Internet Marketing Strategy ( Nike ) Research Paper

Internet Marketing Strategy ( Nike ) - Research Paper Example It is not just restricted to sportswear, instead it allows for large array of items related to other leisure. Eye wear, electronic timers, wrist bands and sweat bands as well as children shoes that are not primarily related to sports but for casual wear. Keywords: Sportswear, e-commerce, online, unique value proposition, marketing perspective, quality, customers’ considerations. History A predominant name in the field of footwear and numerous other interrelated services. It has been in practice and action since the mid 20th century and is amongst the top runners in the respective industry (Marco et.al , 262). The company has incorporated various techniques, business principles, policies which have enabled achieving its present day position and standing. All these have been implemented in respective disciplines pertinent to the overall best services and performances. Target group: Target group is defined as one that is the core focus on the company with regard to fulfilling the ir requirements and providing them with all sorts of items needed by them. Target group is also represented in the ads and commercials that are broadcasted. An active participant of nearly all major sporting activities, such as football, tennis, athletics and numerous other games, however it is not confined to sports only. The company has expanded its wings in a scattered way and can be easily termed as a multisided market industry with focus on various segments. Operating internationally and having its outlets and chains in nearly all the major regions of the world, it holds attraction due to its variety and quality in the given domain. Strategies: Nike Inc has expanded its network through its franchises and independent retailers who are officially granted the licenses in this regard to sell their products under the official banner. Both the franchises and independent outlets work through the approval of officially granted work permits by the head office and its concerned offices. Multisided market: Providing for sportswear as well as casual wear speaks of the company’s multisided approach. Also not limiting its items to teenagers or sports athletes is another example of multisided market approach. The offer of subsidiaries is another example of its multisided market orientation. Various subsidiaries are operational in the name of Converse Cole, Hockey Hurley International to name a few. How to reach the blue moon: Brand personality: The brand enjoys a credible name amongst the customers, it has stood for quality and reliability. Its expansion based policy and much more richer supply chain relationships define the brand itself. Differentiation: Differentiation is based upon quality, reliability, customers solution and future prospects consideration. Unique Value Proposition: In order to keep up with the changes of modern times, and the subsequent demands, any given company has to adopt and make certain items its bench mark and elements of separation wh ich may provide

Socrates and Virtue Essay Example for Free

Socrates and Virtue Essay At the beginning of Meno Socrates and Meno are discussing what they think the true definition of virtue is. They debate over this matter for quite some time and Meno continues to throw definitions, of what he thinks virtue is, at Socrates. It seems like every time Meno would come up with what he thought virtue was Socrates would shoot it down. Socrates would not come out and say this is not right, he would merely ask him a series of questions in order for Meno to realize it on his own. One after another Socrates continues to find problems with Menos reasoning behind his definitions. After the fourth attempt they finally decide they would try to start over with a clean slate in order to find out what virtue truly is. At this point Socrates and Meno have not quite come close to defining virtue they have just made definition in general much more clear. Early on the closest that Socrates and Meno come closest, in my opinion, to defining virtue is when they conclude that virtue is the desire for good things in order to do good. While there are many people out there who desire good things in order to do bad, there are just as many that desire good things in order to do some good. According to my interpretation of the text here, virtue is the desire for good or powerful things in order to do good for others. At the end of this passage though, Socrates shoots down this idea by asking a series of questions putting Meno in a state of perplexity and numbness, as Socrates does best (Section 77c ? 80b). Now having gone through all of that, Meno asks Socrates, how will know you found virtue if you do not know what it truly is? Socrates then goes on to tell Meno about the immortal soul and recollection. This is a belief that your soul is all knowing because it has been through an infinite amount of lives, consuming all kinds of knowledge and information. According to this, the soul is said to be all knowing. According to this theory, learning is just a matter of recalling all the knowledge from previous lives. So if this was true, then we all already have the true definition of virtue within all of us, we just have to ask the right questions in order for us to remember it (Section 80d ? 81e). Now in order to prove his point of recollection, Socrates brings over a slave boy and proceeds to ask him a series of questions in order to prove that learning is just a matter of recollection. This goes on for some time until Socrates is satisfied with the slave boy and his so called recollection of knowledge from his souls from previous lives. Socrates says we should continue to pursue knowledge and ask questions until we supposedly recall past knowledge. Today this theory is viewed as being somewhat far fetched and totally implausible (Sections 83a ?85e). Now soon after all this takes place they continue to discuss knowledge and virtue, contemplating the true definition of virtue. Socrates and Meno decide that virtue is something that can be beneficial to ones self, which is true. Socrates then talks about all the things that are beneficial to us: health, strength, beauty, and wealth. Those are all things which can be very beneficial to everyone or they can have the opposite effect and can be quite detrimental. The outcome of these things is determined by the use of them; good or bad. If used correctly then they would benefit us, if used improperly then they would have quite the opposite effect. Wealth would be a good example of this. It can be for the good or the bad that just depends. If you direct things by wisdom then that is how you get something to be beneficial to yourself or others. If you foolishly direct things in your life and are not careful then they become harmful. Socrates says that all activities done by humans depends on the soul itself, and if you are going to do some beneficial then it involves wisdom to a certain extent. So if in order to do something beneficial you need wisdom and they defined virtue as being something beneficial, therefore making the valid point that virtue is wisdom, for the most part ( Sections 87e ? 89b). Virtue is what you make of it. Yes, to some extent, I agree with Socrates with virtue as wisdom, but that is about as far as you can go with it. Really it is what you are willing to make of it in your own life. There are good types of virtues and then there are harmful types of virtue. Now you cannot really say that there are beneficial types of virtue and bad types of virtue. The reason behind this is because, to some people, virtue can be beneficial in a bad way instead of the beneficial that most people first think of. It varies from person to person. There is really no way of putting one basic definition on virtue. Virtue encompasses so many different things, it would be nearly impossible for us to slap a definition on it without finding a glitch or something wrong with the definition. There will always be someone there to find a problem with it, because is that not the way our society works? Somebody comes up with one thing, then after a while someone comes up something wrong with that idea and proposes a new, better, and far superior idea. So virtue can be defined in mere generalization, I do believe, rather than throwing some specific definition of virtue out there. It is not possible to put a single definition on virtue. For generalizations sake, I will have to say that virtue is wisdom, but there are so many more things that are included under wisdom, that the possibilities are endless.

