Mix Marketing Plan Essay

The mix marketing plan below is for the 2009 Mitsubishi Outlander compact all wheel drive (AWD) priced under $40,000. This market plan below describes the target market and objectives that are necessary to capture the target market. Furthermore, the plan offers recommendations and some of them methods necessary to promote the Mistubishi Outlander and create awareness of its release on to the market in 2009. Also in the mix market plan is situational analysis that is broken down into four parts. The first part is the current product which describes the brand and core product which in this case is the Mistubishi Outlander. The second part discusses the factors that will affect the price of the Outlander such as competition and demand. The third aspect talks about the current distribution and method in which to distribute the Outlander. This part also talks about the intensity of distribution and the intermediaries used to distribute the Outlander and the factors that influence the distribution such as storage and transport of the Outlanders from point of manufacture to the point of sale. The fourth situational analysis aspect is the promotional theme and the elements integrated in the promotion mix. The theme is that of cross between an all wheel drive and a sports utility vehicles that is both excellent as urban cruiser as well as an off road medium sized vehicle. The recommended target market for the Outlander is mainly the medium sized family that enjoys occasional family trips out of urban localities. The age group of the consumer interested in purchasing the Mistubishi outlander will range between 25 to the 50 years of age. This demographic will most likely reside in the upper middle class suburbs of Perth. The main aim of this mix marketing plan is to make consumers familiarise themselves with the Outlander, promote the outlander to all intermediaries through workshops and seminars. Increase volume of promotional content of the Outlander through media channels such as online advertising, email promotions, radio and television advertisements. The customers are made of the Mistubishi Diamond Advantage. Situational Analysis Current Product: The Mistubishi outlander is a cross over all wheel drive (AWD) from the product line of the Mitsubishi Motor Company. The Outlander is a shopping type of consumer product that is in its Introduction stage. It is a compact AWD that can be driven in urban areas as well as off road. However, the Outlander does not have Electronic Stability control system (ESP) but does come with an expandable row making it a seven seater and a bisected rear door for easy accesses to the rear cabin space. The ESP can always be added on to the future cars by adopting the system that is used in other Mitsubishi models. Current Pricing: The current influences on the price of the Outlander include demand, competition and other external factors such as economic situation and good value pricing (Kotler et al.2007, 350). The Mistubishi Outlander is in the monopolistic market as they are many sellers offering alternatives (Pierre and Toulemonde 2009, 1347) .AWDs such as the Toyota Rav Four and Nissan Extrail. The pricing objective of the Outlander is based on the price of competitor’s model of SUVs and the mix of models of the Outlander offered by Mistubishi under $40000. Current Distribution: The outlander is distributed indirectly from the factory through intermediaries such as the dealerships. Intermediaries provide a link between the manufacturer and consumer (Ansari, Mela and Neslin 2008, 60).The dealers include organisations that specialise in Mistubishi vehicle sales and services. Distribution of the outlander is selective for easier negotiations and one tone customer interaction. Some of the factors that may affect distribution include transport and Storage of the Mistubishi outlanders from the point of manufacture to the point of sale. Current Promotion: The main objective is to get the consumers familiarise themselves with the new Mitsubishi Outlander. The theme is that of a sports utility vehicles that is both excellent as urban cruiser as well as an off road medium sized vehicle. Advertising, direct Marketing sales promotions are some of the methods used to show to the customer the sporting side as well as its ability to use as urban vehicle through events such as the Dakar Rally. Recommended Target Market The recommended target market for the Outlander is mainly the medium sized family that enjoys occasional family trips out of urban localities. The age group of the consumer interested in purchasing the Mistubishi outlander will range between 25 to the 50 years of age. The consumer will most likely come from middle class urban setting and enjoys showing off the off-road capabilities of their car while being a comfortable and stylish car to drive around town. This target market has the most potential because the outlander is an urban sports vehicle that has an extra row of seats to accommodate a total of 7 passengers as compared to its rivals on the market within the same price range. The outlander also comes with a lot more standard features as compared to its rivals on the market. Some off the unique features include interchangeable all wheel drive that can be selected at any driving speed. The outlander also has a compact third row seat that does not compromise boot space and is still accommodate two extra passengers. Recommended Marketing Objective:’ In order to keep the Mitsubishi Outlander ahead of the other brand of cross over AWDs on the market, some short term marketing strategies will have to be put in place. These include : Making the consumers familiarise themselves with the Outlander, promote the outlander to all intermediaries through workshops and seminars. Increase volume of promotional content of the Outlander through media channels such as online advertising, email promotions, radio and television advertisements. Another approach would be to promote the Outlander through competitions, sponsorships of sporting activities and discounted sales to the first few customers. Boost the appeal of the outlander by offering membership to outlander car club through the Mitsubishi Diamond Advantage as part of a package deal for the purchase of an Outlander which is a 10 year 160 000 km drive train warranty and the 5 year unlimited 130 000 km warrant plus roadside assistance. Product recommendations Since the product at hand is a motor vehicle, the product packaging will not be required however all other aspects of the product such as branding extensions will be taken into consideration. The product at focus is the Outlander which comes from the product mix of Mitsubishi motor company; it only has one product lines with a narrow width. Therefore, only the depth of the product mix can be explored to give the consumer a variety to pick from the range of Outlanders available. The Mitsubishi Outlander is offered in three models namely the LS, XLS and the optional XLS Luxury pack. The Three models offered come with different options and at a varied price range depending on the added extras. However, the base model still has a starting base price of $31,990 that is fixed depending on whether the customer chooses to add extras to the vehicle. The base model of the outlander is the Ls which comes with 2.4 litre 4 cylinder MIVEC engine, driver and passenger side airbags. The LS models also comes with All Wheel Control 4WD (AWC), air condition, cruise control, Keyless entry, power windows, a steering wheel with audio controls, Stability and traction control. The XLS model has added on features that the LS does not have such as: Continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), INVECS Smart Logic and 6 steps Sports Mode, Paddle gear shifts, Smart Key, Bluetooth voice activated phone connectivity, chrome grill surround, 18† alloy Wheels, Reverse parking sensors, Adaptive Front Lighting system, High intensity Discharge Head Lamps (HID), Fog Lamps and Privacy Glass. The third model of the outlanders is the optional XLS Luxury pack. This model has additional feature to the XLS model. These key features include 18† 7 spoke wheels, chrome exterior highlights, electric sunroof, Rockford Fosgate premium sound system with 9 speakers, Rear entertainment system, Mitsubishi Multi Communication system (MMCS) including satellite navigation and reverse camera, automatic dusk sensing head lamps, automatic rain sensing wipers, leather seats facings, power driver seat and heated front seat. Pricing recommendations The pricing recommendations for the Mitsubishi Outlander will include the product line price, product bundle pricing and optional –product pricing. The product line price in this situation is considered because the product line width is narrow and limited to the Outlander models namely the LS, XLS and The Optional XLS model. Therefore, the pricing of the models will also be affected by what model is being sold through the intermediaries to the consumer. The purpose is to insure profit maximisation of the base model LS by mass distribution to the companies and leasing companies. With the LS having least of the features, making it the level entry model of the Outlander models. The second thing that is considered when it comes to product line pricing is the optional product line pricing. This will help increase the Mitsubishi profits from the sale optional accessories that can be added to the features of the Outlander’s base model the LS. Some of the features intended for the target market include, 18† alloy wheels, reverse parking sensors, High intensity Discharge Head Lamps (HID), Fog Lamps and Privacy Glass, electric sunroof, chrome exterior highlights, Rockford Fosgate premium sound system with 9 speakers and rear entertainment system. The perceived value of the extras is reasonable priced as all extras added on to the Outlander models come with a 5 year 130000 km warranty. The last recommendation for product line price is product bundle pricing, where the Outlander models are sold as bundles. This can be achieved when either selling the Outlanders with just the basic features at a much lower price as compared to the base models. The target market is leasing companies, private and government organisations in bulk. Furthermore, pricing adjustments can be made to increase sales such as discounts on bulk buys and end of financial year sales and further discounts for early or cash payments. The Outlander is not new to the car market, therefore the new product pricing strategy that is recommended is the market –penetrating pricing strategy to attract a large number of buyers and share market as it’s a medium quality and medium price product. Distribution recommendations The recommend method of distribution channel is using indirect channel through intermediaries such as agents, retailers and wholesalers. The intermediaries act as the third party link between the Mitsubishi and the consumers. The involvement of intermediaries allows the Mitsubishi to reach geographical dispersed groups and avoid direct investment. The Mitsubishi car company does not have to have a direct involvement with credit facilities or have local knowledge of customers. Furthermore, Mitsubishi can earn a greater return by investing in their main business rather than in direct marketing. The intermediary can deal directly with the customers at a more efficient and effective level often provide a supplier or manufacturer more returns than the manufacture can achieve on their own. This due to the amounts of contacts they have in the industry, experience, specialisation and scale of operation. Therefore, the channel of distribution is the retailer channel. That is from the manufacturer to the retailer then the consumer. The retailers sell the Outlander directly to the customers by so doing making the level of distribution intensity selective. This enables Mitsubishi deal directly with a few selected dealers that sale and provided services of goods manufactured by the Mitsubishi motor company. Channel conflict is minimised by dealing directly with intermediaries who are responsible for delivery and sale of the Outlanders. By doing so the conflict most likely to arise is between the Mitsubishi and the exclusive distributors. Promotion recommendations Before any promotional recommendations can be made in terms of promotions for the Mitsubishi Outlander, a number of things have to be considered. The major decision that has to be made includes objective setting, advertisement budget, advertising strategy and evaluation. When it comes to setting the budget, the product life cycle (PLC) has to be taken into consideration. From the introduction of the new Outlander where light advertising and pre introduction publicity to heavy advertising and awareness. This is the growth stage where brand loyalty and personal selling are greatly enforced. The maturity stage involves the decrease in sales promotion personal selling and the decline stage is where advertisements and promotions reduce with limited sales. These stages will determine the over head for the budget. The other promotional recommendation is the public relations mix and media selection through which to do the advertising. The media strategy includes selecting the media format. For example the newspaper has mass audience following and is good for targeting a specific audience via quick distribution. Magazines are mainly for segmented audience however, the information is intensive and highly visual. Television combines both sight and sound however most ads are ignored and only good when trying to build brand awareness and if there are adequate financial resources for the advertisement. However, radio has immediate delivery and good for stimulate impulse purchasing, cheap to advertise but does not have a visual impact. Last, there is outdoor advertising at the car dealership on the lawns where there is great traffic flow. Sales promotion is also another way to attract new customers to the Mistubishi Outlander. This also helps retain loyal Outlander customers and also regain past purchasers who have no longer purchase Mistubishi Outlander. This can be achieved through cash – back offers, competitions, premium offers offering more test drives of the Outlander models. Promotions can also be done through personal selling and interpersonal communication with target consumer groups. This involves two way communications between sales people and individual customers. The sales people are the link between the Mistubishi motor company and the customers and vice-versa. Another method that can be used is direct communication using electronic network tools and technologies via the internet. Telemarketing, telesales other forms of direct marketing that can be used to promote the sale of the Outlander. Other unconventional methods of promotions that can be used are: viral marketing by passing on information to others creating exponential growth in the messages response. Viral communications incurs very little expenses however there is limited control over receipt of the messages. The forms of passing information and advertising that are becoming popular blogs. Blogging is one method of creating hype for a product with no costs and also be able to facilitate communication between organisations and their stakeholders. Endorsements by celebrities via paid verbal testimonials or physical association with a brand. The upside is that advertising air time is practically free and the public is often not informed whether the celebrity is renumerated by the company. Conclusion. The above mix marketing plan is designed for the 2009 Mitsubishi Outlander all wheel drive AWDs. The mix market plan describes the target audience and recommends ways in which to capture the intended market. The plan has further recommendation on how to create awareness for the 2009 Outlander and methods of price, distribution and promotion. The mix market plan also has situational analysis that breaks down the recommended mix marketing strategy into four aspects that current product, current pricing, current distribution and the current promotion. The mix market plan also explains the chosen theme that is a cross between an all wheel drive and sports utility vehicle that is also excellent as an urban cruiser. Furthermore, there is emphasis on the outlander’s unique features for vehicles whose base price is under $40,000.

