Community College vs Four-Year College Essay

Many people feel that being in a community college is effortless. Students studying in a four-year college speculate that those students who are enrolled in a community college are â€Å"living the life†, meaning they do not have any worries about anything and are taking the easy way out to achieve some sort of degree or certification. However, most four-year college students’ assumptions are false. We face many varieties of issues that we need to deal with on a daily basis. Some few examples are transportation, family, work and so on. Both colleges maybe receiving the same level of education but for a community college student, it is more than just the education. I, for example, drive to school every day from Dumont to Paramus which is about thirty minutes away not including the traffic during peak hours. Right now the price for a gallon of gas is about $3. 65; my car is a V6 engine and takes about 2 gallons of gas back and forth Bergen Community College. Unlike four-year colleges, they have onsite dorms that are centered on their main building for an easier access to their school. Sometimes they have free campus shuttles to bring them from one building to another. Next is family, students who are in a four-year colleges does not have to deal with their family since they are away from home. Unlike us, students in community colleges, we must take part in helping with our family. Whenever I get home from my morning classes, I clean the kitchen, take out the trash and run errands that need to be done. Then there is also the thought of having to for pay the gas for our cars or bus fees for those who do not own a car. How do we earn money? By working! Compare to students who are in a four-year college, all of their expenses are covered by their financial aid and tuition fees that their parents paid. Most of the people I know who are in a four-year college also receives weekly allowance from their parents. As for us, the students in a community college, most of us work in order to fill our cars with gas to attend school and have enough money for our own extra expenses. I prefer to provide my own income rather than ask my parents for money. They already work hard to pay for my tuition fees, and the least I could do is pay for my extra expenses such as gas. Overall, in my own opinion, being a community-college student is not an easy thing even though we may sound effortless; we still face much more variety of issues on a daily basis.

The Human Mind: Id .vs. Ego and Superego (Lord of the Flies

Isaac Lee 9Ak Essay Lord of the Flies The human mind: Id . vs. Ego and Superego Lord of the flies was written by William Golding. It is about a group of boys who crash-landed on the island. They are to survive and as the novel progresses, the boys’ imaginations takes them to hallucinating about a ‘beast’ being on the island. The ‘beast’ is a representation of fear and leads to the power struggle between Ralph and Jack with Simon standing by the side. William Golding uses the power struggle as a representation of the human mind, how the Id, the savage, basic instinct of our mind is always there and the reason for civilization (e. social interaction and rules and the consequences. ) The power struggle represents the human mind. The three main characters are the representation of the three parts of the mind, focusing on the Id, which is always there floating in the back of ones mind. The human mind is split into three different parts, the Id, the Ego and the Superego as thought by an austrian neurologist – Sigmund Freud. The Id is the set of uncoordinated instinctual trends, basically, the hunger for everything we desire.Freud thought that the Id was driven by the ‘libido’ – the energy from life’s instinct and the will to survive, it gives the feeling to desire. The ego is the organized realistic part of your mind, it satisfies the Id by controlling it through any means to divert, transform or converting the powerful force of Id to useful and realistic modes of satisfaction that can be done in reality and suppresses the need for everything. The superego is your conscience, it judges the right and wrong, it seeks perfection that is beyond the limits of reality, even beyond the ego.Overall, the ego is always negotiating with the id, trying to prevent it from over whelming itself while the superego watches over, jumps in when it thinks that it Lee, p. 2 can have a moral decision about the situation. I n the Lord of the Flies, Jack represents the id. He has an unquenchable thirst to kill and to thrive e. g. ‘He tried to convey the compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up. ’ (P70) The impulse in him to murder was eating him. In the story. As he progresses, he begins to show signs of savagery. In the eginning, they all had one opinion but that changed radically as the ‘beast’ showed up. When Jack heard about the beast, the first thing he wanted to do was to hunt the beast. As you could say, that the beast was a flame that sparked of Jack’s Id, after that, he left the tribe and formed his own, a manifestation for power. As Jack does in the book, the Id springs out, takes over control of our mind and takes advantage of our fear of the beast. Shortly after that, they began to worship and offering the head of what they kill to the beast.As the Id was driven by the ‘libido’, Jack was driven by hunting. Then, the beast†™s form was a motif, a repeatedly occurring idea, or thing, which upon repetition derives it’s meaning in relationship to the theme. The first time that the beast appeared, nobody really believed in the beast. In page 34, a child tells Ralph through Piggy ‘He wants to know what you are going to do about the beast thing. ’(P48). After that, they laughed it off, as if it wasn’t real. But after a while, in chapter , they begin to doubt whether the beast is real or not, when samneric saw a ‘shape’ on the hill.The result – They were absolutely terrified about the ‘beast’. Ralph represents the Ego in the Lord of the Flies since he has always been struggling with Jack in power and strength. A key moment in the book of the power struggle is when Jack leaves the tribe ‘â€Å"I’m going off by myself. He can catch his own pigs. Anyone who wants to hunt when I do can come too. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Lee, p. 3 This shows that J ack is far apart from the other people and only cares about himself. This shows that Jack is power hungry and only cares about himself. This symbolizes that the Ego is trying to control the Id.As the ego, it is also trying to divert the power of the Id to realistic methods as stated before, when Jack raised that question of hunting for food everyday and so, Ralph decided that Jack could hunt, but not every hour so they can keep the fire going. Therefore, Ralph represents the Ego. Simon represents the superego in the Lord of the Flies. When Simon heard about the beast, he didn’t cower away, afraid of the beast, he did the opposite. The only person who does not believe that there is a beast is Simon. Simon later discovers that the physical ‘shape’ is actually a man in a parachute being dragged up the hill by the wind.He then goes to untangle the figure, even though it is foul and rotten away. We can see this in this quote: Simon knelt on all fours and was sick till his stomach was empty. Then he took the lines in his hands; he freed them from the rocks and the ? gure from the wind’s indignity. He saves the figure even though it is not obligatory, he saves it out of his own goodness and will, he does this not for the greater good, but only because just because it is unfair for a corpse that has to be strung up like that. Therefore, Simon represents the superego in the Lord of the Flies. The ‘beast’ in the book is a manifestation of fear.This paragraph will focus on how our fear or Id is always part of us, in the back of our minds, unconsciously. Mentioned in the previous paragraphs, it shows that the mind is split into three different parts, the id, the ego and the superego. The id eats away at us, when there is a trigger to set us off. The person who really became an ‘id’ was Jack, by the end of the book he was a dehumanized animal. The trigger for Jack was the the ‘beast’ itself. When they saw th e physical form of the beast, which was just a man on a parachute, they were Lee, p. 4 absolutely terrified, they ran away from it as fast as they could.Something interesting to point out was as Ralph was running down the mountain, it also said that: ‘Ralph found himself taking giant strides among the ashes, heard other creatures crying out and leaping and dared the impossible on the dark slope; presently the mountain was deserted, save for the tree abandoned sticks and the thing that bowed. (p135)’ Notice how here that it describes the other boys as ‘other creatures’ but not boys. They are descending into the darkness of primitive humans. At first, they were putting on face paint and just laughing it off, but then it gets very serious as shown through this quote: The face of red and white and black, swung through the air and jigged towards Bill. Bill started up laughing; then suddenly he fell silent and blundered away through the bushes. Jack rushed toward s the twins. â€Å"The rest are making a line. Come on! † â€Å"But-† â€Å"-We-† â€Å"Come on! I’ll creep up and stab-† The mask compelled them. ’ (P66 ) Notice that Jack said that they are making a line and they will creep up and stab them. This reflects on the final scene how the hunt for Ralph is just like this scene, it is providing foreshadowing for later. They stab to satisfy their own need to hunt.A great example for this is from Simon’s death to Piggy’s death and finally to the hunting of Jack. At the death of Simon, we can tell that it was an accident and it was ambiguous whether it was intentional or unintentional, they were all driven to fear with the surroundings. Then came Piggy’s death. Ralph and Piggy came to Jack’s fort for peaceful means to ask for Piggy’s glasses back. But then, they got into an argument and came teeth to teeth fighting. Roger observed from above and as it says: ‘H igh overhead, Roger, with a sense of delirious abandonment, leaned all his weight on the lever. ’(p200 – 201) and then,Lee, p. 5 ‘The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee; the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist. Piggy, saying nothing, with no time for even a grunt, travelled through the air sideways from the rock, turning over as he went. The rock bounded twice and was lost in the forest. Piggy fell forty feet and landed on his back across that square, red rock in the sea. ’(P200-201) This shows that Roger, under the influence of Jack, did this cruel act of violence on purpose, killing Piggy just like that. But the most inhumane act they did was to hunt and kill Ralph.The reason? Hunting is an act of mainly gaining something like meat and such while here, they are hunting Ralph just for pleasure and to add on to that, hunting is usually to hunt animals, but here they are hunting a human. In addition, here is a n extraction from the hunting of Ralph. ‘The ululation spread from shore to shore. The savage knelt down by the edge of the thicket, and there were lights flickering in the forest behind him. ’ (Page 221) The hunting of Ralph takes place throughout the island. The boys are no longer being described as boys in this quote, as stated that ‘The savage knelt’ (P221).The children have truly become uncivilized barbarians, hunting each other as if it was just a game of fun. An interesting point in the book is when Simon is talking to the imaginary ‘Lord of the flies’. It holds something very sinister. ‘You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? Why things are what they are? ’ (P158) The Lord of the Flies is always part of us. This supports how it is fear itself that is haunting these boys, they descend into darkness with out civilization. The head speaks to Simon i n an ominous way, with ‘Why things are what they are? ’, suggesting that we created it ourselves.Lee, p. 6 The important of civilization and how, without it we would become savages is a wide topic. The main focus of civilization in this book is fire. Symbolically, the fire represent the will to be civilized; the absence of the fire represent the loss of civilization. The fire in this book is a symbol for civilization because they keep it going to signal a ship, in the end, they just give up on keeping the fire going for two reasons, one, Samneric saw the ‘beast’ on the hill, which made them terrified, second, there was not enough people once most of the people from Ralph’s tribe went over to join Jack’s tribe.Piggy states that ‘â€Å"That’s where they’ve gone. Jack’s party. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢(P188) They lose the will to live. Jack’s ideal of a good life on the island is to hunt and kill nothing else while Ralphà ¢â‚¬â„¢s ideal is to sustain the smoke from a fire so a ship will see it and come rescue them. A detail to point out is also that Piggy says on P37 ‘I bet it’s gone tea-time’ This brings back what they were doing back at home – a routine. Here in the jungle, they have just recently crashed and have no organization whatsoever, by saying this, Piggy is bringing back the children to what they would have done if they were back in civilization.Another reason for civilization and social interactions is that we would go insane if it were not that we had someone to talk to. For example, when Simon was traversing to the sow’s head that Jack’s tribe had killed and offered to the imaginary ‘beast', this character the ‘Lord of the flies’ pops up in Simon’s unconsciousness, he starts to hallucinate. ‘Simon shook. â€Å"There isn’t anyone to help you. Only me. And I'm the Beast. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. When we are alone, th ings like this start to happen. ‘The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away’ (P98).Another example of the group descending into civilization is when Jack meant to kill Ralph: ‘Vicious, with full intention, he hurled his spar at Ralph. ’ (P201) We don’t kill a fellow human being that easily and when we do it is with reason, but here, Jack throws it at Ralph, with intention but without reason. The murderous hate has consumed Ralph. He is uncivilized and barbaric. In conclusion, Lord of the Flies is a book where the power struggle between Ralph and Jack, but with Simon as the overview figure, is a representation of the human personality, with Simon andLee, p. 7 Ralph trying to contain Jack just as in the mind how the Ego and Superego try to contain the Id, how the Id is always in the back of mind and without civilization we would descend into becoming savages. But the children, as previously mentioned, were only around ten to twe lve years old and children as the symbol of innocence but yet they consider and commit such inhumane acts, does it not mean that we are all savages at the bottom of our heart too?

