Media Systems in China and the Us

The world is filled with many diverse media systems. These media systems are built on many elements from cultural characteristics to media content. China, for instance has very distinct news reporting guidelines and regulations that affect the media content. In the United States media regulations affect what media we are exposed to and the news reporting that is present. These two media systems have some similarities but they differ greatly from each other in the way and extent that their media is regulated and by the way their news is reported and by who reports the news.The United States has a very vibrant media system with many choices for consumers. The US is about 9. 7 million square kilometers with 278 million people. The most common languages spoken are English and Spanish. Out of the 278 million people, 97% are literate. The country is run by a democratic government and the president is Barack Obama. One of the most important parts of the US is the information system. It is o ne of the most quickly growing sectors of the economy and it has 144,000 businesses dedicated to media. Because of this, media is extremely important in everyday life.Two important aspects of the United States media system that differentiate it from other large media systems are regulation and news reporting. To begin with, regulation in the US is based on democracy. All citizens enjoy the protection of speech under the first amendment which also protects freedom of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. But there is still some regulation. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) controls broadcast stations, amateur radio stations, and repeater stations, just to name a few.These users and stations must obtain and renew an annual license. Also, news stations must operate under licenses for their reporters to report on stories. Overall, the FCC controls six separate areas: broadband, competition, the spectrum (radio), the media, public safety and homeland security. Its main purpose is to promote safety by communicating and publicity. Regulation in the US also strongly affects newspapers and print media. Most newspapers, like broadcast stations, are part of chains that are owned by corporations. Currently, ten different companies own over half of the newspapers in circulation in the US today.Gannett, Knight Rider and Tribune Co. are just a few of those corporations. Since newspapers are owned by powerful companies, there is serious concern that they will gain too much power and influence, but there are no restrictions in place against this. Unlike under the FCC, newspaper journalists only have to be licensed when covering campaigns, the White House, legislatures and sporting events. These journalists are issued credentials as needed. Even though licenses aren’t necessary, journalists face many laws such as those concerning libel and defamation.This prohibits them from publ ishing false statements about people. Also, these journalists face privacy laws. Privacy laws differ between two different people First, AN ALL purpose public figure (Jennifer Aniston), IS someone who chooses to be forced into the public eye, THEY have less protection. Limited purpose public figures (politicians) can choose whether or not to be in the public eye and have slightly more protection. The journalist reporting on these people can be punished if they â€Å"challenge† the privacy of that person.AS FOR CENSORSHIP, luckily, the government is not officially allowed to censor newspapers, magazines, broadcast stations or any other media in the US and there is no censorship agency. News reporting in the US is also very diverse. It has a very strong affect on the government’s policies. MOST PEOPLE CONSIDER THE NEWS REPORTING TO BE A CHECK ON THE GOVERNMENT’S POWER AND A CORRUPTION MONITOR. For example, at the most crucial point during the Vietnam War, the resi gnation of Nixon could be â€Å"directly correlated to the pressure by the media and the news† (Gale).ALSO IT WAS THE INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING OF THE WASHINGTON POST THAT DISCOVERED AND REPORTED THE WATERGATE SCANDAL THAT LED TO THE RESIGNATION OF PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON. (FIND A SOURCE) Currently, there are many news sources, such as newspapers and television. Newspapers subscribe to many varieties of news agencies depending on topic. The Wall Street Journal subscribes to business wires (agencies focusing on business). Bloomberg, Dow Jones, Reuters and Associated Press (AP) are other well known news wires. The Associated Press is the oldest news agency in the world.It is a nonprofit agency which is funded by member subscriptions from over 121 countries. AP transmits data to over one billion people per day (Gale). In addition to newspapers, there are many television news stations. The first news stations were the Detroit News, Kansas City Star, and KDKA. But in 1980, CNN, a li beral news station, was born, and grew into one of the leading news companies in the US. CNN was the first 24 hour news network. Today, Piers Morgan and Anderson Cooper are well known names affiliated with CNN. Today a rival conservative station, Fox News, competes with CNN.Fox has famous correspondents such as Sean Hannity and Mike Huckabee. In addition to these large news stations there is the BBC, Democracy Now and MSNBC and many local news stations that broadcast in over 100 other countries every day. In addition to news stations, there are comedic political shows such as the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the O’Reilly Factor with Bill O’Reilly. China has a very different culture and media system than the US. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a large country with about 1. 2 billion people. The most common languages spoken are Chinese and Mandarin. Out of the 1. 2 billion people, 92. % are literate. China has been governed by the Chinese Communist Part y (CCP) since 1949 and is currently under Hu Jintao. The communist rule affects the Chinese media system strongly in many ways. The regulation of the media in China is very extreme. According to the PRC’s Constitution, â€Å"citizens of the People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration† (Chinese Constitution). But these rights are not guaranteed. The government will not take the chance of being damaged by what the Chinese citizens say. Regulation begins with the CCP.The CCP uses â€Å"central control of the press as a tool for public education, propaganda and mass mobilization towards socialist progress† (Gale). The mass media is not allowed to report any aspect of the Chinese policy making process, or any serious government event for that matter. Media regulation also exists IS DIRECTED THROUGH the Central Propaganda Department. This department deals with censorship from provincial to local township levels. It controls â€Å"state run culture, education, sports, science and technology and media sectors. † Many compare this department with the church in medieval Europe (Westminster. c. uk). It is thought to keep the Chinese away from democracy. Newspapers, Television and Internet are also strongly regulated. All newspapers must be approved by the State Press and Publications Committee. Before the economic reform in 1992, all papers relied on state funding but after, 1/3 of those papers had private funding so they SUPPOSEDLY had freedom of speech—but they are still subject to censorship. Television cable stations are one of the few media sources ARE ALSO not funded by the government. They work off of cable fees. Lastly, the internet is highly regulated.Websites must get qualifications certificates to post any type of information online from sports to news. People who violate these laws may face life in prison. News reporting in China is also very different HEAVILY REGULATED. There is ONLY one CCP mandated news agency called Xinhua News. It has had a monopoly on Chinese news since 1931. Xinhua is comprised of three major departments: domestic, international and the general office (entertainment). They release news daily, weekly and monthly including reports such as Zhongguo Zhengquan (business news and stock market) and Xinhua Meiri Dianxun (general interest report).It is the â€Å"largest and most articulated internal news system in China† (Gale). It is divided into many â€Å"secrecy† groups on a need to know basis. The many levels of the Party bureaucracy control the daily operations of the Xinhua agency. In addition to Xinhua News Agency, China Central Television (CCTV) broadcasts news 24 hours a day in English. Also, an independent magazine called China Now, reports on social, economic and cultural news. In an article about Chinese citizens accessing BBC for the first time, citizens voiced their f rustration of not being able to see western news publications even if they talked about events in China (BBC).There are a few distinct similarities between the media systems of the US and China. First both countries have very high literacy rights, a very high number of newspapers and a equally large land mass to cover. Both countries television stations are not funded through the government and are either privately funded or funded through user fees. Also, both countries have news agencies that reach billions of people. Xinhua focuses on daily reports that are sent to the outside world while CNN has broadcasts in over 100 countries.DESPITE THESE SIMILARITIES, There are many more differences between the US and Chinese media systems, though. China has twice as many television stations as the US although the US has ten times as many radio stations as China. â€Å"Reporters without Borders† ranks the US at 20 and China at 171, a drastic difference Concerning regulation, China doe s not have the guaranteed freedom of speech while the US does and Chinese journalists must be licensed at all times. There is no censorship agency in the US, but in China, the CCP censors every bit of media, making sure it is all favorable to the government.Also, the Chinese Central Propaganda Department deals with censorship and propaganda from local to governmental levels while the US has no such department. The newspapers in China are sometimes government funded while all US newspapers are owned privately by corporations. Concerning news reporting, China only has one main news station (Xinhua) while the US has many (CNN, MSNBC and Fox) ALLOWING FOR HEALTHY COMPETITION. Most political preferences are represented in the US media while only one is represent in China.China and the United States have very distinct media systems that make them very different from one another. China has very strict regulations making their news and print media very biased. The United States has relaxed rules and values the freedom of speech and press, which give the citizens a wide variety of news and media to choose from AND ENSURES THAT INFORMATION IS EASILY AND READILY AVAILABLE. THIS DIFFERENCE SERVES TO PROTECT DEMOCRACY IN THE US WHEREAS IN THE PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA CENSORSHIP AND CONTROL OVER THE MEDIA PROTECTS THE AUTHORITARIAN GOVERNMENT OF THE CCP.

Informative Essay Difference in Cell Phones

â€Å"There is no question about it. The cell phone has completely changed the way that the world lives. † We live in a world of different technologies, but the cell phone seems to have the biggest impact on peoples’ life today. We use newer cell phones and updates daily. Cell phones have changes drastically since the very first cell phone was invented in 1983. Although some people think cell phones updates have not affected them, it honestly has by having different prices of the cell phone, having new appearances’ of the cell phone, the way people communicate, and new updates for different apps.The cost of a cell phone has definitely changed over the years, for instance Retro Brick said, â€Å"the price was some $3,995 in 1983 dollars. † Back in 1983, $3,995 was a large amount of money. Comparing the amount in 1983 to 2013, $3,995 is like probably thousands and thousands of dollars more than that in 1983. Today in America to buy a cell phone, you need a c ontract with a cellular provider for example AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon Wireless.Lets’ say the buyer wants to buy the new IPhone 5, they would have to buy the data plan that has internet, texting, and calling; the costumer has a choice of unlimited calling and texting or having a certain amount minutes for calling and a certain amount of text messages you can send. The price of the IPhone 5 64GB alone is $400. With a contract the IPhone 5 64GB comes out to about $200. The appearance of the cell phone has changed completely. In 1983 the phone was super big, as NBC describes it, â€Å"the brick†.It would only allow thirty minute calls and took up to eight hours for it to charge. It was gray and had a large keypad. The only thing you could operate was have a call for thirty minutes. You could only save a few numbers. Of course if you can only have phone calls, which means you could not take pictures. The IPhone 5 is very thin and is light in weight. You have a choice betwe en white or black phone. It only takes up to about forty-five minutes for it to fully charge.It is touch screen, you can take pictures, listen to music, save up to hundreds of phone numbers, and you can send text messages. You can also get onto the internet. Since the first cell phone only allowed one thirty minute conversation, you usually had to talk to people in person more and would have to write letter instead of just sending text message. They would usually have to set up meetings. Which today you can have a ten hour phone call if you wanted too and you can send text messages if you need to tell them something at the exact moment, or they have FaceTime meetings, o it really changed how people communicate in today’s society. When the first cell phone came out of course it did not have any apps for it if all you could was call and receive calls. Which today there are over thousands of apps to get. Many people buy or download new apps on a daily basis. There are different types of apps which are social media, games, news, books, business, education, fitness, medical, lifestyle, music sports travel, utilities, and weather.The app that mostly all teens and adults have is Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It’s usually teens that have games and entertainment apps on their phones. Adults usually have books, weather, education, and all the other adult categories of apps. There are always new updates for all of these apps. For instance Twitter just had an update and the last update was a couple months ago, meaning usually apps have a new update with new features every couple of months, or even sooner or later than that.It usually depends on the app producer. There will always be new appearances’ of cell phones and different prices. The biggest thing that will always have something new are the apps, apps will always have an update if is still continuously used for instance Twitter, weather, and News will always have an update because they are t he apps that require updating, but other than the updates†¦I think that this topic needs to be researched further since there are updates with apps, appearance, and price very often.Bibliography Knight, Fredrick. â€Å"Facts AboutCell Phones. † Facts About Cell Phones. N. p. , 2006. Web. 07 Feb. Knight, Fredrick. â€Å"Facts AboutCell Phones. † Facts About Cell Phones. N. p. , 2006. Web. 07 Feb. 2013. 2013. â€Å"RETROBRICK – the Home of Vintage and Rare Mobile Phones. † RETROBRICK – the Home of Vintage and Rare Mobile Phones. N. p. , n. d. Web. 07 Feb. 2013. â€Å"First Cell Phone a True ‘brick'† Msnbc. com. N. p. , 11 Apr. 2005. Web. 07 Feb. 2013.

