Supply and Demand and Cell Phones

Damita Nix 1/15/2012 CTU Online ECON202-1201B Phase 1 Individual Project1 Instructor Olanrewaju Abstract This paper will explore the world of two particular types of cell phones that are identical with minor features. I will be demonstrating skills in using the tools of economics for decision making for the firm operating in the market economy to include supply and demand, elasticity of demand, consumer behavior and utility maximization, and the costs of production both short-run and long-run. I will also be demonstrating the ability to clearly present views in written and/or oral expression. On the web, I will research additional information about the A-Phone and the Pomegranate. The task below also requires me to draw graphs of supply and demands increases and decreases. When the task is complete you will have learned about the demand curve of an A phone, a clear understanding on what happens to the price and quantity supplied, equilibrium, and effects on government interventions with cell phones. Title: Cell Phones Part I Draw the demand curve for the A-Phone. Explain how the graph, price, and quantity demanded  will change if the following occurs: * There is an overall increase in income. There is an overall increase in income and people believe that the Pomegranate is now better than the A-Phone. * The price of the A-Phone goes up  when a flaw is found in the Pomegranate. * A new type of walkie-talkie has an unlimited range and is basically free. * It is discovered that there are health concerns when using cell phones. * There is a baby boom. * The price of the A -Phone and the Pomegranate both go up. Price P1 P2 P3 Demand Q1 Q2 Q3 Quantity What happens to the supply of cell phones if the market price goes up? Part II Explain what happens to the price and quantity supplied and how it reflects on a graph if the following occurs: * It becomes more expensive to produce cell phones. * More cell phones are being produced with the same amount of inputs. * Walkie talkies are popular because of the new technological change mentioned above. * Another company starts producing cell phones, and now there are  3 producers in the market. * People think the price of cell phones will go up in the future. PriceSupply P1 Q1 Quantity Part III Draw a graph which shows the equilibrium price of cell phones. Explain what the graph is showing. When the new manufacturer introduces the Robo cell phone to the market, how does that effect the equilibrium price if the Robo is basically the same as the other cell phones? ————- Part IV As the public’s dependence on cell phones continues to grow, the cost of the phones may be decreasing, but the stronghold that  telecommunication companies have on the public in regards to contracts and climbing fees is alarming. Additionally, all cell phone companies charge about the same prices, and the consumers do not have much choice in substituting providers. Consumers appear to need some controls in this regard, and the government decides to step in. * What is the effect of government intervention in the cell phone market? Make sure that you use graphs to illustrate your point. * Is this a good thing for consumers? On the other hand, the government sees the increase in cell phone use as an opportunity to make some additional revenue, and it decides to tax  service  providers. * Who is really paying the tax? * Illustrate your conclusion on a graph. * Do you think that there is a free market for cell phone users? Why or why not? References

Liquor Advertisements

The television is one of today’s major sources of entertainment. It could not be denied that this particular innovation of technology attracts numerous audiences that share a certain agreement that television is indeed a primary source of relaxation to the weary minds of many people in the society. In fact, â€Å"According to the International Herald Tribune, over a billion TV sets cover the globe, 50  percent more than there were five years ago. In Japanese homes, TV sets outnumber flush toilets. Only about half of Mexican homes have a telephone, but just about every household has a TV. And many Americans have 25 or 30 channels to choose from. States the Tribune: â€Å"The cultural, political and economic effects of this global television revolution are enormous. .  .  . Some worry that all that TV watching will make the rest of the world lose its appetite for reading, as has already happened to two generations of Americans.† (Herald tribune, 1990, 3) Certainly, from this particular report, it could be observed that television has been taking over the other forms of entertainment ever since the time it was first introduced to the society. It could be noted too that as years pass, the simple innovation of a box like feature of a television continuous to involve in such a state that the said form of entertainment is able to meet the specific standard of relaxation for different types of audiences. There exists the large screen televisions, the flat screen TVs, the mobile televisions and so on and so forth (Anuradha, 1994, 34). From this point it could then be agreed upon by many that television fondness among the present generation towards the next generations is here to stay. However, the question is, with the large amount of hours spent by viewers in front of the television, how true is it to say that the habit of television viewing affects the viewers directly, leaving a great impact upon their lives as individuals? It could also be understood that television is among the major mediums used to host several advertisements that are posted for liquor beverages. To understand the impact of the system, understanding what television has originally made for could be the first step in the clarification. Television can plant the same idea in hundreds of millions of minds—all in the same instant! And unlike the printed page, it does not require its viewers to be educated in the complex art of reading, nor does it ask them to form their own mental images and impressions. It delivers its messages with pictures and sound and all the enticements they can produce. (Evra, 1997, 24) It did not take long for politicians to see the tremendous potential of television. In the United States, Dwight D.  Eisenhower used TV shrewdly in his 1952 presidential campaign. According to the book Tube of Plenty—The Evolution of American Television (Greenwood,1980), Eisenhower  won the election because he proved the more â€Å"merchandisable† candidate in the media. The book shows that TV may have played an even greater role in John F.  Kennedy’s victory over Richard M.  Nixon in the 1960 election. When the candidates debated on TV, Kennedy scored higher with viewers than Nixon did. Yet, audiences who heard the same debate over the radio felt that it had been a draw. Why the difference? Nixon looked pale and haggard, while Kennedy was robust and tanned, exuding confidence and vitality. After the election, Kennedy said of television: â€Å"We wouldn’t have had a prayer without that gadget.† (Evra, 1997, 25) â€Å"That gadget† continued to make its power felt worldwide. Some began calling it the third superpower. Satellite technology enabled broadcasters to beam their signals across national borders and even oceans. World leaders used TV as a forum to garner international support and denounce their rivals. Some governments used it to transmit propaganda into enemy countries. And just as governments had tried to control Gutenberg’s invention once they understood its power, many governments took tight hold of television. In 1986 nearly half of all nations were broadcasting only government-controlled programs. At present, there are numerous developments with regards the programs presented through the use of the satellite connections of televisions. News programs were among those, which primarily utilized the benefits brought about by television networking (Evra, 1997, 29). However, aside from this particular programming presentation, other recreational sorts of programs also found the said satellite networking system quite much effective in helping the society gain recreation and not simply information from utilizing the said technological gadget. Since then, entertainment and recreation became one of the most important factors of interest it television programming (Scheuer, 1999, 99). The production of soap operas, and fantasy based stories that are aimed to entertain especially the young audiences (Evra, 1997, 54). This is where the negative and positive effects of television on the human society enters the discussion. (A)   The Benefits of Television Television has made available some wholesome entertainment programs too. In the privacy of his home a person can enjoy a Shakespeare drama, the Metropolitan Opera, ballet and concerts. There is a television series produced in England that may be enjoyed with or without sound. When the actors talk to one another (which is very seldom) they also employ sign language. This makes available an entertaining and instructive program both for people who can hear and for those who cannot. (Awake! 1990, 29) The field of education has greatly benefited from television. It makes available a variety of instructive material with a full view of the teacher and of any experiments or visual illustrations that he may provide. One can learn about mathematics, various other sciences, basic household skills, languages and many other things on educational television. Many enjoy â€Å"visual essays† that couple a fine view of live performances in arts such as music or dancing with commentary by an expert in the field. Some countries employ TV to cut down their illiteracy rate (Littner, 1980, 25). Developing countries have found it an effective tool to train people for jobs where there are not enough qualified teachers. And television presentations can be stored on videotape for repeated use. Young viewers can often talk intelligently on matters that the pre-television generations never dreamed of; and in the case of very young children, TV may contribute to a larger vocabulary, though it often has the opposite effect on older youths. â€Å"But television is merely a means of communication. Whether it benefits you personally depends upon the type of programs that you watch. Many voices have been raised in protest at the poor quality of much TV programming. In the United States television has been criticized for â€Å"pandering to the lowest common denominator in public taste.† (Evra, 1997, 32) Certainly, the power of television viewing has mainly affected the ways by which the young learners are able to increase their vocabularies as well as their knowledge about the major factors of the society as well as the major branches of education, especially when they are viewing educational programs. In these terms, the fact that television also brings about benefits to the society is indeed proven. (B)   The Disadvantages of Viewing TV There are several factors of viewing that brings about negative effects to the human individuals. There are at least four major themes that characterize this particular impact. The said program themes in the television that brings about the disadvantages include (a) Sexual Immorality; (b) Corruption and Social Chaos or dishonesty; (c) fantasy and make believe; and (d) Violence (Anuradha, 1994, 24). These particular themes are usually the primary themes used by television programming that at some point attracts the larger amount of viewers form the public. Why is this so? According to psychology experts, people who usually watch television are those who are having not much of things to do; those who are not preoccupied enough with their jobs that they are able to spend long hours of the day sitting in front of their televisions (coon, 1999, 26). They are the main targets of the producers of programs in the television. Hence, to be able to gain much profit from them, these producers aim to tickle their interests through the utilization of the major themes that directly attract their attention (Anuradha, 1994, 54). Making believe is among the top themes used by producers in creating the programs that they present to the society. Movies and television series that are arranged in patterns of the fantasy themes have normally received much appreciation from public viewers (Scheuer, 1999). As for a fact, movies such as Harry Potter, the Terminator, Lord of the Rings and other more programs following the same theme attracted much of the population in the society. They are among the movies, which are considered to become the blockbusters of the years when they were first shown to the public. True, the relaxation that the said movies bring to its viewers is indeed incomparable. Psychologists again add that the need of people to rest from reality through believing in fantasy stories is indeed a defense mechanism of the society in facing the reality of life (Coon, 1999, 145). Watching movies that make them realize that they are powerful enough like â€Å"heroes† such as Spiderman and batman in facing their lives, effective and strategic in ways of facing their transgressions through the use of magic like Harry Potter; makes the human society feel like there are of no limits and that they are empowered in terms of fantasy to face the challenges that they meet everyday (Coon, 1999, 146). However, not all the audiences that are able to access the said movies are mature enough to understand that what they are seeing is simply make believe. In fact, 70% of the viewers of these particular themes are young children from the ages two towards the ages six, who are known to believe whatever they see in the television. They are not that much capable of setting apart the truth from make-believe. Hence, upon seeing the programs that were mentioned above, they are disposed of to beliefs that they are able to become like that of the characters that they see on television. Children as young as they are have no limitations as to what they are supposed to or not believe in. The trend of television toward the â€Å"new morality† is also a disheartening one. Startled viewers have seen shows that deal with homosexuality and lesbianism. Full frontal nudity has appeared on stations of the Public Broadcasting System. Comedy shows often feature off-color humor. And what about the â€Å"soap operas†? The pamphlet TV and the New Morality observes: â€Å"Daytime soap operas deal frankly with adultery and casually show unmarried couples in bed together.† (Awake! 1998, 23) Again, the young audiences are not addressed fairly in this part of the program arrangement of the television showing. Form this particular picture; it could be observed that the moral disposition of the children is rather placed in such a confusing status. Hence, when they grow older, their understanding of what is right and what is wrong is then misarranged that they be subjected to confusion when they are already facing the actual situations in life when they are the ones who are already expected on what is right and what is not. In terms of human relations, in bygone days when a person wished to learn of events or matters of local or world importance, he would have to get that information by direct communication with other people. Friends would gather at the village well or at the general store for an exchange of news and views. But with television, people may get the same information without bothering with their neighbors (Evra, 1997, 47). If they are not careful, they can allow television to quash their incentive to communicate with others. One writer spoke of TV watchers as being â€Å"anonymous island-audiences, newly separated from one another.† (Awake! 1998, 24)Certainly, television programs at some point ruins the doubtless relationships of humans with each other. The used to be loyally disposed relationships between humans are being directly affected by the doubtful ideas presented in televisions. Knowing both the advantages and the disadvantages brought about by television viewing, it should then occur to each individual that the importance of balancing television viewing with other activities away from it is an essential part in assisting the youths especially in their behavioral advancements towards adulthood that are actually directly affected by their practices in television viewing. Television and Liquor Advertisements WHAT is the aim of commercial advertising? Businesses say that their advertising provides a public service because it gives us information about their products. The International Advertising Association states: â€Å"To be properly informed the Consumer needs advertising. Informed choice is based on information. Advertising—in its broadest sense—is the vital conduit for that information between Producer and Consumer.† Of course, we all know that such advertising does more than merely inform—its job is to sell. It is not objective or neutral. Successful ads skillfully engage the mind of the consumer and motivate him to buy the product advertised. Recently, advertisements using sexuality as a way of persuading consumers to buy adult beverages has been a trend in the advertising industry. Why is this so? As we know the advertising business is enticed with the goal of targeting a specific group of consumers to attract to buy their products. As to clearly explain, to be strategically sound, an ad is usually carefully directed to a certain audience, whether it be children, housewives, businesspeople, or some other group. The message is crafted to appeal to the most important concerns of that audience. Then the ad is run in the media that will most effectively reach them. Before an ad is designed, a great deal of research goes into finding out about the group of people most likely to buy and use the product being advertised. Advertisers need to know who these people are, how they think and behave what they desire and dream of. Advertisers also consider informations about consumers such as who they are, where they live, what they buy and why. Knowing all these gives them the ammunition to write persuasive sales messages. Their targets will respond to persuasion; they won’t respond to bluster, our self-interests, or rhetorical arrows shot randomly into the air. And as obvious as it is, the prospect consumers of hard liquor products or adult beverages, which are men had been successfully persuaded by such kind of advertisements using sexuality. In fact, these kinds of advertisements have already been socially accepted as years passed in the advertising industry. The question is, is this kind of practice to be considered healthy? Could it be justified as to becoming socially accepted as a simple norm in the society? How should consumers react on this kind of persuasion? These questions and more shall be answered in the following paragraphs. The Reality behind Advertisements using Sexuality Ads are carefully crafted to appeal to the specific desires and values of the target audience. Perhaps an ad will appeal to the need to have fun, the hunger for security, or a yearning to be accepted by others. Maybe the ad will direct itself to a desire to impress others, to be clean, or to stand out as different. Indeed, advertisements could be in any form. It could be shown through music, visual materials such as posters, newspaper ads and the television, it could also be posted through the Internet. In fact, these ads are usually accompanied by women who almost wore nothing holding the beverage on one hand and the other hand flirting with the man whom they are luring to have a drink with. Yes, this has become a common trend. Although all the advertisements showing sexual patterns of persuasion are most likely addressed to the grown-ups, it still couldn’t be denied that it is not only them who are able to have access to these advertisements. As reality suggests, the advertisements specially shown in TV are not only viewed by adults but as well as young children. Of course the advertisers know that TV, as a medium of communication, has a profound effect. Their advertising conditions people mentally so that they will buy their products. Surely, the commercial leaders of the world are not so simple-minded as to throw away money if TV advertising has little or no effect. On the contrary, instead of buying, the innocent minds of children are more likely polluted with trash and lust, things that they should not even see. Not only that, Internet today is mostly accessible to anybody who would like to learn anything. Yet, behind the aims of learning something new, many youths stumble to the sites showcasing commercial ads regarding beverages that has a strong spirit affecting the aggressiveness of anybody who drinks it. The worst thing it, the ads are more often then not, posting pornographic materials along with the product they sell. Aside from this, teens that are able to watch these kinds of â€Å"short flicks† on sexuality are usually stimulated to do the same things they see. Unfortunately, many teenagers fail to see the real effects of these advertisements to them selves. As a result, grave conclusions on the matter have been accepted by the society as parts of norms already. Things such as premarital sex, grave sexual assaults between teenagers and cases alike. Yes, the advertisements showcasing the sexuality as a social norm prove to be quite disturbing. Knowing this, how should we react as consumers towards the said advertisements? Conclusion As conscientious consumers, we should be aware enough of what we buy from what we watch and what we see. Basing from the thing we see, we should be prompted to protect the children and teenagers from becoming victims of the effects of advertisements posting lust to be such a luring and desirable act for anybody. Regarding the said issue, it is more considerable to accept banning commercials and advertisements showcasing sexuality as a medium of consumer-persuasion-strategy. Why is this so much agreeable about? First, the effects of the said advertisements prove to be much overwhelming especially concerning the morality of many people specially youths worldwide. This fact should wake everybody up to face the reality that each of us has a responsibility to protect our society from being polluted by the many grave effects of the wide array of pornography which are usually seen in Adult beverage advertisements. Second, everyone is liable of being a responsible citizen for the next genera tin following the footsteps of the older generation. Third, we all have a battle against exploitation. Why is this related? It is because many of the talents used in the posters and commercials for adult beverages are more likely underage, or if not, at times because of financial reasons, they are encouraged to pose for certain ads. Although there is an Advertising code for beverage commercials stating that women posing for the said commercials should be aged 25 and above, it is still more often that not being abused. Yes, each person has his own reason for agreeing in making their society a better place to live in. One way of making it is cleaning the most influential power in the society which is the media.   One of the key solutions to this problem is our respect for each other. As we could see, if people tend to respect each other’s right and think of other’s welfare other than just thinking of the profit to be gained, the morality of humanity could be closely watched and circumstances such as commercials involving sexuality could be fairly avoided. References: â€Å"Advertising-How necessary?† (February 8,1988). Awake! Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Brooklyn, New York. 3-4. Alcohol.gov. (2005). ALCOHOL BEVERAGES ADVERTISING CODE. www.alcohol.gov.au/advertising.pdf.   (November 6, 2007).   