Case Study Assignment.....Metals in the Environment, my topic is lead

Assignment.....Metals in the Environment, my topic is lead - Case Study Example d in the 1960’s concluded that the amount of lead introduced into the environment via human means was 100 times more than that the amount added naturally (Wright A. & Welbourn, 2002). This research proved that lead contamination was one of the hazards brought by industrialization. The form of lead that is most responsible for lead transmission is tetraethyl lead. Tetraethyl lead is a lead derivative that is used as an additive in gasoline. Other sources of inorganic lead are lead containing sweeteners, lead salts in paints and anticorrosion coats, in batteries, in protective glass that are used against radioactive substances and in insecticide. Lead is also used in water distribution networks and is also used in containers that hold food and drinks. The usage of lead in these sensitive areas can cause mobilization of lead if the liquid medium is soft, acidic or poorly buffered. This translates into lead contamination in drinking water and food and drink vessels. As mentioned afore, paints and anticorrosive agents contain high concentrations of lead. As anticorrosive coats or paints wear off they mobilize particles of lead dust into the air. Lead dust is a direct means of contact with lead particles, and it can also settle in soils or aquatic mediums. Most for ms of lead are insoluble. This means that even though practice of using lead derivative compounds in products has ceased, lead and its derivatives are still in the environment. The dispersal of lead is through three major mediums; the atmosphere, the water and the soil. The dispersal of inorganic lead through the atmosphere is dependent on the particle size of lead. Lead particles having larger size, greater than 2Â µm in diameter; tend to fall close to their source of origin. They continue to contaminate and pollute the water and soil around the source. Particles which are smaller in size, less than 2Â µm in diameter; are capable of travelling larger distances. Transference through atmosphere not only

Inter-Cultural Development Bank Case Study Essay

Inter-Cultural Development Bank Case Study - Essay Example Other team members wanted to ensure that the right type of relations was created with Ghanaian officials and that the economical considerations were met. Eduardo Caballero was a road-building expert and he was not happy that the road was being constructed through heavy jungles to meet the demands of different tribes and there was a technical role conflict here. Aziz Tanod the economist felt that socializing with locals was essential to develop cordial relations. Bernard Dupre was a financial analyst who did not like the nurturing and hand holding that was required of his role. Raj Mathuri was an economist who believed in getting the job done. Bjorn the mission leader was under intense pressure from Washington and it was felt that he over controlled the project and the mission members. So the actual role requirements were to carry out tasks as required while the implied role, requirements were for socializing and some members did not like this aspect. Bjorn, the Swedish team leader believed in close monitoring of the project and other people did not like this. Bernard Dupre from France believed in carrying out his role of financial analyst and not to take up mentoring and being nice to the Ghanaians. Eduardo Caballero, the Colombian was an easy-going person who enjoyed being with people and got along very well with his Ghanaian counterparts when they met at the hotel for drinks. Aziz Tanod from Indonesia liked to socialize and so did John Anderson, the American specialist in Ghanaian manufacturing and marketing. Raj Mathuri from India also did not like to socialize, Thus it can be seen that while some people believed only in their work and did not like to mix and socialize, others believed that both activities were required. There are two motivational factors here, work oriented and socializing or people oriented. The presumed conflict among

Managing Operations comparing Emirate Airlines and Cathay Pacific Essay

Managing Operations comparing Emirate Airlines and Cathay Pacific AirLine - Essay Example (Doganis, 2001) Emirates airline is an airline company which is based in Dubai, united emirates (UAE) in the Middle East. The company is the biggest airline in the region operating passenger service. It has more than 2,350 flights per week flying to more than 91 cities in over than 61 countries located in six continents. It offers cargo services by use of its Emirates Sky cargo name. The company is based in Dubai international airport. Over 50 % of flights movements in and out of the Dubai airport are carried out by Emirates airplanes, and it is projected that by 2010 the figure will increase to 70%. The airline was established in 1985 by the government of Dubai and it has had a phenomenal growth to be among the largest airline not only in Asia but in the whole world. Emirates has a very strong brand image has been able to get various international wards, and it is set high standards in the industry of aircraft purchasing, service, safety and innovation. In Asia it is ranked as the tenth largest ai rline, and it is ninth in terms of international passenger volume. (Directory, 2007) The airway company was formed way back in 1946 by an American pilot and business man Roy Farrell and an Australian pilot named Sydney de Kantzow. The two entrepreneurs started by operating in Shanghai, then they moved to Hong Kong and registered the company. The company carried out it services for a long time until it merged with BOAC in1960 and continued carrying out it service in Asia though many companies wanted to make an alliance with the company it has managed to run by itself. However the company had its share of problems brought about by Asian financial crisis and government policies. (Directory, 2007) How the wider economic environment impacts on their operations Various economic factors are indicators of the changing industry environment. These economical factors include; Fiscal policy rates, interest rate policy, currency exchange rates, consumer factors, quotas imposed on the product , import tariffs, inflation rate and national interests, expenditures, consumer wealth, etc. It is possible that the climate economy of the world dictates how the consumers of the aviation industry behave. Emirates airline has created an international fleet and increase its number of flights and destination in line with improved macro economy being witnessed in globally. However, the Cathay airline has been slow in changing it operations in relation to the wider economy. Cathay operations due they have been changing in response to the wider economy it is slow in doing so. (Doganis, 2001) What you consider the operations management issues facing the organizations Organizational effectiveness can be defined as the extent to which an organization has achieved its set objectives. Emirate Airline management effectiveness is reported to be high and it is argued that the main reason to its success is because of the measures taken by the entire management in response to changes in contemporary world of business. Emirates Airlines has been credited with building a strong human resource relationship which has enhanced the success of organization. The company recruits its employees based on their qualifications and their competence. Emirates Airlines have embarked on recruiting professionals that produces global culture. (Doganis, 2001) Emirates Airlines has also responded well in terms of new technologies that come up

Antitrust Practices and Market Power Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Antitrust Practices and Market Power - Essay Example By pairing the two together, every Windows user had a copy of the internet explorer which led to Microsoft’s victory in the market. It was clear that bundling them together had restricted the access for other browsers in the market that had to be bought. It is alleged that Microsoft used its monopoly power to favor the internet explorer over the other web browsers. In its defense, Microsoft said that merging its operating system and the Internet Explorer was as a result of fair competition and invention, and that would enable users to use the internet explorer for free. It was still clear whether the operating system and the Internet Explorer were two separate items or whether they were one piece. However, Microsoft maintained that it had made its operating system a bit more expensive, and thus it could not be said to be y free. The case focused on predatory strategies Microsoft had engaged in and a market barrier to entry as opposed to interoperability (Brinkley, 2000). The action by Microsoft to favor internet explorer over the rest of the browsers in the market violated the Sherman antitrust law section 1and 2 where Section one states that any contract that would cause restraint in trade among several states and thus the contract could be declared illegal. Section two, on the other hand, states that any company that will attempt to monopoli ze any part of trade shall be declared guilty of a felony punishable in a court of law (St.Olaf College, 2004). A monopoly is a company that has only one seller in the market who has absolute rights in a particular interest, and they are te only seller in the market thus have the right to fix the price. In most cases, the cost of entering into the market is very high thus causing a barrier to entry to new entrants. The monopoly fixes the price as consumers will still buy. There are monopolies owned by the government especially where the

BUKE'S AND MERCHANT'S Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

BUKE'S AND MERCHANT'S - Essay Example The reason of this decline was nothing but protest form people putting at disadvantage from the coming technology. But the change came by itself, only by interaction of one factor with another. Merchant described scientific revolution as a change in scientist’s perspective to explore nature and attempt to use it for the betterment of society. Merchant believed that the scientific revolution was in fact the death of nature because scientists so deeply infiltrated with the nature of life that they became cause of death of the actual nature of life. Merchant also described scientific revolution as the desire to dominate nature by scientists and put an end to the image of Nature as a loving caregiver. As the revolution increases by, the concepts of healing, bringing life and changing life became controllable and alterable and hence put Nature as a resource in the society. Merchant also described this process as men dominion to women who were driven into submission and put them under men’s

Illegal Imigrants in United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Illegal Imigrants in United States - Essay Example One school of thought agrees that the immigrants should not be granted the same benefits as the legal citizens, and thus, be deported. Another school of thought agrees that granting a legal status to the immigrants will be beneficial for both, the country and the immigrants themselves. Deporting a population of 11 million people is virtually impossible. Giving the illegal immigrants a legal status within the country has its benefits which will in turn help the economy of USA. The literacy rate in USA is high, with only 8% adults who have not completed high school. However, there are numerous industries and sectors within the country which require low-skilled and less educated labour force. These industries include construction, agriculture, food processing and maintenance. Most of the illegal immigrants are Hispanics with low level of schooling. This coupled with their illegal status forces them to work such low end jobs. Had these immigrants been deported or eliminated, the labour i ntensive sectors of the country would have suffered greatly. The effect of the decrease in productivity of these industries would have reflected in the GDP of the country. This situation is a complex one as the country fights for human rights, with many human rights activists operating within USA. At times, the illegal immigrants do not have the basic employee rights. However, if they are deported not only would they lose their jobs, but the output of these labour intensive sectors will also suffer (Hanson, 5). The wages for low skilled labour fluctuates along with the seasonal fluctuations in production and the business cycle. When the demands for goods and services increase, manufacturers require more low skilled labour and thus, pay higher per hour wage as compared to times of low demand. Since the number of green cards granted each year is fixed irrespective of the economic expansions and downturns, when producers need more labour, they have no option present, but the illegal im migrants. Eliminating illegal immigrants completely will create a labour shortage in times of economic booms and the manufacturing industry, along with many others, will not be able to take full advantage of this economic boom (Hanson, 7). One of the main reason why the government and US citizens in general are in favour of deporting the illegal immigrants, is the belief that these immigrants are encroaching within the county claiming resources which should rightfully be of the US citizens’, and overall having a detrimental effect on the economy of the country. The influx of illegal immigrants has led to an increase in the supply of low skilled labour. This has consequently put a pressure on the wages in the country. Wages for the low skilled labour have fallen, enabling the employers and business owners to generate more income and profits. The availability of low skilled labour on reduced wages has reduced the labour costs companies have to bear and made businesses more prod uctive. Since the income of the business owners have increased, they can reinvest more money in their businesses and use their resources more efficiently. This results in a net gain in the national income, known as the immigration surplus. On the whole, arrival of illegal immigrants has been the reason for an increase in the total economic output. However a portion of this additional wealth generated is

