advertising and marketing students were not included in the experiment.. Each of the 33 items was tested across the 7 conditions via ANOVA and post hoc ests.

Diego Rivera

Diego Rivera: â€Å"Detroit Industry† I was very intrigued by â€Å"Detroit Industry†, a massive mural painted by Mexican Muralist Diego Rivera. The artist depicts a part of history, considering both the working conditions within a major automobile factory of the era and a glimpse of social and political issues on the enormous mural. The â€Å"Detroit Industry† mural consists of twenty-seven panels, and stretches up to twenty-two feet high and seventy-three feet wide; which took eleven months to complete.I sensed life, energy and power as Rivera accomplishes the role as an artist by making brilliant decisions and choices. After analyzing the painting, I was able to depict the real meaning and made a real connection. The mural represents the engine and transmission production for the 1932 Ford V8 at the Ford River Rouge factory in Detroit, MI employing over 100,000 people. Diego Rivera seems to have allowed his fascination with the high production of the power of technology inspire his work. The meaning of the mural challenges society and stirs up controversy and raises issues of class and politics.Many people objected Rivera’s work as he painted workers of different races working side by side Even the commissioning of the artist caused a stir; which was financed by Henry Ford’s son, Edsel Ford. Plus the country was in the midst of the Great Depression and many questioned why a Mexican artist was chosen over an American artist. Today, a sign above the entrance of the Rivera Court reads â€Å"If we are proud of our city’s achievements, we should be proud of these paintings and not lose our heads over what Rivera is doing in Mexico today. †The inner workings of the Detroit Industry illustrate a story of a precise and organized production factory. He makes a point by pointing out the relation between man and machines. In the two big panels, the North and South Walls, Rivera portrays the Detroit industry. In the other two, the elements that make up our industrial development. The top of the side walls signifies the four races that have helped form the American culture. The North Wall has the Indian holding in her hands the iron and the copper elements forming in the earth underneath her, natural products important to the industry.On the right, the Black woman holds coal. The upper right and left panels represent man's technical knowledge. The right-hand panel shows the development and use of vaccines from cattle, sheep and horses. The left-hand panel shows scientist making poisonous gases for combat. The middle center represents the industry, men working together in the production and assembly of motors. The South Wall has the other two races. On the left, the White race, and on the right side the Indian race. They hold in their hands limestone and sand.At the left end is the demonstration of the production of pharmaceutical products. On the right side, chemicals are being made. In the main midd le panel, the final frame and body assembly. The giant press, which stamp out the cars’ bodies, resembles a robot. The West Wall carries the theme of transportation and mechanical power. The figures of birds and the motors of planes are seen on the top. On the side of the door, two long panels show tanks and turbines; which symbolize the making of steam power. Pictures of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison are painted at the foot of the turbines.At the top corners of the East Wall are two female figures which represent agriculture. In the middle panel, forms of animal and plant life, soil and fossils are shown. The artist accomplishes the role of a great artist through the choices and decisions he made while freely expressing the beauty of art and its components. The artist uses a unique representation of lines, form, space, balance, color and harmony. One of the many ways in which the artist uses lines in this mural is through the curves and angles of the panels.Also, the artist u ses a different variety of lines as the curves and angles turn into straight lines as well. The form of the â€Å"Detroit Industry† is a two-dimensional square structure, illustrated by real-life interpretations. The artist uses four walls to express his interpretations of the automobile force in Detroit. Space is demonstrated in the artist’s work as he divides the mural into four walls, the north wall, south wall, west wall, and east wall. A selection of hues is used in his work, which creatively blends in a harmonizing manner. In the first panel, harmony is revealed through the use of color.The artist uses light and dark to meet at the center with flourish. While the right panel can seem motionless, the right side of the panel indicates movement with the use of harmony. In conclusion, Diego Rivera is one of the greatest mural painters of all time. Rivera depicted the mass production industry, which made Detroit famous all over the world and contributed much to the we lfare of the country. I was truly inspired by the artist’s depiction of the automobile industry that created many opportunities for many races during the Great Depression.The artist uses the formal elements to create his artwork such as lines, form, shape, balance, color and harmony. The enormous mural that flow with intense decisions and choices can inspire many just as well as it inspires me. Different methods of art mean diverse things to different people. To me, Diego Rivera's mural, Detroit Industry, is truly an unusual painting. It helps me understand the struggle and the past of the city I call home, the Motor City. Sources: 1. Aquilar Diego Rivera Diego Rivera: â€Å"Detroit Industry† I was very intrigued by â€Å"Detroit Industry†, a massive mural painted by Mexican Muralist Diego Rivera. The artist depicts a part of history, considering both the working conditions within a major automobile factory of the era and a glimpse of social and political issues on the enormous mural. The â€Å"Detroit Industry† mural consists of twenty-seven panels, and stretches up to twenty-two feet high and seventy-three feet wide; which took eleven months to complete.I sensed life, energy and power as Rivera accomplishes the role as an artist by making brilliant decisions and choices. After analyzing the painting, I was able to depict the real meaning and made a real connection. The mural represents the engine and transmission production for the 1932 Ford V8 at the Ford River Rouge factory in Detroit, MI employing over 100,000 people. Diego Rivera seems to have allowed his fascination with the high production of the power of technology inspire his work. The meaning of the mural challenges society and stirs up controversy and raises issues of class and politics.Many people objected Rivera’s work as he painted workers of different races working side by side Even the commissioning of the artist caused a stir; which was financed by Henry Ford’s son, Edsel Ford. Plus the country was in the midst of the Great Depression and many questioned why a Mexican artist was chosen over an American artist. Today, a sign above the entrance of the Rivera Court reads â€Å"If we are proud of our city’s achievements, we should be proud of these paintings and not lose our heads over what Rivera is doing in Mexico today. †The inner workings of the Detroit Industry illustrate a story of a precise and organized production factory. He makes a point by pointing out the relation between man and machines. In the two big panels, the North and South Walls, Rivera portrays the Detroit industry. In the other two, the elements that make up our industrial development. The top of the side walls signifies the four races that have helped form the American culture. The North Wall has the Indian holding in her hands the iron and the copper elements forming in the earth underneath her, natural products important to the industry.On the right, the Black woman holds coal. The upper right and left panels represent man's technical knowledge. The right-hand panel shows the development and use of vaccines from cattle, sheep and horses. The left-hand panel shows scientist making poisonous gases for combat. The middle center represents the industry, men working together in the production and assembly of motors. The South Wall has the other two races. On the left, the White race, and on the right side the Indian race. They hold in their hands limestone and sand.At the left end is the demonstration of the production of pharmaceutical products. On the right side, chemicals are being made. In the main midd le panel, the final frame and body assembly. The giant press, which stamp out the cars’ bodies, resembles a robot. The West Wall carries the theme of transportation and mechanical power. The figures of birds and the motors of planes are seen on the top. On the side of the door, two long panels show tanks and turbines; which symbolize the making of steam power. Pictures of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison are painted at the foot of the turbines.At the top corners of the East Wall are two female figures which represent agriculture. In the middle panel, forms of animal and plant life, soil and fossils are shown. The artist accomplishes the role of a great artist through the choices and decisions he made while freely expressing the beauty of art and its components. The artist uses a unique representation of lines, form, space, balance, color and harmony. One of the many ways in which the artist uses lines in this mural is through the curves and angles of the panels.Also, the artist u ses a different variety of lines as the curves and angles turn into straight lines as well. The form of the â€Å"Detroit Industry† is a two-dimensional square structure, illustrated by real-life interpretations. The artist uses four walls to express his interpretations of the automobile force in Detroit. Space is demonstrated in the artist’s work as he divides the mural into four walls, the north wall, south wall, west wall, and east wall. A selection of hues is used in his work, which creatively blends in a harmonizing manner. In the first panel, harmony is revealed through the use of color.The artist uses light and dark to meet at the center with flourish. While the right panel can seem motionless, the right side of the panel indicates movement with the use of harmony. In conclusion, Diego Rivera is one of the greatest mural painters of all time. Rivera depicted the mass production industry, which made Detroit famous all over the world and contributed much to the we lfare of the country. I was truly inspired by the artist’s depiction of the automobile industry that created many opportunities for many races during the Great Depression.The artist uses the formal elements to create his artwork such as lines, form, shape, balance, color and harmony. The enormous mural that flow with intense decisions and choices can inspire many just as well as it inspires me. Different methods of art mean diverse things to different people. To me, Diego Rivera's mural, Detroit Industry, is truly an unusual painting. It helps me understand the struggle and the past of the city I call home, the Motor City. Sources: 1. Aquilar