Azerbaijan Essay Example for Free

Azerbaijan Essay The country was among the birthplaces of mankind and is located at the heart of ancient civilizations. Furthermore the country is known to be among the most progressive and secular Islamic societies. Aside from having been the first Muslim country to have operas, theater plays, and a democratic republic, Azerbaijan today is among the Muslim countries where support for secularism and tolerance is the highest. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the first democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world, was established in 1918, but was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920. Azerbaijan regained independence in 1991. The Constitution of Azerbaijan does not declare an official religion but the majority of people adhere to the Shia branch of Islam, although Muslim identity tends to be based more on culture and ethnicity rather than religion and Azerbaijan remains as one of the most liberal majority-Muslim nations. The pre-Turkic Azerbaijani population spoke an Iranian language called the Old Azeri language, which was gradually replaced by a Turkic language, now known as the Azerbaijani language from the 11th century onward until it became completely extinct in the 16th century. To distinguish it from the Turkic Azerbaijani or Azeri language, this Iranian language, is designated as the Azeri language (or Old Azeri language), because the Turkic language and people are also designated as â€Å"Azeri† in the Persian language. Azerbaijan is in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia, straddling Western Asia and Eastern Europe. It lies between latitudes 38 ° and 42 ° N, and longitudes 44 ° and 51 ° E. The total length of Azerbaijan’s land borders is 2,648 km (1,645 mi), of which 1007 kilometers are with Armenia, 756 kilometers with Iran, 480 kilometers with Georgia, 390 kilometers with Russia and 15 kilometers with Turkey. The coastline stretches for 800 km (497 mi), and the length of the widest area of the Azerbaijani section of the Caspian Sea is 456 km (283 mi). The territory of Azerbaijan extends 400 km (249 mi) from north to south, and 500 km (311 mi) from west to east. Three physical features dominate Azerbaijan: the Caspian Sea, whose shoreline forms a natural boundary to the east; the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north; and the extensive flatlands at the country’s center. There are also three mountain ranges, the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, and the Talysh Mountains, together covering approximately 40 percent of the country. The main water sources are the surface waters. However, only 24 of the 8,350 rivers are greater than 100 km (62 mi) in length. All the rivers drain into the Caspian Sea in the east of the country. Since the independence of Azerbaijan in 1991, the Azerbaijani government has taken drastic measures to preserve the environment of Azerbaijan. But national protection of the environment started to truly improve after 2001 when the state budget increased due to new revenues provided by the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. Within four years protected areas doubled and now make up eight percent of the country’s territory. Since 2001 the government has set up seven large reserves and almost doubled the sector of the budget earmarked for environmental protection. Azerbaijan’s diverse landscape affects the ways air masses enter the country. The Greater Caucasus protects the country from direct influences of cold air masses coming from the north. That leads to the formation of subtropical climate on most foothills and plains of the country. Meanwhile, plains and foothills are characterized by high solar radiation rates. Rivers and lakes form the principal part of the water systems of Azerbaijan; they were formed over a long geological timeframe and changed significantly throughout that period. This is particularly evidenced by fragments of ancient rivers found throughout the country. The country’s water systems are continually changing under the influence of natural forces and human introduced industrial activities. Artificial rivers (canals) and ponds are a part of Azerbaijan’s water systems. From the water supply point, Azerbaijan is below the average in the world with approximately 100,000 m? year of water per km?. The first reports on the richness and diversity of animal life in Azerbaijan can be found in travel notes of Eastern travelers. Animal carvings on architectural monuments, ancient rocks and stones survived up to the present times. The first information on the animal kingdom of Azerbaijan was collected during the visits of naturalists to Azerbaijan in 17th century. Unlike fauna, the concept of animal kingdom covers not only the types of animals, but also the number of individual species. There are 106 species of mammals, 97 species of fish, 363 species of birds, 10 species of amphibians and 52 species of reptiles which have been recorded and classified in Azerbaijan. The national animal of Azerbaijan is the Karabakh horse, a mountain-steppe racing and riding horse endemic to Azerbaijan. The Karabakh horse has a reputation for its good temper, speed, elegance and intelligence. It is one of the oldest breeds, with ancestry dating to the ancient world. Azerbaijan’s vegetation consists of more than 4,500 species of higher plants. Due the unique climate in Azerbaijan, the vegetation is much richer in the number of species than the flora of the other republics of the South Caucasus. Azerbaijan is divided into 10 economic regions; 66 rayons and 77 cities of which 11 are under the direct authority of the republic. Also, Azerbaijan includes the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan. The President of Azerbaijan appoints the governors of these units, while the government of Nakhchivan is elected and approved by the parliament of Nakhchivan Self-ruling Republic. Tourism is an important part of the economy of Azerbaijan. The country’s large abundance of natural and cultural attractions make it an attractive destination of visitors. The country was a well-known tourist spot in the 1980s; yet, the Nagorno-Karabakh War during the 1990s crippled the tourist industry and damaged the image of Azerbaijan as a tourist destination. It was not until 2000s that the tourism industry began to recover, and the country has since experienced a high rate of growth in the number of tourist visits and overnight stays. In the recent years, Azerbaijan has also becoming a popular destination for religious, spa, and health care tourism. Around 95 percent of the populations are Muslims. 85% of the Muslims are Shia Muslims and 15% Sunni Muslims, and the Republic of Azerbaijan has the Second highest Shia population percentage after Iran. There are some other faiths practiced among the different ethnic groups within the country. By article 48 of its Constitution, Azerbaijan is a secular state and ensures religious freedom. Of the nation’s religious minorities, Christians are mostly Russian and Georgian Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic (almost all Armenians live in the break-away region of Nagorno-Karabakh). The culture of Azerbaijan has developed as a result of many influences. Today, Western influences, including globalized consumer culture, are strong. National traditions are well preserved in the country. Some of the main elements of the Azerbaijani culture are: music, literature, folk dances and art, cuisine, architecture, cinematography and Novruz Bayram. The latter is the traditional celebration of the ancient New Year. Novruz is a family holiday. The traditional cuisine is famous for richness of vegetables and greens used seasonally in the dishes. Fresh herbs, including mint, dill, basil, parsley, tarragon, leeks, chives, thyme, marjoram, green onion, and watercress, are very popular and often accompany main dishes on the table. Climatic diversity and fertility of the land are reflected in the national dishes, which are based on fish from the Caspian Sea, local meat (mainly mutton and beef), and an abundance of seasonal vegetables and greens. Saffron-rice ploy is the flagship food in Azerbaijan and black tea is the national beverage. Azerbaijan–Turkey relations have always been strong with the two often being described as â€Å"one nation with two states† by the ex-president of Azerbaijan Abulfaz Elchibey due to a common culture and history, and the mutual intelligibility of Turkish and Azerbaijani. Turkey has been a staunch supporter of Azerbaijan in its efforts to consolidate its independence, preserve its territorial integrity and realize its economic potential arising from the rich natural resources of the Caspian Sea. The countries share a short border, with the Aras River separating Turkey from the Nakhchivan exclave for just a few kilometers. Today, the relationship with Azerbaijan represents the â€Å"most important bilateral partnership† in current Turkish foreign policy while Azerbaijani foreign policy affirms its relationship with Turkey as one of its most enduring bilateral relationships, as evidenced in aligned political affairs, mutual cooperation in the areas of trade, commerce, finance, technology, academics, as well as the arts and sciences; the sharing of government and military intelligence, and joint combat operations and peace keeping missions carried out between Azerbaijani Armed Forces and Turkish Armed Forces. Azerbaijan. (2018, Oct 26).

Prepare a report presenting the results of the analysis of recent Statistics Project

Prepare a report presenting the results of the analysis of recent trends in sales, costs and profits of a chosen company - Statistics Project Example The Coca Cola Company is the largest beverage company in the world accounting for about 1.3 billion servings of the 50 billion servings consumed each day. There are over 500 nonalcoholic beverage brands consisting of sparkling beverages and still beverages. Sparkling beverages include Coca Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite and Fanta. The still beverages are water, enhanced waters, juices, ready to drink teas and coffees, energy and sports drinks. The company makes huge profits but notable it made loss in 2006 and 2008 financial years as indicated by the consolidated statement of income (CE-AR, 2006 and CE-AR, 2008). The company is however doing the best to correct mistakes that lead to losses witnessed earlier and prevent such eventuality. The sales of these products tend to be seasonal. The second and third quarters normally accounts for higher unit sales than the first and fourth quarters. The second and third quarters accounts for over 60 percent of the annual net operating income. The seasonality of the sales volume affects the results on quarterly basis. The changes in weather patterns, selling times/days and the shifts in holidays influence the results on annual or quarterly basis. (The Coca Cola Company 2006 Annual Report) The emergence of new companies that deal in beverages have presented a case of stiff competition for Coca Cola. Market research becomes an important determinant of attracting customers. The company hires research experts to facilitate such. In order to counter the steps made by their competitors, the company watches over them. The company has several branches across the world. Although the major branches are in the United States, sales volume outside US exceeds them. Given the marketing strategies used in other parts of the world, the products sell a lot (Breneiser & Allen, 2011). The Coca Cola Company operates in socially and environmentally friendly manner. That remains a long-term priority of the company. It is committed to

Marine industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marine industry - Essay Example Credible statistics and claims were uttered in line with this phenomenon. Perhaps, one might say such things are inevitable, we cannot deny the fact that these things could happen without the leniency and negligence of people working with regards to their duties plus the fact that these things could be avoided. Dr. Anita Rothblum of the United States Coast Guard research and development center stressed that over 40 years, the shipping industry focused on improving ship structures and reliability of ship systems to reduce casualty and ensure proficiency and reliability. However, the casualty is still high. She further pointed out that " Maritime system is a people system" and people do play a big part with regards to these errors. Moreover, she explains that 75-96% percent are caused by human errors and tanker accidents, collision, fires and explosions cause some of these incidents. This claim is not new to marine authorities 1. At present, if we are to base on the biggest of perhaps one of the most tragic disasters of ship industries in the world, the tragedy of MV Doa Paz in the Philippines is perhaps the perfect example of human error to date.

Contemporary Art and Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Contemporary Art and Theory - Essay Example The essay "Contemporary Art and Theory" talks about Theory and Contemporary Art. It should be noted that contemporary art cannot be treated in isolation of the 1960-1970 period apparently due to the fact that this period alone excited much interest than any other art historical period. It was an era characterized by uncompromising critical artistic practices with leading figures like August Rodin, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso featuring very prominently. The period between 1960 to 1970 serves a significant purpose within the context of the discussion here fundamentally for a couple of reasons; it was within this period that the advent of the terms â€Å"postmodernism† and â€Å"modernism† made their debut imprint on the industry. Thus on this premise it can be said that this period served as the birth place of what we have today. In other words, the whole story began right there leading to what we have today. In addition, this period also provides a comprehensive time scale to facilitate the process of classifying the various artistic movements with particular relevance to their significance to our contemporary art. The usage of the term â€Å"concept† is said to have begun in the early 1960s, however the impact of it was heavily felt in the latter period of that decade with the advent of the works of people like Joseph Kossuth that opened the door for it to receive a concretized recognition as a movement. It is not widely now agreed that conceptual art is the precursor of conceptualism in contemporary art.

Viruses of the Mind by Richard Dawkins Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Viruses of the Mind by Richard Dawkins - Essay Example Religion does not have much to do with reason. Religion imposes a reality rife with belief and faith, and without requiring reason (it is interesting that the very few people who claim that they can converse with god are labeled as quacks or insane by the very ones who believe in god). Religion does have much to do with the pressure of conformity; this, among other reasons, is why most people unquestioningly accept and adhere to the religion of their youth. As Dawkins states, "...it is a telling fact that, the world over, the vast majority of children follow the religion of their parents rather than any of the other available religions." According to Dawkins, a person exhibits faith when he is "impelled by some deep, inner conviction that something is true, or right, or virtuous: a conviction that doesn't seem to owe anything to evidence or reason, but which, nevertheless, he feels as totally compelling and convincing." and that most religions "make a positive virtue of faith's being strong and unshakable, in spite of not being based upon evidence.

Mayan Civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mayan Civilization - Essay Example The ancient kinship of the Mayan people can be described as comprising patrilineal, bilateral and matrilineal and as such laid the foundation for their political organization (Carter 345). In this case, the political organization was embedded in this kinship where it was characterized by segmentary or well-defined lineages. In this case, the political organization resembled the clan-like structures. The strong attachment to kinship is also evident from the extent to which the Mayan assigned the duties to the scribes in the royal houses and palaces (McAnany 21). The scribes played an important role in the documentation of arts and other materials in the society, and most came from the aristocratic families thus extending the noble doctrine. Therefore, forming and establishing the political organizations of these kinship structures meant that the Mayan rather had a centralized political system with the authority from above or the royal powerful kinships (Yaeger 922). On the other hand, the Mayan arts indicate that the most of the rulers were scribes thus the political organization or structure was built on the ability of the rulers to write. The hierarchy brought about by the kinship implied that the aristocrats were the ruling class with the King as the head (Carter 340). Each city, therefore, had a king with a ruling class. On the other hand, the kingship was based on the religious construction and belief that they represented God on earth. Nonetheless, the Mayan had an outstanding religious belief where they had a calendar set with activities for appeasing the gods. Though the traditional Mayan religion can be described as a system of belief, the society rather engaged in habitual religious practices (McAnany 15). In this case, the Mayan religion was a complex collection of ritual practices and was also based on the hierarchy that

