Engineering Failure Case Study

Failure Analysis at DMRC On July 12th 2009 a metro bridge that was under construction collapsed due to negligence by an office in-charge of the Badarpur Metro line. The failure of the bridge killed 6 and injured another 15 when the pier cap sheared from the connecting pillars. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation took major heat from this incident because the roadway was a major milestone of providing a reliable and easy mean of transportation to the capitol of India.The DMRC is considered the most reputed infrastructure organization of India and neglecting roadways to the point where they fail is not an option. During that day the pier cap collapsed causing the collapse of the launching girder, span between p-66 and p-67 piers which had already been erected and pre-stressed, and also segments of the superstructure for the span between p-67 and p-68. The pier cap (p-67) sheared from the connecting point of the pier and pier cap.The top reinforcement of the cantilever beam did not have an y development into the pier itself which caused the shear itself. The launching girder has failed due to the failure of the pier cap. This failure also caused the span between piers 67 and 68 causing it to be inclined supported by the ground on one end and the pier cap on the other. With the failure of the pier cap and span between piers the crane used for lifting the launching girder also failed on July 13th 2009.Bending of the crane shows the clear sign of overloading which was caused by not analyzing the amount of stress the crane could handle. The causes of the failure are many and once one portion of the roadway failed it caused a chain reaction to the entire infrastructure collapsing. The pier (p-67) was initially designed as a leg of a portal frame between piers but then was changed to support the pier cap. The same method was used for piers p-66 and p-68.The top reinforcement was poorly engineered; the pier cap had a reinforcement of 36mm diameter and a length of 500mm which was an insufficient bond length for the structure. During the launching operation the launching girder itself developed a crack that was grouted in crack areas and further strengthened by introducing prop or jacketing. During the launching of superstructure 6 segments where lifted and the whole system collapsed when the seventh segment was hooked up for lifting.It was concluded that the failure of the pier cap occurred to the improper jacketing done when a crack had occurred. This was also coupled with inadequate length of support and reinforcement of the cantilever pier cap. The failure of the cranes was the fact that the capacity of 2 cranes where not able to hold the weight of the superstructure which caused the larger 3rd crane to fail. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation sacked the official in charge of the Badarpur Metro line, Vijay Anand for neglecting his duty.Structural designs should have been proof checked by an experienced structural engineer. Also once failure had been ob served the structure should have been abandoned and a new structure should have been built. Make shift reinforcement to save a failed structure was a major neglecting issue and engineering failure. The lack of professionalism that lead to the superstructure failure started with trying to fix the failed pier cap and neglecting the fact that the cranes used to lift the structure where not engineered to hold the amount of weight that needed to be supported.The support reinforcement should have been checked by an experienced engineer that should have easily seen the reinforcement issue between the pier and pier cap. The information for this case study was found from www. engineeringcivil. com/theory/civil. engineering-disaster. com and www. thaindian. com. The entire structural failure was found on these sites including who was a fault and why the structure failed.