Alcohol And Domestic Violence

Alcohol And Domestic Violence Essay Domestic ViolenceFound at the scene of the crime two dead bodies stabbed brutally, and leftto die at their house. This was the story that shocked the country in 1991. This was the start of the O.J. Simpson domestic abuse case that is still goingon today. Unfortunately events like this happen many times over everyday inmany setting all over the United states; however the victims of the other casesdont get nearly as much publicity. Some facts about domestic abuse:An average of nine out of 10 women have to be turned away from shelterson. The reason so few cases get assigned initially is the police usuallydont have enough officers to meet the demandAt the Portland Womens Crisis Line, where calls have doubled since thekillings of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman, they welcome the increasedattention. From July 19,through March 31, 1993 a total of 3,665 domestic violencecases were reviewed in Portland Oregon. Of those, only 281 cases resulted insome action taken against the accused abuser. Some of this is because there isnot enough police, but it is mostly because the abused person is scared. For the last six months of 1993 and the first three months of 1994Portland averaged about 1,000 calls each month or 12,000 calls a year. In January 1992, 30 criminal domestic violence complaints were issued. For January 1994, the number was more than 100. Nationally, estimates range from 2 to 4 million women assaults each year. Some studies show that 20 to 30 percent of all women who seek help athospital emergency rooms are there because of domestic violence. Kyra Woods never made it to the emergency room. Whoever killed her saw tothat. She suffered 13 stab wounds to the back five of them so violent the knifecame out the other side of her body. Woods mother, Mable, and two aunts wept quietly in a back row of thecourtroom as the prosecution argued against bail for Woods former boyfriendJackson. Rod Underhill, the prosecutor, painted a picture of domestic violence. He told of a dramatic moment after the killing, when Woods 4-year-old son,holding a teddy bear, re- enacted the attack. He put his hands around the neckof the bear and shook it, Underhill said. He began to pound it with a closedfist and slug it.Mable Woods said that her daughter never told her much about any abuse. Neighbors, however, told police of hearing the couple fight violently. Accordingto police reports, one neighbor said, They fought so hard the pictures on thewall shook back and forth.Jackson has pleaded innocent. His attorney, Angel Lopez, points out that nomurder weapon has been found. He said the account from the 4-year-old boy couldnot be matched with any others, and he pointed out inconsistencies in the boysstatements. Bail was denied. Jackson was accused of killing his former girlfriend, Kyra Woods, bystabbing her 13 times. His bail hearing normally would have merited littlepublic attention. What brought out the cameras and reporter was the Simpson case. Children are often the unseen victims of domestic abuse. they see oneof their parents being harmed and this leads to high stress. Boys tend to bemuch more hostile when raised in a broken home. They are also ten times morelikely to be abusive when they grow up. Girls raised in an abusive family tendto be very shy and afraid of boys. When they grow up they are 50 times morelikely to marry an abusive husband. READ: Gregorik Andras EssayThe effect of domestic abuse on society is negative, but unfortunatelyit does not get much publicity unless it involves a figure that is well knownsuch as O.J. Simpson. Another sad thing is that people often shrug off domesticabuse calling it a personal matter because they dont want to get involved orthey are afraid of what people will think about themSurvivors have found the emotional strength to break from their abusersthrough different means: a hot-line number remembered from a restroom wall, awallet card of crisis numbers from a pediatrician who would not overlook amothers black eye. A grown child begging her mother to fleeand a shelter withan open bed. The women, some with their identities changed to protect their privacy,talked about shame, guilt, fear of triggering even greater violence, low self-worth, isolation, embarrassment, numbing depression, concern for children,foiled escapes, a unrealistic sense of reality, a walking-on-eggshells existenceand, perhaps above all, an illogical hope that something would change. the abuser can make everything sound so good, says Florence A. Reid, 45,now living in transitional housing through Bradley- Angle House after 10 yearsin a violent marriage and another 13 year relationship, in an abusiverelationship both with men who were full of promises after the pummelings. Even now, 25 years later, after dozens of broken ribs, a broken jaw, pushesdownstairs, and out a car, and thrice-weekly bouts with her husband sometimesdrunk, sometimes soberkicking with his work boots as she lay on the floor;even now, Reid has pipe dreams of living happily with this teen-age love, ofsitting on a front porch and talking about the old days. Wouldnt that be nice? asks Reid. Just live a normal life with thefather of my children.The first time I tried leaving my husband was 1972. I took the kids to afriends house, she remembers. He found me and brought a gun with him. Ofcourse, I just went back.In 1992, after dozens of tries, Ruth left for the last time, with the helpof a daughter, and ended up at West Womens Childrens Shelter. Ruth, who now works part-time at a bank, sighs. I dont know. For years,my excuse was the kids. And of course, I realize that was probably the worstthing I did for them. And I always thought, Things will get better if I dothis.'Other women clung to similar fantasies, sure the goodness and charm wouldreturnif they could love him better, do everything right. When someone abusesanother person they often have a certain attitude such as thinking that it isthe abused persons fault and that they brought it upon themselves. extensivestudies have shown this. The abuser often blames the person who was abused fortheir troubles. Abusers often have a hard time communicating. Unfortunately theabuser is rarely gets action taken against them.But when they do it is oftenvery serious. The least that could happen is that the abuser gets a restrainingorder. In more serious cases there can be a number of penalties ranging fromshort prison term to a life sentence. This is the information that I found whenI looked up domestic abuse. As you can see some of these facts are rather grimbut people are becoming more open to ideas and people are reporting more thanever. I hope that this stops being the most un reported crime in the UnitedStates so that we can get the problem under control. BibliographyBreiner, S., Slaughter of the Innocents (1990);deMause, L., The History of Childhood (1988);Kempe, H., and Helfer, R., The Battered Child, 4th ed. (1987);Kempe, Ruth S. and C. Henry, Sexual Abuse of Children and Adolescents(1984);Moorehead, C., ed., Betrayal (1990); Wexler, R., Wounded Innocents(1990). READ: Chicano Migration EssayDomestic Abuse Metro Nashville Police Department Evaluation of theSurviving Together Support Group for Women and Children (Womens Group)For Health and Community Services July 1995 By Christine SziklaEASTWOOD, S. Parenting After The Violence in Parent Help Program: News Information Number 8, November 1992, The Australian Council for EducationalResearch Limited, Hawthorn: Victoria. (p.4)WARD, J. How to Research Community Issues: The Grounded CommunityDevelopment Research Method. Partnership Press in Association withDeakin University, Melbourne: 1993. Social Issues

Explain why contemporary cities are increasingly keen to develop their Essay

Explain why contemporary cities are increasingly keen to develop their roles as event hosts and evaluate the potential problems associated with this strategic objective - Essay Example For an event to be able to give a city the recognition it requires, it must be a big one that leaves a mark on the history of the world rather than just being a local event (Musgrave, 2009). As s result, many cities seek and strive to win the chance to host such big events. When a city wins the opportunity to host one of such big events, they stand a chance to benefit in the following ways; As Levy (1997) says, hosting a major event makes it possible for the city to increase its recognition in the global community of cities. Such events attract a lot of coverage by the international media not only during the time of the event but also during the preparation for the events. The preparation of the event can take years and during this time, the city gets coverage by international media such as CNN and this increases its visibility in the international arena. This visibility and recognition is important in many ways. For instance, it attracts a range of people from all over the world, both for short term stay and for long term stay. For short term visitors, this has short term economic benefits because these people have to bring in foreign exchange and also promote a number of businesses in the city. For long term visitors who end up going to stay in the city, the city will benefit from diversification of its population. In a global village, the need for a diversified comm unity in a city has advantages that go beyond economic measures and therefore cannot be measured. Sporting events, apart from increasing the profile of a city can also bring in long term economic benefits through increased foreign direct investments. Investors, if they think that the sporting event will be a good way to launch a business, may want to invest in the city (OECD, 2008). These investments may be such as hotels and other investments that the investors from outside the city may feel that the sporting event will crop up investments opportunities for. Apart from foreign

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 11

Case Study Example And through that, they would have flown to Australia to examine and evaluate the progress of the project. This would have brought the various issues and problems to bear earlier and action would have been taken to deal with issues and matters. After they got to 80% of the project and the issues came up, SCT should have sued DB for an order of specific performance. And this would have compelled DB to perform the contract according to the wishes of the court. This way, SCT would have had to prove to the court that there was an anticipatory breach. And this would have been sufficient to get DB to act in order to rectify the issues and matters and meet specifications. DB should have clarified their position and how to do things more critically from the onset. Things like stating specific performance guidelines and clarifying specifications of the products would have helped them. Also, DB should have used a better employee contract to bind employees to perform better and meet requirements better. Basically, there was a conflict of interest that existed in the action that they undertook. This is because in the normal sense, employees and parties on a contract need to remain faithful to the one employing them. However, in this case, they left their job in Singapore and provided a service to another party. This is an ethical breach that was against the independence and objectivity of the external contractors. Secondly, the contract of the nature of what they had with DB had either a direct or implied confidentiality rule. And clearly, these confidentiality rules were not adhered to. Finally, the disclosure of sensitive information for a one day â€Å"contract† can be said to be tantamount to leakage of information for a bribe because there was no job done except for the information they provided. DB can take action for a breach of contract against the two consultants. This is because there were implied and possible explicit rules on ethics that they should have

The Impact Of Global Warming On Developing Countries Essay

The Impact Of Global Warming On Developing Countries - Essay Example Global warming has been directly linked to increased emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases. The Earth is warmed by the radiant heat from the rays of the sun, which is generally equal to the amount of energy that is radiated back from the Earth in the form of infra red radiation. Thus the temperature of the Earth remains constant. However, the temperature of the Earth is directly dependent upon the composition of its atmosphere and when there is an excess of carbon dioxide and similar gases in the atmosphere, it blocks the infra red radiation from the surface of the Earth, trapping heat in the lower atmosphere and creating a "greenhouse effect" which increases global temperatures Rapid industrialization has resulted in increased energy use, with the resultant multiplication of carbon dioxide emissions. According to Roberts (2004), energy demand in countries like India, China and Brazil is developing so fast that it may double by 2020, while in the developed countries, the demand for power is fast outstripping supply, raising the specter of blackouts. In fact Roberts (2004) also points out that â€Å"China has seen dramatic increases in its energy consumption in recent years (pp. 143–145). In the words of one scientist; â€Å"China's rapid industrialization has led to upward revision of predictions... While previously we thought in terms of doubling the strength of the CO2 content of the pre industrial atmosphere, current thought is moving toward a tripling† (Broecker 1586).

