A Pyrometer Is A Non Contacting Device

A pyrometer is a non-contacting device that intercepts and steps thermal of a radiation, a procedure known as pyrometer. Its a device that can be used to find the temperature of an objects surface. It has an optical system and a sensor. The optical system can concentrate thermic radiation onto the sensor. The end product signal of the sensor is related to the thermic radiation or irradiance j* of the mark object through the Stefan-Boltzmann getaway, the invariable of proportionality ? , called the Stefan-Boltzmann invariable and the emissivity ? of the object j^ { star } = varepsilonsigma T^ { 4 } This end product of the pyrometer is to used to deduce object ‘s temperature. There is no demand for direct contact the between pyrometer and the object, as there is with thermocouples and opposition sensors ( RTDs ) . hypertext transfer protocol: //www.instrumentationtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Radiation-Pyrometer.jpgRadiation pyrometerThe radiation pyrometer is the organic structure or the fluid is emitted of the temperature is to be measured and besides to focused on a thermic receiving surface, it is normally in the froth of a really thin strip of blackened Pt besides the alterations in temperature of this surface is measured. Therefore in a radiation thermopile a big figure of thermocouple in the signifier of strip are connected in the series and besides arranger side by side so that all the non junction which are blackened to increase the energy, when it absorbing ability the pyrometer besides fall within a really little mark country. The thermoelectric features of the thermopile are really stable because the thermocouple are seldom connected straight to the furnace and besides non present at a temperature of more than a few hundred grades. The thermopile has more advantage over othe r sensors, and besides give the same response to incoming radiation in the scope of 0.3-20Â µm irrespective of wavelength within the scope. The standardization of a entire radiation pyrometer is done with black organic structure radiation. For illustration the end product temperature T4 since the pyrometer is use to mensurate the temperature of a fluid or a hot organic structure, the emanation is non right known, so the temperature that measured will non be corrected and some grade of mistake will be present. The mistake are calculated and some grade of mistake will be present. The mistake are calculated as the end product thermometer temperature is straight relative to T4. E = K?„T4 The ‘K ‘ is a changeless by distinguishing we will acquire: DT/T = d?„/4?„ 10 % of the mistake in the value of emanation will ensue in 2.5 % mistake in the temperature of the radiant object that is measuredPyrometric conehypertext transfer protocol: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/17/Figure_6.gif It ‘s the device that seldom used to estimate heat work during the fire of ceramic stuffs. The cones, frequently used in sets three as shown in the illustration, are positioned in a kiln with the wares to be fired and supply a ocular indicant of when the wares have reached a needed province of adulthood, a combination of clip and temperature. Therefore, pyrometric cones give a temperature equivalent and besides are non simple temperature-measuring devices.Resistance thermometerFile: Rtdconstruction.gif Resistance thermometer besides called opposition temperature sensor ( RTDs ) are detectors used to measured temperature by collating the opposition of the RTD component with temperature. Most RTD element consist of a length of mulct coiled wire wrapped around made from a pure stuff, Pt, Ni or Cu. The stuff has a predictable alteration in opposition as the temperature alterations.ThermometerFile: Thermometer CF.svg The thermometer is chiefly used to mensurate the temperature of the organic structure. The other utilizations are a pendulum can be constructed from a thermometer attached to a light twine by which approximative gravitative acceleration could be calculated and by mensurating clip needed for a thermometer released from the top of a edifice to hit the land, in this manner, approximative tallness of that edifice could be obtained. Apart from it max thermometer and min thermometer are used to mensurate air temperatureQuestion 3hypertext transfer protocol: //i.cmpnet.com/planetanalog/2010/08/C0614-Figure3.gif Electrocardiogram ( ECG ) There are several preciseness amplifier and instrumentality amplifier chances in ECG application. The diagnosing is in a ( clinical ) Electrocardiogram with up to 12 leads. Key block lead devices are the electrode addition amplifier, high-pass filter ( normally 0.5 Hz ) , low-pass filter ( around 150 Hz ) and right-led thrust circuit. Each electrode required a preciseness instrumentality A to pull out a really little signal that rides on a 300 millivolt to 700 millivolts common-mode electromotive force. Typically, this amplifier will utilize a higher supply electromotive force to enable a high addition without inveighing the amplifier in the presence of the common-mode electromotive force from the organic structure. This A can be a distinct instrumentality amplifier or an incorporate instrumentality amplifier. Second and 3rd phase active-filter amplifiers are needed to put a really specific set ( 0.5 Hz – 150 Hz ) to capture the EKG wave signal. Basically these will be low noise, 5V amplifier with good appropriate bandwidth. In add-on, low-noise, low-power amplifier are needed for the right-leg-drive feedback map. In multi-channel from system, it normally is a 12-lead ECG proctor will be utilizing for a common users, it is to multiplex signal into a common ADC system. The cardinal typical demands for the multiplexer ( mux ) are low on-resistance and low charge injection on the system. By and large a specific mux is selected to fit the electromotive force demands of the filter amplifier and the ADC. It is besides common for multichannel ECGs to hold automated lead sensing to enable multi-configuration operations. Generally, a low on-resistance switch is used in this circuit every bit good Multiplexers like the ISL43681 and ISL43640 series are first-class picks for medical devices as they can run a scope from 2V to 12V. In add-on, they have low-on opposition of 39 to 60 ? , which lower deformation and reduces ‘kick-back ‘ electromotive force from the system. Their low charge injection of 0.3 personal computer ( picocoulombs ) reduces error part on charge-redistribution on a ACDs system. For 3-lead portable ECG application, low-power instrumentality As from a CMOS procedure may be a better choice on the multiplexers. Since CMOS inputs of course provide a high-impedance input, the demand for external is eliminated, salvaging cost. A good pick for the input amplifier can present active feedback with a really precise base line compensation electromotive force, low 1/f noise, highly low beginning, and low impetus versus temperature. What ( electrically ) is being measured? It is electrical activity of the bosom musculus as it changes with clip, normally printed on paper for easier analysis. Like other musculuss, cardiac musculus contracts in response to electrical depolarization of the musculus cells. It is the amount of this electrical activity, when amplified and recorded for merely a few seconds that we know as an ECG. How is the electrical signal gaining control? A signal-averaged EKG is a more elaborate type of ECG. During this process, multiple ECG tracings are obtained over a period of about 20 proceedingss measuring several hundred cardiac rhythms to observe elusive abnormalcies that increase hazard for cardiac arrhythmias. These elusive abnormalcies are normally non detected on a field ECG. A computing machine captures all the electrically signal from the bosom and averages them to supply the physician item sing how the bosom ‘s electrical conductivity system is working and shown on the ECG system. It show a radio detection and ranging on the system, it ‘s a heart-beat frequence rate. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.maximintegrated.com/images/appnotes/4693/4693Fig02.gif Complete circuit of a functional block diagram ( ECG )QUESTION5Voltage to frequency From the BASIC of electromotive force to frequency the LM231/LM331 convertors ideally suited for in simple low cost circuit from parallel to digital transition, the preciseness frequence to voltage transition, long-run integrating, additive frequence transition or demodulation, and many other map. The end product when used a electromotive force to frequency convertor is a pulse train at a frequence exactly relative to the applied input electromotive force. The transition of electromotive force to frequency it provides all the built-in advantages of the electromotive force to frequency convertor techniques, and easy to use in all standard electromotive force to frequency converter application. Further, the LM231A/LM331A series attained a new high degree of truth versus temperature which could be attained with expensive electromotive force to frequence faculties. The LM231/331 are ideally suited for usage in digital system at low power supply electromotive forces and can supply low-pri ced parallel to digital transition convertor can be easy channeled through a simple exposure isolator to supply isolation against common degrees The LM231/LM331 use a new temperature-compensated band-gap mention circuit, to supply first-class truth over the full operating temperature scope, at power supplies every bit low as 4.0V. the preciseness timer circuit has low prejudice currents without degrading the speedy response necessary for 100kHz voltage-to-frequency transition. And the end product are driving 3 TTL tonss, or a high electromotive force end product to 40V, yet is short-circuit against Vcc. Frequency to voltage The LM 2907/LM 2917 series are frequency to voltage convertor with a high addition op A or comparator designed to run a relay, lamp, or other burden when the input of frequence reached are exceeds a selected rate. Most of the tachometer uses a charge pump technique and offer frequence duplicating for low rippling and full input protection in two versions ( LM2907-8, LM2917-8 ) or end product swing to land for a nothing frequence input. The op A or comparator is to the full compatible and the tachometer has a drifting transistor as its end product from the frequence. This characteristic allows either a land or supply referred load up to 50mA. The aggregator may be taken supra Vcc up to a maximal VCE of 28V. The indistinguishable basic constellations include an 8-pin device with a below referenced tachometer input and its internal connexion between the tachometer end product and the op amp non-inverting input. This version is good suited for individual velocity, either dual velocity or frequence shift or to the full buffered frequence to voltage transition application. The more frequence is configure and supply a differential tachometer input and uncommitted op A inputs. With this version the tachometer input may be floated and the op amp become suited for active filter conditioning of the tachometer end product.Question 6Differential force per unit area flow measuring is dependable with the assistance of microprocessor engineering discharge coefficient can be stored on the instrument and measurement temperature absolute force per unit area allows to rectify unstable parametric quantity such as denseness and speed to obtain the mass flow rate. This are called multivariable mass flow metres. The beginning of differential force per unit area flow measuring is the Bernoulli equation represent energy preservation for a fluid component Orifice home base Orifice home bases are most normally used for uninterrupted measuring of fluid in pipes. They are besides used in some little river system to mensurate flow rate at locations where the river passes through a culvert or drain. Merely a little figure of rivers are appropriate for the usage of the engineering since the home base must stay wholly immersed i.e. the attack pipe must be full, and the river must be well free of dust. In the natural environment, big opening home bases are used to command forth flow in flood alleviation dikes. In these construction a low dike is placed across a river and in normal operation the H2O flows through the opening home base unimpeded as the opening is well big than the normal flow cross subdivision. However in inundation, the flow rate rises and inundations out the opening home base which can so merely base on balls flow determined the physical dimension of the opening. Flow so held back behind the low dike in a impermanent reservoir which is easy discharged through the opening when the inundation subsides Venture The Bernoulli rule and its corollary, the venture consequence, are indispensable to aerodynamic every bit good as hydrodynamic design construct. Airflow and hydrofoil designs to raise and maneuver air and H2O vass ( aeroplanes, ships and pigboats ) are derived from application of the Bernoulli rule and the venture consequence, as are the instruments that measure rate of motion through the air or H2O ( velocity index ) . Stability indicant and control mechanisms such as gyroscopic attitude indexs and fuel metering devices, such as carburettors, map as a consequence of gas fluid force per unit area derived functions that create suction as demonstrated and mensurable by gas/fluid force per unit area and speed equation from the Bernoulli rule and the venture consequence. Nozzle A nozzle us a device to command the way or features of a fluid flow ( particularly to increase speed ) as it exist ( or enters ) an enclosed chamber or pipe via an opening. A nose is frequently a pipe tubing of changing transverse sectional country, and it can be used to direct or modify the flow of a fluid ( liquid or gas ) . Nozzles are often used to command the rate flow, velocity, way, mass, form, or the force per unit area of the watercourse that emerges from them Pilot tubing The basic pilot tubing consists of a tubing indicating straight into the fluid. As this tubing contain fluid, a force per unit area can be measured, the traveling fluid is brought to rest ( stagnates ) as there is no mercantile establishment to let flow to go on. This force per unit area is the stagnancy force per unit area of the fluid, besides known as the entire force per unit area or ( peculiarly in air power ) the pilot force per unit area