Internet Technology, Marketing, and Security Essay

Social Media Marketing: The use of internet and social networking in the workplace has grown substantially over the last few decades. Because of this, individuals are now using the internet in various ways. Technologies such as social networking sites, blog sites and other innovations give individuals a chance to interact with one another (Apigian, Ragu-Nathan, Ragu-Nathan, & Kunnathur, 2005). Social media marketing is the process of marketing through the methodical use of technical concepts and techniques toachieve specific goals for a company. This is a form of internet marketing which used to achieve branding and marketing communication goals by participating in various media networks (Major, Pennisi, & Riese, 2010). There has been a steady incline in the use of internet and social networking in places of work over the past decade because of the web-based technologies that are being used for work and work related activities. Although social media is a relatively new trend, it is becoming a very important part of any business’s marketing and client base development platform. What could once be accomplished by a traditional website now needs to be supplemented by a vigorous and responsive utilization of the tools social media offers (Bosari, 2012). Due to the increased use of internet technology, a business cannot survive without the support of social media. Social media marketing increases the exposure and traffic of a business, and the businesses use this as a tool to gain marketplace intelligence, to generate leads and to develop loyal followers (Stelzner, 2012). Some of the important reasons why social media marketing has become exceedingly important to businesses of all sizes are: * Today’s consumers are more tech savvy and have started taking time to research online before making a purchase. With the presence of social media, the business can engage with the clients and reassure them about the product and as well as the company, thus giving the business a chance to reach out and actually connect with their audience, and making the product mor e real and reliable. * The social media sites also act as platform for a virtual social life, and having a presence there is a smart business move, especially for small businesses. This shows that it is smart to take the business to the target audience where they will come across one’s brand and product. * When many different people on a social media refer to a company’s content, then the articles related to the company, the search engines pay attention to this and in turn use this factor to provide better search engine placement for the content in your website (Stelzner, 2012). * Social media also provides the kind of transparency needed for a business. When someone likes the website, product or services provided by the company, everyone in the person’s social circle can see it, thus helping in creating a higher brand exposure. Advantages & Disadvantages of Social Media Marketing: The use of internet in day to day life and the number of people using internet everyday has changed the way many businesses think about advertising. Many of the businesses direct customers towards their social network pages than their own websites. There are definitely many advantages to this, but at the same time, there are a few drawbacks as well (Hoffman, 2010). Advantages to businesses through social media are: * The biggest advantage is that the businesses can connect with networks that are full of potential customers that they may otherwise never come across through traditional marketing methods. * Social media networks are the best platform for word of mouth marketing, the most effective way increase one’s sales. These sites also allow the customers to voluntarily promote the services and products within their network of friends, thus increasing the brand awareness. * Social media sites are perfect for communicating with customers and understanding their questions and concerns, and are also the best platform for market research. * These sites also help a business to keep close watch on what the competition is doing and how are they being received by the people, and plan their strategies accordingly. Disadvantages of social media marketing for businesses are: * The biggest drawback of social media networking is that advertising violates the users’ privacy policies. This is because, in order to provide the businesses with the information about the target audience, these sites gather personal information of the users and sell them to businesses, thus violating their privacy. Many also debate whether this is an ethical practice or not. * Businesses will have to invest money as well as other resources in order to keep themselves up to date, and to keep track of all the activity happening on their network. This could sometimes also be more time consuming than traditional marketing. * Social media can also have a negative impact on the productivity of the employees if they waste valuable time using these channels for personal use, and may also have a negative effect on the company’s reputation. Use of Social Media Marketing by Pepsi: The rise of technology, which is reshaping the world drastically, even the well-established brands have to play by the digital rules. No major industry in America immune to the need to adapt to today’s more â€Å"connected† world, where companies have to harness evolving relationships between technology, customers, and suppliers (U.S. News, 2012). While many brands are still cautious about the use of social media for business, Pepsi understands that cyberspace is a fertile ground for building relationships with customers who might not be reachable through the traditional marketing methods, and thus making Pepsi one of the most â€Å"connected† companies in the U.S. according to the U.S. News (Hatch, 2012). For the first time in 23 years, Pepsi did not place an ad in the Super Bowl, but instead, chose to spend the money on their new experiment: The Pepsi Refresh Project. This was not only an innovative strategy for brand marketing, but also ground breaking in regards to using interactive methods and social media on a new level. Pepsi has launched a digital dashboard which features a lot of references to pop culture which will help them bring in more of their target audience of 18-35 year olds, and the content being a part of Pepsi’s â€Å"Live for Now† campaign (Hatch, 2012). Brian Solis, a principal analyst at the Altimeter group and author of The End of Business As Usual: Rewire the Way you Work to Succeed in the Consumer Revolution says that â€Å"today’s connected consumers are getting groomed and conditioned to expect the world to come to them†, and Pepsi has already taken the first step in that direction by trying to connect with them, and trying make t hem feel like they want to be a part of the brand (Hatch, 2012). With this strategy, Pepsi showed how an established brand can effectively utilize five critical aspects of social media marketing in gaining more customer insight: consumer engagement, user-generated content, data aggregation, geo-local, and inbound marketing (Horton, 2012). i. Consumer Engagement – by launching the digital dashboard, Pepsi has encouraged the visitors of the website to comment on different TV shows which are related to pop culture. It has also encouraged them to select songs and encores for a Pepsi concert series in the summer featuring major artists, who will be selected by voting through Twitter by both live audience as well as the ones watching online. ii. User-generated Content – in social media marketing, customer reviews, comments, or other inputs from customers play a very important role. In order to keep track of this, Pepsi has started using a tool called SocialFlow which ranks the content within the audience segments, what the customers are interested in. By doing so, Pepsi is able to understand its consumers’ wants and needs, and in turn act accordingly in order to gain their loyalty. Moreover, by keeping track of the consumers’ views about its products, Pepsi is able to manage complaints before they can escalate (Horton, 2012). iii. Data Aggregation – with social media, a company has better access to different statistics of the consumers, which would be very hard to gather in the traditional marketing methods. This data helps Pepsi understand its consumers better and also tells them how they can attract new ones. iv. Geo-local Reach – with the increase in the usage of smart phones, Pepsi can now incorporate social media with location-base mobile marketing. v. Inbound Marketing – today’s consumers want to be listened to an d social media networks give them the perfect platform for them to communicate with the brand. Other Businesses Using Social Media: Ford Motors – The once great American automobile company, Ford Motors, was on the ropes in 2009. But it has now reported its biggest annual profit since 1999. There are many reasons for this turn about like: the closure of about quarter of their plants, the reduction of its labor and health care costs, and the sale or retirement of underperforming brands. Along with all of the above, Ford has also been engaging in first-time conversations with its customers (Roman, 2011). Ford invested around one-quarter of its marketing dollars on digital and social media, which was double the amount spent by any of its competitors. Ford now has â€Å"social media agents†, who openly converse with their customers on forums, message boards, enthusiast sites that are not owned by Ford, as well as through official Ford Twitter and Facebook accounts. They use customized search engine tools to find and respond to customer queries, comments or concerns, including about new product arrival, warranties and repairs (Tellem, 2012). Social networking sites have allowed Ford to meet customers where it might not have been possible previously through traditional advertising, and allowing them to go where the customers go. For example, Ford created the Fiesta Movement using social media, before the all-new fiesta went on sale in North America, to create a buzz about the car and as a way to introduce it to the market. This campaign inspired tens of thousands of people, not only to merely listen to the advertising, but also to engage in an ongoing dialogue with the company through channels of their own choosing: to post videos, to share feedback, and stay engaged and in touch with â€Å"The Ford Story,† very often via multiple feeds (Roman, 2011). Ford employees respond to an average of 2,000 people weekly via social media and the interaction have continued to rise from a year ago. Also, rather than dealing with the issues the traditional ways shows that the Ford is being proactive in resolving the consumers’ issues rather than wait for their calls and then react. This is win-win situation for Ford or any other company that proactively reaches out to consumers who have issues (Halliday, 2012). Whole Foods Market – Whole Foods Market believes that customers who are more knowledgeable about food are more likely to be their customers, so the company makes efforts to help people learn more about ingredients, locate recipes, etc. Keeping this in mind, and taking this policy to heart, 5% of Whole Foods Market’s tweets are promotional and 10% are content-based. The rest 85% are responses to customers. Rather than controlling everything from the headquarters, most of its Twitter activity comes from staffers in local stores, who know their local markets and can respond to local issues much faster. This also shows how Whole Foods has made social media a part of each and every one of its stores (Eckhouse, 2011). Not all the customers shopping at Whole Foods are serious foodies. Many treat Whole Goods as a supplemental grocery store – where they pick up special items or pre-made meals. Whole Foods uses social media to give these occasional shoppers more reasons to connect by announcing flash sales on seasonal items, and also to promote gift boxes (Friedman, 2011). With the help of social media, Whole Foods strives to: * Provide something to the customer – Whole Foods works hard to answer questions about recipes, wine, cheese, ingredients and health tips. The company found that customers who are more knowledgeable about food are more likely to be Whole Foods customers, so helping them learn more about food helps make the store more appealing as a destination (Eckhouse, 2011). * Serve all the customers – Whole Foods believes that everyone who enters a store should be respected irrespective of how often one visits the store. The company wants its staff to interact with each and every customer, and give them more of a reason to come and they will. For example, Whole Foods tweets out flash sales on seasonal items that will only be in the stores for a single day. Whole Foods also uses social media to promote its gift boxes as another way to reach its occasional customers (Eckhouse, 2011). * Encourages conversation – To use Twitter as a two-way communications tool, Whole Foods works diligently to get its followers to respond and interact. For example, it holds contests with questions about food and healthy living. Nor does it take itself too seriously. It posted cooking tips for insects on its website as an April fool’s spoof as well as a YouTube video making fun of an incredibly crowded and despised parking lot for one of its Los Angeles stores (Eckhouse, 2011). Future Impact of Social Media: In the current competitive world of global business, a company needs to make use of every tool available to gain an edge. One such tool is social media, which includes websites such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as blogs and forums. Social media has a direct impact on key areas such as marketing, transacting business and customer relationships. Some of the ways in which social media will affect businesses are (Edge, 2012): * Business performance driven marketing – with the help of social media and the various platforms it provides, companies have a better opportunity to interact with and understand consumers across multiple networks, and drive them to purchase. With so many options available and opportunities to understand performance, businesses will be focusing more on how social media drives business and marketing performance as opposed to just â€Å"getting the word out†. * Demand for innovations – with the increase in the usage of social technology and mobile integration, more agencies and brands will hire technology and innovation managers. They will be responsible for staying on top of trends in marketing technology and will be the digital leaders spearheading such projects. * Increase in consumer experience – along with technology, there will also be a change in the experience that takes place between brands and their customers online. Relations will become both more data driven and more interactive. Ideas will be bigger and brands will have to find innovative ways to create consumer driven brand experiences to woo their customers. References Apigian, C. H., Ragu-Nathan, B. S., Ragu-Nathan, T. S., & Kunnathur, A. (2005). Internet technology: The strategic imperative. Journal of Electronic Commerce Research , 6 (2), 123-145. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://www.csulb.edu/web/journals/jecr/issues/20052/paper4.pdf Bosari, J. (2012, August 8). The developing role of social media in the modern business world. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/moneywisewomen/2012/08/08/the-developing-role-of- social-media-in-the-modern-business-world/ Eckhouse, J. (2011, August 9). The Whole Foods Twitter strategy: Tweets as fresh as the food. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://therealtimereport.com/2011/08/09/the-whole-foods-twitter-strategy-tweets-as-fresh-as-the-food/ Edge. (2012). 5 Ways social media technology will impact the future of brand marketing & advertising. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://edge-collective.com/5-ways-social-media-technology-will-impact-the-future-of-brand-marketing-advertising/ Friedman, B. (2011, August 4). Whole Foods Market’s Subtle Social Media Marketing Plan. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://socialmediatoday.com/bradfriedman/326139/whole-foods-market-s-subtle-social-media-marketing-plan Halliday, J. (2012, March 27). Ford taps social media for customer service. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeanhalliday/2012/03/27/ford-taps-social-media-for-customer-service/ Hatch, D. (2012, May 15). Pepsi measures online pulse with social media strategy. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://money.usnews.com/money/business-economy/articles/2012/05/15/pepsi-measures-online-pulse-with-social-media-strategy Hoffman, D. L. (2010, October 1). Can you measure the ROI of your social media marketing? Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://sloanreview.mit.edu/the-magazine/2010-fall/52105/can-you-measure-the-roi-of-your-social-media-marketing/ Horton, C. (2012, May 17). 5 Ways Pepsi’s Use of Social Media is Right On. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://socialmediatoday.com/synecoretech/509355/5-ways-pepsis-use-social-medi a-right Major, A. L., Pennisi, L. A., & Riese, M. (2010, November). Using social media to market your business. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from NebGuide Web site: http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/live/g2029/build/g2029.pdf Roman, E. (2011, February 1). Lessons from Ford’s brilliant use of social media. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ernan-roman/lessons-from- fords-brilli_b_816605.html Stambor, Z. (2011, November 21). Wal-Mart’s Facebook page is a relative hotbed of conversation. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://www.internetretailer.com/2011/11/21/wal-marts-facebook-page-relative-hotbed-conversation Stelzner, M. A. (2012). 2012 Social media marketing industry report. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from Social Media Examiner Web site: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/SocialMediaMarketingIndustryReport2012.pdf Tellem, T. (2012, September 9). Do you use social media? Ford does! Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://social.ford.com/our-articles/suvs/explorer/do-you-use-social-media-ford-does/ U.S. News. (2012, May 15). America’s most connected companies. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://money.usnews.com/money/business-economy/articles/2012/05/15/americas-most-connected-companies

Motivators of Fraud in Health Care Essay

What are the motivators of Health Care fraud? At first thought, I suspect it was for the love of money but then I felt like it has to be more to it than that. Why would people risk it all to defraud insurance companies and even the government? After a while, it’s clearly not about the money because the longer a company goes without being caught, they won’t be hurting for financial wealth so why continue? How do you know when you are being charged for test and check that you don’t need? During this essay, I will answer these questions as well as describe what acts as motivators for these health Care frauds. According to the text, the health care industry is the (single largest single industry) in the United States economy. The structure of today’s health system, it leaves huge opportunities for fraud to take place. Back in the early 1980’s; doctors would provide medical care to patients and then later file a claim with the issuance company of the patient or send a bill in the mail for the patient. Prior to a doctor submitting his or her bill, it would be reviewed by a medical coder who was able to determine the legitimacy of treatment that was required. With the presence of modern technology, doctors file their claims but now they are reviewed by computers which open the door for more opportunities to defraud the insurance companies. In these situation, I feel the fraud in this case is motivated by the fact that those insurance companies don’t find it very important to review claims and therefore are only getting always with what insurers are allow to. Those committing healthcare fraud include organized criminal groups, individuals, and health care providers. The individuals committing  healthcare fraud see the crime as low risk and high reward since many perpetrators are never caught. If they are caught the penalties are relatively less severe than other crimes. For example, in a 2010 study on the effectiveness of healthcare fraud taskforces, the average convicted offender received three to five years, but the total amount of fraudulent billings in the 200 sampled cases exceeded a billion dollars. The most common form of fraud is false billing. There are a wide variety of billing schemes, but generally a person committing fraud will bill an insurer for a service that was never performed. For example, many perpetrators will obtain patient information from hospitals or other sources and use that information to charge both public and private health programs for false reimbursement claims. How can you tell when you are at risk of being charged for treatment not received or not needed? Picture this scenario, a lady goes into a minimum care facility and tells the receptionist that she has a pain in her hand, the receptionist tells her that she needs an X-rays. The patient responds by wanting to see the doctor first. The receptionist tells that patient that it is protocol that they get X-rays before the doctor will see her. The lady gets the X-ray and is then seen by the doctor who finds a cyst and the patient is treated and released. In that scenario, this medical facility disguised unneeded charges by â€Å"protocol.† No one actually knows the extent or motivators of fraud in healthcare, we have only estimates and the bases for them often seem a tad bit flimsy. I feel that Healthcare frauds happen for two reasons, greed for financial superiority and there is no jail time in most cases. First of all, Healthcare is rarely paid for out of pocket and the consumers of the healthcare services have little incentive to check their bills. Unless the actual payer of the bills follow-up with the receiver of the service or treatment, the crimes of overcharging, will go unnoticed. The insurance companies, private and public third-party payment programs, were not in the room when the services were provided and do not know whether they were needed or actually supplied. Finally, when a doctor makes 10 million dollars because of overcharging, charging for services not required or not given and he is only fined 5 or 6 million dollar and there’s no jail time. He still came out on top and continues to practice medicine because he rationalizes it by blaming it on the patients, bookkeepers and even the government. References Benson, M. L. & Simpson, S. S. (2010). White-Collar Crime: An Opportunity Perspective, research, 9-12. https://www.nampi.org/members/2010presentations/KeynoteAddress.pdf http://mjpetro.typepad.com/7th_circuit_alert/2011/07/42-usc-1320a-7b-medicare-fraud-primary-motivation-doctrine-rejected.html

