About new trends in media planning- the growing importance of digital Article

About new trends in media planning- the growing importance of digital - Article Example For instance, before, the company could only focus on a particular market segment. This means that the advert was supposed to be big and broad in order to evoke a particular amount of purchasing power. Therefore, the venture was expensive. However, with digital advertising, the organization is able to appeal to a huge target market and at a low price. The platforms used in digital advertising allow the organization to have real-time interaction with their customers thus, enhancing their services to suit their clients’ needs (Schultz n.pg). General Mills targeting strategies used with Cheerios was to discuss it nutritional value with people from different demographics. This strategy can also be applied to Yoplait. Yoplait is a yogurt brand could be marketed by discussing its different flavors and nutrition value to the target markets. It contains calcium which is good for strong bones and it has no artificial additives (Schultz n.pg). General Mills is using â€Å"Tablespoon† to post amazing brand content that are appealing to millennials. Millennials are people that are more interested in trending brands and that are how the company is capturing them. By advertising new, trending and attractive â€Å"Tablespoon† is able to add value to the brand by creating an engagement with possible consumers (Schultz

Is College Worth it Essay Example for Free

Is College Worth it Essay â€Å"What is a College Degree Worth? † by Maggie Gallagher. The overall main idea of this article is that the cost of college is going up and people is taking loans out which are putting them in debt because they have to pay them off. That is the reason why some people don’t go to college, I believe the author wrote the article to inform you about why teens are in debt after they graduate college. According to Mrs. Gallagher the main reason why college debt is increasing is  because loans are available and teenagers are encouraged to borrow money. At least 700 colleges have contract with bad banks to market credit cards to students. About nine in 10 students use credit cards to help pay for their college expenses. The main reason why the increase in college debt is because colleges have taught teenagers bad financial decisions, which has caused the decrease in the worth of a college degrees. The degree I’m pursuing at this moment is my Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts. I want a better education other than a high school diploma. Me wanting to become a chef/ Pastry chef, there is nothing Flint nor Michigan for my degree. I want to be up there with the people on the Food network channel and the TLC channel as well. With me having more degrees it will most likely guarantee me a VERY nice job in the near future.

Bluetooth :: sCommerce Technology Essays

A new technology of the 21st century is reshaping human life. The concept of silent commerce, commonly known as â€Å"sCommerce† is the silent transfer of knowledge and information through mobile phones and electronic devices. Sadly, this technology is initiating the transition from a humanistic society to a more electronically controlled world. This new, perhaps, frightful world introduces electronic devices capable of thinking for themselves without human control. Imagine the average teenager purchasing a CD player with enough intelligence to exchange and communicate with his/her laptop without the child’s consent. Or your Kenmore â€Å"frig† secretly letting your grocer know when you’re out of milk. Scary isn’t it? Well, sCommerce, particularly the Bluetooth chip, gives these electrically run â€Å"gadgets† these abilities. It allows inhuman things to have human capabilities and perhaps exceed our own â€Å"brain power.† T ruly, the Bluetooth chip may be an eye opening technological breakthrough, but has harmful humanistic, economic affects with its integration into the electronic and mobile/telecommunication world . Realistically, the average technologically involved person has heard the term â€Å"Bluetooth.† The apparent name of this chip is derived from the 10th century Scandinavian king, Harald Bluetooth, who was historically known for uniting various unorganized kingdoms. Similarly, Bluetooth is specialized to unite many competing electronic standards under one main specification. By definition, â€Å"Bluetooth is a global de facto standard for wireless connectivity. Based on a low-cost, short-range radio link, Bluetooth cuts the cords that used to tie up digital devices. When two Bluetooth equipped devices come within 10 meters range of each other, they can establish a connection together.

Democratic and Undemocratic Aspects of the Constitutional Convention :: American America History

Democratic and Undemocratic Aspects of the Constitutional Convention The Articles of Confederation was the first government of the United States. The Articles had created a very weak national government. At the time the Articles were approved, they had served the will of the people. Americans had just fought a war to get freedom from a great national authority--King George III (Patterson 34). But after this government was put to use, it was evident that it was not going to keep peace between the states. The conflicts got so frequent and malicious that George Washington wondered if the â€Å"United† States should be called a Union (Patterson 35). Shays’ Rebellion finally made it evident to the public that the government needed a change. A group of men with political power and status, an elite by definition, got together and decided the solution to the problem of government was to have a group of men evaluate the Articles and make the proper changes. At least, this was what Congress thought the purpose of the Constitutional Convention was when they approved it (Patterson 37). The first step of the Constitution was undemocratic. No popular vote was taken either directly or indirectly on the proposition to approve a convention (Beard 14). The group of men who wanted the convention was skillful in getting it approved in that their proposal of it was a surprise. This gave the Federalists an upper hand. Their opponents, the Anti-Federalists, could not refuse to a discussion of possible, and perhaps necessary, reforms. By refusing, they could lose the support of the public very easily (Roche 18). The next step of the convention was more democratic, in that there were delegates sent to Philadelphia by the state legislatures (Roche 18). Since the legislatures were chosen by elections in the states, the delegates to the convention were indirectly chosen by the people. Rhode Island did not send delegates, but there was an opportunity for them to do so. They decided against sending anyone since they knew they would not be welcomed by the convention. James Madison, a delegate and one of the main supporters of a stronger national authority, had thought ahead and drew up the Virginia Plan before the convention in Philadelphia began. Thus, it became the first discussion of the committee (Roche 19).

Development Stages

Child development studies is an interdisciplinary field, which studies the development of a child from conception to childhood through adolescence and emerging adulthood. Child development is divided into three broad domains – physical, cognitive, and emotional and social. Some experts state that child development is a continuous process while others argue that it follows discontinuous stages.Recent theories on child development include information processing, which views the mind as a complex computer; ethology, which emphasizes the evolutionary origins and adaptive behavior; Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory that focuses on understanding cultural influences; ecological systems theory where environment is believed to play a role in development; and dynamic systems perspective according to which changes in physical or social systems account for a child’s behavior (Chapter 1). The characteristics of each individual depend on their genotypes and environment.Chromosom es, which contain genes determine our hereditary characteristics. The child inherits two genes on each chromosome from its parents. The dominant gene is responsible for inherited characteristics. Chromosomal abnormalities, such as Down syndrome, occur due to errors at the time of meiosis. Genetic counseling helps parents avoid the risk of giving birth to children with genetic defects. The child’s family, economic status, neighborhood, school, and favorable public policies play an important influence in shaping his or her personality (Chapter 2).More couples are choosing to remain childless, using birth control measures, and delaying their birth ages today compared to previous times. Children with low birth weight are more prone to heart disease, stroke, and diabetes in adulthood and high birth weight are more prone to breast cancer in adulthood. Factors such as teratogens; usage of certain prescription drugs, such as thalidomide; illegal drugs; tobacco; alcohol; exposure to r adiation; environmental pollution, infectious diseases; nutrition; emotional stress; and maternal age shape prenatal development (Chapter 3).The Apgar score determines a newborn child’s physical condition at birth. Natural childbirth involves preparing an expectant mother about childbirth. Various medical interventions, such as fetal monitors, forceps, and cesarean delivery assist during childbirth complications. Complications at birth might cause conditions like cerebral palsy in a newborn. Brazelton's Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale is used to assess the behavior of the newborn (Chapter 4). References Chapter 1: History, Theory, and Research Strategies, pp. 1-76. Chapter 2: Biological and Environmental Foundations, pp. 1-67 Chapter 3: Prenatal Development, pp. 1-39. Chapter 4: Birth and the Newborn Baby, pp. 1-48.

