Details of an Energy Audit

Contentss page Abstract†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.1 Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦1 Methodology†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..1 Brief background on energy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.1.1 The difference between a kW and a watt†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..1.1.1 How much energy do you devour in a month, twelvemonth, hence how make you cipher these values†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦1.1.2 Calendar months of the twelvemonth you consume a batch electricity†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 Appliances that consume a batch of electricity in your household†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 Recommendations on how you could cut down your electricity bill†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..2 How much you could salvage per month†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 Disadvantages of cut downing your energy bill†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..2-3 Appendix†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.5 Abstraction Today in South Africa we are holding outages in our power supply of which is a job that is caused by direction, utmost conditions conditions, the presence of few natural stuffs and works failure. The intent of my research is to make an energy audit for my place and hence usage it to gauge approximately the figure of other families excepting me that are practising the same life style as mine in order to find the whole consequence it can hold countrywide I will utilize all my findings to my advantage which includes, largely of import to utilize energy more expeditiously, prevent doing hit-or-miss determinations refering energy use and besides to seek to plan and/or manage energy workss more sagely. Hence I can still utilize my consequences to happen out the tendencies and forms of energy use overtime. My findings are as follows, we have peak and off-peak seasons of energy use, and besides we have reasonably adequate difference in our measure statements. Energy audits are non utile at a ll cost unless you will implement all the recommendations stated on the analysis. Introduction Last twelvemonth in South Africa we started to see a deficit supply once more like 2008, of electricity from ESKOM which resulted in burden sloughing and curtailment as control measures to this issue. My hypothesis for this research is as follows, there is an addition or diminution of energy ingestion in my place during peak and off-peak seasons. All the findings that I will bring forth will be reflecting my home’s energy ingestion. When I did this study I had some few ends in head that I wanted to accomplish, foremost I want to implement practical methods which are really effectual in salvaging energy, secondly I want to do an consciousness of what are the possible hereafter events that we can see as a consequence of taking hit-or-miss determinations sing energy, hence I want them to do deliberate moves whenever they use electricity and my last purpose is to convert my parents to implement every bit many as possible of my recommendations when it comes to power salvaging, from what I have I can state that my energy study will assist me and my household to accomplish this job we are presently confronting at the minute. Method In this subdivision I will demo all my general scientific process I used to obtain my consequences logically. First I collected all the pieces of information that I will necessitate to do my undertaking a world, this includes:Energy measures, and general information about my place i.e. which devices do we utilize and how long do we utilize themBRIEF BACKGROUND ON ENERGY 1.1.1The difference between a kW and a W A kW and a W they both measure the same measure i.e. power ( the rate at which work is done ) , the lone difference is that a W is 1*10-3a kW, and the unit of measuring of kW.h is the work done ( i.e. the energy ) the merchandise of power and the clip taken T. 1.1.2 How much energy do you devour in a month, twelvemonth, how do you cipher these Numberss? I will presume that a month has 30 yearss for computation intents, hence I will utilize table 1 on page 5 for all the relevant values required in the computations: Tocopherol ( kWh/day ) =P ( kilowatt ) *t ( h/day ) ?1000 ( w/kW ) and for the cost I will utilize this expression Cost ( cents/day ) =E ( kWh/day ) *Cost ( cents/kWh ) ?100 ( cents/R ) . Our tariff charge in Nkomazi municipality is R1.3531 per kWh unit. Energy In a month=E*30 yearss and in a twelvemonth is E*365 for an single contraption. Calendar months of the twelvemonth where electricity is consumed the most June-August is regarded as the clip of the twelvemonth were the is a really high demand of electricity because of the rough conditions conditions that are outside, people tend to prosecute themselves into indoor activities or watch Television for the whole twenty-four hours, and besides due to the utmost conditions people use a batch of heating contraptions to maintain themselves warm during winter Devicess that consume a batch of electricity in my familyall the devices that are highlighted in yellow in table 1.i used the expression stated beneath to cipher this. Recommendations on how you could cut down your energy measureHeat the H2O with a boiler instead than a pot, rinse your dishes utilizing your custodies prevent utilizing the lavation machine, ne'er leave your Fe unattended, purchase a new theoretical account icebox since it saves more energy. Ensure that you unplug the microwave since it uses energy to maintain the clock show on. I suggest that you continue utilizing your ceiling fan than purchasing the air conditioner. Amount you can salvage p/m if you implement the above recommendationsthe sum you can salvage is indicated on the appendix page,I assumed that you decrease the clip use by 5 % except for the icebox. Disadvantages of using my recommendations stated beneath You will stop up non finishing your undertakings up to the maximal degree a good illustration is when utilizing a computing machine. Again when you cut the clip for the visible radiation bulbs finally you will be in the dark. Furthermore if you want to cut the clip for the icebox you will stop up holding spoiled nutrient material. Decision From this energy audit it is clear that if you will utilize an contraption for a long clip it will devour a batch of energy, therefore even though an contraption have a lower power evaluation but if you will utilize it for a long clip it will devour a batch of energy. Sing the affair of cut downing the electricity measure for some contraptions I don’t see it as a good thought since you might stop up non working up to the peak degree of your undertakings. MentionsRichard, M. Felder,Ronald, W. Rousseau.2005.Elementary rules of chemical procedure.3rdEdition. United States of America:John Wiley & A ; Sons, Inc. Lynne C. Capehart,Barney L. Capehart.Writing user- friendly Energy audits studies. University of Florida energy analysis and diagnostic. Department of Industrial and Systems technology. Deon Conradie. 2014/15.Duty& A ;Charges booklet. South Africa. The Eskom Company. Singer, Brett C. , Jennifer L. Coughlin, and Paul Mathew,Summary of Information and Resources Related to Energy Use in Hospitals-Version 1.0,Report # LBNL-2744, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, October 2009, pp 53. , hypertext transfer protocol: //hightech.lbl.gov/documents/healthcare/lbnl-2744e.pdf Specialists in Business Information,Energy-Efficient Home Renovations Market, Full Report,December 2009, 248 pp. , hypertext transfer protocol: //www.sbireports.com/Energy-Efficient-Home-2287648/ . Accessed April 2015. Sanchez, Marla, Carrie Webber, Richard Brown, John Busch, Margaret Pinckard, and Judy Roberson,Space Heaters, Computers, Cell phone Chargers: How plugged in Are Commercial Buildings? Report # LBNL-62397, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, February 2007, 15 pp. , hypertext transfer protocol: //enduse.lbl.gov/info/LBNL-62397.pdf. Rogers, David, â€Å"Data Centers: Cost and Energy Savings† ( Presentation at the Program Meeting, Long Beach, California, 2008 ) , http: //www.cee1.org/cee/mtg/01-08ppt/thursday/23RogersBCHydroaData % 20Centers01172008.pdf Ostendorp, Peter, Suzanne Foster, and Chris Calwell,Televisions: Mode Energy Use and Opportunities for Energy Savings,NRDC Issue Paper, Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington D.C. , March 2005, hypertext transfer protocol: //www.nrdc.org/air/energy/energyeff/tv.pdf American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy,Emerging engineerings study: In-Home energy usage shows.Washington, D.C. , July, 2007, hypertext transfer protocol: //www.aceee.org/emertech/2006_EnergyDisplays.pdf Appendix Table 1: Appliances that uses electricityAppliancekilowatthrs./dayE/dayE/monthE/yearDishwasher1.200.7500.90027.0329Microwave1.400.4200.58817.6214Refrigerator0.35012.94.521341650Washing machine0.5000.4290.2156.4578.5Iron1.100.5000.55016.5200Computer0.2005.001.0030.0365Fan ceiling0.1004.500.45013.5164Television 13’’0.06004.500.2708.1098.6Light bulbs0.06006.000.3601081314Toaster1.100.1800.1985.9472.3Electric range4.000.9103.641091329Blender0.3000.05830.01750.52563.9Kettle2.000.4080.81624.5298Table 2: Cost of the contraptions per month before and after 5 % decreaseAppliancesCost/day ( before )Cost/day ( after )Monthly Cost ( before )Monthly cost ( 5 % )SalvagingDishwasher0.1220.1163.663.480.18Refrigerator0.0611†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦1.83†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ .†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ .Washing machine0.002900.002760.08700.08280.00420Iron0.007440.007080.2230.2120.0110Computer0.01350.01290.4050.3860.0190Fan ceiling0.006090.005790.1830.1740.00900Television 13’’0.003650.003480.1100.1040.00600Toaster0.002680.002540.08040.07620.00420Electric range0.04930.04681.481.400.0800Blender0.0002370.0002250.007110.006750.000360Kettle0.01100.01050.3300.3150.0150Microwave0.007960.007570.2390.2270.0120Light bulbs0.04870.04631.461.390.0700*Note there are no values for the icebox since cut downing the sum clip will do the nutrient inside to botch. Monthly cost after 5 % reduction=sum of single cost *100=R785.40c excepting the icebox ( if included =R968.40c ) Cost before reduction=R826.50c therefore the economy is R41.10c excl. icebox.