PBS series America Revealed Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PBS series America Revealed - Research Paper Example The episode on ‘Food Machine’ enlightens viewers regarding farming and supply of different food items in the country. The extensive supply chain through which farmed food items go through is elaborated and challenges are discussed. The episode is certainly an eye opener with regards to the overall food industry of the country. Most people while consuming food items don’t consider the effort that goes into the farming and distribution of vegetables, fruits, and other food items. The overall process is highly sophisticated and includes many valuable lessons with respect to supply chain management. The episode revealed a very important fact that efficiency of supply chain depends upon the effective work of all units working in the supply chain. Another important thing that one can learn from the episode is the strong association between planning and successful operations management. The third important thing that one can pick from the episode is that production can b e increased through infusing technology in the supply chain effectively. Efficiency of Supply Chain and Role of Individual Working Units The sophisticated food supply chain of United States is working effectively and efficiently just because all the individual working units in the supply chain are perfectly synchronized. The most important thing in supply chain management is to make sure that all the players involved in the chain are working effectively because time lag at any level can disrupt the whole change and can reduce efficiency. This is what the episode on food production teaches the audience. A pizza is enjoyed by a consumer because farmers grow the required vegetables in time and supply them to the markets from where they go to pizza stores. The whole process involves many small players upon whom the efficiency of supply chain is dependent. Even if one of them do not work hard enough then the end consumer will suffer. Supply chain management is only efficient when no extra time is consumed on any individual unit in the supply chain. This is only possible when all individual players do their job on time fla wlessly. The episode tells us how farmers are working day and night in producing food items that find place in markets all over the country. The synchronization between all players is the most important thing because without it nothing can work in the food industry. Synchronization of all players in the supply chain is most significant as it is the only thing that can increase efficiency of a supply chain (Khouja, 984). Link between Planning and Effective Supply Chain Management The episode revealed that long term planning is essential in order to develop an effective supply chain. It was all because of extensive planning in 1940s that California was able to get the necessary water required for farming. Without this long term planning of the government, farmers of the area would never have been able to develop so much. It is essential in supply chain management to plan many years ahead of time and anticipate future needs and demands. Government made dams and developed irrigation sys tem in order to support farmers and this is how production increased significantly. All this was possible due to extensive long term planning of the government. Long term planning in supply chain management is important today because demands are ever changing and consumers are demanding news thing every day. The trick is to anticipate this demand and develop an effective supply chain that can fulfill the demands of the consumers. Long term planning is an important part of effective supply chain management (Spekman, Kamauff, & Myhr, 53).This is one of the most significant things one can learn from the episode because all the production of food items became possible through dams and canals planned by the government many years ago. People of today are bearing the fruits of this long term pl

Why did so many immigrants, both free and slave (and the descendents Essay

Why did so many immigrants, both free and slave (and the descendents of slaves), return to their countries of origin after immigrating to the United States And - Essay Example As Swedish immigration reached a new peak during World War I which resulted in the Swedish government setting up a commission to find solutions for the problem. The commission proposed better employment, housing and economic opportunities for Swedish people. The reforms implemented by the government also included political and religious freedom which provided Swedish people more incentives to return to their homeland (Joppke, 1998). Italians migrated in large numbers to the United States. Unlike other immigrant groups they did not settle here and become farmers. Instead they headed for the cities where they took up jobs as construction workers, laborers and domestic servants. An estimated sixty percent of the Italians who migrated to the United States returned to their homeland. They lived as inexpensively as they could. They sent money to Italy to preserve the traditional order. Most of them had a desire to work hard in the United States and save enough money to return to their country for a better life. Chinese were the earliest Asians who arrived in the United States during the nineteenth century. The economic and political turmoil of China forced thousands of Chinese to migrate to other countries. Most Chinese worked in the railway and mining industries. The California Gold Rush also attracted Chinese because of their cheap wages. However xenophobia and racism towards Chinese was rampant which forced the United States government to pass the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Chinese immigrants were thus expelled out of the United States by legislation and public hostility. The Chinese faced economic, political and religious discrimination in China and therefore were reluctant to return to their country. They were willing to work in harsh conditions in the United States and despite severe opposition from the local population (Joppke, 1998). Japanese and Koreans soon replaced Chinese in the railroad and mining industries. Like the Chinese, they also

Marketing Planning At Just Us Cafes Case Study Essay

Marketing Planning At Just Us Cafes Case Study - Essay Example Enhancing Customer Experience and Expanding Loyal Customer Base 13 Integrating New Media to Promote the Brand 17 Conclusion 20 References 22 Introduction The case study relates to ‘Just Us’ which began its operations in the year 1996 under the Co-operative Association Act. It initiated as one of the earliest fair trade coffee roasters in Canada. ‘Just Us’ evolved as a worker-owned and operated for-profit coffee co-operative that essentially imported, roasted and sold both wholesale as well as retail fair trade, organic coffee brought from fair trade authorised coffee manufacturers from different parts of the world. The main vision of the company is to be one of the leaders in the Fair Trade business focusing upon quality along with professionalism as well as innovation so that all its stakeholders would be benefited to a great extent (Just Us, 2012). Marketing planning at Just Us is significant because it will try to identify the various challenges that the company face and thus in light of the strengths and opportunities faced by the company, it will be aimed to focus upon how the company’s performanc e can be enhanced (Just Us, 2012). The main objective of the study is to discuss the internal as well as external marketing environment of Just Us. The study will also entail the ethical issues that have been raised in the context of the case study. The significance of product life-cycle concept to Juliet and the problem that can be faced by the company due to deleting a product from the company’s product range will also be discussed in adequate detail. The study will endeavour to offer suggestions to improve the cafe’s performance and provide recommendations on how the company can update its current marketing programme. Internal and External Environment of ‘Just Us’ All the factors within the organisation that affects the strengths and causes weaknesses in an organisation are referred to as internal environment. All the factors outside the organisation that offer opportunities and thus pose threats to an organisation are referred to as external environment (Kazmi, 2008). External Analysis a t ‘Just Us’ For the purpose of creating effectual strategies Just Us Cafe needs to examine the external environment in which it tends to operate. The analyses of factors such as competitor analysis, PEST analysis, Porters 5 Forces Model are crucial in this scenario. Competitor Analysis ‘Just Us’ has numerous competitors across the product line in the local market such as Nova Scotia and also in the wider market such as Canada and the US. It is quite important for the company to comprehend the competitors’ resources in order to predict the degree of future threats. Java Factory is found to be one of the significant threats to Just Us. One of the specific competitors of Just Us has been Kicking Horse in the Canadian market. Therefore, it can be stated that competition poses a major threat to the company (Loudyi & et. al., 2009). PEST Analysis It has been evident from the case study that one of the political factors, which has been hindering the success ful operations of ‘Just Us’ was certified identification of actual fair trade. There is constant alteration in the economic environment. The case study demonstrates the fact that a few of the competitors are offering partly organic ranges along with mainstream organic coffees. It has been identified that Just Us practices premium pricing strategy. However, in the recent times the companies need to consider the disposable income of the consumers in choosing the products. Therefore, it is quite important for Just Us to be aware of the fact that consumers feeling for one particular product can be impacted by their income, despite how