Gender Representation †Boardwalk Empire Essay

As a hybrid genre, the representations in Boardwalk Empire are complex, contradictory, unconventional, conventional and stereotypical, whilst challenge stereotypes. Set in the 1920’s during prohibition, Nucky is a corrupt Republican politician and gangster, who has risen to his position through bribery, corruption, and murder. The series begins as prohibition begins, with Nucky toasting the government who ban alcohol; â€Å"†¦to those beautiful ignorant bastards in Washington†. As a gangster, Nucky knows he can make millions by supplying illegal alcohol to the public and is portrayed as a businessman, making money for all the ‘respectable’ local dignitaries that sit around his table; the chief of police (his brother Ely), the mayor, the head of the port authority, local Politicians, etc. He sees an opportunity through the prohibition to increase his fortune. There is a lot of juxtapositioning in the first episode to show us the various sides of Nucky, as a violent alcohol heist is followed by Nucky addressing a Ladies’ Temperance Society. Nucky weaves a myth of his own childhood of poverty, catching rats for his family to eat, to the gasps of the audience. Embodying the American Dream, Nucky has ‘risen’ from very humble beginnings to be top man in the state, he is merely seeking the ‘women’s vote’ for his Political re-election and often shows their ignorance of world politics proves them an easy mark for manipulation to gain full power over the Atlantic City. Nucky is a complex protagonist and anti-hero who is both despicable and admirable. He is obviously very clever, charming, funny, calculating, ruthless, and a skilful businessman and gangster. He juggles a legal political life with his illegal prohibition life, dealing with a constant flurry of unexpected problems as they arise. He manipulates people in ways that should make audiences hate him but Steve Buscemi (and the writers) manages to portray him as a complex character that seeks more than just money. The low camera angles throughout help suggesting Nucky is a very powerful figure in the drama. The power wield of woman in Boardwalk Empire is largely associated with sex, and furthermore this power of woman is represented through the male characters using it against eachother. For example Gillian Darmody, mother of gangster: Jimmy Darmody and a topless dancer in the city, plays a pivotal role when she sleeps with a rival gangster: Luciano in order to detain him until he can be collected and dealt with. Her sexual power is turned to the gangsters own advantage. Lucy Daziger is another key representation of sexual power and woman in Boardwalk Empire. She is the beautiful mol and mistress of Nucky who is often a negative representation of woman – dismissed constantly in favour of Nucky’s political and illegal life. She is objectified by him and others and is kept at his beck and call. During an evening at dinner with others, Lucy insists she has a brain but is quietened by Nucky, and we see Lucy has no place for opinion at the dinner with the Commodore in terms of politics. When Nucky rejects Lucy, he favours Margaret, because she is intelligent and sees her more as an equal for example at the same dinner Margaret expresses deep knowledge and understanding of politics. Lucy is extremely jealous of Margaret as Nucky clearly shows more affection for her, which is unconventional as Lucy is the beautiful mistress, often seeming powerful, Margaret is the opposite.. Margaret is the other key representation in the drama as she challenges the notion of ‘the little woman’ throughout the series. An Irish immigrant, clever, brave, and moral (but racked by guilt), her motives are often those of a protective Mother. Initially established as naive and unsophisticated, particularly by her dowdy dress codes i. colour codes are very dull: browns, greens, her deferential body-language, and her thick Irish accent, she is represented as a weak, ordinary and poor woman. For example her dress codes of poor clothing often lacking in quality, and colour. Margaret grows in confidence throughout the seasons, as her and Nucky begin a relationship. An Irish immigrant she is wise beyond her years, Margaret quickly becomes versed in the dealings of her â€Å"husba nd† and becomes a supportive and protective ‘wife’ for his chaotic life. In her previous marriage Margaret was represented in a weak and negative way enduring endless beatings from her husband Hans. An incident of abuse had caused Margaret to miscarry her 4th child, and so Nucky ordered to have Hans murdered. Margaret knows of this but chooses to remain silent for the benefit of herself and her kids, later racked with Catholic guilt over the murder, their life, and their source of income. Nucky proceeds to live with her and her children, becoming a sensitive father figure to the kids, and a loving ‘husband’ to her.

Comparison of Quality Philosophies Research Paper - 1

Comparison of Quality Philosophies - Research Paper Example Quality involves meeting or exceeding customers’ expectations in products and provision of services. Generally, quality management is the process of directing the whole production process towards producing excellent and quality products and services that meet or exceed customers’ expectations. There are various quality philosophies that have been developed by various individuals and institutions (Hoyer and Hoyer, 2001). This focus paper will compare the quality philosophies of W. Edwards Deming, Joseph Moses Juran, Philip Bayard Crosby, and the Project Management Institute. Edwards Deming Philosophy Edwards Deming philosophy on quality asserted that quality is a process that uses statistical control techniques and that managers should intervene in the production process towards achieving the desired quality. His philosophy holds that quality should go beyond statistical quality control and that building quality of a product should be done at all stages. Apart from the r ole of management in promoting quality, Deming emphasized on the role of workers in improving quality by stating that workers should be proud and satisfied in order to meet the desired quality. ... Joseph Juran, his is considered as a total departure from Deming’s; Deming’s approach emphasizes on adopting new philosophy and throwing out the old system, but Juran’s approach emphasizes on working to improve the current system. Juran’s quality philosophy expressed the need to concentrate more on the â€Å"vital few† problems’ sources rather than be distracted by problems that are less important (Ross and Perry, 1999). In regard to approach to quality, performance standard, and quality measurement, Juran developed a trilogy that involves: quality improvement through infrastructure development and implementation of projects; quality control through performance assessment; and quality planning through determination of customer needs. He believed that management had a bigger role in quality compared to workers and that technical and management methods were more important than worker satisfaction (Mouradian, 2002). Philip Crosby Philosophy Qual ity philosophy of Philip Crosby emphasized that quality that meets customer requirements focuses more on prevention rather than correction. He believed that poor quality costs nearly 20 percent of the revenue; a cost that could be avoided if good quality practices is used. Crosby established the Absolutes of Quality Management which includes the only performance standard which makes sense are Zero Defects (Rose, 2005). His approach to quality and quality measurement involved defining quality as conformance to requirements, not goodness. His philosophy also states that prevention rather than appraisal as a system to achieve quality. The measure of quality according to this philosophy is the price of non-conformance, and not indexes. He acknowledged that both the management and workers have a role to play in improving

ZIMMER Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ZIMMER - Case Study Example patients in making amputation unnecessary and replacement of joints possible, but was a relief to health insurers such as Medicaid and health practitioners; they were able to handle such cases with much ease, at lower costs and resulted to much less suffering in the patient. It was in the 90s that the leading companies in orthopedics realigned in a competitive market, which led to massive mergers and acquisitions of other device makers that a new trend in orthopedics was designed. Companies in this period vehemently searched for smaller companies to acquire to improve their product lines, improve innovations through technologies, increase market penetration, and reduce complexity of managing rapidly growing companies, especially in spinning off major business lines by large pharmaceutical companies to reduce the size of their enterprises (Bickel, 3). As explained earlier, it was innovativeness through research and development that many companies such as Zimmer managed to venture rapidly in the market, while strategically making acquisitions to strengthen their footing in the global market. For example, through such innovativeness Zimmer became the pioneer of initiating a bloodless and less painful surgery operation, resulting in reduced trauma in a patient’s body tissues; such innovations opened another new page in orthopedics, a window that introduced the company to stiff competition. The strength of the company was concentrating more on research and development, to come up with new products increased its competitiveness. In addition to innovations, marketing activities were critical in defining a company’s presence in any particular market. However, in this marketing approach there were unfair trends in selling of orthopedic products to hospitals. Instead of manufacturers dealing directly with major hospitals, di stributors were largely used to acquire such products. The problem was that surgeons and other medics could take advantage of such distribution

The history of Jazz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The history of Jazz - Essay Example Jazz music is deeply rooted in various musical styles of African-American music with European traditional music also contributing to its melodic sound. It was composed of several styles of black folk music such as field hollers, lullabies, rowing chants, spirituals and blues. Jazz began with small bands or solo pianists playing at weddings, picnics, parades and funerals. Blues and ragtime had also formed several years before jazz, and were strongly influencing its styles and forms. New Orleans, Louisiana experienced the earliest form of jazz. Improvisation, along with the existing sounds of other black music such as ragtime and blues, made jazz unique. Charles â€Å"Buddy† Bolden, also known as â€Å"King Bolden,† was known to have led some of these early jazz groups. Bolden’s band was well known in New Orleans from 1900 to 1907. Many early musicians credited Bolden and his band with having originated the genre known as â€Å"jazz†; however, the term â€Å"jazz† didn’t become widely known until after Bolden’s era. One writer labeled Bolden as the father of jazz, and several early Jazz musicians were inspired by his playing including Joe â€Å"King† Oliver, Freddie Keppard, Bunk Johnson. The Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded the first jazz record in 1917. They were very popular overseas as well as in the United States. The New Orleans Rhythm Kings and the Creole Jazz Band were the next bands to emerge i n the early 1920s. The Creole Jazz Band would yield American cornetist King Oliver.... Scat singing had a great impact on jazz music; It altered the melodies of many jazz sounds, thereby giving them a new sound for their listener. During the 1920s, Jazz began to migrate to Chicago, Illinois. Many musicians from New Orleans, including Armstrong, were influencing the local musicians, thus creating the Chicago style form of jazz. This style was similar to that of New Orleans, however it differentiated in that it emphasized more on soloists and added the saxophone to the instruments of the band. Bix Beiderbecke, clarinetist Benny Goodman, drummer Gene Krupa, banjoist and guitarist Eddie Condon and trombonist Jack Teagarden were instrumentalists working in Chicago who were influenced by the Chicago style jazz. New York City was also another major area for jazz in the 1920s. Harlem became the center for jazz music. Piano music was also making great strides for the development of jazz music as well, and ironically, Harlem became know for the stride piano. James P. Johnson was a master at this, but it was Fats Waller who became stride piano's most popular performer. Another style of piano that developed during this time was boogie-woogie. It was a form of blues played on the piano, and it became very popular in the 1930s and 1940s. Pine Top Smith, Pete Johnson, Meade Lux Lewis and Albert Ammons were leading boogie-woogie pianists during this time. However, it was Earl "Fatha" Hines who was the most-known pianist of the 1920s. His style influenced most pianists of the next generation such as Teddy Wilson and Art Tatum. Also, the big bands, large groups of jazz musicians that would play together, were also popular throughout the 1930s and 1940s. This period was better known as the swing era. Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson were

General Motors Global Competitive Strategy Case Study

General Motors Global Competitive Strategy - Case Study Example The paper will involve a thorough analysis of General Motor’s (GM) global competitive strategy which will be explained on the basis of the ‘Star analysis.’ GM is a US-based multinational car manufacturing company which has a significant worldwide presence operating in 157 countries (Yahoo finance, 2013). Its global competitive strategy can be best explained through the following perspectives as highlighted by the Star framework. Home Country After the company was bailed out during the 2007-08 financial crises, GM has experienced drastic changes in the way it conducts its business and implements its strategies. New and influential members were hired in order to form a highly efficient management team which included Daniel Akerson as the CEO. He took control into his own hands and shook the company’s bureaucratic organizational culture thereby inducing new strategies and visions to the business. The company’s strategy in its home country has been small er but leaner in order to be cost competitive. GM currently manufactures and sells 18 different automobile brands in order to satisfy the needs of the customers. The company has been able to achieve a significant market share in its home country because of its extensive knowledge regarding the US market and its consumers (Jurevicius, 2013). GM’s strategy in its home country has been to focus on fewer brands. Their idea is to leverage global resources in order to create the most gripping vehicles and technologies. They plan to reinvest cash and profits into their vehicle and technology division on a consistent basis, regardless of the business cycle.

