Bis 220 Week 1 Paper

An act of legislature that declares, proscribes, or commands something; a specific law, expressed in writing. (thefreedicitionary. com) The Do Not Call Implementation Act of 2003 and The Fair Credit Reporting Act, 1970 both fall under this definition. The Do Not Call Implementation Act , 2003, authorized the Federal Trade Commission to collect fees for the implementation and enforcement of a â€Å"do-not-call† registry and for other purposes. The Fair Reporting Act of 1970 controls the collection, use, and redistribution of your consumer information (Stroup, About. om). These rules or acts come into existence for a number of reasons, some are even ethical in nature. But it is said when you create a lot of rules you create a lot of rule breakers. So lets take a look at what brought The Do Not Call Implementation Act, 2003 was promulgated. This Do Not Call Implementation Act of 2003 was to help get a fee for telemarketers or businesses who wanted to make calls to people who didn ’t have their name on the do not call list and to enforce provisions to the â€Å"do not call† registry.As stated earlier rules create rule breakers and people were not following the Telemarketing Sale Rule. So the rules have to constantly be updated because people are trying to figure out how to get around the rule. This rule came about because consumers just wanted to be left alone when at home and not be bothered with annoying phone calls from telemarketers while in the middle of eating dinner. They don’t want a credit card company calling trying to extend credit in the middle of the afternoon while their home school child is taking a nap.Which leads us to The Fair Credit Reporting Act, 1970. The Fair Credit Reporting Act, 1970 was brought into play to help the banks and the consumer. As stated above it controls the collection, use, and redistribution of consumer information (Stroup, about. com). In order to keep the banking system running strong and not putt ing out bad information on consumer. The act has rules and guidelines for companies that report consumer credit. If the banks have bad information on a consumer and gives the consumer a loan then that can be a problem for the bank or the consumer.But if all reporting stays with in the guidelines of the act then the chances are the information will be good and the right decision will be made in lending. The problem is the bank will have good information in some cases, but the consumer has another consumers information and uses it for themselves. These are the types of unethical things that people do, which has a snowball effect. Because it hurts the banks, making it harder for them to get money from the Federal Reserve, which in turn tightens up the lending criteria of the banks, thus making it difficult for consumers to get the things they need.But when you create rules, you create rule breakers. So although the two acts help the FTC govern the different areas that the acts cover. T hey still have their pros and cons, some which we discussed above, and others that we did not. But my belief is â€Å"get rid of some of the rules, get rid of the rule breakers. Resources Govtrack. us, H. R 395 (108th): Do Not Call Implementation Act Jack Stroup, About. com Guide: The Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1970

Risks of Youth Using Social Media ( Privacy Issues)

Clinical Report: The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, Kathleen Clarke Pediatrics Volume 127, Number 4, April 2011 pp. 800-804 RISKS OF YOUTH USING SOCIAL MEDIA Engaging in various forms of social media is a routine activity that research has shown to benefit children and adolescents by enhancing communication, social connection, and even technical skills. Social media sites such as Facebook and MySpace offer multiple daily opportunities for connecting with friends, classmates, and people with shared interests.During the last 5 years, the number of preadolescents and adolescents using such sites has increased dramatically. Since a large part of this generation’s social and emotional development is occurring while on the Internet and on cell phones, children and adolescents are at some risk as they navigate and experiment with social media, because of their limited capacity for self-regulation and susceptibility to peer press ure. Recent research indicates that there are frequent online expressions of offline behaviors, such as bullying, and sexual experimentation, that have introduced problems such as cyber-bullying, privacy issues, and sexting.Cyber-bullying Cyber-bullying is deliberately using digital media to communicate false, embarrassing, or hostile information about another person. It is the most common online risk for all teens and is a peer-to-peer risk. Although â€Å"online harassment† is often used interchangeably with the term â€Å"cyber-bullying,† it is actually a different entity. Current data suggest that online harassment is not as common as offline harassment (Lenhart, 2007), and participation in social networking sites does not put most children at risk of online harassment (Ybarra & Mitchell, 2008).On the other hand, cyber-bullying is quite common, can occur to any young person online, and can cause profound psychosocial outcomes including depression, anxiety, severe i solation, and, tragically, suicide (Hinduja & Patchin, 2010). Sexting Sexting can be defined as â€Å"sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually explicit messages, photographs, or images via cell phone, computer, or other digital devices†(Berkshire District Attorney, 2010). Many of these images become distributed rapidly via cell phones or the Internet.This phenomenon does occur among the teen population; a recent survey revealed that 20% of teens have sent or posted nude or seminude photographs or videos of themselves (National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 2010). Some teens who have engaged in sexting have been threatened or charged with felony child pornography charges, although some states have started characterizing such behaviors as juvenile-law misdemeanors (Gifford, 2010; Walker, 2010).Additional consequences include school suspension for perpetrators and emotional distress with accompanying mental health conditions for victims. In many circumstanc es, however, the sexting incident is not shared beyond a small peer group or a couple and is not found to be distressing at all (Lenhart, 2009). Facebook Depression Researchers have proposed a new phenomenon called â€Å"Facebook depression,† defined as depression that develops when preteens and teens spend a great deal of time on social media sites, such as Facebook, and then begin to exhibit classic symptoms of depression (Davilla et al. 2009; Sturm, 2010). Acceptance by and contact with peers is an important element of adolescent life. The intensity of the online world is thought to be a factor that may trigger depression in some adolescents. As with offline depression, preadolescents and adolescents who suffer from Facebook depression are at risk for social isolation and sometimes turn to risky Internet sites and blogs for â€Å"help† that may promote substance abuse, unsafe sexual practices, or aggressive or self-destructive behaviors.

On the era of reconstruction Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

On the era of reconstruction - Assignment Example 256)†, he could be thought to have chiefly referred to the tedious paths to resolutions proposed by the divided Republicans yet to no avail. What the critics had neglected to see, however, was besides the issue of unfruitful contributions in addressing Civil War, the Americans whether white or black had been revived of new hopes at the unfolding changes of the period. To Americans, the initial stages of achieving an industrial economy occurred to have established a revolutionary social order that only raised confusion especially among the working class, making them suspiciously ponder and react upon the possible outcomes of social development for the nation (Foner, 2007). It entailed a notion that such approach to spontaneous progress determines allocation of power and social security. In this regard, reformists of the period were led to conceive that potential peril exists with the significant concern that as a response to it, people of the lower class may act in tumultuous ag gression in exercising their democratic right over to suppress individual economic growth thinking that liberty of acquisition of rights to property (Foner, 2007), particularly with those who could afford, would only emphasize inequality among social divisions and thus create on appropriating amount of common interests. Progression of economic development enabled Americans to adapt to the concept and application of ‘Social Darwinism’ in their everyday living since the competition to acquire relative or higher advantage in upgrading social and economic status in American society had apparently become essential. With the rapidly growing rate of capital formation, GDP, and wages (Gilded), this condition concretized the effect of social freedom and transformation across vast critical regions of societies in U.S. in which most citizens began expressing individual or collective views by putting up labor unions that served to oppose severely improper conditions, shift schedule s, loads, and unjust wages at work. Democracy was put in wide and intense practice of articulating protest with the desire to take part in the evolving process of industrial growth. In this endeavor, they sought to be assured as well of experiencing freedom from any form of injustice or oppression of employers who were predictably consumed by the principle of capitalism or profit-orientation for use in business that required irrational gravity of labor at the expense of either skilled or unskilled workers (Gilded). Since Social Darwinism in human society advocates natural selection without interference from the government, the ensuing crisis with inequality due to the fast rate of economic growth that was rather favorable to the financially capable who consequently had been able to gain more in wealth was radically questioned and rallied against by the group class who were either receiving substandard dues or whose personal advancement was impeded. Concerns toward personal economy f urther resonated in politics that the Gilded Age or Era of Reconstruction was also witnessed to characterize corruption by the state authorities and widespread operation of fraudulent activities in the U.S.

Sales and Advertising marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sales and Advertising marketing - Assignment Example Their main aim has been to capture the young audience especially male who have been the main users of the app. The management at subway has ceased this opportunity to front their ads in this android platform. This move is a timely one for subway with expectations that the number of hours in watching the video game through this app will rise in the next three years (Chung, 2015). The rate of growth by this app has continuously tapped many audiences from opponent game contest that has caused them a lot of discomforts amid increasing competition from the e-sport app. However the calculation of these figures should be done with caution to avoid exaggerations caused by overlapped usage This article focuses on the mobile gadget, which runs on an android platform as a media of its dissemination. This is probably because of the wide variety of these gadgets available to users. These devices range from smart phones to tablet available from diverse dealers, which are very common among numerous users especially among youths. The major points covered in this article are the growth rate in the usage of this app which is combined with the age that is prevalent in using the app. Similarly, the article outlines the reason for the involvement of Subway in the article at length and clearly points out its benefit to them. Finally the reading stresses on the future expected position in the market which aims to encourage even more endorsers. Subway’s use of this media to promote their ads is an important step in the Canadian advertising industry as it acts as a benchmark to others in the market. This article articulates the success of apps as an advertisement strategy where many industries can reach many clients through the mobile gadgets where the apps run. The potential of the apps for future market is clearly demonstrated when the article emphasizes on the expected growth in coming years. This aids advertising sector to devise appropriate advertisements meant

I need you to decide a topic, then I need to talk with my module tutor Coursework