Evidence Based Practice - Vascular Bleeding Following PCI Essay

Evidence Based Practice - Vascular Bleeding Following PCI - Essay Example 3.0%), particularly hematoma (1.1% vs. 2.5%) and pseudoaneurysm (0.1% vs. 1.0%), as compared to MC use (n = 951). Odds ratio of developing complications for VCD recipients was 0.56 (95% CI: 0.40 – 0.79). Because baseline characteristics between treatment groups were initially different, statistical adjustment was done. In 2010, a prospective, small-scale, short-term case-series study involving 413 patients treated of acute coronary syndrome was used to identify predictors of vascular complications. The use of VCDs by the sample was fairly limited, only 62 used Angio-Seal and 19 had PerClose. For those who used VCDs, there were no significant differences in the occurrence of hematoma during or after the use of procedure. In addition, those with complications were old and had significantly higher systolic blood pressure, as compared to those that did not have complications (Sulzbach-Hoke, Ratcliffe, Kimmel, Kolansky, & Polomano, 2010). The different VCDs were also compared. In patients that have received PCI in the past eight years, those who underwent VCD (n = 2, 814) had significantly lower incidence rate of ≠¥ 10 cm hematoma as compared to those who were given MC (n = 1, 407), 1.1% vs. 2.1%. Baseline characteristics between VCD and MC groups were not statistically different. Comparison among Angio-Seal, Perclose and Starclose users revealed that those who used Perclose had the least rate of complications (5.6%), while those receiving Starclose had the most (10.2%). The differences among rates were significant (Iqtidar, Li, Mather, & McKay, 2011). A similar, wider scale, retrospective study (n = 1, 819, 611) was conducted 2012 by Tavris, et al. The rates of bleeding in Angio-Seal (28.7%), Perclose (8.3%), Boomerang Closure Wire (BCW) (0.6%) and hemostasis patches (7.9%) VCDs were less than 1%, while those receiving MC (38.9%) was 1.18%. In contrast, StarClose (4.4%) and Mynx

Global Changes and Developing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Global Changes and Developing - Assignment Example National, organizational and group cultures are greatly influenced by the leadership styles that exist in each culture. For example, the management style, vision and the personality of a leader greatly affect the behaviour and performance of the people under him or her. In addition, the tradition and the history of the country, organization or the group affect the performance of the individuals in that nation, group or organization. For example, if the forefathers of a given nation strived and hard worked and managed to achieve their desired goals as independence, then the citizens of that nation would automatically develop a culture of hardworking and striving in order to achieve their goals. Moreover, the set goals, beliefs, symbols and values of a given nation, organization or group influence their corresponding cultures. For example, the symbols in the national flag, organization or group dictate much about the goals, vision and mission of that state or organization (Schriesheim & Neider 2006). Consequently, there are many instances where national, organization and group culture conflict in one way of the other. In most cases, conflicts arise when one culture interferes with the culture of the other group, nation or organization. However, the existence of cultures helps in shaping the behaviours of individuals and their performance (Schriesheim & Neider 2006). It is, therefore, evident that, culture is an integral aspect in structuring the expected dos and donts of individuals in an organization or group. Moreover, each organization or group should respect the culture of each other to ensure peaceful

President Trump Against The World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

President Trump Against The World - Essay Example President Trump claims that his decision to pull-out of the Paris Treaty will benefit Americans, but as is his usual tactic, the president only mentions one area where the benefit will take place, jobs-an important benefit of course. Economists are divided whether this will benefit American job, and if it does will, the jobs be short or long-term. The American industry sector that is mentioned most often in conjunction with the Paris Treaty is coal. While on the campaign trail, Mr. Trump consistently insisted that he would withdraw from the Paris Treaty so that coal mines would reopen and coal miners could go back to work. If one agrees that it was the Paris Treaty that caused the decline of the coal industry in the United States, then they would count the withdrawal from it as a win. However, the coal industry has been declining for years; the Paris Treaty has only been in place for one year. The winners on the jobs front will be those places where investments in research and develo pment in renewable energy is occurring. President Trump’s withdrawal from the treaty may seem like a victory for coal but it is not. The United States’ jobs market loses in the withdrawal, although many individual states have economies that are highly invested in renewable energy, and they will continue to work toward solutions and adaptation to global climate change. Those states’ economies will be winners while President Trump and his economic allies will cling to the fossil fuels, until those resources have been depleted.

Latest Monitoring Tools Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Latest Monitoring Tools - Research Paper Example However, the research indicated that the company’s rate of sales have not been majorly influenced by these social media sites owing to the fact that only 12% of its sales are influenced by comments on twitter, facebook and google+. This is an indication that clients spend more time of social media but, less time is spent on the company’s blogs or even its web page (http://socialmediatoday.com n.d). In order to improve the company’s sales through proper prediction of customers’ behavior in social media sites, the company can employ the use of Hootsuite: This tool assists company’s undertake their campaigns on social media regarding their brands (https://hootsuite.com n.d). It will also allow the company to measure the efficacy of social media on their sales hence assist in formulating solutions on predicted or potential challenges. This tool is easy to manage and above all its relatively cheaper as compared to other tools. 101 Vital Social Media and Digital Marketing Statistics. (n.d.). RSS. Retrieved February 11, 2014, from

Implied Terms Essay Example for Free

Implied Terms Essay Terms can be implied to reflect the presumed intention of the parties, or for reasons of public policy. The different bases for implying terms are considered below. Terms Implied to Give Effect to Presumed Intention of Parties Term implied on the basis of business efficacy Business efficacy means that the parties require that term in order that the contract will work (The Moorcock). The following rules for implying a term on the basis of business efficacy were summarised by the Privy Council in BP Refiner v Shire of Hastings and later approved by the High Court in Codelfa v State. †¢ The term must be reasonable and equitable; †¢ Implication must be necessary to give business efficacy to the contract so that no term will be implied if the contract is effective without it; †¢ Term must be so obvious that it goes without saying; †¢ Term must be capable of clear expression; and †¢ Term must not contradict any express term of the contract. Terms implied from previous consistent course of dealings In the circumstances of the case, is it reasonable to hold that the parties entered into the contract on the basis, and with the knowledge, that their agreement would be on the terms set out in previous contracts entered into (Henry Kendall Sons v William Lillico Sons). The relevant term or terms must have been part of earlier agreements between the parties and the must be evidence of an earlier consistent course of dealings between the parties. Relevant in this assessment are – †¢ the number of dealings between the parties; and †¢ the consistency of dealings between the parties. The greater the number of prior dealings, the greater the likelihood of incorporating the term (cf Hollier v Rambler Motors with McCuthbert v David MacBrayne). Consistency of contractual dealings is also important as the argument for incorporation is less compelling if the terms are incorporated into earlier contracts on some occasions but not others (McCuthbert v David MacBrayne Ltd). Terms implied from custom or usage The parties to a contract are presumed to contract with reference to whatever customs that prevail in the trade or locality in question. In Con-Stan Industries of Aust Pty Ltd v Norwich Winterthur Insurance the High Court set out a number of rules that must be satisfied before a term will be implied on the grounds of custom or trade usage: 1. The existence of a custom or usage that will justify the implication of a term into a contract is a question of fact. In making the determination, the focus must be on the custom or usage in the particular trade or profession under construction. . There must be evidence that custom or usage relied upon is so well known and acquiesced in that everyone making a contract in that situation can reasonably be presumed to have imported that term into the contract, however, the custom need not be universally accepted. Firstly, there must be sufficient evidence that a custom of the kind alleged in the fact exists. Thus custom must be sufficiently widespr ead and consistent that it can be articulated with some certainty. Secondly, the custom must5 be so widespread that it is well known to the people within the trade or profession. 3. A term will not be implied on the basis of custom or usage where it is contrary to the express term of the agreement. As term implied must on custom and usage must reflect the presumed intention of the parties, if the parties expressly exclude such a term, or insert a term inconsistent with it, the term cannot be regarded as reflecting their intention. 4. A person may be bound to custom notwithstanding the fact that he or she had no knowledge of it. Unless the parties have agreed to the contrary, a term is implied provided the elements of the second limb above are met. A term implied to complete agreement The judiciary attempts to uphold agreements if at all possible. As a means of upholding contracts where not all the terms have been finalized, in an appropriate case the courts may be prepared to imply a term (Hillas Y Co v Arcos). Terms Implied Irrespective of Parties’ Intention Term Implied as a Legal Incident of a Particular Class of Contract A term may be implied as a matter of law in contracts of a particular class (Liverpool City Council v Irwin). Some examples are: †¢ Contract for the provision of goods and services: goods or services will be reasonable fit for the purpose supplied or rendered (Samuels v Davis). Contracts for the provision of professional services: reasonable care will be taken by professional in provided services (Greaves Y Co v Baynham). †¢ Contracts of employment: duty to proved a safe work place (McLean v Tedman). †¢ Building contracts: the completed house will be fit for habitation and the work done will be carried out in a proper an d workman like fashion (Perry v Haron Developments). General Duty of Co-operation There is an implied term a general duty of cooperation of all contracts that each party agrees to do all things necessary to enable to other party to have the benefit of the contract (Butt v McDonald). Some examples include: †¢ A term may be implied to give effect to the presumed intention of the parties (Curro v Beyond Productions). †¢ Duty to comply with reasonable requests †¢ There is a duty to do all things necessary to enable the agreement to be completed (Adelaide Petroleum v Poseidon). †¢ Where a contract requires concurrent performance it may be implied that rights are to be exercised in good faith and there is a duty to cooperate (Service Station Association v Berg Bennet Associates). †¢ There is a duty to exercise contractual powers reasonably (Renard Constructions v Minister for Public Works). Implication of duties of good faith, fair dealing and reasonableness It has been suggested that the courts may be prepared to imply a duty for the parties to act in good faith in performing a contract (Renard Constructions v Minister for Public Works). Some examples include: †¢ The preparedness of the courts to imply a reasonable price where the contract is silent †¢ Statutory implication of reasonable price in a contract for the sale of goods †¢ Duty on a prospective buyer to act reasonably as well as honestly in determining whether finance is satisfactory in a contract to purchase Term Implied by Statute Sale of Goods Act 1896 (Qld) Implied condition that the seler has title to the goods bing sold, or will have title at the time property in the goods is to pass: s15(a) †¢ Implied warranty that the buyer will have quiet possession of the goods: s15(b) †¢ Implied warranty that the goods are free from any charge or encumbrance: s15(c) †¢ In a contract for the sale of goods by description, an implied condition that the goods correspond with the description (and if the sale is by sample, as well as by description, it is not sufficient that the bulk of the goods corresponds with the sample if the goods do not also correspond with the description): s16 †¢ Where they buyer, expressly or by implication, makes known to the seller that particular purpose for which the goods are required, so as to show that the buyer relies on the sellers skill or judgment, and the goods are of a description that it is in the course of the seller’s business to supply, an implied condition that the goods are reasonably fit for the purpose: s17(a) †¢ When goods are bought by description from a seller who deals in goods of that description, an implied condition that the goods are of merchantable uality: s17 (c) †¢ In a contract for sale by sample, implied condition that the bulk corresponds with the sample in quality, that the buyer will have a reasonable opportunity of comparing the bulk with the sample, and that the goods are free from any defect, rendering them unmerchantable, which would not be apparent on reasonable examination of the sample: s18 Clear words are required to exclude implied terms (Wallis v Pratt and Haynes). Trade Practic es Act 1974 (Cth) The Trade Practices Act will only operate where the supplier is a corporation and the acquirer is a consumer within the statutory definition (ss4 and 4b) or if the transaction falls within one of the categories of extended application of the legislation for example, if the tranaction occurred as part of the supplier engaging in trade or commerce internationally, interstate or between a state and territory (s6(2)(c)). Terms implied by the Trade Practices Act are not limited to contract for the sale of goods but also extend to their supply. Supply is defined to include sale, exchange, lease, hire or hire purhcaes (s4). The Trade Practices Act implies in a contract for supply of service, a warranty that the service will be rendered with due care and skill and that any materials supplied will be reasonably fit for the purpose for which they are supplied. A further warranty will be implied that the services and materials supplied in connection with them will be reasonably fit for the purpose for which those services are required – or of such a nature and quality that they might reasonably be expected to achieve the result.