Islamic banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Islamic banking - Essay Example The laws governing Islamic banking aim at protecting the interests of the public (El, Tiby 3). This paper will discuss why Islamic banks are becoming popular to the extent that they can extend their services to most parts of the world. The paper will also discuss how Islamic banking can be the solution to the economic problems that emanate from the financial crisis. Over the past few years, Islamic banking has become a popular form of banking; as a result, Islamic banks have expanded their activities to most parts of the world. A crucial factor that has led to the significant spread of Islamic banking is because the banks do not charge interest. Islamic banks oppose the charging of interests on loans since some investments financed by loans may not perform well. Islamic banking tends to prohibit only the forms of finance where there are interests charged. As a result, the relationship between borrowers and banks is guided by the risks and returns that the two entities share. Islamic banking holds that since profit is not guaranteed, there is no need to charge interests. This notion has led to the spread of the ideals of Islamic banking in most parts of the world (Aziz & Gintzburger 270). It is worth noting that another factor that has contributed to the expansion of Islamic banking is the use of lease-based transactions, commonly referred as Ijarah. This form of transaction in Islamic banking is becoming popular, especially in the United States financial market. Ijarah refers to a form of leasing whereby there is the acquisition of the asset by the bank, after which the bank leases the customer the asset. This means that the customer will finally be the owner of the asset, either through the purchase of the asset at an agreed price or through leasing the asset (Aziz & Gintzburger 271). The spread of Islamic banking also emanates from the Murabaha service offered by the bank. This can be regarded as the most popular form of Islamic financing.

Causes and Effects of Poverty in Society Research Paper

Causes and Effects of Poverty in Society - Research Paper Example Causes and effects of poverty are interrelated and problems associated with poverty never occur alone. The deficiency of income for sustainability may be inherited and the vicious cycle of poverty results to the passing of these problems from one generation to another (Blau 265). Due to tensions in the social circles, nations stand threatened due to the resulting income inequalities which could result to a country being destabilized. Poor housing, unsafe work environments as well as diseases related to food and water results from the lack of enough money ((Blau 272). Socially, poverty results to high infant mortality and death rates, increased diseases related to hygiene and diet, increased crime rates as people devise survival ways to face poverty and finally increased homelessness. Politically, nations face increased risks of war, mass emigration, genocide as well as terrorism (Blau 276) Step 6: Summarizing Sources Deaton, A. Health, inequality and economic development. Journal of Economic Literature 41: 113. 58, 2003. Print Deaton (58) discusses the mechanisms which are associated with inequality and health as well as review evidence on the effects of the existing income inequality on people’s mortality. ... Parents experiencing hard economic times are very strict as well as become erratic followed by issuance of demands and resulting to insulting their children not to mention administering corporal punishment (Duncan 98). Poor families are trapped the poverty cycles for as many as there exists many disadvantages which collectively work in a circular process making it impossible for individuals to break the poverty cycle (Duncan 105. This is because the poor lack resources to get them out of the poverty, such as finances, quality education, or social connections. Individuals who are poverty-stricken experience disadvantages as a result of their poverty and in turn increases their poverty. This would mean that the poor remain poor throughout their live (Duncan 86). Step 8: Integrating Sources The cause of poverty is as a result of inequality in the income distribution and this leads to deficiency in meeting the basic needs. Another cause of poverty is lack of quality education which is no t able to secure well paying jobs for people or is unable to start income generating activities (Deaton 58). Therefore, the lack of any work to do for individuals eventually results to poverty. Corruption is another contributing factor to causing poverty as it robs the poor to pay the rich off their corrupt activities. Corruption may deprive individual equal opportunities to work competently as the corrupt always have their way even on securing of jobs. Unforeseen circumstances such as the natural calamities may also cause poverty due to the property damage experienced. Finally, a strain on the natural resources due to overpopulation also causes poverty in

American Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Architecture - Essay Example In 1879, after four years of studies spent under the tutelage of another famous architect of that time John Edelmann, Sullivan was hired as a junior partner by the famous structural engineer Dankmar Adler. Their partnership lasted until the year of 1896 when Sullivan started to experiment with new materials such as steel girders that made possible construction of much taller buildings than before. Sullivan had certain creative differences and disputed intensively about style issues with Daniel Burnham, the author of the Columbian Exposition in Jackson Park in 1893 and with one of his students, Frank Lloyd Wright. Sullivan insisted that 'form should follow function' thus proclaiming the primary importance of the purpose of a building as compared to the design1. Sullivan's legacy is an important element of modern Chicago. The Jewler's Building at 17 S. Ashland Avenue designed and built by Adler and Sullivan in 1882 was designated as one of Chicago landmarks a century later. Together with Adler he also built the Kaufman Store and Flats at 2312-2314 N. Lincoln Avenue designated a city's landmark in 1996. Another famous masterpieces of Sullivan which became Chicago landmarks are the Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral and Rectory located at 1121 N. Leavitt Street build by Sullivan alone in 1903, the Auditorium Theater at Roosevelt University, and the Carson, Pirie, Scott Store at the corner of State and Madison. Integrity of structure and ornament, emotional tension of the form, and outstanding individuality of the building are the most noticeable features of Sullivan's style: "Nurtured by the artists sympathy with life, the ornament spoke: it was the voice of the artist and the building -- indeed they were one, the building a 'stock personality' and the architect an interpreter and prophet"2. Today Sullivan is considered perhaps the most influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, the father of the modern skyscraper, and a mentor to another outstanding American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 - April 9, 1959), one of most innovative and prolific American architects of the last century, was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin. Wright attended but did not finish the high school in Madison, Wisconsin, and in 1885 entered the University of Wisconsin where he studied civil engineering. In 1887 Wright moved to Chicago to go apprentice to a well-known Chicago architect, Joseph Lyman Silsbee. It was during that time that Wright worked with Louis Sullivan whom he would later acknowledge as a mentor. At the end of 1880s Wright got married and moved to Oak Park, Illinois. In 1893, he quit his partnership with Sullivan and established his own firm in Chicago. After five years Wright transferred his practice to Oak Park where he had his most productive and stable days. Sidetracked by romantic misadventures, Wright designed some buildings in Arizona and Wisconsin, but those works were not as good as the works of his Illinois period. Frank Lloyd Wright founded the Prairie School of Architecture characterized by long and horizontal designs and organic architecture that won a wide domestic and international acclaim. Wright's rehash of the famous Sullivan's

Phylum Porifera Essay Example for Free

Phylum Porifera Essay Which phyla lack organs? What type of symmetry do they have? Phylum Porifera which lacks any symmetry (asymmetry) and phylum Cnidaria which has radial symmetry. List all of the phyla that show cephalization. Phylum Annelida, Phylum Mollusca, Phylum Arthropoda, Phylum Platyhelminthes, Phylum Nematoda, and Phylum Chordata. Do all organisms on the table have 3 germ layers (endoderm, ectoderm, and mesoderm)? If not, which Phyla have fewer than three germ layers? Not all the organisms have three germ layers. The organisms with less than three germ layers belong to Phylum Porifera which has no true germ layers and phylum Cnidaria which has two germ layers (diploblastic). One phylum has more species than all the others. State the name of this phylum and provide several different examples of species found in this phylum. Phylum Arthropoda. Examples of species in this phylum include Brazilopelma colloratvillosum, Dermacentor variabilis, Limulus polyphemus, Colossendeis megalonyx, Branchinecta gigas, Pyromaia tuberculata, Asterocheres echinicola, Narceus americanus, Scaphiostreptus parilis, and Musca domestica. According to chapter 24, fish do not all have the same skeletal structure. Describe the differences among fish from the most primitive to more advanced types. Fishes greatly differ in their anatomical features especially their skeletal structures. The most primitive group of fishes based on skeletal structure is known as class Agnatha and the fishes in this class are referred to as â€Å"the jawless fishes†.   These have a cartilaginous internal skeleton which means that they have no true bones (Layman, 2003). They also lack true teeth, true jaws, and true vertebrae (Layman, 2003). The other group of fish is referred to as the cartilaginous fishes and they belong to a class of fishes known as Chondrichthyes. Their skeleton is made up of cartilage. Unlike the jawless fishes, fishes in this group have jaws and true teeth which are bony as is seen with sharks (Layman, 2003). The final group of fish is known as the bony fishes and fishes in this group belong to a class known as Osteichthyes. These fish are very advanced and unlike the other two groups, fishes in this group have a skeletal structure that is made of true bones meaning that their skeletal structure is mineralized (Layman, 2003). They have a bony jaw, bony teeth, and bony vertebrae (Layman, 2003). Describe the three types of mammals based on how their young develop? One group of mammals is referred to as placental mammals. The young ones of mammals under this group develop for long inside their mothers. This prolonged development is facilitated by the presence of an allantoic placenta (Go Pets America, 2010). This placenta allows close contact between the vascular systems of both the mother and the growing embryos and this ensures that the embryos are adequately and continually nourished (Go Pets America, 2010). The placenta also allows for removal of waste products from the womb. In addition, the embryos are protected inside their mothers. For example the body temperatures of the mothers are usually constant and this protects the developing young ones from the harsh surroundings. These conditions provide a conducive environment which allows for development of the young ones to a very high degree. The other group of mammals is known as marsupial. The young ones of mammals under this category develop in the womb just like in placental mammals but their period of development is short. The reason for the short development period is due to presence of a yolk placenta whose ability to nourish the fetus is limited (Vaughan Ryan, 2010). After birth, the undeveloped young ones continue their development inside their mothers’ pouches where they cling to the mothers’ nipples with their mouths (Vaughan Ryan, 2010). The young ones get fed on milk through the nipples. The final group of mammals is referred to as monotremes. Mammals in this group reproduce by laying eggs. With these mammals, two eggs are laid each time and the young ones grow inside the eggs for a short while before they are hatched (Vaughan Ryan, 2010). Inside the eggs, the young ones are nourished by use of egg yolk. The hatched young ones are always very immature at birth and they continue to develop by feeding on milk from their mothers. But unlike the other groups of mammals, these mammals lack teats and milk oozes from the mothers’ abdomens and the young ones feed by licking the oozing milk (Vaughan Ryan, 2010).

Short Starbucks Case Summary Essay Example for Free

Short Starbucks Case Summary Essay The Starbucks case is about the times when Starbucks did well and when it went poorly. It begins when Howard Schultz buys the company and put his plan in action. Schultz had a vision to make a chain of coffee shops and that would become the Americans â€Å"third place†. This â€Å"third place† would be a place where you could go and small talk with people and enjoy a cup of coffee, or perhaps be by yourself and drink your coffee. It was supposed to be a place between home and work. Schultz idea proved to be a good one and he could proceed to open up several coffeehouses across America. This would later be seen as a mistake. As Starbucks grew in recognition, Schultz expanded the business fast. The people at Starbucks had an ideal to follow; customer satisfaction. As the business grew, people would lose faith in Starbucks nice atmosphere and only see the company as a money making machine. Why was that? The ideal they followed was for the customer to be satisfied, to be met by a nice clerk and get the coffee fast. What the higher ups in the company first thought was that if they increased the hours of labor a week it would bring more time to small talk with customers and give them their coffee even faster. But they soon realized that the problem was in the marketing department. Starbucks had three sections that concerned marketing; the market research group, the category group and the marketing group. Starbucks lacked a strategic group that focused on the big picture. They also needed a chief marketing officer that could make decisions. This meant that the entire decision making process had to be done by all of Starbucks senior executives. All the data that was collected was for nothing if no one looked at it and saw what was wrong. However, now they knew what the problem was. At first Starbucks primary customers were people with education, mostly women between ages 24 and 44. They were still there but the new customers were less educated and had lower income bracket. These were the persons that only saw Starbucks as a money making machine. So now Day, Starbucks senior vice president of administration proposed that an investment of 40 million dollars per year to add additional 20 hours of labor a week. It met a lot of resistance in the company but Day said to look at it as a customer-oriented investment rather than seeing labor as an expense. This meant that Starbucks, a company with the policy to have as high customer satisfaction as possible rather than as much profit as possible were neglecting the customer. They were still using their original idea but now on the wrong customers.

