Sustainability marketung

This report analyses SPINE, an online Korean company specializing in quality mobile phone accessories and its plan to enter the sustainability market. The report further analyses the company's mission statement that will set the course for sustainable development. It is recommended that SPINE adopts a sustainable strategy and launch new line of CEO-friendly products that is a variant of three of Spine's best-selling phone cases, â€Å"Neo Hybrid†, â€Å"Slim Armor† and â€Å"Tough Armor†. These new phone cases will be made out of 100% recycled materials.This report will further evaluate the marketing mix strategies involved in implementing sustainable development such as the target market, product, price, promotion and distribution. The report finds that with the company shifting towards a CARS policy, the new sustainable product line will now be targeted at technology savvy Gene X and Gene Y consumer age between 22 to 45 seeking green alternatives as well introd ucing green alternative to already existing customers. The company is to adopt a differentiation strategy to challenge the current market leader head on in this fairly new market.Pricing will continue to be at a premium but a proportion of profit earnings (20%) will be contributed to WFM for funding sustainable campaigns. Distribution strategy will adopt the use of reverse logistic to recycle overstocking of inventory so that raw materials can be reused for future products. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION MARKET BACKGROUND The mobile phones market has received substantial growth in the past years due to the technological advancement as well as the introduction of smart phones becoming an essential part of a person's life in today's digitally connected lifestyle.Along with he progressive growth in smart phone sales around the globe, the market for mobile phone accessories has also received a direct boost in growth. Primarily driven by the uprising sales in smart phones, the market for mobile p hone accessories is projected to reach $ASS 84. 6 billion by the year 2018. This growth is akin to the fact that currently there are over 5. 9 billion mobile phone subscribers worldwide against the world population of 7. Billion people, mirroring a penetration rate of over 80% (Global Industry Analysts, 2012). On top of adding protection to your phone, mobile hone accessories also provide additional customizable and personalization for the user and this creates opportunities for accessories focused on aesthetic. COMPANY BACKGROUND Launched in 2004, SPINE is an online South Korean company specializing in the design of various mobile accessories such as screen protectors, cases, and utility bags for a variety of phones, tablets, and laptop.The company offer products of quality and innovation at a premium price range and is targeted towards the high end consumer market. Some of its notable products include the GLASS series range of . Mm thick tempered glass screen protectors manufactur ed at different shapes and sizes to fit popular smart phone models and also a line-up of high quality polycarbonate phone casings and frames that are light in weight and shock absorbent.In reaction to global awareness, SPINE has realized the need to cater its products to the shift in consumers' mindset towards green products. This means to re-establish the current goals and commitment of the company and also to create a new product line to pander towards a new market segment. The objective is to increase the rand's product reach and also employ ethical and green policy that will bring a positive image to the brand as a company who supports in the sustainability of the world.AIM This report aims to establish a good sustainable strategy that will aid SPINE in the launch of a new product range of mobile accessories that will be 100% environmentally friendly. This will redefine SPINE as sustainable company that will set itself apart from its competitors as well as enrage new customers t o the brand through its appeal towards environmental sustainability. This report will state the recommendations for change required to proceed with the munch of this new product such as altering and creating new marketing mix strategies for SPINE to appeal to a new audience.This includes defining a new target market, as well as implementing a suitable product, pricing, and promotion and distribution strategies for the new product line. 2 MISSION STATEMENT In the past, companies were narrowly concern the quantity of production and manufactures only expanded supply and lower cost which burden a huge impact on environment. Nowadays, mass production expanding led to overcapacity in various markets as supply exceeds demand.The sustainable marketing focuses on the target roof of green consumers who would be willing to pay premium prices for more environmentally friendly products. (Frank-Martin Bell and Ken Appetite 2009, pap) SPINE ignited the design of mobile phone markets revolution in the sass with the mobile phone accessories. Today, SPINE continue to lead the industry in innovation with its mobile phone accessories into sustainable market in order to paying more attention for responsibility to society, and ethical concerns about the social and environmental impacts. RECOMMENDATION FOR CHANGE In order to create sustainable development, SPINE will need to look into the economic, environmental and social factors that will contribute to this change. As Creating sustainable development is to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs (The Borderland report ‘Our Common Future' 1987), it is crucial for the company to not only look into environmental friendly alternatives but also to support the society through social responsibility such as equality, poverty etc. ND at the same time generating a sustainable profit for economic growth. For this to happen, it is recommended that SPINE adopts a sustainabl e development tragedy by promoting a new product line that will increase public awareness towards Spine's decision in adopting a Corporate Social Responsibility CARS policy. This will be accomplished by reinventing three of its most popular product range, namely â€Å"Neo Hybrid†, â€Å"Slim Armor† and â€Å"Tough Armor† and creating new CEO- friendly variants for the respective product.The new product line will continue to be consistent in quality, functionality as well as technical features of the current existing product line but will also be environmentally sustainable through the use of 100% recycled materials. For example, the Neo-hybrid phone casing CEO variant will continue to provide protection, shock absorption and customization through interchangeable frames and will also be made from 100% recycled parts. The new product line will be marketed towards environmentally aware consumers; it will also reach out to new users within the market to expand total demand.The introduction of new sustainable products will act as a stepping stone for Spine's to convert more of its existing products into green products in the future and to fully incorporate sustainable development in all of its product range. In addition to helping the environment, SPINE has paired up with World Wide Fund for Nature (WFM) to engage in humanitarian activities through contribution of 20% of their product's earning in funding charity campaign.Economically, with the cost in research and development as well as the cost of outsourcing recycled materials from various suppliers, SPINE will need to set a maximum cost of goods sold COGS no higher than 30% of mark-up to be able to generate a healthy profit in order to sustain the business. By satisfying the all three elements in creating a balanced sustainable development Truckee, SPINE will create a strong foundation in the shift towards a sustainable solution. MARKETING OBJECTIVES While Spine's primary marketing goal is to offer products for the mobile phone and gadgets not only from being scratched or impacted but also, as there are potentially a sizeable market for more sustainable products, shifting our marketing focus towards targeting on green market have been identified as a great opportunity. Presently, Spine's aimed at people between the ages of 22-45 who are searching for functional and sustainable protection covers.If SPINE can put forward an agenda uh for seeking the environmental, safe and recycle products would enable SPINE to start enhancing its positive image as an CEO-friendly company. The following are important objectives for Spine's green product range. INCREASE MARKET SHARE Conventionally, marketing performance is only concern about economic and growth- oriented issues, managers are not aware of considering in sustainability objectives. Presently, marketing objectives have to be provided by green materials. Frank-Martin Bell and Ken Appetite, 2009) SPINE should increase market s hare in era of sustainability from 0% into 10%. RAISE PUBLIC & CUSTOMER SATISFACTION To connect with consumers by taking advantage of social media could increase more public awareness, faith, loyalty, and by creating higher customer popularity results for making high level of benefits. There are more modern communication tools in today's society. For example, Faceable is the most popular tools with over 300 million users; SPINE should follow closely with the development of modern communication channels.Social media is the vital tools being used for communicating which provide the fast-paced information from global online channels, making consumers get more acknowledge with the brands. The Faceable online page posts photos, activities, innovations of new products and