Nothing But The Truth by avi book talk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nothing But The Truth by avi book talk - Essay Example There are larger social and community forces at work when it comes to the actions of men. Young people are introduced into these in this work. These things make the book a worthwhile read, apart from its artistic merits. This is an excellent novel for introducing young people into some hard to grasp gray areas when it comes to seeking the truth in human society (Avi, 2003; Holt, Rinehart and Winston, n.d.). In terms of readability and suitability, the novel is perfect for students in the middle school grades. Moreover, the reading difficulty appropriateness is buttressed by the aspects of the novel that relate to truth seeking, and that relate to imparting lessons about how society works, and how human nature works when it comes to dealing with the truth. Truth is not something that is out there as black and white realities, but is something that is sometimes hard to surface, despite the best intentions. This lesson goes beyond the merely literary and goes beyond language. It has large implications for the understanding of young people of their place in their community, and the ways and motivations of people and of the institutions that impact their lives. Because the novel touches on a larger social reality, I chose it as an excellent material with many layers of meaning and lessons for my students. For these reasons too, I rate this 4 stars out of 5 (Avi, 2003; Holt, Rinehart and Win ston, n.d.). The obvious curricular connections are in social studies, especially as the novel touches on the interplay of many social institutions and how they influence the thinking and behavior of the different key characters in the story. The mainstream media as an important group in society is a focus of attention, as well as the larger social reality of the school system, and the political system as well. These are all explored with some depth as they relate to the issue at hand in the novel, and tie very well with related concepts in social studies (Avi, 2003; Holt,

The First Great Awakening Essay Example for Free

The First Great Awakening Essay The first great awakening is best be described by historians as a religious revival that swept through the American colonies. This happened between 1730 and 1745. This revival was a part of the wider movement that was taking place in other regions of the world such as in European regions of Scotland Germany and England. A new age of faith was coming up quickly countering the enlightment age. This was the period that religious faith was being reaffirmed where it mainly meant trusting someone heart instead of the head, this meant feeling were to be more important than thinking. Biblical revelations were to be the guiding tools for the life of human being to be prosperous. This discouraged use of human reason in solving issue related to faith. The first signs of the awakening were seen as early as 1679 following the sermons delivered by Solomon Staddord in Northampton Massachusetts. Periodic revivals occurred after this period but they were usually dying out due to the strong influence of the enlightment age. Jonathan Edward, William Tennent and his family and George Whitefield played a great role in spreading the word and in bringing revival to this region. They are noted for the role they played in initiating religious revivals in the colonies as well as establishing the seminaries where the clergymen would be trained. These clergy people were used to convert people bringing them in to Christianity. (Wallis,J 2008 23) William Tennent has been described a the father of the great awakening, the soldier of Christ and the old grayed disciple of Christ are some of the names that he was given to recognize the role he played in reviving Christianity in the American colonies. He is attributed to the spreading of the fire to many parts of the colony including Ohio and Carolina. He established churches as well as training schools where he trained young men as pastors to help in the spreading of the word. He is accredited for starting the first training camps for the clergy who served in the revival of religion in this part of the world. William stressed on the need for man to seek personal salvation with God, he advocated for the people to repent as they will be convicted of their sins. This made him controversial as the other Presbyterian preachers wanted him to stick to the traditions. He ignited a fire that was carried by his students far and wide to the regions far away helping in the awakening of religion. (Lambert,F 1999 46) The religious enthusiasm spread from the Presbyterians to the purists and Baptists of New England. The clergy were conducting revival employing the strategies used by William Tennent. Jonathan Edwards delivered powerful sermons which ignited a kind of fire never seen before. In his sermon â€Å"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God† he described how people will be destroyed if they did not turn away from their current state. He stated clearly through his sermons what awaited those who are sinners. Just like William he played a great role in spreading revival teaching to different areas as well as training young men who did a great job in this course. George Whitefield who came to be known as the great itinerant Traveled far and wide preaching the revival message. He emphasized on the need of living as Christians rather as divided people. His eloquent manner endeared many whom he helped to convert. The English preacher together with other preachers formed a movement whose aim was to reform the Church of England. He drew very large crowds everywhere he went such that he mostly opted to preach outdoors. (Tracy, J. 1997 145) The great awakening led to conversion of many Americans, this is shown by the number of people who joined the church, and this increased greatly at around this period. The sermons delivered by the preachers were powerful such that they touched many of whom decided to convert. The major effect was the rebellion against the authoritarian rule which was characteristic in the religious field. The charismatic personalities Edwards, Tennent and Whitefield played a great role in delivering the right messages challenging the status quo. The helped the people to see the light. The necessary reforms were carried out in the church making it more responsive to the salvation needs of the people. The message was not well received by all there are those who wanted thing s to remain the same, they wanted to advance the traditions they questioned the move of the preachers as they condemned the local clergy on the way they conducted the affairs. The great awakening left these preachers sharply polarized as they could not agree with some of the things being propagated by the revival preachers. The first great awakening left the colonials divided along religious lines. (Heimert, A 1966 68)The Anglicans gained from this movement as its membership increased greatly. This membership was drawn from those people who did not approve the revival excesses. Baptists on the other hand gained from the radical converts. The great portion of believers remained in the Presbyterian and congregational denominations but they were divided along the lines of those who supported the revival and those who were opposed to it, the so called new and the old lights. New lights represented those who approved the revival while the old lights are those who favored the status quo. The colonial government was not left out too, in the colonies where the main steam churches were supported by the authorities the other churches lobbied for enactment of the laws which would end the favoritism along religious lines. (Kidds,T 2007 104) The great awakening brought changes in the American church changes that lasted for a long period and continue to be felt up to this time. It is a period when the church became stronger as it gained more members especially those who were converted at around this time. Work Cited Wallis,JThe Great Awakening,HarperOne( 2008) Lambert,F. Inventing the Great Awakening Princeton: Princeton University Press, (1999) Tracy, J. The Great Awakening: A History of the Revival of Religion in the Time of Edwards and Whitefield,Banner of the Truth (1997) Heimert,A Religion and the American Mind, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, (1966) Kidds,T. The Great Awakening:Abrief History with documents,Bedford/St Martins(2007)