The Properties Of Foreigner Talk

The Properties Of Foreigner Talk Describe the properties of â€Å"foreigner talk† and discuss its role in L2 learning. In your discussion, be sure to include supporting examples for foreigner talk and discuss them in light of Krashens Input Hypothesis (1985) and Longs Interaction Hypothesis (1981, 1983a, 1996). Particular over the past two decades, related work on input comprehensibility has focused on the nature of the linguistic environment available to learners and its relationship to Second Language Acquisition (SLA). Recent work has taken as basic the notion that conversational interaction in a second language (L2) forms the basis for L2 development rather than being only a forum for practice of specific language features (Wagner-Gouch Hatch, 1975; cited in Schorkhuber, 2007). In fact, some contemporary studies have shifted the focus to an examination of the learners linguistic environment which is the target language available to the learner and how it affects the learning process. It has been observed that native speakers (NSs) adjust their speech in conversation with non-native speakers (NNSs) in multiple ways. This modified register has been termed ‘foreigner talk (FT) by Charles Ferguson (1975). He (1975) asserts that foreigner talk is the reduced and simplified version of a language that native speakers use to address other speakers for whom the language is not a native one, especially speakers who do not know the language at all. Due to the similarities between this type of speech and the speech that is usually directed at children, it is also sometimes called baby talk (e.g., Ferguson 1971). According to him, foreigner talk is the basis of the emergence of pidgin and Creole. It is also suggested that foreigner talk promotes learning as well as communication with the learner. In general, foreigner talk adjustments reveal speech patterns that would not ordinarily be used in conversations with NSs (Gass Selinker, 2001:261). Instead, Gass and Selinker (2001) claim that foreigner talk shares features in common with young children speech. According to Ferguson (1975), in phonology, it is characterise by a slow rate of delivery, loudness, clear articulation, pauses, emphatic stress and exaggerated pronunciation. In lexis, it is characterised by occasional use of words from other languages, substitutions of items by synonyms, or paraphrases, use of high frequency words and few idioms (Chaudron, 1979; cited in Tarone, 1980 ). In syntax, modification is presented through repetitions, elaborations, omissions and fill in the blank for learners incomplete utterances. In discourse, foreigner talk involves restating wh-questions as yes-no or or-choice questions, and so on (Hatch, 1979; cited in Tarone, 1980). Examples (1) and (2) show some of the characteristics of fo reigner talk: (1) NNS: How have increasing food costs changed your eating habits? NS : Well, we dont eat as much beef as we used to. We eat more chicken, and uh, pork and uh, fish, things like that. NNS: Pardon me? NS : We dont eat as much beef as we used to. We eat more chicken and uh, uh pork and fishWe dont eat beef very often. We dont have steak like weused to. NNS: Oh, okay. (2) NS : What classes are you taking at 10 oclock? NNS: Sorry? 10 clock? NS : What classes at 10 oclock? NNS: 10 oclock, classes, uhScience. From the examples above, the functions of foreigner talk can be detected quite effortlessly where in example (1), NS repeated and elaborated more fully the statement once the NNS indicated a lack of understanding in order to provide the NNS a comprehensible input. Likewise, NS practiced repetition in example (2) but in a more simplified form. Moreover, clue was provided to the NNS that 10 clock supposedly should be said as 10 oclock. Therefore, the comprehension of the NNS was again aided. Essentially, input is seen as a highly important factor in acquisition in many approaches to SLA. Krashens Input Hypothesis, which largely predated Universal Grammar approaches to SLA research, continues to make the strongest claim about the role of the linguistic environment in SLA. It states that L2 input must both be comprehensible and be at a stage slightly beyond the learners previously acquired linguistic competence (i+1) in order to be acquired (Krashen, 1982; cited in Schorkhuber, 2007). In brief, within Krashens framework, if input is understood, the necessary grammar is automatically provided; however, if input is not comprehensible, it cannot serve acquisition at all. That is to say, comprehensible input that occurred in the examples above, delivered in affective filter situation, is held to be not only a necessary condition for acquisition, but actually causing acquisition to the NNS. On top of that, the line of research that focuses on interactional structure of conversation, such as foreigner talk was developed in many years by several researchers (e.g., Gass and Varonis, 1985, 1989; Long, 1981, 1983; Pica, 1987, 1988; cited in Gass, 2007:234). The emphasis is on the role which negotiated interaction between NSs and NSSs and between two NNSs plays in the development of L2. According to Gass (2007:234), conversational interaction in a L2 like foreigner talk discourse also forms the foundation for the development of L2 rather than being only a platform for practice of particular language features, more specifically when it comes to the negotiation of meaning. In fact, this claim has been proposed by Michael Long (1996: 451-2) as the Interaction Hypothesis. In the similar situation like which Long (1996: 451-2) has stated, foreigner talk posits interaction between NNSs and NSs, creates a naturalistic Second Language Acquisition environment where the NNSs learn through negotiation of meaning and attention is focussed (Mackey, 1999; cited in Gass, 2007) on gaps in their target language knowledge. Therefore, the acquisition of L2 could be facilitated well because foreigner talk connects input, internal learner capacities, particularly selective attention, and output in productive ways (Long, 1996). One of the examples of conversation of foreigner talk is as follow: (3) NS : Theres.. theres a drinking bottle on the table. NNS: A what? NS : Bottle, drinking bottle to drink water? NNS: Boar? NS : You drink water from it, if you are thirsty. Drinking bottle. NNS: Ahh, ahh, bottle to drink, you say drinking bottle! NS : Yes. Throughout the conversation of foreigner talk, the NNS acknowledges the fact that the new word drinking bottle came from the interaction and especially as a consequence of the negotiation work. The Interaction Hypothesis has been proven where it establishes that when a learner or NNS is attempting to negotiate conversation in the target language, the gaps in his/her abilities are revealed to him/herself. Generally, these abilities include pronunciation, syntax, grammar and vocabulary. Subsequently, the Interaction Hypothesis concludes that this self-realisation, brought about by authentic interaction, will encourage the NNS to produce target language output to negotiate meaning and seek out the knowledge they lack. Also, the interaction between the learner who is a NNS and other NNSs or NSs, results in language acquisition on the part of him/herself, meaning he/she has internalised and modified that chunk of language and will be able to produce correct output later when necessary. In the meantime, Interaction Hypothesis reveals that checks are the key to the SLA process (Long, 1983b; cited in Brulhart, 1986). One way the learner realises the gaps in their knowledge is by checking with the person they are having a conversation with during foreigner talk. The simplest of which are known as modification checks. There are several different types of interaction modification checks that take place during a natural conversation which assist the learner advance in the target language. The first one is clarification requests which the learner recognises a word that they are strange with and they ask for clarification. In general, clarification requests are formed by questions but may consist of wh- or yes-no questions, as well as tag questions. For example, â€Å"What did u mean?† After this, the interlocutor (NS) is required either to furnish new information or to recode information previously given. Secondly, it is confirmation check which the learner reacts t o a sentence uttered by the other speaker and uses the L2 to confirm that they understood correctly. They always involve repetition of all part of the interlocutors preceding utterance (Long, 1980: 81-2, cited in Hasan, 2008: 41). The example is as below: (4) NNS : Do you want to come over and study tonight? NS : Sorry, I have to do my landry. NNS : Your..laundry? (comfirmation check) NS : Yeah, my laundry. My clothes dirty. The third modification check is comprehension check (Long, 1980; cited in Hasan, 2008). The learner asks a question to the other person in the conversation to confirm that they understood the meaning of the learners sentences. For instance, â€Å"Do you understand?† In effect, this production of checks could provide the learner with opportunities, builds positive affective feelings of confidence and learning opportunities. Also, conversational breakdown could also be avoided. In conclusion, foreigner talk has meant a focus on the linguistic and discourse structure of the NSs input to the learner (NNS), with a view to eventually determining the influence of that structure on L2 learning. Besides, the modification checks which are carried out during foreigner talk could assure that comprehension of the learners is checked explicitly, and utterances which are unclear are clarified and understood. Therefore, as Foster (1998; cited in Hasan, 2008: 42) claims that checking and clarifying problem utterances (negotiating for meaning) ensures the learners receive comprehensible input and generate comprehensible output, it should be noted that foreigner talk is truly helpful and crucial to SLA.

Creationism in Public Education Essay -- Religion

A hotly debated topic these past few years centers on the origin of life. Now more than ever, science and religion are butting heads trying to come up with a conclusion, and one that public schools would teach to their students. Alex Rainert, meanwhile, reasons that both â€Å"science and religion are engaged in the same project, to discover the origin of life† (141). In short, one could better describe the debate as a crusade between evolutionists and creationists. Both sides have their well-founded arguments, but when one looks at the decisions of the courts, clearly only one side may win the battle when deciding biology curriculum in schools. Despite the overwhelming number of people in favor of teaching creationism in public schools, it may be better to leave science classes free from matters of religious belief. In 2004, Sharpes and Peramas report that â€Å"nearly two-thirds of all Americans surveyed favored teaching creationism together with evolution in schools,† according to a poll organized by CBS Broadcasting (qtd. in Costley and Killins). Thus, it seems as if the public has bought into the fair play argument proposed by creationists. After all, why not have a place to teach equally credible theories of the origin of life in schools? (Eldredge 634). Chet Raymo, a noted science professor of physics and astronomy at Stonehill College, rejects this notion, stating, â€Å"one might as well give equal billing to those who believe the Earth is flat† since creationism stands on little factual ground (156). At any rate, the U.S. Supreme Court illustrates that teaching creationism puts pressure on minorities to conform to the obviously favored religion when the power of the government backs up the theory (qtd. in Anti-Defamation League ... ...ligion Will Transform Your Life and Our World. New York: Penguin Group, 2007. Print. Eldredge, Niles. â€Å"Creationism Isn’t Science.† The Conscious Reader. 6th ed. Ed. D. Anthony English and Eben Ludlow. Needham Heights: Simon & Schuster, 1995. 633-638. Print. Hickman, Cleveland Pendleton. Integrated Principles of Zoology, sixth edition. St. Louis: The C. V. Mosby Company, 1979. Print. "Of Darwin, Dover and (un)intelligent design: scholar says the future of science— and Church-State separation--are at stake in the creationism/evolution conflict." Church & State 62.2 (2009): 10+. General OneFile. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. Rainert, Alex. â€Å"Creationism V. Evolutionism in America’s Public Schools.† Cooke 138- 41. Print. Raymo, Chet. Skeptics and True Believers: The Exhilarating Connection Between Science and Religion. Walker Publishing Company, Inc., 1998. Print.

Felicia Hemans and To My Own Portrait versus William Wordsworth and Tin

Visions of the Past: Felicia Hemans & William Wordsworth I will here attempt to give an idea of the links between Felicia Hemans and William Wordsworth. I will begin with a brief biography of Hemans, followed by a look at the relationship between Hemans and Wordsworth. I will end with a short comparison of Hemans' poem "To My Own Portrait" and "Tintern Abbey." Hemans' Biography [1] Born Felicia Dorothea Browne in Liverpool in 1793 and raised in North Wales, Hemans was largely home-schooled by her mother. Considered a child prodigy by her family, she loved Shakespeare, was well read in several languages, and is said to have been able to quote passages from literature at length after only one reading. Felicia also studied music and drawing, and was later to include several of her sketches as frontispieces for her publications. She began writing as early as the age of eight, and her first volume, Poems was published by subscription in 1808 when she was only 14. The collection was met with some harsh reviews, which, although upsetting to the young poet, did not lessen her passion for writing. In fact, the same year saw the publication of England and Spain, or Valour and Patriotism. This volume was likely inspired by the service of her elder brothers, who both entered the army at an early age, and served in the Peninsular Campaigns in Spain. As her sister Anne Brown e was later to write in her posthumous biography of Hemans, "trumpets and banners now floated through her dreams in which birds and flowers had once reigned paramount." [2] Felicia's father left his wife and children in 1810 to move to Upper Canada, effectively ending all contact with his family. By this time Felicia was engaged in correspondence with Captain Alfre... ... V. 1. Hemans' Life and Works, 1839. P. 26 4. Hemans, Felicia. Quoted by Anne Browne. "Memoir of Mrs. Hemans." V. 1. Hemans' Life and Works, 1839. P. 251 5. Byron, Lord. From a letter to the Hon. Douglas Kinnaird, September 17th, 1820. Byron: A Self-Portrait, Letters and Diaries 1798-1824. V. II. London: John Murray, 1950. 6. Jeffrey, Lord. Edinburgh Review. October, 1829. 7. The information for this section is taken from two sources: Wolfson, Susan & Peter Manning. The Longman Anthology of British Literature: The Romantics and Their Contemporaries. V. 2A. New York: Longman, 1999. Kennedy, Deborah. "Hemans, Wordsworth, and the 'Literary Lady.'" Victorian Poetry. 35:3 Fall 1997. 267-286. 8. Quoted in Kennedy, p. 268. 9. Quoted in Kennedy, p. 270. 10. Kennedy, p. 270. 11. Quoted in Kennedy, p. 273. 12. Longman Anthology, p. 736.