Fast Food in School Cafeterias Essay

Buckley, Cara. â€Å"A Proposal to Separate Fast Food and Schools.† New York Times [New York] 20 04 2009, n. pag. Web 26 April. 2012. . The author explores research done that suggests that the closer a fast food restaurant is to a school, the higher is the obesity rate of the children there. Eric N. Gioia is a city councilman from Queens and he wants to ban any fast food restaurants from opening within a tenth of a mile from any schools. According to the report â€Å"The Effect of Fast Food Restaurants on Obesity† done by researchers from The University of California, Berkeley, and Columbia, when fast food restaurants open a quarter mile or more away from schools there is no change in the obesity rate, but when they are open within a tenth of a mile from schools obesity rates rise. The study also found that the daily caloric intake could increase 30 to 100 calories a day depending on the proximity of fast food chains to schools. The study even showed that pregnant women are more likely to gain a lot of weight of they live within a mile of fast food chains. This article from the New York Times explores the side of a ban on fast food restaurants near schools. Buckley did an in depth analysis on the ban of fast food near schools and what the effects of having fast food chains near schools has on the children. She used many reliable sources to support her research. The only problem that I see with this article is that it does not explore the other side of the argument enough. Overall I gained a lot of useful information from this article, and learned a lot of useful facts. Harris, Karen. â€Å"Fast Food in California’s High Schools: Popular, Profitable, Contributing to Teen Obesity?.† California Center for Health Improvement . n. page. Web. 26 April. 2012. This article talks about fast food in California High Schools and the reasons they are sold more than the healthy options. There are many schools that sell taco bell in school. The student’s say that these food options taste better. Also, the schools sell them ‘A la Carte’ so they can profit and use the money for school activities and such. This article also discusses how the school environment can take away from anything that parents try to teach their kids about healthy eating. Many school districts allow private corporations to advertise in their schools, promoting eating unhealthy food. This article gave me a good idea of what fast food actually in schools is like. It is obvious that kids are going to go for the more unhealthy option of the foods they have to choose from, because it tastes better, they can get it faster, and it is usually cheaper. This article was a good source of information but it even says in the beginning that the source of their data is a little bit unreliable because it is just the schools mailing in their information about what food they serve and not all schools reported their information. Over all this is a good source for basic information about fast food in schools, but not all of the data is reliable. Do fast-food chains cluster around schools? MSN.com. 26 April 2012 This article addresses the problem of having fast food restaurants located near schools, and says that the corporations do this strategically. This makes it very hard to eat healthy for kids when they are being tempted with cheap, quick food. This article says that nearly 80 percent of Chicago schools studied had at least one fast food restaurant within a half mile. It also discusses how when a child eats fast food they consume more calories fat and sugars than they would eat fruits and vegetables. Burger King wouldn’t answer any questions about the placement of their stores, and McDonalds denies that schools have anything to do with where they place their stores. This article is a lot like the first one that I read, but had more research into the amount of fast food restaurants in proximity to schools. I like  that they did the research in a city like Chicago, and it says that these findings are similar in other cities across the nation. This article could help me in my research because it shows that it is proven that fast food chains cluster around schools. Eisler, Peter, Blake Morrison, and Anthony DeBarros. â€Å"Fast-food standards for meat top those for school lunches .† USA Today. 9 12 2009: n. page. Web. 3 May. 2012. . In this article, the authors explore the fact that the meat we eat at schools does not go through the same standards that the meat served at fast food restaurants. The government is supplying schools with millions of pounds of beef and chicken that aren’t good enough for many fast food chains to serve. The authors say that the standards that Jack in the Box uses for its food is ten times more stringent than what the USDA sets for the meat served in schools. When it comes to chicken, schools are being supplied with thousands of tons of meat from old chickens that fast food restaurants don’t use. The standards are not the same, and that is very alarming. I really like this article because it is different from the other ones that I have read. It shows the downfalls of cafeteria food, instead of the bad things about fast food. It really opened my eyes that we never really know where our food comes from, and sometimes even when we think we are eating healthy we are consuming old, gross meat. This is extremely useful to my research because it shows the downfalls of the USDA and proves that school foods are not always better than fast food. Denver, Kusa. â€Å"‘Pink slime’ eliminated from fast food, but not school lunches .† USA Today. 09 03 2012: n. page. Web. 3 May. 2012. . This article talks about Pink Slime and how it is still being served in schools, but fast food restaurants have decided not to use that meat anymore. The U.S. Department of Agriculture told an online newspaper that it is buying 7 million more pounds of the Pink Slime to serve in school lunches across the country. But at the same time the USDA says that, â€Å"All USDA  ground beef purchases for the National School Lunch Program must meet the highest standards for food safety.† This slime is made of cow intestines and other by-products that we really don’t want to eat. This meat is more prone to E. Coli and salmonella. I definitely think this article is useful to me because it is yet another example of the food we are being served in schools. It is not held to the same standards that fast food chains hold their food to. I think the research used reliable sourced such as the USDA and the U.S. department of agriculture. Childhood obesity and obesity in general are some of the biggest problems facing the United States. We as a country are trying to educate everyone on how to eat properly and live a healthy life. We blame fast food chains for the obesity in our country, when in reality they are not the main problem. It is a culture change that is hard to wrap our heads around, and one that people don’t know how to deal with. The economy is bad, therefore we go for the cheaper food, and fast food chains are everywhere, and convenient. The food in schools should be held to a much higher standard than it is, and advertisers are targeting kids in schools and tempting them to eat unhealthy foods. There are many problems between schools and fast food. The proximity of a school to fast food restaurants has shown to have an impact on the weight of the children in the surrounding schools. This makes perfect sense to me because it makes it more convenient. Burger Kings always have signs about deals on burgers or fries. They are directly advertising to the young kids in those surrounding schools. The advertisers know that kids are tight on cash, and want to get their food quick. Some researchers say that there is no correlation between obesity and having fast food restaurants near schools, but I think there definitely is. If there is no McDonald’s right across the street from a school, those kids won’t have a choice of eating it and might make a better choice. I know that people should have the will power to say no and try and eat something healthier, but I believe that the government should be doing something to try and make it easier for Americans to live a healthy, after all shouldn’t the health of  their country be important to them? I think that laws should be passed against having fast food chains within a certain distance of schools, because that is just escalating the problem of obesity in America. Another link to schools and obesity is the advertising and availability of fast food in a school cafeteria. It is hard for a 12 year old to choose grilled chicken and broccoli over a cheeseburger when given a choice. Ads that show happy kids eating McDonalds are directly targeted at young kids, showing them that they will be happy if they eat fast food. Childhood obesity is on the rise and advertising in schools is a huge reason. It is ridiculous that schools allow this and even that the government doesn’t prevent it. Kids are victims in this situation because they have no say about what kinds of advertisements they are exposed to. You would think that the adults in this country would see this problem and try to fix it, but instead we just serve McDonald’s and Taco bell in the cafeteria instead of having delicious healthy options. It is so counter productive to teach kids about the food pyramid and tell them to be active and eat their fruits and veggies and then offer t hem fries and a hot dog. That is not fair, its almost like we are setting the children up for failure and obesity, exactly what we say we are trying to prevent. The most shocking thing that I found throughout my research was the lack of quality in the meat that is being served in school cafeterias. According to a few of the articles that I read fast food chains would not serve the quality of meat that the government is giving to schools. The USDA is supposed to be protecting us as consumers when in reality they are giving schools beef with pink slime and old chicken meat that fast food chains wouldn’t even serve. The meat that our children are eating is more likely to have E. Coli or salmonella. All the blame is being put on fast food chains for the unhealthy country we are becoming when in reality many school lunches are just as bad or worse for us than fast food. With all of this being said, fast food is having a huge impact on modern day schooling and our society in general. Schools are changing because now we have to make it part of the curriculum to teach children about healthy  eating and living, when in previous time periods that was the parent’s job. It has now become the school’s job because even the generation of parent’s isn’t living a healthy life. This can take away from teaching more important things to the curriculum such as math science and reading. Also, the schools can now be blamed for the rise in obesity because they are not always serving healthy foods, and they are allowing fast food chains into their cafeterias.