customer comments. The customers of SPINE on the Faceable can post their individual products photos, information, and impressions in order to let the company to acknowledge immediately.SPINE can then reply to the comment s and provide more advices about the products, making the communication more effectively and increase customers' satisfaction about the products. Specializing on social media will allow SPINE enhance brand awareness and gain more satisfactions from customers. REDUCE THE POTENTIAL NEGATIVE IMPACT ON HEALTH Researches have shown that mobile phone accessories that are made from mass- production plants using cheap materials in the manufacturing process can generate CHIC, a hazardous gas in which if it reaches the point at 0. OMG/mm are very harmful to the human body and also to the environment. Spine's production plants are closely monitored to ensure all materials are quality controlled and that all emission levels are kept at or below industry levels. All of the recycled materials in production process goes through the same monitoring and control to ensure all the mobile hone covers and gadgets match the highest safety standards not only to keep customer more safe and healthy, but als o to reduce our carbon footprint on the environment. MARKETING MIX STRATEGIES Camphor & Bandage, (2005) mentions in the Journal â€Å"Green Marketing Philosophy' that if marketing philosophy is a process of which the firm conceives the consumer into an exchange relationship whereby the firm offers a product to the market, which is driven by the desires of the consumer and aims to fulfill that desire in the most beneficial way for the entity or company.Then green marketing philosophy can be scribed as the exchange relationship that goes beyond the current needs of the consumers in terms of addressing the social interests in the conservation and protection of the natural environment at the same time. From a green marketer's perspective, as Fuller (1999) describes, a ‘new competitive game' is at play as there are three parties that are involved in the exchange relationship: the company, the consumer and the environment.Green marketing goes beyond the commercial exchange of fulfi lling a desire of the consumer, it is a way of understanding the company's relationship with society in general. With that in mind, green marketing an be found within the approach of social marketing (Kettle, 1995), it is a way of understanding the exchange relationship by planning, implementing and controlling a policy for product, price, promotion and distribution that at the same time fulfill customer needs and the objectives of the company while reducing any current or potential negative effects to the natural environment.TARGET MARKETS The previous target market for SPINE products are technology sax. N. Y Gene X and Gene Y consumers between the ages of 18-45. Primarily enthusiasts for electronic gadgets such as smart phones, tablets and laptops. These consumers seeks for accessories that can not only protects their favorite gadgets, but also be able to do it in a way that allows them to express who they are from Spine's variety of products that offers form, functionality and pr otection through innovative designs and materials.As the company re-defines itself through the launch of a new product range of 100% environmental friendly mobile accessories that are made from recyclable materials. The new target market is now aimed at people between the ages of 22-45, who are seeking for greener alternatives to accessories their gadgets without sacrificing quality and functionality. Consumers in their early ass's start to get more influence from the importance of green sustainable products, also the income level is another factor of consideration as people get older, their disposable income are likely to increase along with the level of green-awareness.SPINE'S green-product range consumers represent a demographic group of well-educated successful young adults, single or married with an annual household income range of ADD $40,000 – $100,000 or more. They are particular about their taste in styling and self-image aware, trendy and strives for high-quality in novative and sustainable products on the racket. PRODUCT STRATEGIES With over ten years in the industry, SPINE has established a solid reputation through its design and innovation. The success of SPINE is a direct result of the fast-growing smartened and tablet users around the globe (SPINE, 2014).With this in mind, SPINE have discovered that there are enormous market opportunities for green-sustainable gadget accessories as there are currently very few numbers of competitors in this segment, for example:, Case-mate, Groveled, Minimize and Ore that produces phone cases and accessories from part to 100% recycled materials, wood and bamboo. SPINE aims to challenge the market leaders by differentiation and with plans to become the market leader of this segment. In order for the company to differentiate from other competitors, it aims to use 100% recycled materials in the production of our green product range.The recycled materials will come from industry and household wastes as well as recycling old mobile phones, phone cases and other electronic devices. The green range products will not substitute quality, functionality or appeal for using recycled materials, in fact, all of our green products are able to keep all of the original features so our customers can est. assure that they are getting high quality products while contribute to our mission to raise awareness and the importance for using sustainable phone and gadget accessories.SPINE will also donate 20% of profits from its green range to WFM and other organizations for research and conservation purposes. PRICING STRATEGIES The prices of our green sustainable product range are set accordingly with the competition in mind, also to cover the initial research and development costs as well as on-going costs associated with recycled materials. The company does not aim to hare a high premium over the green label, nor does it attempt to lower the price in order to sell high quantities of products.It is set at a p rice where consumers feel that it is reasonable and will be comfortable of purchasing knowing that a large portion of the profits will be used for a better cause such as further research for more sustainable products and in forms of donations to conservation organizations such as the WFM. PROMOTION STRATEGIES SPINE currently has 7 sub divisions apart from the Korean headquarters in different countries around the world which are USA, Japan, Hong Kong, I-J, Turkey, China andTaiwan. Each of the divisions has its own authorized retailers and resellers. These divisions are responsible to interact and provide information with the consumers, retailers and resellers whenever it launches a new product through various methods such as direct mail, face to face, e-mail and through social media sites such as Faceable and twitter. All of Spine's product range can be found on the division countries respective websites (SPINE, 2014).Promotional activities will take place before the launch of the gr een product ranges to establish awareness for sellers and errs to grasp an idea of what is to be released and how it is differentiated from the competitor's products, training programs will be conducted by trained staff assigned from Korean, American and Japanese headquarters to prepare each division's in-line managers and sales personals to be able to pass on to consumers and individual retailers on the features of the new sustainable products.After launch promotions will include forms of discounts, a further 5% discount for customers who trade-in an old phone case when they purchase a product from the green range at participating detail stores. These promotional activities will be carried out through methods mentioned above.As SPINE depend heavily on online sales through its own websites as well as liaising with Amazon and eBay, online promotional activities through these websites, e-mail and social media are vital to keep up to date with the company's goals and visions while cons tantly seek better ways of improving existing products to shift into the new green sustainable future of phone and gadget accessories. DISTRIBUTION STRATEGIES Currently, SPINE adopts direct marketing channels through online sales from its official weeping and also through third party online distributors such as eBay and Amazon.When adopting a sustainable distribution strategy, the company will look at providing biodegradable and recyclable packaging that enables overall volume reduction when transporting to serve the goal of sustainability. Materials used in the packaging will be in the form of lightweight recycled cardboard boxes that provides good protection but maintain flexibility when it comes to transport efficiency. Information and communication technology is also key to Spine's sustainable striation as under overstock can be counter intuitive in reaching the goal of creating a sustainable framework.As SPINE uses short distribution chains (products are shipped directly from t heir warehouse to the customer's doorsteps) good coordination can increase efficiency, but it should be noted that outsourcing suppliers for recycled materials should be monitored and well communicated to avoid over or under stock in inventory. To counter this, reverse logistics will be implemented to recycle unsold goods so that materials can be reused for future products instead of scraping all unwanted inventory. In conclusion, Spine's move to a more sustainable direction will set itself in a positive motion.