Productivity Rate Of Roof Works For Project Scheduling Construction Essay

Productivity Rate Of Roof Works For Project Scheduling Construction Essay Abstract: In Malaysia, there is no research done specifically on collecting construction productivity data to serve as a guideline and standards for use by all players in the construction industry. Similar to JKR, as the largest implementers of government projects, the current practice on approval the schedule of works that submitted by contractors are mostly based on the engineers gut feeling/opinion and past experience. There is no standard procedure and guidelines to review and checking the duration and resources allocation in each activity in contractors work program. As an effort, this study will start with focusing on the identification of factors that influencing roofing works productivity in construction project. Those factors can be obtained through a series of statistical analysis based on the data collected from questionnaire and interview with the experts. Data from previous projects also very important in order to get the actual productivity rate for roof works. Finally, the expected finding for this study will be: a) List of factors that influence the productivity rate for roof works, b) The critical factors affecting most to productivity rate for roofing works, c) A metrics of productivity rate for roof works as a standard and guideline for improving JKR projects scheduling. 1.0 INTRODUCTION Managing construction projects always requires constant monitoring of project performance and the updating on project schedule. Project performance data and productivity data from the construction field is a key role in evaluating and predicting project performance in term of cost and schedule. According to Motwani et al. (1995), the productivity in construction has always been very difficult to measure and control. Even though, productivity in construction hard to measure, there is a need to use it for timely decisions and reduce the negative impacts on cost and schedule. Therefore, the integration of historical productivity data with the on-going performance data in construction field are required (Hwang and Liu, 2005). Hwang and Liu, (2009) presented that an accurate productivity prediction is important for managing construction projects. In fact, a construction project is commonly to be successful when it is delivering within its budget and timeline. The planning and control process also explains the importance of accurate productivity estimate which first, estimating time and cost of construction activities that inevitably requires productivity estimates (Hinze, 1998), and second, integrated management of time and cost must involved productivity factor (Dawood and Molson, 1997). There are most previous studies focusing on defining factors influence productivity and measuring limited parts of activities at micro level to investigate the relationship between factors and productivity. A standard construction productivity metric system that more reliable is a critical element in construction productivity performance evaluation and improvement process. There need a tool to drive performance improvement through internal and external benchmarking. Park, et al., (2005) present that nowadays, demand from the construction industry on developing acceptable construction productivity metrics and standardized productivity data are the main issues to focus by the industry players and researches. Problem Statement As the main technical agencies for the Government of Malaysia, Public Work Department (PWD) or Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) entrusted to implement development projects throughout the country. It is the goal of JKR to ensure that the organization is run efficiently and effectively in order to achieve the vision, mission and objectives of the department. JKR is responsible to ensure that all the projects must be implemented well, complete on time, within the budget and provide quality products. In 9th Malaysian Plan (RMK 9), most of JKR projects cannot be deliver on time. For example, about 41% of projects in JKR Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur cannot be delivering on time which is most of it are due to wrongly estimate the duration of the construction activities in project scheduling. It is also regarding to lack of competency of JKR officers in reviewing and giving advice to contractors especially in preparing realistic projects work program. This problem can be categorized as serious m atter and give high impact to the overall performance of JKR due to unsatisfaction of client with JKRs reputation. As the biggest technical government agency, there should be a way to solve the problem so that it will improve JKR image and give high reputation to the clients. 1 Master Student, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. 2 Supervisor, Professor Dr, Lecturer of Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. There should be a standard productivity rate of each activity in the project in order to guide the contractor and the JKR supervision team to plan and implement the projects successfully. Therefore, the study on productivity rate of roof works for building project scheduling as an effort and starting point to develop the standard productivity rate of project activities for JKRs projects. In fact, this study is consistent with JKR strategies and action plan in achieving Effective Implementation of Malaysia 5 Years Plan especially to ensure that projects are implemented through appropriate implementation methodologies to meet customer needs and outcomes. One of the action plans stated in JKR Strategic Framework is to establish effective project performance tracking system which is JKR must analyzing all data that related to the project in order to improve JKR project implementation (JKR, 2007). The Objectives The aim of this study is to establish the productivity rate of roof works for JKR building projects scheduling. In order to achieve this, the following are the objectives of the study: To identify the factors that influence the productivity of roof works To establish the relationship between influence factors and productivity of roof works To develop a metrics of productivity rate for roof works Scope of Study There are certain limitations to be follow to ensure that this study is completed within the time frame given. Firstly, this study only takes into consideration on all projects which implement in central region of Peninsular Malaysia i.e. projects in JKR Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur and JKR Selangor. Second, the sample for this study is concentrate only in school projects which are the most of JKR projects implementation in 9th Malaysian Plan. Since standard design was using in school projects, the area of roof is fixed. This given the standardization to estimate the productivity rate for roofing works referring to the floor area involved. Roof trusses in construction projects can be classified in timber roof trusses, hot rolled roof trusses, cold form roof trusses and etc. The third limitation of this study is only taking into consideration of the cold form roof trusses because most of the school projects are using this type of trusses. In addition, JKR already has a list of 22 names of cold form roof trusses suppliers which their design have been reviewed and approved by the JKR Structure Expert Division. This list is for the JKR officers in state and district office to choose for their projects especially school projects. Forth, part of roof covering for this study only take into consideration one(1) types which is concrete roof tiles including insulations. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW Recently, construction productivity is on a long-term slide and it is recognized as industry challenge. System, people, materials, information and energy must flow effectively and efficiently to produce its objective at high productivity to complete construction at lowest possible cost with possible shortest timeframe (Picard, 2005). Productivity is critically important in construction industry. Many researchers have expressed their concern over productivity in construction industry. Defining productivity is not a simple task to everybody. Different people will give different definition and understanding. Most of them agreed that marketable output was essentially the main measure used. Increased productivity was a leading concern to all Committee stakeholders such as users, contractors, and construction labor unions and led by the owner. The construction users emphasized the need of collecting data directly relevant to productivity improvement. The Committee was concluded that the front-line construction foreman/supervisor would be a reliable source of information. These informants would be asked to provide their judgment of the greatest impediments to a productive construction project (Tucker, 2003). Definition of productivity Within these several decades, many researchers have defined the productivity term in their studies in a number of ways. The term productivity has different meanings to different people. Many individuals automatically think only of labor unions when the term productivity is mentioned. Others associate capital expenditures with the term. Each of these interpretations is only partly correct (Adrian, 1993). Many researchers have attempted to define precisely the meaning of productivity and below are some of it that referred from their studies: Oglesby et al. (1989), presented that productivity can be defined as in-place value divided by inputs. Some researchers have defined it as works-hours divided by the equivalent quantity of work. In construction, productivity normally can be understood as work quantity divided by man-hours (or work-hours) consumed to accomplish the work. Productivity = Work Quantity Man-hours According to Dolman, Parham, Zheng, (2007), productivity is a measure in order to know how much output is produced per unit of input. Diewert Lawrence, (2006) presented that productivity can be defined as the level of economic output per unit of input and also per worker. Productivity is important to the wealth and well-being of a nation and give efforts to improve productivity occur at all levels of society. Thomas and Mathew, (1986) presented that no standardized productivity definition had been established in the construction industry. It is difficult to define a standard productivity measure because companies use their own systems which are not standardized. Association simply illustrates the productivity between an output and an input. The form has been widely used and existing in literature over the years in construction industry is; Productivity = Input/Output 2.3 Measurement of productivity There is controversy surrounding productivity that rooted in the differences in data collection. It is due to incorrect in assuming productivity measured uniformly and that all published productivity values have the same basis (Whiteside, 2006). Overall conception of productivity is difficult to express or to measure. It is sometimes expressed either in terms of output from labor or from services or from capital invested. These parts of expressions often do not give an accurate picture of the overall position. Although, there are measurements of some or all of the inputs and outputs of the industry but they still failed to combine these measurements into any satisfactory measure of efficiency. In fact, the ratio is easy to compute if the unit uses a single input to produce a single output (Choy, 2008). Although there are numbers of publications exist on construction productivity, there is no agreed upon definition of work activities nor a standard productivity measurement system. Most of researchers have concluded that it is difficult to obtain a standard method to measure construction labor productivity because of project complexity and unique characteristics of the construction projects (Oglesby et al. 1989). The uniqueness and non repetitive of operation in construction projects make it is difficult to develop a standard productivity definition and measure (Sweis, 2000). Factors influence productivity in construction Lim et al., (1995) has studied that factors affecting productivity in the construction industry in Singapore, indicated the problems affecting productivity were difficulty with recruitment of supervisors, difficulty with recruitment of workers, high rate of labor turnover, absenteeism from the work site and communication problems with the foreign workers. Olomolaiye et al., (1996) also studied that factors affecting productivity of craftsmen in Indonesia show the findings indicating craftsmen in this country spent 75 % of their time working productively. There are five specific productivity problems were identified such as lack of materials, rework, absenteeism, lack of equipment and tools. Kane et al., (cited in Herbsman et al., 1990) has classified the factors affecting construction productivity into two main groups which is technological factors and administrative factors. The technological factors involved those related to the design of the project and the administrative group factors are related to the management and construction of the project. Technological factors are comprises of sub-groups such as design factors, material factors and location factors. Administrative factors are comprises of sub-groups, such as construction methods and procedural factors, equipment factors, labor factors and social factors. Based on Heizer and Render (1990), they classified that factors influencing site productivity into 3 groups which are labour characteristic factors, project work conditions factors and non-productive activities. Olomolaiye et al., (1998) also stated that factors affecting construction productivity are rarely constant and may vary from country to country, fro m project to project and even within the same project which are depending on circumstances. They classified the factors influencing construction productivity into 2 categories which are external and internal. That means its representing those outside the control of the firms management and those originating within the firm. The external factors included the nature of the industry, construction client knowledge of construction procedure, weather and level of economic development. The internal factors included management, technology, labor and labor unions. Choi, (2007), stated that based on his finding, weather and poor communication prove to be the greatest impediment to roofing productivity, whereas the field workers pointed out that roof pitch, height and age of the roof along weather were major causes for lack of productivity in their job at site. He also stressed that roofing contractor generally not consider safety as a high priority in their business. Metrics an overview According to Melnyk et al., (2004), they stated that metrics are fulfill with the fundamental activities measuring (evaluating how we are doing), educating (communicating what is important and how we intend to deliver value to our customers) and directing (flagging potential problems by size of gap between the metrics and standards). Ideally, metrics are consistent with the way operation delivers value to the customers. Based on Melnyk et al., (2005), they presented that metric is a verifiable measure which consists of three elements such as; a) the specific measure, b) the standard (the numerical values that identifies the minimum threshold of performance, and c) the environment which the activity or person being measured operates. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY In order to achieve the objectives, Figure 1.1 illustrated the schematic of research methodology for this study. Generally, it consists of four distinct phases, which are phase 1, phase 2, phase 3 and phase 4. 3.1 Phase 1 Selection of the topic has been done after gone through JKR listing of significance topics that can contribute to department as a whole. Topic of the study and proposed productivity rate of roof works is important to JKR building project scheduling to ensure all project can be completed on time with good quality. Based on previous researchers, there are several measurements on productivity rate in construction. This study will be focusing on the identification of factors that influencing roofing works productivity in JKR projects. From this scenario, the objectives of this study has been identified which are identifying of factors influence, the relationship and the establishing productivity rate of roof works. In such way, the focus of this topic must be in line with study limitation. In order to strengthen knowledge and ideas in this research area, extensive reading from journals and books must be thoroughly done. Besides that, preliminary site observation has been conducted to the selected site. Furthermore, the preliminary interview was conducted to get overview information about productivity rate of roof works. Due to time constraint, the observation has been done only for school projects. 3.2 Phase 2 A few samples of studies will be identifying purposely for running through the method of productivity measurement for getting accurate and practical data. Observation on quantity of roof works per man hours should be performing at site. During observation at site, interview with the expert is use as a tool to collect information data on how the productivity rate of roof works can be estimate and what are the factors influences the productivity rate Several interviewees will be selected based on qualification and experienced more than 10 years especially contractors and suppliers. Beside that, questionnaire will be distributed to technical person such as supervisor, engineer, manager and contractors to obtain their opinion in term of productivity rate of roof works. 3.3 Phase 3 In this stage, all the data from the questionnaires and interviews will compile. The data will be analyze accordingly and transform into productivity rate. Data analyzing, there will be a confirmation on what are the factors influence productivity rate of roof works will be getting through data analyzing, while standard productivity rate metrics of roof works will be producing after transform all the data into productivity rate by using appropriate statistical analysis. 3.4 Phase 4 Extract from data obtained in Phase 3, some proposal or recommendation will be highlighted in order to enhance a metrics of standard productivity rate for future building project scheduling. EXPECTED RESULTS The expected results of this study in next semester are: a) List of factors that influence the productivity rate for roof works, b) The critical factors affecting most to productivity rate for roofing works, c) A metrics of productivity rate for roof works as a standard and guideline for improving JKR projects scheduling. Selection of Topic Identify the Objective and Scope Phase 1 Preliminary Site Observation Literature Review Preliminary Interview Objective.(c) Objective.(b) Objective.(a) Case Studies Identify the factors influence Observation on quantity of works/ man hours DATA COLLECTION Interview with Experts Selecting several experts with experience more than 10 years Phase 2 DATA ANALYSIS Figure 1.1: Schematic of Research Methodology TENTATIVE SCHEDULE The following table is the tentative schedule for final project in next semester:

