Effective Communication Paper Essay

One way to share information and ideas is by working in teams. â€Å"A team is a small group of people with complementary skills, who work together to achieve a shared purpose and who hold themselves mutually accountable for its accomplishment† (Lombardi & Schermerhorn, 2007, p. 76). â€Å"Teamwork is essential in the provision of healthcare. The division of labor among medical, nursing and allied health practitioners means that no single professional can deliver a complete episode of healthcare† (Leggat, 2007, p. ). Through teamwork, people work together to accomplish the goals set forth by members of the team or organization. Teamwork requires leadership, commitment, and understanding. Through these aspects, team members can learn how to operate together, achieve high levels of task performance, and membership satisfaction. When team members work together they can pull their resources together and come up with the best outcome possible for any problem they may have or goal they want to achieve. Working in teams also has a huge impact on individuals’ needs, attitudes, and performance. Teams can be good for members and the organization and provide benefits, such as â€Å"increasing resources for problem-solving, fostering creativity and innovation, improving the quality of decision making, enhancing members’ commitments to tasks, raising motivation through collective action, helping control and discipline members, and satisfying individual needs as organizations grow in size† (Lombardi & Schermerhorn, 2007, p. 6) They may feel that their ideas are the best because of more training or experience. Others may just feel like being on a team is not a good for them because they can work better alone.   In a healthcare environment teamwork can be applied to benefit the organization and patients. Managers are responsible for choosing individuals they see best fit for working together to achieve the maximum goals for the organization. In a healthcare setting individuals specialize in many areas. When patients have multiple illnesses or injuries, nurses, doctors, and specialists can work together, pull resources from all areas, and share their knowledge to achieve the best results for treatment plans so the patient always receives the best care possible. One downfall would be putting a couple of specialists in the same field together and them not agreeing on the same treatment. This could delay treatment for the patient while the team is trying to decide on what to do for the patient Technology can have a great impact on the success of teamwork. While the team members are sharing their knowledge of the issues at hand, the Internet is readily available as a resource tool. If any questions arise about success rates, techniques, treatments plans or options, or side effects, the team members can research the information to make the final decision. They may also look at the history of the patient through electronic medical records to see if any previous issues would be the cause of new symptoms, the patient has any medical allergies, or to see if any treatment plans did not work for the patient in the past if the issue is a recurring one.

Microsoft Outlook® User Manual Critique

Microsoft Outlook ® User Manual Critique The objective of this paper will be to evaluate Microsoft manual for Outlook ®. According to Torkzadeh (1988), author of The Quality of User Documentation, â€Å"User documentation is an important tool for communications. It enhances the value of an application to the user and in turn, improves user satisfaction† (p. 99).When designing a manual Ganier (2007) suggests in his article, Comparative User-Focused Evaluation of User Guides, the strategy for a user manual should focus on 3 characteristics: format, structure, and its content. Ganier in his article also includes the criteria for measuring the quality and efficiency of the manual as, â€Å"attractiveness, practicality, simplicity, and efficiency†. The critique of the Outlook ® user manual will not evaluate the criteria using a weighted score for each criteria on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is very bad and 5 is very good (Ganier, 2007).Instead, it will provide a written critique of the Outlook ® user manual based upon Ganier’s identified characteristics and criteria. Assessment of the Design Strategy The first characteristic of the Outlook ® user e-manual is format. Since the Outlook ® user manual is in electronic format or e-manual, it can be launched from the application by pressing the F1 key on the keyboard. The cognitive workload required to utilize the function of the e-manual is minimal. Structure, the second characteristic, refers to the layout of the information and how users access the information based upon their knowledge.New users will typically access the information linearly; in a step-by-step fashion whereas, more experienced users will access the information by function. There is no â€Å"Getting Started† section on the main menu with directed instruction for new users. The Outlook ® manual is focused toward the experienced user, who would be searching for instructions to perform a particular function. The la st characteristic of the design of the Outlook ® user e-manual is content, which includes prominent headings, the use of vocabulary the user can comprehend, and the combined use of text and illustrations.The Outlook ® e-manual contained very good content. It has step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow with a mixture of applicable illustrations. The manual uses clear and concise language which is easily understood; however, the only drawback is a lack of illustrations in the manual’s headers. Assessment of Criteria The first criterion Ganier identified for measuring the quality and efficiency of a user manual is attractiveness. (Merriam-Webster’s, 2010) defines attractive as â€Å"arousing interest or engaging one's thought, consideration, etc†.Attractiveness is a subjective measurement which attempts to measure the ability of a manual to entice users to access it. The attractiveness of the Outlook ® user e-manual is minimal and the format is very simplistic. The headers are basic, but functional, and the lack of graphics or icons to help identify the topics makes the appearance less attractive and approachable. By using icons along with the headers, it would improve the overall look, making the document look more appealing and approachable.When clicking on a high level header for â€Å"creating messages†, the user is presented with a list of submenu topics from which to choose. The submenu topics have a third level of headings with instruction options for creating an e-mail message. The actual instruction is presented to the user after clicking on 3 levels of topics and sub-topics. It contains an explanation of creating an e-mail with step-by-step instruction and includes a good combination of illustration and white space.Practicality, the second criteria, as it applies to a user manual or an instruction, is whether or not the manual or instruction is designed and applicable to actual use. Overall, the manual is usef ul if the user is looking for instruction on performing a specific task. The user e-manual does a good job of explaining the various functions of the Outlook ® application. The tool bar menu items include navigation buttons which allow the user to easily move the focus of the manual back one page at a time or by clicking on the home button, to return to the first page. Simplicity is the lack of complexity, r intricacy, (Merriam-Webster’s, 2010). The Outlook ® user e-manual fulfills the definition of simplicity in its ability to reach a diverse target audience, with the ability to read and understand the content. Both basic and advanced users can utilize the search function of the manual to find instructions on the topic being searched. Basic tasks, such as creating an e-mail, or tasks for more advanced users, can easily be found in the manual. The user e-manual lacks overall efficiency as it does not give the user the ability to accomplish a task with ease and speed.The u ser e-manual should allow the user, no matter what their experience level with the application, to be able to access the information in the most efficient manner. The Outlook ® user e-manual headings are not in any particular order and the user must scan the headings to find a specific topic. If the headers were sorted alphabetically, finding the topics would be more efficient. Once the information is found the instruction are clear and concise, and include the appropriate amount of illustrations along with step-by-step instructions. ConclusionThe Outlook ® user e-manual is designed to be used in conjunction with the Outlook ® application. The manual has good content and is relatively easy to use, with the exception of the need to drill down to multiple sub-headings. The search function of the manual provides an easy way to find information on a particular topic if the reader knows what they are searching for. The lack of icons to illustrate the headings, and the headings not being sorted alphabetically detracts from the attractiveness and the overall usefulness of the document.Both beginning and advanced users of the Outlook ® application can benefit from reading the user e-manual. With the lack of a â€Å"Getting Started† section it makes utilizing the document for new users a little more tedious for progressive learning. The actual step-by-step instruction contains detailed and accurate information, which is attractively designed with the appropriate amount of whitespace and illustrations. Overall the user e-manual enhances the value of the Outlook ® application and helps the user improve their knowledge in using the application.References Torkzadeh, G. 1988, Fall). The Quality of User Documentation. Journal of Managment Information Systems, 5(2), 99-108. Ganier, F. (2007). Comparative User-Focused Evaluation of User Guides: A Case Study. J. Technical Writting and Communications, 37(3), 305-322. Attractive. 2010. In Merriam-Webster Online D ictionary. Retrieved Nov 23, 2010, from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/attractive Simplicity. 2010. In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 23, 2010, from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/ simplicity Outlook ® is a registered trademarks of the Microsoft © 2010