Leadership and Management Concepts for Health Professionals Essay

In this essay, leadership will be defined and analysed. A detailed leader profile from my workplace will be developed and described using transformational theory, as this is the most adequate theory to describe the performance, effectiveness and styles used by the leader to achieve the objectives and goals in my workplace. Moreover, the nature of the leader’s role and achievement utilising the theory will be analysed. In addition, transformational theory will be defined and analysed based on different explanations. Leadership is one of the most essential criteria of the nurse manager. It is the process of interaction between the leader and the other staff, influencing them toward workplace goals achievement (Yukl, 1998). Leadership is the ability to provide direction toward preferred future aspirations and aligns the followers toward goals achievement (Kelly-Heidenthal, 2004). Moreover, leadership is viewed as a dynamic interactive process that involves various dimensions, including planning, organising, directing and controlling. The activities of an organised group can be influenced by a process in which the efforts to achieve the goals and tasks are managed by leadership (Roussel, Russell & Swansburg, 2006). Leadership is also defined as inducing individuals or a group to take an action in accordance with the purpose of the leader. Moreover, Roussel, Russell and Swansburg (2006) correctly pointed out that leadership can be explained as a group of individuals who have been inspired by a person to work together toward achieving common goals and missions using appropriate means. A crowd can be transformed into a functioning and useful organisation, and this is a vital component of leadership. Leadership can be formal or informal. As Sullivan and Decker (2004) explain, it can be formal when a nurse manager demonstrates power and authority within a framework of legal approval by the organisation. Leadership can be informal when utilised by a staff member who does not have effective leadership skills, ideas and roles to promote the performance of the work outcomes. Leader’s Profile Mrs. Zahra is a nursing officer who has been working since 1996 in charge of a department in the Armed Forces Hospital, Sultanate of Oman. She is known to everybody in the department and all around the hospital as a friendly person who is intelligent, hardworking, and motivational, a good communicator and a person with a strong personality that inspires others to follow her. In addition, Mrs. Zahra has problem solving skills and extensive experience and knowledge in her speciality as well as in leadership and management. Further, she is a member of the Quality Assurance and Staff Development Committees. As she is in charge of the operating theatres department, she manages the planning and coordination of the operating rooms scheduling system. Moreover, she adjusts the staffing assignments of nursing and ancillary personnel to provide adequate room coverage. Motivation, direction, controlling and evaluation of the staff performance are some of the leader’s responsibilities. Transformational Leadership Transformational theory is the most appropriate theory to describe my leader’s role, nature and achievements. Transformational leadership focuses on how the followers can be motivated, guided and directed to achieve the goals of the work by the leaders (Sullivan & Decker, 2005). Sullivan and Decker (2005) emphasise that generating employees’ commitment to the vision is the goal of transformational leadership. According to Kelly-Heidenthal (2004), ‘transformational leadership is based on the idea of empowering others to engage in pursuing a collective purpose by working together to achieve a vision of a preferred future’. The work of Roussel, Russell and Swansburg (2006) reveals that there are four components of effective and dynamic transformational leadership: management of trust, attention, self and meaning. In management of trust and reliability, decisions based on fairness, honesty and equity that have been made by the transformational leaders will be respected, followed and executed by the nurses. A transformational leader’s judgment is usually consistent and sound. Having vision, goals or a sense of outcomes will lead to achieving the management of attention. Any health care organisation will be defined by how it serves the community and where it is headed in order to achieve its vision statement. Vision means the credible, attractive and realistic future stated for the organisation. Knowing the skills of the staff and how to utilise them effectively is defining the meaning of self. Leaders develop their leadership skills through continuing their education in leadership and management skills so that the burnout and stress facing them will be reduced and controlled. In management of meaning, leaders must inspire commitment in staff by communicating their vision and creating a standardised culture among the staff by using group discussions, meetings, agreements and consensus building in which individual innovation and creativity are well supported. The goals and objectives that are consistent with the vision must be related with the rewards and appraisals for the staff. Moreover, Roussel and Russell (2009) have made clear that in transformational leadership, the achievement of goals that benefits the organisation and the personnel themselves is achieved by empowering the personnel to have a vision about the organisation and to trust the leaders. Transformational leadership can be practiced in hospitals and emergency rooms, as they are unstable and rapidly changing environments. Therefore, leaders in this atmosphere will acknowledge uncertainty, be flexible, motivate, and consider the employees’ values and needs (Roussel & Russell, 2009). In transformational leadership, leaders empower and motivate the staff by involving them in decision-making, which inspires them to be a part of the vision and makes them feel that they are part of the team contributing to the success of the organisation. Leaders inspire the staff by rewarding them for the quality and excellence of the work carried out. As a result, leaders will have staff who demonstrate high quality performance, commitment and job satisfaction Roussel & Russell, 2009). Kelly-Heidenthal (2004) has pointed out that the empowerment and inspiration of the staff leads to high performance and commitment to the organisation through a good relationship between the leaders and the staff. In general, there are certain common characteristics that transformational leaders should have. These are the ability to: instil a sense of capability in staff; offer vision; inspire trust; perform all tasks on time; take risks; manage and take action appropriately during times of crises; and communicate effectively. In the context of a transformational leadership framework, Mrs.  Zahra treats all staff in a friendly way, equally and with perfect communication skills acceptable to all of them. This leads to building a trusting relationship between her and the staff. In addition, the leader involves all the staff in the organisation’s vision and treats each staff member as a part of it. As a result, the self-confidence of the staff is gained and restored. The leader is concerned about the values and needs of her staff as she routinely holds individual meetings with each staff member in her office, asking each one of them about their feelings, needs and problems and tries to address them. Further, she shares many responsibilities and power with the staff; therefore, the staff feel responsible to work harder and more effectively. This causes all staff to be more motivated and work hard to accomplish the goals and tasks of the organisation. The leader holds general meetings with all staff frequently sharing with them decision-making, work strategies and any other new ideas from the staff. Consequently, all staff are inspired to be a part of the team, working hard and effectively for the vision of the organisation. The leader inspires the staff by being a model of a hard working, responsible and motivational person. In doing so, she motivates and stimulates staff performance and commitment to achieve the goals of the organisation. As Mrs. Zahra is a trustworthy and reliable leader. All staff follow her decisions with a sense that she is doing the best for the achievement of the organisation’s tasks. She directs, guides and controls all operating theatres scheduling systems. She delegates and allocates staff to fulfil various functions as a motivation process, which increases the trusting relationship between her and the staff. This leads to increased staff commitment, goals’ achievement and job satisfaction. The leader develops staff knowledge and experience in collaboration with the staff development department by involving them in ongoing job training programs in the Armed Forces Hospital or by sending them for short courses in Oman or nearby countries. Thus, staff will be more knowledgeable, educated, and more capable to carry out the work and tasks effectively and on time. As an example of the leader’s motivation of the staff, she has assigned a monthly reward for one of the staff members who works hard and effectively with high performance. This creates competition amongst the staff to work harder with a high level of performance and commitment to achieve the goals of the organisation. Moreover, this process demonstrates the meaning of inspiration skills and how to motivate the staff positively within the organisation. After all, the organisation’s performance and productivity in general will be increased and delivered with high quality standards. Conclusion Leadership is one of the most important skills in nurse managers. It is a process of interaction between the leader and the staff, influencing them positively toward achieving the goals and tasks of the organisation. Transformational leadership is very effective and is commonly used in hospitals. It is based on ideas of empowering, inspiring and motivating the staff toward working together to achieve the organisation’s goals and vision. A transformational leader who acts as a role model can influence the staff and make them accountable for their own practice, work achievement and staff development (McNaron, 2009, pp. 89-560). Moreover, high levels of competency can be gained by using transformational leadership skills and the quality of patient care outcomes will be improved as a result. Staff development, commitment and job satisfaction can be improved by using transformational leadership skills. These are motivation, inspiration, empowerment, building a trusting relationship between the leader and the staff, sharing power and decision-making and rewarding staff for quality and excellence of job achievement. My leader’s profile has been discussed in detail. As well as her nature, goals and achievements, using transformational leadership theory has been recognised with many similarities between them. She applied transformational leadership skills very effectively and utilised them toward the improvement of staff and the organisation’s productivity in general. I enjoyed working in the operating theatres department with Mrs. Zahra’s leadership and I hope that I will continue working with her for many years to come. I wish the best for my leader and for her to continue in her current leadership style.