Captures a large and varied target audience Essay

Factual programming takes up a large percentage of terrestrial and digital airtime in the United Kingdom. It could easily be considered the largest of the genres, and it has many sub-genres that make up for a popular airtime filler. One of the most influential sub-genres in factual programming would be considered to be the News, which captures a large and varied target audience and holds all ‘mealtime’ slots for each day. The news programmes have always been a very important part of the British society, and a lot of people take the information presented on these programmes as absolute fact. This is largely due to the way these programmes present themselves. The news readers are always dressed in a well presented way (the traditional English suit and tie), which gives the audience a sense of the presenter being a representative of truth and accuracy and gives him/her a place in authority. This is a very subtle technique to persuade the audience that the facts presented to them are being relayed in an appropriate manner. Codes of news: in the beginning we have a dramatic music so that the audience could recognise that code which means it’s an important program. Also, we have the presentation in the beginning. The globe in the intro symbolises news about the world. However, ITV uses Big Ben to show that it’s about London and the parliament which shows accuracy. On the other hand, BBC News program is about the world because it’s a famous channel which has many subsidiaries in many different languages. What makes a news studio looks news? We have a desk. Also, we have images in the studio of the news stories. This is a code because the pictures are real and news footage pictures. The audience recognise that it’s a fact news program. It’s a convention to have an older man presenting a news program to show that he have had more ‘’experience’’ in life. On the other hand, a woman presenter turn to be younger to give a bit of ‘’beauty’’ and ‘’taste’’ to the program. In the program there are news features, they are produced from a location by a news reporter. This is all factual reportage. This is both code and convention, because it’s not scripted and all the images are real. Speaking in region accent shows that this news program is for everybody. This is a code. What type of people gets interviewed indoors? Doctors, politicians etc. this is a convention. An example can be a police officer being interviewed outside to show the public that the police are outside with them. This is a convention. Reporters plays also a role in the news, reporters speaks to the camera, they sum up the story and they look directly at the camera to direct the audience who are watching the news show. News shows also uses people that has different point of views in their program to make their show more debated and serious.

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras The feast before the fast | | â€Å"Mardi Gras† means â€Å"Fat Tuesday. † Traditionally, it is the last day for Catholics to indulge—and often overindulge—before Ash Wednesday starts the sober weeks of fasting that come with Lent. Formally known as Shrove Tuesday, Mardi gras has long been a time of extravagant fun for European Christians. In the United States, Mardi gras draws millions of fun-seekers to New Orleans every year.Mardi gras has been celebrated in New Orleans on a grand scale, with masked balls and colourful parades, since French settlers arrived in the early 1700s. Hidden behind masks, people behaved so raucously that for decades in the early 19th century masks were deemed illegal in that party-loving city. Masks, Music, and Mayhem French royals, feather-covered showgirls, Energizer bunnies, painted clowns, masked lions—you can find them all (and countless others) in the streets of New Orleans at Mardi gras.By dawn on that m ost famous Tuesday, people have claimed the best spots on the streets to watch fabulous floats, outrageous performers, and visiting celebrities go by. Many travel hundreds of miles to be a part of the excitement. Marching bands, some of them founded more than a century ago, also take to the streets with music and festive dress. They open the day by spreading jazz music through the city before the more than 350 floats and 15,000 costumed paraders take over the scene.Crazy costumes and wild make-up are the order of the day for paraders and parade-watchers alike. King’s Cake In some countries, King’s Cake — which is a wreath shaped purple, green, and gold cake — is eaten for six weeks. The traditional Mardi gras food usually has a baby Jesus baked into it, and whoever eats the piece with the figurine is believed to have good luck for the rest of the year. Parade FloatsThe tradition of floats handing stuff out to Parade onlookers started in Renaissance Europe . Back then, parade participants received ale, meat, and even grain. Now it’s different, lol, which people throwing beads. Beaded Necklaces The tradition of throwing beaded necklaces started in the early 1900s, when a float had a Santa Claus throwing glass beaded necklaces into the crowd. It was such a hit, that it soon became a tradition, and that is exactly what Mardi Gras is known for today. Mardi Gras Mardi Gras The feast before the fast | | â€Å"Mardi Gras† means â€Å"Fat Tuesday. † Traditionally, it is the last day for Catholics to indulge—and often overindulge—before Ash Wednesday starts the sober weeks of fasting that come with Lent. Formally known as Shrove Tuesday, Mardi gras has long been a time of extravagant fun for European Christians. In the United States, Mardi gras draws millions of fun-seekers to New Orleans every year.Mardi gras has been celebrated in New Orleans on a grand scale, with masked balls and colourful parades, since French settlers arrived in the early 1700s. Hidden behind masks, people behaved so raucously that for decades in the early 19th century masks were deemed illegal in that party-loving city. Masks, Music, and Mayhem French royals, feather-covered showgirls, Energizer bunnies, painted clowns, masked lions—you can find them all (and countless others) in the streets of New Orleans at Mardi gras.By dawn on that m ost famous Tuesday, people have claimed the best spots on the streets to watch fabulous floats, outrageous performers, and visiting celebrities go by. Many travel hundreds of miles to be a part of the excitement. Marching bands, some of them founded more than a century ago, also take to the streets with music and festive dress. They open the day by spreading jazz music through the city before the more than 350 floats and 15,000 costumed paraders take over the scene.Crazy costumes and wild make-up are the order of the day for paraders and parade-watchers alike. King’s Cake In some countries, King’s Cake — which is a wreath shaped purple, green, and gold cake — is eaten for six weeks. The traditional Mardi gras food usually has a baby Jesus baked into it, and whoever eats the piece with the figurine is believed to have good luck for the rest of the year. Parade FloatsThe tradition of floats handing stuff out to Parade onlookers started in Renaissance Europe . Back then, parade participants received ale, meat, and even grain. Now it’s different, lol, which people throwing beads. Beaded Necklaces The tradition of throwing beaded necklaces started in the early 1900s, when a float had a Santa Claus throwing glass beaded necklaces into the crowd. It was such a hit, that it soon became a tradition, and that is exactly what Mardi Gras is known for today.