Skunk Hour Essay -- essays research papers

Frustration’s Armored Aroma Skunk Hour by Robert Lowell and The Armadillo by Elizabeth Bishop are two closely related poems. Both share the theme of an animal carrying with it natural defenses, and the image of an isolated spectator. However, there is one important contrast between these poems: The Armadillo portrays a creature who cannot comprehend the events destroying the life about it, whereas the speaker in Skunk Hour understands, possibly too well, the events affecting its life. By using the skunk as a descriptive element for his character, Robert Lowell increases the distance between the character and the brief glimpse of society portrayed in the poem. Skunks, generally, are avoided by everyone because of their reputation for spraying unwelcome visitors with a noxious vapor. Here, the reason for Robert Lowell’s choice in animals becomes obvious. Utilizing such an isolated animal to parallel the thoughts of the speaker, Lowell considerably strengthens the distance between the speaker of the poem and the "love-cars" (Lowell 11) being watched. Even if the occupants of those cars knew they were being observed, chances are they would not associate themselves with the speaker. In addition, Robert Lowell portrays his character as something akin to a stalker, illustrated in the following excerpt. One dark night, my Tudor Ford climbed the hill’s skull; I watched for love-cars. ...

English: Official Language Essay

â€Å"If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant; if what is said is not what is meant, then what must be done remains undone; if this remains undone, morals and art will deteriorate; if justice goes astray, the people will stand about in helpless confusion. Hence there must be no arbitrariness in what is said. This matters above everything. † — Confucius All of us are created individually because we have our differences to one another. We must obtain the fact that we are not made to use same knowledge in one aspect of context. Based on our personal perspectives, we have our own ideologies and culture that we need to preserve for it was the source of our identity. Language is one of our cultural differences to one another. By way of taking our mother tongue just to obtain new knowledge of English language was not a fair solution to globalization. That is why we must have our own guts to differ the policy stating that English language should the only language spoken and written in the world. From the time of language policy conception until today, the debate between whether to use English as the only language or not continued to more sensitive issues and arguments. Many organizations and individuals who are against with this concept are making their own way to inform the public about the limitations of the policy. Despite of promulgating this policy to many schools and companies, many people are still undecided to take this action because it was not a reasonable thinking. According to Leonard Kniffel in his article, â€Å"English only is English Lonely†, â€Å"we understood in those days that English was the key to success and acceptance. Kids like us embraced into exclusion of any language or custom that made as back as if we were just off the boat† (3). The main targets of the institutions behind the promulgation of English language policy are the children for they could not render opposition to what the academe or the social law would impose to them. Children could be feed any information without asking why and how things happened. Therefore, by using children as the primary way to make English as the official language, success will come into a wide variety of situation. According to Rebecca Weber in her article â€Å"Something to Talk About†, â€Å"English-only advocates say that assimilation and mastering English are crucial to success in school, the workforce, and society. But children who can speak English on playground can’t necessarily comprehend grade-level academic content in English† (25). This statement shows that by feeding a child the orientation to speak English language is a terrible problem because even if in his or her daily activities should make him or her use the Standard English language. Therefore, problem may arise within this issue because limitation of a child’s activity because of English language will be done without any good reasoning or justification. On the other way around, according to Loreta Medina in her article entitled â€Å"English Immersion has not been proven to Raise Test Scores†, Contrary to popular wisdom, systematic evaluations show bilingual education to be superior to English-only approaches on promoting English reading. But that advantage is fairly small if it is not combined with other costly efforts to improve the school leadership and instructional approaches that go far beyond the tired refrain of the language of instruction. (2) This statement shows that English is not the solution to global problem because there are more things to discuss rather than limiting people to use only one language. By promoting this policy, people will be engaged to a dictatorial situation wherein they could not use their mother tongue, which they could more express their selves rather than using English language. As a whole, policy on using English language as the only language used in the world especially in the society of America should not be promulgated because it promotes discrimination and inequality especially to different immigrants who could not obtain English language very well. English language will always be the second language of many immigrants from other countries but it should not be the reason to deploy them because we must know that they are striving hard to learn the language even if it was already in the sense of stupidity.

Emotions

Collectivist countries Japan, china retreat emotions innate to relationship between the groups , Individualistic countries think emotions are not directed to them. Common emotions : anger, fear,sadness,happiness, disgust, surprise. Happiness Is confused with surprise. Love is difficult to convey In facial expression. Positive emotions (Joy and gratitude) and negative emotions (anger guilt) . Neutral state is non emotional. So if we group and -eve emotions they become your moods. Surprise can not be put in model cozy its not clear. High effect in mood structure will relate to excitement.As same high -eve effect can be related to nervousness, tense. And some hybrid emotions, contentment mixture of high +eve and low negative (serene, relaxed). So these effects color our perceptions which becomes reality and behavior. Air hostess example, Negative emotions negative mood . Negative experiences are fast to recollect. Positivist offset If zero input mostly people feel positive mood. China h as less of positive and negative emotions . Pride Is good In US but no In china. Emotions help you to make rational decisions, brain Injury people making Irrational decisions.Thinking + feeling rational decisions. Sources of emotions and moods 1. Personality : ms thong and Hartmann Sings shows different affect intensity 2. Time and day : +eve at end of week, negative at Sundays, in intra day positive mood peaks during the middle part . 3. Weather: illusory correlation : when people think two things are related whenever are not so moods are not affected by weather 4. Stress: stressful days affect moods negatively 5. Sleep: poor/reduced sleep cloud your decision and make difficult to control our emotions 6. Exercise: +eve effect 7. Social actively: 8.Age: emotional experience gets better as we age, more +eve episode and less -eve 9. Sex: women's reactions are personality based and men reactions are environment Why we see more +eve mood then negative moods 1. _eve emotion more when the y are alone 2. Reluctant to divulge -eve feeling in social situation Emotional labor: people who have to express organizational desired emotions . Air hostess Emotional dissonance : projecting something else then feelings Surface acting vs.. Deep acting (true feeling) ATE (affective events theory) : work place events causes emotional reactions +eve and – e will influence workplace attitudes and behaviors.So people who score low on emotional stability react strongly to negative events. So all these effects the COB, behaviors and workplace deviance. 1 . Emotions provide valuable insight into how workplace hassles influence employee performance 2. Employee and managers should onto ignore the emotions when they re minor as they accumulate. El is person's ability to perceive emotions in self and others,2, understand meaning of emotions, regulate emotions . Effective presidents US then failed presidents the major difference was El. Arguments in favor of El 1.Intuitive appeal: Almos t everyone agrees is good to possess social intelligence. Intuition is to detect emotions in others , control their emotions and handle social interactions. Are good in business world. 2. El predicts subject matter that high level of El means person will perform well on the Job 3. El is biologically based , people without preferential cortex have same IQ but lower CEQ Arguments against El 1. El researchers do not agree on definition : some use tests soon use self reports 2. El can't be measured: measures of El are vast 3.El is personality but with different label: El closely related to intelligence and personality it has nothing unique to offer. Emotional Regulation: individuals with higher personality trait of neurotics have more trouble to regulate the emotions . And people with low self esteem are less likely to to improve sad mood. Ignoring negative experience can lead to better regulation. Application of understanding emotions and moods 1. Selection : factor in hiring employees , especially in social interactions. Better El better performance 2. Decision Making: +eve emotions leading to rational decisions .Creativity:+I've mood leads to creativity more open in thinking 4. Motivation : +eve mood leads to +eve feedback which reinforces the +eve mood. Two groups puzzle example. Good to co worker and higher sale for selling firm 5. Leadership : leader if excited enthusiastic will covey optimism enjoyment . Help in promoting the vision to employees 6. Negotiation : so best negotiator should not feel bad about the negative emotion and develop negative perception for counter partially as that's will impair future negotiation . SO Emotions can impair negotiator performance.So arson phonies gage will be best negotiation as he will not be taken back by negative outcomes. 7. Customer service: emotional dissonance can lead to decline of Job dissatisfaction. Emotional contagion so +eve feeling of employee will be responded back +vela by customer and lead to longer shop ping. -eve feeling is also contagious 8. Job attitude: bad day at work means unpleasant evening with your spouse . People envy, anger leading to deviant behavior 10. Safety and Injury at work. : -eve mood can make you anxious, distracted and careless leading to injury. Managers use humor and token of appreciation to mitigate +eve mood Emotions Different people define emotions in different ways. Some make a distinction between emotions and feelings saying that a feeling is the response part of the emotion and that an emotion includes the situation or experience, the interpretation, the perception, and the response or feeling related to the experience of a particular situation. For the purposes of this article, I use the terms interchangeably.John D. (Jack) Mayer says, â€Å"Emotions operate on many levels. They have a physical aspect as well as a psychological aspect. Emotions bridge thought, feeling, and action – they operate in every part of a person, they affect many aspects of a person, and the person affects many aspects of the emotions.†Dr. Maurice Elias says, â€Å"Emotions are human beings’ warning systems as to what is really going on around them. Emotions are our most reliable indicators of how things are going on in our lives. Emotions help keep us on the right track by making sure that we a re led by more than the mental/ intellectual faculties of thought, perception, reason, memory.†Ã‚ · Why Bother With Emotions:Emotions control your thinking, behavior and actions. Emotions affect your physical bodies as much as your body affects your feelings and thinking. People who ignore, dismiss, repress or just ventilate their emotions, are setting themselves up for physical illness. Emotions that are not felt and released but buried within the body or in the aura can cause serious illness, including cancer, arthritis, and many types of chronic illnesses. Negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, negativity, frustration and depression cause chemical reactions in your body that are very different from the chemicals released when you feel positive emotions such as happy, content, loved, accepted. · Belief SystemsUnderlying much of our behavior is what is called a belief system. This system within us filters what we see and hear, affecting how we behave in our daily lives. T here are many other elements that affect our lives,  including past lives and the core issues we come into this life for resolution, but our belief systems in this life have a major effect on what we think and do.Your belief system affects your perceptions or how you interpret what you see, hear and feel. For example, a person raised by an angry man or woman will view people in the future with beliefs that anger is bad or that it is something to fear. Another example would be someone who is quite intelligent but who has never been encouraged or honored for their intelligence, this person might believe they are stupid. Men raised in conservative societies might have the belief that women who work outside of the home are not as good as those who do not work outside of the home.It takes a lot of work to look at yourself and identify the beliefs that are affecting your life in a negative manner. However, knowing your beliefs will give you a sound basis for emotional freedom. I do beli eve that it’s wise to deal with the belief systems before dealing with the identification and release of emotions. First things first! · Other People, Places, and Things Cannot Change How You Feel The only person who can change what you feel is you. A new relationship, a new house, a new car, a new job, these things can momentarily distract you from your feelings, but no other person, no material possession, no activity can remove, release, or change how you feel.How often do you hear people say things like â€Å"when I have enough money, I won’t be afraid anymore†, only to find there never seems to be enough money to stop being afraid. Or â€Å"when I’m in a secure relationship I won’t feel lonely any more†, and finding they are still lonely regardless of their relationship. We need to understand that we take our feelings with us wherever we go. A new dress, a new house, a new job, none of these things change how we feel. Our feelings rem ain within us until we release them. · Emotions Are Not the Only Cause of IllnessEmotions are not the only cause of illness. Little babies and young  children get ill, and not always because of their emotional issues. There are many causes of illness including emotions, but they are not the sole cause of illness.The causes of illness today are quite different from the issues causing illness 20 or 30 years ago. We are living in a world filled with chemical, metal, and atomic poisons, radiation, pollution, and pesticides in our food. We are bombarded with all types of electricity. These energies affect the physical, mental/ intellectual, energetic and emotional health of people.As we travel more, moving with ease from country to country, different types of infection causing elements are spreading around the world more easily. Infections of parasites, worms, viruses, and different types of infectious bacteria are many times greater than 20 years ago. Our water supplies are filled w ith chemicals and metals. The benefits of antibiotics have also brought with them the difficulty of the candida fungus overgrowth and other physical and emotional difficulties. The causes of illness today are different. · Two Basic Emotions In Life – Love and FearThere are only two basic emotions that we all experience, love and fear. All other emotions are variations of these two emotions. Thoughts and behavior come from either a place of love, or a place of fear. Anxiety, anger, control, sadness, depression, inadequacy, confusion, hurt, lonely, guilt, shame, these are all fear-based emotions. Emotions such as joy, happiness, caring, trust, compassion, truth, contentment, satisfaction, these are love-based emotions.There are varying degrees of intensity of both types of emotions, some being mild, others moderate, and others strong in intensity. For example, anger in a mild form can be felt as disgust or dismay, at a moderate level can be felt as offended or exasperated, an d at an intense level can be felt as rage or hate. And the emotion that always underpins anger is fear. · Physical Effects of EmotionsEmotions have a direct effect on how our bodies work. Fear-based emotions stimulate the release of one set of chemicals while love-based emotions release a different set of chemicals. If the fear-based emotions are long-term or chronic they damage the chemical systems, the immune system, the endocrine system and every other system in your body. Our immune systems weaken and many serious illnesses set in. This relationship between emotions, thinking, and the body is being called Mind/Body Medicine today. · You Cannot Control Your EmotionsYou cannot change or control your emotions. You can learn how to be with them, living peacefully with them, transmuting them (which means releasing them), and you can manage them, but you cannot control them.Think of the people who go along day after day seeming to function normally, and all of a sudden they will e xplode in anger at something that seems relatively trivial and harmless. That is one sign of someone who is trying to control or repress their emotions but their repressed emotions are leaking out.The more anyone tries to control their emotions the more they resist control, and the more frightened people eventually become at what is seen to be a â€Å"loss of emotional control†. It is a vicious circle.It’s important today to be politically correct. And that means not challenging or disagreeing with what the average person believes. It means not expressing negative emotions in public. Showing emotion in public in North American and European societies represents being â€Å"out of control† a great sign of weakness. People feel uncomfortable with those who express strong emotions. We are a society that is taught to hide our emotions, to be ashamed of them or to be afraid of them. Regardless, we are born with them and must live with them. This means learning how to know them, be with them, and release them. · The Difference Between Core Issues and EmotionsWe each come into this lifetime with at least one core issue to resolve.  Different situations will continue to present themselves in different but repeat patterns until you have dealt with the core issues in your life.A few examples of core issue are abandonment / victimization, demanding justice in all matters, living spiritually rather than materially. These are overarching issues that affect emotions completely. Many people find out about their core issues by learning to deal with their emotions. It is a gentle pathway that leads you into a deeper knowing of your core issues.