Media Impact on People's Thoughts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Media Impact on People's Thoughts - Essay Example This was due to the largely favorable presentation of the war in the media, such as the images of Saddam’s statue being pulled down, and President Bush stepping off a plane to a banner proclaiming victory in Iraq. Selective reporting, biased reporting, or the manner in which certain issues are highlighted while others are glossed over can elevate or diminish the significance of an issue in the mind of the public. During the initial weeks of the war, there was widespread media coverage of President Bush giving pep talks at military locations and negative reaction to the war was sparingly reported. The opposition of France and other European countries to Iraq was sparingly reported while those in the Senate who opposed the war received no media coverage. The public also had the image of the prior Iraq war in mind, which was concluded quickly and painlessly and expected the second war to follow the same path. However, media images in America began to change as the war continued. For example, one local television news program aired a fifteen-minute segment each evening when it focused on the body of one dead soldier in a brief eulogy. The persistent images of dead American soldiers presented every night have subtly influenced public opinion so that the once favorable opinion of the public has been altered. By the end of 2003, polls were showing public support down to 50% from 70%. The impact of the images of the dead is evident from the words of former tanker Ed Collins, now 82, who says, â€Å"When is it going to stop? We’re losing a lot of youngsters.† The perception that lives are being lost is brought forcefully into the public consciousness through the personalized eulogy for each soldier presented in TV programs such as those mentioned above. According to polling experts, Americans are more sensitive to casualties in this Iraq war because they see no vital interests at stake to  justify the deaths which are taking place.  

Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management (Benchmark Essay

Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management (Benchmark Assessment) - Essay Example As O’Donnell and Bensky (2011) portray, the core focus is towards addressing the prevailing structural issues that have often hindered optimal outcomes. Optimal outcomes as I perceive, necessarily pertain to aspects such as better health care and lower medical cost/ expenditure. In line with this is the need of the nursing fraternity to aptly adapt to the expected dynamism within the healthcare system. Conformity subsequently necessitates various changes, in line with tackling influential structural issues like utility of contract medical employees, unit restructuring and foreclosure, nursing shortage and turnover rates, staffing ratios, magnet designation, patient satisfaction, and continuous improvement of quality healthcare provision (O’Donnell & Bensky, 2011). A critical issue amongst the aforementioned would be patient satisfaction in terms of overall treatment and positive result outcomes. Towards tactfully addressing this issue, is the need of overall conformity that necessitates a variety of changes. Definitively, the optimal course of direction is towards evolving healthcare into a more patient-centered profession. In such contexts, optimal healthcare ought to be responsive to and respective of personal preferences, needs and values of the individual patient. Through this, leadership and management can strategically strive towards ensuring that individual patient values do guide all forms of clinical decisions. Influential in this regard as Bohm (2012) alludes, is the fact that there has long lacked the incorporation of patient-centered care especially in terms of care quality assessments, as well as subsequent health outcomes. Rather, quality measurement has continuously focused on addressing preventive care and disease-specific processes instead. Similarly, outcome measurement continuously has focused on condition-specific indicators in terms of overall,

Enron Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Enron - Research Paper Example The company regularly featured into the most innovative firms categories across America (McLean & Elkind, 2003).   The first investigations was of their complex and private networking with off-shore partners and then into their accounting practices. Enron bankruptcy is also known as largest audit failure in the history of America. The bankruptcy further led to the Arthur Andersen’s dissolution, which at that time were world’s fifth largest accountancy and audit partnerships. Before Enron bankrupted in the year 2001, its annual revenues increased from around 9 billion dollars in 1995 to more than 100 billion dollars in 2000. The audit after the investigation revealed that the company’s financial conditions were covered largely by systematic, institutionalized as well as creatively planned ethical and accounting fraud (Deli & Gillan, 2000). Thomas (2002a) examined the drop of the stock prices of the firm, which was less than 1 dollar per share by 2001 from 90 dollars per share, before the investigation. It was also found that Enron revised its annual financial statements over the past five years in order to cover its 586 million dollar losses. It was declared bankrupt on 2nd December, 2001 (Bartlett & Glin ­ska, 2001). The current research paper will analyze the event’s details included conflicts in interests, management as well as accounting fraud. The analyzing will consist of both corporation’s perception and individual’s perception. The broader perspective of the research paper is to examine the scandal from multiple perspectives. The background of the paper has provided a summary of the scandal and situation of the company before and after the scandal. The paper will throw light on the business model that was implemented by Enron and culture, legal and moral implications of the business model that impacted the company in its later stages. Special light on the transformational and trait leadership in

Analyzing Stories Assignmrnt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyzing Stories Assignmrnt - Essay Example With the incessant teaching of Miss Moore about facts of life regarding the poor and the rich, Sugar, one of the students came to realize her point during this trip where she reckoned that not even all of their money for their food in year cannot be summed up to buy the toy boat they saw in the store. Although the storyteller was quite annoyed at the conversation, the irony in the story is expressed at the end where she turned out to be the more serious type of a person who was struck with the exchange of ideas. Sylvia decided to be alone so she could think about what happened through the day while Sugar who seemed to be more reflective, turned out to be more concerned of where they were going to spend the change of Miss Moore that she never asked. Most of the characters in the story are static, showing no change in their personalities. For instance, Mercedes presented herself to be the more affluent among them, telling them about what she has and what she could have if she asks her dad to buy things for her. Rosie Giraffe on the other hand has always been the troublemaker, being reckless in her actions and words, waiting for a chance to get to whoever gets caught in her trap. The same is true with the other minor characters that are not the focus in the story but seemed to have been used as standards to differentiate the other characters. Sugar is a flat character because although there was no change in her, there was a time in the story that she became reflective and showed signs of becoming a round character. However, the end of the story reveals that she did not seriously consider her thought that might have changed her life and character. On the hand, where Sugar left her reflections, the main character picked her senses. Sylvia is a dynamic character showing a change in behavior towards the end of the story, taking time to herself to reflect on the things that happened that day. She, from the beginning of the story showed

Global Warming Essay Example for Free

Global Warming Essay Global warming causes changes in the earth’s weather patterns that have disastrous effects. Global warming or anthropogenic global warming is defined as the gradual increase in the earth’s surface temperature. One of the major causes for this phenomenon has been attributed to the increase in the quantity of certain gases in the atmosphere that cause the greenhouse effect. The radiation received from the sun by the earth is retransmitted by the earth into space, but the wavelength of the retransmitted radiation is greater than that of the incident radiation. The gases present in the atmosphere absorb this radiation and this action results in increasing the earth’s temperature. Carbon dioxide is the predominant greenhouse gas. Some of the other greenhouse gases are water vapor, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, hydroflourocarbons, perfluorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons. Industrialization and deforestation are the chief factors that have caused this increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Further, the ever increasing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are modifying the composition of the atmosphere, thereby leading to global climatic changes. For instance, the period 1995 to 2006, was witness to the warmest atmospheric temperatures. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or the IPCC had estimated in the year 2001 that the linear warming trend from 1906 to 2005 of 0. 74? C was higher than the corresponding trend for the period from 1901 to 2000 when it was only 0. 6? C (Webb, Barlow, Whetton, May 2007). Moreover, the increase in global temperatures has wrought widespread climatic changes. The melting of glaciers and ice deposits near the poles and the thermal expansion of the oceans has brought about an increase in the sea level. Heavy rains are being caused due to the changes in the patterns of precipitation and an increase in the number of hurricanes was observed. In addition, an increase occurred in the average intensity and duration of these hurricanes, due to the correlation of hurricanes with the surface temperatures of the tropical seas. Furthermore, other natural catastrophes like floods, droughts, heat waves and tornadoes exhibited intensification in their duration and cycles. In addition, global warming causes changes in agricultural output, glacier movements and summer stream flows; and the extinction of certain species. Other concomitant causes are the spreading of infectious diseases like malaria. Scientists predict that the effects of global warming would last up to the year 2100 because carbon dioxide would persist from fifty to two hundred years (Cause and effect for global warming). Deforestation is one of the main reasons for the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, because trees convert most of the carbon dioxide to oxygen. In addition, burning of fossil fuels increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. For instance, in the year 1987 a large area of the Amazon rain forest was burned down and this burning released nearly five hundred tons of carbon dioxide into the earth’s atmosphere. Further the conflagrant of forests would result in a reduction of the number trees, which would increase the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and thereby enhance the greenhouse effect. Modern civilization entails the use of cars, power stations and industrialization, which are factors that contribute to global warming. The main contributors to this process of global warming are the United States, the European counties and China (Global Warming). In addition to carbon dioxide, which comprises more than half of the greenhouse gases, there are other gases that also contribute to the greenhouse effect. Methane is released due to activities like coal mining, oil excavations and the burning of fossil fuels. Agriculture is the chief contributor of methane and cattle emit methane into the atmosphere when they chew their food. As the world population increases, the activities of agriculture are also increased thereby the emissions of methane also increases. Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas that is emitted during the burning of fossil fuels. Chlorofluorocarbons are emitted by air conditioners, refrigerators and aerosols and their molecules are ten thousand times more effective in absorbing heat than carbon dioxide molecules. Moreover, they survive for a hundred and ten years in the atmosphere (Global Warming). Oceans absorb carbon dioxide, but when the oceans heat up their ability to absorb carbon dioxide diminishes. Moreover, methane, which is located in the ocean bed, is released due to the warming of the oceans. Global warming raises temperature levels and it has been observed that the temperature at poles rises more than that of other regions on the earth. This causes the melting of glaciers and ice at the poles, which would further raise the sea level. Occurrences of storms and hurricanes become more frequent due to global warming, because the heated oceans produce more water vapor. Continental farmlands suffer a greater depletion of water due to the heavy evaporation and there is decrease in the groundwater levels. These factors serve to increase the possibility of droughts. Due to the melting of the polar ice caps the sea level may rise by twenty to fifty centimeters by the year 2050, which would result in the inundation of the coastal areas (Global Warming). In order to overcome the problem of global warming it is essential to contain fossil fuel combustions, ban the use of CFCs completely and plant more trees. Energy conservation will help to diminish fossil fuel burning and efforts have to be made to find alternate transportation modes that will replace petrol and diesel fuelled cars. Moreover, cars that meet the eco friendly standards only should be manufactured. Deforestation should be completely stopped and afforestation should be initiated on a war footing. In the absence of such measures, the future of this planet is grim and life would be seriously endangered. References Cause and effect for global warming. (n. d. ). Retrieved September 9, 2007, from http://timeforchange. org/cause-and-effect-for-global-warming Global Warming. (n. d. ). Retrieved Septeber 9, 2007, from http://www. ypte. org. uk/docs/factsheets/env_facts/glob_warm. html Webb, L. , Barlow, S. , Whetton, P. (May 2007). Climate Change Raises the Heat on Wineries. Australasian Science , Vol. 28, Issue 4; Pg 20.