The Nacirema

In review of the article â€Å"Body Ritual Among the Nacirema† by Horace Miner, this was a very satirical piece on how Native Americans had a very ritualistic approach towards many religious ceremonies and how they interacted with each other at these ceremonies. Horace Miner brought up very appalling view points about the native Americans. The way he worded his synopsis of his studies was very dark and oppressive. Almost making the foreigners to him seem animalistic. When in real life they were doing things such as going to the doctor and getting their teeth cleaned but since he did not know the tools they were using it was foreign to him. This makes me wonder what I actually see in other cultures to be foreign or domestic. I may go to another country in a remote place and see very odd things and maybe be shocked but to those people it is the proven science to survival for them. Also in the satirical aspect of this paper it makes me think of how we should look at people. After reading through the article it seemed that the anthropologist went into this looking for something out of the ordinary. In studying each person seems to look and key on the interesting facts, but if you look to hard and over exaggerate it seems to imbelish what was actually happening. So actually it seems that even though this article was satirical in its purpose it over eggagerated the tools and purposes of medicine practices then and made people appear to be something that they actually were not.

Competitive Advantage in Fast Fashion

*CHAPTER* 3 COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE *IN THE* FAST FASHION Fast fashion is a term used to describe clothing collections which are based on the most recent fashion trends presented at Fashion Week in both the spring and the autumn of every year. These trends are designed and manufactured quickly and cheaply to allow the mainstream consumer to take advantage of current clothing styles at a lower price. This chapter highlights the sources of competitive advantage that may exist inside the field of fast fashion, as shown in Figure 3. , studying in detail the major players who are part of: H&M, Gap, Zara and Benetton. {draw:frame} FIGURE 3. 1 : THE SOURCES OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE *3. 1 *SUPPLY CHAIN A supply chain is a system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier) to customer. Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials and components into a finished product that is delivered t o the end customer. In sophisticated supply chain systems, used products may re-enter the supply chain at any point where residual value is recyclable. Supply chains are increasingly being seen as integrated entities, and closer relationships between the organizations throughout the chain can bring competitive advantage, reduce costs, and help to maintain a loyal customer base. There are two main differences to value chains: Supply chains are more detailed since they incorporate not only activities. Supply chains connect intra-organizational value chains by products, services, and information flows. Supply chains underlie value-chains because, without them, no producer has the ability to give customers what they want, when and where they want, at the price they want. Producers compete with each other only through their supply chains, and no degree of improvement at the producer's end can make up for the deficiencies in a supply chain which reduce the producer's ability to compete. {draw:frame} FIGURE 3. 2: EXAMPLE OF SUPPLY CHAIN A typical supply chain begins with ecological and biological regulation of natural resources, followed by the human extraction of raw material, and includes several production links (e. . , component construction, assembly, and merging) before moving on to several layers of storage facilities of ever-decreasing size and ever more remote geographical locations, and finally reaching the consumer. All organizations have supply chains of varying degrees, depending upon the size of the organization and the type of product manufactured. These networks obtain supplies and components, change these materials into finished products and then distribute them to the customer. Managing the chain of events in this process is what is known as supply chain management. The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) defines Supply Chain Management as follows â€Å"Supply Chain Management encompasses the planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing and procurement, conversion, and all logistics management activities. Importantly, it also includes coordination and collaboration with channel partners, which can be suppliers, intermediaries, third-party service providers, and customers. In essence, supply chain management integrates supply and demand management within and across companies. Supply Chain Management is an integrating function with primary responsibility for linking major business functions and business processes within and across companies into a cohesive and high-performing business model. It includes all of the logistics management activities noted above, as well as manufacturing operations, and it drives coordination of processes and activities with and across marketing, sales, product design, finance and information technology. Effective management must take into account coordinating all the different pieces of this chain as quickly as possible without losing any of the quality or customer satisfaction, while still keeping costs down. The first step is obtaining a customer order, followed by production, storage and distribution of products and supplies to the customer site. Customer satisfaction is paramount. Included in this supply chain process a re customer orders, order processing, inventory, scheduling, transportation, storage, and customer service. A necessity in coordinating all these activities is the information service network. In addition, key to the success of a supply chain is the speed in which these activities can be accomplished and the realization that customer needs and customer satisfaction are the very reasons for the network. Reduced inventories, lower operating costs, product availability and customer satisfaction are all benefits which grow out of effective supply chain management. Furthermore, market demands, customer service, transport considerations, and pricing constraints all must be understood in order to structure the supply chain effectively. These are all factors, which change constantly and sometimes unexpectedly, and an organization must realize this fact and be prepared to structure the supply chain accordingly. 3. 1. 1 DECISIONS ON THREE LEVELS Supply chain management decisions are often said to belong to one of three levels; the strategic, the tactical, or the operational level. Figure 3. shows the three level of decisions as a pyramid shaped hierarchy. The decisions on a higher level in the pyramid will set the conditions under which lower level decisions are made {draw:frame} FIGURE 3. 3 HIERARCHY OF SUPPLY CHAIN DECISIONS On the strategic level long term decisions are made. According to Ganeshan and Harrison, these are related to location, production, inventory, and transportation. Location decisions are concerned with the size, number, and geo graphic location of the supply chain entities, such as plants, inventories, or distribution centers. The production decisions are meant to determine which products to produce, where to produce them, which suppliers to use, from which plants to supply distribution centers, and so on. Inventory decisions are concerned with the way of managing inventories throughout the supply chain. Transport decisions are made on the modes of transport to use. Decisions made on the strategic level are of course interrelated. For example decisions on mode of transport are influenced by decisions on geographical placement of plants and warehouses, and inventory policies are influenced by choice of suppliers and production locations. Modeling and simulation is frequently used for analyzing these interrelations, and the impact of making strategic level changes in the supply chain. On the tactical level medium term decisions are made, such as weekly demand forecasts, distribution and transportation planning, production planning, and materials requirement planning. The operational level of supply chain management is concerned with the very short term decisions made from day to day. Figure 3. 4 shows for each level types of decisions made. *3. 4 FIGURE:* DECISION-MAKING LEVELS IN SUPPLY CHAINS . 1. 2 DRIVERS OF SUPPLY CHAIN Drivers determine supply chain performance and are the managerial levers on which to guide the operational process. For each driver manager must make tradeoffs beetween efficiency (cost) and responsiveness. {draw:frame} FIGURE 3. 5: DRIVERS OF SUPPLY CHAIN Facilities Are the actual physical locations in the supply chain network where product are stored, assembled or fabricated. The two major types of facilities are: Production sites( factories) Storage sites (warehouse). Components of facilities decisions are: Location: centralize to gain economies of scale (major efficiency) or decentralize to be more responsive. Other issues include quality and costo f workers, costo f facility, infrastructure, taxes, quality of life,etc. Capacity: excess capacity allows a company to be more responsive to changes in the level of demand (major flexibility), but at the expensive of efficiency. Manufacturing methodology: decisions between a product or functional focus, between flexible or dedicated capacity. Warehousing methodology: choose between: SKU storage: stores all of one type of product together, Job lot storage: stores different products together to satisfy a particular customer or job, cross-docking: product is not actually warehoused in the facility, instead the facility is used to house a process where trucks from suppliers arrive and unload large quantities of different products. These large lots are then broken down into smaller lots. Smaller lots of different products are recombined according to the needs of the day and quickly loaded onto outbound trucks that deliver the product to their final destination. Inventory Inventory encompasses all the raw materials, work in process, and finished goods within a supply chain. Changing inventory policies can dramatically alter the supply chain’s efficiency & responsiveness. There are three basic decisions to make regarding the creation and holding of inventory: C_ycle Inventory_: this is the amount of inventory needed to satisfy demanf for the product in the period between purchases of the product. Safety Inventory: inventory that is held as a buffer against uncertainly. If demand forecasting could be done with perfect accuracy, then the only inventory that would be needed would be cycle inventory. Seasonal Inventory: this is inventory that is built up in anticipation of predictable increases in demand that occur at certain times of the year. Inventory has different impacts: Can increase amount of demand that can be met by increasing product availability Can reduce costs by exploiting economies of scale in production, transportation, and purchasing. Can be used to support a firm’s competitive strategy. More inventory increases responsiveness, less inventory increases efficiency (reduces cost). Can significantly affect material flow/cycle/throughput time because if you move your inventory faster, you don’t need as much inventory (inventory velocity). Transportation Transportations entails moving inventory from point to point in the supply chain. Components of transportation decisions are: Mode of transportation: is the manner in which a product is moved (air, truck,rail, ship, pipeline,eletronic). Each mode differs with respect to speed, size of shipments, cost, and flexibility. Routes and networks selection: are respectively paths along which a product can be shipped and a collection of locations and routes. In house or out source the transportation function. Many companies use third-party logistics provider (3PL) to perform some or all of their transportation activities. Usually companies outsource the distribution. Faster transportation allows a supply chain to be more responsive but generally less efficient. Less than full truckloads allows a supply chain to be more responsive but generally less efficient. Transportation can be used to support a firm’s competitive strategy. Customers may demand and be willing to pay for a high level of responsiveness. Information Information serves as the connection between various stages of a supply chain, allowing them to coordinate & maximize total supply chain profitability. It is also crucial to the daily operations of each stage in a supply chain for a production scheduling system. Components of information decisions are: Push versus pull: push systems (like MRP) need information on anticipated demand to create production and purchasing schedules. Pull systems (like JIT) need accurate qnd quick information on actual demand to move inventory and schedule production in the chain. Enabling technologies: many technologies exist to share and analyze information in the supply chain: EDI: electronic data interchange. ERP: enterprise re source planning. SCM software: Supply Chain Management Software Internet Forecasting & planning to anticipate and meet future demands. Available information is used to make tactical forecasts to guide the setting of monthly and quarterly production schedules & time table Coordination and information sharing Information allows supply chain to become more efficient and more responsive at the same time (reduces the need for a trade-off) {draw:frame} {draw:frame} TABELLA 3. 