How Personal Can Ethics Get Essay

Abstract This paper is about the case study, â€Å"How Personal Can ethics Get†. This paper discusses the dilemmas that Valerie Young has to face at her Chicago based fragrance employer named Wisson. Secondly, I will discuss what I would do if I were in the same dilemma as Valerie. Next, it discusses how personal differences and preference can impact organizations ethics. Lastly, this paper discusses how organizational policies and procedures can impact organizational ethics. How Personal Can Ethics Get? This case focuses on the ethical dilemmas that Valerie Young has to deal with her employer Wisson. Valerie is an immigrant worker that is currently working in the United States on a work visa. Valerie has uncovered unethical practices by her manager Lionel Waters. Valerie has discovered that Lionel Waters was violating Wissons company policy that no employee should take personal payments, bribes or kickbacks to customers or suppliers or the receipt of kickbacks, bribes and personal kickbacks are prohibited. Valerie has discovered documentation showing that Waters is receiving personal kickbacks from two fragrance companies through his personal company. This concerns Valerie since her division only receives projects from these two fragrance companies now instead of the other fragrance companies they have worked for in the past. She did not understand this why they did not work with the other companies anymore. She claimed that the other companies had some great project but these companies did not receive consideration from Wisson. Waters demonstrates the self-serving principle of might-equals right, which states you do whatever you are powerful enough to impose on others without respect to socially acceptable behaviors(). Waters demonstrates this ethical principle by willingly funneling kickback money into his personal business account, which is a violation of company policy. Waters is powerful enough to receive kickbacks from the fragrance companies and keep it hidden since he is an executive at Wisson. Ethical Dilemmas that Valerie Faces Valerie was making copies at work when she found some documents on the printer that belonged to Waters. The documents were on letterheads from Waters personal consultation company. On these documents, Valerie found out that Waters has been collect kickbacks from two fragrance companies. Valerie was very stunned about her findings and she was not sure what to do. Valerie was recently accepted to a Master of Science program and did not want to jeopardize her education nor her job. She decided to keep this quit for the reason that she did not know who she could trust. Valerie is currently in the United States on a work visa. Due to this fact she must have a job in order to remain in the United States. She discusses her findings with her boyfriend who she feels is the only person she can trust. He suggests that she keeps her findings quite until she has completed school and has secured a job since she is on a work visa. Valerie uses an ethical intensity in making her decision. The ethical intensity she displays is the magnitude of consequences, which is defined as the harm or benefit accruing to individuals affected by a decision or behavior(). She displays magnitude of consequences since her decision will affect if she will be able to stay in the United States on her work visa or if she will be forced to leave if she brings forward her findings and loses her job at Wission. Valerie also displays the self-serving principle of hedonist, which you do whatever is in your own self interest(). She displays this principle because she knows that it would be unethical to keep her findings quite but she puts what would benefit her the most first. She decided to keep her findings quite at this time so she could finish her studies and run the risk of losing her job. What Valerie should do? If I were in the same dilemma as Valerie I would handle the situation in a different way. If I had found the personal documents that were violating company policy I would bring that information to the attention of my superiors. I would send this information anonymously. I would do it anonymously due to the fact that I do not want my identity revealed at this time. This would be important for the reason that if my identity were revealed I would run the risk of losing my job due to retaliation from Waters and associates that were inside this situation. I would not want to run this risk given that I am on a work visa and would be forced to leave the United States and jeopardize my education if I lose my job due to retaliation from any insiders. How Personal Differences and Preference Can  Impact Organizational Ethics Ethics is defined as the study of moral values, principles and rules, including the determination of standards of conduct and obligations for individuals and organizations(). This definition implies that one individual may make see one thing ethical while another may see it unethical. Individuals develop their own code of personal ethics based upon a wide variety of sources and belief systems. Virtually everybody acquires and develops their sense of right and wrong via their parents and parental influences(origin). Since there are many views of what is ethical and unethical, Lawerence Kohlberg developed the stages of moral development. This model demonstrates how an individual will make decision on ethical dilemmas within an organization. Kohlberg suggest that an individual progresses through these stages during their lifetime. This model is made up of six stages of moral development, which are divided into three levels of development. The first level of development is referred to as the â€Å"pre-conventional† level. At this level, an individual evaluates ethical issues based on idea of avoiding punishment and seek personal reward. The second level is termed â€Å"conventional† level. At this stage an individual evaluates ethical issues on the basis of the fairness to others and a desire to conform to societal rules and expectations. The highest level is referred to as the â€Å"principled level. At this level an individual is likely to apply principles, such as utilitarian, deontological, or justice, to ethical issues in attempt to resolve them(referece). According to Kohlberg, a person in the principled level is likely to look into themselves rather than be influenced by organizational expectations(reference). Business ethics is defined as principles and standards that guide behavior in the world of business(reference). The stages of moral development can be used to show how individuals at different levels will handle ethical situations within in organization. We can also use the stakeholder and shareholder to express personal differences. Individuals who use the shareholder perspective focuses on decisions that are in the owners’ best interest. Individuals who use the shareholder perspective feels that ethical business practices are ones that make the most money. Individuals who back the stakeholder perspective believe that companies should consider  the needs and interests of multiple stakeholder groups, not just those with direct financial stake in the organization’s profits and losses(business). In other words, organizations that use this perspective consider how decisions will affect individuals on the inside and outside of the organization. How Organizational Policies and Procedures can Impact Organizational Ethics Since individuals have different views and perceptions on ethical issues many organizations have created policies and procedures. These policies are usually termed as the organizations code of conduct. Codes of conduct are formal policies, procedures and enforcement mechanism that outline moral and ethical expectations of an organization(reference). These policies are important to an organization since they lay out the norms and belief of the organization. Policies and procedures allow organizations to handle ethical issues effectively as the rise within in the organization. Policies allow an organization to deal with an ethical matter in a uniform manner since the organization has outlined the norms and beliefs of the organization. Individuals within an organization may have a different set of norms and beliefs resulting in ethical issues being resolved in ways that the organization may deem unethical. Policies and procedures are vital to an organization culture. Conclusion In Conclusion, this case study presents a dilemma that individuals experience on a day-to-day basis’s. It is important for a person to deal with ethical issues in an ethical way. This case also shows how personal differences affect how ethical issues are dealt with. If Valerie was not an immigrant worker on a visa she may have approached this ethical issue in a different manner. It is also important for an organization to have policies and procedures in place to deal with ethical issues as they arise within an organization. Policies are also insure ethical dilemmas are resolved in a manner that the society deems ethical. This will insure that the organizational will thrive in the future.

Reaction Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Reaction Paper - Essay Example Barber’s argument has attracted criticisms from democratic and capitalistic due to the insufficiency of evidence in support thereof. However, it is necessary to tame the pressures of Jihad and McWorld – as Barber argues – for democracy to thrive. Capitalism is a system of economics grounded on the private ownership of production inputs and capital. Goods and services are produced principally for profit. Goods and services are produced based on the demand and supply in the market (market economy) as opposed to central planning (planned economy). Competition between producers is the main characteristic of capitalism. Barber conducts an examination of the pressures of capitalism, communication systems, and advertising campaigns on the global scale. The world has become such a small village that governments have lost their authority to regulate the affairs of citizens. Barber uses the term â€Å"McWorld† to describe the scenario. Transactions today are concluded with such amazing efficiency and speed that no government of the present day can purport to control (Barber 4). Alongside these international pressures exerted by capitalism and associated practices, individual nations have suffered pressures from within as groups struggle to break free from the regimes in place. Determinism is at its peak in individual nations. The author gives the example of Quebec that has struggled for a long time to break out of Canada. Barber uses the term â€Å"Jihad† to describe this scenario. This term includes both religious factions determined to exert influence in certain regions and ethnic groups struggling to break free from nation-states to whose regimes they are subject. Rebellious movements with no political or religious ambitions are also included in the term. The two terms – McWorld and Jihad – are unbearable forces that the author believes are spirited attempts by the individual to define his or her place in a

Aristotelian theory of virtueand the rule of the golden mean Essay

Aristotelian theory of virtueand the rule of the golden mean - Essay Example This essay discusses that these are the reasons why Categorical Imperative requires choosing the option to help the roommate, notwithstanding that it may influence the results of the crucially important life-changing test. Mill’s Utilitarianism is based on the claim that people should act in accordance with what will make them happier and bring as much utility as possible. However, moral actions in this context are those that would also make other people happier and reduce the overall amount of unhappiness. Thus the moral doctrine, in general, proclaims looking for a compromise that would satisfy both a person and the other person who needs help. In the given situation, it is important to find a solution that would allow me to sleep enough and not to fail the test and help the friend to get home safe. Driving the friend home myself can affect my test score, which would not bring me any utility; although living my friend alone in such situation would not only be bad for him but also would make me think of what an immoral person I am, which turns out to be bad for me as well. Thus the best compromise in this situation is probably to call a taxi and pay the driver to bring my friend home. While the taxi would be delivering the roommate, I would be able to keep sleeping, so I wouldn’t fail the exam of my life. Therefore this compromising decision would both help my friend and allow me to get some sleep which is required to succeed on the exam, which is of crucial importance and can’t be failed whatsoever.

Porter's five forces models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Porter's five forces models - Essay Example Porter`s five competitive forces include the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, threat of new entrants, potential substitute products and the level or extent of rivalry among the competitors. The model of five forces can also be used to analyze the bread making industry of the UK (Daft, R. et al 1991). The bread making industry of UK is one of the largest markets of the entire food industry and is worth approximately ?3.4 billion. The UK baking industry is divided into three sectors, large plant bakers which control 78% of the market, the in-store bakeries produce around 17% of bread and the master bakers or the craft bakers produce the remaining which is 7% of the bread produces in UK. These three sectors of the industry are competitive and there is competition within each of these sectors as well which results in a high level of competition in the entire bread making industry of UK. The large plant bakers, for example, include three large plant manufactu res and the largest of these is the Warburtons and together all of these control almost 3/4th of the large plant bakery sector. ... The three main manufactures of bread in UK are Premier foods (Hovis), Allied Bakeries (Kingsmill) and the largest producer, Warburtons. These companies produce 80% of the bread sold in UK and therefore, the level of competition between these industries is also high as they compete to cater to the larger portion of bread market in UK. Another force is threat of substitute products which is also high in this industry. According to the Federation of Bakers, everyday almost 11 million loaves of bread are sold in UK with a total volume of fewer than 4 billion units with a variety of almost 200 different bread products available for the consumers. Therefore, there are a lot of substitute products available for the consumers of this market. As far as the bargaining power of suppliers is concerned, most of the bread sold in this market of UK is produced by local or domestic companies. As there are a number of dominant suppliers in the market (Premier foods, Allied Bakeries, Warburtons), they have a certain level of power over the market as together they control more than half of the market. They can exercise this power by collaborating and dividing the market amongst themselves. As a result, they could even stop new companies to enter the market and could even set prices to earn high profits. Therefore, it is quite difficult for new companies to enter this industry as the market share of the industry has already controlled by the three dominant suppliers. As a result, new entrants would have a limited margin for expansion. Also that they might not be able to compete with these dominant suppliers as they already have positioned themselves