Using Perceptual Maps in Marketing Simulation Essay Example for Free

Using Perceptual Maps in Marketing Simulation Essay Throughout this paper the situation of Cruisers Thorr Motorcycles will be discussed along with suggestions and recommended solutions, and finally the results. Isolation and positioning of products or services will show in this paper. Additionally, it will debate how the product was affected in the simulation because of the product life cycle in marketing. The business of Thorr Motorcycles assembles about 200,000 bikes a year. The company is a five billion dollar very accomplished business. The company also manufactures leather goods, T-shirts, toys, and shoes. The high end of the company is the Cruiser Thorr. Although the industry in thriving, the Thorr Motorcycle sales are diminishing (University of Phoenix, 2011). One issue steaming from the decline in sales has to do with the targeted audience. Thorr Motorcycles have become an expensive and classic bike appealing more to the older 35 to 50 year-old age groups. Though the younger generations are interested it becomes less appealing because of the price. The younger generations do not have the income to purchase a Cruiser Thorr Motorcycle. Furthermore, it is important that the company carries on and is successful, so the market strategy must be altered. The company decides to implement a perpetual map in marketing to come to a decision whether or not they should reposition Cruiser Thorr or introduce RRoth motorcycle. RRoth is more affordable and a lower quality to attract the younger generation (Kotler P, n.d). At times in is not always necessary that the product fit the exact desires of the audiences that was targeted, but rather consumers perceives that it does. To be successful in this tactic the correct amount of advertising and putting out the right message are both essential to the marketing plan. When looking at different segments a product can tend to target just one segment specifically, or it can be planned to meet the attributes of several segments to an extent. When using the latter approach, it gives the opportunity to touch on different segments at the same time (University of Phoenix, 2011). This, of course, depends on the life cycle of the product and to decide the value of research and development and what the competition segments are doing. The first step in the simulation is to determine the market position of the Cruiser Thorr. The restrictions include creating the Perceptual Map in Marketing lifestyle image, price, service offerings, engine capacity, safety, product design and styling, quality engineering, and product uniqueness. In the motorcycle business the lifestyle imaging is of high importance for the older generations that are interested in the Thorr (Kotler P, n.d). This industry is based on how others perceive your style and imagining. Of course the consumers desire play and important part as well as the price. The appearance and the style of the product is what attract the potential consumer to the product. The build and functionality of the motor or engine capacity is of high importance to buyer also. The four essentials that were chosen to develop the perceptual map as product design and styling, services offering, quality engineering, and price. The second part of the simulation presented the option of repositioning the Cruiser Thorr or introducing a new product. The new product is different from Thorr in the aspect of attracting the younger generation with style and a low price to compete with the competition. The decision was made to introduce the RRoth motorcycle to target a new audience and increase sales. Next the marketing plan by splitting a budget into price, product, promotions, and services provided (Kotler P, n.d). Finally, analyzing and reviewing the results of the marketing strategy. This part was enjoyable because you get to see cause and effect and get feedback on the decisions that were made (University of Phoenix, 2011). The simulation was an effective and educational tool. It allowed the options of making a personal decision based on facts and background of a company. Than developing a marketing plan by choosing what you think would be most effective for the future of the company. The simulation demonstrated how to use the essential parameters needed to underline the position of a product in the market. References Kotler P, (n.d.). Developing a Positioning Strategy. Retrieved from: http://www.learningmarketing.net/positioning.htm The Product Lifecycle (2011). Net MBA. Retrieved from: http://www.netma.com/marketing/product/lifecycle/ University of Phoenix. (2013). SIMULATION: â€Å"Using Perceptual Maps in Marketing† Simulation. Retrieved from: University of Phoenix, MKT/421