Culture Convergence

Introduction In recent times, the globalization topic is one of the most discussed issue across the world. With globalization, countries has started to build stronger economic ties and be increasingly reliant on each other as it has never be. Some researchers argue of cultural convergence; that is, as two countries become closer with each other, they will be more likely to influence each other's culture, thereby bringing the two different cultures to be more similar.For example, the popular culture, which originates from Western European and America, is often to be said to influence the developing Asian countries' culture, and is often dubbed as Westernization (Leung et al, 2008). Conversely, there are many that argue also of cultural divergence; which is the belief that each nation's culture are deeply rooted in the countries' history, so that even if outside culture try to influence the belief and attitude of the people, the difference between cultures can still be maintained, and can even increase over time (Axelrod, 1997; Turnbull & Sheehan, 2012).Hofstede (1980) defined four dimensions of culture that describes the fundamental similarities and differences of human behavior and decision making process that forms part of culture. These dimensions will be valuable for measuring cultural convergence or divergence. They consist of masculinity/femininity, power distance, individualism/collectivism and uncertainty avoidance. Power distance is the dimension of which inequality of power is expected and accepted as normal by the less powerful members of organization and society.Masculinity/ Femininity is the measure of which society is oriented towards ‘masculine' value : competitiveness, assertion, success , good performance, etc. instead of ‘feminine' value: kindness, caring, empathy, etc. Individualism/Collectivism measures to what extent society lets each individual care for their own: more individualism means that the ties between individuals in the society is more loose. Uncertainty Avoidance is the measure as to how much the members of the society avoid risky behaviors and stay the conservative way.This essay will try to discuss whether countries has experienced cultural convergence or divergence, by first looking to the cultural divergence phenomenon, and then the cultural convergence phenomenon, and finally comparing both and giving recommendation as to how the risks of the phenomenon observed can be mitigated. Discussion Cultural Divergence Axelrod (1997) argued in his model that local convergence may cause global polarization. He contends that the convergence in society will stay in local area only, as the culture converge in a region that have nothing in common with neighboring regions.This causes local regions to have culture convergence, but in the bigger area, the difference between cultures remain stable, thus increasing polarization or cultural divergence. Axelrod (1997) also argues that polarization level gets hig her if there are a few dimensions of the culture, many alternative traits on each dimensions, and if the size of the region is large enough to allow for many cultures, but small enough for the change process to finish before all cultural boundaries are dissolved by the spread of cultural traits. Further, Klemm et al. (2003) argued that the level of perturbation to a culture influences how the culture drifts.They argued that perturbation, up to a level, will bring a culture to converge together, but when the perturbation or influence is high enough, the culture will split into several sub-culture, meaning the culture has been polarized or diverged. This phenomenon can be attributed to several reasons, such as preference for more extreme views, geographical isolation, social differentiation (tendency for groups to differentiate themselves compared to other groups), drift, the in and out of fads and fashions, specialization and changing environment or technology (Axelrod, 1997).There a re some examples of this phenomenon in the real life. For one, Turnbull & Sheehan(2012) argued that due to historical and cultural differences, the chain fast food company McDonald have to alter their strategy and brand imaging in Canada and Japan. This happens even though they are a company that is trying to build a similar image in every country they are established in. Furthermore, they also found that some of Australia's public relations policy clearly rejects that their culture has been assimilated to the US culture.Another example is given by Darling-Wolf (2004) interview with Japanese women about foreigners, in which he found that Japanese women are still viewing Western women as shallow, vain and selfish. Martin (2010) also found that Japanese people found foreign actors and actresses to be more likeable if they exhibit some Japanese characteristics. This indicates that Japanese women still hold their cultural values highly, and not influenced by the Westernization that may happen as a result of the strong ties between Japan and America. Finally, Anderson et al. 2000) found that there are significant differences between Indian and American aerospace scientists and engineers, especially in the power distance, individualism and uncertainty avoidance dimension, indicating cultures still at the very least maintain their differences, if not diverging from each other. Cultural Convergence The theory behind cultural convergence notion is that a nation's culture is viewed as a subsystem of a global culture, and that culture is an open system that can exchange input and outputs with other cultures.Given this, to avoid entropy a system needs to reach an equilibrium, which is the state where all cultures are assimilated, and hence forming a culture convergence. This theory proposes that if two cultures interact frequently, they will most likely be converged together(Bergiel, 2011). One example that comes to mind when discussing convergence is Westernization, whic h is the phenomena where non-Western (typically Asian) culture are often changed and influenced with Western cultures through the exposure by media such as TV and Internet, as well as from various other interaction between the two cultures.The ever increasing global marketing, as well as the increasing number of businesses that expands their business to foreign countries, only serve as a vehicle for cultural assimilation to happen, as the two cultures will mesh together and form a stable equilibrium according to this notion. This notion of cultural convergence also gain some support from researchers.As an example, Bergiel (2011) found in his study about Japanese and US culture that in regards of individualism, masculinity and power distance the trend of convergence has been found to be very extreme, as the role of the two country reverses in between the two decades since Hofstede released his study in 1980. In 1980, the US society were said to be holding up the value of individualis m, have low power distance and masculinity, while in this study it was found that now Japan culture has now moved from collectivism to individualism, surpassing the US score in the dimension, have lower power distance compared to the US, and is more masculine.However, this may be also influenced by the politic-economic factors in the two country, and not solely by the fact that the two culture interacted with each other. Also, in the long-term orientation it has been found that the two cultures converge, sporting similar score in that dimension. Further, Nieves et al. (2006) also found from their study that Mexican and American engineers has converged their culture in the individualism dimension, compared to when Hofstede did his research in 1980.Convergence Vs. Divergence Hence, while cultural convergence theory contends that over time and different cultures that interacts with each other will form a stable equilibrium eventually, the cultural divergence theory contends that cultur es will maintain its own unique identity, as culture needs big enough perturbation to have a lasting change, and they typically maintain their difference despite the influence from foreign cultures/countries.Some researchers argue that globalization will make cultures to converge, as globalization means that information is very easily accessible, and cultures are exposed to other cultures constantly, so that in cultural convergence theory this will cause those cultures to form an equilibrium, and that the world is converging into a ‘global village'. (Inglehart & Welzel, 2005). However, some researchers also argue that globalization may not necessarily cause convergence. Inglehart & Norris (2009) argued that the globalization may even cause polarization of the cultures.They argued that the values that the rich country's public hold usually changes rapidly, while poorer countries generally are slower in adapting change in culture. This opens up a gap in culture difference betwee n rich societies and poor societies. Further, they also found that richer countries also differ in culture in religiosity to poor societies. Richer countries are becoming more and more secular in these days, while poorer countries are typically more traditional and religious.Similarly, richer countries are also moving towards gender equality, while many poorer societies still hold patriarchal values highly (Inglehart ; Norris, 2009). Further, this can also apply not to nation's cultures, but also its subcultures. Typically, the richer societies in the urban area adopt new values more rapidly, and rural society sticks with their traditional culture and adopt changes slowly. Finally, convergence theory is argued to be exaggerating the level of consensus of core value between US and other countries, thereby reducing the actual level of assimilation barrier that exists in the real world.Hence, it is most likely that cultural divergence and polarization is what actually happens in the wo rld. Organizations should take note of this divergence phenomenon in order to successfully conduct a global or multinational operation. Some researchers argue that the national cultural difference may bring problems in an organization in the integration process and consequently knowledge transfer (Vaara, 2003). The reason this happens is cultural difference is often thought to impede cooperation between the members.Further, Hogg & Terry (2000) argued that similarity are often a factor in deciding attractiveness and trustworthiness, and having different culture makes an individual automatically less attractive and trustworthy compared to someone from the same culture. However, Sarala & Vaara (2009) argued that with different culture, organization may benefit from having different knowledge and repertoire that could be shared around. Hence, with cultural difference, knowledge transfer can potentially be more effective as there are more knowledge to go around.Although the knowledge pot ential is great, what is more important is to actually manage to spread it around the organization and make sure that individuals from different cultures are comfortable with each other. Sarala & Vaara (2009) argued that the way for organization to do this is through facilitated communication, in order to reduce uncertainty and increase trust between the members of the organization. Also equally important is that the organization management practice must be aligned with the nation's culture that they are in, in order to operate smoothly in the face of cultural difference (Nieves et al, 2006).Hence, to be successful, an organization must proactively try to make the members of the organization increase their trust with each other, as well as changing their managing practices, depending on the culture that they are currently residing in. Conclusion In conclusion, cultural convergence is the theory that different cultures that interact in a regular basis will influence each other and fo rm a stable equilibrium, thus converging the two cultures, while cultural divergence is the theory that states that cultural differences will be maintained, and even grow apart from each other even though they interact in a regular basis.The basis of cultural convergence theory is that the member of society will try to imitate and assimilate the new foreign culture, while the cultural divergence theory contends that group tends to stay within themselves and differentiate themselves from other groups. In real life, it seems likely that the cultural divergence theory is correct, as even if a culture is experiencing change from foreign culture, the rate of change in the different part of society may be different, thus creating a gap as well.For example, richer societies tend to adopt new values quickly, while poorer societies might hold to their traditional value, hence creating a cultural divergence overall. To overcome this issue, organization needs to actively try to facilitate comm unication between the members of their organization if they have different cultures, as well as altering their management practice to fit the culture of the society that they are currently residing in. Reference Anderson, C. J. , Glassman, M. , ; Pinelli, T. (2000).A Comparison of Communications Practices Among Indian and US Scientists and Engineers. Journal of East-West Business,  6(1), 81-108. Axelrod, R. (1997). The Dissemination of Culture A Model with Local Convergence and Global Polarization. Journal of conflict resolution,  41(2), 203-226. Bergiel, E. B. , Bergiel, B. J. , ; Upson, J. W. (2012). Revisiting Hofstede’s Dimensions: Examining the Cultural Convergence of the United States and Japan. American Journal of Management,  12(1), 69-79. Bredillet, C. , Yatim, F. , ; Ruiz, P. (2010).Project management deployment: The role of cultural factors. International Journal of Project Management,  28(2), 183-193. Darling-Wolf, F. (2004). Women and new men: Negotiating masculinity in the Japanese media. The Communication Review,  7(3), 285-303. Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture's consequences: International differences in work-related values  (Vol. 5). Sage Publications, Incorporated. Hogg, M. A. , & Terry, D. J. (2000). Social identity and self-categorization processes in organizational contexts. Academy of management review, 121-140. Inglehart, R. & Welzel, C. (2005). Modernization, cultural change, and democracy: The human development sequence. Cambridge University Press. Klemm, K. , Eguiluz, V. M. , Toral, R. & San Miguel, M. 2003. Global culture: A noise induced transition in finite systems. Physical Review E 67, 045101(R). Leung, K. , Bhagat, R. S. , Buchan, N. R. , Erez, M. , & Gibson, C. B. (2005). Culture and international business: recent advances and their implications for future research. Journal of International Business Studies,  36(4), 357-378. Martin, D. (2012).Foreign women in Japanese television advertising: Content analyses of a cultural convergence paradigm. European Journal of Marketing,46(1/2), 157-176. Nieves, R. , Mujtaba, B. G. , Pellet, P. F. , & Cavico, F. (2011). Culture And Universal Professional Values In Global Organizations: Is There A Divergence Or Convergence Of Cultural Values?. Journal of Diversity Management (JDM),1(1), 31-38. Norris, P. , & Inglehart, R. (2009). Is national diversity under threat? Cosmopolitan communications and cultural convergence. Cosmopolitan Communications and Cultural Convergence Sarala, R.M. , & Vaara, E. (2009). Cultural differences, convergence, and crossvergence as explanations of knowledge transfer in international acquisitions. Journal of International Business Studies,  41(8), 1365-1390. Turnbull, N. , & Sheehan, M. (2012, November). The impact of divergent historical and cultural factors on convergence in global communication practice. In  WORLD PUBLIC RELATIONS FORUM 2012  (p. 128). Vaara, E. (2003). Post? acquisition Integration as Sensemaking: Gl impses of Ambiguity, Confusion, Hypocrisy, and Politicization. Journal of Management Studies,  40(4), 859-894.