Free Essays on The Light Of Darkness

Chopin’s â€Å"The Storm† leads us to believe that a sexually unfulfilled housewife or husband will eventually find sexual gratification somewhere else. That if people are not honest with their true feelings then somehow, somewhere their hidden intentions will become inevitable. Chopin reinforces this by Calixta and Alcà ¨e sudden and unintended passionate affair. Unfortunately, affairs are like things done in the dark of night, eventually the light of the day will shine. In Chopin’s story she portrayed the affair of Calixta and Alcà ¨e as being beneficial to their respective marriages, but no matter how understanding a person can be, the confession or the knowledge of an affair, the betrayal of such sacred trust, is usually devastating to a marriage. Sex is a very natural and important part of people’s lives, yet we are conditioned from small children to not let other people know how we really feel about our sex drives. This most especially applies to women from Chopin’s time era. Take for instance, that an unattached man can have sex with different women and it is socially acceptable, yet if an unattached woman has sex with several different men, she is considered a slut. That even in our more modern time era women are not suppose to have â€Å"sexual urges†. So we can only imagine want it was like for women in the 1800’s by author’s like Chopin. Chopin gives us the impression that Calixta and Bobinà ´t marriage is not a passionate one by her own description of Calixta and Bobinà ´t bedroom that had their four year old son’s bed next to Calixta’s side of the bed. We can assume that Calixta was a very passionate woman from several passages in the story and that she felt that she had to repress or deny her sexual urges, just by the placement of their son’s bed. It leads the reader to the idea that sex had to be done late in the evening and very quietly and passionless which probably was more than likely not very pleas... Free Essays on The Light Of Darkness Free Essays on The Light Of Darkness Chopin’s â€Å"The Storm† leads us to believe that a sexually unfulfilled housewife or husband will eventually find sexual gratification somewhere else. That if people are not honest with their true feelings then somehow, somewhere their hidden intentions will become inevitable. Chopin reinforces this by Calixta and Alcà ¨e sudden and unintended passionate affair. Unfortunately, affairs are like things done in the dark of night, eventually the light of the day will shine. In Chopin’s story she portrayed the affair of Calixta and Alcà ¨e as being beneficial to their respective marriages, but no matter how understanding a person can be, the confession or the knowledge of an affair, the betrayal of such sacred trust, is usually devastating to a marriage. Sex is a very natural and important part of people’s lives, yet we are conditioned from small children to not let other people know how we really feel about our sex drives. This most especially applies to women from Chopin’s time era. Take for instance, that an unattached man can have sex with different women and it is socially acceptable, yet if an unattached woman has sex with several different men, she is considered a slut. That even in our more modern time era women are not suppose to have â€Å"sexual urges†. So we can only imagine want it was like for women in the 1800’s by author’s like Chopin. Chopin gives us the impression that Calixta and Bobinà ´t marriage is not a passionate one by her own description of Calixta and Bobinà ´t bedroom that had their four year old son’s bed next to Calixta’s side of the bed. We can assume that Calixta was a very passionate woman from several passages in the story and that she felt that she had to repress or deny her sexual urges, just by the placement of their son’s bed. It leads the reader to the idea that sex had to be done late in the evening and very quietly and passionless which probably was more than likely not very pleas...

Organizational Behavior

Organizational Behavior Free Online Research Papers Organizational behavior is the study of how people, individuals and groups act or behave in different structures or cultures of an organization. Organizational behavior seeks and identifies factors that are necessary for a company to become effective and more efficient over the competitor. Factors that determine one company’s success over another company in the same industry, includes valuing diversity, ongoing organizational learning and effective communication. Organizational culture is the personality of a company; a company’s culture consists of shared beliefs which shape the organization. The values, assumptions, standards, and tangible signs of the organization’s members, make up the culture of an organization. An organization’s culture can be recognized by looking at the arrangement of its furniture, or by looking at person’s employed by the organization, or by what the members of the organization wear. Our company culture can be recognized by the viewing public as one who has a high turnover rate of employees. The executives constantly reorganize and restructure the company. During these periods, persons are offered separation packages, positions are made redundant and others are fired. Only those persons that are highly skilled and knowledgeable about the industry have remained. This culture according to McNamara (1999) is known as a Fortress culture, a culture of which employees do not know when it wi ll be their last day on the job. This culture to some appears quite daunting, however; it has its advantages. Persons that are highly skilled are quickly promoted to the top without regard for seniority. Workplace diversity is the variety among people based on gender, race, ethnicity, age, family status, sexual orientation, religion and physical appearance. Valuing diversity is a core topic of organizational behavior. In an ideal world all persons within an organization are treated equal when it comes to hiring and promotions in the workplace, however; in reality discrimination still exist. Acknowledging diversity in the workplace is very crucial, as there are other races, other voices and other ways of seeing things and solving problems while functioning as a team. Diversity is not valued within our organization. Some persons within our organization are promoted and hired based on their gender and physical appearance. For example, our company has a greeter/ hostess in our reception area. This greeter/hostess is a part of the hospitality team. The primary purpose of the hospitality team is to make the customer feel welcomed, comfortable and wanted by our organization. The greete r/hostess has to have a certain physical appearance. All greeters are females, fair skinned, slim built with beautiful features. Discrimination based on features such as attractive or unattractive appearance results in special preferences for those blessed with certain attributes and penalties for persons failing to measure up to the given standards. Communication is an active process of exchanging information and thoughts. Communication involves a source and a recipient that encodes and decodes the intended message. The encoding process involves interpreting an idea into a message which is spoken, non-spoken (signaled) or written. The different channels of communication includes face-to-face, electronic mails, post mails, voice mails or by way of telephone. Communication in our company is primarily channeled through electronic mail. Our interoffice memos are transmitted electronically. The administrative staff corresponds to the agency staff also through emails. Before emails were implemented at our company the company’s messenger would deliver written mails to the agency staff. Now the process is much more expeditious and efficient. An example of the communication process within our organization is as follow: An underwriter’s primary job is to assess and classify the risk of an applicant. An electronic ap plication is sent directly to the underwriter by the agent (the source). The underwriter (the recipient) receives the application assess the risk and determine if additional medical requirements are needed in order to classify the risk. If additional documents are required, the underwriter responds (feedback) electronically letting the agent knows what is needed for the applicant to be issued a contract. The agent seeks out the additional requirement and returns it electronically to the underwriter for processing. Organizational effectiveness is the level in which a company attains its goals. According to Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn (2005) an organization’s efficiency is measure by the number of resources needed to produce a good, which is also known as the internal process approach. Our company measures its effectiveness by setting a target profit margin. Each agency force has an assigned target and each agent within an agency has an individual assigned goal. Each agency force assigned quota makes up the overall target. The executive team monitors the company’s progress on a monthly basis. Visits are made and progress/production reports are drafted to show the percentage of quota attained. The process of acquiring knowledge necessary to survive or compete in an environment is known as organizational learning. It is important to constantly change and seek superior ways of functioning or performing duties. Organizational learning includes shared knowledge between employees within an organization. Organizational learning is an ongoing process at our company. Team leaders are responsible for organizing a knowledge corner. Each team member is encouraged to bring a topic for discussion to corner. The team member during his/her assigned month would decorate the corner with paraphernalia of his/her chosen topic. Topics would include information on the company’s old and new products, breaking business news, the competitor’s products, etc. All these topics help to shape the behavior of our company. Understanding organizational behavior is vital in designing a company’s structure. In understanding individual and group behavior helps management realize how people in different cultures and environment communicate and function to attain strategic set goals. References McNamara, C. (1999). Organizational Culture. Retrieved May 15th, 2006 from managementhelp.org/org_thry/culture/culture. Schermerhorn, Jr., J.R., Hunt, J.G., Osborn, R.N. (2005). Organizational Behavior. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Retrieved May15th, 2006, from University of Phoenix, Resource, MGT/331. Research Papers on Organizational BehaviorAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalResearch Process Part OneThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Project Managment Office SystemRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesUnreasonable Searches and Seizures