Income Tax Contribution

Chapter – I – Introduction 1. 1-Focus of the Study This is the age of management information system (MIS) in the business world, which enables management to provide the appropriate information at optimal cost so manager can manage in private as well as government organizations. MIS can be defined as the system, which provides proper information that helps management to take management decisions in a timely fashion. Therefore the information served by management information system is very crucial for a proper management of a business organization. In a process of receiving information from various sectors, MIS use various sectors. As well as we can find the position of income tax in government revenue. Income tax is the main source of government revenue. If high sources of income tax in government revenue, government can make good development, economic planning for development of the nation. After knowing about the contribution of Income tax in government revenue of Nepal, we can find the strength and weakness of the government functions and method of raising the revenue. < There are various sources of government revenue. Income tax, VAT, custom duty, foreign aid, internal and external loan are the main sources. There are various users and interested person and sector of Income tax in government revenue. Government is the main interested and handles body of income tax. Government can make suitable policies, acts and rules for increasing the government revenue. In current situation, government must have sufficient revenue for developing the nation. At present government expenditures is gradually increasing but government revenue is not satisfactory. The trend of income tax in government revenue is not satisfactory up going, even it’s going down some years. Thinking of taxpayer towards the tax is not positive. The study of income tax shows the performance and contribution of taxpayers. Nepal has adopted mix economy. So there is equal contribution of private and public sector for economic development as well as government revenue. The overall performance of government and taxpayers reflected on contribution of collection of income tax in government revenue. Government and financial policymakers can make suitable policies and rules for collection of high income tax from organizations. Analysis of income tax in government revenue is the mean of financial and accounting interpretation. We can say that analysis of income tax in government revenue is meaningless until and unless it is properly analyzed, interpreted and taken any corrective actions to the best way. Therefore the analysis and interpretation part of government revenue is fulfilled by the analysis of income tax. The idea of introducing income tax in Nepal originated along with the first ‘Budget’ on 21st Magh 2008 B. S. (1952 AD). The first elected government finally introduced ‘Business profit and Remuneration Tax Act 2017’ to promise income tax on remuneration and business profit in Nepal. The ‘Business profit and Remuneration Tax Act 2017’ had very narrow coverage that income tax was imposed only on business profit and remuneration. Since this act could not cover all the sources of income, the ‘Nepal Income Tax Act 2019’ replaced it after two years to avoid such drawbacks. After a year, ‘Nepal Income Tax Rules 2020’ were enacted with the view of implementing the objectives of the income tax act. According to the changing condition this act was also incapable in fulfilling the needs of changing time, it was replaced by another, ‘Income tax Act 2031’. In the course of development and modernization of income tax system, the new ‘Income Tax Act 2058’ has been enacted. Similarly, the new ‘Income Tax Rules 2059’ have been enacted for the effective implementation of the objectives of the Act. The study will cover the analysis and interpretation of all activities related to income tax such as income tax from Business income, Investment income and Employment income. Main purpose of the study is to find out the relationship between income tax and other sources of government revenue, the trends of collection of income tax, contributing part of income tax in government revenue and to point out the reasons of low collection and imposed of income tax. 1. 2-Statement of the problem Income tax is the main source of government revenue. For the development of nation, every government needs high revenue. For higher the revenue, the main sources is income tax. The economy of a country flourishes with the flourish of government revenue and collection of income tax and it deteriorates with unsatisfactory performance of Government function in the country. Therefore periodical review and analysis of Income Tax in the country is very essential. Performance of Income Tax is very constructive for all stakeholders closely attached with the government revenue as well as for a prosperous economic future of the country. Generating income by any individual or institution is the main sources of income tax. If income is favourable then collection of income tax is also favourable. Lower contribution of income tax in government revenue negatively affects the country’s development. The variation of income tax contribution brings the variation of government revenue and government development function. Country’s economic development and government revenue are the closely related parts. For higher revenue, economic development is necessary and for better economic development of a country, high government revenue is necessary. Nepal is a landlocked country. The trend of collection of income tax is not satisfactory. As maintained above, sustainable economic development and good political environment is necessary for growth the income. Income is source of income tax. Currently, political situation of Nepal is not good. From one decade it’s being worse. Here is no good environment for income generating functions. Previously running organizations also can’t perform better. They are going downwards. Individual income is also not a good increasing trend. It affects directly income tax and government revenue as well as government activities. The data of income tax may suffer a lot in lack of proper view and analysis practice of it. Currently contribution of income tax in government revenue of Nepal may not sufficient for development of nation. At the analysis period of data income tax collection remained below the expected level due to various national and international level. Therefore, this research study is concentrated on trend of income tax collection to review and analysis the contribution in government revenue and to draw recommendation for coming period. 1. 3-Objective of the study 1. 3. 1 General Objective To analyze the contribution of Income tax in the government revenue of Nepal. 1. 3. 2 Specific objective To measure the ability of income tax to meet the government current requirement. †¢ To measure the ability of income tax to meet the government long term planning and policies. †¢ To measure the operating efficiency and ability to ensure for adequate government revenue. †¢ To analyze the problems of revenue collection from Income Tax. †¢ To suggest some measures for the improve ment of Income Tax collection. 1. 4 Signification of the study There are many institutions and individual that many contribute for government revenue by income tax. But their ability and willingness is not so good. The proportion of income tax in government revenue is not appropriate. The trend of income tax collection also is not sustainable and satisfactory. Much income tax acts and rules were implemented and many of are active at present. But they are not properly implemented. For many of these problem there is best alternative to analysis the trend and contribution of income tax in government revenue. 1. 5 Research Questions For the effective performance and result of the study and to state the findings in a core and precise form, the important research questions have been structured: 1. What is the state of income tax collection? 2. What is the proportion of income tax income for government revenue? 3. What is the trend of income tax collection? 4. What are the findings for coming days? 1. 6 A brief survey of the related literature The related theoretical and previous studies review will be made later on while writing the thesis. Main of these is: †¢ Budget speech of many fiscal years †¢ Performance Review of public and private Enterprises †¢ Economic survey of many fiscal years †¢ Statement of Income and Expenditure of many fiscal years †¢ Statement of Revenue of many fiscal years Different Acts, Rules and regulations, Ordinance and Circulars related to Income Tax †¢ Related Research, Thesis, Articles, Journals, Books, Web site etc. 1. 7 Limitations of the Study The study on â€Å"Contribution of income tax in the government Revenue of Nepal† is not free from the following limitations: i) This study is based on financial stateme nts, Economic surveys, Statement of revenue and Income and expenditure, which are subject to limitation of many National and International causes. ii) This study is based on past data’s which are provided by IRD or published. ii) The various methods and formulae are been taken as standard formula, which are worked out on the basis of different items and conditions. iv) Mostly secondary data are analyzed. v) The area of income tax is very wide, so all the part of it may not be covered. vi) Being a student, different types of resource constraint is another important factor, which has limited the scope of the study. Chapter-II-Research Methodology 2. 1 Research Design A research design refers to the conceptual structure within which the research is conducted. The research design is the arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine relevance the research purpose within the economy and easy to procedure. This study is basically both in analytical and descriptive. 2. 2 Data collection procedure For the study, secondary data will be collected from IRD, Budget speech, Economic survey, Statement of Income, Income and Expenditure and from other related sources. The secondary data related to income tax and revenue are basically from last fifteen years. 2. 3 Tools for analysis To conduct the study, management and statistical tools such as ratio analysis, trend analysis, correlation regression analysis, variation, weights, diagram, graphs etc. will be used as required by the study. 2. 4 Methods for analysis and presentation Various results will be calculated by using various management and statistical tools, and formula, which are required for this study. Then the data will be presented on suitable tables, diagrams, graphs and formats with the help of different suitable computer software on the basis of which necessary interpretation and explanation will be drawn. 2. Plan of work The study will be carried out on sequential order, which will be five chapters. The first chapter will begin with the introduction of the study, followed by review of literature, research methodology, presentation and analysis of data and conclusion and recommendation in second, third, fourth and last fifth chapters respectively. 2. 6 Bibliography 1. Amatya, S. K. , Pokharel, B. B. and Dahal, R. K. (2004), Taxation in Nepal, M. K. Publisher and Distributors, Kathmandu, Nepal. 2. Budget speech of the Fiscal Year 2055/056 to 2060/061. 3. Economic Survey of the Fiscal Year 2055/056 to 2060/061. . Income Tax act, 2031(1974) and Income Tax act, 2058 (2002) 5. Income Tax Rules, 2059. 6. Income Tax, Circular Collection 2055/56 to 2060/61. 7. Statement of Income and Expenditure of the Fiscal Year 2055/056 to 2060/061. 8. Statement of Revenue from 2055/56 to 2060/61. 9. Wolf, H. K. , and Pant, P. R. ,(2002), SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH AND THESIS WRITING, Buddha Academic Publishers & Distributor Pvt. Ltd. , Kathmandu, Nepal. 10. Web sites : http://www. ird. gov. np/index1. php http://www. taxresources. com/ http://www. asosai. org/journal1993/revenue_auditing_in_nepal. htm