Pepsico Swot Analysis Essay Example for Free

Pepsico Swot Analysis Essay When making any investment decision, it is important for a potential investor to gain insight into the company. An evaluation of the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats will help the investor determine if the venture is worth going into (Nickels, McHugh McHugh, 2010). It also provides details about the internal status of the business and the future growth to expect in the future. SWOT Analysis Conducting a SWOT analysis of PepsiCo will help the company determine where change is possible. If the company is at a turning point, an inventory of its strengths and weaknesses can reveal possibilities. The identified strengths can be built on and used to their full potential and makes can be made to reduce the weaknesses. Potential problems that need to be addressed or at least recognized are identified. It will help PepsiCo discover what it does well, could improve, whether they are making the most of the opportunities around them, and whether there are any changes in the market that may require changes in the business (Nickels et al., 2010). Strengths PepsiCo has a diverse product portfolio that includes foods, snacks, and beverages with annual revenue of over $66 billion. The PepsiCo brands such as Pepsi, Gatorade, Tropicana, Mountain Dew, Lay’s, Aquafina, Sierra Mist, Fritos, and Quaker stand for quality and are well recognized household names. These brands generate over $1 billion each in annual global sales revenue which gives PepsiCo an advantage over its competition that have limited product line (â€Å"Brands,† 2012). Lower sales in one product line because of unforeseeable circumstances can be offset with promoting sales from another product line. PepsiCo’s geographical footprint is another strength of the organization. It currently operates in more than 200 countries worldwide which provides PepsiCo with diverse income sources. In 2011, only 50% of the company’s revenue came from the United States but this did not impact PepsiCo’s overall revenue growth because of the company’s increasing revenue from other parts of the world like Asia, Russia, Europe, and Latin America (â€Å"The Power of PepsiCo,† 2012). Weaknesses With the diverse portfolio of PepsiCo, not all products produced by this  company bear it name and its holdings are still seen by the public as separate entities, not as parts of PepsiCo. Its branding is not obvious and not easily recognized and this is hurting the image of the company. One of its most popular brands, Gatorade, recently changed its name to multiple sub-brands such as â€Å"G Prime 01,† and â€Å"G Series Pro 03 Recover† (Edwards, 2011). PepsiCo is gradually losing its credibility because of its lack of stability in management. The company has a high turnover rate and in the last four years, 26 senior marketing managers have resigned and those that are still with PepsiCo have been moved from one brand to another or from one division to another (Edwards, 2012). The revenue of PepsiCo is over dependent on sales to Wal-Mart. In 2011, approximately 18% of PepsiCo’s North American net revenue was from sales to Wal-Mart (including Sam’s Club). As a result PepsiCo is highly influenced with the business strategies of Wal-Mart (â€Å"The Power of PepsiCo,† 2011). Opportunities PepsiCo is investing its resources by expanding its operation in emerging foreign markets like China and Russia and developing continents like Africa. With the company’s recent purchase of Wimm-Bill-Dann, a Russian food and beverage company with huge market shares in dairy and juice products, PepsiCo will expand greatly its presence in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and is expected to increase its annual sales revenue by $5 billion (â€Å"Pepsi Absorbs Wimm,† 2011). PepsiCo recently signed a partnership agreement with Theo Muller, a German dairy company to sell its dairy products in the US starting with yogurt. PepsiCo will also invest in research to create new dairy products for the US market. This is a great opportunity for PepsiCo to increase its future revenue because it is predicted that annual revenue of $9 billion will be generated by 2016 with nearly 100 million American households expected to buy yogurt products (Steinberg, 2012). Threats PepsiCo faces a strong competition from The Coca-Cola Company, its primary competitor in the carbonated beverage category. These two companies have  had a long history of rivalry since the 1800s with Coca-Cola has a leader for most of the period. PepsiCo recently lost its five-year partnership deal with Dunkin’ Brands to Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola products will now be offered in 7,000 Dunkin’ brands outlets instead of PepsiCo products. In January 2012, Dunkin’ Brands announced the plan to double their outlet stores to 14,000 over the next 20 years. This is a huge revenue loss for PepsiCo (Fisher, 2012). Also in 2010, Diet Coke overtook Pepsi to become the second largest soda brand in the Unites States behind Coke, moving Pepsi to third (Theodore, 2012). There has been a steady decline in carbonated drink sales for the past seven years in the US with total sales dropping one percent in 2011. Americans are now turning to healthier food and drinks like bottled waters to avoid the high sugar contents in soda (â€Å"Soda Sales Fall,† 2012). Even with the diverse portfolio of PepsiCo, this decline in sales of carbonated soda drinks will have a negative impact on its total revenue. United States federal, State, and local laws and other regulatory authority in foreign countries could have a negative impact on the sales and profitability of PepsiCo. PepsiCo’s marketing, manufacturing, and distribution of its products can be affected as a result of what the government dictates. Also Governmental agencies that exist where PepsiCo operates can impose new labeling, accounting standards, product requirement, marketing practices, and taxation requirement. In California, PepsiCo is required to post a warning label on any product sold that contains a substance that the state has found to cause cancer or birth defect. If this type of law is enacted in other states or foreign countries, it would affect the sales of PepsiCo products (â€Å"The Power of PepsiCo,† 2011). Investor Analysis As a result of the SWOT analysis, investing in PepsiCo would yield a positive return on investment. The analysis shows a strong company with increase in earnings for the past five years. PepsiCo’s increasing presence in developing countries is most relevant in the decision to invest. With nearly 72% of the world’s processed food consumption in 2050 predicted to be  happening in developing countries because of increase in population, this will give PepsiCo a competitive edge. Internal and External Stakeholders The success or failure of PepsiCo is determined by how the wants and needs of its internal and external stakeholders are met. The internal stakeholders of PepsiCo are associates, shareholders, and board of directors. The external stakeholders of PepsiCo are consumers, local and foreign communities, retail and food service customers, partners, suppliers, and competitors. PepsiCo meets the needs of its associates by providing a supportive and empowering workplace. The company helps its employees to succeed by helping them develop the skills needed to increase the growth of the company (â€Å"Talent Sustainability,† 2012). The need of the shareholders of PepsiCo is met by striving to deliver top of the line financial performance and providing a high return on their investment (â€Å"Performance,† 2012). In 2011, the dividends paid to PepsiCo’s shareholders was six percent higher than 2010 ((â€Å"The Power of PepsiCo,† 2011). PepsiCo provides its consumers with a diverse list of products that delivers affordability and great taste. The company has recently begun offering consumers a wide range of healthy foods and beverages. Current products are constantly been improved and new products created to meet the changing needs of consumers (â€Å"Stakeholders Engagement,† 2012). Local jobs are created in the developing countries that PepsiCo operates in. PepsiCo provides support for education through PepsiCo Foundation grants. The company is working to protect the water resources they have used in India and working with nonprofit organizations to promote sustainable agricultural practices (â€Å"Stakeholders Engagement’† 2012). Products are delivered directly to retail and food service customers such as grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, and vending machines. PepsiCo  also assist these stakeholders with marketing services that contributes to the customers’ growth and profit (â€Å"Stakeholders Engagement,† 2012). Conclusion A company’s strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats must be analyzed to determine the potential of the return on investment. Even with its weaknesses, PepsiCo is a strong company with earnings growth over the past five years, and has enough cash on hand to maintain its operation. With the new initiatives that PepsiCo is working on, such as expanding its market into developing countries and providing healthier options to its consumers, the company will be able to meet the needs of its stakeholders. References Brands. (2012) Retrieved from http://www.pepsico.com/Brands.html Diet Mountain Dew, Brisk and Starbucks Ready-T0-Drink Beverages Grow to the Billion-Dollar Brands for PepsiCo. (2012, January 26) Retrieved from http://seekingalpha.com/news-article/2139612-diet-mountain-dew-brisk-and-starbucks-ready-to-drink-beverages-grow-to-be-billion-dollar-brands-for-pepsico Edwards, J. (2011, June 22). Pepsi Just Can’t Stop Pulling the Tab After Shaking Up Management. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-42749107/pepsi-just-cant-stop-pulling-the-tab-after-shaking-up-management/ Edwards, J. (2012, May 10). How Pepsi Management Shuffles Led To Sales Collapse. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/how-pepsis-management-shuffles-led-to-sales-collapse-2012-5?op=1 Fisher, B. (2012, June 12). Pepsi loses Dunkin, Eyes Emerging Markets. Retrieved from http://beta.fool.com/bobbyfisher/2012/06/12/pepsi-loses-dunkin-eyes-emerging-markets/5599/?logvisit=ysource=eptcnnlnk0000001 Nickels, W. G., McHugh, J. M., McHugh, S. M. (2010). Understanding Business (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Pepsi Absorbs Wimm-Bill-Dann. (2011) Retrieved from http://rt.com/business/news/pepsi-absorbs-wimm-bill-dann-333/ Performance. (2012) Retrieved from http://www.pepsico.com/Purpose/Performance-with-Purpose.html Stakeholder Engagement. (2012) Retrieved from http://www.pepsico.com/Purpose/Overview/Stakeholder-Engagement.html Steinberg, J. (2012, July 11). PepsiCo Expanding Its American Portfolio With Dairy Products. Retrieved from http://seekingalpha.com/article/714491-pepsico-expanding-its-american-portfolio-with-dairy-products Talent Sustainability. (2012) Retrieved from http://www.pepsico.com/Purpose/Talent-Sustainability.html The Power of PepsiCo – 2011 Annual Report. (2011) Retrieved from http://www.pepsico.com/annual11/downloads/pep_ar11_2011_annual_report.pdf Theodore, S. (2012, August 13). Diet Coke Enters A New Decade: The Carbonated Soft Drink Brand Has Come A Long Way. Retrieved from http://www.mintel.com/blog/diet-coke-enters-new-decade-carbonated-soft-drink-brand-has-come-long-way Tomlinson, S. (2012, March 3). Soda Sales Fall Faster As Americans Turn To Healthier Options. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2118291/Soda-sales-fall-faster-Americans-turn-healthier-options.html