Jeffrey Rosen Analysis Essay Example for Free

Jeffrey Rosen Analysis Essay In Jeffrey Rosen’s essay â€Å"The Naked Crowd†, he argues that people have a desire to prove and establish themselves as trustworthy in today’s society. Pressured by the public eye, many feel the need to convey personal details about themselves in order to gain this trust and feel more secure. Rosen critiques this idea, noting that if everyone exposes personal information, individuality is lost and anxiety about identity will remain. Rosen explains how individuals are constantly urged to market themselves to a world full of strangers via the Internet and its numerous social networking sites. They are expected to create a personal image that is seen as consistent and memorable. Many let out their thoughts and emotions hoping for a reassuring response from the audience. However, studies show that sharing too many personal details online may in fact have negative effects when it leads people to vent their feelings in a void, without the support of a receptive audience. Rosen also highlights how the Internet is creating an unbalanced relationship between liberty and security. He questions why people are more concerned with feeling connected than with the personal and social costs of exposure. Rosen discusses how â€Å"our conceptions of personal truthfulness has changed from sincerity to authenticity†(415). More and more people in today’s society have no problem disclosing intimate details to strangers. Some even create false images of themselves to appeal to others as trustworthy and intelligent. Rosen brings up the idea of â€Å"personal branding†, in which individuals present the best version of themselves in order to establish and maintain emotional connections with strangers. These personal branders thrive upon approval from the public, hoping to become more successful in their careers. Rosen states that amongst the chaos of everyone struggling to stand out as unique, personal branding ultimately leads to conformity. The most substantial binary opposition embedded in Rosen’s essay is the idea of privacy versus exposure. It is now common to share the most private of moments on the Web for people to consume. Not only has the Internet made it easier to reveal these personal details to a broad audience, it has unfortunately become more difficult to recover information that has already been posted. Once people decide to go public, there really is no turning back. Rosen expresses his concern with valuing exposure over privacy. Lionel Trilling of Harvard University feels that â€Å"there should be an honest correlation between what is exposed in public and what is felt in private†(Trilling 415). In other words, not everything we feel has to be shared. People have this inaccurate assumption that forcing an emotional connection with a stranger by sharing personal details will make us feel like we belong. However, exposing too much information about ourselves may lead to us feeling more alone and confused about our identity. In conclusion, individuals are too willing to give up their privacy in order to feel a sense of emotional connectedness. Our desire to gain trust from a crowd of strangers blinds us from the reality that exposing personal details has detrimental homogenizing effects. Works Cited Rosen, Jeffrey. The Naked Crowd: Reclaiming Security and Freedom in an Anxious Age. 2004. Print. Trilling, Lionel. Sincerity and Authenticity. Harvard University Press, 1972. Print.

Ancient Civilizations in China: History and Culture

Ancient Civilizations in China: History and Culture Ancient China is Located in Asia. It has the oldest surviving civilization in the world. Most people talk about other civilizations, such as; Egypt, or Rome. Ancient China has a very interesting history. In Ancient China, they had a total of 11 dynasties. No one is sure of when exactly it began, but roughly from 4000-5000 years. The aspects this essay will focus on are education, social classes, and art and architecture. Agriculture in China was is part of social classes, everyone- except the royal families- has jobs to do, and most people are farmers and silk makers, or have any other hard working job. In ancient China, there is lots of different architecture, and they are all based on their history and their rulers. In China the roofs of most buildings, were curved. It was not just because of structural use, but it had a symbolic significance. And by being tiled, it shows as a sign of wealth. And the reason they are curved is because they protected the inhabitants from evil spirits, which were believed to travel in straight lines. In China a buildings roof was normally put up before the walls. It was supported on purlins (horizontal beams) and crossbeams resting on columns rather than on triangular roof tresses. The walls which were made of wooden panels or brick were filled in later and were not load-bearing to any large extent. This system gave Chinese architects freedom to think about different silhouettes for their buildings. Another thing that is created in China, is silk. Silk is made from silk worms. You must unravel, spin and weave their cocoons. You must first take the cocoon of the silk worms, and then connect it to the machine that pulls the silk of the cocoon by a thread. Then once the silk is all off the cocoon (its still wet), they take all the wool together and put it on a curved metal rod, which stretches the wool, also they leave it to dry there. Then they have some people hold all sides of it and stretch it out till it is roughly the size of a single bed. And then they cover it. The more advanced the cocoon is, the thicker the silk is. This could be the job of many farmers. I think ancient Chinas art and architecture is always something to do with their beliefs or rulers. Social classes were very important in ancient China, The Chinese believed that strict social groups and people should behave according to their social position.  This belief that strict social groups and people should behave according to their social position, was proven by Confucius, a Chinese philosopher. Under the emperor, there were four social classes in China. The four classes were nobles officials, peasants, artisans and merchants.   The emperor and his family were the top class in China. Emperors believed that they were chosen by heaven and therefore didnt need to obey humans. An emperor expected his subjects to be loyal and obedient. The noble class in ancient China was very privileged. Nobles were usually the extended family of the emperor and empress and those people that excelled in their fields, mostly in the military. The status of nobles, however, changed often depending on who gained or fell out of favor with the emperor. When a new emperor came to power, it was common for him to favor a new set of nobles. They often became land owners so they could collect taxes from the people who lived on their land, which made them richer. If the nobles gave some of their income to the emperor, they would receive privileges and were afforded some protection in return. If nobles committed a crime that would result in them being sentenced to death, the emperor could grant them a special favor that would allow them to commit suicide, which they considered a much more honorable death. Officials were another group that had high social status in ancient China. Boys whose families could afford to send them to school began their education at an early age to become officials and were prepared to pass a difficult exam. If they didnt pass, they were usually still able to find jobs since they were considered well educated. Officials were arranged in ranks. The two most senior officials acted as advisers to the emperor. Most officials lived very comfortably and were well-respected because of their position and education. Peasants Even though peasant farmers in ancient China were one of the lowest social classes, they were still considered important because they produced the food for the rest of the society. Most peasants were very poor and led simple lives. They worked very hard and hardly ever had a day off. Peasant men worked in the fields and had to tolerate harsh conditions. They worked through the burning heat of summer and the extreme cold of winter. The harsh conditions could also spoil their crops and land, which has consumed most of their time. If the crops were spoilt, poor families had very little to survive on during the winter. If women wove and sewed cloth, they could help provide clothes for their families and they could sell any excess items to earn more money. Even the poorest peasants had to pay taxes, even if their crops were not successful. This left many families, during the winter months, with little to eat.   Artisans were part of the normal class and included painters, carpenters, potters and jewelry makers. Artisans made more than farmers but less than the merchants. They didnt have a good social status but they were respected for their skills. Metalworkers became very important during the Han period. Metalworkers produced weapons and many useful everyday objects, like cooking pots. Weavers worked with silk, which was very valuable. The merchant class included traders, animal breeders and money loaners. Merchants were thought of as the lowest social class in ancient China. Even though they have a low social status, some merchants became very rich and lived in luxury. .During the Han dynasty, some merchants became so rich that they might have been a threat to the emperor and the nobles. The richest merchants attained their wealth by investing money in land and properties. Several merchants, though, were not as wealthy. In order to limit their wealth, merchants had certain restrictions placed on them. Such restrictions included paying heavy taxes and being sent away to join the army. Slaves had existed in ancient China, but they made a very small percentage of the population. Some slaves were relatives of criminals while other sold themselves or their children as slaves if they were very poor. Ancient China appears to be very serious about social classes. In fact, I think everybodys lives ruled around their class. Most of the children in ancient China never got a chance to go to school at all. They had to work hard in the fields, feeding the  animals, weeding the vegetables, planting  rice, or taking care of their  little brothers or sisters. But if you were a boy, and your father could have spared you from the fields, he would send you to school. Beginning in the  Han Dynasty, many schools used to be free, and the emperor paid for their fees. If there were no schools in your village, you might have had to go live with relatives or with strangers in another bigger town. Boys would normally start school when they were six years old. Primary schools were very small, and only had one teacher for the whole school. There was one chair for the teacher, but all the boys had to sit on stools. You were supposed to go to school every day, without weekends, from 6:00 in the morning until about 4:00 in the afternoon. They didnt have math lessons, or science. You learned how to  read and write, a nd then you memorized many pages of  Confucian philosophy  and learned how to write essays and poetry, and how to  paint pictures. Then, you stayed at this school until you were sixteen or seventeen, which is when you are ready for the first examinations. Education in China was quite important, since it was what their futures depended on. If they were not educated, they would most likely work at farms, or work for others in a low social state (if they were not rich). When they are educated, it gave the people a chance at having a better life. Maybe they would be assisting the royal families, and not as a slave. They could be advisors, or maybe even teachers. I think they needed education quite a lot, in order to be anything big in life. I think ancient China is very interesting and complicated. I think the past was quite hard as it seems most people, if they are not rich or dont have any royal relations, dont get any special treatment, in fact, they barely get and good treatment at all. They had seemed to have lead interesting lives and have various beliefs. Their civilization lasted for a very long time, and they have a very developed society ever since it had started. Bibliography Allan, Tony.  Ancient China. New York: Chelsea House, 2007. Print. Allison, Amy.  Life in Ancient China. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 2001. Print. Ancient China Social Classes.  Translation Services | Interpreters | Intercultural Communication | Cross Cultural Training. Web. 17 May 2010. . Chinese Roofs.  Oracle ThinkQuest Library. Web. 4 May 2010. . Eyewitness Travel Guide China.  Dk Pub, 2010. Print. History of Education in China.  Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 16 May 2010. . History of Silk.  Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 22 Apr. 2010. . Http://homepage.mac.com/zichi/.Pictures/blogger2/silk-worms.jpg Http://seaholmeps.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/chinese-architecture.jpg Http://www.cntravel.biz/China/ancient-China/confucius.gif Http://www.kavehfarrokh.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/terracota-army.jpg http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-14_u-173_t-471_c-1707/social-hierarchy/nsw/history/ancient-societiesChina/ancient-China:-part-i Shang Chou (Zhou) Dynasties Ancient China for Kids.  Ancient China for Kids Main Index. Web. 2 May 2010. . Ten Laments Technology and Education in Ancient China.  Logoi.com An Educational Site about Cultures, Languages and History. Web. 17 May 2010. .