Future of Biometrics in Network Security Term Paper

Future of Biometrics in Network Security - Term Paper Example This technology is more effective in authorizing and verifying identity of individuals within an organization. Nevertheless, adoption of this technology has been slowed by lack of adequate handling skills and that it is an expensive technology for many organizations. The purpose of this research is to investigate the future of the biometric system within the network security technology. By drawing facts from a wide range of resources, it is possible to identify the future of this technology in the future of network security. The Future of Biometrics in Network Security Introduction With the advent of technology, network security has become a crucial topic for every nation. Network refers to the connectivity between organization, individuals and even countries that allow people to access or be served by the resources that exist within these systems. Today, networks have become inevitable and at some point every person has interacted with a network within their daily operations. One ch aracteristic of a network is that it is sensitive due to the sensitivity of the resources that exist within, making it vulnerable to malicious attacks. For instance, cyber-criminals will attack bank networks to gain access to personal credentials that can help them to defraud the bank of its profits. Each day, organizations lose money, information and other vital resources to network intruders. The increase in network crime has sent security technologists to delve into more research to provide better security systems that can guarantee the safety within networks. Biometric technology is one of the security measures that is slowly becoming a necessity in network security. Biometric systems refer to gadgets that use any form of physiological or behavioral characteristics of human beings that can tapped to identify or verify the identity of a person within a network system. This is a new technology that is finding its way into the network security due to its high reliability and effici ency in identification and verification of human identity. Commonly, fingerprints, eye lids, facial expressions, eye blinks, and even blood are used to allow only authorized people to access network systems within organizations. As the level of crime continues to increase within business organizations, biometric technology is likely to proliferate and the future of network security largely depends on this technology. Today, security technologists engage in deep research to adopt more integrative biometric technology that will enhance security network within organizations in the world. Literature Review The history of network security is a long one and dates back right from the time networks were discovered. Daya (2010) points out that network security is inseparable with networks due to the sensitivity of networks in their area of use. A network is associated with a definite number of people, hence the need to limit access from members outside the network. The network contains organ ization information resources and secrets that are motivators for intruders who intend to use such resources to their leverage. For instance, the military network contains information regarding national matters that have to be safeguarded to ensure that the security of citizens is not compromised. Terrorist attackers have a great motivation to penetrate the military network to enhance their malicious missions. As Daya Points out, a network without

Puppy Mills in USA Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Puppy Mills in USA - Research Paper Example Efforts are being made by government and non government agencies to improve the condition of puppy mills and for the protection of helpless animals. In 2009, The Missouri Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for overseeing breeding, initiated Operation Bark Alert and almost 180 unlicensed breeders were shut down in lieu of this operation. The department is understaffed with only 12 inspectors who have to inspect some 2,800 facilities annually. Animal-Right supporters also gathered more than 190,000 signatures in support of Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Bill (The Economist). After failing countless times to get bills passed by the Missouri General Assembly, the groups created ballot initiative and were successful in getting an amendment. The new amendment was to provide enforceable standards which stated clearly that any breeding facility could not own more than 50 breeding bitches and these animals were to be provided with proper health care and good sanitary conditions. T he Humane Society of United States (HSUS) has done commendable work towards improving living and breeding conditions for dogs in puppy mills. In their â€Å"Dirty Dozen† reports for 2010 and 2011 they pointed out the SandS Family Puppies of Milan, Mo. as the worst puppy mill. This puppy mill has a 500 page USDA violation record to their credit starting from 2006.

Commercial Insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Commercial Insurance - Essay Example This is engineered by the employer themselves and requires that a substantial amount of the employee’s salary be directly injected into the scheme. It sometimes covers the individual’s family or the next of kin for all benefits as entitled to the employee. Covered here is the key employee policy. This is extended, by the employer, to that employee whose sickness or demise will greatly affect a business’s returns. The individual health plan sometimes also features a funeral expenses cover (Gevine, 1995). Pharmacy benefits to customers comprise the accessibility, and the ease of doing so, of quality medication upon prescription. Members of the scheme can access drugs, prescription or otherwise, anytime from participating medical facilities. The benefits with this program are that you are not only diagnosed but also given drugs recommended by your doctor without â€Å"buying†. The medicare plan is useful in that it allows for subscribers to access services such as change in dressing, regular checkups on weight and blood sugar levels at zero extra cost. Medevac plans also categorized here whereby the patient, if in a remote area is evacuated by plane or an ambulance and promptly accorded medicare. However, these might come at a cost to the average subscriber. This caters for prime US citizens. The plan seeks to ensure that even in old age, they will still access quality health care. It is also inclusive of advisory services in terms of diets, exercise routines, quality sleep patterns and healthy lifestyle which are exclusive of smoking or drinking. Stress management is also featured there. This is because, since these members are advanced in age, this might trigger morbid heart related complications (Gevine, 1995). Specialty packages cater for members with special needs to enable them acquire services without

Will the Mexican car company, Mastretta, ever reach the reputation Essay

Will the Mexican car company, Mastretta, ever reach the reputation that the current top car companies receive - Essay Example The report is due by the end of this month. 2.0 Procedure Comprehensive secondary research has been carried out to explore the issue and find relevant solutions for the same. The resources that have been mainly consulted are consumer brand awareness reports of the automobile industry and also reports pertaining to the automobile industry of Mexican automobile industry. 3.0 Findings 3.1 Industry Outlook Similar to the discovery of airplanes, the materialization of automobiles has a profound impact on the everyday life of human beings. The automobile industry is critical constituent in the fabric of global economy (Kazmi 6). The global automobile industry enormously contributes to the wealth and health of millions of inhabitants of the world. Hence, it is important that the automotive sector retain its innovative edge and competitiveness. It has been found that the auto manufacturing industry is highly labour intensive and capital. Some of the major costs associated with manufacturing and marketing of the automobile products are labour cost, cost of procuring raw materials and cost associated with advertisement and distribution. A large proportion of the industry is driven by revenues generated from selling of automobiles. However, the equipments and parts market also offer lucrative opportunities to the players. In the North American market, the industry is principally dominated by three major players namely Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Chrysler. In addition, the foreign players such as Honda Motor Co and Toyota Motor Co are other major players (General Motors, â€Å"Annual Report: Financial Highlights†) According to several industry analysts, the automobile industry depends heavily on the tastes and trends of consumers (Adair 6-10). Although, a large segment of the overall sales of automobiles generates from the business to business selling and car renting companies, but the end consumer always has the highest priority as they are the one who drive the growth and progression of the industry (Bhushan and Rai 12-18). Another vital caveat for analyzing an automobile company is the intentions of the company pertaining to their planning and redesign. In this rapidly changing business environment companies, irrespective of the nature and business line are continuously trying to bring changes into their system of operation and product design. As a result of that, it is noticed that every year companies come up with either a new car or modify their existing car. These changes have massive impact on the success or failure of a company as consumers are directly influenced by it. In addition, there are certain other factors such as the price; the variation of models as well as the status it reflects in the social world is also a major factor (Hicks 14-21). Therefore, the discussion makes it evident that there are several factors responsible for the success of an automobile company as well as for gaining reputation in the market. In the context of the automotive industry of Mexico, it is characterized by steady growth and high potential. The industry accounts for 3.6% of the overall GDP of the country and is growing at a steady pace (Esenaro, â€Å"Luxury Car Manufacturing on A Roll in Mexico†). Despite the economic crisis, where majority of automobile players were seriously affected, and resulted in minimization of various expenditures, have once again occupied the emblematic position in the national economy of the country. As of latest figures the country ranks among the top 10 car manufacturing countries of the world. Figure 1 –

Evolution of Western corn rootworm population Essay

Evolution of Western corn rootworm population - Essay Example The characteristic that has allowed some Western corn root worm populations to become resistant to corn - soybean- corn rotation is that they produce higher levels of special class proteinases (cathepsin-L) that respond to soybeans defenses (Yates, 2012). Darwin’s theory of natural selection states that evolutionary change occurs when individuals produce variations in each generation and differential ways of survival by combining these variable characters. Individuals with variable characteristics, which increase their chances of survival, will have more opportunities to reproduce and their offspring will benefit from these advantageous characteristics. Similar to this theory, the western corn rootworm has evolved to produce enzymes in their gut that has enabled them to become resistant to corn-soybean-corn rotation. The enzymes inhibitors enables them to survive for two to three days in the soybeans fields which is enough for some of rootworms to lay eggs, when corns are planted in the same fields the rootworm larvae feeds on the corn roots. The modern view of evolution as a change in allele frequencies defines evolution as not only the development of new species from older ones but also the small changes within species from generation to generation-over long periods. Similarly, the western corn rootworm has been able to produce special class proteinases over long period of time, these small changes have enabled them to survive on soybean

Police in the United States of America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Police in the United States of America - Essay Example The police aim to give a safe and secure environment to the public. In order to achieve this objective they are bound to maintain peace in public. They are aimed to save the residents' rights and public turbulences. The police also intend to stop those situations which may end up in public violation and disorder. Police ensures the public of safe and sound environment and expects the public to cooperate with them. In collaboration with other bodies, the police sketch out local safety policies which plan to encourage safer societies, decrease and combat offenses and conflicts, and promote comfort in the localities concerned. Hence if the duties of the police are to be analyzed it can be said that the role of police is to enforce law in such a manner that the public peace is maintained. This is because if law is enforced on the citizens the police department may get an aggressive reply. Thus the police should work according to the requirements of the public. They should take care of th e tiny things which the public need. They should handle situations of violence with care and heed. For e.g. if an angry mob is protesting against a certain situation then the police should not directly use aggressive methods against that mob. This is because if aggressive methods are used against them the public law and order situation could be disturbed. I.e. seeing the brutality of police against that mob another mob could possibly arise and revolt. Similarly in other situations the police department should be careful in tackling the problems of the public. Police officers in the United States are the most severe and troublesome reason of the human rights violation in the state. The infringements continue all around the country, in countryside, suburban, and metropolitan regions of the state, done by a range of law enforcement workers as well as local and state police, sheriff's sections, and federal forces. Police have occupied in unwarranted shelling, cruel beatings, deadly choking, and unreasonably rough behavior. Whereas the quantity of continually offensive officers on any force is in general small, the authorities in charge, together with law enforcement managers in addition to local and central government management frequently fail to take action with certainty to control or penalize such steps. A faction of the police officers is worsening the image of the whole department. And as mentioned above it is quite difficult to bring this faction to justice. Although the other faction of the police officers are quite working according to their standards still there is a need that corruption and racism is removed from the police department in the U.S.A. However it can be said that to a certain extent the police department of the USA has been successful. But as mentioned above the police department in the USA also has some flaws which need to be rectified. As the police are the main law enforcement agency it is their duty to maintain public order in the state. However the stance of the police should not be to enforce laws on the civilian but to maintain the situation of public law and order. If police is taking steps that are causing indiscipline then they must change their course of work. Their aim is