6 CONSIDERATIONS FOR SUPPLY CHAIN DRIVERS 3. 1. 3 SCOR The Supply Chain Operations Reference Model (SCOR Model) is one of the very few dedicated methods for supply chain modelling and has also a high relevance for many industries. The model has been developed by The Supply-Chain Council (SCC), an independent not-for-profit firm with more than 1,000 corporate members. It was first introduced in 1996 and is now available in version 8. 0. In contrast to generic process modelling methods, SCOR is actually a reference model, because it defines activities that can be found in any supply chain. In that sense, it can be regarded as a successor to the value chain model by Porter. The SCOR model covers the followings levels of abstraction: Top level ( level 1) Configuration level (level 2) Process element level (level 3) Implementation level {draw:frame} *FIGURE 3. 7*:* *SCORE PROCESS FRAMEWORK Top level SCOR defines five core management processes called process types that are relevant for all firms in a supply chain (scope of the model). Three of these process types form a sequence of source, make, and deliver. The process types are: Source (S) Processes that procure goods and services to meet planned or actual demand. Make (M) Processes that transform a product or service to a finished state to meet planned or actual demand. Deliver (D) Processes that provide finished goods and services to meet planned or actualdemand, typically including order management, transportation management,and distribution management. Return (R) Processes associated with returning or receiving returned products for any reason. These processes extend into post-delivery customer support. The top level, however, can not be instantiated, thus this level defines only the scope of the SCOR model. The modelling of actual or planned supply chains starts on the next level. Configuration level beyond the five main processes, there is a further classification of processes into three categories: Planning: processes that plan resources to meet demand in appropriate time intervals. re repeated periodically and have a great influence on the response time of the supply chain. Execution: processes as executive involved in the activities of scheduling, sequencing, processing, testing, and handling of products, affecting the cycle time of the order fulfillment. Enable: processes involving information and managerial aspects that affect the other two processes From five main processes the SCOR model identifies 26 processes of second l evel, each belonging to one of three process type defined above. For instance, categories for ‘source’ are: S1 ‘source stocked product’: The procurement, delivery, receipt and transfer of raw material items, subassemblies, product and/or services. S2 ‘source make-to-order product’: The procurement and delivery of a product that is built to a specific design or configured based on the requirements of a particular customer order. S3 ‘source engineer-to-order product’: The negotiation, procurement and delivery of engineer-to-order assemblies or specialized product or services that are designed and built based on the requirements or specifications of a particolar customer order or contract. By selecting the relevant process categories, a firm can represent its operational strategy. For instance, the relevant source categories need to be selected and mapped to respective products and/or services (thus a firm can implement multiple source categories reflecting diverse sourcing strategies). Process element level The process element level decomposes the process categories by adding process element definitions, process element information inputs/outputs, process performance metrics, and best practices. SCOR does not define functions and organizational entities for these elements, thus it strictly focuses processes. Implementation level Implementation level aims to implement management practices, defining the elements necessary to gain a competitive advantage and adapt to changes. METRICS SCOR defines metrics that measure effectiveness and efficiency of a supply chain. For this purpose, metrics form a hierarchy along the SCOR levels: Level 1 metrics relate to the overall planning of a supply chain (thus these metrics are differentiated to source, make etc. ). Level 2 and 3 metrics decompose the level 1 and 2 metrics respectively. Each level 1 metric contribute to realising a performance attribute. A performance attributes is a characteristics of the supply chain that permits it to be analysed and evaluated against other supply chains with competing strategies. For instance, a supply chain is reliable to a certain degree or not. The level 1 metrics and associated performance attributes are defined as follows: FIGURE 3. 8: THE LEVEL 1 METRICS 1. Production Strategic decisions regarding production focus on what customers want and the market demands. This first stage in developing supply chain agility takes into consideration what and how many products to produce, and what, if any, parts or components should be produced at which plants or outsourced to capable suppliers. These strategic decisions regarding production must also focus on capacity, quality and volume of goods, keeping in mind that customer demand and satisfaction must be met. Operational decisions, on the other hand, focus on scheduling workloads, maintenance of equipment and meeting immediate client/market demands. Quality control and workload balancing are issues which need to be considered when making these decisions. . Supply Next, an organization must determine what their facility or facilities are able to produce, both economically and efficiently, while keeping the quality high. But most companies cannot provide excellent performance with the manufacture of all components. Outsourcing is an excellent alternative to be considered for those products and compone nts that cannot be produced effectively by an organization’s facilities. Companies must carefully select suppliers for raw materials. When choosing a supplier, focus should be on developing velocity, quality and flexibility while at the same time reducing costs or maintaining low cost levels. In short, strategic decisions should be made to determine the core capabilities of a facility and outsourcing partnerships should grow from these decisions. {text:list-item} 3. 2. 1PUSH VS PULL {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} 3. 3. 2. 1 CRP {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} 3. 6 KEY INTERNATIONAL COMPETITORS Fast-fashion specialty retailers with exceptional speed-to-market have outperformed department stores and less nimble specialty stores not only in their profit argins, but also in their pace of revenue growth, according to a study by The Sage Group LLC’s Apparel and Retail Group. The mayor comparable players that compete in fast fashion at international level are: Inditex -Zara Benetton H&M Gap Each of them has a vertical scope. Zara owned much of its production and most of its stores, the Gap and H&M, which were the two largest specialist apparel retailers in the world, ahead of inditex, owned most of their stores but o utsourced all production. Benetton, in contrast, has invested relatively heavily in production, but licensees ran its stores. The four competitors were also positioned differently in product space from Inditex’s chains. Inditex’s flagship brand, Zara, is relatively perceived as more fashionable than all the other three ann prices less than Benetton and Gap but higher than H&M. In these fuor competitors, Benetton and Gap place a relatively less fashionable and higher price, while Zara and H&M is more fashionable and price lower. {draw:custom-shape} {draw:custom-shape} {draw:custom-shape} {draw:custom-shape} {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Meanwhile, the major Italian player ‘Benetton’ marched on high street with, offering colorful designer clothing for the whole family. Their strategy resulted affirmative with noticeably contemporary window showcase in all stores with independent units. The company was successful in Britain, however, having a long standing in the market, they witnessed failure to keep up pace with the accelerated high fashion pressure by the other European competitors, which are now the known as Mango, H&M and Zara. The rise of these competitors on high street has been witness successful because of a higher demand for fast fashion. Styles showed in magazines and other advertorials are what people wish to wear. Top designers have created collection extensions, which cater people who can afford to spend their hard earned cash on triple figure. This resulted success to the affordable collection of European fashion brands A Swedish player, H&M offered readymade clothing stores – stocked with fashionable collection at reasonable costs. Its successful strategy was its own slogan ‘fashion & quality at the best price’ innovative design, reasonably priced and competent logistics. Based in Stockholm, a team of 100 fashion designers assures that nothing has been imitated from the runway platforms. They are mostly inspired from street-trends, movies, magazines and exhibitions. Impressively, the designs reach retail shelves within 2-3 weeks. H&M’s high profile designer tie-ups with Karl Lagerfield and Stella McCartney have resulted entire collections available to the mass people at lower prices. This strategy is supported by huge advertising campaigns, which easily compete with the major brand. In a world of advertisements and promotions, there is one store that has made strategy to not to spend penny on advertising, â€Å"Zara†, a wing of Europe's biggest, rapidly evolving and most triumphant fashion clothing retailers, Grupo Inditex. Other well popular stores in similar chain are Massimo Dutti, Bershka and Pull and Bear. Inditex operates business via more than two thousand stores in 56 countries. The first Zara shop was launched in 1975 at La Coruna, Galicia and at present it operates more than four hundred owned stores globally. In the previous five years they have witnessed sales up by 25 percent year on year. Zara runs its own design and production unit in La Coruna, Spain, which leads cancellation of the large out-sourcing operations, like H does in over nine hundred firms. It is modern, offering up-to-date lifestyle yet standard clothing lines for men, women and children. Zara offers reasonably priced, radical clothing, however, not of the top quality, which will last only for some seasons. As same as Zara, H can also put designs on retail shelves within three weeks. Its product assortment is cheap and small yet frequent, offering consumers huge selection that results repeated visits to their stores to find â€Å"What’s New†. Hitherto, Zara has launched over ten thousand new designs and most of these will just be attainable for few weeks. Another Spanish player, Mango is a reputed multinational brand devoted to designing, producing and selling fast fashion and accessories only for women. Its clothing line includes Suit, Casual Sport, and Mng Jeans. It might not be as huge as H or Grupo Inditex, but has played excellent particularly in the UK. No shopping malls resemble absolute with exclusive of these three brands. The pace of these companies in responding to changing consumer demands is an ideal proof to the retailing, producing and logistics skills needed in latest fashion industry. These new strategies are set up to develop aptitude to take advantage of the challenges of a competitive world market. Besides the diversification in product assortments there is one thing common in all these brands that is â€Å"intelligent logistics†. Well-organized communication between sales staff directly to the headquarters and producers lead them to match steps with high speed turnover. The fact is that buyers are becoming preference savvy and smarter in order to what they shop. Even though they always have their preferred designer, they are also acquainted that a throwaway piece of fast fashion from a retail chain store will complete their outfit choices. At so reasonably priced all of these retail perceptions play on Friday nights when people feels they have nothing to wear. Retailers are sent in a scuffle to make-out the major catwalk trends from the drawing sheets to the sales shelves as fast as possible.

Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Strategy - Essay Example earch engine today is its ability to be â€Å"integrated into a third party’s website or intranet† (The Economist, 182) that also allows corporate intranets to search company documents. Its search engine also offers services to advertisers to run large campaigns through its search engine, which contributes tremendously to its bottom line. Google’s Adsense and the ability of its search engine appliance to be integrated into a company’s intranet for a charge, synergizes with its basic search engine facility, thus, enhancing the revenue potential of the engine. Its acquisition of YouTube in 2006 also allowed it to receive advertising revenues for ads displayed during internet videos, while its 2008 acquisition of DoubleClick allowed the company to generate advertising revenues through banner ads. Its other business segments such as Gmail, GoogleMaps, Google scholar and several other products and services add to its search engine with each segment complementing the other services. Google’s introduction of the Android operating system also allowed the company to penetrate the growing market of the mobile internet industry. All these capabilities of Google products and services, which work in synergy and complement each other in terms of increased traffic and market reach, illuminate its success. While Google’s basic services, such as its search engine and mail, are free, it is able to derive revenue from other revenue generating services attached to the free ones such as Adsense. The synergy of Google’s product and services increases the traffic and usage of its services, which allows it to reach and penetrate the market deeper. Google’s deeper market reach and penetration translates to its wider market base, which ultimately redounds to enhanced revenue for the company. All these innovative products and services were a product of Google’s talented workforce and its unorthodox corporate set-up. To maintain its innovativeness, Google always

Morality in Business Essay Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Analysis of Morality in Business - Literature review Example   For instance, in the present day, the majority of the big businesses sponsor their dedication to non-financial standards under captions such as ethics regulations and social accountability agreements. Individuals of a similar business hardly ever meet together, even for fun and entertainment, although the discussion finishes in a scheme in opposition to the community or in a number of plans to increase costs. Governments employ regulations as well as directives to channel business activities in what they consider to be advantageous ways. Ethics unreservedly control areas and aspects of activities that stay away from governmental power. The materialization of huge businesses with restricted associations as well as understanding to the society within which they function hastened the growth of official ethics administrations. Companies began emphasizing on their ethical standing during the late 1980s and near the beginning 1990s, perhaps tempting to detach themselves from the busine ss humiliations of the day, for instance, the investments and mortgage disaster. The initiative of business ethics got the consideration of intellectuals, media, and business organizations â€Å"by the last part, the Cold War† (Ferrell et al, p. 221).  Ã‚   If a business's intention is to take full advantage of shareholder profits, then forfeiting earnings to other issues is an infringement of its â€Å"fiduciary responsibility†. Business firms are officially regarded as people within the United States of America as well as in the majority of states. The businesspersons are officially allowed to the constitutional rights and legal responsibilities because of citizens as individuals. Ethical concerns take account of the constitutional rights and responsibilities between a business and its human resources, contractors, clientele and fellow citizens, its fiduciary accountability to its stakeholders. Concerns regarding associations between various businesses take account of â€Å"hostile takeovers as well as industrial espionage† (Ferrell et al, p. 285). Associated concerns take account of corporate supremacy; private enterprise; political involvements; officially authorized concerns, for instance, the moral discussion about s etting up an offense of corporate assassination; and the advertising of businesses' ethics guidelines.  Ã‚  

Critical Analysis of a Macroeconomics Article Essay

Critical Analysis of a Macroeconomics Article - Essay Example fiscal, monetary and international trade policy) to limit the scale of economic activity within the regenerative and waste assimilative capacities of the ecosphere. The usage of government’s rate of spending through its fiscal policy and its instrument to control money supply through its monetary policy does not provide a viable solution for the dilemma of ecological sustainability. So much so with international trade policy which only enhances the competitiveness of its domestic industries abroad which is not always desirable for the environment. The market cannot be left by itself to let its dynamics correct the inequity and ill effect of having an economy that consumes more than the environment’s regenerative capacity. Such, the article suggested ways to to avoid further ecological degeneration by modifying aggregate private sector spending through cap-and-trade system that will penalize environmentally hazardous activities. It also suggested the idea of a steady sta te economy where growth is commensurate to the environment’s capacity to replenish itself. II. Theoretical Analysis of the Article A. Fiscal Policy – Fiscal Policy is typically used by central government to pump prime the economy through its expenditures. It is used to encourage industry and create jobs during economic downturn funded by its fiscal collection through taxation. The article however acknowledges the fact that the typical function of Fiscal Policy satisfies only economic criteria and not the biophysical criteria of the environment and as such, its typical usage cannot be utilized to remedy the sustainability dilemma of resources. A variation of this Policy Instrument however can be used to limit economic activity that strains the environment. Through cap-and-trade system, it may be able to discourage and limit ecologically straining economic activities by penalizing through reformed taxation those economic activities that depletes our natural resources and pollutes the environment. B. Monetary Policy – Monetary Policy or the government’s instrument to control the supply of money circulating in the economy can neither address ecological degradation. It can encourage private enterprise spending by â€Å"loosening† its interest rates and encourage economic activity which may in fact even be harmful to the environment as it stimulates expansion, which is the biggest threat to ecological degradation. C. External Trade Policy – International Trade Policy merely addresses the international competitivenes of domestic industries to be able to compete in the global market. But with the advent of globalization, government influence in international trade is slowly diminishing that to use this instrument to put limit on the expansionist tendency of the industry to effect diversity conservation is simply not workable. III. Significance of the Analysis A. Society – Initiating a macroeconomic policy that is not ex pansionary will tremendously benefit society in the long-run. Imposing restrictions and/or limit to resource throughput within the environment’s regenerative and waste assimilative capacities will ensure ecological sustainability and availability of resources in the long-run. It will ensure the perpetual availability of resources to provide society’

Leadership in Customer Service Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership in Customer Service - Article Example There are so many kinds and interpretations of a leader, but which one does it take to make a customer-service-driven business successful? Leadership needs to have a vision of what is wanted to achieve. Leaders possess not only this but are driven by passion—the strength and the energy to work against the odds to achieve the vision (Williams, 2005). Great leaders delegate and empower. Leaders do not just pin point on people and tell them what to do instead they create structure, allocate responsibility, help create systems, provide support and training and resources, and empower subordinates to make decisions thus making them feel significant in the business group. Through empowerment, a leader is set differently from an authoritarian. A leader does not dictate but respect employees and treats these people as customers as well. Great leaders sometimes have to take tough decisions but there's always respect for the subordinates (Williams, 2005). Workers are encouraged to: participate in the action plan; develop awareness of the goals; participate in the change plan; have reasonable expectations and attitude. Communication flow is always open to a leader and is never one way. Successful business leaders are always keeping their people informed thus key performance indicators are displayed; targets are set, accomplished and celebrated. Everyone is made to feel as part of a community to create a sense of unity (Williams, 2005). A leader motivates people to do what is important and leads an example. There's a famous story about a group of visitors to Disney who was walking in the Magic Kingdom when they saw a grey-haired man walk out of his way to pick up a piece of litter. One of the members of the group approached the man and asked, "How many custodians are there here?" The man replied, "45,000". The guest was surprised at so many.

Buddhist Economics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Buddhist Economics - Assignment Example In this case, it is ideal to reduce human labour or get rid of it completely. Modern economist relies on the concept of mechanization as a method of improving the economy. Buddhist economists however agree with this analogy but in a different point of view. In their point of view, labour is divided into two forms. The first form of labour involves human skills and power. The second form of labour involves the use of machines as mechanical slave. Buddhist economists argue that human labour is irreplaceable labour done out of free will is perfect compared to machinery labour (Schumacher, 2). They also argue that labour is like human nourishment thus it is hard for people to exist comfortably without engaging in labour activities. Buddhist also differs with the economic concept of materialists. Materialists are mainly interested in goods as Buddhists are mostly interested in liberation. The key concept in Buddhist economics is non-violence and simplicity. While modern economists measure ‘living standards’ by the amount of human consumption in the sense that a person who consumes more is better than that who consumes less, Buddhist consider this aspect to be irrational (Schumacher, 4). According to Buddhists, this concept renders human well-being as they consider minimum consumption as a way of maximizing human well-being. The concept of low consumption minimizes the wastage of materials as the excessive material can be conserved and utilized to make more goods thus enhancing the economy. Buddhist economists attribute the economy to conservation practices through proper utility of goods. For instance, non perishable resources should not be used if they cannot be renewed. Buddhist economics is high ly recommended in the modern society as it focuses of finding the correct path to development (Schumacher,