Goethes Faust - Mocking Religion :: Faust Essays

Faust:   Mocking Religion  Ã‚  Ã‚      The play Faust by Goethe is subtitled a tragedy. There's nothing in the play like Romeo and Juliet. So why would it be subtitled a tragedy? Well I don't know who or why they call it a tragedy, but I know why I would call it a tragedy. Some things in the play are very tragic: for example the mocking of religion (lines 290-295) the pregnancy of the girl, the loss of faith (line 388) the intelligent Faust losing hope (line 381) and though we didn't read this, the fact that Faust goes to Heaven after all he died (the very end of the play)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout this play religion is constantly mocked. The Devil and God are pretty buddy buddy. I mean they make bets, they have casual conversation (lines 275-302) They are just kind of friends. I am not the most religious person, but I know that the Devil and God are not friends. They do not talk, make bets, or hang out together. An obvious mocking right there. Also it seems that the powerful Devil is not powerful at all. He is repeatedly outsmarted by a mere mortal (line 2715) and has many limitation. If you grow up going to church and being taught religion you are under the impression that the Devil is so powerful, always tempting us mortals and finally buying our souls. God and the Devil are made fun of by showing how much little power they have. God over the Devil and the devil over mortals. The girl, Grethen, getting pregnant is a tragedy for the simple fact that she and Faust are in love and would probably be in love for ever and ever had it not been for the Devil. Faust loves this girl and would love to be with her forever, but the Devil says that Faust can sleep with any girl without staying with her. So the Devil convinces Faust to tarnish this innocent girl. He sleeps with her getting her pregnant and thus sending her to jail (it is a crime back then for a woman to get pregnant without being married) Faust knows that the women he loves is in jail, possibly forever and he wants to help, but the Devil convinces him otherwise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Faust's loss of faith is another issue in this play that I feel was a tragedy.

Essay --

Edmund S. Morgan's book, "The Puritan Dilemma", is an account of the events encountered by John Winthrop's mission of creating a city on a hill. Winthrop leads and directs the Massachusetts Bay Company, to the new world, while trying to find a solution to the Puritan dilemma, which was how they were going to live in the world while trying to live up to the ideals in the Bible. These ideals lead John Winthrop to propose the creation of a â€Å"city on a hill†. His proposition involves reforming the Church of England, in the new world, by purifying the church of all its flaws. It would create a citadel of God’s chosen people, the kind of society that God demanded of all His servants. According to Winthrop, "They should be purified of their unregenerate members, their heretical clergymen, their unwarranted ceremonies, their bishops, and archbishops, but they were nevertheless churches and must be embraced as churches". (Morgan, 27) Winthrop continues to emphasize that they have been selected by God, like Israel of old, to serve as a model society to others; they would be a â€Å"city on a hill† for everyone to see and observe. â€Å"The eyes of all people are upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw this present from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world, we shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God and all our professors for God’s sake; we shall shame the faces of many gods worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land wither we are going.† (Morgan, Page 64) In other words, no matter if the society they set out to create was successful or if they failed in th... ...lects some of the rules that the â€Å"city on a hill† used, in order to maintain structure. Ultimately, Winthrop’s goals were similar to the modern day idea of the â€Å"American dream,† something all individuals in the New World have sought to achieve over its history. The beliefs of the American dream have been redefined over time to accommodate new standards of societal order, as politicians today still continue to create a thriving society with just and godly beliefs. Religion is still important in many facets of society, but not in the same structure John Winthrop had hoped for. Overall, the â€Å"City on a Hill† was meant to serve as an example society for others to study and learn from, no matter if it succeeded or failed, which it ultimately accomplished. Although many Puritan beliefs have gone by the wayside, they were able to set a precedent for future generations.

Background Info on My Forbidden Face :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live as an Afghan girl under the rule of the Taliban? This question is answered in the book My Forbidden Face. Latifa, a young Afghan girl, discusses her struggles throughout the book. Latifa faces several different problems while being under the rule of the Taliban. She handles these problems with the best of her ability.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First of all, Latifa had to deal with the struggles her mom was facing. Latifa’s mother was very ill so she dealt with the situation by trying to help her mother out in every way possible. Latifa was always there to comfort her mom. Latifa’s mother was also struggling with not being able to work. Because women weren’t allowed to do anything in the Afghan society, Latifa opened a school for the apartment children. Latifa’s mother managed to help out by cooking, which she considered a form of work. She watched her children be mistreated throughout the Taliban rule. Latifa had all intentions of receiving an education but she couldn’t go to school due to the laws of the Taliban. Latifa’s mother saw strong ambitions in her daughter so she encouraged her to believe in herself and always do her best. Latifa managed to deal with her mom’s struggles very well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Secondly, Latifa had to deal with the way women were treated in the Afghan society. Women weren’t allowed to go outside of their homes without the company of their father or brother. Latifa managed to deal with this by staying inside. She knew she wouldn’t have to deal with the Taliban if she avoided them. Latifa also couldn’t stand the fact that women couldn’t hold jobs. She opened up a school for the children of her apartment complex knowing there would be harsh consequences if caught. She also had to deal with knowing her mother and sister had to give their jobs up. Women were also required to dress in certain clothing. Latifa claimed   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   she couldn’t walk in the long skirts and couldn’t breathe under the facial clothing. Latifa liked to wear nail polish and earrings but this privilege was taken away when the Taliban came into power. Women were treated very badly under the Taliban rule, but Latifa found ways to deal with it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thirdly, Latifa had to deal with her own illness of depression and learned to deal with this by reading.