Hibernation Essay Example

Hibernation Essay Example Hibernation Essay Hibernation Essay Arieana Koonce Ms. Stephens Biology Honors March 9, 2013 True Hibernation vs. False Hibernation Hibernation is when a mammal has a low body temperature, slow breathing and heart rate, and low metabolic rate. A ground squirrel hibernates in their dens. These dens allow them to sleep for a long time. They rarely wake up. Their hearts beat about 1-2 times per minute. Ground squirrels actually sleep through the entire cold winter. Their body temperature dips down so low that there body is only a couple degrees warmer than outside. It could reach below freezing. These animals prepare for this five to six month period the rest of the year. Hibernation is the animals way to adapt to thing. Compared to ground squirrels, who hibernate in dens, and other true hibernators however, the hibernation arrangement of bears is only a sequence of long naps. Since the body temperature of bears remains high and their breathing remains at a normal rate, their winter naps can easily be bothered or woken up. Some bears even wake up during their winter nap and search and walk around for hours, occasionally possibly days. Therefore that makes bears mammals that are not true hibernators. In conclusion, false hibernation is a way for the larger mammals to stay warm throughout winter without having to do all the things the smaller ones do. It is not the same thing as true hibernation because their body temperature only drops a couple of degrees. Although they are very different mammals do whatever they can to survive the tough winter.

Paper 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Paper 2 - Essay Example The series is about a prominent New York City dweller named David who decides to leave the city and visit his parents in a Florida retirement community and also to attend his mother’s birthday celebration. On arrival he meets both his parents in a jovial mood and receives a warm welcome. His attention however is split between his folks and his job as he is receiving numerous calls from his boss back in New York, something his father is not so happy about and this leads him to him quitting his job to decide on what he really wants with his life. His decision is taken well especially by his mother, Elaine Robbins who claims to have been inspired by it so much and decides to leave his father, Alan Robins to go to Portugal and pursue her dream of becoming a painter. David finds himself in between a rock and a hard place as he juggles between his father’s interests and his mother’s, who comes back to Florida after her Portugal endeavour proves a failure, after the two choose to remain separated. Coming back to his parents place also opens a new chapter in his life with relation to his childhood best friend, Brandon his love life and the fact that he is now retired at only the age of thirty five. This TV series generally shows the oddity of having a successful business then retiring at the age of thirty five and having to live with one’s parents, an elderly couple who are having issues in their marriage. It also shows what impact friends can have on someone and how too much bonding with ones parents at this age can affect the normal day to day routine. The target audience for ‘Retired at 35’ in my view, would be young people of the age late twenties to early forties both female and male with a slim positive bias to the male audience as the jokes in the series tend to be capitalized on David’s bad luck, who is a thirty five year old male. Also the inclusion of the words ‘texturing’, ‘tittering’ and ‘facial book’

Describe your understanding of student centred learning and how your Essay

Describe your understanding of student centred learning and how your skills development at university can improve your curriculu - Essay Example 1). To direct the path towards the accomplishment of this mission, CCCU envisioned â€Å"provide a comprehensive range of corporate information services that meet the current and future needs of the CCCU community. These services will combine well understood and definitive sources of corporate information, powerful reporting tools, specific applications and integration and automation platforms to form a corporate information â€Å"engine† driving a multitude of business processes† (CCCU: Vision, 2009, pars. 1 & 2). Concurrent with the university’s mission and vision, my understanding of their holistic and multidimensional approach in teaching is supportive of the student centered learning approach. O’Neill and McMahon (2005) cited Kember (1997) as defining student centered learning as â€Å"knowledge is constructed by students and that the lecturer is a facilitator of learning rather than a presenter of information† (p. 255). A precondition to this approach was qualified by Rogers  (1983, p. 188) who averred that â€Å"... ... learning approach by specifically and explicitly stating the aims, learning outcomes, and the module programmes, in conjunction with an identified module leader and seminar tutors. The module programmes are structured in a clear and well designed manner that indicates schedules in week number, dates, topics and required readings. By providing the overall theoretical framework, module leaders envision to provide directions and guidelines towards structured presentation of topics that could be absorbed and understood at the given time frame. As student learning gives opportunities for students to enhance learning skills at their own discretion, under the governance and guidance of mentors and tutors, students must become aware that the scope and depth of learning depends on their personal commitment for personal and professional growth. In this regard, to expand my personal understanding of student centered learning, I gained the following inputs to be shared in this discourse, to wit: Lea et  al.  (2003, p.322) â€Å"summarises some of the literature on student-centred learning to include the followings tenets: (1) the reliance on active rather than passive learning; (2) an emphasis on deep learning and understanding; (3) increased responsibility and accountability on the part of the student; (4) an increased sense of autonomy in the learner; (5) an interdependence between teacher and learner; (6) mutual respect within the learner teacher relationship; and (7) and a reflexive approach to the teaching and learning process on the part of both teacher and learner† (cited by O’Neill & McMahon, 2005). The increased proactive stance, responsibility and accountability placed in the hands of the students differentiate this approach from the traditional teacher centered