Criminal law 1 A Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Criminal law 1 A - Essay Example cessary to show that (a) the accused committed a dangerous act (b) the act was dangerous in that a reasonable person would have recognized the potential for harm inherent in the act (c) the act was the cause of death and (d) the accused intended to commit the act, even if he or she did not intend the consequence of the act.1 Apart from this, Jake will also be liable for manslaughter with subjective recklessness in regard to the risk of death or bodily harm. Applying this to the question of Jake’s liability, his action in spiking Robin’s drink with a drug was a dangerous act, which is also unlawful.2 Applying the standards of a reasonable person, the act of spiking another person’s drink with a drug such as LSD will be deemed to be a dangerous act, because of the recognition that it could cause some kind of physical harm3. He has therefore intended an unlawful act of spiking Robin’s drink which was likely to cause harm, and death resulted which was neither foreseen nor intended.4 The aggravated form of criminal damage with intent to endanger life is set out under Section 1(2) of the Criminal Damage Act of 1971, according to which if the unlawful act actually causes death, the accused will be criminally liable. In the case of R v Dawson5, a petrol station attendant who had a weak heart died of heart failure when the appellant attempted robbery of the station. In arriving at a determination of whether the unlawful act was dangerous enough to so shock the victim that it causes him physical injury, the Court applied a test based on the average sober and reasonable bystander who would know that the use of a gun would terrify people and held the appellant to be guilty of causing death. In the same way, Jake has spiked Robin’s drink with drugs, which an average, reasonable person would realize as one that could potentially have a harmful effect, hence he will be liable. Another aspect that must be considered is whether Jake’s action was the substantial

Child and family health nursing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Child and family health nursing - Research Paper Example Previous research on child and family health nursing focus on ways of enhancing health care without emphasizing on the importance of collaboration of all parties in the care. Therefore there is need for an investigation into ways in which the parties within child and family nursing care can collaborate as a way of improving the care on various childhood health issues. The aforementioned problem will be solved through a methodological research with a view of obtaining data and information from the parties involved in child and family health nursing. This data will be analyzed, discussed and presented in form of recommendations to all stakeholders. In order to solve the problem wholly, the proposed research will investigate into collaboration in promotion and maintenance of children’s health, healthy lifestyles among children and the various programs that are aimed enhancing the health of young people. In addition, the roles that are played by nurses, children and their family especially the mothers in promotion of child health will be investigated. The specific areas of care such as prevention of obesity and accidents among children will be focused by the investigation. The significance of programs for child and family health will be studied and their effectiveness improved. The analysis of research findings will lead to presentation of suf ficient data and information that would be applied for improved collaboration in child and family health nursing. In promotion of child and family health, there is need for healthy living. This can only be achieved if family members and their children are sufficiently informed on their role in promoting health. Through participation and communication as forms of collaboration, family members and children will be aware of the ways in which they would promote their health such as proper diets. Moreover the involvement of nurses in care will be

Ethical Issues with Hacking Essay Example for Free

Ethical Issues with Hacking Essay There is a new crime on the verge of being on Americas top ten crimes list, computer hacking. Computer hacking is the practice of unlawfully gaining access to and sometimes tampering with information in a computer system. Since the cyber age, the use of computers has slowing integrated into most of societys everyday life and since then new crimes have emerged as a result of this age. The access of information readily available at the click of a button, can be very enticing to unlawfully acquire, but the companies who hold this important information has a duty to keep all files and information safeguarded. As a result of the cyber age, no longer are there just mundane crimes in America such as murder or assault. There has been a new crime wave, crimes of technologies. Cyber crimes are now listed in the top leading crimes of today. Out of the top ten crimes in America during 2012, computer related crimes were at number seven and number ten. Seven being computer theft, and ten being identity theft, with computer hacking rising on that list daily. With careful planning and updated online security, cyber crimes such as, hacking can be decreased. According to the New York Times, they said that, new security protocols and stronger firewalls, which monitor computer networks for suspicious traffic, could help to deter a person from hacking. Security experts say companies must also adapt their security systems to protect against attacks through smartphones and tablet computers. Although such mobile devices increase convenience for workers, they essentially a create a new door into the network, which then needs its own security watchdogs. A company is committed to keeping all the information as private as possible. When a person decides to hack into a companys database, email or website, they are not only putting their self at risk, but everyone involved will be negatively effected. The company who got hacked will most likely be publicized and their confidentiality of their patients information has now been corrupted. Lawsuits can follow for the company or the individual hacker if they get caught and it could also be very damaging for the individual who might have gotten their information hacked in the process. Policy Position Companies and their employees have a duty to uphold a certain standards when dealing with the consumers personal and private information. Dell has outlined some preventive steps that can be taken on a company and a personal level to prevent hackers from infiltrating a computer networking system. Among these steps are the following: Education- Hackers aren’t the only ones who can gain power from information. By educating yourself and employees about the types of scams that exist on the Internet and how to avert them, you are putting yourself one step ahead of the cyber criminals. Use a firewall- Firewalls monitor traffic between your computer or network and the Internet and serve as a great first line of defense when it comes to keeping intruders out. Use comprehensive security software and keep your system updated- Because hackers have a wide variety of ways to access your system and information, you need comprehensive security software that can protect you from all angles. Secure your wireless network- Hackers can access data while it’s in transit on an unsecured wireless network. You can keep the hackers out by enabling the firewall on your router and changing the router’s administrator password. î€Å' Use strong passwords- Although it may be easier for you to remember short passwords that reference your birthday, or pet’s name, these kinds of passwords also make it easy for hackers. Strong passwords can go a long way in helping secure your information. According to the FBI, â€Å"the threat that criminal hackers pose to corporate and government information systems has spiked in the past five years.† Stakeholders including the company, employees and customers have the right to know about privacy-laws and should know that any information that is gained unlawfully and shared with the public comes with major consequences. Stakeholders must know what is at stake when information is compromised. Upon being hired an employee must know their companys policy regarding information that can be disclosed. An employee has the duty to take actions based on ethical standards that must be known and recognized by all who are involved. â€Å"In Maryland, accessing and telling the world about another persons personal information is an invasion of privacy that may make the hacker liable for money damages to the victim.† (Lawyers.com, 2013) You, an employee, a hacker and the company has the duty to respect privacy of information and action. â€Å"A person who violates subsection (c)(1) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to imprisonment not exceeding 3 years or a fine not exceeding $1,000 or both.† (2010 Maryland Code CRIMINAL LAW. TITLE 7, section 7-302) Other customers of that company may feel their privacy information and action should be respected by others. The other customers feel like the customer has a duty to them to uphold their privacy and not share it with third parties or other people they did not give permission. Bottom line is that companies have the same problems with theft of intellectual property and personal information just as much as everyone else, but we expect more from them to keep their customers information secure. Privacy-laws are put in place for people can abide by those laws. Stakeholders must act in an ethical and moral manner when it concerns intellectual property, because if not, everyone can be negatively effected is this policy is not followed. REFERENCES Right of Publicity: Overview. (2013). Retrieved Feb 1, 2013, from http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/publicity Email Hacking is a Serious Crime. POSTED IN Privacy Law BY Lawyers.com (2013). Retrieved Feb 2, 2013, from http://communications-media.lawyers.com/privacy-law/Email-Hacking-Is-A-Serious-Crime.html Computer Intrusions. (2013). Retrieved Feb 9, 2013, from http://www.fbi.gov/aboutus/investigate/cyber/computer-intrusions 2010 Maryland Code CRIMINAL LAW. TITLE THEFT AND RELATED CRIMES Subtitle 3 Crimes Involving Telecommunications and Electronics Section 7-302 Unauthorized access to computers and related material. (2010). Retrieved Jan 31, 2013, from http://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/2010/criminal-law/title-7/subtitle-3/7-302/ Object1 https://docs.google.com/viewer? a=vq=cache:IDTKbmw6TzwJ:www.dell.com/downloads/ca/support/top_10_steps_to_protect_agains t_cybercrime_dell_en.pdf+steps+to+deter+hacking %2Bdellhl=engl=uspid=blsrcid=ADGEESj9mmGDd6D6c0Lbe5C-q06ZyXHh2rVmleQtWvkHTrRrt5ws07evPDNcipr3HEDdwBwcvOqq3zQVevNqmb1ae6A17RjPOoi7eGQd K_RmrRb4d_xO57dfK5Y-8FYICKa1UG8PV9isig=AHIEtbRvNOTu6CU5StjeP3LyY_Q_a0WyBQ Drew, C., Kopytoff, V. (2011). Deploying New Tools to Stop the Hackers. Retrieved Feb 8, 2013, from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/18/technology/18security.html?pagewanted=all_r=0