The Business Culture In China

The Business Culture In China Culture is a complicated concept to define due to its multi-dimensional attribute and the existing disparity in evidence on diverse cultural facets. Understanding culture is a key issue in the development of cross-cultural relationships and is one of the main issues facing multi-national enterprises (MNEs) both internally within the human resource team and externally such as relationship with buyers suppliers from different countries. Culture is also a vital factor that needs to be considered when a firm is expanding internationally, mode of entry to a foreign market, foreign direct investments and also during international mergers acquisitions. In this essay we will discuss first about culture in general, then we will discuss about various dimensions of culture proposed by Hofstede and Trompenaars and then highlight about the business culture of china as per Hofstedes cultural dimensions. Further to this we discuss about a couple of US MNEs international behaviour in Chinese marke t and conclude by discussing on the implications of Chinese business culture on doing business in China Review on culture Culture is a very complex topic and has many definitions. Kroeber Kluckhohn (1952) were able to collect more than 160 definitions of culture. Hence, it is vital to comprehend culture in different perspectives. Its impact on business has been discussed from various perspectives (MÃ ¶ller Svahn 2002). Goodenough (1971) sees culture as a set of beliefs or standards, shared by a group of people, which help the individual decide what is, what can be, how to feel, what to do and how to go about doing it. Hofstede (2001) defines culture as the collective mental programming of the mind which distinguishes one group or category of people from another. Culture has also been defined as a multifaceted and organized set of elements, comprising understanding, beliefs, values, arts, law, manners and morals, and all other kind of skills and habits acquired by a human being as a member of a particular society (Usunier 1996). Culture is the system of shared values that differentiates the members of one group from another (Hofstede, 1980; Mueller Thomas, 2001). Thus, national culture acts as the common frame of reference or logic by which members of a society view organizations, the environment, and their relations to one another (Geletkanycz, 1997). The sources of culture have been divided into the following categories: language, nationality, education, profession, ethnic group, religion, family, sex, social class and corporate or organisational culture (Usunier 1996). A vital component in culture is language, especially for international business. But not only verbal communication is of significance, also the messages given through non-verbal communication; gestures, gesticulations and attitudes are significant. Eye contact, touching, space and privacy are understood and used differently in different cultures. At least 75% of all communication is non-verbal (Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner 1997). Nationality and national culture is often considered a cornerstone of culture. Dimensions of culture Hofstede (1980, 1984), Hofstede and Bond (1988) and Trompenaars (1994) all proposed cultural dimensions by which diverse national cultural patterns can be evaluated. In this essay, we will be discussing more about the Hofstedes Cultural dimensions as they are extensively cited in the literature. Cultural dimensions simplify the judgment practice by highlighting the core elements on which national culture can be compared. These elements are universal across all national cultures. National culture pertains to the culture of a sovereign country not to the different sub-cultures that exist within each sovereign country. Trompenaars (1994) proposed seven cultural dimensions and clustered them beneath three major headings: those arising from relationships with other people, those involving the passage of time and those emerging from our attitudes towards the environment. The seven dimensions are: attitudes to time; universalism vs particularism; individualism vs collectivism; emotional; specific/diffuse; achievement/ascription and internal environmental control/external environmental control. Hofstede (1980) highlighted four cultural dimensions: power distance; masculinity/femininity; individualism/collectivism; and uncertainty avoidance. In addition to the original four cultural dimensions, Hofstede (1990) suggested the fifth cultural dimension, called Confucian Work Dynamic. The Chinese Culture Connection (1987) conducted a Chinese Value Survey (CVS) based on traditional Chinese cultural values and recognized this non-Western cultural dimension. Three of the four factors were concurrent with Hofstedes (1984) work-related cultural dimensions. Only one factor, Confucian work dynamics, was not related with Hofstedes (1984) cultural dimensions. Hofstede (1990) espoused this eastern cultural dimension as the fifth work-related cultural dimension in his book, Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. Hofstede (2001) renamed this cultural dimension as Long-Term Orientation (LTO). Power distance (PD) This dimension states the level of reception of inequality in a society. Inequality is found in all societies, and is visible at all levels: physical, social, material, political and legal. PD also indicates to the power disproportion between superiors and subordinates. Uncertainty avoidance (UA) This dimension conveys the outlook towards anxiety over the unknown. Some societies show more anxiety than others in their ways of handling with uncertainties. In high UA organizations, there are more written set of laws in order to lessen uncertainty, whereas in low UA firms, there are smaller number of written regulations and practices. In countries high in UA, employees are expected to abide by the leaders without inquiring leaders intentions and judgments (Hofstede, 2001). Individualism/Collectivism This dimension refers to the socialization an individual receives, either as an individual who stands on his or her own merit, a person whose well-being and happiness will result from his or her own doing, or, as an individual who primarily stands as a member of a group. Masculinity/Femininity Masculinity/Femininity conveys the tendency for some countries to practise qualities conventionally ascribed to women, and which are the quests of social concord, quality of life, and nurturing of relationships. Societies putting more stress on the pursuit of such qualities are called feminine. In contrast, masculine societies, stress the pursuit of qualities often related to manly conduct, such as valuing work over social pursuits, and the accrual of material wealth, over social harmony and quality of life (Hofstede, 2001). Confucian dynamism or Long-term orientation (LTO) According to Hofstede (1991), long-term orientation relates to a positive, dynamic, and future oriented culture linked with four positive Confucian values: persistence (perseverance); ordering relationships by status and observing this order; thrift; and having a sense of shame. This dimension has not been well received by the researchers globally. Business Culture of China The most vital depiction of Chinese culture is its high collectivism and power distance. The majority Chinese leaders have a high power distance, and only rely on the one they know or who are close to them. They wont give the power to anyone not in their group or party, and its hard for subordinates to gain high levels of trust from their leaders (Casimir et al 2006). Various Chinese original concepts, such as face, harmony, guanxi (interpersonal links), renqin (kindness), and paternalistic leadership, can be sketched to these two broad cultural dimensions. Chinese are reasonably low in Uncertainty avoidance, which means that they are not worried by uncertainty and ambiguity. Chinese are also recognized for their stress on hard work and thrift, an attribute explained as Confucian dynamism by Bond (Chinese Culture Connection, 1987) or long-term orientation by Hofstede (2001). Fascinatingly, China is considered as high in Embeddedness (e.g., protect my public image and social order), H ierarchy (e.g., humble and authority), and Mastery (e.g., successful and ambitious) based on Schwartzs values at the culture level (Schwartz, 2006). Embeddedness and hierarchy appear to match to collectivism and power distance, respectively, but Mastery is a comparatively novel depiction of Chinese people in the cross-cultural literature. The Chinese Culture Connection study (1987) depicted 40 values that can be ascribed to Chinese culture. These Chinese values are shown in table 1. Table 1: The 40 Chinese values in the Chinese value survey (Source: The Chinese Culture Connection 1987) Lets discuss about Motorola and Microsoft, both are US MNEs and their journey to enter Chinese market (Gao Y 2007). Motorola entered China in 1987 and now it is one of the most successful foreign companies in china. Microsoft also entered China in 1992 but its journey to China has been bumpier compared to Motorola. The presidency of Microsoft China has been changed five times after the establishment. Various methods used by these firms to make a smooth sail in China were: 1) Lobbying or Gongguan in Chinese and to lobby, a firm should build high-quality guanxi (relationship) with the government. Here lobbying means like building guanxi with Chinese government officials. The president of Motorola visited dignitaries of the Central Government of China to assemble their views on the entry of Motorola before they entered China. In order to get a constructive impression from Chinese government, Motorola donated cell phones to Chinese government officials. Microsoft also used the ways that Motorola adopted but has not been enough successful. Firstly, Bill Gates came to China for the first time almost a year after Microsofts entry into China, Chinese government officials believed that Gates looked down on the Chinese market. 2) Code of conduct Every MNE has its own code of conduct, but China also has its business game rules and amalgamation of the business game rules of China with the codes of conduct of MNEs decides the victory or collapse of MNEs in China. Motorola demonstrated an excellent fit between its own codes of conduct and the business game rules of China. Firstly, it abides by the laws and regulations of China, and makes substantive deal and sets up joint ventures with Chinese enterprises as per the request of Chinese government. Secondly, it respects Chinese culture, and tries to acclimatize its organisational culture to Chinese culture. Thirdly, it shows an excellent understanding of Chinese political context. In 1992, Motorola went ahead to set up branch es of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Motorola also announced that members of CPC have the priority to get jobs from it. Comparatively, Microsoft also has its own codes of conduct, but it doesnt bother about incorporating it with the Chinese business game rules. Firstly, Microsoft was reluctant to set up joint ventures with Chinese companies. Secondly, Microsoft organisational culture is not acknowledged by the Chinese government and NGOs but Microsoft doesnt want to amend it. Thirdly, In 1999 Microsoft also blamed Chinese companies of piracy, which showed that Microsoft didnt comprehend the business game rule in China. Here I also want to bring some personal information about the Chinese culture, my younger brother works for ZTE in India, one of the major telecom firms of china. I was having a discussion with him and asked him about the Chinese culture that prevails in ZTE, he also emphasised that Chinese believe in relationship (guanxi), thats how their business runs. Chinese also expects others to respect their society and culture and they believe in hierarchy and the employees who are old in the organization ought to be respected. Although due to the influence of western culture, Chinese culture is changing towards individualism but overall they are more collectivistic and give more importance to group rather then individual. Culture is perceptibly not stationary. As societies become affluent, the need for interdependence is diminished, leading to individualism. This reckoning suggests that Chinese should turn into more individualistic over time, and Chinese in more affluent regions are expected to be more individualistic. China may be changing toward individualism; it is still on the collectivistic part in the worldwide pitch. Even Hofstede suggested that value transform does happen, but a number of values possibly will change gradually that may take several decades to discover. Chinas hyper economic development has boosted living values upward speedily, leading to a significant change in the social norm about money and materialism and its acceptance by the Chinese society (Abramson Inglehart, 1995; Fang, 2006). A study by Chen (1995) showed that Chinese desire a merit-based incentive scheme even more stoutly than Americans, perhaps reflecting the change in Chinese culture. Implications for International Business in China None of the MNEs can overlook China, because of its massive market potential and its low cost configuration. MNEs need to analyze critically about the Chinese market and the prevailing culture to be successful in China. China is complex and diverse with changing paradigm in culture. Knowing guanxi is definitely useful, but one cannot presume that this information is valid to all the Chinese people that they come across. Multinationals have to be insightful about the dissimilarity between the social and economic apprehensions of Chinese people. Provided the popularity of materialism in contemporary China, many management practices as participative management, empowerment, job enrichment, knowledge management and total quality management may necessitate a high degree of inherent motivation for them to be successful. Regardless of the fact that Chinese may be more long-term oriented, based on the yin/yang principles, Fang (2006) has presented a dialectical outlook of culture, which prop osed an account for an array of ostensibly inconsistent behavioural patterns in various cultures. Thus, it is not astounding that Chinese may be long-term oriented in a few contexts, but are short-term oriented at work.

Not Music To My Ears! :: essays research papers

Not Music To My Ears Today’s current music scene has steadily become filled with pre-packaged assembly line bands and singers. This teen oriented pop phenomenon is repulsive. I see the so-called bands and singers for what they really are. They are passing trends made special, just for the teens, with all image and no real talent. For their own good, I can only hope these brainwashed teens will grow out of this horrible phase. Fabricated bands such as O-Town, N*Sync, and The Backstreet Boys exhibit a minimum level of talent. The Backstreet Boys, referred to as BSB, for example were initially actors trying to get a job in Orlando, Florida, a virtual hotbed for aspiring young stars. None had any musical past history, however they were hired on an audition for a band because they are marketable. As we all know sex appeal has the power to market anything, and teens have money to burn on CD’s and any product containing the bands name. We have all seen teens at the mall buying boy band paraphernalia such as Calendars, mugs, and pens. They will purchase just about anything with the band name imprinted on it. The bands and record companies make their money not in record sales, but in revenue form this merchandise. An article from the Montreal Gazette written in July 1998 states that boy bands are a â€Å"Mass-marketed phenomenon, manufactured for overnight success.† Not one of the five members of the BSB can play a musical instrument. I went to the official Backstreet Boys website and learned that out of over 40 songs they released, the band only wrote three of them. Is it just me, or aren’t bands supposed to write their own songs and play musical instruments? How they can be referred to as â€Å"boys† in the first place I will never comprehend, they are all men in their twenties. These posers show teenyboppers that it is okay to be uninspired. Trans Continental president and music producer Lou Perlman has created such â€Å"Boy bands† as The Backstreet Boys and N*Sync. His latest project, an ABC network show in collaboration with MTV called appropriately enough â€Å"Making the band†, has tracked the weekly progress of his latest super group invention O-Town. I have had the unfortunate displeasure of viewing one episode where their voice coach scolds the five men; The coach told the members of O-Town they are â€Å"easily replaceable.

Willy Lomans American Dream in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman :: Death of a Salesman

Willy Loman's American Dream  in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman    Short Essay One   Ã‚  Ã‚   Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman focuses on the American Dream, or at least Willie Loman’s version of it. *Willie is a salesman who is down on his luck. He "bought into" the belief in the American Dream, and much of the hardship in his life was a result. *Many people believe in the American Dream and its role in shaping people’s success. Willy could have been successful, but something went wrong. He raised his sons to believe in the American Dream, and neither of them turned out to be successful either. By the time Willy got to be an old man, his life was in shambles. *One son, Biff, was a hopeless dreamer who wasn’t able to hold on to a job. He could have been successful through an athletic scholarship, but he blew the chance he had to go to school. Happy, the other son, had a job, but was basically all talk, just like Willy. Now near the end of his career as a salesman, Willy realizes his whole life was just a joke, and the hopes he placed in the American Dream were misguided. At the end of the play, his only hope is to leave something for his family, especially for Biff, by taking his own life and leaving his family the insurance money. Through his death, Willy thinks he can achieve success and fulfill his dream. Arthur Miller provides us with a character who is both pathetic and tragic. Willy Loman spent his life chasing a false dream. His failure to live the "true" American Dream was what brought about his own downfall.** Short Essay Two In Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman’s warped view of the American Dream caused tragedy in his family because he stressed the importance of popularity over hard work and risk-taking over perserverence. *Willy grew up believing that being "well-liked" was important to becoming a success. He believed that being well-liked could help you charm teachers and open doors in business. *He is proud that the neighborhood boys flock around Biff and respond to Biff’s athletic abilities, and in the same breath scoffs at the nerdy Bernard, who is too focused on school and his studies to be popular. Even though Biff turns out to be a failure as an adult, Willy holds on to the hopes that a business man who Biff met years ago will offer him a terrific job if Biff can be his old likeable self and recapture the confidence and grace he had as a teenager.