Development of E-Recruitment Software

Development of E-Recruitment Software 3.7 Advantages Disadvantages of E-Recruitment There are many benefits both to the employers and the job seekers but the not also free from a few shortcomings. Some of the advantages and the disadvantages of e –Recruitment are as follows: Advantages of E-Recruitment (For the Proposed System) are: Lower costs to the organization. Also, posting jobs online is cheaper than advertising in the newspapers. No intermediaries. Reduction in the time for recruitment (over 60 percent of the hiring time). Facilitates the recruitment of right type of people with the required skills. Improved efficiency of recruitment Process Gives a 24*7 access to online collection of resumes. Online recruitment helps the organizations to weed out the unqualified candidates in an automated way. Recruitment websites also provide client companies with valuable data and information regarding the compensation offered by their competitors which helps the HR managers to take various HR decisions like promotions, salary trends in industry etc Disadvantages of E-Recruitment Apart from the earlier named benefits, e-recruitment has its own demerits/ disadvantages. Some of them are: Screening and checking the skill mapping and authenticity of millions of resumes is a problem and time consuming exercise for organizations. Internet access is yet to become a household need and not a want as there is still little or no awareness in many locations across Nigeria. In Nigeria, the employers and the employees still prefer a face-to-face interaction rather than sending e-mails. Other users can have access to the system provided he or she meets the pre condition Unacceptable changes can be made to any of the editable information details i.e. updating false records. Unauthorized staff are banned from getting access to the facility as the case may be ENTITY RELATIONSHIP DIAGRAM OF THE APPLICATION (ER DIAGRAM) DATABASE DESIGN FOR THE E-HIRING APPLICATION Chapter Four System DESIGN 4.1 System design is change from a user oriented document to programmers or data base personnel. The design is a solution on how to approach the creation of a new system. This is composed of several steps. It provides the understanding and procedural details necessary for implementing the system recommended in the feasibility study. Designing involves the logical and physical stages of development, logical designs reviews the present physical system, prepares input and output specification, details of implementation plan and prepare a logical design walkthrough. The database tables are designed by analyzing functions involved in the system and format of the fields is also designed. The fields in the database tables should define their role in the system. The unnecessary fields should be avoided because it affects the storage areas of the system. Then the design of the input and output screen should be made user friendly. The menu should be precise and compact. 4.2 ANALYSIS OF THE PROPOSED SYSTEM The newly designed system should improve the workability of the existing system. It would take care of the shortfalls i.e. problems encountered using the manual system of recruitment. It will have a self service module for the applicant’s registration. The proposed system will be user friendly which makes it easier, faster, and more reliable to use. For this project, the platform will have a web site which any user of internet can access. Once the applicants have registered they can send their details and the system will automatically store them in the respective fields. The user should be able to: Login to the system through the first page of application Centralize and automate administration of the application at the departmental level. Use self-service and self-guided services (applicants registration) Consolidate recruitment activities on a scalable web-based platform Support portability and standards Personalize content and enable exchange of applicants Manage applicants Handle applicant selection and sending of mails to successful applicants Display scores and transcripts 4.1 SOFTWARE DESIGN: ARCHITECTURE OF THE NEW SYSTEM In designing the software certain principles are followed: 1. Modularity and partitioning: Software is designed such that, each system should consist of a hierarchy of modules, partitioned to carry out specific functions. 2. Coupling: Modules should have little dependence on other modules of a system. 3. Cohesion: Modules should carry out a single processing function. 4. Shared use: Avoid duplication by allowing a single module to be called by others that need the function it provides. 4.2 PROCESS REQUIREMENTS USE-CASE MODELLING The main objective of constructing the requirements use-case model is to elicit and analyze requirements information which helps to prepare a model that communicates what is required from a user perspective but is free of specific details of how the system will be built and implemented. Cockburn, A (2001), notes that â€Å"a use case captures a contract, describes the system’s behavior under various conditions as the system responds to a request from one of its stakeholders†. In essence, a use case explains in a nut shell how a user (who can play a number of roles) interacts with the system under a specific set of circumstances. Pressman, S.R (2010), describes Use Case as how a user interacts with the system by defining the steps required to accomplish a specific goal. Using this approach will produce a more robust design that will be in three modules database, business logic and interface. The use of the waterfall system, RAD (rapid application development) with iterat ive and incremental development allows for the introduction of new requirements later in the project without seriously affecting the development of the final solution. The steps required to produce this model are the following: Identify business actors. Identify business requirement use cases. Construct use-case model diagram. Document business requirement use-case narratives. The project is expected to address the following areas:- Applicants Registration job category creation job Information Management Module shortlisted applicants Information Management Module The registration and management of the Company asset will contain the following unique information items: Name of applicants, Applicants details Application id, emails, discipline, job description grade ARCHITECTURE AND DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW SYSTEM Because the proposed system is web based and is going to be an ERP (enterprise Resource planning), application staff can Login at anywhere to gain access to the system. The graphical interface that would be adopted for this testing system is one whereby there is a comparison with the conventional login system where one user is permitted to login to the system at a time, multiple user login is impossible. The new system is more reliable and secure, and because it is a web based application, it can be deployed on the central server, where other work stations can be connected to it once they are on the network and users will be able to view the application. This explains the nature of the flexibility of the testing system to be developed. 4.5 INPUT DESIGN The applicant registration form will be designed such that it will include all information required about the staff job duties. The contents of this form will be similar to the hard copy form currently in use for staff appraisal A sample of some of the fields in the applicant Reg form interface is depicted below: CHAPTER FIVE: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT 5.1 PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION OVERVIEW The development of the recruitment (E-hiring) system for the HR department of Visafone Company is made up of three layers namely: The Interface Layers. The Middle tier Layers(Business Logic) The Database Structure(Housing the database tables and stored procedures) This n tier approach to the construction, design and implementation of the project is to ensure that the application is stable and consistent such that any changes on any of the layers will not affect the other layers. For instance, if the database is changed from Microsoft SQL to Oracle, all that needs to be done is a change in connection and not a change in the entire three tier application. The key called â€Å"HR† (located between the two ) is the connection string while the key â€Å"SMTP† is the server configuration that connects to the internal mail server to send mails. A Class (Human.cs) was created as a container for all the methods that will be used by the application because the concepts of object oriented programming was used. 5.1.1 HARDWARE Windows 7 operating system Visual studio embedded on Windows 7 operating system for development Laptop 60GB HDD 2GB RAM 5.1.2 SOFTWARE Visual studio 2010 C# programming language SQL 2008 server as back end database Microsoft Visio 2007 5.2IMPLEMENTATION PROCEDURE Implementation of the web based recruitment application (E-HIRING system) went through many stages which are: 5.2.1 Database Construction After the installation of Microsoft SQL 2008 server, a new database named HRManagement was created using the SQL Enterprise Manager. The database was constructed using the flowchart designed in the previous chapter such that columns and table attributes needed for the application were created. The following tables and their corresponding parameters were created for this database. tbl_vaccancy tbl_HR tbl_Applicant tbl_ApplicantRegistration tbl_event tbl_department tbl_interviewer tbl_RegisterUser tbl_AllRequest 5.2.2 Web server Configuration To configure the web server, Microsoft Internet Information Service (IIS) was installed on the machine to be used for hosting the web pages to be accessed. This is done by: Click Start – Click Control Panel – Click Add/Remove Program – Click Add/Remove Windows Component – Check Internet Information Service – Insert Windows XP CD – Click Next – Click Finish and Reboot the machine. Click Start – Right Click My Computer and Select Manage – Click Services and Application – Expand the Internet Information Services Icon – Expand Web sites – Right Click Default Web Site – Click on Properties and configure the parameters. 5.2.3Business layer Creation and Referencing After the installation of Microsoft Visual Studio 2003, the business layer (which has to do with the business logic behind the research project) was created using the namespace FIRSBusinessLayer and the Visual Studio application gives us the Microsoft.ApplicationBlock.Data which is used for the connection to the database. In order to make them usable, they were referenced in the application by doing the following: Start Visual Studio – Click on HRManagement – Click View and select Solution Explorer (which opens at the side of the page) – Right-click References under HRManagement and click Add Reference which opens the Add Reference box. Click on Projects button – double click the FIRSBusinessLayer and click ok to add the reference as shown below: Also double click on the Microsoft.ApplicationBlocks.data and click ok to reference it. A screenshot of the created methods and properties is shown below: 5.2.4Creation of Interfaces These were created as modules to give the various methods the expected parameters. Visual Studio was used for designing the interfaces using the control toolbox which consists of textbox, image, buttons and labels. The following interfaces were created and viewed using Windows Explorer: CHANGEPASSWORD.aspx createApplicant.aspx CreateChannelmanager.aspx RegisterUsers.aspx setupInterviewers.aspx aboutus.aspx AllallocatedApplicant.aspx AllRegsisteredApplicant.aspx StaffLogin.aspx careers.aspx HOME.aspx HRADminframe.aspx HRlogin.aspx HRmanagement.aspx HRrespond.aspx listofjobsforRRespondr.aspx RecoverPassword.aspx StaffLogin.aspx Under Set up folder createApplicant.aspx createDepartment.aspx createHRstaff.aspx CreateVacancy.aspx StaffLogin.aspx SearchAndRequstForApplicant.aspx SearchAndRequstForvaccancy.aspx SearchAndRequstForvaccancyByVcancyNo.aspx StatusOfApllicant.aspx 5.2.5Debugging the Application The debugging tool is used essentially for testing the application to see if the three tiers (i.e. the database structure, middle tier and Interface) are properly connected. The debugging tool was used severally to see if the application can compile, many errors were displayed and break points were created at suspected sources of error and they were corrected accordingly. To confirm that the application is error free, the following was done: Open the Project in Visual Studio (i.e. HRManagement in this case) and Click Build solution on the Build button. After successful compilation, it will show â€Å"Build Succeed, 0 Skipped, 0 failed†. See screenshot below: Home.aspx is configured as the start up page for the application and all pages are linked back to the main site by clicking the HOME button on page. To run the application, Click on the Debug button and Click Start, this opens the main site through the browser. 5.3 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS In order to effectively run this application, the required minimum hardware specifications are: Processor Speed: Pentium V, 1.4GHZ RAM Size: 512MB A USB port or CD Drive Display Settings: 1024X768 pixels Operating System: Windows XP, Windows 2000 or 2003 Server 5.5USER GUIDE/MANUAL This application is to be used by three groups of people namely: Registered users: These are registered users e.g. staff, interviewers, HR assistant, Admin. etc they can request, check Applicant status, and subsequently view and allocate applicants once they have been properly authenticated by the system. The Administrator manages the software application. He performs administrative tasks such as configuring the application to automatically send mails to selected applicants generate summarized reports and create personnel. He can also Create HR Managers, Create Registered Users and Create Interviewers etc. HR personnel: These are also the soul of the software they can see all Applicants application on the system, they can also authorize/select, delete, hire, they can also create other users in the system, can close vacancy, create applicant, create interviewers and allocate interviews. Applicants: This is the person that applies for a vacancy or one that has chosen to apply into the various jobs vacancies advertised. He uses the application by applying for the various openings, and when applied a reference number is generated .With the reference number he/she can check the status of its application .i.e. hired, rejected and if vacancy is still available. Once he has submitted its application into the system, he/she can also edit some of its profile. CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 6.1 ACHIEVEMENTS The following were achieved by the project: Uncover savings through business process improvement and support for strategic decision making Gained control of the Recruitment process Increased accountability to ensure compliance Enhanced performance of assets and the life cycle management Risk reduction through standardization and tracking, proper documentation, loss of records ,detection of employees records Align IT with business goals to support business decisions 6.2 LIMITATIONS AND CONSTRAINTS The limitations encountered in the course of this project are as follows: Because this project has to do with recruitments, the various security measures put in place by other companies visited and this made it difficult to get more information. No company wants to divulge its security information i.e. personnel records Limited materials available to specifically address the project goals Limited time to develop the application Lack of enough programming skills to come up with something better than this in terms of project delivery 6.3 AREAS OF FUTURE DEVELOPMENT While I believe a great work has been done in the development of an e-hiring recruitment processing systems for the HR department, the following still needs to be addressed: The system should be integrated with an SMS alert system using a third party provider system The application needs to be tested by so many users to ascertain its durability It database needs to be upgraded to SQL 2008 full version The system should provide high level-based approval process in order to improve security and hasten requisition process. It should provide capabilities to aid IT infrastructure staff knowing what IT assets they have, where they are and their status. Provide an avenue for easy IT Asset movement and assignment. An encryption algorithm was not used for the database as it’s not designed for commercial use and resident only on my system for project purposes. However the research work is open to further development by whoever deems it fit. 6.4 RECOMMENDATIONS Due to the deficiencies of the current method and the need to improve the method, there is a need for a web based recruitment processing system, that reduces or totally eliminates paper involvement, providing accurate inventory status report, ease decision making, and provides an avenue where by each IT asset can be tracked, assigned and re-assigned. 6.5 CONCLUSION It is expected that the E-hiring (Recruitment) system should help to increase productivity to the organization through sourcing for qualified job seekers. It should help eliminate the burden of space that is needed to store the hard copies of Cvs. Thus, different organizations (governmental and nongovernmental) are expected for source for candidates through the online requirement system. ORS should be the determinants of recruitment due to its benefits which has astounding advantages.