Cramond report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cramond report - Coursework Example The plausible reason for this could be differential deposition by the varied compositions of the shore water. Point Estimate Upper CL Lower CL Salinity East Wednesday 32.4 32.9 31.9 Salinity West Wednesday 21 24.3 17.7 Salinity East Friday 32 33.9 31.1 Salinity West Friday 25.2 28.7 21.7 Based on the nature of sediments present a large number of varied species could be present on either side of the causeway. An analysis of the number of species growing at both the sites on each day was also done to further enhance the assessment. The east sand and west mud were analyzed for macrofauna and lugworms. Macrofauna comprise of the shallow water communities that live on or in sediment, or attached to hard substrates majorly living in marine, estuarine or freshwater environments. Annelid worms, bivalves, gastropods, crustaceans, tunicates, and insect larvae are some of the most commonly encountered macrofauna in estuarine and coastal areas. Lugworms are present as coiled castings on the beac h during low tides and are otherwise rarely seen as they dig into the sand. East Sand Wednesday West Mud Wednesday East Sand Friday West Mud Friday Shellfish - cockles 6 0 0 0 Shellfish - Macoma 0 33 30 11 Shellfish - winkles 0 6 0 1 Crustaceans - Corophium 17 41 0 244 Crustaceans - shrimps 2 20 0 1 Ragworms 21 29 21 56 Sandmason worms 0 0 26 0 Other polychaete worms 7 5 23 17 Amongst the macrofauna the species considered were Shellfish – cockles, Shellfish – Macoma, Shellfish – winkles, Crustaceans – Corophium, Crustaceans – shrimps, Ragworms, Sandmason worms and some other polychaete worms (data shown in table 2). Ragworms were the most uniformly present organisms on all days and in all salinity conditions indicating their non-specific nature of growth. Shellfish – cockles, Sandmason worms and Shellfish – winkles on the other hand had a very specific nature of abundance indicating their high sensitivity to even the slightest change in salinity conditions. Shellfish – cockles were less abundant (only 6 in number) and found only on the East Sand and that too only on Wednesday. Sandmason worms grew abundantly in the East sand on Friday only. Shellfish – winkles grew scarcely on West Mud on Wednesday and hardly grew on the West Mud on Friday with only 1 organism found that day. Shellfish – Macoma were found to grow on both the east sand and west mud and were dependant only on the salinity conditions present. They were able to grow on salinity estimates of up to 32 only. Crustaceans – Corophium was unable to tolerate high saline conditions and they grew on the east sand on Wednesday but died by the next day. However, their growth on the west mud was very favorable as they grew fairly well on Wednesday and their growth increased exponentially by the following day as they were found to reach a number of 244 from 41 the previous day. Other polychaete worms like the Ragworms grew on both the places in all days but their abundance was highest on the east sand on Friday. Lugworms were counted during as late as possible in the low tide period as they are otherwise very rarely found on the beach. Raw lugworm counts were scarce ranging from 0-5 only. Lugworms were present scarcely on the west mud on Wednesday but became nil by Friday probably due to change in salinity conditions. Similar pattern of abundance was seen on the east mud as

Accounting and Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Accounting and Finance - Essay Example Accounting and finance plays a crucial role in the modern era which is also observed to be strongly business centric. As accepted by majority of the experts, accounting and finance have been into operations since ages. As accepted by majority of the experts, accounting and finance have been into operations since ages. With a continuous development of the mankind and human civilisation the implication of accounting and its importance also have changed to a considerable amount. As stated by Elliott & Elliott (2007), â€Å"Accountants are communicators. Accountancy is the art of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers.† This statement provides a brief reflection of the role played by accountants and the implication of accountancy in the modern day phenomenon. Hereby, the paper intends to critically evaluate the statement with due consideration to the modern day perspective of accountancy. The discussion of the paper w ill initially aim at analysing the role of accountancy in the 21st century and later proceed with the intention to evaluate the similarities and dissimilarities between two major facets of modern accountancy, i.e. financial accounting and management accounting. The major users of these accounting methods will also be considered in the paper. Furthermore, it will aim at identifying the implications of these accounting standards. Conclusively, the paper will produce a comprehensive reflection of the learning outcomes from the paper. 2. Critical Discussion of the Statement It is of no doubt that accounting plays a central role in maintaining records of the financial transactions of businesses. It is often referred to as a process that encompasses a series of actions from collecting financial data on a regular basis to communicating the information to its users through financial statements. Thus, it emerges as a complex and broad concept to be defined concisely (Banerjee, 2010). Moreove r, it was also observed that accounting had a vital influence on the strategic decisions of the businesses which provided the concept with a managerial definition of a communicator. Emphasised on these characteristics of modern day accounting, experts have intended to categorise the concept in two parts, i.e. financial accounting and management accounting (Tyagi & Tyagi, 2003). Financial accounting is considered to be the pathway of gathering financial information and analysing the effects of such information on the managerial decisions of the business unit. As stated by Albrecht & Et. Al. (2007), financial accounting is particularly â€Å"concerned with reporting financial information to interested external parties†. In this regard, the accounting process emphasises on maintaining records of the financial transactions. It further concentrates on the analysis of the obtained information with the aim to assist the management in decision-making. The accounting process also tend s to identify various strengths as well as weaknesses possessed by the business units in financial terms. Through the implication of the accounting process, accountants concentrate on communicating the information with the assistance of variou9733436912s financial statements, such as balance sheets, cash-flow statements, annual income statements and others (Jagels & Ralston, 2006). Similarly, the concept of management accounting is referred to as the process to inform the management of a business regarding the financial status of the company. In a broader perspective, the accounting process intends to analyse the financial information strategically with the aim to relate the financial strengths along with weaknesses of the company with its strategic decisions. Notably, the decision can be related to the investment of working capital, future expansion of the product line or market area, mergers and acquisitions or even solvency (Albrecht & Et. Al., 2007). According to various profess ionals, management accoun

Inflation in Saudi Arabia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Inflation in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example The economy of the country of Saudi Arabia is oil based with active government intervention in major economic activities. The country ranks on the top in exports of petroleum products and plays an active role in OPEC. The petroleum sector of the economy accounts for 45% of the total revenues. Currently the government is engaged in encouraging the growth of the private sector within the economy as they believe such strategies will reduce the dependence on oil. The growth the private sector will also create employment opportunities. It has permitted investments in the telecommunication and the power sectors. In an effort to diversify the economy, the country acceded to the WTO in 2005. Focus was given to form a regulated market and the Saudi Arabia Monetary Agency (SAMA) emerged in 1984 after the government passed an instruction. The Capital market authority took over the responsibilities of the agency after its formation in 2003. November 26 marked the day when the first corporate gov ernance code was implemented. The sections provide provisions like preliminary level, board of directors, lucidity and disclosure, shareholders authority and the provisions for the general assembly and the closing provisions. Some of the experts opine to measure corporate governance using the Gompers and Metric. ... Considering the resource endowment of the country it was a logical decision to increase the development of oil and gas resource through downstream investments in refineries. Three factors influenced the decision. The investments were mostly capital intensive which was just appropriate for the small population of the country with enormous reserves of oil. It would have been possible to generate value added income which would maximise the revenues of the country through the export of refined petroleum as well as crude oil. The natural gas which would have been wasted can also be utilised and processed. Inflation The budget impacts on the growth of the economy and allocation or redistribution of resources. The difference between budgetary spending and revenues is defined as the budget deficit. Budget deficit contribute in the level of national debt. A variety of problems can result because of budget deficit. Lower national savings rate, higher rates of interest and inflation are some of them. It is possible to treat inflation as the continuous or sustained rise in the level of prices. A situation marked by inflation is witnessed by continuous reduction in the value of money. The transformation of the general level of prices is a common situation of inflation. In a situation characterised by inflation, the period of the rise in prices continues for a year, week or month. Some of the factors that lead to inflation are rise in the costs of imported materials, the costs of labour to rise and the high rate of indirect tax from the part of the government. In cases where the rise in the general price level is caused by increase in the level of wages as well as raw materials are regarded as cost push inflation. With rises in the costs of production the firms tend to

Case Analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Analysis - Case Study Example From the first analysis and using the x-factor tool given to evaluate different possibilities it is observed that when the sales is at 422,733 million, the cost of goods sold is directly affected at 38% million , the cost of goods sold is directly affected at 38% million , the cost of goods sold is directly affected at 38% million. On the other hand, the cost of goods sold is directly affected at 38% to be 160,639 million. For a business to operate there are operating expenses that always has to be incurred. These include rent, internet, transport, flights, advertising, airtime among other things. These factors are consolidated into operating expenses which in this scenario is directly affected by sales at 50% meaning that half of the operating expenses are geared towards sales. As the sensitivity analysis tool suggest, when cost of goods sold is 35% of sales, the company runs into a profit of 28,787million but when the cost of goods sold is at 45% of sales the company runs into a debt of 2102 million. This happens since the company is having a lot of spending to increase sales. The breaking point ratio is at 44% of sales since no debt is made and the company has 987 excess cash for the company. Therefore the company should at least invest 200 million to offset this change. One of the assumptions made in this analysis is that interest expense is directly affected by the debt the company has. The second assumption is that the debt majorly consists of loan i.e. both long term and short term loans. Another assumption is that sales do not vary at this point and that incase it does, the effect is insignificant. In addition the current assets are also deemed a factor that affects debt and excess income in the company. There is also an assumption that total assets less total liability will give a balancing figure which will either result to a debt or an income. Moreover, we