Appeals Compare and Contrast Essay Essay Example for Free

Appeals Compare and Contrast Essay Essay In William Shakespeare’s Rendition of Julius Caesar death, the character Brutus must persuade the audience into believing his murder of Caesar was justified. To be sure that he is imprinted as a â€Å"heroine† for saving the roman empire he makes Mark Anthony go, knowing that the audience will believe him for he was Caesars best friend. Brutus makes sure that he implies him as a good guy by giving him restrictions on what he could and could not say, but ultimately Brutus fails with his plan for he did not listen to Anthony’s speech which was one of his most grave mistakes, and Anthony wins over the audience while Brutus is forced to flee from the roman empire. In Brutus’s speech he enlightened the audience through his use of logos by demonstrating the true sense of capability they would have faced if Caesar would have continued as a tyrannical ruler as he says â€Å"would u had Caesar were living, and die slaves†. Brutus stressed the oppressing future and eventual demise of the roman empire as long as Caesar had remained in power, hence his reasoning behind his actions. As Brutus using pathos to persuade the audience as he says â€Å"who here is so vile that will not love his country† Brutus expresses his feelings for the empire and how he cares trying to make the audience feel the dreadful for thinking that his killing of Caesar was a betrayal to the empire. The Biggest flaw was that his speech was too short he never really explained the crimes or tyranny that Caesar had committed and that would eventually be his downfall. As mark Anthony approaches the audience he had to find a way to oblige to Brutus’s rules of not saying anything negative of him. He announces to the audience using logos by expressing his sadness for Caesars death, as he speaks he quotes the conspirators as â€Å"honorable men† as he repeated the quote over and over the audience began to rally up and shout, the more he said it the more the audience realized how Brutus lied to them. Anthony had shown the audience of the Brutus’s betrayal without saying he wasn’t a honorable man. As Anthony says â€Å"He [Caesar] hath brought many captives home to Rome whose ransoms did the general coffers fill† showing that Caesar had cared for the city trying to bring wealth to the empire, but then Anthony says â€Å"but Caesar is ambitious† making the audience praise more for Caesar for he had brought wealth to the empire. Anthony shows the audience of Brutus’s act of violence which ultimately gave Anthony the audience and the upper hand. Anthony showed Brutus as a â€Å"hero† as brutus wanted, but brutus did not expect Brutus fails of his plans to make the audience belive caesars death was justified, Anthony shows the audience in anthonys words, that he was telling the truth from his sadness and tone, while Brutus was failed as he only said a few words and left Anthony all by himself. Ultimately making the audience team up with Anthony, as Brutus flees the empire.

Communication Strategy Development Project

Communication Strategy Development Project Subject: to develop the communication process Amicus and to improve system relating to information and knowledge. Faysal Mahmud Shafayet zaman Executive summary As we have been assigned to create a formal report on Managing Communication, were our objective is develop communication process and be able to improve systems relating to information and knowledge. For this we have collected our data thoroughly through the primary methods, which is through questionnaires and through face to face meeting Task one Communication is basically interaction, which can be oral, visual, written or any other channels to express ones feeling. Hence we can take it granted that it’s the most vital element of an organization and if it’s not proper it will possibly influence the organization in it’s down fall, vice-versa. As I was assigned to assess the business communication process of Amicus, while assessing I found out the communication process the organization in terms of their suppliers, consumers as well as their own. Communication process of Amicus: Top to lower level management: When a policy or a guide line for the organization is implemented or when taking a new strategic decision the approach that Amicus utilize is the formal top-down approach, for example when taking a strategic decision the directors call a formal meeting where they inform the manager about the strategic decisions. Afterwards the manager calls a formal meeting for the lower level management to brief them about the strategic changes. Same level management: When making an agreement or facing an unexpected scenario the approach Amicus follows is the formal horizontal method, for example when information needs to be passed within the same level management they call a formal meeting which is notified by phone or a formal letter ( as it is within the organization ). Lower to top level management: This occurs when a report regarding a project (construction) or feedback is received, for this kind of situation the communication approach Amicus apply is the formal upward vertical communication, such as when a lower level employee wants to present his feed back of the task he was assigned, he takes an appointment and formally presents the feedback face to face. Then the manager via appointment meets the directors and presents them the feedback. Networking system: Sharing data’s between different departments can be time consuming, to avoid this Amicus uses LAN as their networking system. Dissemination of data for consumer as well as organization purpose: Amicus disseminates their data via ad on paper, billboards, brochures and their own web page. Organization meeting for all level management: As Amicus is a developing organization, for which meetings are held monthly as this industries scenario fluctuates a lot. Communication process of Amicus regarding consumer and suppliers In terms of agreement: Basically in terms of agreement the communication approach Amicus always prefers is the formal face to face communication and the approach of the agreement is always written. Dissemination of data for consumer as well as suppliers: Amicus disseminates their data mostly through ad on newspaper; billboard or brochures were there can be an ad about both product/service and recruitment for supplier. Feedback process of Amicus for their consumers: there are four channel through which feedback can be received and they are via letter, face to face, telephone call and e-mail. Most of the feedbacks are received through the phone. Overall what our team found out that, in the present state Amicus is formal in its communication process and desires to follow formal communication process in the future but will allow change in circumstances. In the present scenario Amicus has finished a luxurious project in Mirpur DOHS, for which a communication process is made for notifying the potential customers. Where the director being the sender sends a message, where the message is to promote the new project via ad on news paper, this message is transmitted through formal meeting. Then the recipient is the marketing manager and in the receiver stage the message is interpreted so that the recipient who is the marketing managers can understand the actual meaning of the message. But in the feed back stage it shows they didn’t get positive feedback as the interaction with customer was not up to the organizations estimation. A communication process diagram of the marketing department is given below. Communication process diagram of the marketing department of Amicus regarding the new projects promotion: Task two After conducting research on the overall communication process of Amicus we found some lacking in the communication process, regarding the regarding. As we have found out that the customer’s interaction is not up to the mark in organizations view point. Judging from the previous communication process we can see that they have done there promotion through only one media which was ad on newspaper. In the improvised communication process the director of Amicus being the sender sends a message which is to promote the new project by variety of media and to promote it in the right place for example giving add on billboards in places like Gulshan, Bonani and baridhara and also selecting a targeted segment and handing out brochures to them. This message is transmitted by a formal meeting and is indicated to the marketing manager of Amicus, who is the recipient. In the receiver stage the message is explained so that the recipient can understand the actual meaning. Hence an Improvised Communication process diagram of the marketing department of Amicus regarding the new projects promotion is made. Task Three As we have seen in the first communication process, here the director being the sender sends a message, where the message is to promote the new project via ad on news paper, this message is transmitted through formal meeting. Then in the recipient is the marketing manager and in the receiver stage the message is interpreted so that the recipient who is the marketing managers can understand the actual meaning of the message. But in the feed back stage it shows they didn’t get positive feedback as the interaction with customer was not up to the organizations estimation. Due to its feedback a new improvised communication process is made, where the director of Amicus being the sender sends a message which is to promote the new project by variety of media and to promote it in the right place for example giving add on billboards in places like Gulshan, Bonani and baridhara and also selecting a targeted segment and handing out brochures to them. This message is transmitted by a formal meeting and is indicated to the marketing manager of Amicus, who is the recipient. In the receiver stage the message is explained so that the recipient can understand the actual meaning. In the first scenario we can see that they have done their promotion through only one media which was ad on newspaper for their upcoming luxuries project in Mirpur DOHS but this promoting strategy had some drawbacks such as, not all people read newspapers, everyone does not read the same newspaper and it is also received by a lot of un potential customers as it is luxurious project in a luxurious place and every social class people reads the newspaper. Advantages on implementing improvements when implementing the improvised communication process, the director being the sender sends a message which is to properly promote the upcoming project by the proper use of media and by promoting it in the right place such as giving add on billboards in places like Gulshan, Bonani and baridhara and also selecting a targeted segment and handing out brochures to them. Through promoting like this by using proper media and promoting in the right place, Amicus will be able to find the potential customers better than before and attract them according, which will lead to the estimated interaction of Amicus between the Amicus and potential customers. This was not possible following the old communication process. Task Four How to improve own or individual communication skills. After being enlightened in managing communication we have found out some effective steps that can help someone to improve their communication skills and they are: Providing a precise verbal speech about the task so that it will clear to the recipient. Also providing a clear written document about the task, this will help them if they don’t understand speech. When an individual has problem understanding the task you can use open conversation and non verbal communication, so that he can understand When giving a speech about the task it is a necessity that receiving end listens carefully When the individual faces confusion in the speech of task they should ask the manager and clear his confusion at that time When a group work is given by the manager, the group’s individuals to be selected should have the communication skill to understand where each individual stands and how much work they can do. If a problem arises after the task is given it is better to do informal communication at that stage , as through informal communication they can get rid of their confusion in a time consuming manner Task Five Existing approaches of data collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of Amicus After gathering information from their managers and directors we have found how Amicus collect their data, how they format it and how they store it. The approaches of these stages are given below: Approaches of data collection: There are two sources that Amicus uses for collecting data and they are the primary sources such as field visit, face to face meeting, via telephone, e-mail and etc. the other source they use is secondary sources for example newspaper, brochures, annual report, government data and etc. Approaches for data formatting, storage, security and back up: After the collection of data from primary and secondary sources they format their data in a few ways. If they get a written data they have to scan it first in order to format it into word file and after that the word file’s soft copy is kept in their computers such as desktops and laptops. When they receive the data’s soft copy they collect it via pen drive or memory stick and save it in the office computer for further use. If they need to edit any sort of data they edit through the help of MS word or Adobe. When formatting quantative data Amicus uses MS excel and make a spread sheet. After formatting all the data they store it in the files of their computers as well as in log books and for their data security of confidential data’s they use password so that only classified person can take a look but for their backup they just store it in their computer. All these formatted data are shared internally in the organization through the help of local area network (LAN). Task Six What our team has found out that the process Amicus follows for the collection of data, formatting and storing is good compared to their industry but their back up and security is very poor ,so here is an improvised process for back up and security given below. Approaches of data collection: There are two sources that Amicus uses for collecting data and they are the primary sources such as field visit, face to face meeting, via telephone, e-mail and etc. the other source they use is secondary sources for example newspaper, brochures, annual report, government data and etc Approaches of data formatting and data storage: After the collection of data from primary and secondary sources they format their data in a few ways. If they get a written data they have to scan it first in order to format it into word file and after that the word file’s soft copy is kept in their computers such as desktops and laptops. When they receive the data’s soft copy they collect it via pen drive or memory stick and save it in the office computer for further use. If they need to edit any sort of data they edit through the help of MS word or Adobe. When formatting quantative data Amicus uses MS excel and make a spread sheet. After formatting all the data they store it in the files of their computers as well as in log books and for their data security of confidential data’s they use password so that only classified person can take a look and for their back up and security they can use the virtual networking system such as Cloud Computing Service by IBM. Task Seven As we can see from the first existing process of data collection, formatting, storage, security and back up that their security and back up was poor for which an improvised process was made which was quite similar but was appropriately improvised in the security and back up stages. Existing process: After the collection of data from primary and secondary sources, such as field visit, face to face, brochures and newspaper they format their data in a few ways. If they get a written data they have to scan it first in order to format it into word file and after that the word file’s soft copy is kept in their computers such as desktops and laptops. When they receive the data’s soft copy they collect it via pen drive or memory stick and save it in the office computer for further use. If they need to edit any sort of data they edit through the help of MS word or Adobe. When formatting quantative data Amicus uses MS excel and make a spread sheet. After formatting all the data they store it in the files of their computers as well as in log books and for their data security of confidential data’s they use password so that only classified person can take a look but for their backup they just store it in their computer. Improvised process: After the collection of data from primary and secondary sources, such as field visit, face to face, brochures and newspaper they format their data in a few ways. If they get a written data they have to scan it first in order to format it into word file and after that the word file’s soft copy is kept in their computers such as desktops and laptops. When they receive the data’s soft copy they collect it via pen drive or memory stick and save it in the office computer for further use. If they need to edit any sort of data they edit through the help of MS word or Adobe. When formatting quantative data Amicus uses MS excel and make a spread sheet. After formatting all the data they store it in the files of their computers as well as in log books and for their data security of confidential data’s they use password so that only classified person can take a look and for their back up and security they can use the virtual networking system such as Cloud Computing Service by IBM. As we can see that both process is quite similar but in the improvised process for back up and security Amicus uses the virtual networking system such as Cloud Computing Service by IBM for they will get high security and back up for example that computer through which Amicus shares their data with the help of LAN has the possibility to crash which will make them loose all their data but if they use the virtual networking system such as Cloud Computing Service by IBM their data will remain safe in the virtual data base of IBM which can only accessed by the authority of Amicus. To keep confidential data’s classified they also use it as it is highly secured. Evidence Reference Amicus Properties (2013). About Us.  Available: http://www.amicus.com.bd/amicus/index.php  Last accessed 09th March 2014.