I need you to decide a topic, then I need to talk with my module tutor to change it - Coursework Example Online retailing started in middle and late of 1990s. From the start of this it’s created the rivalry between off line and on line selling. This rivalry is getting fierce every day. Only shopping malls are viewing huge rate of shoppers in these days but still internet is dominating it. It is now a nightmare for traditional stores that e-marketing one day will take their entire market share. But some experts saying that footfall in shopping centres are increasing with the same pace like internet shopping so why not e-shopping and traditional shopping cannot stay together? The experiences online buyer having when they buy products from online sellers from their well programmed and hi-tech websites are extraordinary. Customers really enjoy the shopping with transparent discounts and product details. Online shopping saved the customers from fraud practices and unfair prices of various traditional shopping centres. In retailer website total product description along with specificat ions are available. Not only one product but several competitors product with the benefit of price and quality comparison page is available. (TESCO PLC Case Study, 2011) Business Model: Here we are discussing about TESCO’s customer relationship management. Internet is a great factor to change TESCO’s business model. ... Demand is also shifting from quantity to quality. Proper planning and management decision send TESCO towards its goal. TESCO’s employees, customers are its top priorities. Presence of TESCO in several locations of this world with high value assets can be seen and it has a bright future with tremendous growth opportunity. Chairperson of TESCO believes in diversity in workforce which gives us the reason behind TESCO’s equal number of male and female employee ratio. The Chairman once said that, â€Å"In the last four years (since 2007), the number of female directors at Tesco has increased by 42, an increase of nearly  70%, and we are working hard to help women succeed in senior roles more generally throughout the company. There are currently three women on our PLC Board (19%) and women in senior management positions account for 29% across the Group as a whole† (Tesco PLC, 2013). TESCO adopted modern technologies to compete in this competitive market. In future as uses of internet increasing TESCO is using this technology to give its customer the outmost comfort and reliability. This study will find out the impact of technology in business development of TESCO. Information Technology and several communication technology helps TECO to gain advantageous over its rivals. For customer TESCO started its online portal. By this study it will be clear that for business development statistics is important or not? (Suddath, 2013) Business Plan: Several Modern day technology TESCO is using. Three major functions of using information technology and communication technology are followings. Because of online technology TESCO got a new market. Information and communication technology

Japanese Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Japanese Literature - Essay Example The four main principles of Keene help us in understanding the aesthetic appeal of Japanese literature more vividly. Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that is related with the appreciation of things as they affect our physical senses and especially affecting in a pleasurable way. According to the first principle of Keene, which is suggestion, the Japanese artists and writers wanted to suggest things rather than expressing it completely. The writers never expressed a climax like in Western writing but gave an appealing beginning and end tot heir work without giving a proper reasoning. For example, the literary works about love does not describe much about the meeting of a man and women but explains about the yearning and longing in the minds of lover to meet each other. In the times of Kenko, the Japanese literature applied the principles of suggestion to great length .They tried to be imaginative and expressed the beauty of nature with single strokes of paining rather than filling up the canvas with colors. A second important characteristic of Japanese aesthetics is the element of irregularity .By this it means that, one cannot find uniformity in the artistic work of Japanese works. Japanese writers and artists believed that, uniformity spoiled the uniqueness of the work and also created disinterest in the person who is enjoying the writings or artistic work. The principle of irregularity implies that making a work irregular gives much space for the reader‘s to enhance their imaginative power .The incompleteness element of the literary works prompted the readers to long for completeness and for this they use their creative and imaginative power to a great extend. â€Å"The Japanese have been partial not only to incompleteness but to another variety of irregularity also called asymmetry. This is one respect in which they differ conspicuously from the Chinese and other peoples of Asia†(Keene,10). Simplicity is another principle of Keene which was highly reflected in the earlier works of Japanese literature. The poets and writers of ancient Japan believed in the simple beauty of nature which his subtle and serene. One of the poem which exemplifies the principle of Simplicity is the furu ike ya(the ancient Pond) kawazu tobikomu (A frog leaps in) mizu no oto (The sound of the water). Here the poet describe about the eternity of the pond as well as the sound which is created by frog as it jumps in water. This is such a simplified form of expressing the subtle beauty of nature which normal men forget to notice or perceive.Kenko is one writer who insisted on the element of simplicity and he claims that only wise men can be simple in his thoughts, expression and lifestyle. One another concept of simplicity in Japanese culture is the tea ceremony which is artistically carried out by Japanese since ages. Kenko believed that simplicity is sometimes more expensive than ornateness and is a luxury concealed in luxury. Last but not he lea st is the principle of perishability , where in the Japanese artists and writes saw the sadness evolved around the destructive aspect of nature. Persihability is that truth of life which

Organisational Behaviour and Its Practical Relevance Essay

Organisational Behaviour and Its Practical Relevance - Essay Example Globalization, liberalization and privatization have caused immense changes in the business sector and organizations forced to change their behaviour and strategies in accordance with the demands of the modern world. Outsourcing and offshoring like business strategies were established in the current business world even though such strategies were not there even in the distant dreams of the business Gurus, a couple of decades before. Motivational theories and human resource management principles also undergone drastic changes because of the huge diversification and internationalization of business happened in the present century. This paper discusses the current organizational behaviour in general and the topics such as motivation, diversity and psychological contract etc in particular to learn more about the current trends in organizational behaviour. It is crucial for the development of an organization to develop and maintain a motivated team of professionals. The psychological and sociological theories of human life have undergone drastic changes because of the rapid changes in life philosophies and life styles. Most of the traditional theories with respect to motivation has been changed a lot in order to accommodate new things suitable for the needs of the modern generation. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivational theories were developed as part of the modification process of the organizational behaviour.

Personal Philosophy of Education Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Philosophy of Education - Personal Statement Example Nevertheless, one of the most common factors that characterize most philosophies in education is the issue of social pedagogy. Social pedagogy refers to an educational approach that focuses on providing holistic education and cares to students (Lingard, Nixon, & Ranson, 2008 p. 23). Social pedagogues are guided by four main principles. These are holistic education, holistic wellbeing, promoting human welfare, and molding students to become responsible members of the society. Holistic education pays greater emphasis on issues such as cognitive development, emotional and spiritual development, as well as physical and practical skills development. My personal education philosophy is based on the belief that all educators should be social pedagogues. I believe that education should be seen as the process of empowering learners to make the best out of their lives regardless of their age. Therefore, education should not be seen as a way of discriminating or categorizing individual on the basis of their age or backgrounds. As such, the main approach should be regarding all learners as human beings who need to be taught how to make the best out of their lives (Tisdall, 2006 p. 34). In this regard, an education system should focus on empowering students to deal with contemporary challenges and issues affecting humans. For instance, contemporary education should focus on empowering learners to deal with issues such as climate change, terrorism, economic challenges, and the issues of globalization and cultural integration. I also believe that this kind of education can only be achieved in a specific learning environment that is characterized by a high sense of equality, sameness, and heightened interactions between educators and learner s. In lieu of this, educators have to consider learners, irrespective of their age, as fellow humans; hence the need to treat them equally.  

Reaction response 6 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reaction response 6 - Assignment Example Instagram encourages user engagement in the process. Compared with Facebook and twitter, Instagram allows the targeted audience to develop the necessary image because it employs the use of photos. People find reading boring, but the use of photos increase the rate of information transfer by allowing the audience to scheme through the photo provided. In addition, photos can be edited in Instagram thereby improving the quality. It can be used to offer better image of a product or service offered by the company, but target a smaller audience than Facebook. Sharing of photos and information on Facebook is challenging when restriction is required. In fact, Facebook shares the information with all the friends in the list. Instagram allows the user to identify the people to access thus limit access to the picture or information shared. Therefore, when targeting a small audience, Instagram will ensure fast information transfer while allowing the participants to offer their views on the idea presented. In conclusion, Instagram is highly effective when handling a smaller target group and is supported by

Assessment of the factors influencing profitability within refractive Dissertation

Assessment of the factors influencing profitability within refractive clinics and recommendations for best practice management - Dissertation Example The purpose of this study is to describe the factors that affect profitability within refractive clinics and to examine the relationship between these factors and best practice in refractive care. The study is done in two settings the first being an online platform with 40 participants (n=40) and the second being closed door, eight interview sessions involving 28 participants (n=28) at two private clinics in north one in Turin and the other in Milan. The study was qualitative in nature, and it utilized a survey method to collect the necessary data. The survey involved the use of instruments such as online questionnaires and semistructured interview questions. Online questionnaires were prepared with the help of SurveyMonkey, and sent to the 40 participants who were refractive care patients identified from clinical databases. The questionnaires were designed in line with the research objectives. Overall, questionnaires were chosen as they heightened the validity and reliability of the research through the collection of quantitative, objective data. Semi structured interviews were chosen in order to gain context and detail. They were conducted under 8 sessions at the two private clinics that were used for the study. The results for both surveys were centrally analyzed in regards to the findings in the literature review. The findings for the online survey revealed that the participants strongly consider two key factors when making their choice attend refractive clinics. These factors include management, where they showed strong consideration for private clinics. The other factor was technology superiority whereby they would first assess the clinics and later consider the one with better technology. For the interview sessions, the results indicated that the top five factors of importance were as following. Technological Superiority, friendly and professional staff, trust in the service, organisational culture, and personal and individual service in the order of sup eriority starting with most important. To conclude the research reflects upon the importance of a consideration of organisational factors in order to enhance profitability. Moving away from a sole financial perspective, this research has promoted the importance of a patient centric approach and the use of relationships to build perceptions and expectations of quality of care. Table of Contents Table of Contents 4 Chapter One: Introduction 6 Chapter Two: Background and Literature Review 10 2.1.2 Refractive Surgery 12 2.1.3 Alternative technologies 12 2.2 Background on Profitability in Refractive Care 14 2.2.2 Patient Economics 16 2.2.3 Prospective Patient Demographics 17 2.2.4 The Refractive Surgery Patient Pool 21 2.2.5 Procedure Pricing 24 2.2.6 Relationships between Demand and Economic Conditions 25 2.2.7 Penetration Rates and Available Market 25 2.2.8 Refractive Surgery Centers Concentrated in Metro Areas 26 2.2.9 Competition 27 2.2.10 Michael Porter 5 forces analysis on refracti ve market 28 2.3 Motivations for refractive surgery 30 2.4 Marketing perspectives: experiential marketing 30 2.5 Satisfaction in the healthcare sector 31 2.6 Organisational Culture 33 2.7 Leadership 34 2.8 Organisational capabilities 35 2.9 Current research and summary 36 Chapter Three: Methodology 37 3.1 Research Methodology and Design 37 3.2 Research Philosophy 38 3.3 Research Ethics 38 3.3.1 Human Rights Protection 39 3.4 Sample Size 39 3.4.1 Sample Recruitment 40 3.5 The setting 41 3.6 Data Collection 42 3.7 Instruments 42 3.7.1 Questionnaires 42 3.7.2 Semi Structured Interviews 43 3.8 Data Analysis Plan 44 3.9 Assumptions 45 3.10 Methodology Summary 45 Chapter Four: The Results 47 4.1 Sample 47 4.2 Survey Results 48 4.2.1 Results from the