Analysis and summary report of findings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis and summary report of findings - Essay Example of helping residents in NG7 reduce their household costs- such as heating bills with the aim or converting the fuel and food expenditure to other household basic necessities. The NEST project’s approach entails the promotion of awareness local fuel and food through open talks and educational outreach which can act as a catalyst in development and financial support food and fuel crisis. Conservation and improvisation are some of the methods that can be used to reduce domestic expenditure. The NEST Project focuses its concerns on domestic income and expenditure with the analysis of the NG7 community. One of the major issues is the rising of electricity and water bills in relation to their impacts on domestic expenditure and conservation practices. a research survey for local NG7 community residents indicates that the rising gas , electricity and water bills creates a negative impact on the domestic expenditure as less money is set aside to spend on basic necessities such as food, clothing and security (Henry, 2010). In this case, a large number of residents strongly agree with the analogy that rising gas, electricity and water bills reduces the budget expenditure of the basic necessities of a household. NEST project research survey for local residents in NG7 portrays that rising gas, electricity and water bills directly affect the health and wellbeing of many families. A majority of the residence in NG7 area agree with this notion according to NEST project research survey for local residents in NG7. Family health and wellbeing largely depends on the family income and expenditure. In cases of lack of balance between the income and the expenditure rate, families tend to suffer from health and wellbeing issues as many people ignore social and health responsibilities2. Therefore, inadequate fund leads to poor health and wellbeing in most families in NG7 area. One of the common ways used to cut down the expenditure rate in a household is the use of DIY tools. The

Culture and Perceptions and Attitudes and Values Essay

Culture and Perceptions and Attitudes and Values - Essay Example Culture relates to the set of beliefs and traditions which is followed by a segment of a nation's community and includes sub cultures, corporate cultures as well as national and social cultures. It includes religious beliefs, norms, traditions, rituals etc that is specific to that particular country or region. The cultural framework encompasses within its gamut, various other factors such as language, religion, values, attitudes, and educational qualifications that is peculiar to the nation and plays a significant role in influencing their purchase decisions. For instance, in the case of famous beverage marketing firm Captain Morgan rum the marketing management of the company perceived Hispanic male consumers as probable target audience to whom the product could be successfully marketed and sold. However, such a notion was held wrong since the Hispanics perceived the product as symbolizing domination and exploitation owing to the company logo of a pirate. This proves that the concept / idea that were appealing to the Anglos were found to be disgusting by the Hispanics owing to their cultural differences (Korzenny, 2005). In China, the year 2007 which was considered to be the year of the pig - a symbol of wealth and prosperity according to their culture and traditions, all the advertisements related to pigs were banned. The move was intended to respect the religious sentiments of the 20 million odd Muslim population and was considered as a gesture of respect to their traditional values (The Sunday times, 2007). In the year 2005, France's Catholic Church banned an advertisement (Appendix 2) featuring a popular clothing brand which was based on Leonardo Da Vinci's Christ's last Supper since it hurt the religious sentiments of the Catholics world wide (BBC News, 2005). In 2004 China banned the Nike advertisement featuring LeBron James battling a cartoon kung fu master, alleging that it was a national insult and it hurt the dignity of the nation (China daily, 2004). International Marketing can be better understood in terms of high - context and low - context culture whereby it is argued that people belonging to the same set of backgrounds share a high degree of understanding of the concepts intended to be depicted in the advertisements and hence the need to explain or clarify the intentions is not recognized. High context culture largely relies on non verbal communication since it is fast and efficient within their group eliminating the need to explain or explicitly express the intended meaning, their behavior is predictable and is considered to be misinterpreted or incomprehensible by outsiders i.e., those belonging to the low context culture (Bennett, Blythe, Pp.44). These specific points related to high context and low context culture needs to be understood adequately since it holds utmost significance in terms of international marketing of products or services. It helps the marketers to better understand the targeted consumer groups and assist them in designing appropriate marketing campaigns suitable to their tastes and cultures. People's attitudes and values are also crucial in ascertaining the appropriateness of the choice of marketing campaigns in accordance to the country's cultural, national, political, economical and social

Representation of Masculinity in Die Hard 2 Essay

Representation of Masculinity in Die Hard 2 - Essay Example As such, this paper intends to analyze the representation of masculinity in one of the Die Hard films namely Die Hard 2 by drawing on Mulvey and Neale readings as well as discussion by Taster. Hegemonic masculinity associates with social dominance on one end. On the other, it involves physical prowess, sexual virility, and aggression (Rzepka and Horsley 2010: 61). These are potentially bewildering images of action heroes. With that in mind, it is interesting to note that this hegemonic ideal is not only hard to create, but also implausible to keep up with for the contemporary male. Therefore, this figure that depicts powerful masculinity may only exist or embody in legendary heroes, mythical figures, and probably a minute number of males within a society (West and Lay 2003: 27). Die Hard 2 is a story revolving around a cop who cites in New York and on fine day to Christmas, he visits his ‘distanced’ wife who lives in Los Angeles. Upon his arrival, he finds her and the re st of her work mates having a Christmas party at the same building where they work (Gates 2006: 35). Coincidentally, there happens to be some criminals posing as political terrorists who invade the building demanding for petty yet criminalist favors like release of war criminals jailed in one of the penitentiary facilities around America. John McLane works as a New York law enforcement officer. He stays far from his wife and have some unsolved issues which act as part of the reasons as to why they are no longer in goods terms (Rzepka and Horsley 2010: 89). He is a masculine male character with virile physical prowess and social dominance as well as high level of aggression. Post analysis of Hollywood presentation of male genres characterized Die Hard 2 as male driven action movie that the audience understands to be one of the most visually explosive films with a macho that portrays Hollywood genres (Milestone and Meyer 2012: 50). This is because of its spectacular sight and relevanc e of the hard male body set forth by the main character. Indeed, extant studies and research from with the some of the feminist film theories puts across clearly that the body masculinity of an action hero gives the preferential tone for an action narrative (Caroll 2003: 79). Analysis of Die Hard 2 highlights that movie directors construct action heroes like Bruce Willis exclusively via their physicality and the way they display their bodies form a vital ingredient of the visual effects or excess that they offer in the muscular action cinema (Gates 2006: 58). Several suggestions show that American action films strive hard and frequently at the expense of developing the narrative, to contrive situations or instances for displaying the body of an action hero. Ideally, extant literature that examines both the hegemonic male and the action hero routinely expound on issues such as sexuality, race, class, nationality, and above all the body (Bould 2005: 59). Despite his ageing body prowes s, most reviewers, and critics alike, received the Die Hard Series with a lot of zeal and plausible applauds. This is due to his ability to withstand physical assaults with his male hard body irrespective of age at that particular time (Berg 2002: 80). You should note that masculinity change must take place