Should we all become vegetarians? Essays -- essays research papers

Should all people become vegetarians ? As we can now observe, vegetarianism has become something fashionable, and the number of people who reject eating meat is constantly increasing. In Britain, for instance, over 5 million people have done it so far. It is obviously connected with the recent animal diseases, but this tendency is likely to spread on the other regions of the world. However, it is not only a fashion or fear of illnesses. I myself became a vegetarian about 2 years ago, and I can see a number of reasons why people should stop eating meat. They are mainly of ethic, economic and health type. Those who think in an ecological way should also be aware of how this meat consumption ruins our environment. I don’t have an intention to force anybody to become a vegetarian, but I hope that my argumentation would be strong enough to make some people think about it, at least. In this essay I will try to present this point of view, expressing my personal feelings and showing scientific facts about the problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Let me begin with the words by George Bernard Shaw: ‘Animals are my friends and I don’t eat my friends’. This indicates the ethic aspect of meat consumption. In fact, people often don’t realize how animals are treated, but they can see commercial spots in their TV showing smiling pigs, cows or chickens, happy and ready to be eaten. My impression is that there can’t be anything more cruel and senseless. It is no secret that animals suffer ...

Mexican American Borderlands Essay

Mexican American Borderlands and the Caribbean lie with in the join States adult male person has been reign the cosmos since the ancient times. Wo work bosom generate always been looked everywhere by hands as the purposeless gender. People at in one case claim that workforce and wowork force nuclear number 18 exist but in reality, men are allay dominating the world. Even in genuine countries of the world, women are non given compeer opportunities as men. work force are paid higher(prenominal) salaries than women. Women cannot walk freely in the streets. These are some of the examples which verbalise that men are still reining the world. The case of male bureau is worst in the third gear world countries where people are poor and illiterate. I as well as halt experienced more a(prenominal) incidents in which I have been neglected just because I am a girl. after I read the half dozen stories in the Mexican American Borderlands and the Caribbean Experience in the United States, I learnt nigh more things that were unkn deliver to me. I embed pop many provoke facts somewhat the different cultures out of which some were level(p) shocking to judge about. In the paragraphs below, I am red ink to talk about the common themes that I found in those sextette stories. Those six stories had different characters and their own stories. But all(prenominal) those six stories had a common theme which was male dominance. men do not have the right to rule women. Men and women are evenly important like the sides of a coin, without maven side, the coin is incomplete. The company should also stop differentiating among men and women and giving men all the privileges. The first myth Bien charming, talks about a woman named Lupe who was brought up in a Hispanic culture. She was not successful in her relationships and then she decides to move to Texas to come forward a new life. in that location she meets a man named Flavio who was already married. Flavio did not tell her the lawfulness and compete with her feelings. He leaves her low-down hearted. She is totally broken .But later(prenominal) Lupe realizes that she does not need men in†¦If you want to get a fully essay, order it on our website

Subjective Riqqah Essays

Subjective Riqqah Essays Subjective Riqqah Essay Subjective Riqqah Essay It is a large cabinet and mousetraps and blunted tools might be found there SQ: Is the closet mentioned in the poem used much? How do we know? Mans: it is not much. We know it by the words mousetraps and blunted tools SQ: Why will the twigs not grow in a closet? Mans: The twigs will not grow in a closet because there is no air, water and sunlight. SQ: What is the twig compared to in the second stanza? Mans: It is compared to a twisted nail in the second stanza SQ: What is poet message to the reader? Mans: The poet message is that we should care of flowers and other things which we use in our daily life Exercise Q: Find words of the opposite meanings in the poem Opposites Large Little Short Tall Below Above Few Many Staleness Freshness sharpened Blunted 7 Strengthen 8 Straight Twisted 9 still blowing Q: Find where these expressions are used in the poem. Explain the underline meanings It is only a little twig. Meaning: just, merely. And set it where the sun Meaning: plant it, place it Thrust hither , and thither Meaning: spread here and there. Clash one upon another. Meaning: collide with each other. Q: Pick out the statement, questions, commands, and exclamation 1. It is only a little twig. Mans: statement 2. Did you plan it? Mans: Question 3. Water it Mans: command 4. How fresh it is! Mans: Exclamation 5. It will grow in to a bush Mans: Statement 6. Throw it in to the closet Mans: Command 7. Threw it into the closet 8. Have you thrown into the closet? To stare architect Somebody whose job is to design buildings hurtle To move very quickly dismount To get off a horse IQ :What did the king do when he became angry with someone Mans: The King had thrown him in the palace dungeon. SQ: Why did the Kind compare Enigma Din to a parrot? Mans: Because Amazing used to repeat only one sentence Ever happens for our own good SQ: What made the King so angry before the great debate? Mans: The injury on kings finger made him angry. SQ: Explain the phrase out of sight out of mind? Mans: It mean that we remember only those things which remain often forget that is away from our sight. SQ: Why were the members of the hunting party relieved when at the river?

The Contender Essays - Substance Dependence, The Contender, Boxing

The Contender Essays - Substance Dependence, The Contender, Boxing The Contender I. In the beginning of the book Alfred was already a drop out of high school and working for Jewish people at a grocery store. He faced some problems with Major because he did not want to go rob the grocery store on Friday night. Major and his click beat him up for that. In the middle of the book Alfred becomes a boxer and his Aunt Pearl does not want him to box because it is dangerous. But Aunt Pearl goes and talks to the reverend about Alfred boxing. The reverend says that she should just let him be that he will grow out of this stage he is going through. Another one is when his friend James became a drug addict and comes to him looking for money to buy drugs. I the end of the book Donatelli do not want Alfred to continue boxing. He said that he does not have the guts to knock someone out. But almost everyone wants him to continue boxing because he has talent. On his third and final boxing match he tries to show Mr. Donatelli that he has the skill to become a contender. II. Alfred was the main character of the book; He went through a lot of stuff throughout the book. His best friend goes to jail and when he gets out he turns into a drug addict. But he is determined to turn him straight. Just like he is determined to be a contender. Mr. Donatelli is a boxing coach that owns his own gym. He is more dedicated to boxing than most people. For instance when Willie Streeter was boxing one time and losing he stopped the match so he would not get hurt. III. The book was definitely first person narrator because it was always Alfred this and Alfred that. I dont think one time the narrator said I. Robert Lipstyle named the book the Contender because Alfred Brooks wanted to be a contender. IV. I think there is some situational irony when Alfred first fought those two boxers. You would think that he would not lose the third match. But in the end he lost really badly to Huddard. I always held hope for Alfred during his last match. V. I think that Alfred is a perfect example of an epic hero. He struggles with a fair amount of stuff like his boxing skills. I first three weeks of training were hard but he stuck it out. Than when he wanted to quit the gym because he did not have the skills. Mr. Donatelli talks him into straying at the gym. One other situation was when James had an addiction to drugs and Alfred did not know how to set him straight. VI. The book had a lot of situations where peer pressure came into play. One time was when Mayor wanted to go rob that grocery store. Another was when James asked for money to go buy drugs. James said it would be his last so Alfred gave him the money. And then when he was going to quit boxing but Mr. Donatelli talks him into staying. VII. And in a certain way, the poll backs up his contention, that despite differences both blacks and Jews see eye-to-eye on some important issues. For example, both groups believe that much more can be done to educate American children about the past sufferings of their peoples, including the Holocaust. About 49 percent of Jews and 72 percent of blacks said the same about teaching about slavery. VII. Boxing skills are rather more wrestling and agility over strength, the Queensberry rules helped to undo the popular image of boxing as a savage, brutal brawl. The new rules prohibited barefisted fighting, wrestling, hugging, hitting opponents while they are helpless, and fighting to the finish. To make it a more enjoyable sport.