Consistent Philosophy of Life Essay Example for Free

Consistent Philosophy of Life Essay Abstract This paper focuses John Allison’s management style, what he finds to be the essential characteristics of a leader, and how he employs ethics and principles in this everyday life, in business, and as an educational leader. He is the former CEO of BBT and current leader of the CATO Institute. There is little distinction between Allison’s â€Å"leadership style† and his philosophy. His philosophy can be directly applied to any situation, challenge, or circumstance. Allison is purpose driven and mission oriented, and he applies a set of ten principles to achieve his mission. This paper will also look at how Allison defines a vision, mission, values and principles. Each of the ten principles are examined, and finally, the paper will look at some of the detractors of Allison’s philosophy. John Allison, Consistent Philosophy of Life, Effective Manager of Business, and Important Contributor to Society. John Allison lives by a clear philosophy that permeates every aspect of his life. He built a multi-billion dollar bank (BBT) on it, and managed to stay away from toxic investments that led to the downfall of many banks because of it. He is now taking this highly moral, completely integrated, and fully comprehensive philosophy to the rest of society by donating time and money to universities by explaining the morality of capitalism and rational thought. Most recently, he was appointed to lead the Cato Institute, a Libertarian think-tank. An effective manager instills purpose in themselves and their employees and lives by a set of values or principles that manifests purpose into reality. The purpose needs to be clear and the principles must be interconnected and consistent. Failure on one principle is failure on all principles; and thus, the vision, mission, and goals of an organization are jeopardized. This concept is consistent with six competencies detailed in Hellriegel, Jacosn, and Slocum’s text book, Managing, A Competency-Based Approach. For example, an organization determines that it must outsource a piece of their production (Strategic Action). Therefore, executive management must effectively work with operations professionals (Teamwork), who must develop and action plan (Planning Administration) and Communicate that plan to line managers. It is imperative that executive management carefully considered the cultural drivers of the country that they are entering (Multi-Cultural). Finally, whether this strategy is effective hinges upon whether all levels of employees have good Self-Management skills. Failure on any part of these competencies will lead to failure on the whole. Hellreigel’s six competencies pass John Allison’s integration test; however, John’s principles remove the organizational lens of the six competencies to make them more basic and universal. This paper looks at John Allison’s management style and how it is driven by his vision, mission, and principles. Success with these principles will lead to the success of the six competencies. Finally, this paper will spend some time with the detractors and misunderstandings of John’s philosophy. John Allison’s Management Style It is impossible to explain John Allison’s management style without getting into the details of his basic philosophy first. The Richard Craver of the Winston-Salem Journal interviewed Allison in July 2010, and he noted that, â€Å"the key lesson of Allisons success is that if you get the basics right, the details will follow, and you will run your business right. If you get the basics wrong, youll eventually make a fatal mistake in the details† (Craver 2011). Allison’s basics are a purpose driven life and organization that is achieved through principles. This philosophy is detailed in a 30 page employee handbook that all employees are expected to understand and has remained consistent at BBT for over 20 years. As a result, â€Å"[BBT] attracts employees who agree, and repels employees who disagree. After a quarter century, they have established a culture of great coherency, and in business, that is a great power† (Craver 2011). From a bigger picture perspe ctive, John Allison’s management style is utilitarian in its approach; however, this implies that BBT’s goal is to simply be profitable. However, profitability is a means to the overall vision of BBT, which is to make the world a better place to live in (Allison 2011). Allison explained in a lecture at Wake Forrest University that money is not the end game; instead profits are the means of the overall goal (Allison 2011). The utilitarian methodical approach may be considered amoral, at best; however, it becomes highly moral in the context of a moral vision and purpose. At the individual level, BBT does not simply manage employees, instead, they develop leaders. Allison explained that â€Å"Most business failures are due to leadership failures; most of those are the result of personal leadership failures† (Allison 2011). Therefore, each employee is not just given a handbook of BBT’s vision, mission and values, but they also attend a presentation given by Allison himself. In this presentation, Allison explains that there are two fundamental aspects to leadership. First, leaders must create a sense of purpose in themselves and their employees. Purpose creates passion. Second, leaders must live principles that turn purpose into reality (Allison 2011). Living these principles motivates average performers to perform at an above average level and prevents the Great from becoming average. Allison’s Clear philosophy: Allison’s philosophy can be summarized by a general vision that is manifested by a mission statement. The vision is â€Å"To make the world a place that you want to live in† (Allison 2011). The mission is to apply principles that improve the odds of staying alive, becoming successful, and ultimately being happy. The ten principles are further defined herein and are universally applied to individual and organizational missions. Allison’s personal vision and mission parallels BBT’s vision and mission statement, which is â€Å"To make the world a better place by: Helping our clients achieve economic success and financial security; creating a place where our employees can learn, grow and be fulfilled; making the communities in which we work better places to be; and thereby, optimizing the long-term return to our shareholders, while providing a safe and sound investment† (Handbook 5). With the Vision and Mission clearly defined, Allison’s ten prin ciples are: Principle 1 – Reality The reality principle is an Aristotelian concept that A=A. In an interview with New York Times, Allison said that, â€Å"Wishing something is so does not make it so† (Martin 2009). Although this concept seems very simple, there are plenty of examples in history where individuals, governments and businesses evaded reality. Allison projected that, â€Å"I guarantee that long before the rest of us knew, those geniuses at Lehman Brothers, knew that something was wrong, but they evaded it† (Martin 2009). Reality is independent of authority. For example, the ratings agencies had a level of authority in the market place; however, the ratings agencies evaded the reality that subprime lending was unsustainable. BBT avoided the subprime market by not evading reality and being responsible for evaluating authority and determining what was true (Allison 2011). Reality is also independent of popularity. For example Galileo bucked the popular idea that the earth revolved around the su n. Principle 2 – Reason / Objectivity Allison contends that mankind’s competitive advantage is that humans have the ability to think and develop concept formation. Allison avoids religion; however, this concept is not in conflict with a Christian’s perspective with some distinction. God created man in the image of God. Therefore, to reason is to approach God and to fulfill His intention for mankind. Allison applies Aristotle’s model of thought. First, base premises on facts; second, use inductive and deductive reasoning; third, integrate conclusions that are not contradictory; and forth, use conclusion to reach a higher level of thought (start the cycle again). Deductive reasoning is the concrete application of a general principle. Inductive reasoning is the taking a general principle and applying it to a specific application. BBT has been a highly strategic organization, which requires objective thought and facing reality. In the late 1980’s, laws were about to change that would allow banks t o enter other states. Realizing that North Carolina would soon be flooded with competition from larger banks, he began a series of intra-state acquisitions prior to the changing of the laws. This allowed them a head start on the out-of-state competition while giving BBT the experience to perfect the merger process well before the larger consolidation of the industry. Allison recognized the reality, used inductive and deductive reasoning to conclude that they would need to get bigger, be purchased, or struggle as a result of the changes in the law, and then was able to move on with a new premise of how to become bigger. Despite the popular opinion that BBT was paying too much for some of its acquisitions, the strategy paid off. BBT defended its role as acquirer of choice, and stressed the strategic nature of its acquisitions. It had developed a reputation as one of the most successful integrators of acquired banks in the industry. Darn few have been able to get away with a consolidation strategy, but one of the best is BBT, an SNL Securities analyst told the Business Journal Serving Charlotte and the Metropolitan Area (BBT.com). Allison also uses reason to implement a method of philanthropic activities in order to be more effective based on BBT’s core strengths. Allison explained in Philanthropic Magazine that, â€Å"The money that was being spent wasn’t going to promote the well-being of our company or our country. We needed to focus our contributions on something that will matter, and we think that presenting the concepts that undergird capitalism is essential for both BBT’s well-being and the well-being of the society in which we live† (Sparks 2011). Principle 3 – Individual Allison contends that all thought happens at the individual level. â€Å"Our brains are not physically connected† (Allison 2011). Teamwork is important principle, but new ideas are generated by the individual. A team can improve the idea or even give some the inspiration to develop a new idea, but the thought came from one’s mind. This principle also means that the individual is responsible for themself. â€Å"A manager cannot be responsible for their employees,† Allison explained in his lecture. A manager, parent, or leader can only guide people, but the individual must make choices and affix attitudes for herself/himself. Understanding this concept is very liberating not only for the individual employee, but also for the organization. At the employee level, ownership of their own role gives them a sense of importance. At the organizational level, businesses benefit by having limitless ideas that bubble up to management. In Craver’s interview with Allison, he noted that, â€Å"The decision not to write mortgage loans of the type that are now called toxic was made by a fairly low-level executive without even consulting Allison† (Craver 2011). Allison continues the concept of liberating the individual by saying, â€Å"Man has rational capacity, and a capitalist system allows him the greatest individual freedom to exercise that capacity for creativity and innovation—and to be rewarded accordingly. It is, in a very deep sense, a just system† (Sparks 2011). Principle 4 – Productivity Productivity is a measurable at the organizational level though output and profitability. A profitable business is a good thing. More fundamentally, productivity is the â€Å"gut-level commitment to get the job done† (Allison 2011). From a Christian’s perspective, production and productivity is a very spiritual concept; the idea that something tangible was formed from the intangible. This is especially spiritual when the idea was inspired through prayer and worship. There is a parallel between with the most miraculous event in history, when the spirit became flesh, and when someone’s idea becomes reality. The root word for sacrifice is â€Å"to approach† (Wigoder 873); therefore, when a person creates, she is performing a kind of sacrifice; not in the sense that something is given up, but instead, both the tangible world and the spiritual world are in agreement; â€Å"On earth as it is in heaven.† Allison’s professional trajectory certainly is one of productivity. He started at BBT, once known as the Branch Banking and Trust Company, in 1971 and became chief executive in 1989, when the bank had $4.7 billion in assets. By the time he retired as C.E.O. in December, he had overseen 60 bank and savings-institution acquisitions and turned BBT into the 11th-largest bank in the nation, with $152 billion in assets, according to the bank (Martin 2009). Allison commented on BBT’s Sterling Award winners (internal awards based on productivity). He noted that the same people won 25% of these awards, and that they all shared a commonality. All of them discussed what they were doing, and were not stuck on the obstacles. There is a basic belief in their ability to achieve (Allison 2011). Principle 5 – Honesty Without honesty, nothing else works, whether that is capitalism, a church, a business, or a government. Marilyn Fedak is a retired Investment Manager that works with John Allison on making the case for the free market at the university level. In a joint conference with Allison, she refers to the importance of honesty, At its best, the free market produces a â€Å"virtuous cycle,† but it has to be rooted in trust and the rule of law. Trust and predictability are everything. Capitalism is based upon the idea that, implicitly or explicitly, you’re making contracts with people all day long, and if you can’t trust that the laws in place will prevail and that the other person is going to fulfill their side of the bargain, well, then no transactions are going to take place. (Sparks 2011) Allison explains that being honest 100% of the time is a true test of integrity. For example, â€Å"You can be wrong and be honest. We are not omniscient.