Virginia House of Burgesses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Virginia House of Burgesses - Essay Example This house did establish a tradition that became very important in the course of colonial developments and as such, each and every new colony of England started demanding that it be given its own legislature. This house became empowered to come up and enact legislation for the colony, albeit its actions were still not conclusive as they were subject to any veto by the council, governor, and the directors who were in London. It was a limited monarchy within the English people. The assembly was later listed by some of the most prominent people in the history of America such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry who brought strong leadership roles that saw the country gain independence. There were three major events that made Virginia significant in the history of the USA. These were the recruitment of almost 100 maids that sailed to Virginia and were made brides for the settlers to increase the number of people. Sir George Yeardley went to the colony with what was re ferred to as the Great Charter which did set up the English Common Law in Virginia and thereafter allowed the locals to be elected as representatives. The meeting of the first House of Burgesses was done in the Church in 1619 and this became the start of governance by representation in the USA (Breen 16-278). The significance of Jamestown comes from the fact that it was the first permanent English settlement in the North America and was set up in the year 1607 and this did remain the sole capital of Virginia for almost a century. It acted as the foundation of the independent United States of America. A historic triangle was formed by linking Jamestown to Yorkton and Williamsburg through a legislation that was passed in 1930 forming the Colonial National Monument. The Virginia State Capitol housed the colonial legislative body of the commonwealth and this was the Virginia General Assembly. This general assembly is simply a bicameral body that is made up of the lower house, the Virgin ia House of Delegates having one hundred members, and the senate of Virginia which had 40 members. It thus consisted of 140 elected representatives across equal amounts of constituents in the commonwealth. Major changes occurred in the status of slaves in Virginia whereby the indentured black servant who had some hope for freedom was fast replaced by the black slave. The Virginia General assembly passed a declaration that highly affected the African Americans. The servants that were originally not Christians in their homeland were to be accounted and made slaves. All the Indians, Negros and Mulatto slaves were to be held as real estate. It was allowed to kill a slave by a master who needs to correct such slave. Harsh physical punishment was imposed since they could not pay fines due to lack of ownership. Lashes, chopping off of limbs and body parts and hanging was allowed (Fischer and Hinderaker 8-267). John Peter Zenger was a German immigrant that ran a publication print with the n ame New York Weekly Journal. It brought to fore the corrupt practices of William Cosby who was the then royal governor. It accused the government of letting the enemy to vary out an exploration of New York harbor and for rigging elections. It labeled the governor an idiot based on crimes allegedly committed by him. Zenger’s printing of these articles landed him in jail since he could not reveal the anonymous writers. It was against the people’

Public Relations Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Public Relations Assignment - Essay Example 52). Such is when animals are held in captive in certain zoos, amusement parks and marine parks, where they are incapacitated to act to their abilities. The utilization of animals in these has raised public relations issues alongside animal issues that address the compliance and respect of animal rights. In relation to the definition of public relations, holding animals in captivity is against the will of the public by not promoting intentions of animal good will, but instead of human good will. Legal, moral and ethical issues are not negotiated while considering animal rights implications to the animals. Animal health and welfare are never the concern of the authority in charge of animal captivity, but instead the purposes of human entertainment and monetary benefits are the main prioritization of the authority. This is from the depiction of animals as â€Å"collections† whereby animal captivity does not replicate wild habitual traits of the animals. These restricted traits, involve running, choosing partners, roaming and the ability to choose prey or other food. Animals in captivity (zoos, marine parks or amusement parks) are left to get bored and lonely while under strict surveillance of their lives of the authority.1 In relation to public relations, there are certain interest groups, referred to as publics that are concerned with the depiction of lack of ensuring public relations and animal ethics to animals held in captivity. Among the publics related to these issues are the media, special interest groups, especially environmental groups, international community, the government, the academia fraternity and the industry stakeholders (Christine. 11). These six publics have their own perspectives about PR in animal captivity by the mode in which they communicate the awareness of the issues, involvement in saving the animals and their communication strategies in ensuring that current societal issues of animal rights are addressed. 2 The implication of t he disrespect of animal ethics is not only an issue of the authorities in charge of the captives (zoos, parks) but also affects the general audience to whom these parks are established. Affiliated to the tourism industry, ethical concerns affecting animal behavior and handling inculcate socio-cultural and environmental impacts. The systematic determination and lack of ethics of holding up animals denies them the right to freedom, treatment with respect and aims towards achieving human good and animal wrong(Stephen. 4). Among the various ethical issues posed by holding animals in captivity, include conflict of interest, dissemination of improper picture and information to the public and the media and legislation.3 The media is one of the parties which are highly interested with the analysis of public relations of animals and human interaction. It has played a major role in trying to condemn the inhumane behaviour thus protecting the animal rights. The media keeps track of the odds th at go around the human and animal environment. Animals need to be protected thus the media has taken the duty to ensure that all animal rights are followed. In this case, it has taken the role of exposing the inhumane behaviour to the public as well as educating people on how to co-exist with animals in the ecosystem. Specific interest groups such as private sectors have joint other

Hk Third Runway Expansion- in the Economists Point of View Essay Example for Free

Hk Third Runway Expansion- in the Economists Point of View Essay As supporters of the environment, we strongly believe that a third runway expansion in the Hong Kong International Airport will cause a significant amount of damage to the environment in many ways. The building process of the third runway extension will involve a lot of land reclamation that causes a lot of noise and water pollution that will harm humans and animals’ ecosystems, especially the habitat of the Chinese Pink Dolphins. We understand that a third runway may provide Hong Kong with economic benefits, but the losses in our environment would total to a greater amount, which could possibly result to a greater concern in the long run. First of all, we environmentalist would like to state that the airport covers 12.48km square, and the third runway will increase around 50% of the existing airport, reclaiming another 6.5 sq.km of the ocean. There are already two parallel (3,800mÃâ€"60m)runways existing in the Hong Kong International Airport, and we believe a third runway is not necessary. According to world ranks, Hong Kong International Airport is the fourth busiest Air Hub worldwide, 750 airplanes landing and taking off each day, more than 48.6 million passengers each year and transports over 3.6 million tons every year already, expecting 420,000 flight movements, 74 million trips, and 6 million tonnes of cargo by the time of 2030, which means almost double the amount of its work now. We believe that trying to transport even more cargo and people to earn more money -with the third runway, we would be increase the capacity and expectation by another third, transporting 8.9million tonnes of cargo, accommodating 97 million trips, and 602,000 flight movements per year-is a pure act of greed, and it would also strain us both environmentally and economically, wasting large amounts of money on an unnecessary third runway. As mentioned above, the addition of a third runway would cause a lot of strains with the environment- the 6.5 sq.km third runway will indeed cause a lot water pollution, therefore it will endanger sea creatures and destroy the habitat of the Chinese Pink Dolphins. Not only would the landfill itself destroy the animal’s habitat- during the construction, lots of chemical waste will be generated such as cleaning fluids and fuel. This will also contribute to water pollution, which would be harmful in marine ecology, and would destroy habitats for sea grass beds. Chemicals can easily kill sea creatures such as shrimps, fish, crabs, and Chinese Pink Dolphins. Once these chemical wastes are released out into the ocean, it can lead to extinction of sea creatures that live near the airport area. The construction of the original two runways for the airport in Lantau Island has already reclaimed a lot of land that shrunk the habitat of the Chinese Pink Dolphins. If the third runway will be built, we would have to reclaim 6.5 sq.km(650 hectares)from the ocean, which would shrink the habitat of the Chinese Pink Dolphins once more, and it will greatly endanger the dolphins. Many animals in the world are already endangered because of human activities such as reclamation of the sea, chopping of trees, and many more. We cannot risk losing another endangered species just because of building a third runway. Also, the airport extension of the third runway will cause more noise pollution. According to scientific research, unwanted noise has bad effects on people’s health and behavior. The citizens that live in areas near the airport like in Tung Chung has a possibility of: annoyance, aggression, high stress levels, hearing loss, sleep disturbances, and more. Noise pollution will also affect animals that have habitats near the airport. Research has proven that the rate of reproduction activity has decreased due to noise pollution. Birds cannot communicate, because the noise we made was masking their voice, which is the main reason why reproduction activity has decreased. Some birds, such as owls, have to change their ways of hunting because of the sound pollution, and this causes many birds to migrate to less noisy areas. Also, research has proven that some animal’s noises could not be heard over the noises of the aircrafts, and they cannot warn each other when danger is appr oaching. Overall, the third airport extension should not be built. Even though it might give a boost in the Hong Kong’s economy, we cannot be selfish, and we have to care for the environment, the people, and the animals. The building process of the third runway extension will involve a lot of land reclamation that causes a lot of noise and water pollution, that will harm humans, and animals’ ecosystems, especially the habitat of the Chinese Pink Dolphins, and the two runways are already enough. So, we strongly believe that the third runway should not be built.

Analyzing Competition Essay Example for Free

Analyzing Competition Essay As 2001 comes to a close, Sa Sa contemplates what else can be done to improve profitability and keep on growing. 1. What were the reasons for Sa Sa’s early success? SA SA was creating value for its customers by providing them with quality products at a fair price. Sa Sa was first of its kind to pioneer the concept of discount store for the cosmetics (create and control). It . did is fast in the initial stages of the business (compete) by making the stores bigger and better from 40 sqft in 1978 to 750 sqft in 1985 to 10 stores in mid 1990s. Sa Sa was able to provide value to its customer by keeping the purchase prices low by using â€Å"parallel importation† and passed saving to the customers. One of the other important factor was Sa Sa listened to its customer demand (which products to stock). Sa Sa allowed the customer to touch and feel the cosmetics products that drove the demand. We also see Sa Sa’s strategy to deter the new entrants by holding onto old location. They controlled the inventory depending on the sales rate and the shelf life of the products. Sa Sa uniquely combined the combined the cosmetics product knowledge to advice the customer and provided the products at lower cost in comfortable environment, thus creating value for the customer for the first time that no one has done before. This is Resource Based View, outcome of which gave Sa Sa a competitive advantage. Sa Sa developed the Core competency: Rare: Sa Sa’s core compentancy was rare until it disclosed it in IPO Valuable –yes customers found it valuable and made Sa Sa an household name. The sales people were one of the best trained in the industry but were poached by the competition. In early days the Sa Sa operated as a family-run culture, help retain them but afte the IPO, when Sa Sa changed strategy to be creating value for the Shareholders hard to imitate: it was not hard to imitate as evidenced by the whole slew of competitier copied once known. non-substitutable-yes, there were various product segments/tiers; Sa Sa focused top brand names Core Products Business Units End products Porters 5 forces: Industry Rivalry: Concentration: Diversity of the Competitors Product Differentiation Excess Capacity Exit Barriers Cost Conditions Supplier Power Threat Of Entry Buyer Power Threat of substitute What changes have occurred in the stores since Sa Sa’s early success? (Not including the strategic issues outlined in Figure A. ) Sa Sa was able to offer the cosmetics at a cheaper prices than competitors combined with the sales team able to help the customers with personal needs and using customer insights to buy/stock the inventories, Sa Sa had built unique value for the customers. Since the IPO, many new competitors (bonjour and rainbow) have entered the market. They are able to copy the core competency that was first developed by Sa Sa. Additionally very well known drugstores (Watson’s and Manning’s), have started offering the cosmetics! Both have used the existing infrastructure and corporate capital resource to position themselves as significant players with 13% annual growth rate. Many departmental stores have tried to differentiate themselves by providing all products from a brand and by offering free beauty advice in the stores. Some have tried to target the Who are Sa Sa’s key competitors? What implications does your assessment have for the decisions that Simon Kwok is facing about the future of Sa Sa? What were the key success factors behind Sa Sa’s story? What do you see as the major challenges and structural threats faced by Sa Sa? Market research. Review the market research data contained in the case. What are the key insights that you can learn from the findings? Assess the strategic initiatives that Sa Sa undertook recently. What are the positives negatives. How is Sa Sa perceived by consumers? What should Sa Sa do next? Whom to target? How should the company position itself against the likes of Bonjour? Other strategic moves?