When identifying the learning support of dyslexic pupils, the same :: Education

When identifying the learning support of dyslexic pupils, the same underlying principle of careful assessment of skills an â€Å" When identifying the learning support of dyslexic pupils, the same underlying principle of careful assessment of skills and strategies should apply to literacy and numeracy. Discuss the implications for classroom practice. In this essay I will be discussing the importance of careful assessment in the management of dyslexia with particular reference to literacy and numeracy and the subsequent implications that this will have on classroom practice. Current theory shows that although there is no one definition for dyslexia it is widely recognised as being a specific learning disability of neurological origin that does not imply low intelligence or poor educational background It is were the language section of the brain is not developed in the normal way,so preventing the acquisition of phonological skills ,decoding and encoding of words.These difficulties are believed to be due to the inherited aspects of language processing.The neurological bases of dyslexia are now well founded and reflected in the current definitions of the term.The British Dyslexia Association (1996) produced the following definition; â€Å"Dyslexia is a neurological condition, which is constitutional in origin. The symptoms may affect many areas of learning and function and may be described as a specific difficulty in reading , spelling , and written language. One or more of these areas may be affected.Numeracy ,notational skills (music), may also be involved. However ,it is particularly related to mastering written language, although oral language may be affected to some degree.† The Dyslexia Institute (1997)defined dyslexia as â€Å"a problem dealing with words and symbols that make it hard for a dyslexic person to learn to read write and spell and sometimes causes difficulty with mathematics and music†. Dyslexia is therefore a disorder in the cognitive processing system of the brain which presents itself with difficulties with organisatonal skills ,short term memory problems ,reading ,writing and spelling problems and to some extent difficulties in numeracy. A dyslexic pupil may have problems with word retrieval and pronounciaton ,difficulties with rhyme and alliteration, sequencing problems and naming.Singleton an E.

European Imperialsim in Africa was Justified :: Politics Government

European Imperialism in Africa was Justified The first Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain. It led to a dramatic increase in factories, therefore a vast amount of manufactured goods. The demand for goods created by the Industrial Revolution helped clear the way for the Age of Imperialism because Great Britain and eventually all of Europe sought after more natural resources and raw materials. Imperialism is the policy in which a stronger country seeks to dominate a less developed country both politically and economically. Although the European imperialism of Africa was exploitive and self seeking, it was justified because it ultimately enhanced the growth and development of the African nations through new laws, government, well ordered finance and freedom form oppression. When the Europeans arrived in Africa, many would of thought that imperialism wasn?t fied because the Europeans were enslaving the Africans. As stated in David Diop's An Anthology of West African Verse, "And in the Conqueror's voice said, 'Boy! A chair, a napkin, a drink.'" Stated blatantly, the "conqueror" is a European, and he is commanding an African to serve him. Forcing Africans into slavery certainly doesn?t justify European imperialism in Africa, however, there are many reasons as to why imperialism actually was justified. One reason, is the fact that the raw materials the Europeans took from Africa were unused. As stated in Lord Frederick Lugard's, The Dual Mandate in British Tropical Africa, "Who can deny the right of the hungry people of Europe to utilize the wasted bounties of nature..." Lugard shows that Europe had the right to take raw materials from Africa because they were unused. This means those who argue that European imperialism in Africa was not justified because the Europeans simply took raw materials, are obviously mistaken. Another reason that European imperialism in Africa was justified, is the fact that Europeans did not take over Africa solely for their self interests. As plainly stated in excepts from Lord Carnarvon's records. "...it is certainly not a desire of selfish interests..." Clearly, those who argue that Europeans just wanted to benefit themselves through the imperialism of Africa, are incorrect. Unfortunately, even though European imperialism in Africa was justified, many Africans are still suffering from the effects to this day.

Field Trip Report: Arbi Falls Essay

The second field trip for Batch No: 1 on 30.01.2013 was to a water fall named â€Å"Arbi water-falls†. Our bus left us on the top of the plateau of Dasrath Nagar from where we had to walk down the steep slope of the plateau to get to the fields. We had to cross a swift stream of water which was very transparent and cold. We walked through the dykes, sort of no-man’s land made out of mud marking the boundary of two fields. Adjacent to the farmer’s house, which our sir described to over a hundred years old, was a well and a temple which was a special temple as there were big trees and people pray lord Vishnu in his cobra incarnation. It was also said to us that the people over there worship ‘Nagaraj’. We crossed a large number of bamboo barricades to visit the surrounding paddy fields, anywhere my eyes went I could only see greenery spread. The fields were quiet dense and we walked inside the canopy of large trees. After examining the nature around the place we headed towards the falls by the same way from which we entered. In few minutes we could cross the stream and reached the small road which headed us to the foothills of the falls. We had to cross the slippery rocks and thorny bushes to reach the top. We could also see the natural pores on the ground from where the water was oozing out very quickly and the natural water was really very pure and cold. We crossed the small valleys full of bushes and slippery rocks. Algae had grown on all the sharp edges and corners of the rocks, making it much more slippery. At last we reached the top of the falls to land on a barren field. There were houses all around that place. We took few pictures and left that place to board our bus. OBJECTIVE:- â€Å"To study a wetland ecosystem and observe the flora and fauna around Manipal.† LOCATION:- Co-ordinates: 13 °20’11†³N 74 °47’36†³E FLORA AND FAUNA:- Having a wide range of flora and fauna, the southern side of Manipal, frankly, is full of greenery. With a host bird species, butterflies, insects, snakes, cattle and other such animal species, the Dasrath Nagar area of Manipal can also boast about its variety in flora with a range of trees, ‘Acacia’, ‘Cashew’, etc. being the primary ones. PROBLEMS FACED BY LOCAL FARMERS:- Lack of labour Pests destroying their products Insufficient water supply Not much profitable farming PROBABLE SOLUTIONS:- Government should give machines and more mechanized products to the farmers in less cost so that they can use those and produce efficiently without the labour present. Pesticides and similar products should be given to the farmers in less costs so that they can use it efficiently on their fields, water supply can be enhanced by making well, use of motors to suck water from the falls and distribute to their fields. CONCLUSION:- It is a recently discovered waterfall near Manipal Lake. This waterfall is active only through the months of August to November, during the monsoon season. Recently this waterfall has come in the spotlight. Hence, a lot of people and Manipal University (MU) students have started coming here. Due to this increase of people, the waterfall and the nearby areas have started getting polluted. People living near the waterfall complain that visitors come and throw plastic bottles, chips wrappers and garbage near the fall.