International expansion proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International expansion proposal - Essay Example The company is wholly owned by publicly traded Limited Brands Company; operating 1,017 company-owned stores and 18 independently owned stores, with annual sales of $6 billion and an operating cost of $1 billion as of 2012. The company has hierarchic system of governance with Sharen, Jester Turney as the CEO and President of Victoria’s Secret Megabrand and Intimate Apparel while Lori Greely as the CEO of Victoria’s Secret stores. (Website:www.victoriassecret.com/victorias-secret-sport). Victoria’s Secret intends to diversify its market by opening new branches in China; the world’s most populous country with population of over 1.35 billion people, second largest country in the world by land area after Russia and a socialist country espousing communism (Meng, 2011). Economically, it is the second-largest economy in terms of nominal Growth Domestic Product [GDP] totalling approximately $8.227 trillion by 2013 as per International Monetary Fund [IMF]. Reasons f or expansion to China To tap into the growing market of the China’s women population 48.73%, and demographic distribution of 13.3% and 42.8% on 0-14 years and 15-59 years respectively. Tap into the industrialization advantage in China to reduce cost of production Maximize profitability with the competitive exchange rate To maintain the competitive standards of Victoria’s Secret and brand image as a global outfit To tap into China’s skilled and multi-talented fashion designers, workforce, view point and knowledge to ensure growth as a company To tap into China’s economic wellbeing and favourable trading environment Tap into China’s favourable climatic environment and Sporting culture of basketball, tennis, swimming and martial arts Internal Analysis Value Victoria’s Secrets has with time strengthened value on its products starting with lingerie to diversify to sporting attires, swimming costumes, bras, panties, sleeping gowns, clothing and sh oes. The launch of â€Å"PINK†, a new lingerie line targeting 15-22 years old with products such as underwear, sleepwear, loungewear, beauty products and accessories; will create value in the new Chinese market more so through their product lines such as Angels, Very Sexy and Body by Victoria, intended to transition buyers into more adult product lines. The competitive exchange rate of the dollar and the Chinese Yuan, gives the company a competitive advantage of price and cost leadership giving the company capability to mitigate threats in the market (Barney & Hersterly, 2010). Rarity The uniqueness of design and the PINK product line creates the competitive advantage in the Chinese market coupled with the new accessories and fragrance lines which will match with the economies age distribution. The company’s customer service experience coupled with loyalty cards promotions and effective marketing strategies such as their catalogue, sporadic arts in fashion publications and referrals/word of mouth will help conquer the new market. In addition the company has employed social media marketing with incorporation of sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest account; expanding its website to feature behind-the-scene contents of its catalogue, in the Victoria’s Secret Direct, which are the strategies we can apply in the new market to lure the youthful and techno-savvy population. Imitability Most of the products by the

About Frankenstein Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

About Frankenstein - Essay Example While this approach is understandable, this essay seeks to examine a slightly different and more secular issue based on parallels in contemporary world. Many commentators who talk about the book always stress of the â€Å"dangers of modern technology† (Beauchamp 53). Today, technology has become to humanity much like the monster was to Frankenstein, people invent all sorts of technologies without sufficient understanding of their impacts only to end up creating monsters they cannot control since even the process of invention was experimental. When Frankenstein set out to make the monster, he does not per se wish to create one, it is his intention to make something that would prove he understood the secret of life but to what end it is never made clear probably because there was none. He only wants to feel proud because he could do what no other man had done â€Å"A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me† (Shelly 51). He does not give a thought to what he would do with his invention or even how he could control it. To some extent, this sounds a bit like the nuclear race during the cold war, the US and USSR were working to develop and accumulate the most lethal nuclear warheads their budgets could allow but to what end? Neither could use them to attack the other since it would have resulted in the infamous Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) (Freedman 106). After the cold war, they may have kept a hold of their warheads but the technology they invested in them was not as well hidden and as a result, today numerous countries have created their own nuclear and atomic weapons. Like Frankenstein spent his last days chasing after the monster he had created, these nations are now engaged in a clean-up exercise that appear to be futile as they try to take away weapons from â€Å"unstable† powers such as Iran. From a critical point of view, the

Logic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Logic - Assignment Example from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation as part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, which aims to increase peoples knowledge of religion around the world. The text given above is one of the important findings of the survey. The source of the historical data is World Religion Database. There is a scientific validity to the survey as it involved interviews with more than 25000 people belonging to 19 countries, in more than 60 languages and it reflects the people’s beliefs, attitude towards other faiths, concerns and tries to assess the social and political order. A thorough analysis with reference to religion has been made with reference to the present state of the social order. However, the analysis is lagging behind with regard to the important aspect as to how it could be useful in repairing of the social order. The analysis of traditional religious practices provides strong clues to the reasons for the present status of the social structure. Also, motives or reasons for religious extremism with reference to the region are not touched upon. â€Å"In The Wealth of Nations, Smith (1965, pp. 740- 766) argued that self-interest motivates clergy just as it does secular producers;† (Iannaccone, L.R. and Berman, E). The report states unemployment, crime and corruption as bigger problems than religious conflict, though in some countries religious conflicts are the major problem. However, the people connected to activities of religious extremism and suicide-bombers were mostly unemployed youths from poor background according to the newspaper stories. The report has not however underlined the relationship, if any, that exists between religious extremism and unemployment or poverty. Working out a common minimum rules for the society comprising of various ethnic groups, communities and religion is the precursor to reforms. Once this is achieved, the religion could be effectively sidelined to the personal domains of the

Network Management Tools Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Network Management Tools - Scholarship Essay Example The big burst through that enabled the streaming revolt was the implementation of a new Internet protocol called the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and new indoctrination modus operandi that compressed audio files into tremendously small packets of data. UDP made streaming media reasonable by transmitting data more resourcefully than prior protocols from the host server over the Internet to the client player or end listener. More up to date protocols for instance the Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) are making the transmission of data even better at your job (Tenenbom, 1996).UDP and RTSP are idyllic for audio dissemination given that they place a high precedence on unremitting streaming rather than on utter document sanctuary. Disparate TCP and HTTP transmission, when a UDP audio packet drops out, the server keeps sending information, reasoning only a brief malfunction as an alternative of a massive gap of silence. TCP, on the other hand, keeps trying to resend the lost packet befor e distributing anything more, cause greater delays and breakups in the audio broadcast (Brenton, 2003). Former to UDP and RTSP transmission, data was sent over the Web for the most part via TCP and HTTP. TCP transmission, in difference to UDP and RTSP transmission, is planned to constantly transfer text documents, email, and HTML web pages over the Internet while enforcing maximum steadfastness and data veracity rather than correctness. Since HTTP transmission is based on TCP, it is also not complementary for transmitting multimedia presentations that rely on time-based...UDP and RTSP are idyllic for audio dissemination given that they place a high precedence on unremitting streaming rather than on utter document sanctuary. Disparate TCP and HTTP transmission, when a UDP audio packet drops out, the server keeps sending information, reasoning only a brief malfunction as an alternative of a massive gap of silence. TCP, on the other hand, keeps trying to resend the lost packet before distributing anything more, cause greater delays and breakups in the audio broadcast (Brenton, 2003). Former to UDP and RTSP transmission, data was sent over the Web for the most part via TCP and HTTP. TCP transmission, in difference to UDP and RTSP transmission, is planned to constantly transfer text documents, email, and HTML web pages over the Internet while enforcing maximum steadfastness and data veracity rather than correctness. Since HTTP transmission is based on TCP, it is also not complementary for transmitting multimedia presentations that rely on time-based processes or for large-scale broadcasting (Brenton, 2003).

Infotainment of U.S. News Media Essay Example for Free

Infotainment of U.S. News Media Essay The current type of news media in the United States, dubbed as infotainment, wherein soft journalism is preferred over hard news, further stains the reputation of what is regarded as the â€Å"Fourth State† or one of the influential bodies in American society. This is because this kind of coverage does not offer serious reporting of events and hard facts, but sensationalized news about the lives of personalities, crime, and other less realistic stories. It is unfortunate to note that infotainment has made American media more comfortable with embellishing hard news primarily because it is what the public wants and what the public needs. Under the disguise and with misleading purpose of an energized print sales and broadcast ratings, infotainment is such a blooper which actually further escalates the worsening level of news media public. At the same time, it damages more the involvement and knowledge of the readers and viewers. In short, the existing nature of American news media weakens the quality of reporting and credibility of broadcast and print media companies, pushes further their respective public, and is detrimental to the nations democracy. Due the tight competition within the industry, American news media is now tied up to meet income expectations, resulting in a quality sacrifice and economic operation demands that dictate the choices of news content and compromise the managements operations. This transformation in the industrys mode has promoted a second thought of industry standards. This leaves the profession into the hands of new era of media practitioners who are less committed to the existing journalism code of ethics. These new breed have actually portrayed themselves as famous personalities moonlighting as journalists or news reporters. Ultimately, it is both the news organizations and American public which are to be blame for this sickening and continued reporting that focuses on personalities and other forms of entertainment rather than the essence or content of a news event. This is because no media company would practice infotainment if it will not click with the audience. However, it is not yet too late to save the news media industry. What it can do is for it to keep abreast and take advantage of the technological advancements within the industry such as the accessibility of satellite television or cable system and availability of World Wide Web or Internet. American media should utilize these technological improvements by not sensationalizing or resorting to what is called the â€Å"yellow journalism. † Instead, it should advance its cause and primary goal which is to present to the public a balance, fair, and fearless news reporting.