History reading assignment 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History reading assignment 3 - Essay Example At some point in her reign, she accepted foreign influence into her court. Products were imported from Europe during her reign. Even populations were â€Å"imported† from Europe including whole German colons that would later lead to the Russian-German conflicts. However, after 1518, Russia abandoned their Western fashion and began making steps to their sources. Everything changed after 1815 with Nicholas I wanting Russian spoken at the court. The local population increased and doubled very twenty years and the military power increased, with the emperor claiming that despotism and tyranny were not the same. The descriptions of Russia and St. Petersburg by the Marquis are very mediocre. He criticizes despotism banally as if it is something deja vu. The most enlightening parts are when Custine holds his talks with the empress and the Tsars and not with the reformists. Here, Custine enters the Russian exception core with Russian singularity. In Custine words, Russian singularity h as not been liquidated by Anglo-mania. The Tsar explains his political choices in impeccable French. He is aware that Russia is under fire. He says that, in Custine’s country, they entertain prejudices against the Russians that are more difficult to overcome than passions of an army in revolt (Abbott, 2012: p 92). In his own country, he had to tackle liberals yet he still defended despotism. It still existed in Russia, and it was the essence of his government and accorded the nation with genius. Custine was prophetic in his harsh review of Russia by claiming that by blocking the road to imitation in Russia, the Tsar was restoring Russia to her old self. Custine understands that Russia has imitated a lot of what the new times have brought, but they will be conservative, peculiar, and traditional. To their enemies, this produces a dilemma: when they imitate, they are labeled as monkeys, but labeled Tartars when they attempt to be Russian. However, by the time of Nicholas, there was no more need to copy the western courts. Custine analyzes the democratic system as a parliament that acts as an aristocracy of the orators that is substituted for birth aristocracy and that it is the government of lawyers (Abbott, 2012: p94). The Tsar is in agreement and adds that since the entire social and political defects of democracy are known, buying votes, seducing in order to deceive, and corrupting conscience. He contends that he disdains these things and that he has paid the price for being straightforward, but shall never more be a king of the constitution. Custine at this point still agrees with him and remarks that without aristocracy, only tyranny would exist and those aristocrats not bending to the leveling hand wielded by despotism existed in both monarchial governments and pure democracies. Custine was of the belief that the end of aristocracy would signal the beginning of the end for the nations. He foresees in Tsar Nicholas the perilous nature of a democracy ruled by a moneyed and ruthless aristocracy. Custine dreads the lawyers and the echo of the newsprint that are nothing, but speeches whose echo is around for twenty-four hours; moreover, this is the despotism, which threatens the nations (Abbott, 2012: p94). Custine believes that the reasons that the Russians remained politically backward were because of religion and that the role of the church is fundamental. Custine then contends that the Russia of the time is still

Government Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Government Systems - Essay Example The parliamentary system as developed and used in Great Britain is more graphically called the Cabinet government. This conveniently describes the fact that the cabinet is usually known as the Government. More completely described, however, the government in this system is composed of the Cabinet, as the executive organ; and the parliament as the legislature. These two bodies do not form separate departments. They are fused together and are dependent upon each other in the performance of the principal governmental functions. The reality of the system is that politics play a dominant role in its actual working. The party leader does not only automatically become the Prime Minister but much legislation happens within the party caucus presided over by the Prime Minister. It is here where debates among the members of the ruling party are common. But once a consensus is developed the result will become the united stand of the majority party in the parliament. So, if there is any debate in Parliament during the discussion of legislative proposals it is only between the ruling Members of Parliament and the Members of the opposition. (Mckay, 291) This Shadow Cabinet or Shadow Minister is the counter part of the government. In debates and during question hour, the Shadow Prime Minister and Ministers are the ones engaged and egged on the Prime Minister and his Ministers. For the Parliamentary System to succeed there must be a strong opposition party. A strong opposition attracts men and women of equal competence, brilliance and expertise. In the event that it wins a majority in the Parliamentary election it is immediately ready to form a government of qualified persons thereby avoiding a lengthy interregnum in the formation and implementation of national policies. For this reason, every opposition party has made it a practice to name their respective ministers even before it smells victory in the polls. These prospective Ministers constitute what is popularly called the Shadow Government which is actually a Government established by the opposition in the Parliament. The question hour is a unique feature of the Parliamentary system. It is an effective tool in scrutinizing proposed measures and past and current acts of the Prime Minister and his Ministers. For all its merits, it is only a useful tool of democracy if there is a well-organized opposition with a Shadow Cabinet, for the questions and the answers are usually between the Prime Minister and his Shadow Cabinet. Among the members of the majority party, their differences are usually and by practice threshed out in a part caucus prior to the session of Parliament. New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy. Although it has no written constitution, the Constitution Act 1986 is the principal formal statement of New Zealand's constitutional structure. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state and is titled Queen of New Zealand under the Royal Titles Act (1953). She is represented by the Governor-General, currently Anand

EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIETY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIETY - Essay Example The employees also get a first hand understanding of the essential issues which crop up within the aegis of a workplace setting. Therefore a culture is very important in order to understand where the employees can be controlled and what efforts can be made to take care of their work regimes within the organizational domains. This paper takes a keen look at the exact mechanisms that are employed within an organizational setting as far as its cultural issues are concerned. An effort has been made to study the same within the aegis of controlling the employees that work in an organization. Moving on, any organization would appreciate the idea of developing an organizational culture which comprehends the basis of properly finding out where the combined beliefs, values and principles of the organization exist and what can be done to have a first hand understanding of the grave issues that arise within the workplace domains. These matters are deemed as important because these signify the very essence of success within the organizational quarters and discern the basis of outlining the strengths that exist within any organization. The organizational culture controls the employees as it deciphers the exact ways and means through which the employees would get inter-connected with one another, and their one-to-one relationships that develop over a period of time at work (Schein 1996). It also pinpoints the basis of understanding where the people would communicate with one another and what kind of feedback mechanisms are in place to thwart the basis of any shortcomings which e xist in essence. If these shortcomings and weaknesses do arise, the top management has a definitive role to play, since it asks the human resources management department to outline the incorporation of the relevant policy within a correctional setting. The

Home-Coming Analysis Essay Example for Free

Home-Coming Analysis Essay Good morning/afternoon teacher and classmates. Last week, our group was designated to analyse the poem Home-Coming by Australian poet Bruce Dawe, who was born in 1930 in Geelong, Victoria. Out of the four siblings in the family, he was the only one to ever attend a proper secondary school. Previously being a part of the Royal Australian Air Force in 1959, his purpose for writing this particular poem was because of the Vietnam War, which claimed a seemingly endless number of lives. This really angered him and so he dedicated this poem to the casualties during the war. In our analysis of the poem, we noticed that the poem effectively incorporated a variety of useful techniques which significantly enhanced the subtle meaning behind the poem. With the clever use of language and structural devices, Bruce Dawe was really able to augment his views and exhibit his true perspective upon war. Some techniques utilised throughout the passage were similes, repetition and irony, just to name a few. In a nutshell, the poem revolves around soldiers apparently coming home from the destructive course of war to their loved ones. From the title of â€Å"Home-Coming†, the audience gain an implication of relief and happiness and it insinuates a positive atmosphere. However, later on in the poem this is found to not be the case as the status of all the soldiers are revealed to be deceased. As soon as we read this, we quickly picked up on the fact that it was an anti-war poem. In our points of view, we believe the poem resembles an elegy because of its depressing mood. Also, our group thought that the poet was striving to depict the soldiers as unimportant and expendable through a satirical perspective as well as showing us how little respect they gain from laying their lives down for our freedom. To begin with, the first device embedded in the first section of the poem is repetition. The repetition of the word â€Å"day† in the quote â€Å"All day, day after day† presents a tedious mood in which time is moving extremely slowly and almost seems perpetual when we read it. This technique has such a strong and potent effect on the audience as it is applied in the opening lines of the poem, which forces us to have an immediate reaction. Also, the word â€Å"they’re† is continuously written later on in the poem, such as â€Å"they’re bringing them in, they’re zipping them up†. By doing this, Dawe attempts to  show a somewhat mechanical and constant process of the storage of corpses, thus displaying the soldiers with the qualities of inanimate objects and not worthy of have equality to human beings. Repetition is an important aspect in this poem and gives us the stereotypical view on the soldiers fighting at war. In addition to this, Dawe includes a descriptive array of similes that paint very vivid images in the minds of the audience, which allow them to picture the particular scene that the poet is trying to conjure. As a result, the composer is able to manipulate the imagination of readers and stimulate them into thinking about a specific theme through the use of words. In this case, Bruce Dawe induces strong visual imagery that promotes a lonely, mournful and silent atmosphere. An example of this mood is demonstrated in the quote â€Å"telegrams tremble like leaves from a wintering tree†. To base an image upon a â€Å"wintering tree† provides negative connotations whilst also allowing Dawe to take advantage of words to reinforce the depressing mood of the text. Because of this, the strong meaning behind the similes used is an essential component in the poem of Home-coming. Finally, the last technique adopted in the poem sparingly but effectively is irony. Dawe entices the audience to positive emotions such as hope and relief through the title of â€Å"Home-coming† which obviously is supposed to spark happiness. However, in this case, the poet deceptively turns our hope into confusion as the text then turns to a melancholy mood through quotes such as â€Å"they’re picking them up, those they can find†. The intended reaction that Bruce Dawe wants from the audience is shock, because as we read on, the soldiers are disclosed as dead people. This is where the irony lies as the content of the poem and its atmosphere almost completely contradicts the message that the title is insinuating. Furthermore, another instance of irony is the phrase â€Å"frozen sunset†. Once again, these words build up a cold and desolate basis for the mood of the poem. Bruce Dawe has combined a number of techniques such as irony and similes in this anti-war poem that makes the audience wonder about the terrible effects of war and the devastation it can bring to families. It persuades them to  see through the faà §ade of war with the twisted but true contrasts of the title and content of the poem. As well as this, the text tries to make us consider the way that we act in regards to soldiers and we they should respect them more as they are the reason why our freedom is able to be reserved for the future generations.