Hitting the Wall: Nike and International Labor Practices

It is ironic to see how an organization like Nike would response to its negative labor practices in quite an immature way, especially when it carries a big brand image in the industry and has a lot on stake to lose; with respect to its loyal clientele and future growth opportunities. In my opinion, Nike’s approach was almost prohibitive, specifically for the initial few years. I agree, later on in May, 1998 Knight announced a series of sweeping reforms however; what is shocking to me, it took Nike roughly 18 years to realize that some serious steps are needed to address the allegations and their future steps must go beyond and over than what they had committed themselves to. Nike was pressed by the circumstances to think this way as their bottom line had truly started to suffer. Evidently, since 1980’s the corporation had been plagued by a series of labor incidents and public relations nightmares but what has astounded me is â€Å"despite the criticism; they insisted that labor conditions in its contractors’ factories were not — could not — be Nike’s concern or its responsibility†. Initially, Nike was moving quite fast from one country to another just to accomplish their low cost manufacturing agendas. It is quite relevant, applicable and fair for any organization to outsource where they can save cost but it should not be on someone else expense where the organization is violating human rights and/or the labor is not even making enough to meet their bare minimum necessities. All these bad business practices of Nike got them in mainstream where they were not able to come up with innovative ideas to be in command of this bad publicity. As the matter was heating up Nike did try to address many issues which are surely commendable but the major issue of workers minimum wage was never resolved up until 1998. This is exactly where Nike was getting benefited from (low-wages). In response to the entire kiosk, Nike did draft a series of regulations for its contractors; they also tried to be cooperative with government made organizations, hired an outside firm Ernst and Young in 1996 to audit its suppliers manufacturing facilities, created another labor practices department to keep checks and balances, hired a civil rights leader to do an independent evaluation of their code of conduct and so on so forth. Doing this gave birth to another problem: All these were on Nikes pay roll which dilutes the purpose in itself. In the end Nike’s initiatives were becoming self contradicting. Where Nike has done an awesome job is, when Knight almost surrender Nike and accepted indirectly that their company has been a part of slave wages, forced overtime and arbitrary abuse and also showed his true commitment to abolish all these from Nike’s business. It was not just words at this point but some fundamental changes have been made in their existing policies and also many further effective steps were taken which were relatively appreciable. Nike’s becoming a part of FLA (Fair Labor Association) was the right step in right direction but of course at very later stages. No doubts, Nike could have done many things differently. First, they should not have made a rough statement at early stages that Nike has nothing to do with what goes in their vendor’s facilities. Second, they could have hired a complete NGO to check and evaluate their labor practices overseas. Third, they should have taken the full responsibility right from the beginning for their wrong doing acts instead of defending their image and keep executing their same old policies. Basically, what Nike has done in the end by almost confessing its all wrong doings, is what it must have done way earlier in the game. Doing this should have given a positive spin to the entire situation and must have helped Nike to save its image while making its remarkable name in the industry for using good business practices.