Tivo Marketing Case Analysis Essay Example for Free

Tivo Marketing Case Analysis Essay The disappointing sales performance during the Christmas 1999 season ended up being a priceless lesson for TiVo’s marketing team: it was the catalyst that created the need for a TiVo’s new communications strategy. However, defining this new marketing campaign was challenging, especially after the feedback received about the product indicated issues like limited awareness and hard-to-communicate functionalities. The main focus of this new marketing campaign is to select a positioning strategy that will speed up the adoption of TiVo among consumers. The marketing team has three options on how to position TiVo: 1) as an enhanced digital video recorder, 2) as a product that gives viewers the ability to create their own television network, 3) or as a super VCR. I recommend that they position TiVo as the super VCR that gives users a unique TV experience. Analysis TiVo’s potential goes beyond the introduction of an innovative electronics product; it has the power to change the habit of how Americans watch television. So far TiVo’s penetration has been extremely limited, many consumers are not aware of its existence, and at the point-of-sale, the salespeople are encountering difficulties in explaining the benefits of the product. Moreover, TiVo represented a totally new innovative product that targeted the enhancement of television viewing, which was clearly not on anyone’s priority list. To communicate TiVo’s advantages, the marketing team has considered using different advertising sources for different purposes. However, this approach eliminates the possibility of communicating a consistent message across all potential buyers. Without a consistent message, consumers will be confused of what TiVo truly represents. Most consumers are aware of what a VCR is, so positioning TiVo as the super VCR would make it easier for consumers to associate it with a familiar product and its functions. If the message behind TiVo focuses on providing users with the ultimate television experience, consumers are likely to be curious about what this super VCR is all about. It indirectly encourages consumers to try this state-of-the-arte innovation. The drawback of positioning TiVo as an enhanced digital video recorder is that consumers can view it as an extremely high technological innovation, not suitable for a typical household, but apt for technologically savvy consumers. Digital recorders are a relatively new innovation, with a limited awareness and familiarity among consumers. It narrows TiVo’s ability to reach a wider range of consumers. Positioning TiVo as a product that allows any user to program his or her own TV network not only focuses on one of the many features of TiVo, but the idea behind it is too abstract. TiVo’s relative advantage is high, as its innovation is significantly better than the products it is replacing, specially the regular VCR. Before TiVo, the average household spent more than 7 hours watching TV. TiVo’s intent is to make television viewing a lot more enjoyable, making it a totally new experience. Thus, its functionality is highly compatible with the existing consumer behavior. However, due to the many benefits the product offers, many consumers have difficulty understanding all the benefits of the product. Some users even had trouble using the system, which is not very easy to use; therefore its complexity is high. The trialability of TiVo is low, since the product can be experimented most of the time either in retail stores through a demonstration or through the online demo available at TiVo’s website. TiVo’s observability is currently low, since many consumers have a lack of awareness of its existence. Finally, the risk involved with TiVo’s launching is high, as there is an important amount of capital committed to the success of the project. TiVo’s proposed positioning as the super VCR can be analyzed with the Marketing Mix analysis. Product. TiVo, the super VCR, is the first digital video recorder that empowers television viewers to create their own personal television network. Viewers can pause live television to attend interruptions such as phone calls or unexpected visits. It gives viewers the freedom to watch whichever program they want, whenever they want. With TiVo’s capacity to store up to 30 hours of recorded television, users reduce the hassle of using videotapes to record television programs. Users virtually eliminate the possibility of missing their favorite shows, since they can set-up TiVo to record them. With these aforementioned features, TiVo will revolutionize the way Americans view television. Price. The current price of $999 for the 30-hour TiVo box is extremely high. It can easily discourage any early adopter or a TV addict. Hence, the marketing team should reduce the price to $399, even lower if financially viable. The more attractive the ticket (i. e. TiVo Box) for the ultimate TV experience, the easier consumers will be lured in. The service fee structure seems at a very reasonable price, it requires no major price adjustments. Place. Electronic retail stores, such as Best Buy, Circuit City, and Sears serve as the best channels to sell the product. It is imperative that the marketing team develops a training program for the sales force of those retail outlets. Many consumers will have their first TiVo experience in a retail store; hence, the salespeople must be prepared to demonstrate the benefits of TiVo in a flawless way. The internet should be used as another channel to sell the product, especially the TiVo website, where it must have a friendly-user demo, so customers can interact with TiVo. Promotion. Consistency is the key to launch a successful communication strategy across the different media sources. The marketing team should focus on attractive ways to create the need and dependency of TiVo. Offering a 30-day free trial for the TiVo recorder and service is an excellent way to allow consumers to fully experience TiVo’s benefits. Presenting testimonials of TiVo users about their positive experiences with the product stimulates the curiosity among consumers who want to know what the super VCR really does. Recommendation Positioning the TiVo as the super VCR that provides the ultimate TV experience will speed up the adoption of this innovative product. This theme stimulates a very particular interest among those who consider watching television as a means of entertainment. Moreover, delivering this message builds on TiVo’s brand identity, which can be associated with the innovative super VCR that changed an old-fashioned lifestyle. TiVo is more than the first digital video recorder that gave consumers the opportunity to develop their own personal television network; it is the super VCR that is making the habit of watching TV as the ultimate experience.