Pollution Essay: Responsibility of a Biological Superpower

Responsibility of a Biological Superpower Humanity has always been on a philosophical quest of self-exploration; we seek to define our place in the universe distinct from and yet intricately tied with the nature which bore us. Our relationship with nature, whether we are a gifted child, a final product, or an unrelated superpower, will guide our actions towards nature in all our environmental and psychological pursuits. With unprecedented free reign over other forms of life, the consequences of our actions are vitally significant to more than our own existence. As the only true biological superpower on mother earth, we must decide how to define our roles and how we will exercise our powers -- all life awaits the end of our deliberation. This is most certainly not to say we are beyond the reach of nature. Anyone observing the full force of mindless nature could attest to its fury. A fisherman caught in a storm or mountaineer spotting lightning and counting the seconds would take little comfort in our superiority. Similarly, we are not beyond the grasps of the food chain; many hunters abound from simple, witless swarms of leeches to great stalkers in the jungle. Humans, despite all our clever isolation, are certainly made of flesh that any carnivore is capable of appreciating. Despite these obvious limitations in our achievements -- society can hardly eradicate leeches, yet -- we have experienced a massive growth in influence. Native Americans were excellent hunters, but were no more unbalancing than nature's own pack hunters -- often they even used similar tactics. The land adapts, and thus an equilibrium was reached until Europeans showed up with drastic leaps in technology. Where before humans were arguably a natural... ...forethought can save resources and our sense of morality. Though nature does not lead debates on how best to juggle energy and morality, we can and, if we are to decide nature's fate, we should. We are nature's child, a final product of evolution, and we have now separated ourselves from the natural world; nature is in the hands of a rebellious superpower of its own making. Works Cited Crystal, Charlotte. "Biomedical Engineering Student Invents Mechanical Leech". U. Va News Services 23 Oct. 2002. 14 Dec. 2000 Pollan, Michael. "The Idea of a Garden." Reading the Environment. Ed. Melissa Walker New York: Norton, 1994, 191-201. Silko, Leslie Marmon. "Landscape, History, and the Pueblo Imagination." Halpern, Daniel and Dan Frank, eds. The Nature Reader. Hopewell, NJ: Ecco, 1996.

The Importance of Work-Life Initiatives Essay -- Human Resource Manage

Work causes stress. Both men and women are working, raising a family, and going to school. Previously, women in the work force would take demotions or walk away from careers when having children. Today, families rely on a dual income. With both parents working full time, while raising children, the relationship between work and home responsibilities are unbalanced. This unbalance creates stress for both the employee and the employer. Work-life balance is the need to provide a schedule that will combine work, family relationships, and leisure time into a satisfying life. Flexible work arrangements balance work and home responsibilities; which helps employees deal with stress, motivates them, and empowers. Organizations need to assess workplace culture and provide mechanisms to support work-life balance that are mutually beneficial to both the organization and the employee. Individuals each have unique responsibilities that define the meaning of work-life balance. Employees in the workforce that fulfill family and work commitments have achieved a sense of work-life balance ("The business imperative," 2009). The distinction between work and personal life used to be clear. Today, personal commitments suffer for lack of time and energy. Unfortunately, the demands of work outweigh the demands at home, because without work the home does not exist. The unbalanced work-life creates negative and disengaged employees. It costs the U.S. economy between $250 and $300 billion every year in lost productivity alone (Clifton & Rath, 2009). Organizations now realize their success directly relates to the moral of their employees. Organizations that demand complete loyalty and extensive overtime fi... ...ight%20q2%202009.pdf McMahon, C., & Pocock, B. Australian Government, EOWA. (2011). Doing things differently: Case studies of work-life innovation in six Australian workplaces. Retrieved from http://www.eowa.gov.au/Information_Centres/Resource_Centre/EOWA_Publications/University_of_SA_Case_Study/UniSA_Case%20Studies%20report_April2011.pdf Nixon, J. (n.d.). Work-life balance. In M. Simmering (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Business (2nd ed. pp. Tr-Z). Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Tr-Z/Work-Life-Balance.html SHRM. (2011). Shrm research spotlight: Flexible work arrangements. Retrieved from http://www.shrm.org/research/surveyfindings/documents/11-workflexflier_final_rev.pdf Yasbek, P. (2004), The business case for firm-level work-life balance policies: a review of the literature. Retrieved from http://w.iaa.govt.nz/PDFs/FirmLevelWLB.pdf The Importance of Work-Life Initiatives Essay -- Human Resource Manage Work causes stress. Both men and women are working, raising a family, and going to school. Previously, women in the work force would take demotions or walk away from careers when having children. Today, families rely on a dual income. With both parents working full time, while raising children, the relationship between work and home responsibilities are unbalanced. This unbalance creates stress for both the employee and the employer. Work-life balance is the need to provide a schedule that will combine work, family relationships, and leisure time into a satisfying life. Flexible work arrangements balance work and home responsibilities; which helps employees deal with stress, motivates them, and empowers. Organizations need to assess workplace culture and provide mechanisms to support work-life balance that are mutually beneficial to both the organization and the employee. Individuals each have unique responsibilities that define the meaning of work-life balance. Employees in the workforce that fulfill family and work commitments have achieved a sense of work-life balance ("The business imperative," 2009). The distinction between work and personal life used to be clear. Today, personal commitments suffer for lack of time and energy. Unfortunately, the demands of work outweigh the demands at home, because without work the home does not exist. The unbalanced work-life creates negative and disengaged employees. It costs the U.S. economy between $250 and $300 billion every year in lost productivity alone (Clifton & Rath, 2009). Organizations now realize their success directly relates to the moral of their employees. Organizations that demand complete loyalty and extensive overtime fi... ...ight%20q2%202009.pdf McMahon, C., & Pocock, B. Australian Government, EOWA. (2011). Doing things differently: Case studies of work-life innovation in six Australian workplaces. Retrieved from http://www.eowa.gov.au/Information_Centres/Resource_Centre/EOWA_Publications/University_of_SA_Case_Study/UniSA_Case%20Studies%20report_April2011.pdf Nixon, J. (n.d.). Work-life balance. In M. Simmering (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Business (2nd ed. pp. Tr-Z). Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Tr-Z/Work-Life-Balance.html SHRM. (2011). Shrm research spotlight: Flexible work arrangements. Retrieved from http://www.shrm.org/research/surveyfindings/documents/11-workflexflier_final_rev.pdf Yasbek, P. (2004), The business case for firm-level work-life balance policies: a review of the literature. Retrieved from http://w.iaa.govt.nz/PDFs/FirmLevelWLB.pdf

Brave New World :: essays research papers

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a novel that takes place in Utopia. Yet in this ideal place everyone is conditioned to be happy, it is a place where various things such as the arts are restricted so all people will be synchronized in thinking. Love and commitment does not exist but rather everyone belongs to everyone else. This place is also a place where soma holidays help people escape from their realities and never have its society feel any kind of distress or illness. This place was not Utopia to John â€Å"the Savage,† it was rather a place of hell and torment which none of the things he enjoyed and loved existed. In the novel, freedom of the individual will is one of the fundamental beliefs at the root of human ideals. While the environment or the public world (society) plays some part in forming the psyche of an individual, it is in the end, the choice of the individual (John) to be who they become The whole concept of Brave New World contradicts to everything John ever believed in. John came from a world where art and expression of variation from the society existed. People must face their problems and overcome them, and love requires commitment and is greatly appreciated. John was rather a Renaissance man trapped in a world where none of his necessities in life existed. He was disgusted at their orgy-porgies, their belief of take, take, take not give, give, give. Total happiness did not exist to John in a world which lacked expression of the arts. It was rather total torment. Throughout the novel John continues to fight and believe for what he believes in while the surrounding environment continues to pressure him and submerge him into Utopian ways of life. The conflicts which were faced upon his arrival were of devastation. His life grew lonelier and lonelier each day with his dissatisfaction with the crude nature and refined society of the Utopians. He was trapped in a tedious world where there was nothing to do. John symbolizes the artist or the believer striving for ecstasy. Yet in a world of synchronized life, lack of arts, unrequited love, and â€Å"runaways† it is impossible to find ecstasy. He finds nothing worth living for in the ordinary world and strongly regrets his leave of the reservation in coming to this â€Å"boring† world. Clearly he is the image of a man trying to liberate himself from his own egotism.

Policing in Kelsey Essay

The Police Department currently has an annual budget of $16,177,678. With the 15% budget cut, the mayor is requesting from the Police Department, that leaves a new annual budget of $14,235,356, a decrease of $1,941,322. The major change the will affect the fiscal cycle of this budget year is the decrease in the hiring of police officers. The City of Kelsey was in the process of hiring 10 new police officials to fill the 10 positions that were open, due to several retiring police officers and few police officers finding other employment. Now with the 15% budget cut, the City will not be filling those open positions, because saving the City $1,200,000. New maintenance and vehicle cost will also decrease, since not hiring the new officers. The last fiscal year the City manager allotted $150,000 for 5 new maintenance and vehicles cost for the hiring of the new police officers. As a budget director, I requested a 10% deduction through Police Union in wages or freeze the wages until the ne xt fiscal year, because saving $300,000. In addition, cutting 16 paid holidays a year will save the City a total of $400,000. The Police Union Committee advised the Union has only agreed to a 1% pay cut within the next fiscal year, which will save the City $30,000. The Committee has also agreed to 10 paid holidays a year instead of 16. This will save the City an annual $150,000 a year. The Chief of Police has agreed to cut the training by 80%. The City will save an annual budget of $125,000. With these cuts alone, the City will save $1,655,000 alone. Another proposal will cut community events/programs within the Since the City of Kelsey has an increase amount of criminal activity, it is the responsibility of the city to ensure that its citizens are safe. Kelsey should put this as the top  priority of every person on this board to ensure there is additional funding found so that additional police officer can be hired and trained. Police officers from lower crime areas can be moved to the higher crime areas but the police d epartment must ensure there is not an increase of crime in those areas with fewer police officers.