† Therefore, â€Å"We must mean what we say and know what we mean† (Allison 2011). This phrase encompasses two concepts. One, cumulative white lies lead to a black lie. For example, some managers are less than honest on performance reviews by sugarcoating or enabling underperformance. Then, the manager reaches a breaking point, or the poor performance leads to major mistake. The employee never gets the chance to correct their actions due to their manager not being honest. On the other hand, the manager may be wrong in his/her premise that the employee is the problem. The real problem may be a poorly designed system, which could have been addressed during the performance review. The concept of cumulative white lies is also evident in personal relationships. Allison gives an example of a married couple, â€Å"the husband gets mad at the wife for not hearing what he didn’t say† (Allison 2011). Two, it is up to the individual to take responsibility for their claim to knowledge. â€Å"Sometimes the best answer is, ‘I don’t know’† (Allison 2011). Principle 6 – Integrity Integrity is defined as the consistent application of moral principles. David Leoper is the CEO of Wealthcare Capital Management. He also subscribes to Allison’s objectivist philosophy. Leoper references Ayn Rand’s description of morality as the, â€Å"Judgment to distinguish right and wrong, vision to see the truth, courage to act upon it, dedication to that which is good, and integrity to stand by it at any price† (Geracoiti 2011). By this definition, integrity is akin to faith. One may not immediately understand the consequences of breaking a moral principle, but she or has faith that such actions will have an eventual consequence. A key example of Allison’s integrity was after the Supreme Court’s infamous Kelo decision. BBT was the only major bank not to provide financing for projects that used land seized through eminent domain for private purposes. â€Å"We thought that was a violation of a principle that is necessary for a free society,† Allison says. The bank’s decision, â€Å"turned out to be great economics, which doesn’t surprise me at all† (Sparks 2011). Later in 2011, Don Luskin moderated a conference with John Mackey of Wholefoods and John Allison. Mackey was highly criticized for his public stance against Obamacare and was nearly thrown out of his own organization. Mackey’s conclusion was that he will think again before making political comments. Allison, however, disagreed and explained, I’m a person that believes very strongly in my principles, and I can’t sacrifice them in my business, regardless of the consequences in the short-term. We took a strong position on eminent domain, after the Kelo decision. I couldn’t tell my customers and employees that we have principles, but in this case we’d turn a blind eye to people’s property being expropriated to be given to other private people. In our case, it was successful. We got thousands of people moving their accounts to BBT because of our position on eminent domain, because we acted on principle. That’s the same reason we refused to write loans to people who couldn’t afford them. I did it because I never want to have to tell someone that I did something that I thought was morally wrong. (Vegter 2011) Allison took a visible stance against the federal government once again in 2008 when he submitted a 14-point letter to Congress in which he objected to the bailout of the financial-services industry out of concern that it will hurt, â€Å"well-run financial institutions such as BBT (Craver 2011). His integrity was questioned when BBT accepted TARP monies shortly after the closed-door session with the nation’s political leaders. Shortly thereafter, Allison stepped down as the CEO so that he could start his education campaign. His work at the university level and at the CATO Institute is an effort to stop governmental force being exerted against independent businesses again. Principle 7 – Justice / Fairness According to Allison, â€Å"The good news is that we are all unique individuals† (Allison 2011). Managers that make the average above average and to keep the great from becoming average instill justice in the workplace. Allison believes that, â€Å"Egalitarianism is one of the most destructive ideas in our society† (Allison 2011). Managing equal outcomes not unequal input is truly unjust. Since individuals are not the same in their talents and abilities, a manager’s key function is to evaluate and judge others. This is a difficult function; therefore, Allison prescribes a three point method for judging others in order to stay fair. The person needs to be judged (1) as an individual, based on (2) the personal merits and based on (3) what matters in that specific circumstance. Therefore, â€Å"We reject collectivism and how they judge, which is based on their memberships groups, such as race, sex, nationalism, etc. [Collectivists] are always wrong because they are making an individual decision based on a group observation. An Individual cannot be a group† (Allison 2011). Principle 8 – Pride Aristotle described pride as the ultimate virtue because in order to have pride, all other virtues (justice, honesty, integrity, and rational independent thought) needed to be mastered. The pride described here is not arrogance or hubris, but instead, it is the reward to do good deeds and the reward for having done good deeds. Allison describes this as the â€Å"psychological rewards;† However, the rewards for Christianity are much more profound. The apostle Paul speaks of a healthy pride that one should have in oneself and others (2 Cor 5:12; 7:4; 8:24; Gal 6:4). Christianthinktank.com quoted the Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament that â€Å"Even Lexicons based on semantic domains have entries for ‘pride (legitimate)† (Chistianthinktank.com 2012). Allison equates pride with strong ethics. In a defiance allusion to Warren Buffet’s quote about ethics, Allison says, â€Å"The next time you face an ethical decision, ask yourself if you would be willing to tell the people that you love, care about, and judge to be of high-esteem the decision you made, not the newspaper.† Principle 9 – Self-Esteem / Self-Motivation Allison believes that this principle is the foundation of happiness. In his lecture, he states that, â€Å"You must believe at a very deep level that you are capable of being good and that you have the moral right to be happy.† He explained that this is, â€Å"The most important and controversial thought that I have to share with you today† (Allison 2011). On several occasions, Allison has made reference to the â€Å"sandbox example.† It is a story about a boy named Johnny that is playing with his toy truck in the sandbox. Fred then comes and takes Johnny’s toy truck because he wants to play with it. A fight then ensues, and Johnny’s mother comes over and says, â€Å"Johnny, be a good boy and share with Fred.† Allison asks, â€Å"What message does that give to Fred? More importantly, what message does that give to Johnny?† (Allison 2011). The heart of self-esteem is that a person can only control his or herself, not others. Therefore, the individual can only be in charge of their attitudes and their work; and thus, must be focused on them. Egalitarians are focused on others, and as a result, are adverse to others for being great. This is envy, which is the ultimate immoral pastime. Allison explains that, â€Å"you may be able to fool your boss, but you will never fool you. Do your best, and self-esteem increases. Do less than your best and self-esteem decreases† (Allison 2011). The trader principle fits with any of the other ten principles, but it particularly fits with self-esteem and self-motivation. The trader principle simply means that because people are self-interested, only win-win relationships are sustainable over the long term. All other relationships are either a lose-lose or eventually a lose-lose. Free-market capitalism is a highly moral system because it incentivizes good behavior and provides for a system for people to interact with others in search for win-win relationships. Allison explains this concept as the new leader of the CATO Institute: One of the things that I really want to do is make this a moral fight instead of a fight around the technical aspects of economics. The libertarian vision is a moral vision and we own the moral high ground. A free society is the only society in which people can think for themselves and pursue their rational self-interest. Freedom creates the ability, through creativity and incentive, to raise the quality of life for everyone. When I was CEO of BBT we saw the opportunity, on many occasions, to create products and services that would improve the quality of life of our clients but some government regulation prevented us from doing it. Unfortunately most business leaders are not really capitalists. They are crony capitalists looking for some way to use the government to give them a special advantage. Cato is a defender of real capitalism, real free markets (Benko 2012). Principle 10 – Teamwork In a philosophy that is built on the individual and self-motivation, teamwork may be overlooked as a key principle. However, teamwork is essential in an organization and a society. Teamwork allows much more to be produced. Craver noted in his interview with Allison that, â€Å"What makes Allison unusual among leaders is that his philosophy is one of realism — not phony idealism. Its all about excellent individuals making personal contributions to a joint effort — for the purpose of making profits, not saving the whales. Allison candidly says, in effect, a team is made up of people, each of whom is an I. We insist that you be an individual, and that if you want to be on the team, you have to voluntarily buy into the mission we have all chosen to share (Craver 2011). Detractors of Objectivism Forbes dubbed John Allison as the â€Å"Philosopher King;† however his philosophy is not easily accepted by many. The first and most relevant critique is that God is absent from this philosophy. This paper has included some allusions to how objectivist principles can mesh with Christian ideals; however, the architects of this philosophy, namely Ayn Rand, were atheists. The incongruities of this philosophy and Christianity largely lie in the concept of natural order (mother-nature) and the belief in God that is not visible (faith). As explained above, Christians cross this intellectual divide by substituting â€Å"natural order† or â€Å"mother nature† with God. There are also some differences in the idea of selfishness and self-sacrifice. More research is needed to find intellectual bridges; however, some of these conflicts are semantic in nature. Nonetheless, there is a logical case for God, and Christians knows that God reveals rational thought, purpose, creati vity, motivation, and reason through prayer. There is some confusion between being selfishness and self-destructive. Detractors of objectivism and capitalism contend this it is a â€Å"dog-eat-dog† system that takes advantage of others. Allison argues that taking advantage of others is truly self-destructive, not selfish. If a business takes advantage of a customer, then the customer will alert the market-place; and thus, the business will be harmed. Businesses take advantage of others through the political process, but that is not capitalism, and as Allison said, is not congruent with his philosophy. Finally, detractors find Allison’s philosophy lacks emotion. Allison disagrees and says that emotions can be a good thing. â€Å"Passion is an emotion, and you need passion in life† (Allison 2011). Allison believes that emotions are learned, not magical. This certainly seems to be true with some emotions, such as phobias; however, to the Christian, emotions can be divine inspiration. Allison warns leaders to check their premises when their emotions are at odds with reason. He further advises to always go with reason over emotion. Christians would disagree, at least in part. A Christian may always go with reason over emotion, but only after prayer and meditation and when reason and emotion are in-line. Certainly, a Christian should go to God in prayer to check their premises and motives. Life becomes easier to live, organizations are easier to lead, and employees are easier to manage if one has a clear philosophy and set of principles. With this in mind, BBT’s senior management style is written in its literature as being as â€Å"participatory, team oriented, fact-based, and rational† (BBT History 111). They define management concepts as, â€Å"obtaining and retaining excellent people, training employees well, give employees the appropriate level of authority and responsibility, expect a high level of achievement, and reward performance accordingly† (BBT History 112). All of these definitions and concepts line-up with Allison’s core philosophy. BBT’s website explained that, â€Å"Allisons management style stressed decentralization, striving for a community banking feel at the branch level† (BBT.com). The individual, self-esteem, productivity, and teamwork principles are the driving principles for this decision. Moral Clarity leads to better decision making, longevity, success, and happiness. This is good for all the stakeholders involved in the organization. This paper will conclude with scripture that encapsulates the role between managers and employees and consistent with most of Allison’s principles. Ephesians 6:5-9 says: Ephesians 6:5-9 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him. References Allison, John (7/21/11), â€Å"Principled Leadership† Lecture at Wake Forest University Schools of Business. http://vimeo.com/27183721 BBT (1998), â€Å"The BBT Philosophy† Mission and Values guidebook. BBT (2012), Our Account, History of BBT 10th edition 2012. Benko, Ralph (7/2/12), â€Å"Who Is JohnAllison? A Randian, Libertarian Business Icon Takes Over the Cato Instituteâ€Å" http://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphbenko/2012/07/02/who-is-john-allison-a-randian-libertarian-business-icon-takes-over-the-cato-institute Craver, Richard (7/10/11), â€Å"My Interview on John Allison – Today’s John Galt,† Winston-Salem Journal http://www.iamjohngalt.com/2011/07/my-interview-on-john-allison-todays.html Geracioti, David (Apr. 12, 2011), â€Å"Cold Call: Wealth Manager Operates Firm on Rand’s Objectivism† Wealthmanagement.com, http://wealthmanagement.com/institutions/cold-call-wealth-manager-operates-firm-rand-s-objectivism Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament : Based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.) (Vol. 1, Page 310). New York: United Bible societies.] Hellriegel, D, S. E. Jackson and J. W. Slocum, Jr. Management: a Competency-Based Approach. (2008). Cincinnati: Cengage. ISBN 0 32 4421400 Martin, Andrew (8/1/09), â€Å"Give BBT Liberty, but Not a Bailout,† New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/business/02bbt.html?_r=0 Perman, Matt (4/29/30), â€Å"A Christian View of Management in Ephesians 6:5-9.† What’s Best Next http://www.whatsbestnext.com/2011/04/a-christian-view-of-management-in-ephesians-65-9/ Sparks, Evan (2011), â€Å"Intellectual Capital†, Philanthropy Magazine, http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/topic/excellence_in_philanthropy/intellectual_capital The Holy Bible. NIV forwards Charles F. Stanley and Andy Stanley Side by side bible NIV KJV. 2011 Biblica, Inc. Wigoder, Geoffrey; Paul, Shalom M.; Viviano, O.P., Benedict T. Stern, Ephraim (1986) Illustrated Dictionary Concordance of the Bible. G.G. The Jerusalem Publisying House ltd. Zigarelli, Michael (2003), â€Å"The Priorities and Practices of Christian Leaders,† Regent Business Review, http://www.cbn.com/finance/rbrchristianleaders.aspx