James Baldwins Stranger in the Village Essay -- James Baldwin Strange

James Baldwin's Stranger in the Village In paragraph three of James Baldwin's 'Stranger in the Village' (1955), he alludes to emotions that are significant, dealing with conflicts that arise in the Swiss village. Of these emotions are two, astonishment and outrage, which represent the relevant feelings of Baldwin, an American black man. These two emotions, for Baldwin's ancestors, create arguments about the 'Negro' and their rights to be considered 'human beings' (Baldwin 131). Baldwin, an American Negro, feels undeniable rage toward the village because of the misconception of his complexion, a misconception that denies Baldwin human credibility and allows him to be perceived as a 'living wonder' (129). Baldwin and his ancestors share this common rage because of the reflections their culture has had on the rest of society, a society consisting of white men who have thrived on using false impressions as a weapon throughout American history. Baldwin gives credit to the fact that no one can be held responsible for what history has unfolded, but he remains restless for an explanation about the perception of his ancestors as people. In Baldwin?s essay, his rage becomes more directed as the ?power of the white man? becomes relevant to the misfortune of the American Negro (Baldwin 131). This misfortune creates a fire of rage within Baldwin and the American Negro. As Baldwin?s American Negro continues to build the fire, the white man builds an invisible wall around himself to avoid confrontation about the actions of his ?forefathers? (Baldwin 131). Baldwin?s anger burns through his other emotions as he writes about the enslavement of his ancestors and gives the reader a shameful illusi on of a Negro slave having to explai... ...as a reader I must understand that his opinions are supported by his true, raw emotions. These negative feelings shared by all of his ancestors were too strong to just pass by as meaningless emotions. Baldwin created an outlook simply from his honest views on racial issues of his time, and ours. Baldwin?s essay puts the white American to shame simply by stating what he perceived as truth. Baldwin isn?t searching for sympathy by discussing his emotions, nor is he looking for an apology. I feel that he is pointing out the errors in Americans? thinking and probably saying, ?Look at what you people have to live with, if and when you come back to the reality of ?our? world.? Work Cited Baldwin, James. ?Strange in the Village.? Inventing America: Readings in Identity and Culture. Ed. Gabriella Ibieta and Miles Orvell. New York: St. Martins, 196. 126-35.

The term ‘stagnation’ was coined by the Gorbachevian discourse of the perestroika era to describe the situation in the Soviet Union from 1964-1985

The term ‘stagnation' was coined by the Gorbachevian discourse of the perestroika era to describe the situation in the Soviet Union from 1964-1985, under the rules of Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernenko. The assertion of ‘apparent' stagnation suggests some ambiguity from the outset as to the actual situation in the USSR. Indeed, some have suggested that the term is too simplistic – this idea is especially asserted by Edwin Bacon and Mark Sandle in their recent reconsideration of the Brezhnev era. Nevertheless, when Gorbachev came to power he referred to a ‘pre-crisis' situation in the Soviet Union. Undoubtedly, the ‘stagnation' era did see social, economic and cultural changes which led to some deterioration in the USSR's situation, but improvement was not entirely excluded, certainly not for the whole period, thus to say that the Soviet Union was on the verge of crisis by 1985 can certainly be contested. Furthermore, the notion of ‘changes' is paradoxical when the era is marked by great conservatism. Consequently, there are many factors to debate in discussion of the assertion that ‘the period of apparent stagnation saw vital social, economic and cultural changes which by the early 1980s had brought the Soviet Union to the verge of crisis'. The economic situation by the early 1980s is perhaps the most powerful for suggesting the USSR verged on crisis. It seems implausible that the entire ‘stagnation' period to economic crisis for initially, recognition that the economy was doing badly and determination to achieve parity with the USA, led to Kosygin's 1965 reform programme. However, this was halted due to concern, bolstered by events in Czechoslovakia in 1968, that economic change could stimulate demands for political democratisation – economic conservatism would thereafter shape the period. The two chief sectors of the economy were agriculture and industry. On the one hand, agriculture received much budgetary expenditure, enabling prices to be kept down, stimulating consumption and the output of agricultural goods increases 1976-801. However, there were fundamental flaws in the system: subsidies were a burden for the state, nor did they stop the need for grain imports; furthermore, the inability to deal with weather conditions led to disastrous harvests 1979-812. Continued migration to the towns was also problematic. Failure was officially recognised in 1982 with the introduction of a Food Programme to ease food shortages, though according to Bialer, it was equally inefficient in mitigating the problem3. Bialer paints a similar picture of industry. While arguing that initially investments and production levels increased, as time went on, slow down set in4. Essentially, Bialer implies this was inevitable considering the lack of change in industrial policy5. Similarly, although Keep recognises moves towards scientific management, he stresses these had virtually ended by the early 1980s due to inefficient resources and reluctance of enterprise managers to adapt6 – inertia surrounded the system from all angles. As he states, ‘hoarding stocks, ‘storming' at month's end, and a reluctance to innovate would remain characteristic of the Soviet industrial scene until the era of perestroika'7. Perhaps crisis by the early 1980s was demonstrated by Japan's take-over as the world's second largest producer of industrial goods and services8 – considering the USSR's aim was to advance as a superpower, this was devastating. Finally, inefficiency seemed inevitable when, despite increasing absenteeism by the early 1980s and high labour turnover, punishments, such as sacking, did not exist to prevent it. On the one hand, to say that the economy was on the verge of a crisis is debateable. There had been some long-lasting improvements: expansion of the data-processing industry, an increase in electricity and expansions in the rail network and the automobile industry9 – there was hardly total stagnation of the economy. Harrison argues that by the early 1980s it was wrong to condemn the economy for it was still growing, despite a slower rate, government spending and revenues were controlled, and inflationary pressures were small10. However, even he acknowledges that ‘alarm bells were already ringing in the Kremlin when Brezhnev died'11. Overall, the economic situation by the early 1980s reveals that detrimental changes had occurred as the period progressed. Keep points to several factors by the mid-1980s which could cause a ‘pre-crisis situation' such as a declining rate of return on capital investment leading to a slower rate of GNP and industrial output, and a declining rate of gross industrial expansion. 12 Furthermore, people had more money than they had goods to buy, causing consumer frustration and increased savings. Similarly, the shadow economy was concerning, especially as despite supervisory organs to deal with it, it was increasingly tolerated, perhaps indicating the state's acknowledgement that their efforts would not stabilise the economy. Ultimately, economic improvement was stifled under Brezhnev because of his commitment to defence spending and his failure to reform the system by maintaining centralisation. Without change, even if not verging on crisis, surely the USSR was on the road – as Gooding states, ‘disaffection had not yet turned to revolt. Unless the economic tendency were reversed, however, crisis was inevitable'13. The same was to be the case under Andropov and Chernenko. On the one hand, Andropov believed economic expansion essential: his measures were to include a stamping down on absenteeism and low production. However, according to Service, ‘probably he did not wish to venture far along the route of reforms'14. In practice, although industrial output had increased by 5% from 1982-3, and the value of grain by 7%15 and although, as Harrison argues, growth slowdown had stopped by 198316, Andropov's caution prevented him from instigating fundamental change that could reverse the threat of a crisis. Finally, Chernenko's short term of office brought no improvement in the economic sphere. That social change brought the USSR to the verge of crisis by the early 1980s is debateable. Firstly, labour and living standards must be examined. The ‘social contract', whereby the worker had a poorly paid yet, in return, secure and easy work-life, may have led to economic inefficiency, but, as Hosking states, ‘as a social system†¦ worked well enough'17 – it created satisfaction and stability for much of the period. However, a change occurred when the contract broke down by the early 1980s, threatening stability. Gooding attributes this to the fact that people would react if the regime faltered on its promise of a better standard of life and ‘by now it was hard to hide that the period of steady improvement in living standards had ended'18 – shortages were widespread and, as he argues, while the black market eased the plight, it highlighted the level people had to go to to survive19. One major improvement was that, due to agricultural subsidies, by the early 1980s the rural-urban gap had narrowed as peasants became much better off. Gooding also stresses that because peasants were given internal passports and welfare benefits, ‘the regime had at last put them on an equal footing with other citizens'20. Keep does stress that ‘socially and culturally the gulf remained wide'21, hence the emigration to towns. Nevertheless, the up-side was that increasingly society became industrial, leading to Edwin Bacon's concept of ‘social revolution' with ‘an increasingly ‘modern' society†¦. urbanised, educated and professionalised'22 – illiteracy had largely disappeared and education improved. However, these improvements were to be self-constraining as the system proved unable to accommodate such advancements because the supply of jobs for an increasingly advanced population was incompatible. Several other factors demonstrate changes that could be deemed as contributing to a possible crisis. A falling rate of population growth in some regions by the early 1980s was worrying as was the declining life expectancy, linked to the under-equipped hospitals and poorly trained doctors. Keep also states that the incidence of serious diseases increased 1980-85 such as scarlet fever which rose by 21%23. The problem of alcohol, ironically worsened by the state's commitment to its