Marketing Research Reflection

Marketing Research Reflection Marketing Research Diary Marketing Research Seminar 1 Part One: Prepared Material 1) What is the management decision problem facingDuPont? New type of carpets (innovation) Can commercial segment be transferred to residential segment? Whether they should introduce the new collection into theresidential market. If the answer to that question is yes: How should be introduced? How will it be marketed? How will be broken down into specific decision-making areas? 2) What is the marketing research problem facing DuPont? To determine consumer preferences and purchase intentions for theproposed new product 3) Breakdown the general marketing research problem into component parts. The marketing research problemcan be broken down into the following component parts: What criteria are used by people in choosing carpets? What are the market shares of DuPont and its competitors? What is the size of the market segment interested in the newproduct? What styles of carpets are preferred by households? What is the demographic and psychological profile of the customers? How do people evaluate carpet brands in terms of the competitors and brand awareness? 4) Developone suitable research question and hypothesis for the marketing research problem. A possible research question and hypothesis related to the marketing research problem is: RQ: On what variables can the specific market segment be identified? H: It may be identified bydemographic, psychological factors Part 2: MY REFLECTIONS ON SEMINAR 1 After discussing the case study and identified the research problem components, a conclusion was reached as to the topic to be researched for the whole semester, (Litter thrownfrom cars). Issues such as consumer characteristics, behaviour, attitudes, opinions,possessions and the environmental context of the problem are factors one needsto bear in mind here. There is also a need to target specific markets, i.e.what type of consumers are we talking about here? Do the consumers realizethat there is a problem? Sub-consciously they probably do, but consciouslythey dont. Evaluating the pros and cons of the product would be useful inrealising the market potential and responsiveness from various consumersegments. Additionally,profiling of lifestyles, habits, activities of the target audience demographyand product image would need to be assessed. A system of delivering theproduct would need to meet customer satisfaction and experience. Identifyingwhere the competition is for the product would need to be carried out. I.e.areas that are not littered or are cleaned on a regular basis would have ahigher and better standard of living, while areas that do not have this, wouldsuffer the opposite. In relation to the main topic reached for research, onewould need to analyze the size of the problem, are the costs of cleaning it upaffordable per litter discarded; what are the health hazards and problemscreated by unclean litter on the streets; can people littering the streets,when they appear not to know that they are littering the streets be termed as acriminal offence; and finally, what can we do to change peoples attitudestowards this unsolved phenomenon is an issue that needs attention. Marketing Research Seminar 2: Part One: Prepared Material: 1a) Briefly, list the main advantages of secondary data. The main advantages of secondarydata are: It is accessible, relatively inexpensive and quickly obtained Some are available on topics where it would not be feasible for afirm to collect primary data It also helps to: Diagnose a sampling plan Formulate an appropriate research design Answer certain research questions and test some hypotheses Interpret primary data with more insight Validate qualitative research findings Ideas generated in secondary data can be used as a very strongfoundation to primary data design and collection It also a substantial help in theexploratory phase of the research: Understanding and defining the problem Extremely useful in defining the population and in structuringthe sample 1b) Why should the reliability of published statisticsvary over time? Measurement errors: Measurement systems might had changed How old data can be depends on what you have researching Sources might discover being biased Geographical boundaries might have changed by government Part Two: carry out task and find information Task: Part of the research process is to do a search for secondarydata to: Help in understanding background to the issues Help in defining the research problem Help in defining the population and in structuring the sample to be taken e.g. potential segments to be reached Generate hypotheses and alternative courses of action Save time and money not re-inventing the wheel Below are some tasks concerning secondary data. Answer in bullet points Information for parts (v) and (vi) is quite detailed and would be a waste of time (and paper) for you to copy out you are asked only to give the location of any information you find and a short sentence or two describing the contents You do not need to print out any information from the web addresses suggested to you below but you might want to save it to disc If you find information on other websites or in magazines, articles, journals, etc., please note the location and full reference and a short sentence about the content 2a) For Seminar Group 1: LITTERTHROWN FROM CARS Write short bullet point notesin the research diary on the following using secondary data and information: i)Size of the general litter problem e.g. amount litter per year, cost ofcleaning up ii)Potential health problems and other consequences (not only humans) iii)Legal aspects e.g. what is illegal, fines, etc. iv)Number of people worried by this Note in the research diary thefull reference for the following with some short notes describing the content: v)any information that might help profile likely people and places forlitter thrown from car vi)Any information on attitudes, barriers to change The following sources shouldprove helpful: http://www.tidybritain.org.uk/news/filthyfacts.asp?Sub=0Menu=0.26.12.244 http://www.encams.org/information/publications/research/pubbehavstudylitter2001.pdf http://www.tidybritain.org.uk/information/publications/research/youthlitter.pdf And theres always the library(and google) Part 3: My reflections from Seminar Two (word limit 250) Although thereare advantages and disadvantages with regard to the use of primary andsecondary sources of data collection, one would need to identify which one isbest put to use in relation to the subject matter. Depending on the researchquestion, both qualitative methods, which isnt measurable, i.e. statisticaldata is not used and quantitative methods (the use of statistical data to measurethe validity of a phenomenon), can be used to address the research question.It depends on how much information one can get, in other words it is the use ofmarket intelligence to collate data. In Hofstede(1980), work related values: individualism / collectivism, power distance, anduncertainty, avoidance / uncertainty acceptance, and gender differences,Hofstede carried out research on a sample population of IBM workers from allover the world taking into consideration the latter mentioned. From this onecould know how the Chinese behaved. International marketing utilises research,for example, would one introduce British Milk Chocolate to the Chinese people?If the Chinese dont like risky decisions then dont introduce the product in China. Moving on, the use of outdated data, e.g. 1967 to 74, could provide an inaccurateresearch final decision. Secondary sources of information will tend to be thenorm in this situation. In relation to the subject matter, Littering, onecould categorize the respondents into, sceptics; unaware; sympathisers; andconverts. The idea is to make everyone converts (environmentally friendly) insociety. For example, if the Minister of Health, after identify ing thecategories just mentioned, takes action; one will need to identify the otherthree negative elements through the use of secondary data. Marketing Research Seminar 3 Part One: Prepared Material Q 1) LIST the main principlesof the Data Protection Act (1998). Fair Adequate Rights Specific Transfer Accuracy Retention Security Q 2) What does the Office ofthe Information Commissioner define as personal data? From the DPA website: To determine whether you have any rights under the Data Protection Act (DPA) you must first establish whether the information being held is the sort of information covered by the DPA. Rights will only rise in respect of information if: -it relates to you, -you can be identified from the information itself or from thatinformation and other information which is, or is likely to come into thepossession of the data controller and, -The information is held electronically (e.g. on computer) or it isintended to be held in certain specific types of manual/paper- based filingsystems. Suchinformation is called personal data. Q 3a) Whatis Classic survey (or Market) Research? Classic Survey(or Market) Research: Defined by MRS Code of Conduct as: Theapplication of scientific research methods to obtain objective information onpeoples attitudes and behaviour based usually on representative samples of therelevant populations. The process guarantees the confidentiality of personalinformation in such a way that the data can only be used for researchpurposes. Classiccovers: Quantitative research Qualitative research Q 3b) Why should specialcare be exercised when undertaking Modelling/Data Fusion Projects? When undertaking Modelling /Data Fusion Projects, special care should be exercised to: -protect the interests of data subjects -data not be inappropriately used during or after the data matchingprocesses Merging confidential survey data with other data at an individual personal record level does not constitute a different or additional purpose, as long as the final data set protects the identity of the data subject. Q 4) The MRSCode of Conduct states that The general public and other interested partiesare entitled to complete assurance that every research project is carried outstrictly in accordance with this Code, and that their rights of privacy arerespected. It then gives the details of two specific things about whichassurance must be given. What are these? What other two things must respondentsbe informed about? These are: a)They must be assured that no information which could be used to identifythem will be made available without their agreement to anyone other than theResearcher responsible for conducting the research. b)They must also be assured that the information they supply will not beused for any purposes other than those described and that they will not beadversely affected or embarrassed as a direct result of their participation ina research project. Also,respondents must be informed about: a)The purpose of the research and the likely length of time necessary forthe collection of the information b)Research findings themselves must always be reported accurately andnever used to mislead anyone, in any way. PART 2: My Reflections fromSeminar Three: While reviewingprepared answers one was able to identify the research stake holders. Two taskswere then formulated namely, to compile a list of things that respondentsshould be told in order to give informed consent, and a suitable writtenstatement would be given to respondents so that they can give their informedconsent to their participation in the research. This could act as a barrierto being able to get the right people to participate in this research that willbe carried out by this seminar group. The stakeholders identified are, theclients (i.e. the lecturer from the university); the respondents; the marketresearchers (us); and the general public (i.e. people who work and live in thearea). For Task 1, theresearcher needs to make clear that the respondents co-operation with regardto the research being carried out is of no harm to them. Stating the purposeof the research in the initial stages could prove to be a good start of pointof contact. If it is a questionnaire, then it would be a lot easier to gaininformation from the respondent because they will not need to disclose their personalidentity. The researcher could give the impression of a short conversation atthe initial point of contact, in order to prolong and get as much informationas they can within a short period of time. One must realize that therespondent can withdraw at any stage of the conversation. The marketresearchers must make sure that they identify themselves at the initial stagesof contact with the respondent and if possible leave their contact details.For Task 2, there is the possibility of embarrassment. For example foreignstudents might not understand completely, the purpose of the research. In thi scase the researcher has to give a detailed and easy explanation to what theiraims and objectives are. Marketing Research SEMINAR 4 PART 1:Prepared Material Task 1:Choose ONE qualitative research method and give your reasons in bulletpoint format why you think it would be particularly suitable for researchingpeoples attitudes and behaviour towards one of the research questionsregarding littering you have identified. You shouldclearly and concisely state the research question at the beginning of youranswer. (Lengthexpected for your answer: Between half and one page of A4 double spaced TimesNew Roman 12pt font) Task 2:Collect at least 5 photos, pictures or images that you feel reflect yourthoughts and feelings about the environment in which you live. These may beimages of ANYTHING that sparks a reaction in your environment. There are noright or wrong answers (except anything that might give your fellow studentsoffence, use your common sense about that). For example,people we asked to do in connection with mobile telephones brought in picturesas varied as clocks, comfy sofas, cups of coffee, friends, padlocks and manyothers as well as pictures of phones. Bring thesewith you to the seminar 4. Come prepared to explain why you choose the picturesand even tell about images that came to mind but you did not find. PART TWO: My Reflections fromSeminar 4 We began with ashort comparison within qualitative and quantitative approaches for collectingdata. After each student expressed his or her thoughts for which technique isthe most appropriate to be used, it was generalised by the seminar leader ofthe group that for the purposes of our future project (litter thrown from cars)it is better to use the qualitative techniques. Therefore, by doing so, thedifferent qualitative techniques were expressed out in loud. These included themajor direct and indirect techniques which corresponds with the focus group orobservation techniques. Then, a question was set in the seminar group; whichmethod is more appropriate for us to use for collecting primary data asinexperienced people? After students expressed their opinions, the preferredone was chosen by the seminar leader (method of questionnaire). Inthe second part of the seminar, the group was divided into subgroups of 2persons and we were experienced, at least for most of us, our first realinterview. In particular, each group had an interview (5mins) with each otherbased on some images (prepared material) which represent our feelings andthoughts about the environment we live in. By doing so, back to group, we allshare our information collected by each other and we allocated them intodifferent environmental categories (themes) for example pollution. For me, it wasmy first interview I ever had, it was a great opportunity to get familiar withnon-professional interview and I am really glad that I took part in this. Marketing Research SeminarFIVE: Part One: Prepared Material Evaluate the potential of ONEsampling method from the list below for conducting your research (including itsdrawbacks). Clearly link your evaluation of the chosen method to your research;a simple list of advantages and disadvantages is not sufficient these need tobe related to your research. (LITTER THROWN FROM CARS) Lengthexpected to your answer: between half and one page A4 double spaced Times NewRoman 12 pt font. A classification of samplingtechniques: Non probability Sampling techniques -Convenience Sampling -Judgemental Sampling -Quota Sampling -Snowball Sampling Probability Sampling techniques -Simple Random Sampling -Systematic Sampling -Stratified Sampling -Cluster Sampling PART TWO: MyReflections from Seminar Five (Word limit 200 300 words) In order to get a realistic conclusion to ones findings, the researcherwill need to remind themselves of the research question; the method of surveyto be used in carrying out the research would also need to be evaluated; andthe qualitative methods of approach (a questionnaire) should be finalised. For example, how does the consumer view the product; to what extent isthere a problem? Do people acknowledge that there is a problem? These areissues the researcher needs to address. If needs be extra data will need to begathered, a bit more time would need to be taken, and eventually get to have amore accurate piece of data. In the method of survey, techniques such as face to face could reducecosts to gathering data; a structured and easily read questionnaire needs to beformulated in order to gather a proper description of peoples feelings, andopinions. Whereby, open ended questions need to be avoided in the qualitativemethods of approach. The method of coding could be used to gather theweightings placed by various age groups on the subject matter. For example,Male or female respondents, in which three different age groups can be gatheredmight prove to be a useful starting point. Possible questions to be included in questionnaire such as has therespondent eaten food in a car, in the last 30 days, or do they smoke in theircar? This could prove to be a hitter, with regard to extracting the rightanswer from the respondent. More important would be to be the safety of theresearcher. It would be advisable to carry out such research in the day time.Politeness is the key to getting the attention of potential respondents for thesubject matter. PART TWO: My Reflections fromSeminar Six (Word limit 200 300 words) A more refinedquestion within the context of the questionnaire would be, how often does therespondent eat or drink in the car; whereby, there will be a set of multiplechoice answers, can be deemed as a more appropriate measure of summing upinformation with regard to the subject matter (Littering the streets).Multiple choice answers such as: a.More than once a day b.About once a day c.2-6 times a week d.once a week e.once every 2-3 weeks f.once a month g.less than once a month One must beaware of the fact that (g.) is not possible. However, it is good to have aproper representation of all possible scenarios represented in the questionnaire,so as to have the overall picture summed up. Although, thesafety of the researcher is important, it will be best to carry out theresearch during the day and within the university grounds. Why? With thechoice of a wide variety and greater number of students to choose from, it willgive the researcher the opportunity to gather more accurate answers, other thanapproaching people from the street. As stated previously, it will be advisableto group the respondents into certain age groups. If potential respondents arenot part of the university or not in the age group (18 19, 20 21, and 22 -23) wanted, OR are in an age group which you have already collected theinformation required, then thank them for their time and move on. If otherwise,then the researcher should do vice-versa. Mostimportantly, the researcher should make sure that the respondent fills in thequestionnaire if they meet age and gender requirements. Racial ethics isnot a point of concern here, because the littering of streets could be carriedout by just about anybody. Therefore, it will be advisable to gatherinformation from as wide an audience as they can. Additionally, the age groupsbeing used to carry out this research can be deemed as too narrow a view.Because, as earlier said littering the streets is done by just about anybody.Therefore, it will be advisable to widen the spectrum of the age groups;possibly, 16 to 35 year olds would be more convincing. PART TWO: My Reflections from Seminar Seven (Word limit 200 300 words) Having attendeda different seminar, with a different research topic chewing gums, usingqualitative analysis to open-ended questions, sort of seems to be a moreappropriate research method. With 5 students fully accomplishing the tasksrequired from the questionnaire, from a total of 7; it gives one the impressionthat the research topic is not enticing. The use of post-it notes wasdelegated to the students to use as a means of describing what they have doneon each of the questionnaires answered. Each researcher was told to initialtheir name on each post-it note. Additionally, the gender of the respondent wasrequired on the post-it note. The use of a coding formulae for the answers tothe questions on the questionnaire such as (0 for NO and 1 for a YES answer),can be deemed as adequate for this exercise. Also, a coding formula was usedfor the each age group on the questionnaire. The answers given by therespondents to the questionnaires for each of the open-ended questions are thenwritten in the middle of the post-it. This gives a clearer understanding ofthe answers given in which a comparison of the qualitative methods andquantitative methods are then analyzed. Categorising thepost-it notes according to the answers given by the respondents, is a veryuseful measure to identify any trends. Although, some answers were rathersarcastic, it acts as a useful reminder that the results can provide an eyeopener into other relevant topics, for example, recommendations and sarcasm. The use ofqualitative methods (questionnaire and interviews) other than quantitativemethods can be deemed as more appropriate to this research topic. This isbecause it gives the researcher a hands-on approach to what is actuallyhappening, other than already established data which might prove to beoutdated. PART TWO: My Reflections fromSeminar Eight (Word limit 200 300 words) The use ofmanual coding to analyze data, can act as a useful method in providing the sortof weightings which the researcher would need to identify with when trying toreach conclusions about the subject matter. Using a spreadsheet to give aclearer picture of the weightings on the codes used to analyze the categories ofconstrunts from the questionnaire can prove to be a pedagogical tool indecision making. As stated previously, the age group needs to be widened, soalso the fact whether one has a car or not, does not make a difference withregard to the subject matter, which is Litter discarded on the streets. Theconstructs such as feelings about pollution, health, damage to the environment,denial and blame, a problem or no problem of waste, visual, and individualresponsibility, are good classifications in putting the subject matter intoperspective. However, they need to be widened further to gain an in-depthunderstanding of the subject matter. Additionally,one could use SPSS. This is a statistical software package, which enables theresearcher to carry out data transformation, matrix algebra, macro andscripting facilities. It has excellent data management facilities and highquality graphics. It is applicable to many different research fields, althoughit has particular strengths in the areas of the social sciences, it can bedescribed as one of the most friendliest statistical packages of its kind.