Role of Social Interactions in Identity Formation

Role of Social Interactions in Identity Formation Critically examine how sociology discusses social interactions (or social relations) and the role these interactions play in shaping the notion of self and/or identity. Social interaction involves people communicating face-to-face, acting and reacting in relation to each other using verbal as well as non-verbal cues. Every social interaction is characterised and dependent on peoples distinct positions in terms of their statuses, their standards of conduct or norms and their sets of expected behaviour or roles (Furze et al., 2008: 115). Furze et al. identify three major modes of social interaction, each of which is not without its limitations. This essay will suggest that perhaps there is a need for a refinement or refashioning of existing approaches to the study of social interaction due to such limitations. In addition, the inexplicable link between notions of the self, individual identity and the social realm will be established, namely through the work of Richard Jenkins. Exchange theory involves social interactions which trade in attention and other valued resources. As an important social force that cements social interactions, it is a competitive exchange of resources. People communicate to varying degrees to extract some sort of benefit from interactions, one that is often of an economic nature. For example, a brief everyday interaction between a supermarket shopper and the cashier could be subject to this theory. Rational choice theory describes how interacting people will always try to maximise benefits and minimise costs to themselves. That is, everyone wants to gain the most from their interactions socially, emotionally, and economically while paying the least. Dramaturgical analysis describes the way in which social interaction involves a constant role-playing, an approach that was first developed by sociologist Erving Goffman (1959). He likens the presentation of the self in everyday life to that of actors in a theatre. We are constantly engaged in role-playing which is most evident when we are front stage in public settings (Furze et al., 2008: 127). We learn, socialise and adopt roles so that we know what is considered acceptable behaviour in the public domain. We take these on through the various institutions of socialisation, such as the family, the school and the media, for example. Furthermore, Goffmans analysis problematises Pierre Bourdieus theory of power, practice and conflict theories of social interaction. Conflict theory emphasises that when people interact, their statuses are arranged in a hierarchy and the degree of inequality strongly affects the character of social interaction between the interacting parties (Bourdieu, 1977). On the other hand Goffman implies that such cues can be manipulated and misinterpreted. For example, a luxury car may signify wealth but if it were in fact stolen property then its public impression contradicts the actual status held by its owner. These theoretical frameworks for social interaction, then, are important to sociology because they have been developed in an attempt to explain how we live with each other in various forms of social relations. The idea of face-to-face relations is a much broader idea now than, say, around 20 years ago where avenues for social interaction such as the Internet and mobile phones were. It is mostly structured around norms and status we carry, for example. The ever-increasing popularity over the past five years of Internet Social Networking Sites such as Facebook and Twitter, for example, complicate Goffmans notion of the front stage-backstage binary. The notion of the self in an early historical sociological view was that there was a separation between society and the self. C. Wright Mills (1959) as well as Emile Durkheim in the example of suicide maintain that, certainly, the public world (socio-cultural world) and the private self are always interconnected (Geary, 2009). We are shaped by a specific set of forces which locate the self in and of particular sets of circumstances and this is what is what is referred to as the process of socialisation. We develop a sense of self by how we perceive the other. Identifying ourselves or others is a matter of meaning, and meaning always involves interaction: agreement and disagreement, convention and innovation, communication and negotiation (Jenkins, 2004: 4). Identity formation, then, is almost always already part of social and cultural relations or interactions. To identify the self and the so-called other person, according to Jenkins, relates to the way meaning-making impacts on us, as well as the way we alter such meanings. The individual and the collective are routinely entangled with each other and the three approaches exchange theory, rational choice theory and dramaturgical analysis outlined by Furze et al. are some examples. These must accommodate the fluidity of identity and notions of the self.