Development of Higher Education in UAE Research Paper

Development of Higher Education in UAE - Research Paper Example The thesis statement is expected to play a significant role in explaining the rationale behind the increasing focus of the government on the development of higher education. The thesis statement gained importance in the view that the economy of UAE has attained rapid growth in the last forty years due to the growth of its primary sector which is the oil and gas reserves. The recent trends have shown that UAE has started to shift towards the mode of knowledge based economy due to the economic fluctuation affecting the oil and gas sector and the emergence of tourism and knowledge based businesses as partial substitutes (Fox, 2007). There are various experts who have identified the growth of higher education in the economy of UAE and the have carried out thesis work on this topic to explore in detail the issues involved in the development of higher education in the region and the ways in which these issues have been resolved. Body   The development of higher education in UAE has been studied by analyzing the issues involved in this field. The examination of the past and present scenario in the education sector of UAE helped in detailed analysis and comparison of the present developments with the past. The researches carried out by several experts on the growth of higher education in UAE provide a comprehensive idea of the factors responsible for the development of higher education in this country. Evaluation of the issues involved in the problem The study on the development of higher education in the United Arab Emirates involves several issues associated to the economic structure of the country. The economy of UAE has experienced rapid... This paper approves that the lack of adequate financial investments in the education sector has been a major drawback for the region. The low enrolment of the students in higher education and drop out of male students in higher education as compared to female students has been prevalent. The lack of quality of teachers and restrictions to freedom of the students in the higher educational process has been addressed by these experts. This paper makes a conclusion that the research on the development of higher education in UAE suggests policy initiatives that could help to address the issues prevailing in the higher education system of UAE. Although the enrolment and attainment rates in higher education of UAE have increased significantly as compared to the past, the quality of higher education in UAE needs to further improve. This could be done by focusing on the establishment of quality educational infrastructure at the secondary level. The improvement in the quality of teaching in schools would generate interest among the students on various subjects like engineering, medicine, science, etc. Thus the enrolment of students in higher educational courses is likely to improve. The drop outs are likely to reduce as the students would realize the benefits of long term engagement through attaining higher education. The education for the male students should be made mandatory. The quality of teachers needs to be improv ed by setting more strict standards for recruitment of teachers. The admission requirements are also required to be set at higher levels in order to maintain the high quality of education standards.

Principle and Philosophy of Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principle and Philosophy of Design - Essay Example While there is room for speculation, the entire field is considered relatively straight-forward. However, what does it mean when we enter into more subjective fields such as art or architecture? Some people will provide a relatively succinct definition of art that tends to dwell on the academic approach taken in its creation. During the Renaissance, the emphasis was on realistic portrayal: â€Å"a new basis to pictorial composition was given through the invention of linear perspective †¦ Depth was suggested by depicting the progressive decrease in the size of objects and figures as their distance from the observer increases – an illusion which in painting becomes truth.†1 Others, such as A.K. Coomaraswamy (1877 – 1947), art critic and curator of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts for many years, suggest it is something more elemental and intrinsically linked with its environment. â€Å"[T]hings are made normally for certain purposes and certain places to which they are appropriate, and not simply ‘for exhibition’.†2 The type of art Coomaraswamy describes can be considered to take a traditional approach in that it attempts to make a connection on as many levels as possible, the body, mind, and spirit as well as the gross, subtle and pure. Architecture, such as Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers or Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water, illustrates how simple form can be translated into elegant art through the eye of a traditional artist. To understand the more sublime nature of art, Plato offers a helpful allegory. Plato, who was a student of Socrates, pulled together the ideas of his mentor and Pythagoras to combine them with his own response to what he’d seen of the world to develop his Theory of Forms. In this theory, the ultimate goal was to progress through the levels of reality to the highest level, also known as the greatest good.  

Critically access the advantages and disadvantages of international Essay

Critically access the advantages and disadvantages of international co-production in 'world cinema'. Illustrate your answer with specific examples - Essay Example World cinema addresses themes that are generally not explored or known to traditional western and Hollywood film makers. In this way, world cinema offers interesting perspectives on the issues of diverse communities across the globe. World cinema needs to be distinguished from terms such as second and third cinema which describe films produced on alternative or post-colonial themes (Fraunhar, 2005). World cinema does not profess such ambitions and strives for creating diversity and a distinct identity in global cinema. The popularity of world cinema has increased with the success of international world film festivals such as those hosted at Cannes, Berlin, Venice and other destinations. This popularity has led to international co-productions in world cinema where production teams from two or more countries collaborate on producing a film addressing issues that connect the different cultures. McFadyen, Hoskins & Finn (1998) have identified several important advantages and disadvantages of such international co-production. This paper analyzes these advantages and disadvantages in the light of critical research using specific examples of world cinema. One of the significant advantages of international co-production in world cinema is gaining access to a common financial resource for the countries involved in the co-production. When analyzed from a critical perspective, this is an important advantage and may even be beneficial to promoting the development and growth of world cinema. Often times, cinema from non-English speaking countries may be deprived of a global or international audience because of limited financial resources at the disposal of the film producers. This is also disadvantageous to the global film industry because it is deprived of unique alternative narratives and storytelling techniques. Therefore, international co-production makes financial resources accessible to production companies operating in smaller local film

Avis Europe Good Corporate Citizens of the Society Essay

Avis Europe Good Corporate Citizens of the Society - Essay Example The company is now enjoying around 16% market share in U.K. The company provides rental stations through three business formats such as corporate locations, agency location and franchise location. The Budget variety, belonging to Avis Europe in March 2003, provides for customers in above 1,000 places within 65 countries. These are contract-based firms with corporate offices in Austria and Switzerland, France and the UK.   Avis Europe aims to be the leading rental car company while maintaining very high ethical standards. Avis works on the Philosophy of ‘Kaizen’ or Continuous Improvement, which they coin by the phrase â€Å"We Try Harder†. A person named Warren Avis founded Avis Europe. He was a war pilot who after being discharged from US war force came out to design his car rental company. He thought of tapping the niche market of Airport Car Rental Service. The first airports the company tapped were Miami and Detroit. The success of the company can be traced from the fact that in about seven years it rose to the second position behind companies like Hertz and Lazard Freres. Keeping in mind the philosophy of continuous improvement their mission is to build a long-term relationship with stakeholders in the business. They also consider customer loyalty as the focus area. According to a survey report prepared by U.S research organization, Avis is one of the top companies from the vi ewpoint of customer loyalty. Retention of customers in a highly competitive market is always a difficult task. Therefore, they are very much focused on this. In terms of their vision, Avis Europe wants to establish themselves as good corporate citizens of the society. Gaining customer loyalty is their prime goal in this respect. They are also adopting many strategies to project themselves to the society as a good & responsible company. They are equally caring about their employees, suppliers, shareholders,  environment community and society.  

Das Kapital by Karl Marx Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Das Kapital by Karl Marx - Essay Example The first volume of Das Kapital was published in 1867 at a time when the working conditions for industrial laborers were terrible and the division between the classes was growing increasingly more pronounced. It must not be forgotten that Das Kapital was a work born out of the industrial revolution. Marx begins the first chapter of Das Kapital with a statement concerning commodities. He defines a commodity as "an object outside us, a thing that by its properties satisfies human wants of sort or another" (125). It is interesting that Marx begins the text with a discussion and definition of a commodity and after several successive chapters, it is clear to see that the commodity is one of the main driving forces behind capitalism. The commodity itself, however, is only valued according to demand or other more ethereal conditions and thus it is a perfect item for the capitalist as it presents no fixed "price" in itself, but its value is rather determined by desire and the potential for profit. To backtrack for a moment, however, a more concise definition of commodity is contained within the idea of "use value." This refers to a commodity's value in how it will be used and how it is desired but this value, according to Marx, has little to do with the actual labor that went into the production of the item. Again, while it is not immediately clear at this early point in the text, the use value versus the idea of labor are important issues because there is more distinction between the two than one might initially think. For instance, something might have a very high use-value and be greatly desired. This desire leads the capitalist to make it expensive and the laborer who made the desired commodity is not paid what the desired commodity is worth, but rather is paid living wages while the surplus profits go directly to the capitalist since he owns the means of production. While that was a very brief, concise, but altogether limited description of the process behind commodities and use value, it is useful background information to frame the discussion as this analysis continues. After this introduction to commodities and use values in Das Kapital , the idea of exchange value becomes of equal importance. As Marx puts it in one of the important quotations from "Das Kapital", "As use values, commodities are, above all, of different qualities, but as exchange values they are merely different quantities, and consequently do not contain an atom of use value" (127). In other words, it is the proportion by which use values of one kind exchange for use values of another kind. This is a vital and fluctuating relationship and has less to do with the commodity than it might initially seem. In short, the common element in a commodity's exchange-value is simply the "value" of it. This means that it all comes down to labor. This is a common tactic Marx employs, at first there a number of daunting methods for scientifically extracting a conception of value but in the end, it all boils down to questions about work and