The Importance of Truth in Jean Rhys Wide Sargasso Sea Essay -- Wide

The Importance of Truth in Wide Sargasso Sea In Wide Sargasso Sea " Rhys presents a white Creole family living in a Caribbean Island (Jamaica), which is a lush and insecure world for them, after the liberation of the slaves. The husband had once been a slaveholder, the mother is a confused and crazy lady and Antoinette, the daughter, is a child in an atmosphere of fear, recrimination and bitter anger. She becomes increasingly isolated-this isolation is broken by her scheming stepbrother, who signs Antoinette's inheritance over to the naive Mr. Rochester. The book's account of Antoinette's marriage to Mr. Rochester is a study in sexual manipulation and cultural misunderstanding. There is also foreshadowing, irony, and symbolism throughout Wide Sargasso Sea. In Wide Sargasso Sea, Antoinette's family is shattered when the ex-slaves torched their home. Her brother died in the fire and that caused her mother to go insane, then her husband left her, which even made her situation worse. Under the care of her aunt, she attended a convent. The convent became her refuge and sunshine, a place where she wished for happiness. "I thought at first, is there no happiness? There must be. Oh happiness of course, happiness, well." (Rhys 34) After all, Antoinette never was a very happy child. Her parents never really gave her love, her father was too busy drinking himself to death and her mother was too busy doing her own thing. After her stepfather's death, her stepbrother decided to marry her off to this Englishman, Mr. Rochester, which she knew nothing about. Mr. Rochester did not marry Antoinette for love or because he fancied her. He married her to claim her fortune. Mr. Rochester seemed to marry Antoinette for money, or perhaps ... ...uld be to disclose everything about herself and her past that she would think Mr. Rochester   wanted to know before he would   want to marry her. But she might think that it's in the past, so it's not really important to let him know every little detail, just the basics or maybe she wanted to give her version of the truth . For example, when Mr. Rochester asked Antoinette what happened to her mother. She told him that her mother died in the fire. Me and Mr. Rochester might look at   her and call her a liar because her mother did not die in the fire, she died years later. But to Antoinette her mother did die in the fire, because from the day of the fire her mother changed. she was not the same person, she was now a mad woman. So as you can see this novel is based on truth. But what is the truth?    Work Cited: Rhys, Jean. Wide Sargasso Sea. London: Penguin, 1997.

The Dark Side of Sylvia Plaths Poetry :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Dark Side of Sylvia Plath's Poetry      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   bell jar- (bà ªl jà ¤r) n. a cylindrical glass vessel with a rounded top and an   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   open base, used to protect and display fragile objects or to establish a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   vacuum or a controlled atmosphere in scientific experiments (mish 105).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   instead of starting with plath's poetry I decided to start off with her only novel, the bel jar. "the bell jar is a novel about the events of sylvia plath's twentieth year; about how she tried to die, and how they stuck her together with glue. it is a fine novel, as bitter and remorseless as her last poems--the kind of book salinger's franny might have written about herself ten years later, if she had spent those ten years in hell" (scholes). i want to explain the imagery in the title of plath's autobiography. i stated the definition earlier. a bell jar is basically like a regular jar that has been turned upside down. it is glass and transparent. unlike a jar, a bell jar is often used to display something fragile. in her novel, plath was fragile and her bell jar was her environment. in her novel she spent five weeks in a mental institution. there, she was on display to many counselors, nurses, physicians, psychiatrists, and psychologists. they watched Pplath regain s tability from the day of her arrival to the day of her dismissal. also, "controlled atmosphere" can be seen as the environment of the institute.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   now on to the poetry of sylvia plath. just a little note... before i read her work i thought poetry sucked. anyway, in the poem "lady lazarus" plath speaks of her own suicide and she even takes some pride in her knowledge of death. in a reading prepared for bbc radio, plath introduced this poem: "the speaker is a woman who has the great and terrible gift of being reborn. the only trouble is, she has to die first. she is the phoenix, the libertarian spirit, what you will. she is also just a good, plain, very resourceful woman" (Plath 294).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   i have done it again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   one year in every ten   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   i manage it--      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   a sort of walking miracle, my skin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   bright as a Nazi lampshade,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   my right foot      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   a paperweight, The Dark Side of Sylvia Plath's Poetry :: Biography Biographies Essays The Dark Side of Sylvia Plath's Poetry      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   bell jar- (bà ªl jà ¤r) n. a cylindrical glass vessel with a rounded top and an   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   open base, used to protect and display fragile objects or to establish a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   vacuum or a controlled atmosphere in scientific experiments (mish 105).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   instead of starting with plath's poetry I decided to start off with her only novel, the bel jar. "the bell jar is a novel about the events of sylvia plath's twentieth year; about how she tried to die, and how they stuck her together with glue. it is a fine novel, as bitter and remorseless as her last poems--the kind of book salinger's franny might have written about herself ten years later, if she had spent those ten years in hell" (scholes). i want to explain the imagery in the title of plath's autobiography. i stated the definition earlier. a bell jar is basically like a regular jar that has been turned upside down. it is glass and transparent. unlike a jar, a bell jar is often used to display something fragile. in her novel, plath was fragile and her bell jar was her environment. in her novel she spent five weeks in a mental institution. there, she was on display to many counselors, nurses, physicians, psychiatrists, and psychologists. they watched Pplath regain s tability from the day of her arrival to the day of her dismissal. also, "controlled atmosphere" can be seen as the environment of the institute.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   now on to the poetry of sylvia plath. just a little note... before i read her work i thought poetry sucked. anyway, in the poem "lady lazarus" plath speaks of her own suicide and she even takes some pride in her knowledge of death. in a reading prepared for bbc radio, plath introduced this poem: "the speaker is a woman who has the great and terrible gift of being reborn. the only trouble is, she has to die first. she is the phoenix, the libertarian spirit, what you will. she is also just a good, plain, very resourceful woman" (Plath 294).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   i have done it again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   one year in every ten   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   i manage it--      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   a sort of walking miracle, my skin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   bright as a Nazi lampshade,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   my right foot      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   a paperweight,