Analysis of Ryanair Essay

Ryanair established in 1985 carrying more than 5,000 passengers between its route Waterford Airport in Ireland to London Gatwick during its first year. The company expanded by 1989 had 350 employees, 14 aircraft and carrying more than 600,000 passengers a year. In 1997 there were dramatic changes in the European airline industry with deregulation of European Union air transportation allowed airlines to open new routes into Europe. The European Low fares association reported that low fares airlines are carrying more passengers than before with an increasing number of destinations in Europe set to increase from 38% to 53% in European travel (elfaa.com, 2011). Ryanair took advantage from the deregulation with routes from London Stansted to Stockholm, Oslo and Paris. By 2001 Ryanair launched its own travel website and within 3 months received 50,000 bookings (Ryanair.com, 2011). The report will focus on the low cost industry environment by identifying the opportunities and threats as well as five forces of the external environment. The report will also identify the strengths and weaknesses of Ryanair. Part 1: Low cost Airline industry The low cost airline industry has become the most profitable with all segments in the market with low prices and high load factors. This strategy has been challenged since the 1990s with the liberalization of services allowing new entrants to compete for business (Economist.com, 2011). The low cost airline industry operates all activities by reducing costs in order to gain strategic success and competitive advantage. This approach has a lot of opportunities as well as threats. Political Governments in the UK have the highest tax compared to Germany with a $1.3bn departure tax and Austria’s similar $119m duty tax (Independent.co.uk, 2011). The threat of passengers paying higher prices as a result of increased tax for their airline tickets can lower profits for airlines. This can affect low cost airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet as the higher taxes cut profits for the company for example Easyjet stated they had lost  £21m of its  £153m in 2011 (IATA.com, 2011). Acts of terrorism can also be a major threat to the airline industry. Initiating further routes is an opportunity for low cost airlines to other destinations in Europe with its growing economy and additional 15 EU countries that joined in 2004 such as Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Latvia can offer new opportunities for new routes to increase the number of passengers(Delfmann, 2005). There has also been a threat with the plans to sell Stansted airport, the main location for low budget airlines after the Competition Commission to reduce its dominance in the market. This will bring greater competition to low cost airlines and benefit passengers with more low fare airlines from regional airports such as Gatwick and Stansted competing more (Telegraph.co.uk/travel, 2011). Economic The threat of rising oil prices caused global airlines to lose $16 billion in profits which did rebound in 2010 with higher traffic. The threat continues with oil prices averaging $110 a barrel and estimated to further increases in the industry’s fuel bill which will rise from $10 billion to $176 billion (Bangkokpost.com, 2011). This threat has also been warned by Willie Walsh, the chief executive of British Airways and Iberia who cautioned that European carriers have to bear the impact of the high fuel costs with some operators having to go out of business (Guardian.co.uk, 2011). The recession in 2008 resulted in travelers seeking cheaper fares and led to growth in sales for budget airlines. This opportunity during recession allows budget airlines to take advantage and of more travelers seeking low fares with budget airlines rather than more expensive airline tickets. With the higher oil prices, natural disasters in Japan, discontent in the Middle East, North Africa and can force competitors in the airline industry to increase prices and fuel surcharges which pose major threats to airlines profits and survival of airlines. Social The growth in demand for passengers seeking low cost airlines for cheaper fares is an opportunity for budget airlines. People are living a better standard of life with declining inequality of incomes made up mostly of middle class income people. People are also more well-travelled, experienced and seek new destinations with the growth of vacation property (Goeldner and Ritchie, 2009). This is an opportunity as budget airlines frequently service short haul destinations for short trips or weekend trips for leisure or business purposes offering more destinations and new experiences to people with low fares. Migration has also made commuting a factor with people seeking employment opportunities and education as a motive for travelling as well as the rising quality standards has shown to expect growth for low cost airlines (Gross and Schrà ¶der, 2007). There are significant opportunities for low cost airlines that can benefit from the demand of increasing passenger from various destinations and purposes. Many people also seeking new destinations is a good opportunity for budget airlines to increase passenger numbers and revenue by providing different destinations of regional airports. Technological The increasing popularity of information technology is an opportunity for low budget airlines as they don’t use travel agents to sell tickets and allows consumers to be informed about schedules, compare prices and itineraries as well as flights with other airlines (Pease etl al., 2007). The new ‘saddle seat’ which is designed to allow 23 inches of legroom compared to 30 inches on a normal seat space and shaped to sit at an angle increase the number of seat for an airline (Telegraph.co.uk/travel, 2011). The seats offer an opportunity for low budget airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet to allow more storage space and more passengers in a plane which can increase revenues. The opportunities in technology allows airlines to take advantage of potential revenues with the internet offering direct marketing for customers and value added service by bringing offers to the customers directly. The opportunities for of the new seats can offer planes to fit more passengers and is a further potential a growth in revenue for budget airlines. Legal The airline industry has considerable regulations with issues concerning legislation and guidelines. For example low cost airlines have aggressive advertising campaigns to emphasize low fares which have become an issue with consumer protection legislation. Separate details of surcharges such as government tax, airport tax and fuel surcharge have to be included so that it does not consumers are not misinterpreted and misunderstood when buying a ticket. This is a threat to low cost airlines as it disregards the concept of low fares with all the taxes passed on by governments and aviation authorities. Low cost airlines can be substantially threatened with EU regulations and laws which can lower profits and damage the reputation of an airline with a negative image. Environmental Natural disasters such as the 2010 Iceland Volcano which caused 14,000 Ryanair flights cancelled. Costs of the 2010 Iceland disruption to the global airline industry soared to  £1.1bn according to estimates from the International Air Transport Association (Iata) (Guardian.co.uk, 2010). This threat to the airline industry faced by natural disasters such as the Iceland volcano can occur at any time and stop people from travelling costing airlines major disruptions with delays or cancellations. Emissions used by the airline industry have been increasingly growing rapidly over recent years, increasing 98% between 1990 and 2006 with predications of further increases to another 88% by 2050. This threat to the aviation industry enforcing airlines to pay for carbon dioxide and lower profits (Ftadviser.com, 2011). Porter’s five forces Porter points out the five forces which consist of bargaining power of suppliers, buyers, threat of potential new entrants and threat of substitutes to the industry. A company can adapt to the forces in order to increase chances of gaining sustainable competitive advantage and profitability. In understanding the strategic decisions a company has to make, it can be useful to look at the five forces of rivalry amongst the firm, substitution, new entry, the power of customers and the power of suppliers. Figure 1.1: Porters five forces Source: (Fouris and Oswald, 2006) Barriers of entry: to obtain aircrafts is extremely expensive and acquiring a basis at airports is also difficult (Gross and Schrà ¶der, 2007). With the success of Southwest airlines and deregulation and liberalization of the airline industry has allowed 40 budget airlines in the airline such as Easy Jet. This level is high as a result of these factors. Substitution- for the short haul flights, the substitute products include car, train and boat services. Travelling by train is clearly a substitute choice for travellers as it is high speed or travelling by car with the many motorway links available can have an impact. Technology can also be a substitute, for example business travellers may choose to conference skype calls over the internet. This level is moderate as flying is the main method of travelling long distances at a shorter time. Bargaining power of buyers: consumers can now purchase their own tickets from low cost airlines and can choose airlines with for higher level of quality, better service and lower price. Customers have the power to easily switch to another product that have lower prices with the ease of the internet (Hitt, et al, 2008). This popularity of comparison internet sites allows passengers to compare flight prices and choose the lowest cost airline of their choice. Therefore to survive with these intense factors airlines have to provide lowest fares to attract customers which is important for budget airlines and as a result the power of buyers is high as they consumers choose lowest fares causing risk of survival to an airline. Bargaining power of suppliers: Airlines rely heavily on the inputs for the company to survive which would be fuel, materials for the planes, services and manpower. Airlines either use Boeing or Airbus together with high maintenance fees, training staff. Additionally with the increase of cost for fuel to $50bn in 2011 resulted in travelers paying higher prices for tickets (Reuters.com, 2011). Therefore these inputs have high bargaining power over airlines as it can affect profits of an airline substantially. Competitor rivalry: may occur from price competition, product differentiation, advertising against other competitors is likely to affect the business (Bowhill, 2008). The intense rivalry occurs between low fares carriers are Ryanair, Easyjet and the carriers that provide ‘frills’ service with lower fares are British Midland Airways. Rivals also have to invest high capital investment and have a unique selling point to attract a large majority of customers and offer significant discounts and special offers. According the annual reports of Ryanair and Easy Jet, in 2010 Ryanair carried over 66 million passengers in comparison to Easy Jet carrying just 34 million. Therefore the airline’s low cost model delivers increased revenue and passenger growth as customers seek cheaper flights and benefit from price wars between airline fares. However budget airlines are still affected by rivalry with Ryanair and Easy Jet competing for customers flying with no frills airlines and the level of competitor rivalry is moderate. Conclusion Finally the analysis has demonstrated the attractiveness for the budget airline based on the ease of entry regulations and with the low expenditure costs lower than charter airlines that provide more service. The unstable environment has led to an increase in fuel costs with airlines paying heavily for their supply and in contrast the unpredictable economic environment has caused consumers to spend less and look for cheaper travel and prefer budget airlines such as Ryanair. Even though there is intense rivalry between airlines, budget airlines have an attractive strategy with more airlines using the low cost model to compete for passengers. Part 2: Internal analysis The internal factors of Ryanair’s concerns strengths and weaknesses to assess the extent to which the strategies for the airline in order to be successful, these summarizes the internal business environment and the capabilities (Johnson et al., 2002). The strengths of Ryanair are: The company has a successful low cost model benefitting from low expenses by using staff to clean the plane, passengers have to pay to print boarding pass reducing the need for staff at check in desks and take advantage of the internet to sell tickets. Ryanair’s low fares are aimed at encouraging demand especially with price sensitive leisure and business travellers that might choose alternative forms of transport method. Ryanair have set fares on the basis of demand on particular flights with higher fares on flights that have the highest demand for bookings booked nearer to the date of departure. Ryanairs competitors also do not operate on comparison sites and save commission or fees to other comparison websites. The company loses fewer bags and with 88% punctual flights compared to competitor’s ant explains why the company is a favorite airline for customers with over 73 million passengers in 2010 (Ryanair.com, Annual report 2010). Flights to secondary airports: the company offers point to point service on short haul flights to secondary and regional airports around the major hub centers and cities. The point to point routes rather than hub airports allow the company to provide direct nonstop flights and avoid the costs of providing services through connecting passengers, baggage transfers and transit passenger assistant costs. By choosing secondary locations allows convenience for a large majority of the population and is generally less crowded than in major airports. This has also resulted in on time flights, faster turnaround times, less terminal delays as well as more competitive airport access and handling costs or operating restrictions that can reduce expenses (Ryanair Annual Report, 2010). Low operating costs: Ryanair maintain low operating costs as a low budget airline company and aims to reduce costs in main areas which include: aircraft equipment, personnel productivity, customer service costs and airport access and handling costs. Weaknesses Ryanair have been negatively perceived as arrogant as the company does not take into consideration the competition by putting other low fares airlines out of business creating a bad image with negative media. Ryanair is viewed as not caring too much about customer needs or problems which reflect O’Leary’s opinion that customers pay low prices and get a good deal therefore should expect low standards. There have also been complaints for the extra payments for fees and taxes as well as paying higher prices for stowing luggage and onboard food and beverage. The company has also come across as having a negative reputation by having underpaid staff that are disciplined for any mistakes, work long hours and unhappy staff with staff (itfglobal.org, 2011). The company also charges  £5 for every purchase using bank card,  £40 for printing a boarding pass at the airport and  £100 for changing the name on the booking. Therefore customers often have to pay a lot more than they expected which makes Ryanair’s image appear dishonest (Ryanair.com, 2011). Porters value chain The generic strategies are concerned with the strategies of the company and at the micro level by exploring Porters model of the value chain. The value chain classifies the activities of the company and divided into primary and support activities used to identify the cost leadership strategy as illustrated in appendices b. The core competencies of Ryanair consist of maximizing revenues whilst providing a no frills low cost strategy and keeping logistics simple. This is maintained by Ryanair’s capability to lower operating costs such as aggressive online booking reducing the cost of staff and operate in secondary airports using Boeing 737-800. Through simple services and investing less on employees, Ryanair core competencies provide effective and efficient resource management. The primary activities involved in the inbound logistics of Ryanair consist of its 272 Boeing 737-800 planes that can carry 189 people and agreements to secondary airports. Ryanair have contract agreements with these large aircrafts with the ability to fly long hours and do not charge fuel surcharge (Ryanair.co.uk, 2010). Operations: Ryanair have lower unit costs as part of its operation and save costs through lower handling fees, landing fees in secondary airports and fast turnaround times with the capacity to utilize the aircraft at a shorter time. Ryanair operate in 1,110 routes and 1,400 flights a day from 44 bases. The efficiency of its operation supports the low cost strategy position with fast turnaround times, no meals on board and improved employee productivity (Ryanair.com, 2010). Financial analysis The strengths of Ryanair are quite clear. The company has been profitable with an increase in profits of 26% to â‚ ¬401m and operating profit increase by 28% to â‚ ¬516.2m in 2011. The figure below illustrates how the company increased passengers by 8% and revenue 16% by 2010. Figure 2.1: Summary Table of results (IFRS) in Euro Source: (Ryanair.com, 2011) Figure 2.2: Summary table for EasyJet Source: (Easyjet.com, 2011) As seen from the tables above it can be clear to differentiate the profit revenues. Profit after tax for Ryanair in 2010 was â‚ ¬138 million and for Easyjet was just  £121 million. Revenue for Easyjet in 2010 was  £2, 973 million in 2010 and  £2, 66 million in 2009 compared to Ryanair’s revenue in 2010  £18 million and  £16 million in 2009. According to Ryanair’s annual reports, revenues rose by 16% to â‚ ¬896.8m due to an 8% rise in traffic and a 5% increase in average fares in 2010. Ryanair has been able to gain a growth in revenue even during the financial recession which had a significant effect on other major airlines resulting in bankruptcy and closure. Due to its cost efficient methods through increased passenger traffic with its new routes and low prices Ryanair has been able to uphold its place as the number one low cost carrier. This difference also shows in Ryanair’s current ratio at 1.79 in 2010 compared to Easy jet only gaining 1.33. Conclusion From the internal analysis it is clear to see Ryanair’s low costs strategy means it is less affected than its competitors with its cost leadership. This has required the company to gain a large market share whereby it has purchased large quantities of planes and low cost operations has made shown that cost leadership is the only way to work for the future and globally. Ryanair has built a low cost culture however still needs to pay close attention to the external environmental factors including governmental policies and increased cost of fuel. The core cost savings mentioned has made the company highly successful with its short haul routes with standardized no frills services, higher seating density and its ticketless reservation system. Ryanair have succeeded by becoming a successful airline in Europe with the Southwest airline model and managed to grow its market segment of price sensitive customers through its no frills service. Bibliography Afuah, A. (2009) Strategic Innovation: New Game Strategies for Competitive Advantage. New York: Routledge. Beech, J. and Chadwick, S. (2006) The business of tourism management. 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12 Angry Men sociological analysis Essay