Culture and Perceptions and Attitudes and Values Essay

Culture and Perceptions and Attitudes and Values - Essay Example Culture relates to the set of beliefs and traditions which is followed by a segment of a nation's community and includes sub cultures, corporate cultures as well as national and social cultures. It includes religious beliefs, norms, traditions, rituals etc that is specific to that particular country or region. The cultural framework encompasses within its gamut, various other factors such as language, religion, values, attitudes, and educational qualifications that is peculiar to the nation and plays a significant role in influencing their purchase decisions. For instance, in the case of famous beverage marketing firm Captain Morgan rum the marketing management of the company perceived Hispanic male consumers as probable target audience to whom the product could be successfully marketed and sold. However, such a notion was held wrong since the Hispanics perceived the product as symbolizing domination and exploitation owing to the company logo of a pirate. This proves that the concept / idea that were appealing to the Anglos were found to be disgusting by the Hispanics owing to their cultural differences (Korzenny, 2005). In China, the year 2007 which was considered to be the year of the pig - a symbol of wealth and prosperity according to their culture and traditions, all the advertisements related to pigs were banned. The move was intended to respect the religious sentiments of the 20 million odd Muslim population and was considered as a gesture of respect to their traditional values (The Sunday times, 2007). In the year 2005, France's Catholic Church banned an advertisement (Appendix 2) featuring a popular clothing brand which was based on Leonardo Da Vinci's Christ's last Supper since it hurt the religious sentiments of the Catholics world wide (BBC News, 2005). In 2004 China banned the Nike advertisement featuring LeBron James battling a cartoon kung fu master, alleging that it was a national insult and it hurt the dignity of the nation (China daily, 2004). International Marketing can be better understood in terms of high - context and low - context culture whereby it is argued that people belonging to the same set of backgrounds share a high degree of understanding of the concepts intended to be depicted in the advertisements and hence the need to explain or clarify the intentions is not recognized. High context culture largely relies on non verbal communication since it is fast and efficient within their group eliminating the need to explain or explicitly express the intended meaning, their behavior is predictable and is considered to be misinterpreted or incomprehensible by outsiders i.e., those belonging to the low context culture (Bennett, Blythe, Pp.44). These specific points related to high context and low context culture needs to be understood adequately since it holds utmost significance in terms of international marketing of products or services. It helps the marketers to better understand the targeted consumer groups and assist them in designing appropriate marketing campaigns suitable to their tastes and cultures. People's attitudes and values are also crucial in ascertaining the appropriateness of the choice of marketing campaigns in accordance to the country's cultural, national, political, economical and social

Alcoholic in Teens Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Alcoholic in Teens - Research Paper Example Moreover, alcoholism is more than just a social weakness or problem as many would tend to think if the medical definition of it being a chronic illness is anything to go by. As a matter of fact, the National Institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism in a report of a research recently conducted indicates that there is increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder among alcoholics (Bryant, 2013). This is because alcoholism has been found to affect the brain so that the retention of trauma is higher than usual. Social workers should therefore be concerned with the identification of the factors that have made alcoholism among teens popular (Zarbock, 2008). In recognition of these surprising facts and statistics among other effects of this major problem in the American society especially with regards to teenagers, the study will be conducted to ascertain the extent of this problem among teenagers in the country. The research will be for the purposes of pointing out the extent of alcoholism among teenagers using the primary surveys and available secondary data on the subject. The study will involve a sample of participants across the country. The identified sample will be conducted with the help of about 60 teenagers who are currently within the states and territory of the United States. The age bracket under investigation that will also be considered for sampling will be boys and girls between the age of 12 to 15. Since there is the issue of legal consumption of alcohol, the identified age bracket is important for the examination of the effectiveness of the law in curbing this habit among the younger generation. The main sampling criteria employed will be intensity sampling. This is because there will be need for the identification of a fairly distributed and representative sample so that the objectives of this study is