ESPN

Company Culture and Environment When employees arrive to work at their Bristol, Connecticut Headquarters, they are greeted only by a small, unassuming sign that says, â€Å"Welcome to ESPN. † In a calculated and understated way, this sign is representative of the culture that pervades throughout the organization. Simply stated, ESPN, the company is about the fans and the sports, not ESPN. This statement offers a preview of sorts to a culture at ESPN that truly goes the extra mile in emphasizing customer satisfaction by offering its programming thru state-of the art program offerings thru multiple channels.A brand promise sums up the essence and meaning of a brand and how the brand connects to its consumers. ESPN’s promise of delivering â€Å"Sports, with Authority and Personality,† clearly outlines what they do, how they do it and what differentiates them from their competition. With respect to Sports, ESPN connects to its fans through many platforms, including m ultiple television and radio programs, internet applications including television online, restaurants, and numerous mobile applications.In doing so ESPN strives to consistently deliver unmatched quality that is strengthened by leadership and innovation. As an Authority in sports programming, ESPN emphasizes integrity, authenticity and expertise that is unparalleled in the industry. Regarding Personality, ESPN emphasizes throughout its organization, the effective use of humor, passion and community by expressing their affinity for its fans regardless of origin.While the brand promise of ESPN is certainly evident throughout all of its programming through all of its delivery channels, it is its hiring practices that appear to give the most obvious credence to the company living up to this promise. From its inception ESPN maintained a policy of hiring employees that were/are first and foremost sports fanatics. ESPN saw sees this as a critical factor in having its employees display the l evel of enthusiasm and knowledge that it wanted to promote and display its brand promise.They also see this as an equalizer of sorts whereby everyone who views ESPN, regardless of race, color education could relate with one another. Anthony Smith, a management consultant who has worked with ESPN for over 20 years and author of ESPN; The Company, sums up the environment and culture at ESPN best when he wrote; â€Å"I can think of few other companies that do as good a job of creating an atmosphere of fun and excitement for its people and its customers – maybe Southwest Airlines in the airline industry, Starbucks in the consumer goods space, or Apple and Google in high-tech.But it’s hard to surpass ESPN. † (Smith, P. xxiii, ESPN; The Company. ) This information, combined with information gathered through direct conversations with ESPN Marketing employees would strongly indicate that ESPN has done an outstanding job of entrenching its brand promise both internally a mongst its work-force and externally through its broadly scoped programming. From an internal branding perspective ESPN appears to have achieved what all companies strive for; to entrench its vision and culture that pervades throughout everything it does. Espn COMPANY Case ESPN: The Evolution of an Entertainment Brand In the 2004 movie Anchorman character Ron Burgundy ( Will Ferrell) auditions for a position on SportsCenter with the very new and lit-tle known network, ESPN ( Entertainment and Sports Programming Network). The year was 1979. After pronouncing the name of the network â€Å" Espen,† he then is shocked to find out that ESPN is a round- the- clock sports network. Through his laughter, he asserts that the concept is as ridiculous as a 24- hour cooking network or an all- music channel. â€Å" Seriously,† he shouts. This thing is going to be a financial and cultural disaster. SportsCenter . . . that’s just dumb! † While this comical sketch is fictitious, when a young college graduate named George Bodenheimer took a job in the mailroom at ESPN it 1981, it was for real. Today, Mr. Bodenheimer is president of the network that has become one of the biggest franchises in sports, not to mention one of the most successful and envied brands in the entertainment world. As a cable network, ESPN commands $ 2. 91 from cable operators for each subscriber every month. Compare that to $ 1. 7 for Fox Sports, 89 cents for TNT, and only 40 cents for CNN. The core ESPN channel alone is currently in more than 96 million homes. With that kind of premium power, it’s no wonder that ESPN shocked the world in 2006 by becoming the first cable network to land the coveted TV contract for Monday Night Football, which went on to become the highest rated cable series ever. But even with its three sibling channels ( ESPN2, ESPNEWS, and ESPN Classic), the ESPN cable network is only one piece of a bigger brand puzzle that has become Bodenheimer’s $ 6 billion sports empire.Through very savvy strategic planning, Bodenheimer is realizing his vision of taking quality sports content across the widest possible collection of media assets to reach sports fans wherever they may be. Employing a hands- off manage ment style, Bodenheimer has cultivated a brand that is brash, tech savvy, cre-ative, and innovative. He tells employees that ESPN belongs to all of them. He gives them the freedom to come up with their own ideas and push them forward. His only rule is that every new ideaand push them forward.His only rule is that every new idea must focus on fulfilling ESPN’s mission of reaching sports fans and making them happy. In the process, ESPN has become as recog-nized and revered by its customers as other megabrands such as Tide, Nike, and Coca- Cola are to theirs. Bodenheimer’s career- spanning dedication has grown ESPN to well over 50 businesses. The all- sports network has become a truly multiplatform brand, a rarity for any TV network. This growth has given ESPN tremendous reach. ESPN. com alone reaches 22. 4 million viewers a week.But even more stunning is the fact that during any seven- day period, 120 million people ages 12 to 64 interact with some ESPN medium. Here†™s a rundown of ESPN’s portfolio of brands: Television: ESPN has sprawled into six cable channels and other TV divisions that give it both a local ( ESPN Regional Television) and global ( ESPN International and ESPN Deportes) presence. It was one of the first networks to break new ground in HDTV with simulcast service for ESPN and ESPN2 and it still maintains the most HD programming content and highest level of HD viewership in sports.Cable operators and viewers alike consistently rank ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Classic above all other channels with respect to perceived value and programming quality. But perhaps one of the most innovative moves in all of tel-evision sports occurred in 2003, when ESPN content was inte-grated into its sibling network ABC. ESPN on ABC is now the home for the NBA Finals, NASCAR, NCAA football, NCAA bas-ketball, World Cup Soccer, British Open, and the IndyCar Series. Although ESPN has numerous cable channel brands, one program stands out as a brand in its own right. SportsCenter was ESPN’s first program.And with as many as 93 million view-ers each month, it remains the network’s flagship studio show. SportsCenter is the only nightly, full- hour sports news program. And whereas, in the past, ESPN has rebroadcast taped episodes of SportsCenter during the day, a new schedule incorporating nine straight hours of live SportsCenter everyday from 6 a. m. to 3 p. m. will begin in the fall of 2008. Outside the United States, ESPN airs 14 local versions of SportsCenter broadcast in eight languages. Radio: Whereas many radio formats are suffering, sports radio is thriving.And ESPN Radio is the nation’s largest sports radio network with 750 U. S. affiliates and more than 335 full- time stations. In addition to college and major league sports events, the network broadcasts syndicated sports talk shows, providing more than 9,000 hours of content annually. Publishing: ESPN The Magazine launched in 1998 and immedi-ately beg an carving out market share with its bold look, bright col-ors, and unconventional type, a combination consistent with its content. With the dominance of Sports Illustrated, many didn’t give ESPN’s magazine enture much of a chance. Within its first year, ESPN The Magazine was circulating 800,000 copies. Today, that number has ballooned two- and- a- half times to 2 million, whereas Sports Illustrated has remained at a stagnant 3. 3 million. At the same time, ESPN is making headway into one of the oldest of all media: books. Although ESPN Books is still waiting for a megaseller, because of the cross- marketing opportunities with the other arms of ESPN, this small division has consider-able marketing clout in a struggling industry. If they didn’t have the TV stuff and everything else, they’d be as hard-pressed as other publishers to make these books into major events,† said Rick Wolff, executive editor at Warner Books. Internet: ESPN. com is the leadin g sports Web site, and ESPNRadio. com is the most listened to online sports destination, boasting live streaming and 32 original podcasts each week. But the rising star in ESPN’s online portfolio is ESPN360. com, a subscription- based broadband offering that delivers high-quality, customized, on- demand video content.Not only can fans access content carried on ESPN’s other networks, but they also get exclusive content and sports video games. For the true sports fan, there’s nothing like it— it allows viewers to watch up to six different events at the same time choosing from live events for all major professional and college sports. Since ESPN360. com began service in 2006, this broadband effort has doubled its distribution and now reaches 20 million homes. Beyond working through its own Web sites, ESPN is exploring the limits of the Internet through an open distribu-tion venture with AOL.By providing ESPN content via a branded ESPN video player in AOLâ₠¬â„¢s portal, viewers have more access to ESPN’s content. But advertisers also benefit from a larger online audience than ever before. Mobile: In 2005, ESPN ventured in to one of its trickiest and riskiest brand extensions to date. Mobile ESPN was designed as ESPN’s own cell phone network, putting content into sports fans’ pockets 24/ 7. But after a year, the venture was far from breaking even and ESPN shut it down. However, even though Mobile ESPN is down, it’s not out.ESPN has capitalized on the lessons learned and started over with a different strategy. Today, ESPN provides real- time scores, stats, news, highlights, and even programming through every major U. S. carrier, with premium content available through Verizon Wireless and Qualcomm. Mobile ESPN also reaches an international audience of mobile customers through more than 35 international carriers. ESPN’s mission with its mobile venture is to â€Å" serve the sports fan any time, anywhere , and from any device. In fall 2007, it reached a major milestone in that goal when more people sought NFL content from its mobile- phone Web site than from its PC Web site. â€Å" We’re having extraordinary growth on ESPN. com’s NFL pages, but we’re also seeing extraordinary usage with mobile devices as well,† said Ed Erhardt, president of ESPN Sports customer marketing and sales. Mr. Erhardt sees great potential in mobile, saying that it is â€Å" a big part of the future as it relates to how fans are going to consume sports. Bodehnheimer and his team see no limit to how far they can take the ESPN brand. In addition to the above ventures, ESPN extends its reach through event management ( X Games, Winter X Games, ESPN Outdoors & Bass), consumer products ( CDs, DVDs, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Golf Schools), and even a chain of ESPN Zone restaurants and SportsCenter Studio stores. ESPN content is now reaching viewers through agencies that place it in airport s and on planes, in health clubs, and even in gas stations. â€Å" Now you’re not going to be bored when you fill up your tank.It gives new meaning to pulling into a full- service station,† says Bodenheimer. â€Å" I’ve been on flights where people are watching our content and don’t want to get off the flight. † A powerful media brand results not only in direct revenues from selling products but also in advertising revenues. Advertising accounts for about 40 percent of ESPN’s overall revenues. With so many ways to reach the customer, ESPN offers very creative and flexible package deals for any marketer trying to reach the cov-eted and illusive 18– 34 year old male demographic. Nobody attracts more men than we do,† asserts Bodenheimer. â€Å" We’ve got a product and we know how to cater to advertisers’ needs. The merchandising opportunities we provide, whether it’s work-ing with Home Depot, Wal- Mart, or Dic k’s Sporting Goods, we want to partner if you want young men. † As amazing as the ESPN brand portfolio is, it is even more amazing when you consider that it is part of the mammoth ABC portfolio, which in turn is a part of The Walt Disney Company portfolio.However, it is no small piece of the Disney pie. ESPN revenues alone accounted for about 18 percent of Disney’s total in 2007. Since obtaining ESPN as part of the 1995 ABC acquisi-tion, because ESPN has delivered on the numbers, Disney has allowed ESPN to do pretty much whatever it wants to do. Just a few years after the acquisition, Disney’s then- CEO Michael Eisner told investors, â€Å" We bought ABC media network and ESPN for $ 19 billion in 1995. ESPN is worth substantially more than we paid for the entire acquisition. And Disney leverages that value every way that it can, from Mouse House advertising package deals to conditionally attaching its cable channels to the ESPN networks through cable oper ators. Questions for Discussion 1. In a succinct manner, describe what the ESPN brand means to consumers. 