Analysis of Prest v Petrodel Resources Ltd

Analysis of Prest v Petrodel Resources Ltd The relatively short and significant judgment in the Supreme Court case of Prest v Petrodel Resources Ltd has gathered vociferous interest from academics and practitioners. It was of key interest as it was a legal cross over between family law and company law. The legal team representing Prest stated that the decision is of major importance not only for family law and divorcing couples, but also for company law, and it is the most important reviews since Victorian times on the law regarding piercing the corporate veil.[2] The principles of lifting the corporate veil for the past eight decades seemed to have never been wholly established as judges always contradicted each other and never reached a unanimous decision. There has been extensive discussion as to whether a court can ignore the principle of separate legal personality and treat a companys property, rights and obligations as belonging to a person who owns and controls the company.[3] The critical points which would be analyse d in this essay would be whether Prest has brought us closer to what the principle of lifting the corporate veil can be defined as, what it entails or whether the whole doctrine should be set aside. It will be argued that the law should not be given its quietus as it seems that judges are somewhat getting closer to an answer. Prest narrowed the circumstances in which the doctrine may apply thus, this could show that decision makers are near the end of a long marathon. On the contrary, it seems that even if the doctrine is set aside, the principles would still be applied unknowingly by judges, it would perhaps not be defined as piercing the veil doctrine. It would possibly be applied in conjunction with other laws which would have the same effect and outcome as piercing the corporate veil. Lifting the corporate veil has been viewed narrowly to be the process used by the courts to either determine what exactly is going on behind the shell of incorporation. The whole concept of lifting the veil was derived from Salomon v Salomon[4] where corporate veil was established. It was held that a limited company was viewed like any other independent person with its right and liabilities appropriate to itself[5] The Salomon principle has been the foundation on which company law and business corporations have thrived on for years.[6] When taking into consideration how the law has developed in this area, Cheung describes that it is evident the House of Lords decision in Woolfson [7] came to be source for guidance in subsequent cases. More importantly, the HL emphasised that it is only appropriate to pierce the corporate veil where the circumstances indicate that the company is merely a faà §ade concealing true facts. However, despite this important distinction, the courts have alwa ys been wary that there must be some limit to the protection afforded by limited liability to ensure that business dealings remain honest. As Lazarus[8] explained no court will allow a person to keep an advantage which had been obtained by fraud[9] This principle underpinned all of the early attempts to pierce the veil meaning that the court will not allow a corporate personality to be used to protect individuals from wrongdoing. Similarly, Lord Sumption explains piercing the corporate veil means disregarding the separate personality of the company[10] Moreover, as per Lord Keith in Woolfson,[11] he states it is appropriate to pierce the corporate veil only where special circumstances exist[12] Consequently, right from the onset, there were conflicting views. The reception which the doctrine received forty years ago is still echoed to this day in Prest. The court reaffirmed in Prest the well-established judicial conservatism approach that the corporate veil could only be pierced in very rare cases[13] Therefore, despite the doctrine not being clear, it is well established that the doctrine is not be considered in all corporate cases but, ought to be considered only rare ones. On the other hand,it can be argued, that the strictness of the approach led to the doctrine existing more as a matter of legal theory than as a feature of legal practice. Prior to Prest, in Lipman,[14]the only way to lift the veil was if the company was regarded as a sham or mere faà §ade. In Smallbone,[15]Sir Morritt brought forward the argument that it is uncertain as to which circumstances a company can be considered as a sham or whether the company need to do something illegal for immorality to suffice.[16] Hence, this suggests that there is no clear structure to be followed. This could create further confusion as to what the doctrine of piercing the corporate veil originally intended to do. Could this perhaps suggest that it is better to abandon the doctrine as a whole rather than to try and figure out what the principle actually proposes to do. This could perhaps create more clarity in the sense that decision makers would know what is not meant to be included in the doctrine. Furthermore, this can be mirrored in Prest where Lady Hale and Lord Wilson doubted whether it is possible to classify all cases neatly into cases of either concealment or evasion[17] Therefore, even to this day there are a lot of question marks as to when and how the doctrine is applied; there are still a lot of unanswered questions which have not been dealt with. It seems that the judges only deal with these when and how it comes. It can be contended that the doctrine is there but, no one has yet connected the dots to see the full picture of what it entails. The fact that none of these questions seem to provide a clear picture further creates problems today as for a doctrine to develop or adapt to the new changes, the reasonings behind the past decision needs to be understood thus, if one cannot do that then how can the doctrine be established. Notwithstanding, since Prest, it is no longer sufficient for a company to show that it is a mere faà §ade or a sham;[18] one must show that control of the company by the wrongdoer was used as a device to conceal the wrongdoing.[19] A new provision on how the doctrine should be established was brought in Prest. Over the past eighty years, there has been many interpretations. Most recently, analysed by Lord Sumption where he identified the concealment and evasion principle. In Prest, Lord Sumption argued for a narrower and clearer approach by restricting the circumstances in which the veil may be pierced. This was because references to a faà §ade or sham beg too many questions to provide a satisfactory answer[20] He attempted to give an explanation; He stated that the veil would be restricted to two principles: the concealment principle and the evasion principle.[21] The concealment principles is the interposition of a company or perhaps several companies so as to conceal the real ac tors[22] But, he noted that this does not actually involve piercing the veil; the court is simply looking behind the faà §ade to discover the true facts.[23] Contrarily, the evasion principle applies where a person is under an existing legal obligation which he deliberately evades by interposing a company under his control.[24] However, despite the two approaches being somewhat clear; Lord Alcock observes that care must be taken because none of the other six justices of the Supreme Court agreed with Lord Sumption without some qualifications[25] He also points out that there is substantial uncertainty surrounding the operation of the evasion principle.[26] Most significantly, Neuberger also found that in cases where piercing the veil was considered, it either did not apply in the facts, or it was applied on the facts but the results could have been arrived at on some other legal basis.[27] On these grounds, this could show that the doctrine does not necessarily need to exist as the same outcome can be arrived on some other legal basis. It can be indicated that the doctrine could perhaps only exist to give reassurance to corporate businesses in order to ensure them that they have a sense of security in case something goes wrong, but in reality, it does not exist and is rarely applied. Undoubtedly, Lord Neuberger drew different conclusions regarding the application of the principle. He argued that there is not much support for the doctrine.[28] He observed that there is no English case which unequivocally underpinned a power to lift the veil[29]; however, recognition is given to a limited power as a valuable judicial tool to undo wrongdoing in cases where no other solution exist[30] It gives the impression that every judge will come up with a new principle every now and again which would be relied upon but then a couple of years after, a new judge will find criticism in the doctrine. It seems that it is going around in a vicious circle without reaching an end-po int. Additionally, Lord Sumptions principle brought further opposition. Lord Mance argued that It is dangerous to seek to foreclose all possible future situations which may arise and I would not wish to do so[31] Furthermore, it should be considered that Prest only dealt with one specific class of asset which were held by those of corporate entities. The decision shows that an application of company law principles is required when determining the ownership of those assets.[32] Henceforth, this shows that Prest only narrowed only one specific factor in piercing the corporate veil, a factor which cannot be used in all cases. This further shows that we are no closer to an answer of lifting the corporate veil. Contrarily to the above, despite there not being a set doctrine, it seems that the Lordships all agree on one aspect. In Prest, they all accepted the existence of a general common law veil piercing as being limited to rare and exceptional circumstances.