Fly High with Sti College Angeles

Fly High with STI College Angeles A. INTRODUCTION July 11, 2012 – 10:15 A. M†¦ (1st Semester of S. Y 2012-2013) It is her second week in her new job as a Marketing Officer; Ms. Eleanor Pineda is very enthusiastic while checking the STI College Angeles Strategic Plans for 2012. â€Å"It has been eight (8) years that STI College Angeles is not achieving the projected number of first year students that must be enrolled each school year, not to mention that the shortage is majority half of what is projected. This is alarming Madam. – Eleanor Pineda â€Å"That is correct and it is disturbing in our end. We have been working it out to hit and surpassed every year’s projection, however the competition with all the colleges and universities around Angeles City makes the competition stiffer. As you can observe, we are located in a market saturated with lots of tertiary schools which also offers diverse courses. † – Ms. Rowena T. Selom, Administrator â €“ STI College Angeles. â€Å"This will definitely serve as a challenge to you Eleanor as a newly hired Marketing Officer.You will be in-charge in initially encouraging fresh graduates of secondary level to be part of our school, and promoting our identity within the circle of Pampanga. My faculty can be of help in internal marketing, for we make sure that all professors and instructors are qualified and meet all the requirements as set by CHED and TESDA. This is to ensure that quality education is being given to our students. † – Mrs. Avelina A. Pena, Academic Head – STI College Angeles. â€Å"Thank you Madam, I will surely be needing helpful hands for me to materialize the projection of the school. – Eleanor Pineda â€Å"Competition gets stiffer, The City College of Angeles will become one of our greatest concerns, since according to the news I have heard, the construction of its building (classrooms and laboratories) will be fully utilized by sec ond semester of this school year. It might even compete well with Holy Angel University and Angeles University Foundation, because hearsays is that it will offer affordable tuition fees like all other government initiated colleges. Indeed, we should watch that scenario as well. – Mary Ann Canlas, Finance Manager. A moment of silence engrossed the room†¦ â€Å"Oh.. before I forget, I would like to remind you that our monthly meeting for July will be on Friday next week (July 20, 2012) together with our President, Mr. Condrado M. Dayrit. Eleanor please continue looking at the concerns we have on falling to achieve our projected number of new students each year. Kindly formulate ideas and recommendations that would help STI College Angeles sustain its existence, profitably. † I’ll give my best Madam, and present only the best. †, this statement was followed by a confident smile and a wink. Everyone separated path and work accordingly†¦ B. COMPANY BA CKGROUND SYLLABUS, Inc. Background SYLLABUS, INC. (Symbol Sciences Languages and Laboratories for Business, Incorporation) was established with the purpose of bringing to the country side the fast emerging Information Technology. The company believed that through technology the Filipino youth can become truly globally competitive.Sharing the same vision for the Filipino youth, thru franchise agreement with Systems Technology Institute (STI) the first STI school in Pampanga was opened. In February 12, 1987 at Evangelista Bldg. , Mac Arthur Hiway, Angeles City (now located at Agson’s Bldg. , Mac Arthur Hiway Balibago, Angeles City). Through the constant change in the industry STI diversified its product slowly integrated itself into education industry as a school that provides boundless career opportunities through ICT-enhance, non-IT programs such as the B.S in Business Administration and BS in Hotel Restaurant and Management. STI College Angeles branch was the pioneer franchi se of SYLLABUS, Inc. , and because of the passion of Mr. Condrado M. Dayrit to continuously be a channel of quality education he later on decided to franchise other STI College sites; STI College San Fernando (1988), STI College Nueva Ecija (1991) and STI College Guagua (1998). Unfortunately, because of economic crisis and downturns STI College Guagua and Nueva Ecija were closed, leaving San Fernando and Angeles in its existence. STI San Fernando is located at 2/F Tita's Bldg. Gapan-Olongapo Road, City of San Fernando (Capital), Pampanga and is labelled as the main branch of STI College under the franchise of SYLLABUS. SYLLABUS, Inc. Vision and Mission Vision Statement: To be a world-class institution primarily engaged in education and training offering a wide range of technology based courses. Mission Statement: SYLLABUS, Inc. exists primarily for bringing high quality, technology based education and training to areas outside the Metro Manila in order to assist in the process of co untryside development and de-urbanization.It is also the purpose of SYLLABUS, Inc. to harness its resources of people, money, technology and management know how in order to establish upstream and downstream enterprises and subsidiaries that will continuously provide opportunities for the company’s own graduates, faculty, staff and the community at large. STI COLLEGE.. A Taste of History It all started when four visionaries conceptualized setting up a training center to fill very specific manpower needs. It was in the early ‘80s when Augusto C. Lagman, Herman T. Gamboa, Benjamin A. Santos, and Edgar H.Sarte – four entrepreneurs and friends came together to set up Systems Technology Institute, a training center that delivers basic programming education to professionals and students who want to learn this new skill. Lagman, Gamboa, and Sarte were all heavily involved in the growing computer industry, while Santos just retired from his IT position in a pharmaceutical company. Sarte’s software house, Systems Resources Incorporated (SRI), kept losing programmers and analysts to jobs abroad. Programmers and analysts were a rare breed then, with only a few training centers offering courses on computer programming.There was clear need to find and hire people for SRI, and fulfil the need of a growing business industry that was migrating to automated or computerized business processes. The founders transformed the problem into an opportunity. Systems Technology Institute’s name came from countless brainstorming sessions among the founders, perhaps from Sarte’s penchant for three-letter acronyms from the companies he managed at the time. The first two schools were inaugurated on August 21, 2983 in Buendia, Makati and in Espana, Manila and offered basic computer programming courses.With a unique and superior product on their hands, it was not difficult to expand the franchise through the founders’ business contacts. A year af ter the first two schools opened, the franchise grew to include STI Binondo, Cubao, and Taft. A unique value proposition spelled the difference for the STI brand then: â€Å"First We’ll Tech You, Then We’ll Hire You. † Through its unique Guaranteed Hire Program (GHP), all qualified graduates were offered jobs by one of the founders’ companies, or through their contacts in the industry. The schools’ 1st batch of graduates, all 11 of them, were hired by SRI.And through GHP, more qualified STI graduates found themselves working in their field of interest straight out of school. No one among the four founders imagined that the Systems Technology Institute would become a college, or would grow to have over 100 schools across the country. But it did, all because of its unique value proposition, the synergy between the founders and their personnel, and the management’s faithfulness to quality. Before the 1990s ended, STI also recognized the younger generation’s need to superior IT-enabled education.It was during this time that STI started to venture into basic and secondary education. With its vast experience in managing tertiary level campuses, STI understood the responsibility of providing the same quality of learning tools and experiences to preparatory, elementary, and high school students. The outcome was the launch of the STI Basic Education and STI High School. The STI Colleges provide associate, baccalaureate, and masteral programs in the fields of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Engineering, Business and Management, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Education, and Healthcare.These programs are duly accredited by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). TESDA programs under the Colleges can also be ladderized with exit points that equip graduates with TESDA Certifications and the option to continue further studies in progr ams accredited by CHED. STI Vision We envision a technologically empowered society whose development and growth is driven by a knowledge-based workforce. STI Mission To be the leader in ICT-enabled human resource development through innovative learning and career planning methodologies.STI Values * Respect * Excellence * â€Å"Malasakit† * Meritocracy * Teamwork * Entrepreneurship * Service The following individuals are those who have control and influence in the decision making activities of STI College Angeles (SYLLABUS). Mr. Condrado M. Dayrit SYLLABUS, Inc. President Ms. Mary Ann CanlasFinance Manager Ms. Rowena T. SelomSchool Administrator – Angeles branch Ms. Avelina A. PenaAcademic Head – Angeles branch Ms. Eleanor PinedaMarketing Officer – Angeles branch Mr. Leo AdaptanteChannel Manager for North and Central Luzon – direct employer STI Headquarters (oversees the operation and sustainability f STI Colleges franchise) C. INDUSTRY BACKGROUND S TI College Angeles has been existing in Balibago, Angeles City for 25 years, pursuing its commitment in delivering quality service to all students who aspire to become professionals with its affordable tuition fees. It occupies the 2nd to 5th floor of Agson’s Bldg. in Balibago, accompanied with two (2) computer laboratories, one (1) kitchen laboratory, one (1) bar set-up laboratory, one (1) hotel room, one (1) electronics room, one (1) library and eight (8) classrooms for lecture setup. Class hour is within 7:00am to 6:00 pm.STI College Angeles offers two-year courses (under the supervision of TESDA) that have ladderized program, four-year courses (under the supervision of CHED), and special courses such as Call Center Training, Effective Keyboarding Training, and Personality Development Trainings. STI serve students from the 33 barangays of Angeles, Mabalacat, Dau, Porac, and Tarlac. Within the vicinity of Angeles, it tries to attract enrollees from the existing 46 Secondary Schools especially fourth year students. | | | | | | | | | | | COURSES OFFERED by STI College Angeles| | | | | | | | | |Four Year Courses| | Two Year ; Special Courses| | | | B. S Computer Science (BSCS)| | Associate in Computer Technology (ACT) | B. S Information Technology (BSIT)| | Associate in Hotel and Restaurant Services (HRS)| B. S Office Administration (BSOAd)| | Certificate in Computer Electronics Technology (CCEP)| B. S Business Management (BSBM)| | Certificate in Call Center Training| B. S Hotel and Restaurant Management (BSHRM)| | Certificate in Effective Keyboarding Training| B. S Tourism (BSTM)| | Certificate in Personality Development Training| | | | Its Competitors†¦Angeles City has more than 60 schools (from primary, secondary, tertiary, and graduate schools) within its circle, and about 17 out of the 60 offers college courses. True enough, STI College Angeles is living in a school saturated environment and competition is getting stiffer each school year. Belo w is the matrix of all the competitors of STI College Angeles. (Source: Marketing Concern created by: Mr. Mark Lagman, Computer Laboratory Coordinator of STI College Angeles) College/University| Distance fromSTI| Courses Offered| Tuition Fee(Per Semester)| Estimated Population(as of S.Y ’11-’12)| Angeles University Foundation| 3 Km| MedicineNursingLawHRMComputer ScienceInformation Tech. Bus. ManagementEducationCriminologyPsychology| 26,000 to 45,000| 9,000| Holy Angel University | 4. 5 Km| AccountingNursingEngineeringComp. ScienceInformation Tech. Bus. Management EducationHRMCriminologyPsychology | 27,000 to 40,000| 12,000| Republic Central Colleges | 4 Km| EducationNursingHRMManagementAccountingEngineeringComp. ScienceInformation Tech. Comp. SecretarialComp. Technician | 21,000 to 28,000| 2,000| Systems Plus College Foundation| 1 Km| BS Computer ScienceBS Info.Technology BS Bus. AdministrationBS Comp EngineeringBS ECEBS HRMBS in TourismBS Nursing| 26,000 to 45,000| 4, 000| Systems Plus Computer College | 4 Km| 2yr Computer Science with Photoshop2-yr Info Technician with AutoCADD 2yr Comp Technology2yr Computer Secretarial2 yr HRSCaregiver2-yr Comp Engineering – Major in Networking Technology| 15,000 to 18,000| 700| Mega Computer College | 4 Km| 2yr Comp Science2yr Comp EngineeringIntegrated Programming1-year Computer Technician2yr Comp Technology| 15,700 to 17,000| 250| AMA Computer College – Angeles City | 4. Km| BS Bus AdministrationBS Info TechnologyBS Computer ScienceBS Comp EngineeringBS Electronics ; Communications Engineering| 19,000 to 23,000| 400| AMA Computer Learning Center – Angeles City | 4. 5 Km| Comp. Based AccountingOffice ; Information ManagementComputer Systems Design ; ProgrammingInternet TechnologyComputer Systems ; Networking Technology2-year Hotel ; Restaurant Management| 13,000 to 18,000| 400| AMA Computer Learning Center – Dau, Mabalacat | 3 Km| Computer Systems Design ; ProgrammingOffice ; Info rmation ManagementComputer Systems ; NetworkingTechnology2-year Hotel ; Restaurant Management| 13,000 to 18,000| 400| Integrated Computer School Foundation| 3 Km| BS in Infromation TechnologyComputer Science2yr Computer ProgrammingComp. SecretarialComp. Engineering in Hardware Technology1-year Computer Technician| 14,000 to 17,000| 200| Montessori ProfessionalCollege| 3. 5 Km| Nursing ScienceComputer ScienceOffice SecretarialComputer AccountancyBusiness ManagementHotel and Restaurant Management| 8,000 to 10,000| 150| AIE College or Asian Institute of E-Commerce | 3 Km| 2yr Info.Technology 2yr Business ; Information Management2yr Computer Technology2yr HRS| 10,000 to 12,000| 250| Asian Institute for Computer Studies| 2 Km| BS Comp. Science 2yr Comp. Science2yr Comp. Secretarial2yr Comp. Technician2yr Hospitality ; Restaurant Services | 9,300 to 14,000| 450| Asian Institute of Science and Technology | 2 Km| 2yr Comp. Science2yr Business Information2yr Comp. Technician2yr Hospitality ; Restaurant Services | 7,600 to 12,000| 350| Clark International College of Technology| 2 Km| 2-yr Comp.Programming2-Yr Comp. Secretarial2-Yr Comp. Technology2-Yr Customer Relations Management2-Yr Consumer Electronics2-Yr HRS| 14,000 to 17,000| 400| Jose C. Feliciano College | 2. 5Km| BS Business ManagementBS Tourism2yr Computer Technician2yr Electronics TechnicianMarine EngineeringSea Farer CourseMidwifery ; Nursing Aide | 16,000 to 22,000| 1,200| Comparative Analysis on Tuition Fees Marketing Strategies ; Activities†¦ STI College Angeles conform to the policy and set laws of STI Head Quarters located in Global City Taguig, Philippines.From the management to the academic concerns all of which need to be addressed to STI-HQ. Marketing techniques and activities were also product of STI-HQ. From billboards, to flyers, to CDs, sponsorships, career orientations, competitions, and scholarships month were all advised at the Head Quarters. This is to maintain the centralization of fra nchised branch of STI. Next page shows the Marketing Calendar and the Advertising and Promotion Expenses of STI College Angeles for S. Y 2012-2013. INQUIRY VS. NEW STUDENTSA. Y 2009-2011 ENROLLMENT SUMMARY A. Y 2006-2011 (All Graphs Source: Marketing Concern created by: Mr. Mark Lagman, Computer Laboratory Coordinator of STI College Angeles) STI College Angeles TOWS Analysis **THREATS**| **WEAKNESSES**| 1. Stiff competition with other colleges and universities. 2. Unstable economic condition in the Philippines that might affect parents’ decision in sending their children into college. 3. K+12 Policy ratify by the Philippines Department of Education which started S. Y 2012. | 1.School facade and location not visible to the public. 2. Lack spacious surrounding and minimal number of rooms; 2 laboratories not enough to accommodate large classes. 3. Incomplete and obsolete facilities (for IT laboratories, Kitchen laboratory, and Library) 4. High-turnover rate of faculty members. | **OPPORTUNITIES**| **STRENGTHS**| 1. The increasing demand of High School students to finish bachelor / associate courses. Continuous demand for ICT and other skilled professionals. 2. Educational institutions will not become obsolete. 3.There are about 40 + Secondary Schools in Angeles City alone. Not to mention nearby places like Dau, Mabalacat, and Porac. There will always be new market to encourage every school year. 4. Can attract working people who wishes to continue study to enroll at STI. | 1. Job Placement Assistance (E2E – Employment to Enrollment) Program. 2. One of the reputable college institution in-terms of IT in the Philippines. 3. Flexible schedule can be given to an employee who wishes to study while working. 4. Well equipped faculty members and staff. . Legal consent and requirements of CHED and TESDA properly organized. | D. ALTERNATIVES July 20, 2012 – 1:30 P. M (STI College San Fernando – Conference Room) Condrado (SYLLABUS, President): It ’s nice to finally meet you personally Eleanor, welcome to SYLLABUS. Eleanor (STI Angeles, Marketing Officer): It’s my pleasure to meet you Mr. President. Thank you for the warm welcome that I have been receiving from all of you. Mary Ann (SYLLABUS, Finance Manager): Since everyone is settled already, I think we can now start Mr. President.The main agenda we have for today’s meeting is the issues being face by STI College Angeles in failing to achieve the projected number of new student every school year. Condrado (President): Okay, that is clear with me. How can we address such dilemma then? Rowena (STI Angeles, Administrator): I believe that we must continue investing in improving our facilities and equipment. If students have good equipment to use in their studies and can see nice facilities within our vicinity they will be spreading news on how good it is to be part of STI and will be encouraged to enroll.In addition, we must do additional effort in promotin g our school by doing double effort in our promotion and advertising activities for 2012. Visit more schools; sponsor seminars, events, and competitions; make STI existence visible to the public by displaying multiple STI banners, billboards, and flyers indicating the courses we offer and the location for them to reach us. Condrado (President): Isn’t that we have been doing the same things before? Avelina (STI Angeles, Academic Head): That is true Mr.President, however I believe that Rowena’s suggestion is only one of the strategies that we can do to achieve our projected number of students. Yes we can improve our current facilities and equipment within the school and it can attract more students but additional students require additional space. As of the moment, our location can accommodate less than 500 students and we still experience minor problems in terms of room assignment and space. If our objective is to increase students and to meet our projected number of en rollees, we must start in preparing a better building first.A new building with larger and spacious structure, plus a visible facade will be an effective marketing strategy. Condrado (President): Hmm†¦ our place is really not visible to the public. Mary Ann (Finance Manager): Your proposal is for STI Angeles to locate into a new building, larger than what we rent now; a building with a visible facade for it to be more obvious to the public. The intention is good, but we must consider the financial status of STI Angeles before we can decide on that. Condrado (President): Can we now hear your proposal Eleanor? Eleanor (STI Angeles, Marketing Officer): Yes Mr.President, as I have listened carefully and as a result of my observation with the previous years of STI Angeles – the problem that we wanted to conquer is to get the target number of students. The solution that I would like to propose is Internal Marketing with STI Students. In every 1 student he/she should migrate 4 students (transferee or new student then the student will be given a gift of knowledge of 50% scholarship in tuition fee. And in every 6 students enrolled by 1 student, he/she will be given 100% scholarship plus a uniform and any STI kit.The way I came with the computation is shown in the screen: 50% Gift of Knowledge (GOK)| 100% Gift of Knowledge (GOK)| 1 student = 20,000 (estimated payment, 50% GOK)4 student = 80,000 (enrolled)_________________________________________Total: 60,000 10,000 (miscellaneous fee and OSF)__________________________________________ 70,000 (School)| 1 student = 20,000 (estimated payment, 100% GOK)6 student = 120,000 (enrolled)___________________________________________Total 100,000 5,000 (Miscellaneous fee and OSF)___________________________________________ 105,000 (School)|Other resolution is to have rental fee for any available rooms that we have: Example: a. Kitchen laboratory (7:00-9:00 pm) class for any tutorial culinary (others). b. Computer laborator y (7:00-9:00 pm) class for any tutorial in computers (others). c. Marketing strategy with the help of any organizations like SM Supermalls in SM City Clark. d. Sponsoring activities of any high school (example: held a competition within their school or tabulations with their school or having seminars) e. Talk to different school principals and have communications like school open house (some of the principals need an exposure). . Posting out STI College Angeles through the use of streamers. Condrado (President): I love the zest of ideas that are coming from everyone’s mind. Give me an action plan and a feasibility study on all your suggestions, present it to me next month. Let’s call it a day†¦ *end* Gratitude to the following people who provided me the information and data to complete my term paper. Mrs. Rowena T. Selom, Administrator of STI College Angeles. Mr. Mark P. Lagman,Computer Laboratory Coordinator of STI College Angeles.