Analyse Friends Essay Example for Free

Analyse Friends Essay You have been watching various episodes of the popular sitcom FRIENDS. Using this to support your essay, think about the idea of sitcom? What is it? Why is it so popular? Analyse FRIENDS taking into consideration, stereotyping, representation, audience and the sitcom genre. Friends is an American sitcom based in glamorous city, New York. Like most sitcoms from America, this has been a hit all over the world. Friends are about six people in their mid-twenties doing every day things. Theres fusspot Monica (Courtney Cox Arquette), Clueless Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Shopaholic Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Sweet, neurotic Ross (David Schwimmer) and hunky Joey (Matt Le Blanc). And then theres wisecracking Chandler (Matthew Perry). They all live in New York, in expensive and desirable apartments. This conveys to as viewers that their lives are very busy, normal and they are well off with good jobs. Joey and Chandler share an apartment together and across the hallway live Rachel and Monica. Phoebe and Ross live some where else but in the later series Ross moves in to an apartment that is opposite Chandler and Monicas block, the very same apartment where the big fat ugly naked guy used to live! He was a character who always parades around his apartment in the nude. In one episode they tried to poke him taped up chopsticks all the way from they apartment block. I think his purpose, as a character is to show that we all get weird neighbours but we all are the same and all run different lives. This is evidence on how comedy is created, showing things that we would never do or even dream of doing, but we can see the consequences straight from our black box in the lounge. Rachel is the sexy one. She is fashion conscious, always wears nice clothes. Shes really sensitive, cries really easily and always forgetful. She went to high school with Monica. Rachel was about to marry her boyfriend Barry but dumped him at the altar. This perhaps is stereotyping that a young beautiful girls should maybe have more boyfriends before they got married, having a bit of fun. She later met up with Monica and is staying in her apartment, taking over Phoebes room, as she couldnt stand Monicas cleanness any more, which resulted, to her moving. This is a stereotypical images stating that blondes have more fun and must make mess in order to be normal. She is represented by her looking her best at all times and with the best hair dos that all teenage girls would die for. Her parents are really wealthy and she used to live off them. But her friends made her get a job as a waitress in cafi called Central Perk, where they all socialise. As everyone needs to set off by themselves and grow up in the real world. Monica is the clean one. She is obsessed with cleanliness/hygiene and is always cleaning up after her friends. She was very overweight when she was at high school but fought that and is now very slim. This represents that if you want to lose weight, never give up because she did it. This also shows that teenage girls worry about a their appearance a lot as they are teased and bullied at school and results to how far it will take to change their look and image and be normal. Shes also skilful at sports and is a perfectionist; shes got to be the best and always needs to win. This obsession could have been triggered by her success in losing so much weight, which could have made her in believe any dream is worth chasing for, because you will reach it eventually. Monica s wonderful at cooking as she is a chef at a restaurant, but it wasnt easy at first as in her first job, all her colleagues wanted to kill her! Or at least it seemed that way. But she fights her way through, as once, she shouts at them as she couldnt take it any more, and they immediately listen to her. She is represented by always dressing smartly, and is the more mature one of the group. Phoebe is the weird one. She always says strange and bizarre things that have nothing to do with the subject that her friends are talking about. She comes from a strange background, She lived on the streets when she was a kid, her brother (Frank) likes to burn stuff and she has a twin sister called Ursula in which Joey falls in love with at one point. She plays the guitar and comes up with weird and wacky songs like her famous Smelly cat, which she plays in Central Perk. She is represented as stereotypical veggie She loves animals and wouldnt hurt them but in one episode she wore a minx coat but didnt really mind as she said minxes are horrible, this adds to the humour, as she is known to love all living things good or bad and there we see her wearing animal fur. I think she just might be putting on an act to look nice. She is superstitious as she is a bit psychic and she thought a cat was her mum. This is stereotyping blondes by making out that she is a dizzy blonde and is a bit slow at sometimes. Phoebe hasnt got a stable job as its different all the time. They range from a masseuse to collecting money for the poor to selling dead Christmas trees. Joey is the slow-witted one. When someone tells a joke it takes a while for Joey to understand which just adds to the humour. Hes the one who mostly brings back girls to his bachelor pad, which annoys Chandler, as he doesnt get much luck with woman. This is stereotype that Italians are all hunks and womanisers. Can also be described as a Casanova. The Italian Stallion loves sports, especially American Football, Basketball, Baseball and Ice Hockey. He is quite childish as he makes up games like Ultimate Fireball where a ball is on fire and you have to flick it through a hoop. Joey comes from a large Italian family, which consists of his parents and his 7 sisters. Hes a struggling actor, who has started off in a commercial advertising a milk pourer, plays and then in a soap called Day Of Our Lives which he plays a neurosurgeon. But the produces reviled him so they killed him off by making him fall down an elevator shaft. He is represented by having very amusing phrases How you doin which fits into the situation perfectly when he says it. Chandler is the funny one. Hes the one that cracks jokes to people and makes fun of them. He is best friends with Joey and shares an apartment with him. But the friendship was hanging by a thread at one point when chandler slept with one of Joeys girlfriend. But made up later as true friends do as the sitcom shows the ups and downs of friendship. Joey and him love watching Baywatch and have even set his alarm on his microwave to the time it starts so they wont miss it. This is stereotypical as they are saying two single men in their earlier twenties, with their testosterone running high, would to all this trouble just to gulp at a slim female body running on a beach. He is well educated and has a stable job. But they stereotype him by him having another side of him. He is also very sarcastic, which shows he is a insecure person inside and has to make fun of others for him to feel good. He comes from a broken family where his father left him when he was young and his mum smokes a lot and he was mainly neglected during his childhood. This shows that every one comes from different backgrounds and that we should respect that. He is represented by having a lot gestures with the hands and the jokes he cracks to his friends. Ross is the dinosaur guy. He seems to be unlucky with girls. He has three unsuccessful marriages already! His first wife, Susan, turned out to be a lesbian but he had already had a child with her. His second wife, Emily, and him were doing very well and tied the knot, but when saying each other names in the marriage process, he blurted out Rachel instead of Emily. His third wife, a girlfriend for years, Rachel, and him, were in Las Vegas visiting Joey and his new job. Things got a bit out of hand including a huge amount alcohol, which forced them to stumble to a cheap marriage service where got wedded there. This unusual situation just adds to the humour of the show! Throughout the show we see how he copes with this, but it seems he is doing fine thanks to his best friends giving him some advice. Representing that friends are always there for you, you just have to ask. He is sophisticated and well educated, like his sister. He is a palaeontologist, which is the study of past geological periods and fossils. His parents are more fond of him over Monica, although Monica tries so hard to change their views, which reflects real life sibling rivalry where there is always a favourite child. He is represented by constantly changing the tone of his voice to suit the mood he is in, mostly very whiney. Sitcom is informal situation comedy. It is based on realistic situation that happen in our everyday lives. But some how makes it funny and pleasant for the viewers to watch. I think Friends target their audience at 15 35 years olds because this is the time where you need your friends the most. When you start finding a job or wanting a shoulder to cry on, your friends are always there to help. Friends show that if you dont have any friends, you dont get to do what they do on the show. Friends is set in New York, the largest city in the United States. The States are filled with cars, people and their famous yellow taxis, as there are more than 11 million people that live there. Their apartments are on the Island of Manhattan where some of the worlds tallest skyscrapers tower above its streets. Chandler and Monicas apartment block is on top of their favourite hang out, Central Perk. Their apartments are quite modern and new as we can see from the inside. In Monica and Rachels apartment there is nothing you wont find in a normal home. They have a balcony, two bedrooms, one bathroom and a lounge and kitchen that are attached together. Their apartment is quite large where as Chandlers and Joeys are much smaller. They dont have a balcony but everything else is the same. They have a foosball table that doubles as a dining table, so they can play and eat at the same time! They also have two leather chairs, a homemade unit (by Joey) and a duck and a chicken running around. Joey calls it his Bachelor Pad but Monica criticizes him How many girls have you actually brought up here? I find that American sitcoms are much better and more amusing than the British sitcoms. And American ones are much more successful. We can look at Friends and Men Behaving Badly for example. Friends can be seen all over the world, I went to Hong Kong and they were showing it on TV. Men Behaving Badly can only be seen in the UK. This could be because the produces of Men behaving Badly had their target audience on the English viewers and only intended the program to be watched by the Brits and no one else. Where as Friends may have targeted a worldwide audience at the beginning and started from there. But all of the best sitcom that are successful all tend to be American ones. Its just something about their comedy that we cant resist. Also Friends is filmed with a live audience, which shows Friends is more professional in a way as we, the audience, can see what they get up to while filming, seeing all the outtakes. Men Behaving Badly is filmed in an enclosed studio with only the crew inside. Camera angles play a very important part in a sitcom; the mood, the angle and the way it is shot can change the whole scene into a good or bad one. In Series 4 Episode 1 The One With The Jelly Fish the sitcom friends starts off with a taster of what is to follow after the title music, it shows you a bit of the action before it actual starts, just to get the audience going and getting them worked up. It starts off with Joey telling us what happened previously about the story of the whole Ross and Rachel thing. We see Joeys whole body, lying on the ground. Then it shows us clips of it, with Joey narrative guiding us through the scenes. He speaks in a fast pace to show how exciting this is and makes us listen up closely. After the title music, there is an establishing shot of the beach house they were staying at. In Ross and Rachels conversation, when Ross asks Rachel a question, there is immediately a fade in shot of Rachels reaction. It was a mid shot so we could see Rachels facial expressions and the gestures she conducts to occupy her line. Which helps us understand the true meaning. In sitcoms, I found out that they mostly use a mid shot to film the scenes. Because this angle shows everything, the actors and the background, without losing any detail of the other when using another angle. While watching that episode, I noticed that they only use a long shot when someone is entering or leaving the room. Like when Ross entered the room to meet Rachel, the Camera switched to a long shot, to see both their whole body, walking together towards the middle and kiss. This method is to show maybe what they are wearing on that episode to give the wardrobe manger some credit! They also use a lot of establishing shots to set the scene that is to follow. They have establishing shots of the apartment block they live in and the city life. American sitcoms tend to have more sexual diminuendos than British ones. I think this makes it a lot more funnier and in whole a better sitcom. I think Friends is so successful because it deals with universal themes Falling in love, falling out of love, getting a job, losing a job Stuff that everybody can relate to. Fact During the last season, Friends became the most watched sitcom in the world, viewed by more than 30 million people in the US and Britain alone.