Marketing management Essay Example for Free

Marketing management Essay Slide 9.1 it’s good and good for you Chapter 9a Developing new products and  managing the product life cycle Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.2 New product development and product life-cycle strategies Topic outline †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ New product development strategy New product development process Managing new product development Product life-cycle strategies Additional product and service considerations Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.3 New product development strategy Two ways to obtain new products Acquisition refers to the buying of a whole  company, a patent or a license to produce  someone else’s product. New product development refers to the  development of original products, product  improvements, product modifications and  new brands through the firm’s own product  development efforts. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.4 New product development process  Major stages in new product development Figure 9.1 Major stages in new-product development Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.5 New product development process (Continued) Idea generation Idea generation is the systematic search for new product ideas. Sources of new product ideas †¢ Internal †¢ External Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.6 New product development process (Continued) Idea generation Internal sources refer to the company’s  own formal research and  development, management and staff, and intrapreneurial programs. External sources refer to sources outside  the company such as customers,  competitors, distributors, suppliers  and outside design firms. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.7 New product development process (Continued) Crowdsourcing Inviting broad communities of people—  customers, employees, independent  scientists and researchers and even the public at large—into the new product  innovation process. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.8 New product development process (Continued) Idea screening †¢ Identify good ideas and drop poor ideas. †¢ R-W-W screening framework: – Is it real? – Can we win? – Is it worth doing? Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.9 New product development process (Continued) Concept development and testing Product idea is an idea for a possible product  that the company can see itself offering to the market.  Product concept is a detailed version of the  idea stated in meaningful consumer terms.  Product image is the way consumers  perceive an actual or potential product. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.10 New product development process (Continued) Concept development and testing Concept testing refers to testing new product concepts with a group of target consumers to find out if the concepts have strong consumer appeal. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.11 New product development process (Continued) Marketing strategy development †¢ Marketing strategy development involves designing an initial marketing strategy for a new product based on the product concept. †¢ Marketing strategy statement includes: – Description of the target market – Value proposition – Sales and profit goals. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.12 New product development process (Continued) Marketing strategy development Business analysis involves a review of the sales, costs and profit projections to find out whether they satisfy the company’s objectives. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.13 New product development process (Continued) Marketing strategy development Product development †¢ †¢ †¢ Involves the creation and testing of one or more physical versions by the RD or engineering departments. Requires an increase in investment. Shows whether the product idea can be turned into a workable product. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.14 New product development process (Continued) Marketing strategy development Test marketing is the stage at which the product and marketing program are introduced into more realistic marketing settings. Provides the marketer with experience in testing the product and entire marketing program before full introduction. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.15 New product development process (Continued) Types of test markets Standard test markets Controlled test markets Simulated test markets Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.16 New product development process (Continued) Marketing strategy development †¢ Advantages of simulated test markets – Less expensive than other test methods – Faster – Restricts access by competitors. †¢ Disadvantages – Not considered as reliable and accurate due to the controlled setting. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.17 New product development process (Continued) Marketing strategy development When firms test market †¢ New product with large investment †¢ Uncertainty about product or marketing program When firms may not test market †¢ Simple line extension †¢ Copy of competitor product †¢ Low costs †¢ Management confidence Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.18 New product development process (Continued) Marketing strategy development Commercialisation is the introduction of the new product †¢ When to launch †¢ Where to launch †¢ Planned market rollout Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.19 Managing new product development Successful new product development should be: †¢ customer-centred †¢ team-based †¢ systematic. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.20 Managing new product development (Continued) New product development strategies Customer-centred new product development: new ways to solve customer problems and create more customer satisfying experiences. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.21 Managing new product development (Continued) New product development strategies Sequential new product development:  company departments work closely  together individually to complete each  stage of the process before passing it  along to the next department or stage. †¢ Increased control in risky or complex projects but may be slow. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.22 Managing new product development (Continued) New product development strategies Team-based new product development: Various company departments work  closely together, overlapping the steps  in the product development process to  save time and increase effectiveness. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.23 Managing new product development (Continued) New product development strategies Systematic new product development: innovative development approach that collects, reviews, evaluates and manages new product ideas. †¢ Creates an innovation-oriented culture. †¢ Yields a large number of new product ideas. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.24 Product life-cycle strategies Product life cycle Figure 9.2 Sales and profits over the product’s life from inception to decline Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.25 Product life-cycle strategies (Continued) †¢ Product development – Sales are zero and investment costs mount. †¢ Introduction – Slow sales growth and profits are nonexistent. †¢ Growth – Rapid market acceptance and increasing profits. †¢ Maturity – Slowdown in sales growth and profits level off or decline. †¢ Decline – Sales fall off and profits drop. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.26 Product life-cycle strategies (Continued) Figure 9.3 Styles, fashions and fads Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.27 Product life-cycle strategies (Continued) Fads are temporary periods of unusually high sales driven by consumer enthusiasm and immediate product or brand popularity. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.28 Product life-cycle strategies (Continued) Introduction stage †¢ Slow sales growth †¢ Little or no profit †¢ High distribution and promotion expense. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.29 Product life-cycle strategies (Continued) Growth stage †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Sales increase New competitors enter the market Price stability or decline to increase volume Consumer education Profits increase Promotion and manufacturing costs gain economies of scale. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.30 Product life-cycle strategies (Continued) Maturity stage †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Slowdown in sales Many suppliers Substitute products Overcapacity leads to competition Increased promotion and RD to support sales and profits. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.31 Product life-cycle strategies (Continued) Maturity stage modifying strategies †¢ Market modifying †¢ Product modifying †¢ Marketing mix modifying Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.32 Product life-cycle strategies (Continued) Decline stage †¢ Maintain the product †¢ Harvest the product †¢ Drop the product Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.33 Additional product and service considerations Product decisions and social responsibility Public policy and regulations regarding developing and dropping products, patents, quality and safety. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013 Slide 9.34 Additional product and service considerations (Continued) International product and service marketing—challenges †¢ Determining what products and services to introduce in which countries †¢ Standardisation versus customisation †¢ Packaging and labelling †¢ Customs, values and laws. Kotler et al., Principles of Marketing, 6th edition  © Pearson Education Limited 2013