Rock ‘N’ Hip, Hop ‘N’ Roll, and the Integration of Music

From bell bottoms to Barbies, every generation has its own distinct trends. While various fads have cropped up in each era, music has always been a key element of culture. Starting in the 1950’s, music became integrated within the American culture as the favored form of expression. The popular types of music found on the Top 100 lists today however, have changed dramatically since then. What has promoted this obvious change in music choice? While rock ‘n’ roll still holds its own in the music billboards of 2010, the general public now prefers the mechanical sounds of hip hop and pop. So which trends in music and in thought made the rebellious rock ‘n’ roll such a craze in the 1950’s, but not now? Each era has had specific trends, schools of thought and attitudes that have veered them into a specific genre of music. Rockin’ Out Before 1950, the American culture held firm social expectations. Males were expected to enroll into the military or work, and women were expected to stay in the kitchen. America was pulling out of the depression, and wealth and prosperity was not considered a necessity. As the United States prevailed in World War II however, America started to change startlingly. While many people were focused on conforming with their neighbors, the social structure was revolutionized. Soldiers returned, many experiencing traumatic psychological and physical problems. Women who had integrated themselves into the work force now found themselves replaced by returning soldiers. Most importantly, families started experiencing a great deal of economic independence. This increasing affluence gave teenagers a chance to break away from their parents’ lifestyles. Teens started creating their own clothing trends, dance fads, and hairstyles (Cox). As these new fads and styles starting breaking away from social norms, rock ‘n’ roll became the sound of change. Conservative parents viewed rock ‘n’ roll, and the hip gyrations that came with it, as a gift from the devil. Despite their parents protestations however, teenagers idolized musicians like Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Elvis. So what made rock ‘n’ roll the epitome of 1950 culture? Four recording companies-Decca, R. C. A. , Columbia and Capital-had a virtual monopoly over the popular music field in the early 1950’s. This control made rock ‘n’ roll wildly popular, simply because there was no competition (Lewis 47). As the 1950’s went on, their control weakened, yet rock ‘n’ roll still prevailed as the dominant music genre. A contributing factor to its increasing popularity was the lack of musicians being schooled in theory, technique and composition. Rock ‘n’ roll paved a golden road for a small, charismatic group of people. They provided music rapidly to the American public, without having to compose masterpieces rivaling the music of Bach, Liszt and Debussy. Rock ‘n’ roll also created an easy and fun way to express complex emotions through beating rhythms and twisting ostinato patterns. Simon Anderson explains, â€Å"The amplified bass seems to produce a kind of second-level rumble, a subsidiary moaning and groaning, an incantation of the adolescent subculture, where no one really knows or cares how they feel about life. † This â€Å"incantation of the adolescent subculture† spoke to the class, gender and racial conflicts tearing through America at the time. Rock ‘n’ roll introduced the American white culture to black music. Teenagers soon became addicted to the rhythm and blues and rock ‘n’ roll, all of which was black-inspired. The crossing of racial culture helped the disintegration of the color line. Appreciation of black music helped increase recognition of blacks in popular culture (Bertrand). Though the rhythms and beat of rock ‘n’ roll spoke to the carefree teenager life, often the lyrics promoted conventional values and strength in relationships. 83. 4% of songs in 1955 were love ballads in the conversational mode (Carey 723). Most songs told of lovers, yearning for each other in some type of sense. This theme reflects the attitudes of teenagers in the 1950’s, as this was the first generation people were allowed to marry for love. Women had more freedom to travel into the workplace and finally be on equal grounds with their husbands. Husbands did not have to leave their wives for war. Children had more autonomy as parents no longer dictated who and when they were going to love. However, as this freedom was increasingly integrated into American culture over time, the amount of love related songs dramatically dropped. In 1966, only 69. 5% of produced songs were about love and courtship (Carey 723). Rock ‘n’ roll provided the perfect form of expression in the 1950’s. It combined lyrical ties to radical social changes and catchy rhythms unique to its generation. What’s Hip Now? The change tearing through America in the 1950’s persists to this day. 2010 has brought a busier, more materialistic, culture than ever before. The trends of women working outside of the home and increasing teenage autonomy persists. American teenagers are given more discretionary time than ever before in history. Reed Larson studied this continuing trend and explains, â€Å"If we look back over the past 200 years, the most striking historic change in young people’s use of time is that youths spend much less time on labor activities today than they did in America’s agrarian past† (160). Some teenagers use this newfound source of time dedicated to structured voluntary activities such as sports, theatre, work, etc. others dedicate escalating amounts of time to mind-numbing entertainment. And with hundreds of new forms of mass media, it is hard to not get caught up in the technology tornado sweeping through the nation. The endless barrage of t. v. , facebook, internet sites, music, iPhone’s and iPod’s, video and computer games can easily overwhelm the distracted teenager. Mass media however, is not promoting enlightening or uplifting ideas or values. Instead, popular music now screams lyrics advocating ridiculous displays of wealth, substance abuse and the need for physical love. Top rated songs like â€Å"Billionaire,† â€Å"Raise Your Glass,† and â€Å"Low† are all examples of this. Misogynistic rap lyrics have become a dominant feature in the work of several artists. Often in hip-hop and pop music, â€Å"women serve as mindless props or accessories to be doused with expensive champagne or to shake their half-naked bodies to repetitive beats and sexist lyrics† (Murry 6). In Eminem’s recent hit to â€Å"I Love the Way You Lie,† his last verse reads, â€Å"I'm tired of the games/ I just want her back/ I know I'm a liar/ If she ever tries to f***ing leave again/ I'mma tie her to the bed/ And set the house on fire. Songs like this expressing control over women physically, sexually and emotionally predominate popular culture. How did songs depicting such unrealistic and immoral ideals become the rage in American teenage culture? Perhaps it is hip-hop’s diligent presence in pop culture. For the last two decades, hip-hop has â€Å"prided itself on being misunderstood; it lacks sentimentality and is not easily thwarted by moralizing efforts† (Murray 8). And for the last two decades, American teenagers have prided themselves on being misunderstood, and have not been easily thwarted by moralizing efforts. A mass culture trend has changed communication from the sincerity of face to face conversation to the simplicity of texting and Facebook. This has lead to a decrease in sentimentality and an increase in misunderstandings between people. Moral beliefs practiced by preceding generations have also disappeared. Ethics such as chastity, honesty and virtue have become unfashionable and undesirable. The change in lyrics from conventional love ballads in the 1950’s to the focus on money and sexual prizes reflects the changes in behavior and schools of thought throughout the generations. Lyrical Art The lyrics found in any genre of music influences the emotions of the listener (Krumhans 45). Martina McBride’s pop hit â€Å"Concrete Angel† is a fantastic example of emotion correlating with song lyrics. The heart-wrenching song tells the story of an little girl who is killed because of physical abuse in her home. The chorus reads, â€Å"Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone/ In a world that she can’t rise above/ But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place/ Where she’s loved/ Concrete Angel. Though the melody, key, tension or dynamics help create an emotional state throughout this song, the lyrics were what made this song so emotionally powerful. â€Å"Concrete Angel† acquires its emotional meaning through the association of events that the general audience can relate too. Though the majority of the listeners will not have experienced physical abuse first hand, they can sympathize because they are aware o f the emotional, physical and mental damage violence incurs. Musicians know of the power lyrics hold. Lyrics can tell stories that make hearts melt, enlighten schools of thought never explored before, or create strong physical reactions. But lyrics that the majority of the public can relate to, sell better. This is the reason why the general themes songs have expressed have changed so dramatically over the last sixty years. The teenagers in 1950 were just starting to experience economic prosperity and free love. To listen to music completely revolving around money and sex would be crossing a line they hadn’t invented yet. And the youth in 2010 will not easily relate to ballads focused around falling in love with that one person because most are not looking for one person to love. Both the love-bound lyrics of the 1950’s and the materialistic lyrics of pop songs today accurately reflect the culture they predominate. Rhythm ‘n’ Blues Several other factors influence what makes cultural music popular. Lyrics must be in a proper combination of rhythm, harmony, key, dissonance, tension and dynamics for a song to reach it’s full potential. Even the untrained ear can distinguish feelings associated with the mode of the piece. Major, fast paced songs are associated with happy feelings while minor, slow, soft songs are correlated with sad feelings. Dissonant, unstable, tense songs often invoke feelings of fear. These feelings can all be present without powerful lyrics. Much of the world’s music is instrumental, and most of these create powerful emotion in the listener (Krumahns 48). So which musical factors specifically influenced popular music in the 1950’s and today? The drumming beats found in most rock ‘n’ roll pieces created a powerful sound teenagers revolved around. The harsh rhythms, instability of sound and rockin’ dance moves associated with rock ‘n’ roll all helped increase its popularity. Popular music today features fast paced songs with mechanical sounds in the background. Songs incorporate an inordinate amount of words per second, often leaving the listener wondering what they just heard. In the new hit single â€Å"Love Like Woe,† the listener hears, â€Å"Cause I got some intuition/ Or maybe I’m superstitious/ But I think you’re a pretty sweet pill that I’m swallowing down/ To counter this addiction/ You’ve got me on a mission/ Tell me darling, can I get a break somehow? Could I say no? ,† all in a mere ten seconds. The fast pace of songs are easily correlated with the fast pace of teenagers lives today. Teenagers are expected to excel in school, extracurriculars, athletics, music, and family life all at the same time. Pop music is branching away from traditional instruments to a more machine based background. The popular song â€Å"Like a g6† even goes as far as making the chorus voices sound computerized. Classical music appreciation has severely declined and sounds symbolizing a mechanical, over the top life, have taken control of the musical industry. The Ensemble Musical preference is very much behavioral. In the words of Simon V. Anderson, â€Å"If music educators did not believe that musical preference is socially conditioned. . . They would not work in the public classrooms at all, but rather, they would spend their time and energy in the science laboratories searching for the virus . . . that impairs musical judgment† (39). Popular music preference has much to do with the language, values and beliefs of the teenagers perspective of popular culture. Trendy music will be the music that teenagers can relate to and create for them the feelings they desire. Music choice however also reflects how the music makes one feel while listening to it. Popular songs in 1950 and 2010 reflect the culture they predominate through the general theme of lyrics and background noises. In each culture, music has been a favored form of expression and creates emotion based on what the culture wants. As even now, popular culture changes from liking bell bottoms to skinny jeans and back again, pop music changes with it to accurately reflect the culture it has been rooted upon.