A Plan To Sell Products

A Plan To Sell Products Merchandising, advertising, promotion, a plan to sell products, sales to the meet needs of customers, media planning are all well to be known as marketing. While these activities may be regarded as part of marketing, none of them is marketing itself. It is remarkable that there are two conditions that must be met before marketing is possible. Firstly, there must be a person or company that desires to sell a product or a service. Secondly, there is a need for potential buyers of the product or service. No matter which comes first, but both must exist. If both factors exist, marketing is the process or series of activities that the prospective purchaser of the product or service with the product or service. If there is a no problem in selling your product or service for profit, the marketing has been a success. If the problem is not to make profits, the marketing has failed. It is important to recognize, then that marketing is the sum of all activities related to bringing buyer and seller profitably together. 1.2 Introduction to Mauritius Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in the 16th century and subsequently settled by the Dutch who named it in honor of Prince Maurits van NASSAU in the 17th century. Uninhabited until the 17th century, the island was ruled first by the Dutch and then the French after the Dutch had abandoned it. The British took control during the Napoleonic Wars and Mauritius became independent from the UK in 1968. Mauritius is a parliamentary republic and is member of the Southern African Development Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa the African Union and the Commonwealth of Nations. The main languages spoken in Mauritius are Mauritian Creole, French and English. English is the only official language but the lingua franca is Creole and the newspapers and television programs are usually in French. Ethnically, the majority of the population is Indian and there are also many people of African descent on the island and there are also European and Chinese minorities. It is the only African nation where the largest religion is Hinduism although Christianity and Islam also have significant populations. The dodo has been extinct since the mid-to-late 17th century 1.3 Introduction to Maradiva Maradiva Villas Resort Spa, Mauritius, (member of Leading Small Hotels of the World) is an exclusive haven of luxury spread over 27 scenic acres with 750 m of pristine beach. It overlooks the serene, blue waters of Tamarin Bay at Wolmar. The 65 Suite Villas (from 163 to 345 m ²) draw inspiration from the charming local architecture, each with a private pool adjoining a tranquil living-dining area, with the benefit of full butler service to ensure that every guest need is met. The villas are wonderfully spacious and include a large daylight bathroom with an indoor and an outdoor shower, a walk-in wardrobe, flat-screen television, DVD, music system, internet connectivity, espresso machine, personal bar and in-room safe. The blossoming park of Maradiva enhances already an appealing feature of the resort into a lush tropical garden with sculptured landscaping. The resort offers to its guests a choice between 65 picturesque villas with a private pool of their own. The following is a table depicting the various categories of rooms that the resort has to offer with their numbers: TYPE OF VILLAS NUMBER OF VILLAS Luxury Villas 46 Luxury Beachfront Villas 11 Luxury Suites Villas 6 Presidential Villas 2 Chapter 2 Micro Environment and Macro Environment 2.1 Micro Environment The micro environment includes internal factors close to the company that have a direct impact on the organizations strategy. These factors include: 2.1.1 Consumers The maximum numbers of consumers staying in the hotel are from France, then Europe, USA, Middle East, India and other countries. All the cliental from these places are of niche class. There are different types of clientele like corporate, Leisure, Business domestic clientele. Maradiva basically caters types of clientele they are: Corporate clients: since the hotel is well connected it has a huge corporate client Leisure Clients: since Maradiva is marketed as a leisure property it caters to many clients from around the global. Domestic clients: since the hotel is seasonal it offers a special rate of 14,000 MAU throughout the year for Mauritian guests. In this way it caters to the niche segment of the domestic clients (Source: From the hotel monthly Occupancy report) 2.1.2 Suppliers It is directly linked to the companys overall customer value delivery system. The suppliers provide resources to Maradiva to produce these services. If it faces any problems from suppliers it will directly affect the marketing strategies of the hotel. The local travels agents that Maradiva deals with are:- Mauritours The White Sand Tours Summer Times Elite Voyage Connections Expression holidays 2.1.3 Competitors Maradiva provides different strategies packages to generate customer value satisfaction. These strategies help them to compete with their competitors. The hotel by using these strategies must gain strategic advantage by positing their offerings strongly against competitors offerings. EXISTING ROOMS Maradiva Villas and spa, Mauritius 65 Four seasons, Mauritius 145 Sugar Beach resorts, Mauritius 258 Shanti Ananda Maurice 61 Sofitel imperial resort spa 191 Total 720 2.1.4 Media The modes of advertisements that are used there are printed media and the hoardings. In the printed media local newspapers were used and the local newspapers were Le Mauricien and l ´express. 2.2 Macro Environment 2.2.1Political 2.2.2 Economical GDP (2009 est., official exchange rate): $9.156 billion Real growth rate (2009 est.): 2.1% Per capita income (2009 est., purchasing power parity): $12,400 Avg. inflation rate (2009 est.): 3.4% Agriculture (4.5% of GDP): Productssugar, sugar derivatives, tea, tobacco, vegetables, fruits, flowers, cattle and fishing. Manufacturing, including export processing zone (19.4% of GDP): Typeslabor-intensive goods for export, including textiles and clothing, watches and clocks, jewelry, optical goods, toys and games, and cut flowers. Financial services: (10.9% of GDP) Tourism sector (8.7% of GDP): Main countries of originFrance, including nearby French island Reunion, South Africa, and west European countries. (Source: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2833.htm) 2.2.3 Social The forebears of the various ethnic groups composing Mauritian society arrived as settlers, slaves, indentured laborers, and immigrants. Ethnicity, religion, and language have been important factors in shaping the way Mauritians relate to each other in the social spheres. The Mauritian Constitution makes no mention of an official language and its one million citizens speak Mauritian Creole, a French-based Creole, English or French. It is only in the Parliament that the official language is English but any member of the National Assembly can still address the chair in French. Population: Island of Mauritius only: 1,288.2 (In Thousands 2009) Population growth rate: 0.7% Birth rate: 16.66 births/1,000 population (2000 est.) Death rate: 6.83 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.) Sex ratio: Total population: 98 male(s)/100 female Infant mortality rate: 17.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.) Life expectancy at birth: Male: 66.98 years female: 75.04 years (2000 est.) Ethnic groups: Indian 68%, Creole 27%, Chinese 3%, French 2% Religions: Hinduism 52%, Christianity 28.3% (Roman Catholicism 26%, Protestant 2.3%), Islam 16.6%, other 3.1% Literacy: Total population: 82.9% male: 87.1% female: 78.8% (1995 est.) (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Mauritius, http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/socind/population.htm#tech) 2.2.4 Technological It is commonly assumed in the literature that the successful accumulation of technology in a given developing country depends only on access to new information, stable macroeconomic conditions, market-driven signals and the supply of human capital. Mauritius is an outlier in the African scene in terms of its trade, industrial and macroeconomic regime. From the 1970s, Mauritius followed a mixed trade policy of import substitution coupled with incentives for exports through the Export Processing Zone. There have been three phases of adjustment since the mid-1980s, each with a different pace and coverage. Industries also plays an important role in an economy, the main industries in Mauritius are textiles, chemicals, food processing, tourism, metal products, non-electrical machinery and transport equipment. The food processing industry in Mauritius is largely composed of sugar milling. The Sugar cane industry arrived in Mauritius in the year of 1639. There are so many sugar-cane fields in Mauritius. There is also now organic sugar production on the island. Textiles industries have been one of the major industries in Mauritius for past 30 years. The Chinese population is mainly responsible for the development of textile on the island. (Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ricky_Morgan Oxford Development Studies, Vol. 30, No. 1, 2002 Firm Size, Technological Capabilities and Market-oriented Policies in Mauritius GANESHAN WIGNARAJA*) 2.2.5 Environmental In recent years, the United Nation Development Programme UNDP Environment Unit Mauritius has succeeded in mobilizing resources and increasing environmental sustainability in both Mauritius and Seychelles. The main achievements include: The adoption of a sustainable environmental management plan for an industrial estate that has served as a model for replication in other industrial estates; The creation of a co-management unit and the designation of a Marine Protected Area in Rodrigues; A comprehensive portfolio of Global Environment Facility (GEF) projects developed for implementation; Promotion of biodiversity conservation in Seychelles; Supporting the development of an Energy Policy for Mauritius Assessment of national capacity gaps for environmental management in Seychelles National Plan for phase out of POPs in Mauritius UNDP remains committed to the continuation and enhancement of support and local and regional initiatives so as to promote environmental protection in Mauritius, Seychelles and the region. (Source: http://un.intnet.mu/UNDP/html/mauritius/energy_env.htm#top) 2.2.6 Legal Governments objective is to transform Mauritius into an international financial and business hub built on strong foundations. A number of important legislations were passed over the past few years to ensure that the legislative framework meets all the international standards and also aimed at improving the efficiency and competitiveness of our financial services sector. Company law Business Facilitation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006 (Act No. 21 Of 2006) Business Registration Act 2002 Co-operatives (Amendment) Act 2006 (Act No. 6 Of 2006) Development Works Corporation (Repeal) Act 2007 (Act No. 1 Of 2007 Regulations made by the Minister under section 360 of the Companies Act 2001(purchase of own shares) Regulations made by the Minister under sections 355 and 360 of the Companies Act 2001 The Companies Act 2001 The Trust Act 2001 (Source: http://www.lexadin.nl/wlg/legis/nofr/oeur/lxwemau.htm) Chapter 3 SWOT of Maradiva, Maurituis Strengths A perfect destination for honeymooners, with complete silent surrounding and privacy. Only all a la carte menu provided on the island. Offering a novel sort of idea to the customers An all villa concept Basic category of the villa starts from 163 m ², and is the largest square footage accommodation per room in Mauritius. Each Villa has its own private plunge pool. The