Competitive Analysis of the Global Toy Industry

Competitive Analysis of the Global Toy Industry Welcome to the colorful world of teddy bears, singing dolls, miniature pianos that play nursery rhymes,  battery operated cars and stuffed dogs and rabbits that walk, talk and shake hands. In one word: Toys. Toy merchants of yester years gave shape to the creative fancies and dreams of young ones and growups  alike. The world market has seen various upheavals due to changing consumer preferences, new fads,  technological advances and trade liberalization. Countries like China have marveled the world with their  low cost manufacturing expertise while at the same time astonished them with their quick imitation,  leading all the gigantic players of the world to act on their feet and formulate strategies to counterattack  them and safeguard their shares. India too has seen a shift in focus from traditional board games like Chess (Shatranj) and Ludo (Paasa)  and sports like cricket to video games and consoles, puzzles, and Monopoly. The traditionally scattered  market has shown signs of consolidation with the entry of companies like Reliance ADAG and Mahindra   Mahindra who are both expanding the market and adding sheen to it. India as a developing economy  is a hotspot for MNCs like Mattel and Hasbro which have now become household names with Barbie  and Monopoly respectively. Big retailers of the world which exclusively cater to this segment include Toys R Us and Hamleys, which  house the best brands of the world and add a service dimension to toys. This document discusses the various classes of toys, the current global scenario for toys, how China has  affected the global toy industry, Indias market and its growth prospects. CATEGORIZATION Toys and games can fall in one of four general categories:- 1. Traditional toys: the category is essentially stagnant with 6296 manufacturers and the growth  being consistent over the years. In 2007 revenues were $21.2.billion (US Market) and $22.3  billion in 2006. It includes: Action Figures Accessories (G.I.Joes) Building Sets (Lego Sets) Dolls (Barbies) Games Puzzles (Monopoly) Plush (Soft Toys) Vehicles (HotWheels) 2. Video games: one of the fastest growing segments with revenues of $18.9 billion which is 51,2%  higher than its 2006 revenues. It includes:- Youth Electronics (PS2, X-Box) Gaming Parlours (Jammin, TimeZone) 3. Casino Games: Slot machines were introduced by casino games manufacturers which have  ultimately benefitted the video game industry. Mostly offered by hotels. Toy Industry : Present and the Future 2010 KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies Research 4. Accessories and Others: Includes traditional games including sports items and educational toysfor infants, which is also a fast growing industry GLOBAL SCENARIO The US, China and Japan rank among the top 3 countries in terms of toy sales worldwide; their sales  being US$21.5 billion, US$4.9 billion, and US$5.8 billion respectively. Other countries with a significant  toy sector include Germany, Brazil, France, India, Australia and Canada. Though the recession influenced  toy sales, the sector did witness growth of about 3.6% with sales reaching $80 billion. The worlds largest toy manufacturer and exporter China makes 2/3 of the worlds toys; the export  value of Chinese toys in 2009 was US$7.8 billion. Guangdong, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Shandong  are the foremost production and export bases for toys in China, accounting for more than 90% of the annual sales of Chinese toys. Chinas plush toys enjoy a large share of the total sales in European American market. But the low  prices are also responsible for a low profit margin. However it entails high labor costs and therefore  manufacturing costs are pretty high. Wooden toys also have a significant share of 10% and plastic toys  are suffering due to the continuously rising price of raw materials, quality and safety issues, etc. Chinas  intellectual toys too have a broad prospect, but relevant standards need to be released so as to  guarantee the healthy development of the market. In 2009, in pace with the upgrading of technology, the toy export industry has witnessed several  changes: developed countries have diverted their demands of toys to toys such as adult toys, high-tech  electric toys, intellectual educational toys from traditional medium and low-grade products like plastic  toys and stuffed toys. Electric toys and online toys produced with high new technology have become  the new development orientation. MAJOR PLAYERS WORLDWIDE Mattel Inc.:- Mattel sells products under a host of well-known brand names such  as Barbie, Matchbox, Fischer Price, and Hot Wheels. Hasbro :- Produces popular board games such as Clue, Monopoly, and Scrabble. Its other  products include the Transformers, Mr. Potato Head, Play Doh as well as licensing agreements  with brands such asStar Wars and Marvel. JAKKS Pacific:- Produces traditional toys under licenses for brands such as Cabbage Patch  Kids, Care Bears, andHannah Montana, a particularly big earner for JAKKS in 2007. Other big names include Russ Berrie and Company, RC2, Action Products International and  Corgi International. Toy Industry : Present and the Future 2010 KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies Research Together, Mattel Inc. and Hasbro Inc. have less than 40% of the market, which analysts expect will  grow at a compound rate of roughly 2% annually. INDIAN SCENARIO Currently there are about 800 Indian games and toy manufacturers, exporters and suppliers in the small  sector of India, with a turnover nearly $2.5 billion. This includes manufacturers of electronic toys, soft  toys, educational games, toy cars, rattles, dolls, plush toys, computer games, brain teasers, children  puzzles etc. The total toys and games market in India stands at around Rs.2500 crore, of which Rs.250  crore is in Chennai. Total Market Size: Rs.2500 crore Market Structure: 35% Organized Sector, 65% Unorganised Sector Duties and Taxes: Excise Duty: 12.5% CST(Central Sales Tax): 4% Global Export Contribution: 0.4% Governing Body: Toys Association of India (TAI) Compared to European and American games and toy markets, Indian toy volumes are very low, mainly  because toy buying is a relatively urban phenomenon. Most toy manufacturers are from the  unorganised sector, who in turn sell their toys and games to big traders who market these toys. The total export market for toys and games is around Rs.18 crore. The export volumes are low because  of the quality norms abroad. Manufactured toys for export have to conform to EN 71 norms, the  European standards. The toys have to be non-toxic and safe to sell abroad. $0.00 $5,000.00 $10,000.00 $15,000.00 $20,000.00 $25,000.00 2009 (Million $) 2009 (Million $) Toy Industry : Present and the Future 2010 KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies Research Mattel, Lego and Funskool are three of the major players in the Indian toy industry. The toys and games  available in India are a mix of both fun toys and educational tools. They include dolls, puzzles, electronic  games, handmade toys, soft toys, board games, computer games etc. Indian wooden toys are of good  quality and comparable to international standards. The demand for fun toys is greater than that of  educational toys since parents usually prefer buying educational toys for their children. MAJOR INDIAN PLAYERS Zapak Games: It is a part of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. Zapak Games operates in two  categories Game CD Toys. It is the leader in Games CD in India. It holds licenses for leading kids  properties from Cartoon Network, Nick, Disney, Pogo etc as well as represents some of the leading  global toy companies in India. The product distribution is across all toy stores and retail chains in the country through the traditional  mom n pop outlets as well as large format key account stores. We had the opportunity of seeing  some of these toys with Landmark outlets across the city. It acts as the merchandizing and licensing arm of Zapak Digital Entertainment Ltd. They are also in an association with Spin Master Ltd. which according  to NPD is the third largest toy company in North America. Mahindra and Mahindra Mom Me outlets across the city are operated by Mahindra which hosts  educational toys for children. It also has the marketing rights for Lego brand of toys and soft toys from  Disney. Some small players are: Prasid Toys Pvt Ltd. Delhi based Little Genius Toys Ltd. (Wooden Educational Toys) Leo Plast EFFECT OF CHINA ON INDIAN TOY INDUSTRY From a 2,000 players a few years ago, barely 800 survive today, it is believed that nearly 40 per cent of  toy companies have shut shop since Chinese products started flooding into the Indian market. Even as  the unorganized sector has been most hit, some of the other players like Mattel, Funskool (joint venture  between MRF Tyres Hasbro Intl), Mahindra Intertrade (markets the Lego and Disney range of toys)  and a few others are forced to fight back with a string of innovative strategies. Compared with an average Rs 35 per kg a Chinese toy maker spends, an Indian manufacturer spends Rs  65 per kilogram for raw materials. High excise duties and taxes including local taxes that vary greatly add  to their woes. Indian companies have not made efforts to market their products in a planned manner and while some  Indian companies are trying to combat the threat from Chinese toys by slashing prices by 10 to 15%;  others are strengthening their distribution skills in smaller towns, where the reach of imported toys is  still limited. INDUSTRY GROWTH Finding the right niche marketing limited to premium segment  Indian consumers are gradually becoming less price sensitive, but are ready to pay for something they  believe has a value proposition. They are realizing that toys help in the all round development of a child. Take the $6-billion Mattel Inc. for instance, after a runaway success with Barbie, Hot Wheels and Fisher  Price, it has introduced the Harry Potter range of toys which caters to the premium segment. With its  Fisher Price range, Mattel is also launching developmental activities along with toys associations,  pediatricians and playschools to educate parents on how toys help the child in understanding the adult  world better. Glocalization Go Global Act Local Almost all major players, have launched an indigenous range of competitively priced soft toys range, to  cater to the growing market. Mahindra Intertrade, for instance, launched Soft Wonders, to cater to the  economically sensitive customers. Similarly, Mattel has launched Star Beanies for Indian market and  Funskool has launched soft toys. Act Faster than the Fastest These players have also spruced up legal activities against spurious products and taken actions to make  the vigilance stricter. They try to bring in designs faster than the Chinese can imitate. For instance, once  the market gets flooded with fake products with Mickey or Donald motives, be it on cups, bottle, plates,  tiffin boxes etc, Mahindra Intertrade would quickly launch Mickey in sportswear and shift the demand. Such marketing skills a range of strong brands have enabled them withstand the Chinese threat and  allowed them to play a crucial role in growing the market. TRENDS Online Buying In 2004 when Mattel registered on Indiatimes, Rediff and Baazee, they discovered that when kids did  not look for toys online, their parents (on the lookout of discounts) did. Also online shopping for toys  accounted for approximately 2% of total sales, that is Rs 21.24 crore in 2005-06. $74.00 $76.00 $78.00 $80.00 $82.00 $84.00 2007 2008 2009 2010 $78.30 $77.50 $80.28 $83.90 USD (Billion) Mall practice Malls are an undisguised blessing for the toy makers. In a mall one gets better shelf space to exhibit  products, and the entire range can be displayed with the add ons which then have a good chance of  being sold to the potential customers. Better sales tracking is another advantage one gets from the  malls. In 2005, Mattel opened two 1,200 sq ft Barbie stores in Mumbai. Approximately 35% of the sales  for Funskool and Mattel take place at the malls. Fusing Entertainment with toys Mattel has produced five movies to promote its existing range of toys, whereas Funskool, its rival has  been using existing movies like batman to create a new range of toys for itself. Toys for Men Mattel has also launched toys for men. It featured models of premium cars including BMW 645 Ci,  Ferrari Scaglietti; and Williams and Renault in its Hotwheels Collectibles; having a price ranging from Rs  999 to Rs 1,999. Changing Demographics Demographic variables like greater divorce rates, due to which kids get two sets of toys; increased  buying power per child due to 2 income families; and increasing involvement of grandparents are all  influencing the growth rate of the toys. THREATS/HINDRANCES/CHALLENGES Raw Material Costs There is a rise in the raw material costs, due to an increase in the manufacturing costs for  traditional toys Manufacturing Costs Most of the traditional toys are made from plastic resin. Petroleum, whose price is continuously increasing, is one  of the main components of plastic resin. This has a negatively impact on the manufacturing costs . Changing Consumer preferences Nowadays, customers prefer electronic games to traditional table games. This trend is not beneficial for  the traditional game equipment manufacturers. Revenue of the Video Games Industries and Traditional Toys ($ in billions) Industry 2004 2005 2006 2007 Video Games 9.9 10.5 12.5 18.9 Traditional Toys 22.4 22.2 22.3 21.2 Toy Industry : Present and the Future 2010 10 KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies Research In India, toys arent perceived as developmental. So toy manufacturers take advantage of impulse  purchasing trends and the pester power of kids works in advantage for the toy manufacturers.Indian  parents perceive expenditure on toys as a waste of money. Educational games like Scrabble and toys for  pre-school children and infants are an exception to this belief. Impact of Recession Only when the consumers have enough disposable income to afford luxury goods, they buy toys. A  struggling U.S. housing market, rising oil prices and other factors have limited their income. The toy  industry was also affected by this trend, as its overall revenue decreased. Declining profits due to emphasis on product safety Product safety is another major concern of the toy industry. This was discovered when there was a rising  number of product recalls in the second half of 2007. So while companies put more focus on their higher  margin core brands, the positive margin implications from this shift are offset by quality and safety  testing, as well as higher costs for raw materials.   Competing with large brands Small manufacturers which form the bulk of the unorganized sector are unable to brand and market  their products, which has been a critical disadvantage for them. With a large number of players in the  market, only the international brands have a strong brand recall. Here, manufacturing competency isnt  the real concern since most of the branded players outsource their requirements from Indian  manufacturers. However, lack of marketing acumen and an expertise to cultivate brands is found to be  lacking in most indigenous companies. NEW STRATEGIES Coupling toy launch with movies and vice versa Transformers, Shrek, etc Art Attack a Television series by Hit Entertainment has also entered the toy market. It showcases  Do-It-Yourself arts and crafts in their videos and has now made them available in DVD formats  across major stores. They also merchandise their creative works through books. Cradle catching: In 2005, Mattel entered into a partnership with diaper brand Huggies. By this  move, Mattel targeted its potential audience at their birth place, and even before they were  born at the maternity homes.When the mothers visit the doctor for the first time, they are given  a medical file, as well as well as the information on the different phases that a child is likely to  pass through as it grows which helps in selecting toys from the Fisher Price range that fits each  growth phase ie. crawling, sitting, standing, etc. Within a very short period of time, they claimed to have targeted 600,000 mothers by having tie  ups with 300 pediatricians and 50 gynecologists, across the top six Indian cities. Also, another  innovative technique used by Mattel is a toy directory which is placed in retail outlets that  informs parents about the best toy for each age group. CASE ANALYSIS: TOY INDUSTRY AND BUYING TRENDS CASE #1 HAMLEYS, PHOENIX MILLS MALL, LOWER PAREL, MUMBAI Hamleys, the worlds iconic toy maker from UK, has set up a 21000 sq ft outlet spread over three floors in  Mumbai, its first branch in India through franchise agreement with Reliance Retail. The tie-up is valid for  20 years. The company plans to invest Rs.150 crore in the next seven years to set up 20 more stores  across the country, including tier-II cities. Brands Other than Hamleys own-brand range of toys, imported brands such as Mattel,  Hasbro, Disney, Fisher-Price, Playmobil, Leapfrog, Mecchano ,, Scalextrics, Hornby, Maisto,  Burrago, and Lego are also present in the store. Segments The shop has been divided into segments catering to infants, young boys girls,  teenagers and adults. It has a Barbie Doll House and Barbie Salon and Spa for young girls. Grand Racing Track for RC Cars, London Double Decker Bus, Safari Jeep for young boys. Petals Pods-Play area and Bear Tree House are for infant and pre-school children. Science Molecules, Candy Shop, Disney Castle, Experiential gaming stations, Party rooms  area are for teenagers. A KodakExpress studio has a shop-in-shop strategically placed in the center of the shop to  capture moments at Hamleys. Prices The price varies from as low as Rs 200 to as high as Rs 30,000 depending upon the  requirements and preferences of the customer. Most products are priced on the higher end of  the spectrum keeping the affluent urban folk in mind. Age Group It caters to infants, young boys and girls and teenagers. Board Games are popular  with adults also. MANAGERS VIEWS The shop is one of its kinds in Mumbai, since it is an exclusive toys only outlet with all kinds of toys  under one roof. The trends noted by them are that parents are more interested in buying toys and  games that offer educational value to their children; and children too are more interested in games that  offer intellectual stimulation. Children have moved from the traditional sports of cricket and kabaddi to  gaming consoles and Scrabble. Also adults are a growing segment with them fraying towards traditional  games such as Mancala a French board game, Monopoly, and Poker for which they buy Poker chips.   Workshops are organized to engage the children and merchandise related to new films are sold every  now and then to offer something new to the customers. CUSTOMERS VIEWS Customers always find it a delight to visit Hamleys since it offers so much variety . A few of the  customers just come with their children to provide some entertainment and spend time in the shop.   They appreciate the display of the store and the hygiene maintained in the store. Also, though a few  products were manufactured in China, they didnt mind buying them if they were sold in Hamleys since  the name offered credibility to the product. The range and variety of toys offered by them is also  unmatched. ANALYSIS COMMENTS Layout: The layout of the store is very carefully planned with the store being divided into a girls section  and a boys section. Educational board games, interior decoration kits and games for adults are placed in  the center of the shop. The section which caters to toys for toddlers is separate, and the floor above  only houses gaming consoles, CDs and educational books. Staff: A large number of staff take care of the customers needs and are specially trained to provide entertainment to their most important consumers the kids! The manager himself caters to customers  and entertains all doubts and queries to help them purchase what best suits their requirements. Store Aesthetics and marketing: A lot of effort has been taken to enhance the visual appeal of the store  through visual merchandizing and display walls. Most toys are displayed and little remote controlled  cars and helicopters zoom in and around the store some of them hovering above ones head or new  cars that stick to the walls. The store has a facility for gift wrapping their products, and children and  adults alike are allowed to touch and operate various toys in the store. CASE #2 MOTHER AND ME, R CITY MALL, GHATKOPAR, MUMBAI Mother Me is a Retail store owned by Mahindra Group, which caters to the need of Pregnant women,  infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers learners. Its toys section is huge and is gaining popularity day by day. Following are the details of its toys section:- Brands:-Fischer price, Funskool, Mattel, Lego, Disney V-tech Segments:-Soft toys, Wooden toys, Metal toys Plastic toys Prices:- 350 5000 Age Group 0 9 Yrs MANAGERS VIEWS Following are the points which Store Managers told us. They prefer to keep toys of price range 350 to 5000. Mother and Me use SAP for inventory replenishment. They have kept the toys according to their type (wooden toys at one place soft toys at another  place) rather than age group wise (toys for 0-5 yrs at one place). According to them toys which are able to connect to Indian traditions are highly in demand, eg.   Indian Barbies. Maximum complaints they receive are against Chinese toys and toys manufactured in China. CUSTOMERS VIEWS We received the following feedbacks from customers. Most of them buy toys once a month. Fishcer price is preferred by most of them Most of them prefer plastic toys over metal Wooden toys Most of them are not in favour of Chinese toys despite of the low of cost. Most of them were in favour of interactive toys. Some Customers stressed the need of toys, which inculcate the values necessary in human  society were against the toys, which resembles the violent figures or creature. ANALYSIS COMMENTS From the information provided by store Managers feedbacks from customers we analyzed that the Toy Industry has a bright future ahead but only if it meets the challenge of providing better quality Interactive toys, which not only make learning easy but also help in cultivating the  values necessary in human society. Light weight Plastic toys as they are easy to handle more resistant to wear tear. Value for money, as most of the parents feel toys overly priced. CASE #3 LANDMARK, PHOENIX MILLS MALL, LOWER PAREL, MUMBAI Landmark is a one s top destination for s hopping for toda ys youth. It consists of books, s tationery, garments, merchandize, music, toys, movies, gaming, Technology products and other gift items. Brands -There were various brands present in the store and a few of them are as follows Mattel,  Disney, Fisher-Price, Zapak and Lego are also present in the store. Segments The shop has been divided into segments where toys for infants, young boys and  girls and teenagers can be found. It also has a sports section and board game section. Prices The price varies from as low as Rs 200 to as high as Rs 15,000 depending upon the  requirements and preferences of the customer. The pricing is not exorbitant in Landmark and  most of the toys are priced by keeping the Indian customer in mind. Age Group It caters to infants, young boys and girls and teenagers. Board Games are popular  with adults also. MANAGERS VIEWS Maximum profit is generated from the infants toy section of the store. Selling one item from the infant  section is equivalent to selling 3-4 items from the others sections. Boys prefer hotwheels,cricket kit and  board games and girls are still hooked onto Barbie dolls. Toys are imported from France and Germany  and most of them are made in India. CUSTOMERS VIEWS Toys are ideal gifts for young children and they dont even cost a fortune when it comes to buying them.  Customers dont mind paying for the latest and most popular toys for the kids. ANALYSIS COMMENTS Landmark has been doing a good job of catering to the growing toys market and plans to introduce  more imported toys in future. The Sports goods have a prominent place in Landmark and a lot of  importance has been given to the sports and board game section. FUTURE OF TOYS Predicting the future is never easy. The future of toys specially very difficult to predict . You never know  when an old favorite toy will make a sudden resurgence into the mainstream or a new technology will  bring about yet another revolution in toy technology. Generally speaking, video game consoles would predictably always rise to the top of wish  lists. However, classic toys often come back to take over the lists for top toys. In recent years, weve  seen old comic book characters and action heroes rise to the top again after being in the bottom of  comic bins for years. This years Iron Man 2 brought back an old action favorite, and action figures and  cars are available with an Iron Man twist. Other movies like Transformers have done the same. Old favorite cartoons are also being brought to the forefront. A few years ago, a new Teenage Mutant  Ninja Turtles movie in CGI was released, and this past year, Transformers were all the rage. It wouldnt  surprise me to see He-Man or the Thundercats rise up to become live action or CGI movies themselves. If they do, expect them to corner the toy market after the movie is released. It would also be prudent not to underestimate the power of toy fads that are still going strong even 12  years later. Pokemon first got big in 1998, and has been a huge hit with video games, playing cards, and  T.V. shows ever since. It has been hard for toy manufacturers to dethrone Pokemon, because its such a  huge hit among kids and even young adults who grew up playing the game. Its very possible that it  could last for another 12 years or more. (What do you think of Pokemon? Indeed, toy inventors are pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence, speech synthesis, wireless  communications, and networked virtual reality. Whats more, they are figuring out how to cram huge  chunks of realistic graphics, dialogue, and sensory cues onto tiny, inexpensive computer chips. The toy  industry is really at the mercy of technology for the limits it can go to. There are only so many  interesting ways for them to reinvent dolls like Mr. Potato Head before kids are no longer  interested. Dolls like Furby were a step in the right direction, but the fad did not last for very  long. Technology working its way into the toys of the future will bring in a wider audience of interested  kids, but it has to be directed at toys that are more than just popular, but are fun too. The future of toys is bright and exciting. Any new innovation could shape the kinds of toys kids play  with. You can bet that the toys of the future are going to have something of the past, however. AUGMENTED REALITY: JET FUEL FOR THE IMAGINATION The future of toys almost undoubtedly belongs to augmented reality. Mattels i-Tags, will use Augmented Reality will be included with action figures the company will make  for Titanic director James Camerons blockbuster film, Avatar. Augmented reality is an overlay of digital information or imagery on top of real-world objects. WIKIPEDIA: Augmented Reality is a field of computer research that deals with the combination of realToy world and computer-generated data (virtual reality), where computer graphics objects are blended into real footage in real time. Think about it. The possibilities are just about endless, and could mean a whole new life for the kinds of  toys that kids at first play with a lot, and then quickly abandon. By embedding special software in imagery that can be placed just about anywhere on a toy, toy makers will now have an incredibly wide  range of virtual things to add to their physical toys. TOYS OF THE FUTURE ELECTRIC POP UP BOOKS Electronic Popables by Jie Qi is a pop-up book that lights up as you interact with it, producing the most  beautiful and dynamic pop-up pages ever. As you begin to go flip through the book open pages, pull  tabs, press pressure points and fold objects different LED lights will blink away on all over the page. They  can be a very efficient means of connecting holistically with the technology savvy kids. HORIZON HYDROCAR TOY The hydro car is a case in point. It does not depend on  batteries or electricity. Surprisingly this car produces  its own energy, running entirely on water. It is not only  Hydrocars functionality, but also its trendy, scientific  design that sets it apart. SCRIBBLE BOTS Scribble Bots is just a concept at the moment, but the idea is that children  can connect with their friends through the official website and share their  drawings, artwork and also the artistic process. The Scribble bots toy can  record and recreate movement so anyone with a scribble bot can download  your drawing and their scribble bot will draw it right for them, then and  there. TOUCH SENSITIVE VIDEO GAMES Usually, a lot of people do not see any fun in playing with  buttons and joysticks. This concept of touch sensitive games  employs touch sensitive silicon that simulates the terrain in a  game, empowering the users to feel their way through. No  major video game manufacturers are using technology quite  like this as of now, but we could see such technology being  used in the future. PARROT AR DRONE QUADRICOPTER Flying helicopter toys meets handheld video games with the Parrot  AR Drone Quadricopter. This isnt a simple chopper that flies around  the corner and crash because you cant see it. This device has a  built-in camera that lets you see everything from an iPhone or other  similar smart phones. Since joysticks are outdated, this toy uses  tilting gyroscopic controls, tilting the AR Drone as you tilt the  iPhone. MINDFLEX Remote controls are a thing of the past. Toys of the  future use mind control! Mindflex is a telekinetic  obstacle course that uses brainwave activity to move a  ball. Were not really sure how it works, but we like to  believe its because we have sci-fi like psychic powers. MILO The next biggest innovation in the toy world does not  belong to the genre of barbies or remote controlled cars or  thought controlled machines, but a virtual best friend. By  late 2010, Microsoft would release a new add-on for the  Xbox that will replace contr