[33] Lord Clarke argued that Sumptions distinction the circumstances in which the doctrine apply are rare[34] This similar reaction has been echoed in the past. It can be thus shown, that not much has changed and the decision makers are still unsure as to when the doctrine can be applied. In 2017, it is very difficult to predict what the future path for the doctrine will take as there are many conflicts on this topic even from the Supreme Court judges. As stated above, Lord Neuberger, Lord Clarke and Lady Hale were not entirely convinced on the validity of the doctrine and seeing it as merely a metaphor which was unclear and inchoherent. This was contrasted with Lord Mance and Lord Walker who are very much in favour of keeping the doct rine. On the other hand, Lord Neuberger who had initially been in favour of giving the doctrine its quietus because it had been misapplied in the eighty years indicates that the obiter by Lord Sumption is very influential and could prove to be important in future cases. Hence, this further indicates that there are still many uncertainties within the doctrine itself. It can be indicated that if Prest was successful in providing a set answer as to what piercing the corporate veil entails then there would have been many cases which would have pierced the veil post Prest. For some the most helpful case is the decision in Pennyfeathers limited v Pennyfeathers property company limited.[35] It is said to be a better example of facts for giving rise to the principle of piercing the veil. Provided that the principle was to be properly established then there is one thing that all decision makers would agree upon which would be that the company was used in an attempt to immunise himself from the liability of wrongdoing[36] This is consistent in DHN[37] just as much as it is in Gramsci.[38] It seems that in every case that involves piercing the veil, the defendants always argue that there is no such thing as piercing the corporate veil[39] thus, could it be that many wrongdoers have been able to escape liabilities simply because the doctrine was not well es tablished. The new approach found in VTB[40]and Prest significantly restrictive approach to piercing the corporate veil which in effect has relegated the doctrine to a principle of last resort.[41] Post Prest cases such as R v McDowell[42] and R v Singh[43] shows that the superior courts exercising restraint in disturbing the principle in Salomon.[44] It therefore appears that where litigants can show that the relevant tests are satisfied, the courts will allow them to obtain judgement against assets that were intentionally placed out of their reach. However, these cases are and will remain exceptional. More recently, in Akzo Nobel[45] in its arguments had suggested that the Competition Commission had tried to attribute the activities of the subsidiaries to Akzo Nobel which was in effect piercing the corporate veil.[46] It could be considered that an alternative approach would be to put the doctrine on a statutory basis so that the courts would have a guide to follow instead of consistently establishing conflicting views between themselves. However, this could prevent flexibility of the courts whilst it faces complex issues which cannot be foreseen by statute. On the other side of the coin, it would be less harmful than having ambiguous rules. Furthermore, there could be an extension which established distinct body rules for corporate groups such as in Germany. The interest of the whole group both financial and non- financial matters would be recognised. Moreover, another approach could be piercing the veil by removing limited liability towards involuntary creditors, notably tort victims. In Chandler v Cape,[47] it introduced some basis for this approach whilst imposing liability on a parent company by suggesting that the parent company has a duty to the employees of its subsidiary company. To conclude, it has been suggested by academic commentary that the decision reflects a progressive trend of restricting the doctrine.[48] However, it can be contemplated that slightly narrowing a doctrine which Supreme Court judges do not agree with does not mean that it is progressive.[49] If one keeps on rebutting every proposal that is brought forward then that is not progressive, it does not feel like any decision makers has tried to find a solution for this problem. It can be disputed that this is a never ending vicious circle.  It seems as if it is an entertaining ground for judges to see what new solution can be made this time around. Prest brings a new kind of uncertainty.[50] However, Prest does confirm that the veil would only be pierced in exceptional circumstances. There is one basis which all judges approve which is that the veil is only to be pierced in exceptional circumstances. This could perhaps be a starting point of a well-established doctrine. It can be contende d that, even if the doctrine is given is quietus, judges would still apply the principles of piercing the veil unknowingly. This decision can be derived from another legal basis but, it will have the same outcome. Thus, even if it is given its quietus, the doctrine would still be there transparently. It seems that we are at a halt with the long marathon until, a case can fully apply the two provisions in Prest. Bibliography Practitioners Textbooks Palmers Company Law Books A Digman A, John Lowry, Company Law (8th edn OUP Oxford) Birds J, Boyle Clark B et al, company Law (9th edn, Jordan Publishing) Dr Wilde C, Smith and Keenans Company Law ( 17th edn Pearson) Lowry J, and Arad Reisberg, Company Law Corporate Finance (4th Edn, Pearson Journals Akansha Dubey et al, Family Law (2014) 3(1) A Alcock piercing the veil- A dodo of a Doctrine (2013) 25 denning LJ 241,243 A Bowden Concealment, Evasion and Piercing the corporate veil: Prest v Peterodel Resources Ltd [2013], Greens Business law, April 2014 Bull S, piercing the corporate veil in England and Singapore [2014] Heinonline C Hare, Piercing the corporate veil in the supreme court (again)- The Cambridge Law Journal, 72 [2013] 511-515 Chrysthis N Papacleovoulou, lifting or piercing, the corporate veil in Cyprus: a doctrine under challenge- an analysis of English and Cyprus case Law analysis (2016) 27 (4) ICCLR D Lightman, Petrodel Resources Ltd v Prest: Where are we now? Trust Trustees (2013) 19 (9):877 J McDonagh, Piercing the corporate veil in the family division: Prest the latest from the court of appeal- Trust and Trustees (2013) 19 (2) 137 J Payne Lifting the corporate veil: A reassessment of the fraud exception Cambridge law Journal, 56 (2) July 1997 Mujih E, Piercing the corporate veil as a remedy after Prest V Petrodel resources Ltd: Inching towards Abolition [2016] Westlaw 17,17 Pey Woan Lee, The Enigma of Veil- Piercing (2015) 26 (1) ICCLR 28, 30 Spears, Expert analysis of the Prest Judgement (Spears ,11 June 2013) Tan Cheng-Han, Veil piecing- a fresh start (2015) 1 JBL Online Articles Spears, Expert analysis of the Prest Judgement (Spears ,11 June 2013) http:///www.spearswms.com/expert-analysis-of-the-Prest-judgment/> accessed 8th March 2017 Simon Mcleod- The Corporate Veil And Its Piercing As Clear As? http://gdknowledge.co.uk/the-corporate-veil-and-its-piercing-as-clear-as/ >accessed 20th February 2017 Cases Akzo Nobel NV v Competition Commission [2013] CAT 13 Antonio Gramsci Shipping Corp ors v Aivars Lembergs [2013] EWCA Civ 730 DHN Food Distributors Ltd v Tower Hamlets London Borough Council [1976] 1 WLR 852 Lazarus Estates Ltd v Beasley [1956] 1 QB 702 Prest v Petrodel Resources Ltd UKSC 34, [2013] R v McDowell [2015] EWCA Crim 173 R v Singh [2015] EWCA Crim 173 Salomon v Salomon [1896] UKHL 1 Trustor AB v Smallbone (No 2) [2001] EWHC 703 VTB Capital plc v Nutritek International Corp [2013] UKSC 5 Woolfson v Strathclyde Regional Council [1978] UKHL 5 [1] Prest v Petrodel Resources Ltd UKSC 34, [2013] [2] Spears, Expert analysis of the Prest Judgement (Spears ,11 June 2013) http:///www.spearswms.com/expert-analysis-of-the-Prest-judgment/> accessed 8th March 2017 [3] French D, Mayson S Ryan C, Company law (31st edn, OUP) 127 [4] Salomon v Salomon [1896] UKHL 1 [5] Lord Halsbury Salomon v Salomon [98] [6] Lowry J, and Arad Reisberg, Company Law Corporate Finance (4th Edn, Pearson) 35 [7] Woolfson v Strathclyde Regional Council [1978] UKHL 5 [8] Lazarus Estates Ltd v Beasley [1956] 1 QB 702 [9] Ibid [10] Prest Lord Sumption [16] [11] Woolfson v Strathclyde Regional Council [1978] UKHL 5 [12] Paragraph 90 lord Ketih [13] Prest [103] Lord Clarke [14] Jones v Lipman [15] Trustor AB v Smallbone (No 2) [2001] EWHC 703 [16] Ibid [17] Ibid [92] Lady Hale [18] Jones v Lipman [44] [19] Birds J, Boyle Clark B et al, company Law (9th edn, Jordan Publishing) 60 [20] Prest [28] (lord Sumption) [21] Pret [28] Lord Sumption [22] Ibid [23] Ibid [24] Ibid [35] [25] Alistair Alcock piercing the veil- A dodo of a Doctrine (2013) 25 denning LJ 241,243 [26] Pey Woan Lee, The Enigma of Veil- Piercing (2015) 26 (1) ICCLR 28, 30 [27] Prest [74] Lord Neuberger [28] Prest [69] (lord Neuberger) Alistar Alcock (n 18) 250 [29] Ibid [30] Ibid [31] Ibid [100] Lord Mance [32] Piercing the corporate veil in the family division: Prest the latest from the court of appeal- Trust and Trustees (2013) 19 (2) 137 [33] Piercing the corporate veil in the supreme court (again)- The Cambridge Law Journal, 72 [2013] 511-515 [34] Ibid [103] Lord Clarke [35] Pennyfeathers limited v Pennyfeathers property company limited [2013] EWHC 3530 (Ch) [36] Gramsci. Burton J [101] [37] DHN Food Distributors Ltd v Tower Hamlets London Borough Council [1976] 1 WLR 852 [38] Antonio Gramsci Shipping Corp ors v Aivars Lembergs [2013] EWCA Civ 730 [39] Ibid [40] VTB Capital plc v Nutritek International Corp [2013] UKSC 5 [41] Bull S, piercing the corporate veil in England and Singapore [2014] Heinonline 39,39 [42] R v Singh [2015] EWCA Crim 173 [43] R v McDowell [2015] EWCA Crim 173 [44] Mujih E, Piercing the corporate veil as a remedy after Prest V Petrodel resources Ltd: Inching towards Abolition [2016] Westlaw 17,17 [45] Akzo Nobel NV v Competition Commission [2013] CAT 13 [46] Simon McLeod- The Corporate Veil And Its Piercing As Clear As? http://gdknowledge.co.uk/the-corporate-veil-and-its-piercing-as-clear-as/ accessed 20th February 2017 [47] Chandler v Cape plc [2012] EWCA Civ 525 [48] Akansha Dubey et al, Family Law (2014) 3(1) 214,217 [49] Tan Cheng-Han, Veil piecing- a fresh start (2015) 1 JBL 20,21 [50] Chrysthis N Papacleovoulou, lifting or piercing, the corporate veil in Cyprus: a doctrine under challenge- an analysis of English and Cyprus case Law analysis (2016) 27 (4) ICCLR 129,130