Resistance to Civil Government by Henry David Thoreau Essay

Resistance to Civil Government by Henry David Thoreau - Essay Example With a personality that strongly opposes all that which he thinks is wrong, HDT is described as a naturalist or environmentalist, transcendentalist, a pacifist and a tax resister (wikipedia, 2006). It is particularly interesting to note his being a tax resister but not an evader for at length, he argued in his essay why he refused to become a part, to say the least, of a government which he dislikes, or abhor. He also narrated his imprisonment for resisting to pay his tax. For HDT proposes a government with conscience by allowing it, like a non-conscientious corporation to have men in it with conscience. For conscience, as he described, is inherent to all individuals and that individuals must not "resign his conscience to the legislator." HDT bashes the government of his time for "It has not the vitality and force of a single living man; for a single man can bend it to will," meaning that only a handful from an overwhelming majority of citizens control the government like it was their own. He proposes a government with officials or those beholden to it to follow a righteous conscience, of which when exposed to war, and the soldiers and all ranking officers does not will to go and kill or be killed, "peaceably inclined" as he wrote, must not engage in war.

DQ3_07 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

DQ3_07 - Assignment Example began in 1948 and conducted among 5209 adult participants in Framingham, Massachusetts, has assisted to provide much of the now known knowledge in regard to heart disease. The Framingham Heart Study has proven as an outstanding work in regard to its scope, duration, and information. The study helped to provide understanding on the influence of lifestyle, environmental factors and inheritance on cardiac health. The study provided the origin of the term ‘risk factor’ (FHS, 2015). The study helped to identify major CVD risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, and physical inactivity. Prior to the start of the study, medics had little knowledge in relation to the prevention of heart diseases. The study helped to show the necessity of weight management, a healthy diet, and regular exercise in preventing heart diseases. The study also assisted to reveal the differences in the risk of heart diseases between men and women. The study has expanded to encompass research on the role of genetics in contributing to

Hormones on Sexual Arousal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hormones on Sexual Arousal - Essay Example It is easiest to study male and female arousal in other primates because we have greater control (Carlson, 2002) . The ability to mate is not controlled by ovarian hormones. A woman can have intercourse at any time in her cycle. This makes it difficult to know exactly how much influence ovarian hormones have on arousal. Most studies show that these hormones have only a minimal effect on female arousal. It should be noted that these studies have been done on married women who are with their partner daily. It should be considered that a woman may take part in intercourse because of her husbands desire. Studies of female monkeys have shown that the menstrual cycle does have a strong effect on female arousal (Wallen, 2003). Studies of married women show that these females were, when tested through their entire cycle, more aroused when their testosterone levels were at their highest. When the adrenal glands, the gland that produces androgens, are removed from female monkeys the sexual drive of the money was greatly reduced. Adding testosterone reinstituted sexual arousal. Oxyctocin levels also seem to place a role in arousal. Higher levels start contractions of the uterus and the vagina that accompanies orgasm. It is likely that the pleasant â€Å"afterglow† that follows intercourse is also due to oxyctocin (Wallen, 2003). Pheromones are generally odors that are generally received through the olfactory portion of the brain but can also be absorbed through the skin. These pheromones tend to enhance hormone production in the female including oxyctocin. That would give a second explanation as to why touch enhances hormone production. There is also evidence that vision influences the production of oxyctocin (Wallen, 2003). Researchers are beginning to believe it is the combination of high testosterone levels and high oxyctocin levels that motivates female arousal. If both

Financial Distress Paper Essay Example for Free

Financial Distress Paper Essay The current global economic crisis has seriously affected the financial activities of my academic institution. One of the major donors for our business school, a bank, has pulled out and is currently facing charges of breaking federal banking regulatory laws. All indications are that the bank will go under and will have to file for protection under chapter 11. With this conduit of funds no longer there, the business school will have to restructure. There are five programs currently in place at the business school, three of which are involved in teaching and research. They have been in existence for the last thirty years. As the head of faculty for the business school, I will recommend to the long range planning committee that the restructuring be directed at the other two programs. These are recently introduced graduate management courses, whose students, totaling fifty in number, can be gradually absorbed within the other graduate business courses. The cuts will therefore have to be effected within the faculty staff of the two programs being phased out. All tenured and non-tenured faculty staff will receive a one year termination notice with full severance benefits. Since their total combined yearly compensations is about as much as lost donor funding, the scaled down business school will be able to survive until other avenues are found to fund new programs. These recommendations will be made based on the need to retain teaching and research as a priority. Students who are currently enrolled in all programs will not suffer as they will be retained to continue learning within the existing programs. Additionally, the retrenchment will not be abrupt, but will be implemented over the course of one year, giving affected faculty staff ample time to appeal or seek positions elsewhere. Distress Paper 2 References Senate of Michigan Technological University (1985, May). UNIVERSITY RETRENCHMENT POLICY. Retrieved August 1, 2009 from http://www. sas. it. mtu. edu/usenate/propose/80-89/7-85. htm