The Renaissance Period Essay Example for Free

The Renaissance Period Essay The period in time referred to as the Renaissance started in the late   1300s and existed through the 1500s. The term translates into rebirth, and describes the process of intellectual and cultural change that began in northern Italy and eventually made its way to   countries lying further north. In this era, Christianity began to evolve and branch into different directions, weakening the power of the church and allowing the disciplines of philosophy and science the freedom to take new routes encouraging scientific observation as opposed to blind faith, or   reasoning (Gaardner 197, 202).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These changes in Christianity, philosophy and science brought about the new ideas of renaissance humanism. When the author says, We speak of renaissance humanism, since now after the Dark Ages in which every aspect of life was seen through divine light, everything once again revolved around man., he is explaining how man has come to see himself in a new light. In the Dark Ages man viewed himself simply as a pitiful servant to God, unworthy of any form of greatness. During the   Renaissance, man saw himself not as a servant to God, but as an integral and more importantly, unique part of God and his greatness.   Man began to believe that God existed everywhere and in everything, including himself, and so man could now celebrate himself and his individual achievements, which became the basis of the new world view (Gaardner 197, 201).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The new world view consists mainly of two things: the way man viewed himself, and the way he viewed his surroundings. As previously stated, man viewed himself in a much higher light than in the previous era. He now also had a new view of nature. Previously, the world had only been looked at as a place of preparation for the hereafter, but now it was looked at as a place to investigate and explore. There was an exciting environment of freedom and exploration. Many people of the time were very aware that they were living in a special, exciting era of intellectual and cultural growth, and they wanted to play an active role in it. This led to huge advancements in all areas from the arts to the sciences, and to the ideal of the Renaissance man, the desire to be knowledgeable in all of these areas (Gaardner 200, 201).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There were three main technological developments that were necessary for the Renaissance   era to come to life. The compass, which made navigation simpler and encouraged the exploration of new lands, accrual of new observations, and information;   firearms, which gave the Europeans military power and made exploring the new lands safer, allowing them to easily overcome any native populations; and most importantly, the printing press, which allowed people greater access to all forms of information, promoting curiosity in the common person and encouraging the desire to know more, to explore, and to ask questions about their surroundings. The printing press also took away the authority of the church as the only source of written knowledge. All three of these developments came together to contribute to the spreading of the new world view over long distances, encouraging the growth of the Renaissance movement and its ideals (Gaardner 198).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The transition from a subsistence economy to a monetary economy also played a large role in the formation of the Renaissance era. The difference between the Renaissance economy and the economy in the Middle Ages was the formation of a large middle class. The formation of the middle class occurred during this time because at the end of the Middle Ages, large cities were fully developed, encouraging the growth of trade and commerce. A monetary economy with banking systems soon followed and the middle class was born, with people having the luxury to be able to buy the things that they needed or wanted. This type of system encouraged people to work harder and smarter, as opposed to feudalism, where working harder would not reap any personal benefits. As the author puts it, This state of affairs rewarded peoples diligence, imagination, and ingenuity.   New demands were made on the individual. This statement reflects the trademarks of individualism, experimentation and exploration that are present in the ideals of the Renaissance era (Gaardner 199).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another way that the printing press contributed to the Renaissance was by allowing the Bible to be translated and printed in different languages. Prior to this, in the Catholic church, only priests and monks read the Bible, because it was only available in Latin. Once it was translated and printed,   an individual could read it for himself, and interpret what it said in his own way. This led to an emphasis on an individuals personal relationship with God, and less of an emphasis on a persons relationship with his spiritual leaders. Eventually, it would lead to the Reformation (Gaardner 212).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author speaks of a new religiosity that developed during the Renaissance. He is referring to the fact that thoughts on God in his relation to the individual changed dramatically.   Prior to the Renaissance, there was a belief that the priest was the only person who truly had a special relationship with God, so therefore it was entirely necessary for an individual to seek forgiveness from God through the priest. God was the only gateway to paradise, and the priest was the only gateway to God. Once the Renaissance was in progress, with its newly found importance of the individual and the ability of the common person to read and interpret the Bible for himself, people began to feel that it was possible to have their own personal relationship with God with or without the involvement of the church, which is a view that is still extremely popular today. This view was put forth by Martin Luther, one of the important contributors to the Reformation of the church during the Renaissance (Gaardner 212-213).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many of the new views on religion during the Renaissance were prompted by advancements in science. A new scientific method was developed during the Renaissance, and formed the basis for all of the technological and scientific advances that have been achieved from that point onward. The new method incorporated using your own senses and experiences to observe phenomena during experimentation. Two of the most important scientists of this time, in my opinion, were Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton (Gaardner 202).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Galiliei formulated the Law of Inertia, which states that a body in motion or at rest remains in that state until an external force causes it to change. Galilei set up a simple experiment to observe what would happen when two forces   acted on an object simultaneously.   Through his observations, he found that despite what was commonly thought, an object that had been propelled into the air would follow a parabola-shaped trajectory.   This would occur due to the forward force of the propulsion of the object, combined with the force of gravity pulling the object down towards the earth (Gaardner 205-208).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Newton used his own observations to formulate the Law of Universal Gravitation, which states that every object attracts every other object with a force that increases in proportion to the size of the objects, and decreases in proportion to the distance between the objects. He used his newly formulated law in conjunction with Galileis previously stated law and observations to explain exactly why the planets traveled in elliptical orbits around the sun. It is the result of two forces acting on an object simultaneously: linear movement from the force applied to the planets during the birth of the solar system, combined with the movement towards the sun due to its gravitational pull. The combination of these two forces, as Galilei previously stated, is what creates the elliptical movement. Newton was able to show that the same laws applied to every heavenly body in the universe, thereby proving that there was not a special set of laws that applied to the heavens, and a separate set of laws for the earth. This caused the people of the time to begin to question exactly what their place was in the universe(Gaardner 209-211).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To this day, we are still making discoveries that lead people to question what their place is in the universe, and if their belief in God is logical or not. Scientists have made and are constantly on the verge of making some huge, definitely stunning advancements, and it inevitably causes people to further question what their place is in respect to the world, the universe and in God. For example, the issues of stem cell research, cloning, and the manipulation of genes are all very controversial at this time, because people are forced to see that man has the ability to create life in a lab, and that he can go on to guide life in almost any direction he may choose, he can play God, as many people say. My own opinion on science is that it is something that must move forward. There is no reason to fear science.   When I analyze each of the topics mentioned above, I can not think of any logical reasons why we should not proceed experimenting with them. They are simply processes that occur naturally already, we are only directing them to proceed in a manner that will be as beneficial to us as possible. As far as what this means for religion, faith will always be what it has always been faith. True faith is unshakeable, as mentioned by Gaardner in respect to Isaac Newtons belief that his findings only supported proof of the existence of   of the great and almighty God (212). Who is to say that all of these magnificent discoveries and the intricacies on which they are based are not guided by the hand of God?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As to the question of our own age that we are living in, I think that in many aspects it is very similar to the Renaissance era. There is definitely a strong belief in the importance of the individual, so much to the point that I think you could say there is a strong trend towards selfishness and indifference. I think this has been reflected especially in the area of the family unit, with the high rates of divorce and single parent homes. People no longer base their life decisions on what will be best for the family unit, but what will make me happy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is also a similarity in that many people no longer feel the need to involve the church in their relationship with God. While most people still have a strong faith in God, or some form of Creator, church attendance has reached record lows. Some people believe that science has become the new religion, but I think that mankind will always feel the need to believe that he will somehow be allowed to continue on, as death seems much too simple of an ending to the elaborate design of a human being and the world around him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Despite our many similarities to the Renaissance, I think that our era can be defined as the Age of Technology. I believe this era began with the inventions of the computer and the internet. Like the printing press during the Renaissance, these two developments allow the rapid dissemination of information across vast distances. The discovery of these systems has revolutionized every area of science, allowing   information to be rapidly computed and shared.   I think that we are still in the very infantile stages of the Age of Technology, and we can only wonder what developments will arise by the time a new age begins. Works Cited Gaardner, Jostein.   Sophies World (188-215).