Ethnicity In Hollywood And American Culture Film Studies Essay

Ethnicity In Hollywood And American Culture Film Studies Essay Hollywood movies have preached the assimilation of the ethnic other into American culture. This is a dangerous prospect as media representations are used to frame our understandings of ethnic groups and sub-cultures. In this study, a social semiotic approach is used to frame the violence, food, musical score, and set furnishings present in The Sopranos. By contrasting these elements with those found in The Godfather, assimilation of the ethnic Italian is revealed. Using an interpretation that rests on the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism, this study adds to our understanding of ethnic representation in media. Through a deeper understanding, we can resist negative media representations of ethnic groups. In 1997, The Godfather Saga, a revised version of The Godfather and The Godfather II, was televised to a national audience. This was a broadcast landmark as it was preceded by a disclaimer to forewarn the audience that the characters were not representative of any ethic group (Cortes, 1987). The statement became a model for television broadcasts that depicted any ethnic group as criminal and violent. The disclaimer was indicative of a burgeoning awareness that entertainment films possess the power to create, reinforce, and modify public perception of ethnic groups (Cortes, 1987). While a number of factors likely influence public perception of ethnic culture, mass media representation has been documented as a significant factor (Jamieson, 1992). Indeed, some researchers suggest that much of the information people acquire about ethnic culture comes from mass media (Bodenhausen, Schwarz, Bless, Wà ¤nke 1995). A century of media representation of Italian culture and its mythical link t o organized crime, has created paradoxical visions of admiration and disdain; fascination and fear; endearing attractiveness and aversion. Central to the popular vision of the Mafia, the depiction of Italian family culture is a dichotomy between family values and violent family business. The existence, success, and continuation of the Italian family depend on a system of traditions and rules rooted in extreme patriarchy and enforced through acts of violence. The immutable strength of this image effects both public perceptions of Italian culture and the Italian self-image (Quinn, 2004). The debut of The Sopranos in 1999 represents a significant event in media representation of Italian culture. The series portrays American born Mafiosi as ordinary suburban neighbors, complete with barbecues, golf games, kids in College, and stock options. How does the The Sopranos contribute to the media image of the Italian family? In this study, I take a constructivist approach to examine the first season of The Sopranos in an effort to determine how the series changes the traditional image built by gangster movies like The Godfather. The Sopranos updates the image of the Italian mob family by completely assimilating it within American cultural norms (Blackwood, 2006). In this way, The Sopranos supports the symbolic interactionist assertion that ethnic groups are not natural biological divisions of humanity, but rather temporary alignments of people created by communication channels (Freidman, 1991). The influence of The Sopranos is appreciated by considering the thirteen million viewers it attracted by its third season (Cartier, 2006), and in the attention it garnered from both television critics and politicians. In 2001, the producers of the Sopranos were unsuccessfully sued under the individual dignity clause of the Illinois Constitution (Italian-American group sues, 2001). In the previous year, Essex County officials banned HBO from filming scenes on county-owned property (N.J. county shoots down Sopranos filming request, 2000). In announcing the ban, officials expressed their displeasure at the shows portrayal of Italian-Americans. Backed by sixteen colleagues, New Jersey congresswoman Marge Roukema proposed that the House of Representatives chastise producers of television shows like The Sopranos because of their depiction of Italian-Americans as criminals (Congresswoman asks House, 2001). These events underline the importance of understanding the link between popular drama and cultural representation. As the demands of modern life become more complicated through a mixing of cultures, our understanding of the larger world becomes more important to us. Therefore, we use the messages we decode from popular culture to frame our understanding of ethnic groups, and the nature of diverse subcultures (Beck, 2000). This means that media representation, and more specifically ethnic representation within popular culture, plays a key role in our understandings of immigrants and their subcultures (Cortes, 1987). Further, because entertainment and information are no longer distinct streams within the public consumption of cultural products, the fate of diverse subgroups within our society depends on the roles assigned to them in [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] popular dramas (Beck, 2000, p. 25). Through careful evaluation of the set furnishings, music, food, and violence presented in the popular drama The Sopranos, an assimilation of Italian culture into American culture is rev ealed. This assimilation is so strong that only the most obvious ethnic symbols remain resulting in a link between the Italian family and crime that is much stronger than any previously portrayed. Literature Review The earliest film representation of Italians and crime is documented by Blackwood (2006). The Black Hand (1906), a seven minute one-reeler, was allegedly based on an actual kidnapping and ransom demand that occurred in the Italian quarter of New York City. A number of later films including The Black Hand (1912) and Binks, The Black Hand (1913) followed. In 1908, the New York Police Department established the Italian Bureau, headed by Detective Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino. An Italian immigrant himself, Petrosino was subsequently murdered by a Mafia Don while conducting research in Palerimo, Italy (Giuliani, 1999). This event spawned a number of Mafia movies including The Detectives of the Italian Bureau (1909), The Adventures of Lieutenant Petrosino (1912), The Padrone Ward (1914), The Last Mafia (1915), and Don Caesar de Bazan (1915). Although this very early representation of Italians is often overlooked, Blackwood (2006) points out the importance of this period. The films demonstra te the incredible age of the Italian Mafia stereotype, and they represent the birth of the link between Italians and crime. Benshoff Griffin (2004) point out that this period fashioned a second stereotype of Italian people. The movies often portrayed the good Italian falling victim to the bad Italian. The good Italian representation was that of an assimilated small businessman. He was a simple-minded, working class Italian often named Luigi or Guido who spoke broken English, wore a bushy moustache, and had a large family. He was gracious, always smiling, and worked as a street vendor, organ grinder, or ran a small restaurant. The stereotype exists to this day in the Super Mario Brothers games (1993) and on countless pizza boxes. Cortes (1987) identifies three distinct periods in the history of Italian representation in film. In the first period, 1917-1928, the depiction of Italians was heavily influenced by a negotiation for whiteness (Benshoff Griffin, 2004). America experienced a great surge in immigration during the final years of the nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century. Large numbers of Eastern and Southern European people flooded into the urban centers of America. From 1900 to 1910 over eight million immigrants entered the United States (U.S. Census Data, 2003). This sudden mixing of white ethnic culture with the established white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant culture increased levels of xenophobia and forced people of non-Anglo-Saxon, European descent to negotiate their relation to whiteness. This negotiation, and a general concern over the growing presence of foreign culture in America, lead to strict immigration laws and influenced the way Italians were represented in film. Italians w ere depicted in films with darker skin tones, thick curly hair, and little education. As immigration fears increased, the white ethnic Italian was portrayed as unsavory, radical, and over-sexed in such films as Dangerous Hours (1919) and Manhandled (1924). In the 1930s, Hollywood became fascinated with crime. The Great Depression coupled with Prohibition focused that fascination on the problem of gangsters, leading to the rediscovery of the Italian American mobster. By 1932, Italian gangsters [had] become the personification of Americas social failures, including the crisis of the increasingly elusive American Dream (Cortes, 1987, p. 110). In this second period, 1930-1970, Italian mobsters were vicious, violent, self-serving, one-dimensional characters. The period is characterized by the advent of sound, and the ear-splitting shots of Italian-mobster machine guns became the symbol of Italian ethnic violence. So great was the impact on the Italian psyche that the release of films such as Little Ceasar (1930), The Public Enemy (1931), Scarface (1932), The Gay Divorcee (1934), and Top Hat (1935), prompted the Italian government to ban importation of all American films containing Italian characters (Vasey, 1992). In an effort to remove thi s barrier, the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA), a trade association formed to negotiate American film trade agreements with foreign governments, was successful in influencing a more positive film image of Italians. Obvious references to Italian ethnicity were removed from many gangster movies although the inferences remained (Vasey, 1992). Films such as Golden Boy (1939) and They Knew What They Wanted (1940) actually depicted Italian characters as law-abiding, hardworking ethnics (Cortes, 1987). During the war, Italian Americans increasingly promoted their loyalty to their adopted country. As a consequence, Italians were often depicted in wartime propaganda films as courageous and dedicated soldiers fighting alongside American soldiers (Benshoff Griffin, 2004). This depiction is evident in the Giuseppe character from Sahara (1943), Lieutenant Angelo Canelli in The Purple Heart (1944), and Captain Andrà ©s Bonifà ¡cio in Back to Bataan (1945). Post-war film making in Italy had an effect on Hollywood images of Italian Americans. Italian film makers worked to increase cinematic realism leading to a movement called Italian Neorealism (Benshoff Griffin, 2004). The films resulting from this movement were popular and often represented Italians as poor and working class. Consequently American depictions began to represent Italians as down-to-earth, working class people in such films as Marty (1955) and The Rose Tattoo (1955). The final years of the second period defined by Cortes contains another interesting phenomenon. Both Italian and American film makers resurrected the hot Italian lover stereotype that had been well crafted by the Rodolph Valentino movies of the 1920s. Italian actresses Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, and Anna Magnini became famous for their uninhibited sexuality. In the repressive, socially conservative 1950s, these ethnic other actresses provided sexual escapism not possible for respectable white women. A s the 1970s approached, various ethnic movements popularized the search for and the celebration of ethnic heritage, identity, and pride (Cortes, 1987, p. 116). This new enthusiasm for ethnicity, coupled with an influx of talented Italian movie producers and actors, led to an explosion of Italian character representations in film. In addition, the disappearance of the Hayes Code in 1968, Hollywoods self-censorship system, encouraged a war where filmmakers vied to top each other in graphic depictions of sex and violence (Cortes, 1987). All of these factors influenced the watershed moment in the depiction of Italians in film, the release of Francis Ford Coppolas The Godfather. The third period, 1970 to present, is epitomized by The Godfather. This 1972 film, by Francis Ford Coppola, depicts the Italian gangster as a complex, multi-dimensional character. For the first time the activities of Italian gangsters are firmly entrenched within Italian family values. The Godfather set a trend for complex mob characters in many movies that followed including The Don is Dead (1973), Scarface (1983), The Untouchables (1987), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), and Analyze This (1999). Blackwood (2006) categorizes the periods of Italian representation in film according to artistic device. In the silent era through to the 1960s, Italians are portrayed minstrelsy. Italian characters are used to exploit and rebuke the Italian sub-culture. In the 1970s, portrayals of Italian characters are changed, and serve to historicize the Italian life experience in the U.S.A. (Blackwood, 2006, p. 8). According to Blackwood (2006), the third period of representation began in the late 1990s with the renunciation of the Italian gangster figure. The television show The Sopranos (1999-2007) and the movie Analyze This (1999) present the assimilation of the Italian gangster figure into North American society, depicting the acceptance of American values. Method The Sopranos debuted on HBO in 1999 (Martin, 2007). The show follows the life of notorious gangster Tony Soprano and his family as they deal with modern life in New Jersey. Tony, his wife Carmela, and their two children, Meadow and AJ, live in North Caldwell, New Jersey where Tony presides over a Mafia team. With eighty-six episodes spanning six seasons, the show is iconic in the world of Italian gangster stories. Television critics praised the show as the apotheosis of television drama, and the recalibrated scale for comparing TV shows [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] everything else seems flawed (Martin, 2007, p. 16). The show also enjoyed instant success with audiences, claiming four million viewers during its debut season and quickly increasing to thirteen million viewers by the third season (Carter, 2006). Winning a plethora of awards including five Golden Globes, two Peabodys, two Writers Guild Awards, and 18 Emmys, the incredible popularity of the show propelled it into many manifestations o f pop cultural success including a MAD magazine parody (issue 389, 2000), appearances on The Simpsons, and the cover of Rolling Stone (vol. 865, March 29, 2001). Grand Theft Auto III, the best selling video game of 2002 with sales of three million units, mimicked The Sopranos by placing players inside a Mafia organization. The game allows players to move up through ranks of the Mafia by delivering suspicious packages, ferrying hookers to and from their dates, tailing suspected snitches, planting car bombs [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦], and having sex with their own goomahs (Croal, p. 50). The Sopranos became so well recognized that HBO developed an entire side industry of Sopranos accessories including a mens clothing line, mainstream coffee table and humour books, and even architectural plans for building Tony and Carmellas house (Quinn, 2004). The Sopranos was created in 1995 by David Chase. Chase is a television veteran who served as executive producer of such shows as Northern Exposure (1990-95), Ill Fly Away (1991-93), and as writer/producer on The Rockford Files (1974-80). Chase claims the character of Jim Rockford, created by Stephen Cannell, as the major influence on his creation of Tony Soprano, the patriarch of the Soprano clan (Chase quoted in Martin, 2007, p. 10). However, there are those in the Italian American community, including Lawrence Di Stasi, historian and past president of the Western Italian American Historical Society, who believe a darker influence lies behind the show and