Setting and hardening of hydraulic cements Essay Example for Free

Setting and hardening of hydraulic cements Essay In August 2004, Adriatic IV was on location over the Temsah gas production platform, off Port Said, Egypt in the Mediterranean. During the drilling of natural gas well by rig, a gas blowout occurred during the drilling operation. Due to this blowout, the whole Petrobel platform was burnet out. This platform was owned jointly by BP, Italys ENI and Egypts General Petroleum Corporation was damaged beyond repair and Egypt’s petroleum minister ordered its destruction. An engineering firm Tacon designed the platform. Tecon developed the basic structural design along with offshore structure SASP, of the platform jacket for Petrobel Egypt. Tecon was responsible to perform the foundation design and all naval and installation analysis. Tacon also developed all A. F. C. structural drawings. [Tecon] The blowout on the offshore of the platform was the consequence of annular flow after cementing using spooled wellheads. Following part of case study shows why blowout occurred with all analysis. TEMSAH: Temsah is a gas production platform owned jointly by BP, Italy’s ENI and Egypt’s General Petroleum Corporation located in the off port said, Mediterranean Sea. On 10th August 2004, the Adriatic IV was working as usual on the Temsah platform. The rig was drilling natural gas well when a blowout occurred during the drilling operations. Reports and various other sources stated that there was an explosion followed by fire, which was initially contained on the jack-up. [JWC] The fire then spread to the Petrobel-run platform where it continued to rage for over a week before being brought under control. There were more than 150 workers on the jack-up as well as on the platform. All the workers on the jack-up and platform were evacuated with no casualties, due in part to the prior recommendation that production activities be ceased as a precautionary measure. The firefighters battled for almost a week to control the fire burning on a rig pumping natural gas out of the Mediterranean Sea as reported by Egypt’s semiofficial news agency. Oil Ministry officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Middle East News Agency (MENA) that workers were drilling holes in a leaking well to release gases to contain the fire, while firefighters are dousing the platform with seawater. [JWC] It took almost a week to control over the fire. According to the, Global Santa Fe, Adriatic IV was sunk and not salvageable. The platform, owned jointly by BP, Italys ENI and Egypts General Petroleum Corporation was damaged beyond repair and Egypt’s petroleum minister ordered its destruction. Almost one year after this accident, the Temsah was fully repaired and production at Temsah field started in a full-fledged manner. It was back on stream at full production rates. 2. Cement types and cementing structure The above blowout caused due to the cementing structure and method. Discussed here is the cementing process that probably caused the blowout. After running 9 5/8 Casing to 2754 meters, performing a cement job, waiting on cement for 14 hours, and setting the casing slips, the well started to flow from the 9 5/8 by 13 3/8 annulus, while installing the primary packing (sealing element). The flow consisted of salthingyer and gas. The wells on the Temsah NW platform were shut in and the gas lines to and from the platform were depressurized. Thus the wells on the W. Akhen platform were shut in, as the gas, production lines go through the Temsah NW platform. On-essential personnel were evacuated from the rig. Nipped up the BOP and space out riser. Shut in pressures were 1480 psi. Shortly thereafter the flange between the wellhead B section and the riser below the BOPs started leaking salthingyer and gas. Since the initial incident, the flow had continued through the leaking flange and increased. Remedial efforts to date had not been successful in containing or controlling this flow. When cement casing is done in the well, Blowout Preventers are usually picked up to set the slips on the casing to hold it in place. Due to this, well is open to the world. Cement is counted on to hold any gas down hole, but if the cement is lighter than the bottom whole pressure, the well will come in. The way to avoid this is to wait longer on the cement to set and monitor any gas migration to surface. This process was not done, which would have probably prevented the blowout on the platform. Facilities for placing cement: Wellheads are nothing but the end connection to concentric well casings, which are cemented into the ground. The critical purpose of this wellhead is to provide a base onto which safety equipments (blow-out preventers) is installed throughout the drilling phase of a well and to which production flow control equipment is attached, before a well can safely put into the production. To confine the downhole pressure to the smallest inner casing and eventually the production tubing, wellheads contain annular seals, which serve to isolate the last casing into the high pressure resistant wellhead housing body. [UNEP] Type of cement: The type of cement used in the well was Hydraulic cement. Hydraulic cements are materials that set and harden after being mixed with water, because of the chemical reactions with the mixing water. After hardening, the Hydraulic cements retain strength and stability even under water. The key requirement for this strength and stability is that the hydrates formed on immediate reaction with water be essentially insoluble in water. Most construction cements today are hydraulic, and most of these are based on Portland cement, which is made primarily from limestone, certain clay minerals, and gypsum in a high temperature process that drives off carbon dioxide and chemically combines the primary ingredients into new compounds. Setting and hardening of hydraulic cements is caused by the formation of water-containing compounds, which are formed as the result of reactions between cement components and water. The reaction and the reaction products are referred to as hydration and hydrates or hydrate phases, respectively. As a result of the immediate start of the reactions, a stiffening can be observed which is initially slight but which increases with time. The point at which the stiffening reaches a certain level is referred to as the start of setting. Further consolidation is called setting, after which the phase of hardening begins. The compressive strength of the material then grows steadily, over a period that ranges from a few days in the case of ultra-rapid-hardening cements to several years in the case of ordinary cements. Non-hydraulic cements include such materials as (non-hydraulic) lime and gypsum plasters, which must be kept dry in order to gain strength, and oxychloride cements, which have liquid components. Lime mortars, for example, set only by drying out, and gain strength only very slowly by absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to re-form calcium carbonate through carbonatation. [Wikipedia] 3. Time scale The time scale for the cement specifies the amount of time in years the cement will provide the strength to the structure. Time scale of cement structure truly determines the quality of the cement structure. Time scale for the cement structures must be longest it can be. The time scale for the Egypt Temsah was more than hundreds of years. It was a building structure into the Mediterranean Sea with very strong and rigid foundation. Mediterranean sea, Port Said, well of Temsah was built with concrete materials. Wellheads were also made with the same kind of cement materials. [UNEP] Cement Success: Cement success is nothing but the successful completion of a cement structure in the various testing methods. Cement is assumed to be successful when any benchmark for the structure is completed. For-example in Egypt Temsah the platform was destroyed after many decades. This total age or decade specifies the cement success.