Audio Processing Techniques and Processors

Audio Processing Techniques and Processors Introduction Today, the development of music technology depends on using a variety of audio processors to add and correct the definite sound effects, to produce a sound of a certain quality. Modern audio processors can be operated as plug-ins and work according to different types of software. The other processors can be used as the hardware to change the parameters of the sound.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Audio Processing Techniques and Processors specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Different audio processors are used to add such effects as delay and reverb to the sound and correct latency. The aim of the report is to provide the description of such audio techniques and parameters as delay, reverb, and latency and examine the characteristics of the processors used to produce the associated effects. Audio Processors Used to Provide Delay Effects. Audio Delay Software Delay can be explained as the specific audio eff ect, which creates the repeating sound or echo. This effect is achieved with the help of regulating the signal line and making it to play back several times (Hodgson, 2010). Thus, the delay effect can be successfully controlled using certain audio processors. Audio delay processors can be presented in the form of hardware as the Universal Audio Delay Processor AD-340 or in the form of the software-based programs (Universal Audio Delay Processor, n.d.). It is important to note that the first hardware delays were developed as analogues, which then were replaced with the digital systems. The software delay processors modelled on a classic device are used today by many musical engineers. It is necessary to pay attention to GNUitar audio processor, which can be used with the help of such programs as Pro Tools as the traditional guitar processor (GNUitar, n.d.). The effect of delay is actively used by many pop and rock musicians to create the complex and impressive sound. Such software pr ocessors as GNUitar often provide a range of functions to create a number of audio effects along with the effect of delay or echo. GNUitar is used to create the different combinations of delay and echo effects to change the quality of the sound. It is easy to use GNUitar in the studio when hardware delay processors are used for the live performances (GNUitar, n.d.). For instance, this function is important for electric guitarists to change the texture of the sound with references to the definite musical phrase. Thus, in the song â€Å"Welcome to the Jungle† performed by Guns N Roses, there is an opening riff, which is accentuated with the delay effect produced with the help of the audio delay processor.Advertising Looking for report on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is necessary to note that contemporary studio variants of the song can depend on the delay effect presented with the help of t he audio processor as the software when the traditional variant of the song is performed with the help of the processor as hardware. The delay effects are used to create the atmosphere of the urban jungle because of its special horror and artificial effects. From this point, â€Å"some of the best musical moments of Welcome to the Jungle come from the bands fruitful attempts to suggest the sounds of the (urban) jungle through musical mimicry† (Welcome to the jungle music, n.d.). Audio Processors Used to Provide Reverb Effects The effect of reverb can be explained as the effect of reflecting the sound and making it longer and more complicated. The reverb and echo cannot be discussed as the same effects because the reverb provides the reflective wave which is not separated from the initial sound as it is in echo or delay. The reverb effect is often added to make the sound of electric guitars more complex (Reverb effects, n.d.). It is possible to add the reverb effect to the sou nd with the help of hardware processors and audio processing software. For instance, The VSS3 Stereo Source Reverb for Pro Tools is software developed for working with the sound in studios. The advantages of this audio reverb processor are in its flexibility in adding the effect of reverb to different sounds in relation to their quality. The work of the VSS3 is based on the definite algorithm, which is interconnected with the work of Pro Tools software. Such audio reverb processors can be used for changing the sounds of vocal, guitar, piano, horns and many other instruments (VSS3 Stereo Source Reverb, n.d.). Modern reverb software is characterized by a lot of parameters and functions to add different reverb qualities to the sound. Audio reverb processors are used to enhance the sound, make it natural or unnatural, or better than it was before correcting. The sound becomes full and complex. Moreover, the reverb can add some dramatic effect to the melody as it is in the song â€Å"So rrow† performed by Pink Floyd (Echoing acoustics, n.d.). The reverb effect can be discussed as appropriate for the live performance as well as for making recordings in the studio. The intro in â€Å"Sorrow† is almost the separated part of the song, which is accentuated with the help of the reverb effect (Reverb – good or bad?, n.d.).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Audio Processing Techniques and Processors specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Audio Processors Used to Correct Latency Latency is one of the most typical audio effects, which make the sound worse and should be corrected with the help of audio processors. Thus, latency is a rather short delay â€Å"that occurs in audio systems due to the time it takes for sound to travel from place to place, and/or due to the time it takes for digital components to perform calculations† (Opening Pandora’s Box?, n.d.). Latency can be audible and not. When latency is longer than several seconds it should be corrected to make the recording qualitative. The problem is in the fact latency is often the result of changing the sound with the help of definite devices (Hodgson, 2010). Latency emerges when the producer or musical engineer uses definite digital filters to create the sound with certain parameters. The duration of latency can depend on the number of filters used (Hodgson, 2010). If delay and reverb effects can be added using hardware as well as software processors, latency can be effectively corrected with the help of software modeled on a device. Pro Tools HD software works with the Automatic Delay Compensation, which is developed to reduce the latency (Latency and delay compensation, n.d). Moreover, â€Å"in cases where delay compensation is necessary to ensure that audio stays time aligned, there is a way to manually compensate for plug-in latencies by using the DigiRack Time Adjuster plug-in, or by slightly mo ving or â€Å"nudging† tracks† (Latency and delay compensation, n.d). To provide the example of reducing latency, it is necessary to refer to Lester and Boley’s research in which they studied different effects of latency and the ways of its reduction. It was stated that latency is more critical during the solo performance and with references to the vocal when the effects of latency on playing instruments is not so significant (Lester Boley, 2007). Conclusion Different types of audio processors can be used to enhance the sound and add such effects as reverb and delay to the sound. Hardware and software are appropriate and can be utilized with references to the work in studio or live performance. To correct latency, it is more effective to use software, which can be developed as the part of the audio delay processor. References Echoing acoustics. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EchoingAcousticsAdvertising Looking for report on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More GNUitar. (n.d.) Retrieved from hitsquad.com/smm/programs/GNUitarWin/ Hodgson, J. (2010). Understanding records: A field guide to recording practice. USA: Continuum.  Latency and delay compensation. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://akmedia.digidesign.com/support/docs/Delay_Comp_PT_Host_Systems_33000.pdf Lester, M., Boley, J. (2007). The effects of latency on live sound monitoring. Retrieved from lsbaudio.com/publications/AES_Latency.pdf Opening Pandora’s Box? (n.d.) Retrieved from http://whirlwindusa.com/support/tech-articles/opening-pandoras-box/ Reverb effects. (n.d.) Retrieved from mediacollege.com/audio/reverb/effect.html Reverb – good or bad? (n.d.) Retrieved from gilmourish.com/?page_id=806 Universal Audio Delay Processor. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://hallresearch.com/files/manuals/AD-340.pdf VSS3 Stereo Source Reverb. (n.d.) Retrieved from spectrumaudio.com/tc-electronic-vss3-tdm.html Welcome to the jungle music. (n.d.) Retrieved from shmoop.com/welcome-to-the-jun gle/music.html

Two topic Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Two topic - Research Paper Example Various professionals have delved into the major elements that paved the way for diverse organizations to excel among the rest. According to Greenberg (2006), diversity is defined as â€Å"the variety of differences between people in an organization†¦Diversity encompasses race, gender, ethnic group, age, personality, cognitive style, tenure, organizational function, education, background and more† (par. 1). In a related literature, Esty, Griffin & Schorr-Hirsh (1995) cited Green, Lopez, Wysocki & Kepner (2009) as providing an appropriate definition of the term by indicating that diversity is â€Å"acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status† (Esty, et al., 1995, par. 4). The definitions emphasize the encouragement and acceptance of people from an array of backgrounds dee med to provide instrumental benefits for the intricate needs of organizations. As averred by DiTomaso (1999), several factors contribute to diversity in the workplace, to wit: â€Å"(a) the changing demographic structure of the U.S., (b) the increased importance of globalization to profits and long-term survival in many companies, and (c) changes in the structure of how work gets done† (DiTomaso, 1999, p. 1). Due to the variety of influencing elements that interplay, organizational leaders recognize the need to manage diversity to ensure that it works towards the achievement of organizational goals. Managing a diverse workforce should encompass effectively integrating managerial functions in terms of planning, organizing, directing and controlling diversity in the organizational setting. B. Examples of Current Applications Contemporary successful organizations have attested the incorporation of diversity in their organizational policies. From among the most prominent and acti ve in its implementation and application of diversity is Walmart. The official website of Walmart boasts of methods that â€Å"implement initiatives to attract and retain a diverse workforce, including recruiting from colleges and universities with large multicultural populations. We also provide associates with on-the-job training, leadership seminars, and direct access to job opportunities through our Career Preference System† (Walmart: Diversity, par. 2). The personnel profile of Walmart reveals that â€Å"more than 850,000 of our associates are female and make up 59 percent of our U.S. workforce. 35 percent of our associates are minority: 249,000 African Americans, 171,000 Hispanics, 42,000 Asian Americans, 6,000 Pacific Islander Americans, 15,000 American Indian and Alaska Natives, and 430,000 associates 50 and over† (Walmart: Diversity Report, 2009). Another corporation that actively applies diversity in their organization is HSBC that â€Å"invites, embraces an d manages difference in the changing workforce to gain the best from its people and to provide the best service to its customers. It encourages the breaking down of barriers of the past to look at things in a new way, to find effective business and customer solutions. In such organizations diversity is regarded as a competitive differentiator, in both employment and customer

The Epitome of Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Epitome of Democracy - Essay Example This explains why despite the country being economically stable, the number of people who can afford health insurance is very small. There is an ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor with the poor being majority about 80% (Behrouzi,  16). The wealth of the country is controlled by a small group of people who are about 20% and who also with the current state of political development have control in the political system. It is a shame that a country that is so developed has people languishing in poverty, some are homeless and there are high levels of unemployment even among the educated population. Although people with degrees have a greater chance of getting better jobs, they also have their challenge of dealing with student debt (Iek, 1). Education has become very expensive. In order to overcome the eminent problems facing the country, there is need to change the political system. This paper investigates the problems in the American systems of governance and gives the sug gestion of the changes that should be implemented. Here is the doubt that the American political system is dysfunctional. The existing systems have become obsolete. Creation of jobs is very slow and only a few people benefit from reforms that the government institutes than many. There is no doubt that there exists huge inequalities between the haves and have not’s. However, despite the fact that American system of democracy and capitalism is to some extent to blame for the current state of affairs, this does not mean that they should be completely done with. America reached its status of being global leading economy because of practicing capitalism. Capitalism encouraged people to work hard to gather wealth and this led to the growth of the countries economy (Marx, Karl & Friedrich Engels, 245).