the character of Tony Soprano. Di Stasi believes that Chase, whose surname has been anglicized from the Italian name De Cesare, internalized his ethnic hatred by externalizing his self-loathing (Di Stasi quoted in Quinn, p. 167). Chase stands accused of betraying his own culture by strengthening the association, more than ever, bet ween Italian-American families and criminality. Di Stasi claims the average television viewer sees the link between the two as genetic. Using existing literature combined with my own semiotic analysis of the television series The Sopranos, I take a constructionist approach to determine how The Sopranos changes the image of the Italian mafia family since the release of The Godfather. In doing so, I expose the Italian ethnic signs within the text and discuss the role these signs play in supporting Blackwoods (2006) assertion that The Sopranos represent the assimilation of the Italian gangster into American culture. My data sample consists of the first seasons episodes of The Sopranos series. Limiting the catalog of data to thirteen episodes produces a feasible and manageable data set, and it allows analysis of a text created purely from the authors intentions, before its extreme popularity could influence new or exaggerated messages. Using a social semiotic approach advocated by Fairclough and Van Leeuwen (see Van Leeuwen, 2005, p. 139), I analyze the first thirteen episodes of The Sopranos in an effort to reveal the u nderlying messages of ethnic Italian identity. This approach is selected because it focuses on the function of texts in social interactions. It recognizes discourse as an element to structure content (i.e. what is expressed), genre to structure interaction (i.e. what happens), and style to structure the manner in which a text communicates (Van Leeuwen, 2005). Under Van Leeuwens approach, the text will be examined through the frames of violence, food, musical score, and set furnishings. Framing is a way of describing the power of communication within a text (Entman, 1993). It involves the selection of an aspect of perceived reality, and the elevation of the salience of that information within the text (i.e. making it more noticeable). The analysis provided rests on the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism. The rejection of the notions that meaning emanates intrinsically from objects that provide meaning and that meaning is derived through a coalescence of psychological factors, allows us to see meaning as product of social interaction (Blumer, 1986). Thus, the meaning of things is formed from communication channels through a recipients interpretive process. This theoretical framework makes possible the assimilation of one culture into another. Hollywood movies are bastions of symbolic interactionism. They impose Americaness as a self-ascripting category whose value orientation dominates any primordial ethnic condition (Freidman, 1991, p. 22). Data Analysis In The Sopranos, Chase removes the impenetrable barrier between Italian family values and Italian family business that was so carefully constructed by Coppola in The Godfather. Coppola manages to create an intensely powerful and thought provoking audience experience of The Godfather through narrative and visuals that present the opposition of family values and violence. In the opening scene, the viewer is presented with a dark image of a heart-broken man confessing a heinous act of sexual violence perpetrated against his daughter. As the camera pans out, and the screen brightens only slightly, we see the man is in the study of Vito Corleone, a mafia Don and patriarch to one of New Yorks most infamous crime families. The man is begging Vito to avenge his daughters honour. Suddenly, the camera reveals the outside of the house, where there is a great celebration. Vitos daughter is marrying. Men, women, children, and even rival mobsters attend the elaborate festivities. There is much lau ghter, singing, and dancing. In contrast, the dark study, allows only a few privileged men to enter and make requests of Vito, who cannot refuse their requests on the day of his daughters wedding. The movement of the camera back and forth between the two locations creates a striking, visual divide between the celebration of family, and the dark world of the family business. The study is the location of power, a private sanctuary where reports are given and violent reprisals are arranged. The scene very effectively illustrates the ironic nature of the relationship between the family values and the family business. The room is physically separate from the family rituals thus maintaining a strong separation between the two worlds. The dichotomous nature of Corleone family values allows the characters to tread a delicate line between valorization and criticism (Simon, 1983). In The Sopranos, Chase completely removes this separation by immersing the Italian characters in American cultura l ritual and symbols. The family business is deeply entangled in everyday family rituals and activities. The world of family values and dark family business become one. The total assimilation of the Italian mafia family into American culture is achieved by the removal of all but the most obvious signs of ethnic stereotyping. The Long Island estate of Vito Coleone, with its stone and stucco exterior, Italian style courtyard, and extensive vegetable and fruit gardens, is replaced with a New Jersey, sprawling, modern American, brick ranch. Vitos Italian gardens are replaced with Tony Sopranos landscaping that appears to come straight from the pages of a Home Depot magazine. The interior of the Soprano house is a striking contrast to that of the Corleones. The Corleone mansion, with its dark leather furniture, dark oak paneling and trim, dim lighting, and minimalist furnishings is replaced by the bright modern American dà ©cor of the Sopranos home. An authentic New Jersey look was crucial for Chase whose production designer spent countless hours poking through houses up and down the Garden State parkway (Martin, 2007, p. 29). What Chase achieved are lu xurious interiors of light coloured oak flooring, tan leather furniture, modern glass top tables, and light oak shelves carefully decorated with showy books, pricey figurines, vases, and candle sticks. The walls are finished in tame colours of tan, ivory, soft greens, and gold. In the dining room and bedroom, the furniture is finished in light pastels that imitate stone which was common in upscale American homes of the 1990s. The kitchen, with its recessed pot lighting and bleached oak cabinets, is typical of popular modern American design. This is the home of a typical middle-class American family, from the bright, warm, inviting family room to the messy teenager bedrooms covered in dirty laundry and grunge band posters. The lack of a musical score for The Sopranos also assists in the assimilation of the characters into American culture. The Godfather provides the viewer with a rich ethnic and folkloric musical score written by Nino Rota with additional music by Carmen Coppola, Francis Fords father. From luna mess o mare sung by family members during the opening wedding scene to the main title, called The Godfather Waltz, the viewer is immersed in the melodic strands of Italian music and reminded of the rich ethnic background that gave rise to such music. In contrast, there is no musical score for The Sopranos; however, each Sopranos episode opens with Woke Up This Morning (1997) by British fusion band Alabama 3 and closes with a different previously recorded pop tune such as Elvis Costellos Complicated Shadows (episode 3), Jefferson Airplanes White Rabbit (episode 7), and Bruce Springsteens State Trooper (episode 13). This music lends a contemporary feel to the show that is decidedly American. Chase believes firmly that the lack of a musical score increases the authenticity of his work. He notes that like Quentin Tarantinos movies, the use of pre-recorded, popular music promotes an authentic American feel to the work (David Chase Interview, 2000). Despite the assimilated nature of the characters, a link to Italian ethnicity is maintained. This link is achieved primarily through the constant reference to Italian cuisine within each episode. A major sub-plot in episode one involves young AJs birthday party where Ziti and the proper way to cook Italian sausages is a significant part of the narrative. In episode two, Paulie Walnuts becomes enraged at the profits earned by large American corporations through their cooption of Italian cuisine. Father Phil, the priest from the local Roman Catholic Church, is often seen visiting the Soprano home. The character of Father Phil is intended to create sexual tension with the character of Carmella Soprano (David Chase Interview, 2000). This tension is overshadowed by Father Phils desire for home-made Italian food and his constant dialog regarding the superiority of Italian cuisine. He visits the Soprano home, and the homes of other Italian parishioners, constantly looking to be fed (episode s 1, 5, 6, 13). Artie Bucco, a close friend of Tonys, is an accomplished chef specializing in Italian cuisine. This character appears in numerous scenes where he serves sumptuous Italian cuisine and his skills as an Italian chef are praised (episode 1, 2, 3, 9, 13). Chase devotes a significant amount of dialog in each episode to the discussion of Italian food. In addition, Italian food is visually depicted through camera close-ups in restaurant scenes and in the many scenes involving Soprano family dinners. In these close-ups, the camera frames the food much like what one would see on a cooking program. The viewer is presented with large images of Italian pastas being dished from platters while the character dialog continues in the background. A second important symbol that serves to link the assimilated Soprano family characters to their Italian heritage is observed in the characters of Paulie Walnuts Gualtieri, Silvio Dante, and Salvatore Big Pussy Bonpensiero. These characters are part of Tonys crew, and they epitomize the stereotypical vision of the urban, somewhat slow, greasy, Italian tough guys. They dress in dark clothing; wear patterned, silk shirts, unbuttoned to show thick gold chains and crosses around their neck; grease their hair back; and speak with the same Bronx-Italian accent heard in Goodfellas (1990). Violence plays a central role in The Sopranos. This centrality contrasts sharply with the The Godfather where violence operates as a backdrop against which we can examine characters and observe family customs and behaviour. The Godfather represents a major shift in the narrative perspective of gangster films (Simon, 1983). Besides being the first film to portray the Italian Mafia, although it never uses the word Mafia in its narrative, the film uses carefully placed narrative gaps to control the affect of violence on the viewing audience. For example, the audience is not prepared for the now famous scene when studio head Jack Woltz lifts the sheets of his bed to find the severed head of his prize racehorse. The previous scene ends with Woltzs refusal to hire Johnny Fontaine, Don Corleones godson, in a discussion with Tom Hagen. When Woltz finds the horse head in his bed, the audience is forced to assume that Hagen ordered the head be severed and placed there. Through this narrative g ap, the audience is completely unprepared for the violence, and as a result, they feel the violence from the victims perspective rather than through the perpetrators. Coppola uses this narrative gap technique again and again for the assassination attempt on Don Corleone, Luca Brazzis strangulation, Sonnys execution, the murders of Paulie Gatto and Michaels Sicilian bride, and the climatic final sequence when Michaels order to assassinate five rival mobsters is carried out. This technique allows Coppola to keep the violence in the background; the violence is the inevitable outcome of failed negotiations or necessary due to ethical codes. The viewer is able to remain focused on the characters with their complex behaviours and the relationships that are demanded by their Italian ethnicity. In The Sopranos, Chase removes the violence from the background and puts it on display. Through narrative and visual signals, the viewer becomes well prepared for violent scenes and experiences those scenes from the aspect of the perpetrator. We see evidence of this in the first act of violence in episode one, The Sopranos (1999). As Tony begins his first session with therapist Dr. Malfi, he recounts a story of a chance meeting with a man who owes him an outstanding debt. Dr. Malfi interrupts Tony to mention that she knows he is a crime boss. She reminds him that if she were to hear of a murder or intentional injury, she would be required to report the incident to authorities. Tony relies, nothin happened, we had coffee. The sarcastic narrative combined with the smirk on Tonys face perfectly sets up the sudden cut to the next scene where Tony hits the man with his nephews car and then proceeds to violently punch and kick the man. When Tony contracts with a Hasidic Jew to extort a div orce from the Jews son-in-law (episode 3), Tony discusses threatening the son-in-law with castration. Several scenes later, the viewer witnesses the assault on the son-in-law, and two scenes later, Tony gleefully describes the assault to Jackie Aprile, a high ranking mob boss. When Tony takes his daughter, Meadow, to her university interviews in New England (episode 5), he unexpectedly bumps into an ex-associate who testified in court against an old mob boss. In several subsequent scenes, Tony and his daughter discuss Tonys involvement in the Mafia. Tony continually downplays his role in criminal activity. Interspersed with these scenes are scenes of Tony planning and carrying out the murder of the ex-associate. These examples demonstrate how The Sopranos follows the television practice of tell them what will happen before it happens; tell them what is happening when it happens; tell them what happened after it happens (David Chase Interview, 2000). This practice elevates the violen ce to a central position where it becomes hopelessly interlaced with family struggles such as dealing with elderly parents (episode 2), illness (episode 3), choosing a College (episode 5), children acting out in school (episode 7), the safety of children from sexual predators (episode 9), and depression (episode 12). Conclusion For most Italians who have emigrated from Italy, remnants of Italian culture are still present within their lives. American writers and scholars use the term italianità ¡ to describe these remnants of culture that persist across geographical borders and time (Tamburri, Giordano, and Gardaphà ©, 1991). The use of italianità ¡ in The Sopranos was crucial to the shows success. After a century of media representation that links Italian culture to crime, italianità ¡ authenticates the story for the viewer and makes it all seem real. Similar to the sexual escapism provided by the Italian actresses of the 1950s (Benshoff Griffin, 2004), the use of Italian culture creates the ethnic other necessary to validate the extreme violence, sex, and criminal activity. The viewer remains safe with the notion that the illicit activities and uninhibited sexuality in The Sopranos are perpetrated by transplanted ethnic others, not by respectable, white Americans. Chase admits that The Sopranos helped realize his desire to produce feature films (David Chase Interview, 2000). Although each episode is only one hour in length, airing the series on HBO allowed broadcast without commercial interruption. This permitted the writers to abandon the common television drama structure of four-act scripts permitting slower plot development. Indeed, Chase claims that each episode in the first season is a separate complete movie, that continuation of story lines from one episode to the next was low priory during the writing process. As crucial as the ethnic other is to the authentication of the story, The Sopranos became exemplary of the ethnic assimilation port