Gender Gap In Rates Of Offending

Gender Gap In Rates Of Offending To address this statement and draw a conclusion it is necessary to look at changes in society over time, as women have a different role now than they used to. Even though early criminology has often been gender blind, criminologist such as Lombroso and Pollak tried to make a connection with male crime to explain and answer the question why women do not commit as much crime ( Messerschmidt, 1993; Biel, 2008). It was not until feminist criminology came into force that it challenged the masculine nature of criminology, pointing to the repeated negligence and misrepresentation of women. As a result of such critique there was increasing attention to women and girls in criminological theory and research (Messerschmidt, 1993; Walklate, 2005). Additionally as the social role of women began to change, the view of their involvement in criminal behaviour began to change. As a consequence social, biological, economical and psychological explanations have been used to developed and explain why wo men commit crime and why they commit less crime than men. A reliable research finding (Parker and Reckdenwald, 2008) is that women are seen to commit fewer and less serious offences than men, which became known as the gender gap in offending. Recently it has been reported the gap in violent offending has narrowed (Parker and Reckdenwald, 2008; Rennison, 2009). What is unclear is whether the reported convergence is an accurate reflection of changes in violent offending or a manipulation of the data used: official records and self-report offending data. Determination of crime problems among women has been neglected within theoretical and empirical research compared with the crime problem among men. Womens crime, because of its size and character was not perceived as particularly dangerous. An important reason for this could be the fact that even in the earliest historical sources women often appeared as an object of the offence and not as it perpetrators (Messerschmidt, 1998). According to Kilday (2005) much of the history of women remained on the margin of criminological interests. Moreover Kilday (2005) argues that studies that examine women criminals tends to emphasize so called traditional acts of womens deviance such as prostitution, while perception of womens involvement in criminal activity has been dominated by their role as a victim rather than perpetrators of crime . What is more during 18th and 19th century Britain, criminality was highly gendered and focused on class. The vast majority of women who appeared before the court were from the poor and laboring classes, and most female criminals were considered far less threatening and problematic than men. As a consequence when women could not be criminalized in their own right it was thought that they must be influenced by men or by severe personal problems such as poverty (Kilday, 2005). One of the most commonly observed features of the criminological background is that a bulk of crime appears to be undertaken by men and boys (Messerschmidt, 1993). Fundamentally speaking major criminological theories are alarmingly and radically gender-blind. In other words when men and boys have been seen as the normal subjects in criminology the girls and women have attracted the attention of criminology only as a special category that allegedly explains the gender nature of crime (Messerschmitt, 1993) . Lombroso (1911) and Bagnor (1916) (cited in Messerschmitt, 1993; Szczepanik and Pospieszył, 2007) for example argue that women commit less crime due to their different biological make-up. They argue that such a woman is nothing but a man backward in the development. The main evidence for this is their lower weight, height, less body hair and fewer red blood cells. They have argued that the consequence of an organic inferiority is a natural inferiority. Lombroso (1920 cited in Klein,1996) specifies the born female offender as a woman, who is characterized by antagonism to motherhood, increased libido, tendency to immoral life , enjoys a good time, has a tendency to take part in male sport and wear more masculine clothes. They are more likely to be addicted to drugs and alcohol and display hostile behaviour. The most characteristic features of women criminals, they believed, were a bulky jaw, wild eyes, prominent cheeks, thin lips and a nap on the face (facial hair). Apart f rom these masculine traits female offenders also have characteristics typical for females such as cunning, cruelty, vanity and vindictiveness. What is more womens offences are thought to be influenced by male suggestion and that the female has no resistance to this. (Klein, 1996). Bjorqkvist (1994 cited in Howitt, 2009) claims that males and females do not differ in aggressiveness. They only differ in the way in which it is expressed. He further argues that women are physically seen as the weaker sex and are likely to learn different aggression strategies from those seen as the physically stronger sex being men. What is more, much of the feminist literature focuses on power relationships between the sexes. Because women have been restricted to domestic work and child-raising duties, their economic productivity was limited, which contributed to their dependent role. Consequently, because women are relegated to the household, they undergo less socialization experiences and that restricts their activities, whereas men maintain their power and dominance over economic resources and hold a position of power over women (Parker and Reckdenwald, 2008). In addition, Messerschmitt (1986) suggests that through sex-role socialization, the family encourages its own members to adjust and conform to patriarchal ideologies. Furthermore private patriarchy accounts for the degree to which womens activities are restricted and the extent to which female work is unpaid within the family, when linking womens economic status and crime rates (Parker and Reckdenwald, 2008). One aspect of the gender gap in crime that has attracted significant attention within the research community as well as the media is the observation that the gender gap has narrowed somewhat over time ( Parker and Reckedenwald, 2008). Several explanations of this phenomenon have been offered, including legal, social and economical aspects. It was not until 1970 when argument about whether female offences were raising that it became a criminological issue. When Freda Adler (cited in Heidensohn and Gelstohorpe, 2007) argued that female crime rates had been rapidly rising between 1960s and 1970s, she claimed that not only crime rates had changed but patterns of womens offending had also changed to a more masculine style. Women it appeared, were becoming more aggressive and violent, due to the growth of the modern womens movement. Adler (cited in Heidensohn et al, 2007) put forward the theory that liberation in short was the cause of more crime. Granting equal rights to women had allowe d them to take action in many areas of social life by giving them the chance to take on new social roles, which were previously only available exclusively to men. The womens liberation movement brought not only economic independence but also the sense of psychological independence, with women gaining new aspirations and confidence in their own ability. These changes have created conditions conducive to the activation of women in the employment structure which has led to an increase in social status and more aggression in women. However Heidensohon et al. (2007) claims that the visible increase in female offending is that their conviction is mostly for most minor forms of offending which do not include weapons, and further argues that girls behaviour once seen and treated as a welfare issue, is now more criticized, criminalized and punished. It is difficult to determine precisely the extent of crime, due to the limitation arising from the analysis made based solely on official statistical sources made up of Police Recorded Data and British Crime Survey. Determination of the size of womens crime may pose a special kind of difficulty. Firstly, the lack of sufficient empirical data, secondly womens crime is seen to be guided by its own gender-specification. The so called dark figure of crime committed by women may be caused by the fact that the womens crime is usually crime carried out in private. Pollak (1950 cited in Messerschmidt, 1993; Klein, 1996) claim that womens and mens crime are likely to be equal, but because womens biology interacts with certain social conditions their criminality is largely masked . He argues that women can be addicted to crime that can be easily hidden such as shoplifting, thefts by prostitutes, abortion. Consequently the crimes women commit are more often unreported. What is more women are bi ologically more guileful than men and more able to conceal crime (Biel, 2008). Relatively speaking womens offending usually take place in private (e.g. home) while mens offending usually takes place in public (e.g. Theft). Pollak (1950 cited in Messerschmidt, 1993; Klein, 1996) believed that a root cause of low rate crime among women is chivalry in the criminal justice system. Relatively speaking women are treated more leniently than the men and Allans study (1987 cited in Heidensohon et al. 2007) suggests that violent women offenders received more sympathy for serious crimes than men. Also that single mothers and pregnant women were better treated then men. On the other hand Walker (2003 cited in Heidensohon et al. 2007) argues that the fact of pregnancy among female offenders does not affect the weight of the punishment and what is more, it is not seen as ethical or indeed successful. He claims many women achieved only temporary acquittal because of the fact of their pregnancy and were later punished. The structure of the crime committed by women is a reflection of their position, and the role of social and environmental influence. Heimer, (2000) claimed that the most widely endorsed hypothesis in favour of the narrowing of the gender gap is the economical marginalization hypothesis, which states that reduction in the gender gap in crime is an effect of financial instability of women. In other words the need to escape from poverty, economical dependency on man and economic hardship. Moreover expansion in the divorce rate and illegitimacy rates in recent years which have in turn led to more female-headed households where women have greater responsibility for their children resulted in a significant increase in economic pressure on women. Following this Zaplin, (1998) argues that an increase in female offending is a result of increased opportunity for female types of crime. The increase in the rate of female arrests for minor crimes (especially property crimes) reflects not only economic marginalization, but also an increase in opportunity for those crime categories. Relatively speaking females tend to commit crimes that involve little or no criminal skills, and now their range has expanded due to changes in merchandising and credit, which are easily accessible to women as the consumer and head of a family. As a consequence of this women have more opportunities to commit shoplifting, cheque fraud theft and welfare fraud. Another possible explanation according to Zaplin, (1998) is that rises in female arrest is a product of changes in public sentiment and enforcement policies that bring to attention the visibility, reporting and sanctioning of female offenders. Whereas Freda Adler (Heidensohon et al. 2007) argues that female crime rates has been rapidly rising between the 1960s and 1970s , the Home Office claimed that during this time the prison population of women was so low that they thought it may be possible to end womens imprisonment by the year 2000. However along with the new century , there was a very large growth of overall imprisonment rates for women. According to the Home Office study(Hunter, Hearnden and Gyateng, 2009) the following factors had an impact on the rise of the crime rate for women: a growth in the number of women coming before the courts, a rise in the proportion of women getting a custodial sentence and an increase in the length of prison sentences being imposed on women. As an example they state that in 1996-7, 95 per cent of the rise was in effect more women coming before the courts. What is more the Home Office argues that now courts tend to impose harsher sentences on women for less serious crimes. The growth of the crime rate among women may also be due to the impacts of new legislation, which has created new offences, hence it may indicate that the offending rate for women is growing. Another factor influencing the growth of the offending rate in women may be seen in social changes and social attitudes towards particular offences. Szczepaniak and Pospieszył (2008) argue that since the equal opportunity for men and women came into force, women started to be seen not only as a victims of domestic violence but also as perpetrators. What is more, men are now encouraged and willing to talk about and report to the police domestic violence against themselves. Zaplin, (1998) argues that the ability and willingness of women to commit crime is strongly pressured by social control, especially during their formative years. Females are more closely supervised and their misconduct discouraged by negative sanctions. Risk-taking behavior that is rewarded among boys is censured among girls. Careful observation of girls companions reduces the danger for influence by delinquent peers. Even as adults, women find their freedom to explore worldly temptation constricted by social control. Also females are far more likely than males to be motivated by relationship disturbances to commit an offence and they need a higher level of provocation before turning to crime. A sense of danger and threat to significant relationships play a greater role in female offending. If their close relationship with those who commit crime is threatened, they may be unwilling to compromise these relationship by abstaining from crime and therefore take part in criminal activitie s Zaplin,(1998). Despite the fact that the gender gap of offending is narrowing and women commit much more crime than they used to, women are far less likely to be involved in serious crimes, regardless of data sources and level of involvement ( Maguire et al 2007). According to the findings of the Ministry of Justice (2009:15) females aged between 10 and 25 were less likely than males to say they had committed a serious offence (eight per cent compared with twelve per cent). They were also less likely to be classed as frequent offenders (three per cent compared with eight per cent) and less likely to be categorized as serious and frequent offenders (five per cent compared with three per cent). Further findings show that males were more than twice as likely as females to have carried a knife (five per cent compared to two per cent); more males (15 per cent) than females (10 per cent) said they had committed a violent offence (defined as robbery and assault); males were more likely than females to hav e handled stolen goods (22 per cent compared to 16 per cent); and over a quarter of males (26 per cent) had committed at least one of four types of anti-social behaviour, a higher proportion than females (18 per cent). The girls and women who make up the greatest part of the criminal justice workload commit ordinary crimes mostly minor crimes such as theft and fraud, low level drug dealing, prostitution and simple assault against their children or partners. Additionally much of the time, a large majority of these women are associated with men who are without good prospects, are not ambitious and who often themselves are involved in some kind of criminal acts . Consequently these men along with the children are the main focus of these womans lives. The world of these men tends to be an extreme patriarchal one in which women are demoted to subordinate roles, exploited and treated with indifference by their male partners causing the women to lead lives that are often miserable and difficult. Routinely, it is they who are left to cope with the consequence of these mens unsuccessful escapades and the incarceration this can bring Szczepaniak and Pospieszy (2008). Lastly we should note that most of the criminological theories were developed by men specifically to explain male involvement in criminal behaviors. As a consequence it raises the question of whether such theories are useful in explaining female crime or whether female crime can be only explained by so called gendered-specific theories. Therefore some criminologist believe that the traditional theories developed to explain male crime are not well-suited to explain female crime. Zaplin (1998) argues that their andocentric origin, traditional, structural and social process theories are more or less gender neutral. As a consequence these theories may be useful in understanding overall male offending as well as overall female offending. What is more they can be also helpful in explaining why females commit less crime than men. Also he argues that many of the delicate and deep differences between male and female crime patterns may be better explained by gendered approaches. In conclusion it is difficult to find a clear answer to female offending and to the rise of the crime rate among them. Despite many studies and research papers founded on this topic there is still no consensus among professionals. We cannot hide the fact that female criminality is a social phenomenon that has many differences compared with the crime of men. The structure of the crimes committed by women is a reflection of their position, their role in society and environmental influences. Usually women commit crimes which are associated with low risk detection or lower sentences. They do not plan the commission of the crime as male criminals do, rather they use opportunistic situations. Many women scientists involved in the studying of crime and the demoralization among women, explain it as the process of emancipation. Along with gender equality, women began to take action until which recently was reserved only for men. There are also those who blame the new fashion for being strong as a reason for female involvement in crime .As the weaker sex becomes old-fashioned, the so called miming of male behaviour by women allow them to occupy leadership positions in the group.