The Voice of An Old Mans Winter Night :: Old Mans Winter Night

The Voice of "An Old Man's Winter Night" Perhaps the most haunting poem in Mountain Interval is "An Old Man's Winter Night," a poem about an old man dying in the wintry climate of New England and alone. Here, more so than in "The Oven Bird," the comfort of a warmly human subject is held out; no one who ever responded to a Norman Rockwell magazine cover could but be taken by the old man, alone in his house ("All out-of-doors looked darkly in at him"), unable to summon up the resources to hold the winter night at bay: What kept his eyes from giving back the gaze Was the lamp tilted near them in his hand. What kept him from remembering what it was That brought him to that creaking room was age. But if lovers of Rockwell had paused over these lines and tried to read and listen to them, they might well have noted how odd is their disposition. The "sense" of them is that the old man can't see out because the lamp won't permit him to see out -- all he gets back is an image of himself. And if he cannot see out, neither can he see in; he is so old that he can't remember how or why he is where he is. But what, in the prose paraphrase are concerned and sympathetic insights into the plight of old age, sound rather different when experienced through the sing-song, rather telegraphic formulations of the lines. As with "The Oven Bird" there is a heavy use of the verb "to be": "was" occurs three times in four lines, something a novice writer of poetry would try to avoid. And there are also three "whats," two of which occur in a single line ("What kept him from remembering what it was"), designed to make it hard to indulge in sad feelings about old age -- one notices the way that "age" i s quietly buried at the very end of the next line. Apropos of his sister Jeanie, Frost claimed that as he grew older he found it easier to lie awake and worry about other people's troubles. But he is at least as much a critic of such sympathetic identification with others -- lonely old men or oven birds -- as a practitioner of it. Or rather, some of the best poems in Mountain Interval derive their energy from the play of movement toward and withdrawal from the subject contemplated, play such as can be seen in two lines further on which summarize the old man in his setting;

China’s IT Industry in 1997

A series of strange symptoms of poisoning appeared on a girl Zhu Lin unexpectedly: hair lost, muscles on the face paralyzed, limbs weakened, and words slurred. No one can tell what is the cause. Life is in danger! One of her classmates emailed for help on Internet. Fortunately, the first reply arrived in less than three hours. Afterwards, over 1,500 emails reached her. Most of the replies analysed that Zhu Lin had been thallium poisoned. It is the Internet that has saved her young life! In 1994, there were merely a few universities and institutions on Internet. Now there are over 620 thousand end users in China. The number increased four-fold in 1997 compared with the year before, still booming on an exponential curve, and is sure to go through the limit of one million. Information Technology (IT) industry has become one of the industries developing most quickly in China. Sum (billion) Increase (compared to 1996) Anticipation in 1998 Gross output value RMB 380 25%(3.6 times 1992) RMB 460 Total sales profits RMB 250 15% RMB 300 The Tel exchange capacity of China National Public Tel Net has become the second largest one in the world. Last year, the sales volume of PC broke through three million, which indicated that it had increased by sixty percent than 1996. All the above data depict an exciting success for China — a developing country. She is laboring at curtailing the gap between developed countries and herself. As the modern information technology (IT) develops rapidly with the increase of social demand, the core status of IT in the development of modern business has become more and more stable. IT can provide the information a business needs for efficient operations, effective management and competitive advantage. If information systems do not properly support the strategic objective, they can seriously damage its prospect for survival and success. For a company, out-of-date information of demand leads to an excess or insufficient output; inpromptly-attained information results in the loss of capital for the timeliness of currency, and then emerged an inefficient assignment of the resource of the whole society. At present, this kind of waste engendered by the undeveloped IT industry widely exists in all walks of life in China. It is urgent to prompt the informationalization grade of the nation. The world economy has been turning from industrial economy to information economy. P.R.C. Chairman Jiang Zeming once said, IT is the accelerator and amplifier of the national economy. Therefore, a country's information industry embodies its power. Developing IT industry becomes a world trend , and a strategic task in many countries. The informationalization degree of the developed country has reached a considerable level. In 1993, US declared â€Å"National Information Infrastructure† (NII). It is expected that by 2000 information super-highway will have connected all the schools, hospitals, libraries. Although there are over 620 thousand end users in China, but compared with the 1.2 billion population, the popularization of Internet in China is much lower than that in US. The rate between cash flow and currency gross is an important index of informationization degree of a country. The lower the proportion, the higher the informationization degree. In American, the proportion is eight percent. But in China, it has reached twenty-five percent. Eighty percent of world information resource is possessed by developed countries which have only fifteen percent of world population. Meanwhile, with eight-five percent of world population, the developing countries occupy only twenty percent of information in the world. In the developed countries such as U.S.A., it is prevalent to operate the enterprise with information flow. Intranet is being considered an effective way of dealing with information. But in many Chinese enterprises, manpower is required to transmit messages. A lot of waste and troubles follow: a considerable loss of time, insufficient or less accurate information and etc. The low degree of informationalization results from the insubstantial basis of China. In China, economic basis is weak, financial capacity is limited, and IT is far behind the developed countries. Because of the great population, there is great divergence among various areas in China. Every country desires to develop IT industry. Especially, developing countries need information innovation to promote the development of economy. But, because of the weakness of economic basis and insufficiency of financial capacity, developing countries often feel its ability is not equal to its ambition. What should be done? We have several ideas as the following: There*s an old Chinese saying â€Å"know your rival and yourself clearly, you*ll triumph every time!† So let us take a look at the pioneer of IT–US first. For about 50 years, the Americans have laid a solid foundation in the field of electronics, computer and communication. The existing network has become an embryo of information superhighways. Both had prompted President Clinton to put forward NII. In contrary to US, China now calls for the infrastructure of information products. The developing country needs the step-by-step measure. As a result, the principle of China National Information Infrastructure was born. This comprehensive and step-by-step image of Information superhighway make it possible that China will be quickly informationalized. The most beautiful picture can be drawn on pure white paper — â€Å"Skip† on technology Science is the common wealth of human being, the developing countries don*t have to build up from nothing. We can step into the first class directly by taking the existing technology. Take Japan for example. After World War ` , she stands up from ruins and almost in no time, it becomes a shining star. Which way did she take? The best in the world. China now has a good chance to learn the lessons of pioneers, she can do the simplest, the most expedient and the most flexible. For instance, China has just started to set up her own network construction. she can take the opportunity to establish the first-class frame and utilize the most advanced hardware and software. As we can see, â€Å"skip† on technology is suitable for the developing countries, A high-rise building is built from the ground An essential characteristic of IT industry is high investment and high production of additional value. However, since financial capacity is far too limited, high investment requires developing countries to select a right way leading to success. Through the course of the development of IT, we can find that, in general, IT is in the stage of growing and application from the 1980s to a long time in the future. Although Japan had great achievement on IT, from 1980s it began to develop some high-tech instead of promoting deeper application, trying to obtain monopoly profit. However, Japan ran counter to the situation of today's IT and lost its market. The failure of Japan alarms the developing countries: application should be the foundation of the strategy of IT development in developing countries. To promote the innovation, manufacture and application of basic information products, reasonable economic scale should be considered. And it is essential to develop a series of products such as PC, network servers, parallel processing computer system and etc. Cooperation by national and local government –Both central and local initiative should be brought into full play. Now China is building its national information infrastructure through â€Å"Golden Project†(1) and has completed many consequential informationization constructions such as Golden Bridge(2), Golden Card(3), Golden Customs(4), Golden Tax(5) and etc. In the meantime, local informationization projects have quickened their pace. Shanghai information harbor has consummated five information works including information exchange net, science and technology net, community net and etc. Inland provinces and districts such as Henan Province augmented 120 thousand telephone users. The IT industry has been regarded as a pillar industry in more than 20 provinces in China. Competition should be introduced in IT industry to cut down the price . The construction of long-distance trunk line is up to the central government, while local governments manage the branches. Not only big state enterprises but also small town factories should be encouraged to participate in the booming IT industry. To be scientific and strict, there must be a series of laws and regulations. Shanghai Information Harbor grows with laws which the new-born information industries are longing for â€Å"Regulations governing advertisement on the network†, â€Å"Regulations governing EDI† and â€Å"Regulations governing Internet caf*† were formulated. Effective working mode will protect the proper development of the IT industry. Unless troublesome Bill Gates turns into well-behavior or his corporation couldn*t stand firmly on the land of China. If China acts on these ideas, it*s sure to have a splendid future. The business and even the whole society will take on a new look. The telephone lines will reach each home, while the fiber optics will enter the buildings in most cities and towns. Since â€Å"Golden Project† have established the network of all kinds such as business, education, medical care and economy, most things can be done through virtual banks, virtual enterprises, virtual library and so on, even if people stay at home all the time. The advantages the business takes will be conspicuous. The administrative structure will be simplified, the staff will be reduced, the risks of cash will be diminished by EDI, an inexhaustible database will be shared by everyone and will be a strong support of decision-making. The relationships between enterprise and clientele will be as close as fish to water. IT will take the place of some jobs and at the same time, create much more occupations, which brings about that the information industry becomes the biggest industry of the country. A country can benefit a lot from its success in IT industry. Even though the developing countries lack the most advanced technology and sufficient financial support, they can also achieve the goal by attaching importance to the building of IT industry and taking on an appropriate strategy — a step-by-step Omnibus Bill and a skipping tactic of technology.