music :: essays research papers

Why do people walk down a busy city street ignoring others and not talking? Why are they ignorant to the homeless asking for change just to survive? And why do cross walk signs become life savers? I can tell you what’s wrong with these people, music. Music works wonders for anyone and everyone. There is no way around music. It is everywhere and playing at all times. From people blasting music with twelve inch subwoofers in their car driving past on the street to the proud parents of a newborn playing Beethoven and Mozart as it lies in its crib, you cannot avoid music.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Every since I was little I would listen to music. The first music I remember listening to is country. My grand pap and I would go fishing early in the morning and he would play country music for the two hour trip up to Pymatuming Lake then two hours back on the way home. I will not lie; his music put me asleep fast. After finding how soothing something music was, I would wake up for school and eat my cereal as I watch MTV or VH1. The songs would stick in my head and I would sing them all day long. I also realized that I was more awake during school.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now that I am older I still do that same routine. I wake up and listen to music and walk out the door with a smile on my face and a rhythm to sooth my mind. As I am typing this paper I am also listening to music. It has engulfed and made a huge impacted on my life at different periods. At times I would be down and out I will listen to soft music and take a drive on windy roads in the woods. When my friends and I go out we will listen to anything from The Temptations to the newest rap and pop songs. In high school I use to play baseball. Every bus ride to the opponent’s field, I would listen to loud rock music and rap music. After thirty minutes of music, my adrenaline would be rushing and yet I would be relaxed at the same time. I would take infield practice and think of beats and lyrics in my head as caught the baseball. The beats and lyrics were so automatic that catching and fielding the baseball would become automatic too.