Death by Highlighter :: Graduate College Admissions Essays

Death by Highlighter I woke up Tuesday morning with a strange sense that I was not alone in bed. Something was jabbing me in the left hip. I opened one eye tentatively. It was 8:47 a.m., and I did not want to be awake. I investigated the source of the jabbing feeling to discover, to my horror, a florescent yellow, uncapped highlighter that I had let slip after falling asleep while reading a report on science and engineering at Duke. I shuddered, moved the higlighter to a more innocuous location on the floor, and went back to sleep. The perils of highlighters, however, extend well beyond my now-fluorescent-yellow sheets, nightgown and left hip. Having highlighted my way through three years of college, four years of high school and a few years of junior high, I have reached the shocking conclusion that highlighters have undermined my education. Before the days of transparent yellow markers, readers took notes on reading, or wrote in ball-point pen in the margins, forcing themselves to transmit information from words on a page to coherent thought to at least somewhat coherent squiggles on the page. The highlighter offers a seductive shortcut--the reader can bypass the "coherent thought to squiggle" step of the process and simply smear interesting passages with fluorescent ink, no analysis required. Particularly impressive phrases may merit an emphatic mark in the margin, and, on rare occasions, the holder of the fluorescent wand may even add a note in blue or black ink. Regardless, however, the marker-wielding reader generally smears large tracts of text with ink, never bothering to summarize or paraphrase information. I know the pathological symptoms of highlighter-addiction because I am a victim. I shouldn't have turned out this way--I had a strictly traditional fifth-grade history teacher who required us to take notes on our reading in outline form. But something happened in high school, I think in European History, when I realized I could never write down every iota of information in our menacingly dense text book--so I grabbed hold of a highlighter and started marking interesting facts in bright yellow. I meant to make notes in the margins, but there wasn't time . . . and so I launched myself down the highlighter path to mental oblivion. Highlighters should shoulder at least as much of the blame as MTV for Generation X's short attention span and anti-intellectual leanings. Death by Highlighter :: Graduate College Admissions Essays Death by Highlighter I woke up Tuesday morning with a strange sense that I was not alone in bed. Something was jabbing me in the left hip. I opened one eye tentatively. It was 8:47 a.m., and I did not want to be awake. I investigated the source of the jabbing feeling to discover, to my horror, a florescent yellow, uncapped highlighter that I had let slip after falling asleep while reading a report on science and engineering at Duke. I shuddered, moved the higlighter to a more innocuous location on the floor, and went back to sleep. The perils of highlighters, however, extend well beyond my now-fluorescent-yellow sheets, nightgown and left hip. Having highlighted my way through three years of college, four years of high school and a few years of junior high, I have reached the shocking conclusion that highlighters have undermined my education. Before the days of transparent yellow markers, readers took notes on reading, or wrote in ball-point pen in the margins, forcing themselves to transmit information from words on a page to coherent thought to at least somewhat coherent squiggles on the page. The highlighter offers a seductive shortcut--the reader can bypass the "coherent thought to squiggle" step of the process and simply smear interesting passages with fluorescent ink, no analysis required. Particularly impressive phrases may merit an emphatic mark in the margin, and, on rare occasions, the holder of the fluorescent wand may even add a note in blue or black ink. Regardless, however, the marker-wielding reader generally smears large tracts of text with ink, never bothering to summarize or paraphrase information. I know the pathological symptoms of highlighter-addiction because I am a victim. I shouldn't have turned out this way--I had a strictly traditional fifth-grade history teacher who required us to take notes on our reading in outline form. But something happened in high school, I think in European History, when I realized I could never write down every iota of information in our menacingly dense text book--so I grabbed hold of a highlighter and started marking interesting facts in bright yellow. I meant to make notes in the margins, but there wasn't time . . . and so I launched myself down the highlighter path to mental oblivion. Highlighters should shoulder at least as much of the blame as MTV for Generation X's short attention span and anti-intellectual leanings.

No Prison Time for Juvenile Crime and Violence Essay -- Argumentative

No Prison Time for Juvenile Crime Students are shooting up schools across the country. Kids as young as twelve and thirteen are being convicted of murdering their peers. Right here in Hanover, two teens have been charged with the murders of Dartmouth professors. Although juvenile crime across the country may not be on the rise, high publicity, headline-grabbing juvenile-perpetrated homicides certainly are. Prosecutors, attempting to satiate public demand for "justice," have begun trying these juvenile offenders in adult courts and sending them to adult prison. But is it really fair to send children into a penal system like ours, which ignores rehabilitation and is almost exclusively focused upon retribution? Is it right to essentially give up on these children at such a young age? Is this aggressive prosecution tactic in the best interest of the juvenile defendant or the community as a whole? No. Most studies and statistics suggest that sending juveniles to adult prisons increases recidivism rates among those teens transferred. Jeffrey Fagan, who spearheaded an extens... ... Responsibility must be instilled on these kids, and punishment must be administered, but dooming children to hard time is hardly justice. When kids perpetrate violence they must be punished, but these kids also deserve a second chance, and this country has the means to support that second chance. No 12-year-old should spend the rest of his or her life in jail; no 13-year-old should spend time in an adult prison; and no 14-year-old should be denied a reasonable chance to turn his or her life around. This country must strive for something better.

Betrayal :: Personal Narrative Writing

Betrayal 1.Desire It is easy to fall in love with bodies. I Breathe skin, lose time to anticipation and pleasure, hair, lips, thighs; tangled in another person, I am lost in a jungle. Transcendence. Society teaches us to break a body down: we love legs, butts, breasts; we take images and splice them into the form of our perfect desire. Like Pygmalion we are desperate to breathe life into our conception of beauty, our imagination of a perfect creature. Reality is easily redrawn around a body whose presence in a place reorganizes the map of the world. Nothing exists but the texture of skin, its taste thick in the mind's imagination. Against our animal world, ideas and numbers seem strange, misplaced, insignificant to desire and love, to connecting with another's warmth. Trying to fulfill a fantasy, it is the dreamer who is recreated. It is time that is filled in. 2. Characters To a moment we are only characters. In this moment: David, the long-term boyfriend (now). Moa, at first betrayer, then clown, then you (then). There is the self who perceives, creates, and ultimately longs for the deep and endless fall of vertigo (lost between the now and then). And there is Love, so mysterious and evasive that I sometimes believe it is a character, alive, weaving tendrils around us (love plays with time). But the descriptions might switch names. I could be the clown, and it could be you who plunges yourself into vertigo. And maybe only one character could play all the parts. There are several combinations to fit several moods (this is my version that fits my now). 3. Eternity The moment has a way of leaking into other moments. Other moments with other lovers leak into the memory. The lovers, like muddying watercolors, swirl into each other. I wonder if I only have relationships with myself. I ask myself the same question over and over till it feels like I am banging my head against a wall, "What do I want?" I look into my heart but it is hard to see through the haze of time and desire. Sartre writes that we are indoctrinated with the values of our societies. We can never be or know ourselves till we escape these. Sartre draws one single path to freedom, this is radical choice, choosing something totally unconnected to anything, in practice this could only be a random choice.

Gender Stereotypes in Films Essay

Erwin Goffman (1959) in â€Å"The Presentation of Self,† asserts that â€Å"when an individual plays a part he implicitly requests his observers to take seriously the impression that is fostered before him. † That is, individuals tend to behave according to the accepted norms and behaviors of the culture or society they are a part of, and in turn reinforce and reproduce these set of norms and behavior by acting according to them. Accordingly, each individual actually â€Å"believe that the character he or she sees in him/herself or in another person actually posses the attributes that he or she appears to posses† (Goffman 1959) which is how individual and collective identities are formed. Likewise, symbolic interactionism, espoused by Herbert Blumer(1969), asserts that â€Å"human beings act toward things on the basis of the meanings they ascribe to those things,† wherein â€Å"the meaning of such things is derived from, or arises out of, the social interaction that one has with others and the society. † Thus, society is able to create, enforce, and reinforce gender segregation through the construction of a set of standards that define what femininity or masculinity is within a particular culture which is propagated and learned through social interaction of individuals. Unfortunately, the norms and codes for accepted behavior are mediated upon not only by the individual and the society he or she is a part of, but also by issues of power and control over the instruments of cultural production and reproduction such as the mass media. The mass media as a powerful vehicle of prevailing attitudes and norms therefore plays a tremendous role not only in the propagation of value systems but also in the creation and maintenance of oppressive and disempowering standards. An examination of gender stereotyping in the mass media, particularly in film, would reveal that the media perpetuates and continues to reinforce sexist beliefs on men and women’s experiences of romantic love and sexual desire. This is shown in the portrayal of women in music videos, where the identities of women are portrayed either as damsels in distress or sex kittens—in both ways pining and waiting for the male’s sexual desire. Some songs even carry outright masochistic tendencies, such as Shaggy’s â€Å"Hey, Sexy Lady† video which portray women as deserving of, or even asking for, undue sexual attention or violence from the male by objectifying their bodies for men’s sexual purposes. Even in songs that purportedly carry empowering messages for women, the female is still rendered subject to the loneliness and despair of looking for Mr. Right despite the illusion of giving the character the freedom to choose her partner, as illustrated in Leann Rime’s video â€Å"Something’s Gotta Give† or â€Å"Can’t Fight the Moonlight. † In the latter video, women’s hapiness is shown to be largely dependent not on herself but on the attention of the male population. On the other hand, men continue to be depicted in the media as the stronger sex, often shown as the virile and aggressive sexual animal, the predator on the prowl for his prey in contrast to the more subdued dating expectations of women. This is shown in Shaggy’s video, â€Å"It Wasn’t Me† which show graphic sexual scenes of the male character cheating on his girlfriend, which insinuates that infidelity is alright for men if they don’t get caught and perpetuates the notion that men are made macho by their promiscuity. Thus, it comes without surprise that despite the rise of feminist and gender theory, gender stereotyping remains pervasive as ever. This is due in part to the fact that stereotypical gender roles have become deeply ingrained within and to a large extent, have been established as a norm, in today’s modern culture and in part to the continuing enforcement and reinforcement of these stereotypes by the mass media, which clearly validate Goffman’s theory on identity formation as well as Blumer’s theory of how individuals only interpret things and actions from the perpective of the culture they are in . As Goffman observes, individuals are shaped not only by the impressions they create for others but also by the impressions and meanings that others create and at the same time prescribe for them. Through the images of women portrayed by the media, young girls are led to believe that they should learn to present themselves in exactly the same way as the socially contructed image of women: beautifully made-up, submissive, and often desperate for the attention of men. On the other hand, the media also mirrors and at the same time prescribes its ideas and concepts of what should constitute maleness: dominance, power, virility, and aggressive sexual desire . Music Video Links: Rimes, Leann. â€Å"Can’t Fight the Moonlight. † http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=YO_7XLdtaI8 Rimes, Leann. â€Å"Something’s Gotta Give. † http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=_tgf7MpQ0c4 Shaggy. â€Å"It Wasn’t Me. † http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=cQ4axo9rmJY Shaggy. â€Å"Sexy Lady. † http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=PG2h0NgJN9s&feature=related