The Ferrero Group Is A Family Limited Company Marketing Essay

The Ferrero Group Is A Family Limited Company Marketing Essay This paper was written in order to present Ferrero solutions and possible strategies to increase its profit during the period of Christmas 2010, in the UK. The report will comprehend the global chocolate market along with the current trends; with a special highlight on the UK market. First, the situation analysis of the company is the crucial step that will allow us to understand on what the objectives and strategies must be based on. In order to do so, we will undertake a macro and micro environment description and analysis to see how is influenced the company; starting with the company itself, we will define its place in the market, its product line, its culture, and its goals. This will lead us to the study of the collaborators such as the distributors and the suppliers which have a key role in these busy times. Analysing the market size and growth will help us to understand the English customers, their behaviour, their needs and expectations and particularly in such important period. We will also define the appropriate target markets. Certainly, we will also have a look on the competitors of the market; the direct or indirect ones based on their positioning and market shares. And finally a PEST Analysis will help us to understand the current climate and context and the current political, economical, social and technological factors that can have an impact on our objectives. Ferreros budget on this project is  £ 740  000. Based on this budget and on the fact that Christmas count for 40% of the annual sales we expect a 3 % profit increase in comparison with last year. We will give our advices on how implement and control the whole project. Introduction The FERRERO group is a family limited company of the Italian food-processing industry created in 1946 by Pietro Ferrero. The company was founded in 1956 in Alba, Italy. Ferrero ranks today 4th in global confectionery and chocolate. The company is active on five major markets (spreads, dried snacks, chocolate, confectionery and chocolate confectionery pocket), with highly targeted product of international renown such as Nutella, Mon Cheri, Kinder, Ferrero Rock. The company is today employing 21600 people all around the world. Very involved in environmental and social problems, Ferrero is a large sized company which based its success on its core values: fun, innovation, respect for those who manufacture goods and those who consume them, quality and accountability involving all the employees. (MINTEL, 2009) The Corporate Objectives: Peter Drucker in his book Management-Tasks, Responsibilities and Practices suggests that a company should have objectives in each of these goals areas: Market standing Innovation Productivity Physical and financial resources Profitability Management performance and Development Worker performance and attitude Public responsibility Regarding the market standing, Ferrero aims to be leader on the confectionery market. The policy adopted by Ferrero Group is to keep an excellent quality, to be developing markets with products that are unique, different from those of competitors and technologically innovative and have the ability to respond to consumer tastes, whatever their nationality and their age. Over the years, Ferreros policy is to consolidate the position of existing brands, accelerate growth, launching at least one new product every year, always advancing the customer satisfaction invest in the territory and finally promote employment. EXTERNAL MARKETING AUDIT Macro environment PESTE analysis is the tool we used to analyze the strategy macro-external environment within which Ferrero operates. PESTE factors play an important role in value creation opportunities of a strategy. However they are usually beyond the control of the business and must normally be considered as threats or opportunities. (TELLIS,2006) POLITICAL Political factors can affect Ferrero. It could be either an advantage or a disadvantage. Indeed, if taxes increase, therefore consumption decreased and sales of stock decrease. However, if taxes decrease is consumers will probably buy more. Laws and regulations can also affect Ferrero income, especially regarding international trade and food labeling. Also, the Government is very concerned about obesity and is warning the population on the harmful effects of confectionery. ECONOMIC The new Christmas strategy will have to take into account economic factors because they have a strong impact on business. The first factor that could disturb the business is inflation. Prices will go up increasing the production costs of the company but the customers will not agree with paying more money. Also, inflation rates must be involved ina strategy. Indeed, if the interest rates go high then Ferrero will not expand its business. Also if consumers are under pressure due to their loans they would not want to buy unnecessary products. SOCIAL The main social factor which could influence Ferrero business is the current trend of snacking. Indeed, the number of people eating on the go is increasing over the years. Also, any social change taking place outside Ferrero could have an impact on the new strategy. If for example, the birth rate falls, like expectancy will increase. We can suppose that there will be a larger demand on confectionary for middle aged consumers. On the other hand, if the birth rate increases we can assume a larger demand for the young population. Also, diets are a problem. Indeed, all the current studies announced that obesity increases, and will even more in the coming years. This means that demand will decrease, people will prefer a fruit rather than chocolate. Finally, fashion is a contemporaneous factor that changes customers mind and tastes. Even if chocolate is not really the main preoccupation it is still essential to keep in mind that fashion is changing very quickly. Ferrero needs to adapt adverts and promotions in order to keep catching customers attention. TECHNOLOGICAL Today, production is high. This is thanks to high technology machines, quicker and more efficient. Also, factories are enabling high quality mass production. Then, the new ways of communications have improved. Indeed, it is easy and cheap to use Medias such as the internet, magazines, television, newspapers, and the radio to advertise and promote the products. Finally, Internet is still a good place to sell goods, even confectionary ones. This PESTE Analysis allowed us to comprehend the external environment barriers that can affect Ferrero business. This analysis introduces us on the direction that the company should go in order to increase the products success and minimize the cost. We are now going further working on the micro environment factors. Micro-environment The Company What helped Ferrero to reach its position on the international market is based on a few keywords. The first one is the very high quality of each item of their different ranges of products. Actually, the excellence of the raw materials is a determining factor in the companys products performance. Moreover, they are conscious about the fact that being in a long term and strong relationship with the best suppliers is the only mean to offer some of the best products on the market. To make sure that Ferreros products quality meets all the customers expectations and desires, at a reasonable price, Ferrero established a set of rules which constitute its Quality Management System. It is a certification mean applied to standards for raw materials and packaging, choice of suppliers, checking of goods, recipes, production instructionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ In order to reach an entire customer satisfaction, the company worked a lot on its last key success factor: Freshness. To be able to offer the best freshness to each of its product range, Ferrero settled high standards of hygiene and food safety. Being constantly innovating is the last key factor of the brands success. It is evident that Ferreros biggest strength is its continuous research in order to be able to develop and offer new and original products to the consumers. This task is carried out by Soremartec (Socià ©tà © de recherches marketing et technique) whose mission is to study, develop and realize innovative products capable of creating new market sectors, characterized by exclusive ingredients and manufactured using technologically complex production processes. Furthermore, Ferrero is also implied in social issues, environmental causes and cares a lot about food safety. But the companys main characteristic is its way of being GLOCAL. It means that its thinking globally, and its acting locally. That is to say that they are influencing the international market, while taking care about individual localities. These values led the confectionary group to the top, by making its products known and loved by millions of consumers worldwide. Overview of its products Ferreros products are part of the existing chocolate market. Generally, all the products offered are sold at a medium price, and the brand makes the difference playing on the content of the selections. Range of products sold on the market Ferrero classified its product in five categories according to the following logic: Kinder product: the first Ferrero category, is divided itself into three smaller ones: Kinder Bars, such as: Kinder Bueno, Kinder Chocolate, Kinder Maxi,Kinder Country. Chilled Kinders, such as: Kinder Pingui, Kinder Choco Fresh, Kinder Maxi King. Playful Kinder Eggs, such as: Kinder Surprise Kinder Schoko-Bons Ferrero products, is the second category, is made of: Nutella and Duplo products such as Nutella Go, Nutella Snack Drink, the classical Nutella jar and also Duplo and Duplo Nocciolato. As a third category, there are Chocolate products which are presented in transparent boxes: Ferrero Rocks, Raffaello, Mon chà ©ri, Then comes the Sugar Confectionary category, mainly composed of Tic Tac products such as: Tic Tac Tic Tac Silvers Tic Tac King Size Drinks is the last category classifying two Ferrero products: Estathà © and Nutella Snack Drink c. The market The company Ferrero is present on the international market; its geographic distribution is also international. It is a company of large size which invested a lot each year, who obtains a positive growth each year and whose profitability cannot ceases to increase; the subsidiary has seen its turnover multiplied for twelve years. France therefore takes the third place in terms of turnover after Italy and Germany. Ferrero is currently evolving differences on five markets: hazelnuts spread, confectionery chocolate, snacks dry more ultra-fresh, candy pocket, chocolate