Natural Indicators :: essays research papers

Natural Indicators Each year millions of tourists travel to the woods of New England, upstate New York, Wisconsin, and Canada to witness the appearance of brilliant autumn colors. Sugar maples, red oaks, sumac, birch and other trees and shrubs turn from green to bright red, orange, and yellow. The short, cool days of autumn bring an end to the production of chlorophyll (the green light-gathering pigment). As chlorophyll gradually breaks down, the colors of the more stable carotenoid (yellow/orange) and anthocyanin (red/blue/purple) pigments become visible. Some years the leaves of a particular species are bright yellow, while other years they may appear redder or even purple. Although no one can accurately predict the timing or coloration of each year's show, we do know that there is a chemical basis for it. Anthocyanins (Figure I) are responsible not only for the red and purplish colors of autumn, but also for similar colors in various summer leaves (red cabbage, red lettuce, red plum tree), flowers (roses, hydrangeas, geraniums, bachelor buttons, dark pansies), fruit (cherries, red apples, grapes, tomato, blackberry, blueberry, plum), roots (beets, radishes), bulbs (red onions), and petioles (rhubarb). Anthocyanins are water-soluble and are dissolved in the cell sap rather than bound to the membranes as chlorophyll is. If cell sap in a leaf is very acidic, then anthocyanins make the leaves a bright red color, but if it is less acidic the color may appear purple. The color of anthocyanin depends on acidity, and thus it may serve as a pH (acid/base) indicator (Figure II). pH is a quantitative measure of the acidity or basicity of solutions. Numerically, the pH of a solution is defined as the negative logarithm (base 10) of the hydronium ion (H3O+) concentration. If the pH is less than 7 the solution is acidic, if it is greater than 7 the solution is basic, and if it is 7 the solution is neutral. The higher the pH, the more basic the solution, and the lower the pH, the more acidic the solution. Figure II illustrates the relationship between color and pH for anthocyanin pigments extracted from red cabbage or other sources. Since anthocyanins are found in all of the above named organic materials, they are all very useful natural indicators. Natural indicators are better for detecting acids and bases than man made indicators. This experiment utilizes red cabbage juice, red onion juice, blueberry juice, phenolphthalein, bromythol blue, and universal indicator for the indicators and for the acids and bases, uses .

Welcome, You’ve Got a Brave New World :: Brave New World

Welcome, You’ve Got a Brave New World   Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The task of predicting the future is difficult at best, yet Huxley’s predictions of the future have proven to be eerily accurate in several areas. Many of Huxley’s predictions are being realized today, have already been realized or will be realized in a few short years. These specific predictions, which are closely related to today are our sexual practices, an obsession with youth and beauty, the minimal role of parents and the practice of religion.  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World people treat sex as a form of entertainment rather than an expression of love between a couple.   Most forms of entertainment in Brave New World somehow relate to sex.   For example the feelies are pornographic movies with a more advanced plot line and the tremendous bonus of experiencing the same things as the actors on the screen.   The government encourages sex and promiscuity among its citizens, if a person is not promiscuous they are seen as outcasts. Sex in Brave New World is not a private matter and is openly practiced.   To ensure that sex’s purpose is for entertainment the government makes only thirty percent of the female population fertile. This ensures that the population will not view sex as a form of reproduction because the majority are not capable of sexual reproduction. The more partners a person has the more popular the person is.   A person is discouraged from having a long-term relationship with one person.  Ã‚   If they have a long term relationship their loyalty to the government and Ford is in question, as evidenced in the following excerpt: â€Å"And you know how strongly the DHC objects to anything intense or long and drawn out.   Four months of Henry Foster without having another man - why, he’d be furious if he knew†(page #) One night-stands are common and expected. Sex is discussed openly in Brave New World. It is not seen as dirty, shameful or something to be discussed behind closed doors.   From a young age children learn about sex and contraceptives.   Children are forced to use contraceptives every time they have sex. They are encouraged to participate in sex play from a young age.   Those who do not wish to participate are taken to a psychologist for an evaluation. Religion in Brave New World is also linked to sex.