Only resort with Ayurvedic Spa in Mauritius which is a big competitor for Shanti Ananda hotel Mauritius, who are world famous for their spas. Cilantro, one of its restaurants has a live teppanyaki Japanese Cuisine which is very famous all over Mauritius. Weakness Due to the removal of brand Taj, the product Maradiva is unknown to the market, and has to create its new position in the market. Proximity from the airport isnt that good; it takes more than an hour from the airport. The resort does not have a mix of rooms and villas, due to which it faces severe business losses in the slack season. Lack of qualified and trained personnel is a very big problem in Mauritius due to the reason that most of the staff members are employed just after the schooling. Location- the resort is on the west coast, whereas most of the hotels, water sports activities, places to visit are on the other side of the island. The hotel only carters to the niche customers. Opportunity The resort should target more guests from the Middle East. They should try and target the tourist from Russia, China and Switzerland. The growing interest of tourist looking for private holidays. Threat Upcoming five star hotels. Duplication of concept with minor changes by new upcoming hotels. Being on seashore it always has a danger of the high tide in the sea. Segmentation Market segmentation is the identification of portions of the market that are different from one another. Segmentation allows the firm to better satisfy the needs of its potential customers. Customers within any market rarely have similar needs and expectations. As the country of Mauritius had been under the rule of British French people the place still holds a lot of common ideologies thus making it a hit destination amongst the British and French Nationals. Based on this fact the resort segmented various markets of the world into key markets (UK, France, Germany, and Switzerland) and developing markets (India, Russia, South Africa, Australia). As Mauritius has been known as a Honeymooners Paradise so the hotel based in this fact has targeted young and affluent individuals who would like to have their wedding done or a honeymoon. Not only the young but the place is a hit even with the elderly people Targeting Targeting or Target market selection is the process of deciding which market segments of the company should actively pursue to generate sales. After segmenting it various customers into segments has then found out those market segments which are highly profitable. The resort inorder to tap the honeymoon and wedding market has come out with two explicit packages targeting those clients and are looking for a unique and distinctive experience. On more generic terms the resort looks at targeting key opinion makers, corporate leaders, well traveled discerning, who have experience of finest luxury products and services, disposed towards high end luxury goods, looking for unique/distinctive experiences. Positioning Positioning is done to develop a unique selling proposition for the target segment. Positioning is the reason why hotels exist and why customers miss the company if it were to cease operation. Maradiva positioned itself as a destination resort. A company must be very specific in terms of its intended positioning or unique selling proposition if it wants to stand out among the clutter of choices confronting its potential customers. Chapter 3 Marketing strategies of Maradiva Maradiva majorly depends on foreign tourism, which states that the marketing stratergies can never be over emphasized. Marketing departing had the bonus of getting in the customers to the resort through various means and techniques. Maradiva knew that it cannot replicate the various marketing strategies being applied by other hotels as they offer a different sort of product and need to think out of the box in order to formulate new marketing strategies. 3.1 Pay for few nights and stay for more! Maradiva not only resorted to market themselves in the form of offers but also marketed themselves in the form of various packages which are designed as per the guest needs and preferences. Various packages like free night offer which includes, the guest has to pay for five nights and stay for seven or pay for seven nights and stay for nine nights etc. such type of offers are called tactical offers. Maradiva is well aware of the booking patterns that take place and in accordance with the same; various offers are launched during lean as well as peak season. During periods of low occupancy these tactical offers are provided to boost sales from their key markets mainly the major tour operators who provide maximum business to the hotel. they are implemented with an idea of generating occupancy levels so as to keep the business running comfortably. The tactical offers are designed in such a way so as to garner maximum amount of business during lean season and to maintain the influx of guests during peak season. As the tactical offers are different for different tour operators and vary a lot with the country as well, in U.K (5nights=10nights); France ( one spa treatment per person); 3.2 Mauritian Promotional Offer A tool to capitalize on domestic market Mauritius even though is a small island and the potential of domestic tourism is not phenomenal but every marketer feels that there is an opportunity in every situation. There is no dearth of people who want to live a life of luxury or would want to spend a day or two at a place where they feel theres value for money. Taking all that into consideration the Sales Marketing team of the resort came up with an offer known as Mauritian Promotion Offer in order to attract some local niche clientele. The offer was officially launched in December 2006 as a tactical offer but later owing to its potential it was later upgraded to an all year round offer. The offer included a rate of MRU 14,000 per night for a Luxury Villa with pool, with a HB meal plan inclusive in the package. 3.3 Wedding and Honeymooners Maradiva is the perfect place for romantic luxurious holidays, the ideal love nest for newlyweds. During earlier times when the resort just came into being they had a basic and simple marketing strategy: to market the hotel as a wedding or a honeymoon destination among young couples in the form of wedding and honeymoon packages which would include the accommodation along with the various formalities that need to be performed which is taken care of by the guest relation manager. The guests are also provided with various facilities like candlelit dinner, champagne breakfast, and massage for the groom and various beauty treatments for the bride. The honeymoon package would constitute of providing a 50% discount on the brides twin sharing rate along with various added values like coffee scrub, candlelit dinner, champagne breakfast, rose petal bath etc. 3.4 Affiliation packages Maradiva is affiliated to Leading group of small hotels, Great hotels of the world, Leading Spas f the world which helps the resort to generate more room nights than its competitors. The customers had the choice of choosing the package amongst a wide array of packages depending on their needs. For example a guest could choose a 5 day Maradiva Spa Stress Relief and Relaxation which would spread across a span of 5 days and has been carefully designed inorder to provide absolute relaxation to the guest. The package would encompass things like Level 1 2 of Yoga Meditation, Yoga Nidra, Trataka, Aroma Bath + Scrub Wrap, Surya Namaskar and Pehlwan Malish. The resort also boosted of a Golf Package as the resort was in close proximity to the Tamarina Golf Course. Recommendation In this section the researcher has illustrated various marketing stratergies implemented by Maradiva, Mauritius; and the SWOT analysis done by the researcher on the marketing strategies would enlisting few recommendations based on the knowledge and experience garnered during the operational and project stage of understudy: Maradiva should look at penetrating other new emerging markets such as South Africa, Middle East, Australia, Russia and India by developing a holistic approach, with the use of explicit marketing tools catering in specific to the particular market. By doing so the resort would be able to remove the dependability factor on its few restricted key markets and in turn would help them in being better prepared for unforeseen situations. With the growing spending power of people in the developing countries it would not be wrong to target those people who prefer travelling abroad during holidays by having country specific holiday packages in order to profit from situation. The hotel needs to take into consideration various countries trend for holidays. Internal marketing: Hotels should practice internal marketing; the hotel should motivate their customer contact employees and all their service people to work as a team to provide customer satisfaction. External marketing: The sales marketing should have good communication skills and should provide more interactive sessions to their clients should be able to market the product efficiently. The resort has done a lot to their micro site but the researcher still feels that the website can be made more appealing by adding blogs, interactive event / activity calendars, hotel guest scrapbooks, photo sharing contests, testimonials which helps in generating interests site stickiness ultimately increase the bookings. The airfare for a place like Mauritius is quite expensive and this discourages budget travellers from coming to the country. A possible solution for this could be combinable offers with airlines like Air Mauritius and Emirates which could help create a new segment of customers for the hotel. The hotel from its side needs to establish a healthy relationship with such airlines so that offers such as room fare inclusive of airfare would entice customers to come to the hotel. In this tech savvy age the resort can also look at establishing a database of e mail id of their loyal customers and can optimally use the e mail marketing technique in order to reward customers and offer lower rates to them which do not generally feature on the website. Conclusions Marketing has been and would always be an integral part of the smooth functioning of a hotel. Without proper marketing strategies there wouldnt be any guests coming to the property or even if they would be the hotel would be targeting the wrong sort of clientele to cater to. Marketing in hospitality industry is a balanced form of being an art with a lot of science behind every decision being taken under its domain. A more common view is that marketing activities are prepared in order to inform the customers about the products that they may enjoy or that they may improve their life in some way. Few marketers also see it as an opportunity for specific reasons like encouraging repeat purchases and building brand loyalty and affinity. Mauritius, having a very small population with large number of hotels coming up hospitality personnel are not afraid of losing their jobs. Their attitude is laid back, with the habit of procrastinating things. In order to attract and retain repeat guests it is necessary to primarily retain honest and loyal service personnel. The main reason why Maradiva had to roll down its shutters was its inability to attract guests to occupy its villas. There were a few minor errors with the marketing aspect. It was the price that did not suit many tourists pocket. Maradiva also faced a problem of its inventory being less i.e.only has villas. Other five star hotels which had a mixture of villas and rooms did roaring business at the same time. This clearly goes to show that the hotel should have done a more precise market survey before going into such a loss.