production, was severe: Keep states that from 1980-5 newly reported cases of alcohol morbidity increased by 10%24 and, as a cause of absenteeism, crime and domestic violence, it created social upheaval in several respects. The ‘stagnation' period also saw increases in divorce, illegitimacy and abortion – indicators of a destabilising family situation, though some attempts were made to mitigate such crises in 1981 with pro-natalist measures such as improved maternity leave, creating, according to Keep, a recovery in the birth rate in the early 1980s25. Overall therefore, social change during the ‘stagnation' period presents a mixture of factors, making it difficult to assert definitively that it brought the USSR to the brink of crisis. On the one hand, Keep and Hosking point to disturbances that occurred in response to conditions such as housing and food supplies. However, that they constituted crisis is dubious as unrest was not organised and trade unions were constrained by the state. While Keep points to police and party controls, he also argues that most people had much to be happy about26. Indeed, throughout much of the period most people lived better than they had before: according to Gooding, despite shortages, meat milk and butter were more plentiful, improvements had been made regarding consumer goods, such as televisions, and although housing was still a problem, it had improved significantly27. Nevertheless, the end of the period saw a veritable decline in several respects. Most worrying was the scarcity of meat by 1982 – as Gooding concedes, ‘Lack of freedom could be put up with; lack of meat†¦ was a far more serious matter'28. On the one hand, as with the economic situation, it seems that the period after Brezhnev did see some move towards crisis abatement. Andropov laid great emphasis on social discipline and as Service states, police cracked down on drunkenness in the streets and punishments incurred for indiscipline at work29. Furthermore, Service believes that Andropov sincerely wanted to improve living standards and actually talked to workers30. However, whatever he learned did not transpire into change for the better – caution prevailed and therefore the possibility of crisis perpetuated. Overall, Keep argues that most citizens did not appreciate the seriousness of the country's problems by the mid-1980s, they even thought in some respects they lived better than in the West31. However, surely this delusion could not last forever, as the meat shortage was beginning to demonstrate. At the very least, if a direct social crisis was not looming by 1985, perhaps indirectly social problems were having an effect for, as Hosking states, they were undermining the economic strength of the USSR32. The cultural situation of the ‘stagnation' period saw many changes. Brezhnev ended Khrushchev's cultural ‘thaw' and brought a return to orthodoxy, epitomised by a gradual return to Stalin, reasserting the period's conservatism; according to Bialer, there was resistance to experimentation and alien ideas33. Bialer also points to other aspects of cultural policy including patriotism, the cult of Lenin, and from the mid-1970s, the cult of Brezhnev34. If such policies had been adhered to there would be no fear of cultural crisis. However, seeds of discontent were stirring and while repression prevented eruption in the short term, perhaps this perpetuated discontent rather than solved it. Firstly, some signs of instability emerged in popular culture. Keep argues that liberalization was needed to appease youths – discotheques and rock-and-roll appeared along with expression of some critical ideas such as the balladeer Vysotsky's blast of the gulag35. There was some increased suppression under Andropov, yet youth dissatisfaction expressed regardless; according to Keep this represented ‘the deep psychological malaise that afflicted the younger generation†¦ '36. The ‘stagnation' period also saw the rise of cultural nationalism. This represented a nostalgic mood with a return to early art, architecture and Russian religious philosophy37 and the establishment of an All-Russian Society for the Preservation of Historical and Cultural Monuments which had grown substantially by the early 1980s38. Cultural nationalism also encompassed ‘village prose' writing which projected the idea that urban life, with its materiality, lacked value. That such writings had become relatively widespread leads Keep to state that ‘by the late Brezhnev era the system of literary controls had become more flexible'39. He also argues the same for visual arts. However, although Keep states that ‘by the mid-1980s cultural nationalism may be said to have struck root in the Russian popular consciousness', that it was subversive is unlikely considering the system of repression and censorship that could have suppressed it. In fact, Keep believed that ‘nationalism could provide the nomenklatura with†¦ [a] basis of support'40. Connected to this was nationalism within the republics. On the one hand, the era is characterised by equalisation and indigenisation; for example, in non-Russian republics, the top position went to someone of the titular nationality. This created stability for much of the period. However, Fowkes points to factors which stimulated national grievances: for example, from the late 1970s a greater stress was given to the Russian language, leading to accusations of Russification, and also the Russian monopoly over central institutions was maintained41. Fowkes even suggests that Brezhnev's national policy ‘contained the seeds of its own destruction'42 especially due to the ‘pervasive hidden opposition†¦ practised by almost every non-Russian national group' such as attempts to maintain traditional national cultures43. There were even some instances of popular national fronts. However, that such protests constituted crisis-point seems implausible. On the one hand, 249,000 Jews were allowed to emigrate between 1971-1980; yet this was not in response to internal crisis, more due to pressure from the USA – that the Jews were to prefigure the need for a general liberalisation was not true. Furthermore, as Fowkes points out, radical nationalists were a minority44. Crisis did come eventually but that in 1985 it was inevitable seems an over-exaggeration – essentially, repression kept nationalism under control, though its subtle presence could create long term problems. An examination of the cultural situation enables an evaluation of the level of open hostility that could have brought crisis. On the one hand, Keep refers to the emergence of ‘cultural opposition'45. True, there may have been informal discussions among academics, who also published works in the samizdat. However, there was a rigorous censorship system which suppressed freedom – history, social sciences and literature were often severely censored for subversive messages. Moreover, to progress in life, you had to conform. As Sandle argues, ‘The state deployed a whole variety of sanctions – sackings, harassment, public humiliations and coercing people into psychiatric hospitals†¦ '46. Ultimately, the goal was achieved: dissidence, though having thrived in the early 1970s, had basically disappeared by the 1980s – though also due to its internal divisions – hence stability within the regime seems plausible. However, there was also a grey area between conformism and dissent, an area which flowed underneath the surface, expressing non-orthodox views. This ‘loyal' opposition within the system itself, despite its silence, was essentially seditious, and as several have suggested, would ultimately create the ideas and personnel for perestroika. It was maintained by an informal network of discussions and a creative way of writing that expressed views without being overtly dissident – there was a determination, according to Sandle, that ‘the period of re-Stalinisation and retrenchment would not snuff out the spark of change and liberalisation that began in 1956'47. On the one hand, by the early 1980s critical opinions were becoming more overt. Elliot points to the workings of clandestine groups who disseminated leaflets criticising the authoritarian system though argues that, despite subversive messages, they would never threaten in practice because they were not widespread and because leaders were often arrested or exiled48. Overall, ‘loyal' opposition had to wait until after Brezhnev, at which point the beginnings of open reformist expression demonstrated that, despite prior suppression, discontent had remained. By 1985, perhaps it could be suggested that, had Gorbachev and glasnost' not come along, these intellectual ideas could have threatened a conservative regime – as Sandle states, this ‘diverse' intellectual life that had continued in silence became ‘an essential part of the destruction of the ‘citadel of dogmatism' after 1985'49. Nevertheless, it does seem that with active dissidence largely gone in the early 1980s, severe threats to stability were, if not fundamentally absent, then severely mitigated. In conclusion, that the apparent stagnation period brought the Soviet Union to the verge of crisis by the early 1980s is not an easy statement to evaluate. On the one hand, the masses were not privy to the information that Gorbachev was regarding the state of the USSR by 1985. On the popular level, therefore, perhaps crisis was not that imminent. Certainly, this connects to Elliot's idea that the stability of the regime was ‘apparently based more on passive toleration than active support'50. Furthermore, the concept of ‘stagnation' is very contentious; Sandle suggests that, as it was coined by perestroika reformers, it sprang essentially from their need to justify their ideas than perhaps being a true reflection of society51. Furthermore, that the stagnation period as a whole created a crisis situation by the early 1980s is exaggerated for it is consensus that deterioration came mid-way through the period, whether after Brezhnev became ill, or perhaps earlier, from events in Czechoslovakia. However, that conservatism was to dominate the era was fundamental – if it had meant the situation remained constant over the twenty years, there may have been no cause for concern; but conservatism ironically brought detrimental change. That this was inevitable is plausible considering the situation at the top – the period was certainly stagnant in this respect for Brezhnev's ‘stability of cadres' bred inertia, and despite personnel changes under Andropov, essentially the gerontocracy remained. Overall, social, economic and cultural changes that caused concern did occur. While crisis may not have been apparent at the time, especially as dissidence and discontent did not seem that widespread, perhaps all that was needed was a final push to bring the situation to a head. Ultimately, the situation probably hinged on the economy – as Gooding suggests, ‘economic failure would do in fact what continued oppression and arbitrariness were most unlikely to do: it would shake ordinary people out of their passivity. Therefore, failure to reform could only be safe for so long – as proponents of conservatism were dying out, so too was stability.