Employee Training in Saudi Arabian SME Firms Essay

Employee Training in Saudi Arabian SME Firms - Essay Example This study is predicated on improved outcomes for employee training when executive or senior management show leadership through attendance at in-house training sessions. In Saudi Arabia, Bjerke and Al-Meer (1993) note that 'Arab employees' expectations, as seen by the managers, include "kind and human treatment", "care", "respect", "control", and "guidance"' (ibid. p.31). Further, Ali (2008) considers that this form of practical management is useful in motivating employees. Nevertheless, executive absence from other tasks may compromise the organisation's overall efficiency, although this stance is difficult to resolve, given the large number of variables involved and availability of hand-held communication devices. As this research examines the effectiveness of training programs with or without senior management participation, the objectives are therefore to consider subsequent employee attitudes and behaviours within these parameters. Further research could consider the cost of man agement attendance at in-house employee training courses against improved workplace environment. This research concerns employee training in selected small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia, defined as firms providing manufacturing-related services with annual sales revenue not greater than Saudi Arabian Riyal (SAR) 25 million and not exceeding 150 full-time employees.. Saudi Arabian SMEs comprise some 55 per cent of all national industry. A preliminary survey of the literature shows that researchers have not to date focussed on the needs of this group, in particular the capacity of this sector to absorb and retain significant numbers of school leavers and graduates coming into the Saudi job market. Therefore, more attention is needed to investigate management and employee training for this group. For the purposes of this research, management training comprises the transfer of skills to plan, organise and lead staff to attain organisational goals. Whilst organisational resources, systems and goals are in place, the purpose of the firm is to successfully direct its human resources towards sustainability and profit. Further, the firm must conform to Saudisation regulations which to some extent direct the employment, remuneration and working conditions of Saudis. It should be noted that there are significant numbers of guest workers in the Saudi labour force, and as their remuneration and conditions are not as controlled by the authorities, they represent a significant competitive challenge to Saudi in the workplace/ Whilst there is significant attention placed in this study toward the training of employees, only those aspects that relate to performance enhancement, and career-building are enclosed, and operational factors related to tasks and use of technology are omitted. 3. Contribution to Knowledge This study adds to the body

Quality control at Dubai metro Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Quality control at Dubai metro - Term Paper Example The strategic geographical location of Dubai in the Middle East has a significant role in the economic progress of the region. It is the central commercial indicator of the entire region in respect of the mass international economic and financial activities taking place in it. What is of particular interest is how quality control can be improved by the city’s management authorities. How operation management can effectively be put into play to see an improvement in overall performance of the city’s activities is the problem of central concernDubai Metro boasts of Arabian Gulf’s first major urban railway project that targets to boost the efficiency of movement amid various activities in the city. It has one of the finest urban rail systems in the globe which is responsible for the mass influx of tourists and serves as the avenue of economic and financial activities. The need for quality control is paramount in this commercial hub since the commercial activities tak en up are to be standardized at international level with complete adherence to the diverse cultural concepts that constitute the visitors. Operation management of this city is under the overall authority of Dubai Municipality’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) who has the supervisory role in all the quality control exercise in collaboration with central government authorities.It is important to assess the various concepts that surround the strategies that are put in place by the relevant authorizes in Dubai as far as quality control is concerned.... 1960, 32). Background information Dubai is one of the fast growing metros in the world with busy commercial activities that hinges on its vast infrastructural endowment and sound management. It is important to note that management of such metro cities is critical to the overall performance of the city (The Report, 2007, 124). The large volume of international trade in tangible and intangible commodities that is executed in this city calls for thorough quality control. This city therefore requires operation management team that is able to ensure that all the necessary social and economic conditions are satisfied. Dubai’s operation management teams are responsible for designing and managing the various products, underlying processes, supply chain and even the services to be tendered. The team headed by the city’s local authorities are in charge of overseeing acquisition of resources, their development and utilization so that various firms are able to deliver goods and ser vices to the multicultural client base that gets in and out of this United Arab Emirates city (Kachru, 2005, 636). Statement of the problem The strategic geographical location of Dubai in the Middle East has significant role in the economic progress of the region. It is the central commercial indicator of the entire region in respect of the mass international economic and financial activities taking place in it. What is of particular interest is how quality control can be improved by the city’s management authorities. How operation management can effectively be put into play to see an improvement in overall performance of the city’s activities is the problem of central concern

Intellectual property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Intellectual property - Essay Example ecognizes the intellectual property right and offer protection in order to nurture creativity by ensuring the owner is in full control of who uses that property and enables the owner to charge other users in order to raise income.2 In the case of Rihanna against Topshop, the plaintiff raised the issue of passing off since there was legal protection for the images. The study explores how justice Birss approached the case and what led him into a conclusion that the plaintiff had a legal claim against Topshop, and examine the appeal process as well as merits for the appeal. The defendant was given a chance to petition for an appeal either against the charges or against prohibition of sale of the merchandise. In Robyn Rihanna Fenty and others v Arcadia Group Brands Ltd (t/a Topshop) and another [2013] EWHC 2310 (Ch), the case was about Robyn Rihanna Fenty (â€Å"Rihanna†) and Arcardia Group Brands Ltd (â€Å"Topshop†) the world renown pop star and fashion dealer respectively. The defendant started producing and selling t–shirts with plaintiff’s image on it. The defendant had obtained permission to use the image on the t-shirts from an independent photographer, but they did not obtain permission from the plaintiff. The independent photographer had taken those photos with the permission of the plaintiff in one of the Plaintiff’s video shooting for single from her â€Å"Talk That Talk album.† Rihanna sued the Topshop against passing off for using her image to market their products without her permission. The claim in her legal suit against the defendant was that the conduct of the defendant was an infringement of plaintiff’s rights.3 In the p assing of judgement, the plaintiff had the onus to prove that she had public goodwill, the defendant’s conduct portrayed misrepresentation and that the plaintiff suffered some loss as a result of defendant’s conducts according to the ruling in the case Reckitt & Colman Ltd v Borden Inc [1990] 1 All E.R. 873. The laws

Chinese photographer, Yang Fudong Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chinese photographer, Yang Fudong - Essay Example It is a cinematographic adaptation of the traditional Chinese stories. Yang is known for coming out with some of the most refreshing and impressive works in the contemporary Chinese cinema (Yu 35). Yang’s films and photos are well known for their psychological gravity and density (Yu 35). His films and photography tends to delve on the most fundamental philosophical questions marking the human existence in an intensely visual format (Yu 35). The hallmark of Yang’s art is that his photos and films aspire to blend the vivacity and verve of youthful ideas and feelings with the stark and sobering realities of life (Yu 35). In his works Yang makes stylistic references to and extends a nostalgic homage to varied salient periods and aspects of Chinese cinema (Yu 35). Yang’s photos extend symbolic answers to the questions pertaining to creativity and identity in the contemporary world. The strange thing is that Yang’s photos and films lack any discernible political

Quality control at Dubai metro Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Quality control at Dubai metro - Term Paper Example The strategic geographical location of Dubai in the Middle East has a significant role in the economic progress of the region. It is the central commercial indicator of the entire region in respect of the mass international economic and financial activities taking place in it. What is of particular interest is how quality control can be improved by the city’s management authorities. How operation management can effectively be put into play to see an improvement in overall performance of the city’s activities is the problem of central concernDubai Metro boasts of Arabian Gulf’s first major urban railway project that targets to boost the efficiency of movement amid various activities in the city. It has one of the finest urban rail systems in the globe which is responsible for the mass influx of tourists and serves as the avenue of economic and financial activities. The need for quality control is paramount in this commercial hub since the commercial activities tak en up are to be standardized at international level with complete adherence to the diverse cultural concepts that constitute the visitors. Operation management of this city is under the overall authority of Dubai Municipality’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) who has the supervisory role in all the quality control exercise in collaboration with central government authorities.It is important to assess the various concepts that surround the strategies that are put in place by the relevant authorizes in Dubai as far as quality control is concerned.... 1960, 32). Background information Dubai is one of the fast growing metros in the world with busy commercial activities that hinges on its vast infrastructural endowment and sound management. It is important to note that management of such metro cities is critical to the overall performance of the city (The Report, 2007, 124). The large volume of international trade in tangible and intangible commodities that is executed in this city calls for thorough quality control. This city therefore requires operation management team that is able to ensure that all the necessary social and economic conditions are satisfied. Dubai’s operation management teams are responsible for designing and managing the various products, underlying processes, supply chain and even the services to be tendered. The team headed by the city’s local authorities are in charge of overseeing acquisition of resources, their development and utilization so that various firms are able to deliver goods and ser vices to the multicultural client base that gets in and out of this United Arab Emirates city (Kachru, 2005, 636). Statement of the problem The strategic geographical location of Dubai in the Middle East has significant role in the economic progress of the region. It is the central commercial indicator of the entire region in respect of the mass international economic and financial activities taking place in it. What is of particular interest is how quality control can be improved by the city’s management authorities. How operation management can effectively be put into play to see an improvement in overall performance of the city’s activities is the problem of central concern