Slavery and Red Stick Creeks

Tale of Angola: Free Blacks, Red Stick Creeks, and International Intrigue in Spanish Southwest Florida, 1812-1821. Tale of Angola: Free Blacks, Red Stick Creeks, and International Intrigue in Spanish Southwest Florida, 1812-1821 by Canter Brown Jr. talks about the relationship between free blacks of Florida who were also known as the maroon people fighting a long with Red Stick Creeks Indians and international help against European men to keep the black people free.Also it talks about a piece of history in the state of Florida that no one knew anything about. With the help of these people the free blacks and some slaves were able to keep their freedom. Since there where not too many documented information much of the information comes from memories of past marooners or ancestors of those who knew the free blacks and/or the Red Stick Creeks. I think that this article gives a good examples on how black people and Indians fought together and formed military tactics to have the only slav e revolt in US history.According to article, Individuals who had arrived from the United States after the Revolutionary War who were unsuccessful of overthrowing Spain rule in the colony started the Patriot war of 1812-1814. The text states that in September 1812 Seminoles and blacks allied with Spain turned back a patriot advance only to run away when they thought that the white men would return. After hearing about the people called Angola which spread within the Spanish empire and also to the British, not only did These blacks also received help from Indians they also was helped by two British officers named Edward Nicolls and George Woodbine.These two men helped to created Florida’s second free- black refuge of the period and helped them bill a fortified outpost known as Negro Fort. These men and women got guns and weapons from the British and Spanish connections. They learned how to use them and the Indians knew the land so it was easy for them to escape capture. They la unched a series of diplomatic initiatives. In 1819 the Spanish tried to protect blacks and Indians by agreeing to the Adams-onis Treaty that transferred the colonies of east and west Florida to the united states by utting a certain language in the pact. Even though this did not work it showed that Spain was trying to use political power to help them. Also, many of times after these attacks on these people the ones who could get away to safety got picked up by fisherman and taken to the Bahamas were British officials allowed them to stay. This was a good article to read because I don’t know too much about Florida’s history because I am not from here and I never heard of the Angola people.I found it interesting that British and the Spanish tried to help. I always wondered why slaves in America never tried to revolt against slavery cause the history I know only talks about certain people who tried to revolt. It was always made to believe that black slaves and Indians were to dum to from an army. Weather all this information is true or not because most of it is told from second hand stories and can not be accounted for, but I would like to believe that the natives did fight with the free blacks and slaves to save each other.Jackson, David H. , and Canter Brown. â€Å"Tale of Angola: Free Blacks, Red Stick Creeks, and International Intrigue in Spanish Southwest Florida, 1812-1821. † Go Sound the Trumpet! : Selections in Florida's African American History. Tampa, FL: University of Tampa for the Florida A & M University Dept. of History, Political Science/Public Administration, Geography, and African American Studies, 2005. 5-18. Print. Jessica Geralds AMH 2091. 7 Response Paper 1 09/11/2012

Rbs – Case Study Example

Case Study Example Section I: Summary of Background and Facts Reliance Baking Soda was discovered by James Stewart Augusta in 1915. He called it the â€Å"miracle compound. † It was founded to serve as a leavening agent in baked goods to let them rise properly. With the invent of self-rising flour and instant cake mixes, baking soda’s original use importance declined. With this decline, Stewart Corporation started promoting baking soda for a myriad of other uses, which include household cleaner, laundry aid, and deodorizer.Reliance baking soda holds a 70% market share. They produce three box sizes, 8oz, 1lb, and 5lbs. The 1lb box holds almost 50% of the sales volume. Reliance has excellent brand awareness and customer loyalty. Stewart Corporation is comprised of four divisions. Reliance Baking Soda (RBS) is in the household division. Anna Regnante was promoted Domestic Brand Director for RBS. She was placed in charge of increasing Reliance’s profit by 10% in 2008 . The Household Division is planning to introduce two new product launches in 2008.According to Chris Dale, Managing Director for Stewart’s Household Products Division, they need the incremental profit increase from RBS to â€Å"fund the marketing launch expenses for the new products. † (Quelch & Beckham, 2009, p1) Regnante needs to figure out how she can generate the required profit growth for the old-fashioned, mainstay product of baking soda. Section II: Statement of the core problems Regnante’s core problem is figuring out what marketing mix to use to increase Reliance Baking Soda’s profit by 10% in 2008. One of the main problems with RBS is the current lack of advertising.Regnante’s predecessor had cut the consumer promotion budget in half. Advertising is a key component in making sure the brand’s product is marketed to its consumers. RBS did not properly advertise the significance for what all baking soda could be used to do, which inc ludes outdoor cleaning, baby care, pet care, and a myriad of other things. RBS had established brand awareness and loyalty with customers; but, they needed to educate the customers and position the brand through advertisements which can give RBS more of a competitive advantage. Decreasing the amount of money allocated owards advertising was not a wise choice, especially, when the company needed to revamp how baking soda was marketed. The trade promotions were effective in moving the product; however, they accounted for around 73% of total sales. This led to the company only selling around 25% of RBS at regular prices, which could be leaving RBS a lot less profitable. The trade was overbuying during the promotional periods, which caused inconsistencies in regular purchasing patterns of the product. Another issue was with the cooperative advertising program.Regnante was concerned that RBS was not getting sufficient advertising in exchange for the trade promotions. In fact, she found t hat â€Å"Advertising trade support for RBS is much lower than our branded competitors. †(Quelch & Beckham, 2009, p. 5) RBS also rarely advertised in retail stores, magazines, or television commercials. If RBS was more diverse with advertising, then, they would be able to capture their target audience in other ways. Section III: Secondary Problems Reliance Baking Soda lacked in providing different promotional discounts to grocery stores.By not providing promotional discounts for grocery stores, the store managers did not have a creative way to attract customers into the store to purchase baking soda. Grocery store chains thought that the Reliance Baking Soda needed to market their products better because baking soda was a boring product. Reliance Baking Soda does not manufacture for private label brands. Therefore, their market share decreased. This lack of going after the private label market has caused the RBS to lose 5% of its market share to private label brands.Reliance Baking Soda was the market leader, so, if they were able to manufacture private labels brands they would have not loss 5% market share; and its overall market share could have increase. Also, a problem existed with trade promotion events due to the fact that the company did not negotiate or set a price with the trade on what to sale its products for when they were purchased during a trade promotion. By not having set promotional retail prices, the trade was allowed to stock up on inventory at reduced prices. They did not have to extend the savings to the consumer.This ultimately caused a loss in profit for RBS. To make matters worse, these trade promotions often overlapped with consumer promotions. Therefore, it is hard to tell what the actual real incremental profits for the promotions were. Section IV: Constraints and Limitations Besides the problems listed in the above sections, Reliance Baking Soda is constrained and limited by the fact that baking soda is in the mature part of its life cycle. When a product reaches maturity, there is no room for traditional growth. The product must discover new uses.RBS is not a â€Å"wow† product that can be categorized as a necessity; therefore, it must be aggressive in its advertising in order to stimulate further purchase. The product was old-fashioned and needed some ‘refurbishment’ to make it attractive to the target market. The need for RBS nose-dived, following the introduction of self-rising flour and instant cake mixes. Naturally, it would be cheaper for bakeries to move to baking soda and reduce costs. This was a very big setback for RBS, as the market leader and the largest provider of the â€Å"miracle compound. Randall Todd, an Account Manager, for several of the major grocery chains, stated that even though the product was physically placed on the store shelves, it was not â€Å"visible† to the consumer. It was a very slow moving product, which needed â€Å"a lot of push marketi ng to stimulate trade interest. † (Quelch & Beckham, 2009, p. 2). Randall further observed that it was â€Å"not a natural traffic builder, it does not have high turnover, and it is boring. †(Quelch & Beckham, 2009, p. 2). RBS needed promotional methods which would turn the tide in their favor. According to Exhibit 3, RBS had â€Å"low advertising recall. There was greater need to refocus marketing communication efforts. Another limitation was the continual price increase for baking soda over the last 5 years. The price changes were not good because it had a negative impact on the numbers of cases that were shipped to the stores. This could lead to stores choosing a competitor’s brand or selling more of its private label brand. The final limitation is that RBS being a mature product is sold on the push system. The household sales force is paid based on quarterly sales quotas. This allows the sales staff to wait on trade promotions to sell the product.Therefore, they are not concerned with the day to day sales of RBS. Section V: Alternative Solutions Reliance Baking Soda must increase profit in its household division by 10% in 2008. In deciding how to do this, Regnante must decide what to do about the trade promotions, consumer promotions and advertising. Since baking soda is a mature product, a push system has been implemented at RBS using a quarterly quota system. In order to deal with the problem of 73% of factory shipments being sold using trade promotions, a new monthly quota system could be placed in service.This would make the sales force focus on selling baking soda all throughout the year, not just when promotions are in place. Another option is to totally revamp the co-op advertising reimbursement system. At this time retailers are not promoting the product with the same size ads of RBS’s competitors. RBS offers a 5% of invoice incentive for any ad. RBS should offer 50% of the ad cost up to a certain percentage of the invoi ce for a purchase made within 45 days of the ad. The ad also needs to be submitted for approval prior to the ad being placed.RBS needs to make sure that their co-op advertising plan states what an acceptable ad size is. This will encourage the retailers to do local advertising for RBS. The third option would be to increase the advertising and consumer promotions through event advertising. With this option, RBS could focus on important events like Earth Day. They could create a whole marketing campaign around this event and others like it. Another option would be to mount an internet campaign on the alternative uses of baking soda. This alternative would not involve huge cash outlays.RBS could create blogs on websites as well as have a complete interactive website devoted to helping the consumer understand the myriad of uses for baking soda. The final option is to focus on pushing the product through trade promotions. RBS could offer 10-15% off total invoice price several times durin g the year to make sure that our product is being shipped. With this increased trade promotion, RBS could list a lower suggested retail price on the promotional packages, so that stores will have to pass the savings along to their customers. This would alleviate the problem of purchasing simply to increase revenue.Section V: Implementation of Best Alternative The best solution is to take a holistic marketing approach and incorporate a marketing plan that uses trade promotions, consumer promotions and advertising in conjunction with one another. This approach should focus on event marketing for its major advertising expenditures. One such event that lends itself to the promotion of the different uses for baking soda is Earth Day. With more and more of the American population focusing on Eco-friendly products, RBS can showcase baking soda as being a one stop wonder.RBS should partner with Earth Day events and hand out 2oz samples with pamphlets on how baking soda is an environmentally safe cleaning agent. It should list all of the possible uses of the eco-friendly baking soda. The pamphlet could, also, reference RBS’s Eco-pack, which will include a $1. 00 off rebate. RBS can package 1 lb boxes of baking soda in twin packs called Eco-packs. The packaging should have new ideas of how to use baking soda in environmental friendly ways. Since this is a special packaging product, RBS should offer a trade promotion on the twin pack only for the six weeks starting the first of March.This promotion should consist of buy eleven cases, get one free. During this time RBS should also beef up television, print and internet advertising, which all should include the environmental aspect of the product. To coincide with the company’s marketing efforts, RBS should offer an incentive for the trade to promote RBS through advertising. RBS could pay for 50% of the advertisement cost attributable the RBS product, up to 5% of a total invoice purchase within 45 days of the advertisement this promotion would run through the entire month of April.Other events that could be marketed include the Start of Summer, Fire Prevention Month and the Holiday Season. For the start of summer, RBS should focus its advertising efforts on its uses for outdoor cleaning, pool, camping and weed removal. This is not a traditional high volume time; therefore, they should also use their trade partners by offering the same advertising incentives that were offered during the Earth Day promotion during the months of May and June. Since RBS can be used to put out certain fires. The company should focus on fire safety and prevention during the month of October.RBS could put a pamphlet and a $. 25 coupon in the bags that children traditionally bring home from school during this month. The pamphlet should focus on key fire safety initiatives and highlight RBS commitment to fire prevention and uses of RBS in fire situations. During the first three weeks in October, RBS should offer a trade promotion of 10% off invoice prices on all sizes. This will help the trade partners get ready for the upcoming holiday season. The final event marketing campaign of the year should focus on the holiday season and getting your home in tip-top shape for the holiday’s in a health conscious manner.RBS should again partner with other Household Division products to advertise nationally how to get your home ready for the holidays. This ad should run in the October/November editions of top Women’s magazines. It should also offer a contest for a $10,000 kitchen makeover. This contest will be open to the purchasers of the products advertised in the magazines. This will also be advertised on the internet and through POP displays in the stores. During the months of October and November, RBS should offer its co-op advertising promotion as defined in the Earth Day section.Section VI: Justification Since Reliance is in the maturity stage of its life cycle, it is important fo r them to focus on extending the usage rate and repositioning itself in the market. According to Shaeffer (2009), â€Å"As a market matures, the customer buys solutions and not products. † Therefore, it becomes more vital to focus advertising efforts on new ways of using baking soda. By focusing on event marketing, Reliance can help the consumers understand all the possible uses of traditional baking soda.This increased knowledge will drive the sale of baking soda to the levels needed to meet the 10% profit increase of the household division. To increase the profit by 10% the Profit before SG&A, Overhead and Taxes needs to be $20,587,000. The event marketing campaign proposed will increase the profit to $20,974,000, which well exceeds the 10% increase. The 2008 Profit and Loss Budget is listed as Exhibit 1. This budget was prepared based upon historical cost and sales data to gauge the response level of both the trade and consumer promotions. Exhibit 1 Reliance Baking SodaPro fit and Loss Budget For the Year Ended December 31, 2008 | | | | | |2007E |2008 | |Manufacturer's Price Per Case | | | | | |8oz | | | |7. 2 |7. 2 | | |1lb. | | | |12. 02 |12. 02 | | |5lb. | | | |54. 28 |54. 8 | | | | | | | | | |Factory Shipments (in 000's of cases) | | | | |8oz | | | |714 |883 | | |1lb | | | |1226 |1531 | | |5lb | | | |648 |660 | | | | | | | | | |Variable Manufacturing Cost Per Case | | | | |8oz. | | | |3. 38 |3. 38 | | |1 lb. | | | |5. 58 |5. 58 | | |5 lbs. | | | |24. 8 |24. | | | | | | | | | |Gross Sales | | | | 55,051 | 60,585 | |Variable Manufacturing Cost | | 25,325 | 27,896 | |Gross Margin | | | | 29,726 | 32,690 | | | | | | | | | |Advertising | | | | | | | |TV | | | 3,815 | 4,300 | | |Print | | | | 694 | 1,000 | | |Internet | | | | 248 | 300 | |Total Advertising | | | 4,757 | 5,600 | |PR/Media Production Cost | | 198 | 297 | |Consumer Promotion | | | 551 | 839 | |Trade Promotion | | | 5,505 | 4,980 | | | | | | | | | |Total Marketing Expense | | | 11,011 | 11, 716 | | | | | | | | | |Profit before SG&A, Overhead and taxes | $ 18,715 | $ 20,974 | Works Cited Shaeffer, Lee. (2009, October 14). Maximize Product Profitability as the Market Matures. Product Management Library of Knowledge. Retrieved October 1, 2010, from http://www. aipmm. com/html/newsletter/archives/000359. php