Is it Morally wrong for those under the age of 18 to play GTA V? Essay

Some people, mainly young over the age of eighteen , would say that people under the age of 18 shouldn’t play Grand Theft Auto five for many reasons. The main one is that they spend more time on there consoles playing those games then studying and working hard to complete homework tasks effectively. Some might suggest one of the those reasons would be that it is certified 18 and they would be breaking the law in playing that game. Another thing you could say is that GTA has sexual references and strong language and younger people shouldn’t be exposed to that rude behaviour. Some people already think the youth of today are over exposed to things they shouldn’t be exposed to like foul language and those types of sexual references. Another point that could be raised about this video game is it’s racial discrimination and it’s sexist views on the world. Girls especially would find that this game is offensive towards them in the way women are treated in this game regardless of it’s location or year it’s set in. Some people from different cultures my find this game offensive because of how different races are portrayed or how they are treated. Teachers would prefer children especially those in GCSE years to focus on their work instead of playing a silly video game which isn’t important in the long run but their grades are. Other people, mainly those under the age of 18, would argue this point. They would say it is okay to play GTA five because their family members or people around them play it. People in high school would say things like â€Å"We swear anyway.† or things like â€Å"It’s just a video game.† They like their parents or who ever let them play it in the first place would believe that it’s not like they’d re-enact these things that happen in the game in real life. Those playing the game would say that they don’t see the problem with the racist, sexist and discriminative views of this game. They might find those things give the game it’d character or make the game more interesting. They could also argue that even though it’s certified 18 it didn’t stop them playing the last Grand Theft Auto game or any other 18 rated game like some of the Call Of Duty games or even games like Borderlands two and that those games were never questioned about even if lots of people knew they were playing them I think that people under the age of 18 shouldn’t play GTA V because I believe that they should focus more on their studies especially towards the end of their teen age years where their school focus is more important on their exams than on a video game. I see that from a teacher point of view they would agree with that. From a girls point of view I believe that this game shouldn’t be played by under 18’s because it shows girls off in a bad light and is offensive to women. This game also shows ignorance towards different races and the difference between men and women. The discrimination between races and women shows that the people who create this game obviously didn’t intend for a younger audience.