Chinese photographer, Yang Fudong Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chinese photographer, Yang Fudong - Essay Example It is a cinematographic adaptation of the traditional Chinese stories. Yang is known for coming out with some of the most refreshing and impressive works in the contemporary Chinese cinema (Yu 35). Yang’s films and photos are well known for their psychological gravity and density (Yu 35). His films and photography tends to delve on the most fundamental philosophical questions marking the human existence in an intensely visual format (Yu 35). The hallmark of Yang’s art is that his photos and films aspire to blend the vivacity and verve of youthful ideas and feelings with the stark and sobering realities of life (Yu 35). In his works Yang makes stylistic references to and extends a nostalgic homage to varied salient periods and aspects of Chinese cinema (Yu 35). Yang’s photos extend symbolic answers to the questions pertaining to creativity and identity in the contemporary world. The strange thing is that Yang’s photos and films lack any discernible political

Inferior quality Essay Example for Free

Inferior quality Essay Group decision making is a valid procedure that most of the times ensures that the answers and decision provided are of high quality as compared to individual decision making. It nevertheless is highly dependent on the technique of group decision making that was applied. The obvious assumptions to support this claims is that many people have the ability to bring more information to the table and explore various alternatives from different perspectives therefore living little room for mistakes. The end product of their critical evaluation of information more often than not results to creative ideas. In fact the more diverse the group is the better the ideas (Viteles 1953, 7). Mostly group decision making comes in to play when the option available necessitates inputs and opinions from more than one person. Even then it should be noted that as much as the answers from a group may be of high quality there no two groups that will function similarly while in the decision making process. The implication is therefore that one group may be proactive and others might require a facilitator in order to function effectively (Kerr King 1984, 17). The process is therefore a complex one and is achievable through various methods: Authoritarian Style The authoritarian style functions like a dictatorship. In this method the power to make the ultimate and final decision rests on one person. This person usually dictates the entire process and has the greatest say in the final outcome. Mostly this method is applied in cases where a powerful person and a key decision maker in the company is present. As much as the final answer may be of high quality many people are usually against this method especially those whose ideas were not incorporated in the final outcome. The minority control method has often been used to try and counter the negatives of this style (Rollison 2008, 14). Brainstorming Another method that a group can use to reach a quality decision is by the use of brainstorming. The method is mostly useful when the decision making process is starting from scratch. It mostly entails creating a variety of options and then weighing them before choosing the one that best fits. It is a popular method because of the fact that it gives each member of the group complete freedom. In some cases brain storming sessions have facilitator who has the function of ensuring that the group does not deviate. The facilitator also has the responsibility and the freedom to start the discussion, probe, and even provide some useful hints subtle (Griffin 1993, 56). This method of group decision-making is very effective because it puts value on every participant’s point of view and the final outcome is usually by consensus. Voting based method The voting based technique is often used when a group is presented by a set of defined alternatives and yet they are required to pick one that they think will ensure maximum value. Participants in this case are given the option of choosing the alternative they think is best. Unlike brainstorming this style puts little value on each individual’s opinions (Gordon 1983, 32). Basically the quality of the answer provided in a group discussion is also highly dependent on the style the group used to make their final decision. The assumption is that the authoritarian style may not provide the same quality of answers as brainstorming and voting. But generally a quality outcome is to be anticipated because the members are able to combine their individual strengths while offsetting their weaknesses. A set of different competence and skills is applied on the problem at hand before a solution is reached (Hogan 2003, 15). The group process also eliminates the chances of a biased answer as would be the case in individual decision making. Group decision making additionally embraces and evaluates an idea from broader perspective which is a result of the various unique perceptions of individuals in the group. In the case of an individual, the final outcome may easily be an influence of a preconceived idea or notion. It is therefore difficult for the person to be able to single handedly critic his views and therefore change direction because he already has a fixed picture in his mind of how things should be done. The wrong option therefore may be for example based on religious affiliation, cultural differences, or social status and therefore the outcome may in fact not be rational (Schwarz 2002, 53-52). Individual’s answers most of the time occur by default and no other alternatives are usually brought in to play for evaluation before the conclusion is made. The surrounding circumstances additionally tend to influence the final outcome therefore events will sometimes overpower the person’s ability to make a rational decision. This probably may not have great implication when for example you want to buy cologne but may mean a lot of deficits if the decision to be made is meant for a commercial entity. Decisions made by a lot of individuals are of quality because they have a higher chance of being implemented than individual decisions especially when it comes for example at the company level. This is simply because as the group discusses the individuals are able to comprehensively grasp the weight of the decision and understand the course of action needed to implement it. It is also the result of the boosted team spirit brought about by the consideration of each person’s idea and therefore greater commitment to achieve the goals is gained (Kroon 1995, 10-12). Gordon (1983, 37) observes that the results of a group can be homogeneous depending on various factors. In the case of a multi cultural group for instance the answers are bound to be of even better quality considering that the individuals have different diverse backgrounds therefore the strategies for decision making will definitely be different. Conflicts may arise because of the different perceptions but the group in itself has the power to look for means to deal with those conflicts and thereby presenting an appropriate and quality decision. Additionally members in the group that is making a decision are usually interested in making an appropriate decision and have little consideration for the kind of relationships that exist between the individuals. Furthermore compromise that occurs during the whole process may serve to enhance the coming up of creative solutions. But the decision making in highly cohesive groups may not necessarily result into a quality decision. This may be first and foremost because of groupthink. Groupthink describes the tendency of people in a group that is highly cohesive to seek consensus so strongly such that their ability and willingness to critically evaluate each others ideas is lost or weakened. Groupthink is mostly a result of the group collective rationalization or overestimating its ability to make decisions in the face of extraordinary risks. With such a mindset it becomes very hard for the group to spot or identify any loopholes in the answers given during their discussion session. The other cause for groupthink could be the closed mindedness of the group. This is because while they are making an effort to conform they assume that their exists inherent morality. Therefore conviction that all the decisions made will be correct is developed making them less conscious of any questionable ethical outcomes of their answers. Moreover groupthink can simply be the result of the pressure to ensure uniformity is achieved. This pressure could be direct on dissenters to force them to conform maybe with a consequence of a reward or punishment. Mind guards also force members to uniformity because they discourage members from taking different perspectives and basically filter what is right and what is wrong for the discussion (Straub 1999, 73). Additionally the urge to maintain their status aspirations and social status may make a highly cohesive group to make very irrational and therefore not quality decisions. The two are very important ingredients for any group and may influence the level of their integration into the society. And as a matter of fact the members that feel that they are of a lesser status may perceive the views of those members with a higher status in society as ‘rational’ even though they might harbor doubts concerning the outcomes. Additionally still some of the ‘classy ‘members may discredit the views of others or better still a member with inferiority complex may shy away from giving his opinion that would have greatly assisted in making the appropriate and effective decision. In conclusion a group decision-making process may only guarantee limited rationality and quality in outcomes. From the discussion above it might be quiet unrealistic to expect total quality of answers. This is because among the other issues there are a lot of emotions involved before a consensus is made and therefore some people views might have to be compromised yet their could be a probability that the forgone perception could have led to a better answer. Word Count: 1487 References list Gordon, J. , 1983, A diagnostic approach to organizational behaviour. Allyn and Bacon, United States. Griffin, R. , 1993, Management. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Hogan, C. , 2003, Practical Facilitation: A Toolkit of Techniques. Kogan Page Publishers, United Kingdom. Johnson, D. Pierce, F. , 1991, Joining together: group theory and group skills. Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Kerr, K. King, H. , 1984, Procedures for meetings and organizations. Taylor Francis, United Kingdom. Kroon, J. , 1995, General management. Pearson, South Africa. Rollinson, D. 2008, Organisational behaviour and analysis: an integrated approach. Financial Times Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Schwarz, R. , 2002, The skilled facilitator: a comprehensive resource for consultants, facilitators, managers, trainers, and coaches. John Wiley and Sons, New York.