Christopher Marlowes The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doc

Christopher Marlowe's The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus For a play that has retained much of its scholarly value over the four hundred and ten years, there is surprisingly little known about Christopher Marlowe’s masterpiece, The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus. The date of its first performance is unknown, and is highly obscured by the added facts that there are two texts of Doctor Faustus, one published in 1604; the other in 1616 (Ribner viii). Christopher Marlowe, even in these early times, set a standard for tragic plays, which would not be rivaled until Shakespeare unleashed his literary landmarks at around the same time Marlowe’s career ended. Despite the lack of specifics on this seminal work, it is still easy to feel the pain Christopher Marlowe wished to convey with this text. Within the rich dialogue of The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, Christopher Marlowe attempts to communicate a personal struggle; both emotional and spiritual, between what Marlowe views as human nature and what the world views as God’s desires for man, and the overwhelming feelings of loss which accompany this struggle. Doctor Faustus is a play that thrives primarily on the discourses that abound throughout its length. In the dialogue between the two main characters, Doctor Faustus himself, and the demon Mephistophilis, one finds almost the entirety of the play. Doctor Faustus â€Å"†¦is a man who of his own conscious willfulness brings tragedy and torment crashing down on his head†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Cole 191). Faustus finds himself melancholic with the pursuit of knowledge he has thus far attained, commenting: â€Å"Be a physician, Faustus; heap up gold, And be eternized for some wonderous cure†¦ Why, Faustus, hast thou not attained that end? Is it not thy common talk sound aphorisms?† (Ribner 5) He has grown sick of the pursuit of knowledge as he sees it, and believing himself to have become educated in all of the worlds major subjects, seeks the power of God himself (Ellis-Fermor, 74). Through the art of conjuring spirits, commenting, â€Å"†¦A sound magician is a mighty God†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ribner 7). The human lust for power has reached a new height in Faustus, and to attain what he desires, the easiest means are demonic. On his way to making the decision to enlist infernal forces in his quest for power, Faustus is prodded by friends, Valdes and ... ...ssey Press, 1966. Masinton, Charles G. Christopher Malowe’s Tragic Vision, a Study in Damnation. Athens: Ohio University Press. 1972. Thomas, Vivien, and Tydeman, William, ed. Christopher Marlowe : the Plays and Their Sources. London ; New York : Routledge, 1994. Sharma, Jitendra Kumar. Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus : a Criticism. New Delhi : Sterling Publishers Private, 1985. Marcus, Leah Sinanoglou. Unediting the Renaissance : Shakespeare, Marlowe, Milton. London ; New York : Routledge, 1996. Ellis-Fermor, Una Mary. â€Å"Faustus†. Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus, Text and Major Criticism. ed. Irving Ribner. New York: The Odyssey Press, 1966. Kirschbaum, Leo. â€Å"Marlowe’s Faustus: A Reconsideration†. Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus, Text and Major Criticism. ed. Irving Ribner. New York: The Odyssey Press, 1966. Dabbs, Thomas. Reforming Marlowe : The Nineteenth Century Canonization of a Renaissance Dramatist. Lewisburg: Bucknell University Press ; London : Associated University Presses, 1991. Aquinas, St. Thomas. â€Å"On the eternity of the world (De Aeternitate Mundi)†. Trans. Vollert, Cyril. Milwaukee, Marquette University Press, 1964.

Voices :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Voices What is your worst nightmare? What if the entire human population thought of you as defective and criticized you harshly? How about having several voices screaming at you for any little thing that you did wrong? What would life be like if you couldn't decipher reality from imagination? These are common scenarios that schizophrenics deal with every hour of the day -- they can't wake up from their nightmare. A living hell. A torture chamber devoid of walls. Like a schizophrenic poet wrote, "I live in a closet. Unlike most closets, mine is invisible. No one else can see it or touch it or even come inside to keep me company. Nevertheless, its imprisoning walls and terrifying darkness are very real," (3). The loneliness that this poet, Pamela Wagner, feels is excruciating, yet what is it about schizophrenia that makes the victim so alone? What makes the disease so isolating and detrimental to one's existence? These questions are answered here by the voices of those who have first-hand exp erience as paranoid schizophrenics. Not only are some symptoms of schizophrenia discussed, but also the turmoil one goes through with medication as well. Albeit that their have been many case studies performed by psychologists, the words of a schizophrenic give new meaning to the disease. For paranoid schizophrenia, an increase in recent literature reveals the point of view of the ill person. No two cases are exactly the same, so what follows is a conglomeration of experiences of paranoid schizophrenia survivors. As one schizophrenic has stated: "The schizophrenic experience can be a terrifying journey through a world of madness no one can understand, particularly the person traveling through it. It is a journey through a world that is deranged, empty and devoid of anchors to reality. You feel very much alone. You find it easier to withdraw than cope with a reality that is incongruent with your fantasy world. You feel tormented by distorted perceptions. You cannot distinguish what is real from what is unreal. Schizophrenia affects all aspects of your life. Your thoughts race and you feel fragmented and so very alone with your 'crazine ss,'" (6). Paranoid schizophrenia is a very debilitating disease -- it takes over one's life and creates a downward spiral into one's own surreal world. No longer can one communicate or relate to other people. Reality is distorted to fit the pattern of paranoia inside one's mind.