12 Angry Men focuses on a Jurys deliberations in a capital murder case. A 12- man Jury is sent to begin deliberations in the first-degree murder trial of an 18-year- old Latino accused in the stabbing death of his father, where a guilty verdict means automatic death sentence. The case appears to be open-and-shut: The defendant has a weak alibi; a knife he claimed to have lost is found at the murder scene; and several witnesses either heard screaming, saw the killing or the boy fleeing the scene. Eleven of the Jurors immediately vote guilty; only Juror No. Mr. Davis) casts a not guilty vote. At first Mr. Davis’ bases his vote more so for the sake of discussion after all, the Jurors must believe beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty. As the deliberations unfold, the story quickly becomes a study of the Jurors’ complex personalities (ranging from wise, bright and empathetic to arrogant, prejudiced and merciless), preconceptions, backgrounds and interaction s. That provides the backdrop to Mr. Davis’ attempts in convincing the other Jurors that a â€Å"not guilty’ verdict might be appropriate. A huge feel of the film is gotten through the time period it took place in. People’s views on race were made very publicly within the Jury. Many of them seemed to have personal vendettas against different races. They deemed the boys Hispanic race to be slum and nothing more than that. A universal problem that is shown in several ways throughout the film is personal prejudice getting in the way of Judgment. Juror number ten’s reason for saying the accused boy was guilty was because he felt people from slums should not be trusted and that they kill one and another for fun. His prejudice lead him to discriminate against the boy initially by voting guilty earlier in the film, before being convinced in voting not guilty. This was during the civil rights era and all of that. We all know blacks weren’t treated equally and this makes it apparent that it wasn’t easy for any minority within the US. Theyd rather lock them up and throw away the key than give them a fair trial. Tensions run high the second the Jury went into the private room to deliberate. It was a very hot day outside and the fan wasn’t working nor would the windows open. No man wanted to spend more time than what they thought would be efficient to determine the verdict. Some even spoke about their plans for right after, thinking it would be a sure bet theyd be out of there soon with the whole night ahead of them. They were wrong. From then on the film turned into an example straight out of a sociology textbook. Everyone didn’t deviate from the norm of the group†¦ All except one, Juror #8. The rest of the Jury was outraged and deemed him a radical. They could not believe two things. One, that he voted not guilty, and second, hat he went against the group norm. He tried not one bit to conform. Rather, he stood up in grand fashion and presented his doubts to his fellow Jurors. Slowly but surely his grand scheme was working. He did not know for sure whether he was guilty or not guilty, but he had a reasonable doubt and that’s all about what the justice system stands tor. It’s so interesting when you bring a group o t 12 random people into a setting like a Jury and see what you come up with. All of these men, from different walks of life , they all brought something special to the table that was ital to their key decision. The sociological theory that tone of this film could easily fall under is the conflict perspective. At the very beginning, viewers can clearly see the tension is between the Jurors whom most have a personal prejudice against the boy for certain reason. Some Jurors simply expected that a boy from the slums would commit an act like that they were stereotyping that all people who come from slums are criminals. Even if a person is not personally prejudiced against and individual or group, stereotypes can have them make discriminatory actions such as vote guilty. The reason most of the Jurors stereotyped the actions of the accused boys is because of socialization. The way of transmission was most likely through media; crimes shown by television new or new papers are frequently from neighborhood of low economics standing. Deviance a topic I touched on earlier, is another sociological aspect that can be examined in this film. Deviance is a very relative term where depending on the group and situation, it varies. Juror 8 was the only that felt from the beginning the boy was not guilty. When the first vote most of the other Jurors by he fact he could think the boy was innocent and even were upset at him for thinking that. As the film progressed the Jurors began changing their votes, eventually the roles were reversed; Juror number 3 appear to be the one committing the deviant act since it is revealed his own reason for voting guilty is because of issues with his own son. One of the most important things I learned in observing the sociological aspects of this film is how easy norms can change. The norms of eleven out of the twelve men voted guilty, changed entirely to guilty as the film came to a chose.