The Failure Of Unamid In Darfur Politics Essay

The Failure Of Unamid In Darfur Politics Essay Darfur has been called the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century. Since the Rwandan genocide in 1994, the world has not seen such a campaign of killing, refugees, rape and destruction. The crisis caused the death of 300  000 people and over 2.5 million displaced Sudanese since February 2003. This crisis attracted the attention of many humanitarian and human rights organizations, various states policy makers, and a number of regional and international organizations such as the African Union, the United Nations and the International Criminal Court. In 2004, the African Union established the Darfur Integrated Taskforce (DITF). In 2007, the continuing hazardous situation required the creation of a joined AU-UN operation to intervene in Darfur, which was called United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). After three years of functioning of the UNAMID, the situation in Darfur still depicts a lot of human suffering and deprivation  [3]  . This suggests that the UNAMID was not effective in dealing with the crisis. To understand this, the paper will investigate the reasons behind the missions failure in achieving its objectives and goals. Hence, the study will try to answer the following question: why did UNAMID fail in Darfur? In other words, what are the reasons behind UNAMIDs ineffectiveness in Darfur? In fact, there are various reasons that can be investigated ranging from domestic to international, organizational to financial ones. However, given the limited time and knowledge, we will focus on two major reasons that we think created obstacles to the missions success. Thus, the hypothesis that we are willing to test is that UNAMID was not effective in Darfur because the Khartoum government didnt cooperate and the mission lacked resources. Before answering the question and testing the hypothesis, it is important to understand the conflict and its roots. For this purpose, we are going to divide the paper into three major parts. The first one will deal with defining the concepts, literature review and the theoretical framework. The second part will focus of the conflict. That is to say, it will give a background of the Darfurian situation before and after the 2003 conflict, explaining the origins of this latter and its key actors. The last part will deal with the UNAMID intervention. It will give an overview of the creation of the mission, an assessment of its work, and then a brief analysis of the causes of its ineffectiveness. Theoretical Framework Concepts Before analyzing UN peacekeeping operation (PKO) Darfur, we should first define the concept of peacekeeping and understand its role in order to be able to reflect on the UNAMID mission and its success or failure. Peacekeeping, as defined by the Cambridge dictionary, is the activity of preventing war and violence, especially the use of armed forces not involved in a disagreement to prevent fighting in an area. This definition is broad, and it does not specify the conditions under which the intervention can occur, nor the procedures that should be taken before that. For this purpose, we will take the definition of the UN and which defines peacekeeping as the deployment of international military and civilian personnel to a conflict area with the consent of the parties to the conflict in order to: stop or contain hostilities or supervise the carrying out of a peace agreement  [4]  . This definition adds two important points: the first one is that the interveners are international act ors, both military and civilians; and the second point stresses the agreement of the parties involved. It also exposes the role of these operations. This latter was further clarified by the International Peace Academy. It stated that the roles of the PKO are: the prevention, containment, moderation and termination of hostilities between and within states, through the medium of a peaceful third party intervention, using a multinational force of soldiers, police and civilians to restore and maintain peace. Hence, the developments in the practices and operations of peacekeeping resulted to the emergence of a set of concepts and terms that describe the different natures of the operations and tasks they undertake.  That is to say, peacekeeping has become a general concept which requires details of the selected sub-show style of operation that is intended in each particular case. These sub-divisions are defined in Boutous Ghalis Agenda for Peace. In this latter, he mentioned three conce pts: peacemaking, peace-keeping, and preventive diplomacy. The first one is defined as an action to prevent disputes from arising between parties, to prevent existing disputes from escalating into conflicts and to limit the spread of the latter when they occur, the second one as an action to bring hostile parties to agreement, essentially through such peaceful means as those foreseen in Chapter VI of the Charter of the United Nations, and the third as a technique that expands the possibilities for both the prevention of conflict and the making of peace. It is noted that some operations may combine the properties of more than one type of peacekeeping operation. That is to say, the mission may begin according to one of the patterns but the developments on the ground may drive it to shift to another type of operation.  It is further noted that the different sub-divisions of the peacekeeping operations run in parallel, meaning that they did not cancel each other since the world is still witnessing all of these processes in different parts of it, depending on the situation and the circumstances that require one operation over the others. Literature review During the Cold War, the United Nations Charter put an integrated system for collective security. Theoretically, the system has the necessary components to ensure its effectiveness, which are general principles and rules agreed on and shared, namely: a device responsible for making sure the states respect these principles, and giving it the resources and capabilities so that it can do  the task of deterrence or punishment for states that cross the limits agreed upon.  However, the implementation of this system was conditioned by the acceptance of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, which was impossible to achieve in most cases under the conditions of the cold war  [5]  . This created an obstacle for the implementation of the collective security system. In this case of polarization, the UN tried to find alternative mechanisms to deal with events of international violence and conflicts that arise in different areas throughout the world.  One of these mechanisms is the creation of peacekeeping operations. The creation of this latter was justified by the need to adopt methods designed to stop or contain conflicts that have turned into armed conflicts  [6]  . Besides, the PKOs would serve to deepen the gap that emerged between the arrangements set out in the Charter concerning reaching a peaceful settlement of disputes and contained in articles 28-33 (which gave the Security Council the main role in assisting States to resolve problems among themselves)  [7]  as well as the arrangements set out in articles 39   51 (under which the UN Security Council has the right to use force to impose peace)  [8]  on the one hand, and the possibilities for the actual implementation of these arrangements on the other hand. Thus, the UN interventions rose from only 14 between 1947 and 1987, to 32 between 1988 and 1997  [9]  . Particularly, UN intervention in Africa in extensive regarding the number of peacekeeping operations which are 27 in Africa compared to 39 in the rest of the world  [10]  . This can be explained by the various wars that occurred and occur in Africa, both inter and intra-states conflicts that differ in this severity, and that range from the dispute over land like the case of Benin, to the ethnic cleansing and genocide such as Rwanda. In 2003, the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA) was created. Its goals are as follows: enhance international support for Africas development and security through its advocacy and analytical work,  assist the Secretary General in improving coherence and coordination of the UN system support to Africa, andfacilitate inter-governmental deliberations on Africa at the global level, in particular relating to the New Partnership for Africas Development (NEPAD)  [11]  . Moreover, the outcomes of the UN intervention in Africa are different, depending on the situation and the circumstances. Some of them manage to achieve the missions goals and hence are successful, others fail to implement the goals or part of them. Rhazaoui illustrates this idea by giving examples. He said: while Somalia and Rwanda illustrated the limitations of indecisive action by the Security Council, UN intervention in Mozambique succeeded in consolidating peace and mobilising adequate resources for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of that war-torn country  [12]  . Thus, UN is heavily interested in stabilizing and developing the African countries through various missions which have different goals depending on the situations. Nevertheless, these operations are not always successful due to a range of reasons related either to the state cooperation, or to the UNs organization and resources, and sometimes both. Conflict Theory The crisis in Darfur is a multidimensional conflict that can be explained in various ways be it ethnic, religious, ecologicalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ In order to understand the crisis, we will use conflict theory as a theoretical framework. This theory analyses conflicts economically. That is to say, the causes of conflicts, according to this theory, are the desire to redistribute scare sources, to in act incompatible roles, or to pursue incompatible value  [13]  . Society is composed of groups that are unequal in terms of wealth, distribution of resources and power, and hence, the disadvantaged struggle to ensure a kind of equality and defend their interests. So, using conflict theory as a theoretical framework, we will analyze the economic causes of conflict in Darfur both within the region (between the Darfurian tribes) and between the region and the government. Understanding the Crisis of Darfur Sudan, in northeast Africa, is the largest country in the continent measuring about one fourth the size of the USA. It neighbors nine countries (see map1 in appendix). Sudan is an authoritarian Republic because all power is in the hands of President Umar El-Bashir who has controlled government since military led coup in 1989. Sudan is a very fragmented nation with 400 languages and dialects and 600 cultural and ethnic groups  [14]  . Pre-conflict Situation The Darfur region is located in the western part of Sudan (see map2 in appendix). It is roughly the size of Texas  [15]  and has a pre-conflict population of approximately 6 million. It borders Libya, Chad and the Central African Republic. Darfur is known throughout history, as an independent state. It was colonized 18years after Sudan  [16]  . It has an ethnic, economic and political situation different from that of the north or the south in Sudan. The Arabic word Dar roughly means homeland and the population of Darfur is divided into several Dars, not only the Fur as its name suggests, but also in several other communities (see map3 in Appendix) determined by livelihood as much as ethnicity. However, this latter is not itself clear-cut, given the long history of racial mixing between indigenous non-Arab peoples and Arabs, who are now distinguished by cultural-linguistic attachment rather than race  [17]  . The Fur are peasant people and they occupy the central part of the region which is the richest and most stable area  [18]  in terms of land fertility and water resources. Also in its central zone are the non-Arab Masalit, Berti and Bergid peoples who are all sedentary farmers. The northern zone is Dar Zaghawa which is inherited by camel nomads, principally the Zaghawa who are non-Arab in origin, and the Arab Beni Hussein, Mahamid, Mahariya and Irayqat  [19]  . It is the most ecologically fragile of the three main zones and affected by drought. The eastern and southern zone of Darfur is occupied by the Arab nomads. They comprise Rezeigat, Habbaniya, Beni Halba and Taaisha. The area is severely affected by drought than the northern zone. economics Throughout history, the population of Darfur suffered from marginalization and neglect. This idea is stressed by Saleh who said that what can be deduced from 18th and 19th century Darfur is that government and elite alike have never treated the people of Darfur kindly  [20]  . He added that they were suffering from all kinds of injustice including slavery and high taxation  [21]  . Since Darfur was annexed by the British to Sudan, the former was excluded and abandoned by the successive governments  [22]  . Moreover, most Darfurians voted for the NIF, but once in power, they showed bias to the Arabs and neglected Darfur  [23]  . So, politically speaking, Darfur was not fully integrated in the dynamics of Sudan. Political system Key Actors In order to fully understand the conflict of Darfur and its dynamics, we need to know the actors involved, their background and their goals. Hence, we are going to discuss the Janjaweed as a government sponsored militias, the government as a double role actor in the conflict, and the two Darfurian rebel groups: the Sudanese Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement. In fact, we should mention that there are various other groups that are included in the conflict such as National Movement for Reform and Development (NMRD), Sudan Federal Democratic Alliance (SFDA)  [24]  , but they are not as important as SLM and JEM and hence we will focus on the two latter for their importance in Darfur Politics. The Janjaweed are Arab militias that are responsible for most of the damages in Darfur, in terms both of blood and treasure. To know who they are and how they emerged, we should go back in history. From the time of the Sultans, the camel-herding Abbala Reizeigat, to which belong the Janjaweed, had been a headache to the rule In the1980s, s of Darfur  [25]  . In the 1980s, the Popular Defence Forces (PDF) law was created with an objective of training men and women in civil and military tasks, to raise their level of security consciousness, and instill military discipline so that they can cooperate with the regular armed forces and security services  [26]  . Janjaweed became part of the PDF, the state paramilitary force  [27]  . The government, on the other hand, is government The Darfur Liberation Movement (DLM) was created during the late 1980, as a response to the activities of the Sudan government sponsored militias in Darfur, but became Sudanese Liberation Movement/ Army (SLM/A) in 2003 and an alliance of the tribal groups that oppose the government and their para-military militia groups  [28]  . The creation of SLA marked a formidable ideological shift from Darfur Liberation Front which was a secessionist movement premised on establishing a separate Darfur state, to a movement that aspires to create a democratic and more equitable Sudan. The SLA/SLM position on the unity of the Sudan is stated in its Political Declaration as follows: The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army is of the view that Sudans unity is of paramount importance, but it should not be maintained and cannot be viable unless it is based on justice and equality for all the Sudanese peoples. Sudans unity must be anchored on a new basis that is predicated on full acknowledgement of Sudans ethnic, cultural, social and political diversity. Viable unity must therefore ultimately be based on the right of self-determination and the free will of the various peoples of Sudan. The fundamental imperatives of a viable unity are an economy and political system that address the uneven development and marginalization that have plagued the country since independence, so that the interests of the marginalized majority are adequately catered for and they are brought to the same level of development of the ruling minority. The SLM/A shall work with all political forces that ascribe to this view.  [29]   The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) JEM The 2003 Crisis The conflict of Darfur turned out to be a humanitarian crisis, described by some as genocide and by others as the worst humanitarian crisis. As any conflict, it has various reasons varying from political, economic, ecological, and ethnic. However, we will deal with the economic ones as conflict theory considers the struggle over resources is the main cause of conflicts. Causes West Darfur has a population of approximately 1,7 million, most of them are African farmers from the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa tribes. The rest of the population of Darfur consists of Arab nomadic groups. Although both the black African and Arab tribes are all Muslim, they have a long history of clashes over land, crops and resources  [30]  . The fighting in Darfur is usually described as racially motivated, pitting mounted Arabs against black rebels and civilians; but the conflict has its causes in another dimension, between settled farmers and nomadic over failing lands. Until the rains began to fail, the nomads lived amicably with the settled farmers. The nomads were welcome passers. The farmers would share their wells, and the herders would feed their stock on the leavings from the harvest. However, with the drought, farmers who had once hosted the tribes and their camels were now blocking their migration because the land could no longer support both herder and farmer. Few tri bes drifted elsewhere or took up farming, but the Arab herders stuck to their lifestyle as part of their Arab identity  [31]  . Fertile land continued to decrease as desertification became more of a problem. Tensions between nomadic Arab tribes and African farming communities began a struggle over controlling an environment that can no longer support all the people who must live on it  [32]  . Another economic dimension to the conflict is between the Darfurians and the government. Darfur is the poorest state in Sudan. It has been neglected, abused, and underdeveloped and all tribes, Arab and African alike, suffered greatly from this. Even if Sudan became an oil exporter country with700 million barrel oil reserves, Darfur people suffer from hunger and frustration. more Consequences In 2000, pastoralists moved towards the south and disputed over the fertile region, so clashes were renewed, which resulted in violence that led to the deaths of more than three thousand people, displaced a million people and burned thousands of villages in two years. In 2003, the conflict entered a dangerous turn when rebels from the two groups (SLM and JEM) attacked government targets in Darfur, destroying aircraft on the runway and the occupying El Fasher for hours and then withdrawing to their positions, accusing the government of marginalization of the region, which lacks development. Thus, the government intervened military to stop the rebels. consequences UN intervention in Darfur The Creation of the UNAMID Did it fail? Reasons behind its failure Lack of Government Cooperation Lack of UN Resources