2. What is ESPN selling? Discuss this in terms of the core bene-fit, actual product, and augmented product levels of ESPN. 3. Does ESPN have strong brand equity? How does its brand equity relate to its brand value? . Cite as many examples as you can of co- branding efforts involving the ESPN brand. For each of these cases, what are the benefits and possible risks to ESPN? 5. Analyze EPSN according to the brand development strategies from the text. What have they done in the past? What would you recommend to ESPN for future brand development? Sources: Alice Cuneo, â€Å" More Football Fans Hit ESPN’s Mobile Site Than Its PC Pages,† Advertising Age, January 7, 2008, p. 7; Mike Shields, â€Å" ESPN, AOL Strike Web Video Deal,† Brandweek, April 8, 2008, accessed online at www. brandweek. com; Andrew Hampp, â€Å" ESPN Makes Jump to Major League,† Advertis ing Age, May 14, 2007, p. 32; Ronald Grover, â€Å" Comcast’s C- TV: Channeling Disney,† BusinessWeek. com, December 1, 2006; Jeffrey Trachtenberg, â€Å" ESPN’s Next Hurdle: Selling Its Audience on Books,† Wall Street Journal, February 13, 2007; Jason Brown, â€Å" Out- of- Home TV Ads Finally Coming of Age,† Television Week, January 28, 2008, p. 12; also see www. espnmediazone. com. Espn COMPANY Case ESPN: The Evolution of an Entertainment Brand In the 2004 movie Anchorman character Ron Burgundy ( Will Ferrell) auditions for a position on SportsCenter with the very new and lit-tle known network, ESPN ( Entertainment and Sports Programming Network). The year was 1979. After pronouncing the name of the network â€Å" Espen,† he then is shocked to find out that ESPN is a round- the- clock sports network. Through his laughter, he asserts that the concept is as ridiculous as a 24- hour cooking network or an all- music channel. â€Å" Seriously,† he shouts. This thing is going to be a financial and cultural disaster. SportsCenter . . . that’s just dumb! † While this comical sketch is fictitious, when a young college graduate named George Bodenheimer took a job in the mailroom at ESPN it 1981, it was for real. Today, Mr. Bodenheimer is president of the network that has become one of the biggest franchises in sports, not to mention one of the most successful and envied brands in the entertainment world. As a cable network, ESPN commands $ 2. 91 from cable operators for each subscriber every month. Compare that to $ 1. 7 for Fox Sports, 89 cents for TNT, and only 40 cents for CNN. The core ESPN channel alone is currently in more than 96 million homes. With that kind of premium power, it’s no wonder that ESPN shocked the world in 2006 by becoming the first cable network to land the coveted TV contract for Monday Night Football, which went on to become the highest rated cable series ever. But even with its three sibling channels ( ESPN2, ESPNEWS, and ESPN Classic), the ESPN cable network is only one piece of a bigger brand puzzle that has become Bodenheimer’s $ 6 billion sports empire.Through very savvy strategic planning, Bodenheimer is realizing his vision of taking quality sports content across the widest possible collection of media assets to reach sports fans wherever they may be. Employing a hands- off manage ment style, Bodenheimer has cultivated a brand that is brash, tech savvy, cre-ative, and innovative. He tells employees that ESPN belongs to all of them. He gives them the freedom to come up with their own ideas and push them forward. His only rule is that every new ideaand push them forward.His only rule is that every new idea must focus on fulfilling ESPN’s mission of reaching sports fans and making them happy. In the process, ESPN has become as recog-nized and revered by its customers as other megabrands such as Tide, Nike, and Coca- Cola are to theirs. Bodenheimer’s career- spanning dedication has grown ESPN to well over 50 businesses. The all- sports network has become a truly multiplatform brand, a rarity for any TV network. This growth has given ESPN tremendous reach. ESPN. com alone reaches 22. 4 million viewers a week.But even more stunning is the fact that during any seven- day period, 120 million people ages 12 to 64 interact with some ESPN medium. Here†™s a rundown of ESPN’s portfolio of brands: Television: ESPN has sprawled into six cable channels and other TV divisions that give it both a local ( ESPN Regional Television) and global ( ESPN International and ESPN Deportes) presence. It was one of the first networks to break new ground in HDTV with simulcast service for ESPN and ESPN2 and it still maintains the most HD programming content and highest level of HD viewership in sports.Cable operators and viewers alike consistently rank ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Classic above all other channels with respect to perceived value and programming quality. But perhaps one of the most innovative moves in all of tel-evision sports occurred in 2003, when ESPN content was inte-grated into its sibling network ABC. ESPN on ABC is now the home for the NBA Finals, NASCAR, NCAA football, NCAA bas-ketball, World Cup Soccer, British Open, and the IndyCar Series. Although ESPN has numerous cable channel brands, one program stands out as a brand in its own right. SportsCenter was ESPN’s first program.And with as many as 93 million view-ers each month, it remains the network’s flagship studio show. SportsCenter is the only nightly, full- hour sports news program. And whereas, in the past, ESPN has rebroadcast taped episodes of SportsCenter during the day, a new schedule incorporating nine straight hours of live SportsCenter everyday from 6 a. m. to 3 p. m. will begin in the fall of 2008. Outside the United States, ESPN airs 14 local versions of SportsCenter broadcast in eight languages. Radio: Whereas many radio formats are suffering, sports radio is thriving.And ESPN Radio is the nation’s largest sports radio network with 750 U. S. affiliates and more than 335 full- time stations. In addition to college and major league sports events, the network broadcasts syndicated sports talk shows, providing more than 9,000 hours of content annually. Publishing: ESPN The Magazine launched in 1998 and immedi-ately beg an carving out market share with its bold look, bright col-ors, and unconventional type, a combination consistent with its content. With the dominance of Sports Illustrated, many didn’t give ESPN’s magazine enture much of a chance. Within its first year, ESPN The Magazine was circulating 800,000 copies. Today, that number has ballooned two- and- a- half times to 2 million, whereas Sports Illustrated has remained at a stagnant 3. 3 million. At the same time, ESPN is making headway into one of the oldest of all media: books. Although ESPN Books is still waiting for a megaseller, because of the cross- marketing opportunities with the other arms of ESPN, this small division has consider-able marketing clout in a struggling industry. If they didn’t have the TV stuff and everything else, they’d be as hard-pressed as other publishers to make these books into major events,† said Rick Wolff, executive editor at Warner Books. Internet: ESPN. com is the leadin g sports Web site, and ESPNRadio. com is the most listened to online sports destination, boasting live streaming and 32 original podcasts each week. But the rising star in ESPN’s online portfolio is ESPN360. com, a subscription- based broadband offering that delivers high-quality, customized, on- demand video content.Not only can fans access content carried on ESPN’s other networks, but they also get exclusive content and sports video games. For the true sports fan, there’s nothing like it— it allows viewers to watch up to six different events at the same time choosing from live events for all major professional and college sports. Since ESPN360. com began service in 2006, this broadband effort has doubled its distribution and now reaches 20 million homes. Beyond working through its own Web sites, ESPN is exploring the limits of the Internet through an open distribu-tion venture with AOL.By providing ESPN content via a branded ESPN video player in AOLâ₠¬â„¢s portal, viewers have more access to ESPN’s content. But advertisers also benefit from a larger online audience than ever before. Mobile: In 2005, ESPN ventured in to one of its trickiest and riskiest brand extensions to date. Mobile ESPN was designed as ESPN’s own cell phone network, putting content into sports fans’ pockets 24/ 7. But after a year, the venture was far from breaking even and ESPN shut it down. However, even though Mobile ESPN is down, it’s not out.ESPN has capitalized on the lessons learned and started over with a different strategy. Today, ESPN provides real- time scores, stats, news, highlights, and even programming through every major U. S. carrier, with premium content available through Verizon Wireless and Qualcomm. Mobile ESPN also reaches an international audience of mobile customers through more than 35 international carriers. ESPN’s mission with its mobile venture is to â€Å" serve the sports fan any time, anywhere , and from any device. In fall 2007, it reached a major milestone in that goal when more people sought NFL content from its mobile- phone Web site than from its PC Web site. â€Å" We’re having extraordinary growth on ESPN. com’s NFL pages, but we’re also seeing extraordinary usage with mobile devices as well,† said Ed Erhardt, president of ESPN Sports customer marketing and sales. Mr. Erhardt sees great potential in mobile, saying that it is â€Å" a big part of the future as it relates to how fans are going to consume sports. Bodehnheimer and his team see no limit to how far they can take the ESPN brand. In addition to the above ventures, ESPN extends its reach through event management ( X Games, Winter X Games, ESPN Outdoors & Bass), consumer products ( CDs, DVDs, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Golf Schools), and even a chain of ESPN Zone restaurants and SportsCenter Studio stores. ESPN content is now reaching viewers through agencies that place it in airport s and on planes, in health clubs, and even in gas stations. â€Å" Now you’re not going to be bored when you fill up your tank.It gives new meaning to pulling into a full- service station,† says Bodenheimer. â€Å" I’ve been on flights where people are watching our content and don’t want to get off the flight. † A powerful media brand results not only in direct revenues from selling products but also in advertising revenues. Advertising accounts for about 40 percent of ESPN’s overall revenues. With so many ways to reach the customer, ESPN offers very creative and flexible package deals for any marketer trying to reach the cov-eted and illusive 18– 34 year old male demographic. Nobody attracts more men than we do,† asserts Bodenheimer. â€Å" We’ve got a product and we know how to cater to advertisers’ needs. The merchandising opportunities we provide, whether it’s work-ing with Home Depot, Wal- Mart, or Dic k’s Sporting Goods, we want to partner if you want young men. † As amazing as the ESPN brand portfolio is, it is even more amazing when you consider that it is part of the mammoth ABC portfolio, which in turn is a part of The Walt Disney Company portfolio.However, it is no small piece of the Disney pie. ESPN revenues alone accounted for about 18 percent of Disney’s total in 2007. Since obtaining ESPN as part of the 1995 ABC acquisi-tion, because ESPN has delivered on the numbers, Disney has allowed ESPN to do pretty much whatever it wants to do. Just a few years after the acquisition, Disney’s then- CEO Michael Eisner told investors, â€Å" We bought ABC media network and ESPN for $ 19 billion in 1995. ESPN is worth substantially more than we paid for the entire acquisition. And Disney leverages that value every way that it can, from Mouse House advertising package deals to conditionally attaching its cable channels to the ESPN networks through cable oper ators. Questions for Discussion 1. In a succinct manner, describe what the ESPN brand means to consumers. 2. What is ESPN selling? Discuss this in terms of the core bene-fit, actual product, and augmented product levels of ESPN. 3. Does ESPN have strong brand equity? How does its brand equity relate to its brand value? . Cite as many examples as you can of co- branding efforts involving the ESPN brand. For each of these cases, what are the benefits and possible risks to ESPN? 5. Analyze EPSN according to the brand development strategies from the text. What have they done in the past? What would you recommend to ESPN for future brand development? Sources: Alice Cuneo, â€Å" More Football Fans Hit ESPN’s Mobile Site Than Its PC Pages,† Advertising Age, January 7, 2008, p. 7; Mike Shields, â€Å" ESPN, AOL Strike Web Video Deal,† Brandweek, April 8, 2008, accessed online at www. brandweek. com; Andrew Hampp, â€Å" ESPN Makes Jump to Major League,† Advertis ing Age, May 14, 2007, p. 32; Ronald Grover, â€Å" Comcast’s C- TV: Channeling Disney,† BusinessWeek. com, December 1, 2006; Jeffrey Trachtenberg, â€Å" ESPN’s Next Hurdle: Selling Its Audience on Books,† Wall Street Journal, February 13, 2007; Jason Brown, â€Å" Out- of- Home TV Ads Finally Coming of Age,† Television Week, January 28, 2008, p. 12; also see www. espnmediazone. com.