Theme of Tradition in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay -- The Lotte

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Americans day after day live much of their lives following time-honored traditions that are passed down from one generation to another. From simple everyday cooking and raising children, to holidays and other family rituals, tradition plays a significant role on how they go by there everyday lives. In Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery," the citizens of a small farming town follow one such tradition. A point is made regarding human nature in relation to tradition. The story begins on a beautiful summer afternoon. The town's citizens are eager, gathering in the town square in order to take part in the yearly lottery. With the story focused around one particular family, the Hutchinsons, who are so anxious to get it all over with until they find that one of their members is to participate in the lottery's closing festivities, Tessie. Of course unlike your typical lotteries, this is not one that you would want to win. The one chosen from the lottery is to undertake a cr uel and unusual death by stoning at the hands of their fellow townsmen for the sake that it may bring a fruitful crop for the coming harvest season. Ironically, many of the towns people have suggested that the lottery be put to an end, but most find the idea unheard of being that they have lived in it's practice for most of their lives. The story conveys a message that traditions may be valued so highly that those in their practice may do everything they can to ensure that they continue in accordance. From this a question arises. How far would one go to ensure their sacred traditions remain unscathed? For many, change is a cause for ignorance. Most of us fear the idea of change. When one is faced to deal with c... ...ithdraw from the tradition because they do not know any other way. Can you imagine what life would be if there were no Christmas or Thanksgiving? For many cultures, tradition is the basis for their history. One example to this being the Hawaiian culture whose history was destroyed when they were forced to stop their ancient dances which told stories of their past. Adversely, tradition has played negative roles in society as well with the battle between the Muslims and Christians in many middle-eastern countries. Tradition plays many roles in today's society. Our goal should be to grasp the idea of what they really mean. We must not isolate ourselves to what we think we know, but instead allow ourselves to comprehend. Bibliography: PERRINE'S STORY AND STRUCTUE 9TH ED. ARE, THOMAS R. 1998, HARCOURT-BRACE COLLEGE PUBLISHERS FORT WORTH, TX

Jewish persecution :: essays research papers

Jewish Persecution The Jewish Persecution began during 1933. The Jews were faced with the terrorist group called the National Socialist German Workers party (Nazi) hate this happened when Hitler came into power. He devised labor camps where he would send individuals who opposed his ideas, and Jews. The conditions in these camps were so bad that it is hard to describe them. The prisoners were treated very badly. In this time, the Nazi government continued to deprive Jews of their rights and possessions. In 1938 Jewish homes and schools are looted or destroyed. Jews could not sit on park benches or swim in public pools. The government seized Jewish businesses as well as personal property. Jews were beaten, more than 90 are killed, and 30,000 Jewish people were sent to concentration camps. They beat Jews in the streets and attacked them in their homes. Jews had to sell their businesses and other property to the government at unnaturally low prices. The night became known as Kristallnacht, a German word meaning Crystal Night. In 1939, 300,000 Jews had been eliminated from the German community. Millions more Jews came under German control. Jews in Poland are forced to wear a yellow Star of David on their chests or a blue-and-white Star of David armband. By the end of the war, the Nazis had killed about 6 million Jewish men, women, and children that’s more than two-thirds of the Jews in Europe. Many of the Holocaust victims were killed in specially constructed gas chambers, and their bodies were then burned. The Nazis also moved many Jews from towns and villages into city ghettos. During 1942-1943 German government officials discuss the "Final Solution," their plan to kill all Jews in Europe. This policy called for the murder of every Jewish man, woman, and child under German rule. Jews are deported from Nazi-occupied countries throughout Europe to ghettos, concentration camps and killing centers in Poland. In the early 1940's, several new camps were established, with specially constructed gas chambers disguised as showers. The Nazis herded the Jews into railroad freight cars to be taken to the camps. As many as 2,000 prisoners were sent into the gas chambers at one time. The guards shaved the heads of the corpses and removed any gold teeth from their mouths. Then they burned the bodies in crematoriums or open pits. The well prisoners had their heads shaved and

The Long-Suffering and Self-Pitying Odysseus Essay

What would it take to do Odysseus. the celebrated warrior and the pride of all Greece. call uncontrollably? Surely. he must be put through some kind of utmost physical hurting that no other person could last or possibly he is even forced to watch the awful slaughtering of his companions. But more frequently than non. it is merely mere words and memories. driven on by self-pity. non atrociousnesss committed against his crew. that make Odysseus call. Alternatively of moving as a compassionate leader who grieves for his lost friends. Odysseus calls to indulge his ain sense of sorrow at his jobs. and uses this to derive attending from others. By analyzing Odysseus’ eruptions of heartache. it becomes obvious that his selfishness and pride are at the very bosom of the obstructions he has faced on his journey place. Odysseus calls to fulfill his feelings of solitariness and desperation at being so hated by the Gods. When we foremost encounter Odysseus. he is sitting entirely on Calypso’s island. â€Å"weeping. his eyes ne'er dry. his sweet life fluxing off / with the cryings he wept for his defeated journey home† ( 5. 168-169 ) . At this point. Odysseus has been a captive on Calypso’s island for seven old ages. and has an intelligibly forlorn mentality sing his journey place. However. Odysseus spends every dark on the island moving as a lover to the beautiful goddess. whom he even admits is far more lovely and alluring than the married woman he yearns to return to. Though he pines for Penelope. his Acts of the Apostless of changeless unfaithfulness show that his guilt is non plagued by his actions. He is described as being an â€Å"unwilling lover† ( 5. 172 ) . but there is no grounds to propose that Odysseus feels he is perpetrating a offense against his married woman. Alternatively. Odysseus is described as being â€Å"no longer pleased† ( 5. 170 ) by Calypso. which suggests that at one point Odysseus may hold been really satisfied with his state of affairs. until he became homesick once more. It is an admirable trait that Odysseus so longs to travel place. but his self- commiseration twenty-four hours in and twenty-four hours out is anything but admirable. He seems to be holding his bar and eating it excessively. After seven old ages. he is still wallowing in unhappiness. unable to see that his destiny of being alive and good ( and seduced every night ) is still a much more favourable result than what his crew encountered. His selfishness merely lets him see â€Å"how long I have suffered! † ( 7. 181 ) . Odysseus besides uses his cryings to pull strings others into sympathising with him. When Odysseus eventually gets off Calypso’s island. he is beset by still more jobs. He finally finds shelter with Alcinous. the male monarch of Phaeacia. As is the usage. he is the receiver of great cordial reception and is made to experience at place. even though his hosts have no thought who he is. However. one dark after banqueting. the bard Demodocus sings about the struggle between Odysseus and Achilles during the Trojan War. At this point. Odysseus becomes so overwrought and overcome with emotion that he â€Å"hid his face and wept† ( 8. 109 ) . The text besides says that he is â€Å"ashamed his hosts might see him casting tears† ( 8. 103 ) . but why is he shouting in the first topographic point? The bard is non even singing about all that Odysseus has suffered. and is merely mentioning to his statement with Achilles. which was a prophesied triumph mark. It is really possible that Odysseus is shouting because he wants to be found out. These people evidently adore the Odysseus they know through narratives. so wouldn’t they worship the flesh and blood version if they were of all time to run into him? Alternatively of merely stating. â€Å"I am Odysseus† . he alternatively waits. calls a 2nd clip until his heartache is publically noticed. leting people to experience regretful for him and inquire what would do him so much hurting. This gives Odysseus the perfect chance to state the atrocious narrative of his trip place. which he does. full of the problems that could hold been avoided had Odysseus restrained his pride and selfishness. The shame that Odysseus might experience at openly shouting in forepart of aliens is outweighed by the satisfaction he gets out of stating his narrative. because wretchedness does so love company. Odysseus’s pride besides prevents him from demoing regard towards his work forces. by non minding their advice and by non decently mourning their ill-timed deceases. At Alcinous’ tribunal. Odysseus recounts his experience with the Cyclops. The whole problem with this one eyed monster begins when Odysseus decides to linger in the Cyclops’s cave after eating his nutrient. to see â€Å"what gifts he would give† ( 9. 258 ) . Alternatively of welcoming the Achaeans. the monster decides to eat the work forces who had impolitely eaten his nutrient. In sudden daze and horror. Odysseus and his work forces â€Å"wept and cried aloud† ( 9. 331 ) . Finally. through a clever program by Odysseus. he and his work forces escape. but about decease once more because of his pride. Teasing back to the Cyclops. Odysseus reveals who he is. which allows the monster to about fall in their ships. and besides to publish a ailment to Poseidon that he should non allow Odysseus return place. Poseidon hears this. and as a consequence. Odysseus and his crew are from so on beset by job after job. Had Odysseus listened to his crew who begged him to go forth the cave before the Cyclops returned and besides to non boast his individuality to the monster. the work forces would hold made it safely place. Even after witnessing the cannibalism of some of his crew. Odysseus is merely â€Å"glad to get away our decease / yet sick at bosom for the companions we had lost† ( 9. 630 ) . He does non look to be excessively devastated by everything that has merely happened to him. expletive and all. Possibly it is because he is surrounded by others who portion the same destiny. and aren’t as willing to be every bit sympathetic as a group of aliens hearing the narrative from a legendary hero would be. Odysseus besides tells the narrative of the Laestrygonians. who eat a high figure of Odysseus’ crew. Once once more. Odysseus is â€Å"sick at heart† ( 10. 147 ) . but feels small else for his dead friends and does non cry at all for their memory. When his crew begins to mourn for those lost. Odysseus about seems fed up and says â€Å"They explosion into calls. howling. streaming unrecorded cryings / that gained us nil – what good can come of heartache? † ( 10. 221 ) . At this point it becomes really obvious that Odysseus merely deems it necessary to shout. when he is the one being wept for. He has no job shouting in forepart of aliens who are unwittingly praising him. he sees nil incorrect with shouting mundane for seven old ages because he is marooned with a beautiful goddess. yet there is something uneconomical about crying for work forces who were viciously killed and eaten. all because he felt the demand to state the Cyclops that he. the great Odysseu s. was the 1 who blinded him. While pride may hold been the ruin of Odysseus. without it he would ne'er hold reached the position of a hero. His pride and desire for glorification were a major drive force behind all his great schemes and war attempts. Without his strong self-esteem. Odysseus would hold alternatively been merely another expendable member of his crew. Yes. the selfishness of the crew is besides evident when they open the bag of air currents and blow the ship off class. but actions like these are to be expected from work forces who are of such low importance in the heroic poem that they are non even named. But from Odysseus. the reader should demand a higher degree of criterions. and expect him to move responsible for the work forces whose lives are entrusted into his attention. When Odysseus does non shout after his work forces are slaughtered and alternatively goes on with his work. it appears that he is merely moving as a strong leader. But when you consider other minutes when he is really weak a nd does shout openly. it is apparent to see that he merely weeps for those deserving crying for. And to Odysseus. the lone one worth casting a tear for is himself. Thesis: Alternatively of moving as a compassionate leader who grieves for his lost friends. Odysseus calls to indulge his ain sense of sorrow at his jobs. and uses this to derive attending from others. By analyzing Odysseus’ eruptions of heartache. it becomes obvious that his selfishness and pride are at the very bosom of the obstructions he has faced on his journey place. Subordinate Ideas: 1. Cries out of ego commiseration and solitariness 2. Cries to pull strings others 3. Does non esteem shipmates a. Does non listen to their advice and suffers the effects B. Does non decently mourn them when they die partially because of his actions 4. Pride and selfishness allow Odysseus to go a hero