Jim Henson Essay -- Essays Papers

Jim Henson Jim Henson once said, â€Å"Follow your enthusiasm. It’s something I’ve always believed in. Find those parts of your life you enjoy the most. Do what you enjoy doing† (qtd. in Fionaurora). Jim did just that. He loved puppetry and made many others love it too. The creator and a performer of the Muppets, Henson is known worldwide for his creations, which include shows like Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, and characters such as Grover, Elmo, Big Bird, the Swedish Chef, Bert and Ernie, and Miss Piggy to name a few. Jim’s most famous character was Kermit the Frog. Kermit remains the Muppet with which Henson is most closely associated. Through television and feature films, Henson developed the art of puppetry to new heights of popularity and storytelling capabilities, especially the ability to create sympathetic and emotional characters that are humorous at the same time. Jim Henson’s countless movies and television shows were loved by audien ces young and old, and they continue to have an impact on people nearly ten years after his sudden death. James Maury Henson was born September 24, 1936, at King’s Daughters Hospital in Greenville, Mississippi. Jim was the second son of Paul Ransom and Elizabeth Marcella Henson. He grew up in nearby Leland, where his father, an agricultural research biologist, worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. His father was busy working and his mother was more concerned with Jim’s brother Paul. As a result of this he was somewhat neglected. Jim turned to his grandmother, who he called Dear. She helped him develop his love of art and performing (â€Å"Biography†). He also enjoyed exploring the countryside near his house. He spent much of his time with friends by a little stream called Deer Creek. â€Å"Kermit always said he came from a small swamp in Mississi(WRITTEN BY ERIC G.*)ppi. Actually it wasn’t a swamp, it was a creek—Deer Creek† (St. Pierre 15). One of his childhood friends, nicknamed â€Å"Kermit,† would later become the n ame of Henson's most celebrated creation. When he was in fifth grade, his family moved to Maryland. At the age of fourteen, Jim’s life was changed forever after the Henson’s got their first television. He was fascinated. He once said, â€Å"I loved the idea that what you saw was taking place somewhere else at the same time" (qtd. in Collins). Jim loved puppet shows like Kukula... ...for his work that taught and entertained at the same tim(ERIC G.)e. His shows Sesame Street and The Muppet Show are two of the most watched shows ever. Jim Henson has touched three generations with his artistry and will continue to for many years to come. Bibliography: Andres, Natalie. â€Å"A Man of Great Imagination.† Jim Henson. 1997. Online. Internet. 3 Jan. 2000. Available http://www.avana.net/~bandres/Nat/jim_henson.html â€Å"Biography of Jim Henson.† Henson.com. 2000. Online. Internet. 3 Jan. 2000. Available http://www.henson.com/creators/biography/index.html Collins, James. â€Å"Time 100: Artists & Entertainers: Jim Henson.† Time.com. 1999. Online. Internet. 2 Jan. 2000. Available http://pathfinder.com/time/time100/artists/profile/henson.html Fionaurora. â€Å"Jim Henson Biography.† Fionaurora’s Jim Henson Page. 1998. Online. Internet. 29 Dec. 1999. Available http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/3108/henson.html Mc Farlin, Jim. â€Å"Jim Henson.† Detroit News. 17 May 1990, 1A. Roush, Matt. â€Å"Like Deaths in the Family.† USA Today. 17 May 1990: 1A. St. Pierre, Stephanie. Jim Henson, Creator of the Muppets. NY: Dell Publishing, 1991.

psycho :: essays research papers

Universal Studios presents the 1960 film â€Å"Psycho† by Alfred Hitchcock, adapted from the Robert Bloch novel by Joseph Stephano, and scored by Bernard Hermann. The film stars Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Janet Leigh, and a very creepy house. This film falling under the horror genre was based loosely on the novel of the same name which drew inspiration from real life serial killer Ed Gein, who has been the motivation for two other popular movies, â€Å"The Silence of the Lambs† and â€Å"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre†. The budget for â€Å"Psycho† ran under one million dollars and was the last film on Alfred Hitchcock’s contract with Universal. The film was shot entirely on set at Universal studios except for an early shot of Marion Crane’s (Janet Leigh) vehicle parked on the side of the road when she was too tired to continue driving, as well as the car dealership. Due to the budget constraints the films crew were made up of mostly people w ho were working on the, â€Å"Alfred Hitchcock Presents† television show. The film is about a man named Norman Bates, who runs a motel owned by his family. Norman is a victim of his ill mothers love. His mother becomes violent when Norman’s attention has been detracted from her needs. This film is a study of character, suspense, and storytelling; all reasons this film is considered an American classic. This film is unique due to several factors: its presentation, it contained two different point of views (with an interpreted third point of view), and it has some of the most impressive camera work for its time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Psycho† contains many symbols and techniques that pushed the limit of acceptable filmmaking in the 1960’s. The violence had to be tamed in such a way that the audience would not be robbed of the experience. Hitchcock accomplished this by making the film in black and white. Not only did it aid him on the monetary front, but he felt the studio and the audience would be able to handle the graphic nature of the film with this technique. I’ve interpreted the use of black and white as a tool as to not draw attention away from the focal point of the scenes. Without visual distraction, the viewer becomes more attached to each character. Another visual technique is the continuing motif of taxidermy. The characters discuss it briefly, there are some cutaway shots of the animals, but it is mostly left up to the viewer to infer the purpose of the visuals.