Management of a Software Development Project Essay

Introduction Many years ago, general services offered by hotels like dinner reservations, room reservations and other services were done manually. Most hotels used books, ledgers and papers to record names of guests, their duration of stay and contact details. This required a lot of effort and time. Since the advent of the information age however, dynamic and interactive websites have been introduced which have more efficient and faster technological features and capabilities for the management of hotel services. For any business to remain competitive, it is necessary to maintain an online presence in order to reach out to customers all over the world and compete on a global platform. Reservations and payments are now done online to ensure that conduction of business is faster and more convenient for customers. Definition of Project Management A project is a temporary endeavor that is done to generate a unique product or service (Duncan 1996). Project Management is an activity that involves the overall supervision, management and co-ordination of all activities related to accomplishing a set activity. It always has a start and a finish date. According to Whitten, Project Management is a process that starts at the beginning of a project, is conducted throughout a project and doesn’t end until after the project is completed (2001).   According to Duncan (1996), Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to activities to fulfill stakeholders’ needs and expectations. It usually involves finding a balance among scope, time, cost, quality, and varying expectations of stakeholders. Another definition of Project Management is â€Å" the process of scoping, planning, staffing, conducting, directing, and managing the development of a system at an affordable cost within a specified time frame† (Whitten, Bentley & Dittman 2001, p.124). Importance of Project Management According to Dr Malcolm Wheatley, â€Å"Project management as a management discipline, supports much economic activity.† In major industries like Information Technology, Software Development, Construction, Pharmaceuticals, and Aerospace, project management is fundamental. Project Management is also important in governments that have set goals and milestones which can only be achieved with effective management practices. Data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the US Department of Commerce, estimated in 2001 that the US companies spend $2.3trn on projects every year (2000).   Project management is important in any economic activity because it ensures adequate planning, scheduling and successful execution of a project; it also helps to reduce possible risks associated with a project and ensure minimal hitches. Project Management is indeed important to every economy. Many projects fail because of poor knowledge of Project Management concepts. Its relevance cannot be over emphasized. Role of the Project Manager The project manager is in charge of daily management and supervision of the project. He manages the project to ensure that things go according to plan. He also communicates with all stakeholders and project team members to ensure that there’s a clear understanding of general requirements. The project manager confirms users’ requirements to make sure that these requirements are incorporated into the end-product. A project manager engages in scoping, planning, staffing, organizing, scheduling, directing, controlling and closing a project (Whitten 2001, p.127). Swot Analysis The Regency Hotels has several strengths that serve as advantages. It has the potential to expand its services to customers internationally due to the number of branches it has, internet availability and its unique services. It is also strategically located, can leverage on its positioning and has a wide customer base. Its two major weaknesses are: 1) it has a static website which cannot provide interactive functions like online payments, online reservations, message boards, fan clubs, and so on. 2) It does not have skilled IT staff in-house that can manage the online system when it is eventually deployed. There are however, opportunities for it to become one of the best hotels in the world by maintaining a consistent and interactive global presence.   Increased competition is the major threat to Regency Hotels. Most hotels today, have a strong online presence that offers customers various services that make their experiences with the hotel more memorable and convenient, like booking and paying online. Regency Hotels is yet to rise to the challenge. Development methodology The software development methodology to be adopted for the production of this system is the waterfall method. This is an approach to software development that specifies that a project should be grouped into phases and one phase must be completed before the next. The project is carried out in a logical manner through a pre-determined number of steps. This method is preferred because the duration of the project is only two weeks and the requirements are clear.   With the waterfall method, project reviews are conducted between stages, which represent milestones. This provides an organized scenario that ensures required documentation and quality management of the developed application is carried out (Sorensen 1995). Project Scope The project scope definition involves clarifying the boundaries of the project. Regency Hotels in addition to available technological features like retrieving customers’ information, billing, checking for room availability, desires a system with added capabilities of online booking and payment. This project involves building a system that can accept online booking and payment options by customers. A portal will be developed to include the following features: Online reservations, online payment, checking room availability, checking in, checking out, discussion group and general information on the hotel. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) will be added to the website to provide for added security when paying online; search functions will be provided on web pages to check for room availability and booking; e-mail and discussion group facilities will be included to facilitate communication between customers and the hotel; and other technological features from the available website will be incorporated into the new portal to ensure that a robust system that meets the expectations of Stakeholders at Regency Hotels is built. The final system will be deployed at the hotel and tested. Staff members that need to be trained will be identified and educated on how to use the system. The change management process will be made easier for staff of Regency Hotel by ensuring that they are adequately trained, resources are provide to assist them, and maintenance/ support plans are put in place. Result of using COCOMO model to estimate effort, duration and number of people required. The Constructive Cost Model, known as COCOMO was developed by Barry Boehm in 1981. It is based on the waterfall model and is used for estimating the number of person and months needed to develop software. It also estimates the development schedule in months. The development mode for this project is organic because it is a small and straight-forward one. A small team with sufficient experience work together to develop the portal system (Merlo-Schett 2002). COCOMO is defined in terms of three basic models: The Basic model, the Intermediate model and the detailed model. The KDSI is the size of the project in Kilo delivered source instructions. These are source lines that are created by the project team. Using the Intermediate COCOMO I, calculation is done as follows: Required: Portal system for online payment and booking Development Effort (MM) = a * KDSI b Effort and development Time (TDEV) =     2.5 * MM c With organic mode of development, a = 3.2, b = 1.05, c = 0.38 4 modules to implement: Data entry – 0.5 KDSI Data update – 0.3 KDSI Online Reservations – 0.8 KDSI Online Payment – 0.7 KDSI System SIZE 2.3 KDSI MM = 3.2 * 2.3 1.05   = 7.7 TDEV = 2.5 * MM c = 2.5* 7.7 0.38 = 5.4 (Project needs more than 5 months to complete) Number of people to be hired = MM/TDEV = 7.7/5.4 = 1.4 (This means that more than one team member is needed to execute the project). The major shortcoming of the above calculation is that value of the KDSI used is approximate (Merlo-Schett 2002). Hardware and Software Requirements At least four separate computers will be needed for building the portal, testing it and hosting it.   Softwares like Macromedia Dreamweaver, Java, PHP, SQL Server and Visual Basic .NET will be needed for building the portal. A central server for hosting and managing user connections to the portal will also be required.   Work Breakdown Structure Work Breakdown Structure shows the hierarchical decomposition of projects into phases, activities and tasks (Whitten 2001, p.135). SOFTWARE REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATION 1.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify sponsors and stakeholders 1.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Meet with sponsors and stakeholders to clarify system requirements 1.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Produce Software Requirements Specification Draft 1.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sign-off on software requirements TECHNOLOGY SPECIFICATION 2.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Determine hardware and software needed for developing the system 2.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Procure hardware and software needed for system development 2.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Set-up hardware and software for use SCOPE MANAGEMENT 3.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Develop a written scope statement as a basis for future project decisions 3.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Verify Scope of the Project with sponsors 3.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perform Scope Change Control to prevent scope creep COST & SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT 4.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Develop an estimate of project costs 4.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Schedule Meeting with Stakeholders to agree on cost and deadline 4.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Receive Payment from Stakeholders 4.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Allocate cost estimates to individual work items 4.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evaluate actual versus projected schedule 4.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Control changes to project budget to avoid going over the budget 4.7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Compare actual and budgeted costs 4.8  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Schedule Development 4.9  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Schedule Control HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PHASE 5.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify Project Roles/Conduct Organizational Planning 5.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Determine Skills of People needed to develop system 5.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Determine number of people to work on the project 5.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Recruit Project Team Members 5.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Engage staff with appropriate skills 5.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Develop individual and group skills to enhance project performance ACTIVITY MANAGEMENT PHASE 6.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Develop activity list for project team members 6.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sub-divide major project deliverables into smaller components 6.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Assign Team Members to tasks and deliverables 6.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Supervise activities within the project team 6.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evaluate Performance and Productivity 6.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Update activity list as necessary 6.7  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conduct meetings and review status reports on software development PROJECT OFFICE ADMINISTRATION 7.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Attend to daily activities or events concerning the project 7.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   General project supervision PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS 8.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Determine information and communication needs of stakeholders 8.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Provide information to stakeholders in a timely fashion 8.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Put contact details of all team members and stakeholders into the database 8.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Performance reporting to stakeholders through status reports, progress measurement and forecasting 8.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Set up meetings with project team members 8.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Develop status reports for the project RISK MANAGEMENT 9.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify all possible risks within the project and effects on project 9.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Define steps for responding to threats 9.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Respond to changes in risks during the course of the project QUALITY MANAGEMENT 10.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identify quality standards relevant to the project and how to satisfy them 10.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evaluate overall project performance 10.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Define Quality Assurance Specifications 10.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Code and check the system for compliance with quality standards 10.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Test System to make sure it fits clients’ requirements Hand-Over of Project 11.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ensure adherence to client requirement 11.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conduct Customer Acceptance Tests 11.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Review Software User Manuals 11.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sign off & Certify Solution Development 11.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Submit Project Close-out Report 11.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Terminate Project Project scheduling (Please refer to attached Microsoft Project document for dependency between activities, network diagram, critical path and Gantt chart) A Project network diagram displays the logical relationships of project activities. A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart that shows tasks against timelines. Each bar is equivalent to a project task. Gantt charts show, tasks that can be performed at the same time (Whitten 2001, p.128).Any tasks on the critical path cannot be delayed. Name of Activity  Ã‚      Duration Starting Date    Finishing Date    Software Requirement Specification 1 Day Wed 4/23/08 Wed 4/23/08 Technology Specification       1 Day Thu 4/24/08 Thu 4/24/08 Scope Management       10 Days    Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08       Cost & Schedule Management       12 Days Wed 4/23/08 Thu 5/8/08 Human Resources Management Phase 8 Days Wed 4/23/08 Fri 5/2/08       Activity Management Phase       10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Project Office Administration       10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Project Communications       10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Risk Management       10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Quality Management       10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Hand-Over of Project       10 Days Wed 4/23/08 Tue 5/6/08 Possible risks related to the software development project Every project has its own share of risks. Risks associated with this project are outlined below: The period of time given for the execution of the project is short. The COCOMO model shows that a project of such magnitude requires at least 5 months for completion. There is a risk of the project exceeding the time frame allocated by the stakeholders. User requirements may change or expand during the duration of project. There is a risk of having to accommodate changes to the design of the portal. This is known as scope creep and may affect the schedule and budget (Whitten 2001). With the obvious need to procure softwares for the development of the portal system, resources like time and money may not be sufficient. There is a risk of taking short cuts around the system development methodology in order to meet the deadline and not exceed the budget. This might affect the quality of the final product. Another potential risk is that of feature creep. This refers to the uncontrolled addition of technical features to a system that is being developed without regard to schedule and budget (Whitten 2001, p.125). A portal system is a robust application that is designed to fulfill various needs of an organization. The temptation to add more features is always a prevalent risk There is the risk of a team member resigning from the project. This will cause a considerable loss of time. There is also the risk of insufficient communication within the project team which may lead to misunderstanding of customers’ requirements, and cause a deviation from the project plan, budget and schedule. Project Monitoring Project monitoring involves supervising the project throughout its lifecycle. This is important in order to know how things are going and to solve any problem that may arise during the course of the project. This can be done via meetings, emails, reports on progress and finances and also by observing project management best practices. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Applying the principles of Project Management to the development of the portal system at Regency Hotels will go a long way to ensure that the objectives are met on time, within budget and that the software product will be of the desired quality. Project Management is a crucial practice that should be encouraged in every sector of the economy. It ensures that money, energy and time are not wasted on failed projects. With sufficient project management practices in place, stakeholders and contractors can conduct businesses without bothering about the hitches involved with long-term projects. Regardless of the end product, which could be a new service, product or knowledge, project management ensures that a successful outcome is achieved within the available resources and time frame. References Whitten, JL, Bentley, LD, & Dittman, KC 2001, Systems Analysis and Design Methods, 5th edn, Mc Graw-Hill, New York. Wheatley, M 2000, The Importance of Project Management, Project Smart. Available from: [22 April 2008] Sorensen, R 1995, A comparison of Software Development Methodologies, Software Technology Support Centre. Available from: [24 April 2008] Duncan, WR 1996, A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge, PMI Standards Committee. Available from: [24 April 2008] Merlo-Schett, N 2002, ‘COCOMO Constructive Cost Model’, Proceedings of the seminar cost estimation W 2002/2003, pp. 1-24. Available from: [22 April 2008].