Ronnie Steel’s Drug Addiction

From the list of selected books, the one that stuck out to me the greatest was Ronnie Steele’s, â€Å"My Own Worst Enemy: A Memoir of Addiction. † This book observes the parallels between addiction and self-image. This book takes the reader into the mind of Ronnie Steele and analyzed how he not only coped with his addiction but how the addiction made him who he was. The reason why I enjoyed this book over many other autobiographies that I have read before is that Ronnie allows the reader to dive deep into the realms of his life. By reading this autobiography I could tell that Ronnie poured out every inch of his heart and soul into the pages. In order for the reader to gain a deeper understanding about his troubling addictions, Ronnie sacrificed his privacy and intimate lifestyle relationships. As I finished reading this book I began searching some feedback on the net, positive and negative. Many of the positive comments on this book exclaims how this autobiography helped them cope with the extremities and hardships of addiction in the present day world. The negative feedback, though, focused on how Ronnie’s stories seemed lavish and fabricated. Many of the people who wrote the negative comments focused not on the mission of the book; however, they focused on the satirical writing style and how the story related to present day extremities. Ronnie concludes his autobiography by stating that his biggest plight for this book is that he hopes it will influence someone to stop drinking, smoking, cheating, and lying. This book explores the differences between succumbing and overcoming an addiction. The protagonist, Ronnie Steele, dives into the realms of testament as he attempts to shield current addicts and future human beings who are interested in drinking and smoking from the same trials and tribulations that he went through. Throughout the book Ronnie consistently mentions how he was the sole cause of his substance abuse. He tells the reader that he felt like he couldn’t control his urge for alcohol, thus forcing him to continue to do it. Ronnie mentions how alcohol was not the only thing he was addicted to; lying, cheating, and smoking was a part of his addiction. Through months and months of dealing with his addiction, Ronnie finally was forced to go through treatment. He gives a detailed account of his road to recovery and how it was difficult yet necessary for his well-being and the future well-being for his family. Ronnie’s partner, Sarah, was a very good woman for seeing him through his recovery and treatment as he dealt with his addiction. The thing that surprised me about this autobiography was how Ronnie identified one of the sources for his addiction: early childhood problems. Being a psychology major, I know that many psychological abnormalities, such as addiction, can be explained by environmental factors. Ronnie gives a detailed account of how abuse was a huge and vital part of his childhood. The theory that is evident in this book is the on addiction. Addiction is described as using a drug in a way for which it is not attended for, that will lead to long or short term harm to the user or others, and the result in the user no longer being able to be responsible for his/her thoughts, feelings, or behavior. DSM-IV classifies addiction and drug abuse as a maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress. There are currently five different models that covers addiction: medical model, psychodynamic model, social model, moral model, and bio-psycho-social model. The model that seems to cover the key experiences in this book is the psychodynamic model. This model explains how drug abuse and addiction is a symptom of underlying psychological problems and is used as a maladaptive psychological coping strategy. I came up with the conclusion that this model fits with the essence of this book because Ronnie uses drugs to resolve his internal conflict with the person who abused him in early childhood. From reading this book and exploring Ronnie Steele’s online blogs I can include a few different things about drugs and society. I can conclude that drugs are a big part of society’s coping mechanism. From the information that I know from being a Psychology major and the information I received from reading this book and blog, many addictions are triggered by drug abuse from use of drugs to cope with past and present day problems. In this autobiography, the main character uses drugs as an outlet to forget his past; with addiction, though, comes rehabilitation. I can also conclude, from this autobiography, that rehabilitation in America works. I can conclude this because Ronnie had fought a great fight with addiction to alcohol and through the encouragement of his partner and his rehabilitation he overcame it. It was a difficult battle and struggle for Ronnie but the fact that he overcame his addiction and uses his book as a catalyst for help for other addicts is amazing and inspiring to me. In all, I believe I made a great choice in selecting this book out of the many novels on the list. This autobiography explores not only the recovery from addiction, but also the road to recovery. I love how Ronnie is so open with his testament and how he wants his book to inspire others. I believe this book is a great read and I really appreciated this being on the list.