Impressions Of Television :: essays research papers fc

Impressions of Television SOME AMERICANS COMPLAIN THAT THERE IS TOO MUCH VIOLENCE IN TELEVISION, PARTICULARLY IN AN ACTION SERIES OR CARTOONS. THEY ARE AFRAID THAT PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN, WILL SEE THESE SHOWS AND THINK THAT THE ONLY WAY TO RESOLVE PROBLEMS IS THROUGH VIOLENT ACTS. I THINK THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF FACTORS OTHER THAN TELEVISION THAT EFFECTS PEOPLE. HAVE YOU EVER TRIED SOMETHING JUST BECAUSE YOU SAW IT ON TELEVISION? I'M SURE THAT ALL OF US HAVE DONE THAT AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER. TELEVISION SHOWS THAT ARE VIOLENT CAN HAVE NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON THE WAY THAT CHILDREN ACT. TELEVISION HAS EMBEDDED ITSELF WITHIN THE LIFE OF THE TYPICAL AMERICAN PERSON. ACCORDING TO THE ENCARTA 96 CD ROM ENCYCLOPEDIA THEY CLAIM THAT, "BETWEEN THE AGES OF 2 AND 65 THE AVERAGE AMERICAN WILL WATCH 72,000 HOURS OF TELEVISION—AT 24 HOURS A DAY, A TOTAL OF 8 FULL YEARS. THE DAILY AVERAGE IS ABOUT 4 HOURS. THE HEAVIEST VIEWERS ARE HOUSEWIVES AND SENIOR CITIZENS. CHILDREN WATCH THE SAME AMOUNT OF TELEVISION AS DO ADULTS; TEENAGERS WATCH ABOUT AN HOUR LESS PER DAY." "EARLY EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCHERS COMPARED THE PLAY OF CHILDREN WHO HAD SEEN AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR ON TELEVISION WITH THE PLAY OF A CONTROL GROUP OF CHILDREN WHO HAD WATCHED NONVIOLENT PROGRAMS. CONCERN WAS INTENSIFIED BY FINDINGS THAT INDICATED A HIGHER LEVEL OF AGGRESSIVE PLAY IN THE VIOLENT- TELEVISION GROUP"(ENCARTA). ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SURF SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS TO SEE THE VIOLENCE. THE NINJA TURTLES ARE A PHENOMENON THAT HAS CAPTURED THE IMAGINATIONS OF MOVIE, COMIC, AND EVEN CARTOON FANS ACROSS SEVERAL GENERATIONS. A GROUP OF YOUNG, TEENAGE TURTLES WHO USE KUNG-FU AGAINST A GROUP OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF CREATURES. THIS SHOW ANIMATES EXPLICITLY HOW THEY BATTLE THESE CREATURES TO FIGHT FOR JUSTICE AND THE AMERICAN WAY. THEY LIVE IN THE SEWERS WITH THEIR TEACHER WHO IS A RAT, USING AN ASSORTMENT OF WEAPONS SUCH AS THE SWORD, NUMCHUCKS, NINJA FORKS, AND A NINJA STICK TO FIGHT FOES. IT SEEMS TO ME WHEN I LOOK OUTSIDE TO SEE THE CHILDREN PLAYING, THEY MIMIC THE NINJA TURTLES, PRETENDING THAT THEY ARE KILLING KRANG OR SHREDDER. IT NEVER FAILS IT ALWAYS SEEMS THAT THERE IS ONE CHILD THAT COMES IN CRYING BECAUSE ANOTHER KID (WHO THOUGHT HE WAS DONATELLO) WAS HITTING HIM WITH A STICK THAT HE USED FOR A SWORD. ALARMINGLY THIS PROBLEM SOMETIMES ESCALATES WHEN THE CHILD GETS OLDER AND THE CHILD IS SUBJECT TO MORE IDEAS BROUGHT ACROSS ON TELEVISION. NOT TOO FAR AWAY IN THE CHANNELS OF THE TELEVISION YOU HAVE MTV. IT IS A MUSIC BASED CHANNEL THAT PLAYS ALL TYPES OF MUSIC VIDEOS AND AN OCCASIONAL

Interview of an E.M.T. :: interview essays

I had the opportunity to interview an E.M.T. The E.M.T. I chose to interview was my friend Matt from the Highland lakes squad. I chose to interview him because it is easier for me to talk to someone I know than someone I don't know, and also I wanted to find out whats its like being an E.M.T.. Q: Why did you become an E.M.T.? A: I enjoy helping people, and I felt that I wanted to be able to do more than just basic first aid and CPR. Q: What does it mean to be on call? A: It means that if the alarm goes off you are the person that responds to the call. You can't leave your area because you have to stay available if the pagers do go off. Q: How does being an E.M.T. affect your personal life? A: It doesn't really affect my personal life too much. The only time it really does is if the pager goes off and I'm on call then I have to stop what I am doin and respond to the call, or if I come across an accadent I have to stop and help. Q: In Vernon what kind of accadents do you usually see? A: The most common type of accadent I see is people havin trouble breathing, or people who can't breath things like that. Q: What is the worst accadent you've ever seen? A: The worst accadent I've ever seen was a car accadent where there was a victim who couldn't remember anything even after I told him the same thing over and over again he couldn't remember what I told him. Q: What happens if the victim is someone you know? A: I try to treat the victim like any other victim, but I'm more nervious about messing up somthing or doing somthin wrong. The victim though will usually feel more comfortable when someone they know is there with them. Q: What do you do at the scene of an accadent? A: We treat the victims, and transport them to the hospital as fast as we can. Q: How do you feel on the way to a call? A: I usually have an adrenalin rush, and my body feels like its going 100 times faster than normal. Thats about it though. Q: Do you like being an E.M.T. and why? A: Yes, I enjoy being an E.M.T. I like the feeling I get from helping others that are in need of help. Q: What happens if you are at a call and another call comes in? A: If a