bars. Our product will position itself therefore on the confectionery market of chocolate. Currently, Ferrrero products located in the category sweets chocolate are at the stage of the maturity. Ferrero group is located in the fourth place in the world in the sector of confectionery. In the UK and over the 2005-2009 period, the consumption (Appendix 1) has increased as well as the total sales in value by an estimated 10%, to  £4.83bn. Chocolate remains the largest of the two main sectors and also showed the highest growth over the period. The Customers Geographical range Ferrero is present in the world, on all continents. Sociodemographic This market being very narrow, Ferrero had tried to expand and make chocolate a food as pleasure according to all. That is why, confectionery shock of Ferrero chocolate are addressed to all ages, all social classes, all nationalities, all religions, all income, all the socio-professional categories, etc. The Ferrero market shares by sector: (Source: ACNNielsen July 2005) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Spreads batter: 89, 2% of the shares of total market: Nutella à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Snacks dry and ultra-fresh: 30,3% of total market shares Dry Kinder (Kinder Dà ©lice), Kinder Ultra-fresh (Kinder Pingui, Kinder Chocofresh, Kinder Happy Time) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Confectionery chocolate: 20% Bars (Kinder Bueno, Kinder Maxi, Kinder Country, Duplo, Mouthful and rocks (Ferrero Rocher, Raffaello, Mon Chà ©ri, Ferrero Prestige Confectionery playful (Kinder Surprise, Kinder Shokobons) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The confectionery pocket: 11, 5% of the shares of total market: TIC TAC à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The chocolate tablets: 3, 2% of the shares of total market: Kinder chocolate Regarding all these segments, Ferrero is very present for children, it must therefore continue on this track because the chocolates pleasing to children but also to parents who buy for children. And if the mothers buy chocolates to children, is that they are seduced and convinced of the quality of Ferrero chocolates. This means therefore that the targets of Ferrero are fair and respected. Ferrero may not only strengthen its segmentation because it is already very developed on all segments. And it should not ignore in any case a small part of a segment. Chocolate is a food consumption of which quality is constantly increasing. In the years 2000, chocolate becomes a means of comfort, of delight, and pleasure of share its mixture bold and sweet highly taste. It is weapons natural style but also a good anti-stress. Each year, the total production in UK is about 380,000 tones, an increase of 33% between 1990 and 2000. Each year, the consumption of chocolate increases by about 3%, for indicative purposes, in 2002, the consumption of a one person was 4, 86 kg per year. It is by helping of such data that we can explain the excellent results in terms of sales and turnover of Ferrero. Competitors Years ago, the God-fearing and abstemious English Quakers were responsible for the early development of chocolate in the UK. They created the foundations of todays leading confectionery conglomerates. Some of the most famous Quakers names in chocolate making are Rowntree, Fry, Cadbury and Terrys. Then the Swiss took advantage of the market with their technical and commercial expertise. They created Nestle, Lindt, and Tobler perfecting the art of chocolate-making on a large scale. Today, the worlds leading chocolate manufacturer is still the Swiss based Nestle. It is followed by the US based Mars Inc. The other major players have almost the same size and each of them has an essential position in different markets. Philip Morris-owned Jacobs Suchard dominates in most of European countries. Cadbury Schweppes is the UK market leader. By 2010, the Total European Chocolate Market Will Reach a Value of $35.4bn, with Germany accounting for a 32% share, followed by the UK with 25%. Nestle, Mars, Ferrero, Jacobs Suchard and Cadbury are the market leaders. (HOOVERS) Also, the chocolate bars like Crunchie, Picnic, Mars, Snickers, Kit Kat and Violet Crumble account for about 40% of chocolate market sales. But it is the emerging markets in Asia, South America and Eastern Europe which offer the greatest growth prospects for the worlds chocolate makers. Asia, hampered by humidity, often inadequate refrigeration and poor distribution, is nevertheless seen as a major growth market due to its sheer size. International rank of Ferrero, in terms of percentage of Sales in value Distributors Ferreros success is based primarily on the success of different brands developed by the group. But, to maintain this level of excellence, Ferrero must anticipate any change and adapt as soon as possible. This involves the establishment of a supply chain is performing particularly well. With all its products, Ferrero uses the normal distribution channels for small, medium and large retailers. Ferrero uses short distribution channels, 1 or 2 intermediate before end user, allowing an increase in awareness and geographic implementation locations. This choice of circuit is essentially due to the large size of Ferrero as well as its relocation. Its leading position gives it a certain assurance of profitability and its distribution is assured by its experience. INTERNAL MARKETING AUDIT Operating results Regarding the entire Ferrero Group, and despite its kitsch reputation in the UK, it ended the 2008-2009 financial year with a consolidated turnover of 6,345 million euros, an increase of 2.1% (+131 million euros) compared with the previous financial year 2007-2008. The Group worldwide includes 38 trading companies, 18 factories and around 21,500 employees. Strategic issues analysis Marketing objectives will allow us the secure the loyalty of our customers and attract those whoo are not yet convinced. Our core competencies and our competitive advantage are all about quality, taste, and customers satisfaction. Our products are positioned as premium confectionery products on the market. This position is due to the high quality and the relative high price of our products. Finally, regarding the segmentation Ferrero is now globally sold to individual consumers and families from all socio-professional categories. Marketing mix effectiveness Products This strange mix of tradition and modernity is a strategy that, in the design, manufacturing and communications products, is avoiding the beaten track. (KOTLER 2003). Ferrero creates few brands, but always on high value-added niche, where they quickly become leaders. That is because Ferrero plays on latent demand. More than products, the Italian group invents new ways of consuming the candy. With Nutella was born the chocolate spread, and forty years later, Ferrero still holds nearly 50% volume share of the English sector. Thanks to Kinder, children discovered their first chocolate. And the five products of the brand (Kinder Surprise, Kinder Country ) now represent nearly 30% of the group turnover. The Patent Secrecy is also well guarded that any new process invented by the laboratories Ferrero is industrialized by its wholly goods. Ferrero products have a longer life cycle and are almost all in the maturity phase. The packaging is changing but without much disruption. For example, t he product Nutella is still sold in a glass jar and the dominant colors are red and black. But now thanks to Ferreros research and innovation system, there is a product especially created for each event. There are Christmas tree Ferrero Rocher boxes, bell boxes for Easter and Maxi Kinder Surprise Eggs for childrens birthdaysà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Price Several factors explain the relative dearness of the Ferrero products. Firstly, there is a historical factor: their products are almost always the first appearing on the various market segments they covet and they quickly become successful. The group can afford to set a high price. Then there is a need to reward quality factor. Ferrero products achieve to have this unique taste because they are made with the best ingredients. Moreover, being a Group highly focused on innovation, Ferrero supports large costs of R D. Finally, Ferrero products are often quasi-monopoly on the segments they occupy; there is no competition from cost. Ferrero is free to set its prices, there are no substitute products having the same quality. The Ferrero Group products are related to high-end products that appeal, however, all segments of customers. Place With all its products, Ferrero uses the normal distribution channels for small, medium and large retailers. Depending on the size and type of linear switching surface, the end product is more or less present. Ferrero uses short distribution circuits, one or two intermediaries before the final consumer. Ferrero products are easily accessible as customers can purchase them while going shopping, in any retail store. If the customers do not go shopping especially to buy a Ferrero product, it can become a purchase on impulse, as generally, on special occasions, these products are settled in end-aisle displays to be visible. Promotion The communication strategy is at hand. Not that advertising is neglected, in Italy the Group is the 2nd of advertisers on TV behind Procter Gamble, all brands and all media. Ferrero spent last year around  £11 million a year in the UK advertising its brands. Ferrero Rocher for example has invested over the past 20 years, more than  £50 million in adverting in the UK.A strong past activity in the UK included a tie-up with The Simpsons. But Ferrero has never forgotten his rural roots, is very down to earth: the product, just the product. Advertising extols the nutritional benefits the Kinder, is more milk and less cocoa. It even explains how to eat the egg. Like all other links in the chain, and contrary to what happens in many other food groups, advertising is an integrated service of the company, which has its own management, Pubbliregia. With a golden rule: Never call on behalf of Ferrero. Because the label is hidden behind Ferrero brands. SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES INTERNAL ANALYSIS -Awareness of the brands High quality of the products it offers. Constant political revolution of marketing. Great capacity to meet demand. Innovation research/technology Strong dependence on many suppliers Probability of lack of control by the heavy dependence on many providers. OPPORTUNITIES THREATS EXTERNAL ANALYSIS Easy to buy: easily accessible for the customers. Considered as an ideal product for gifting. New flavors Emerging markets. Health regulations Strong competitors/Imitation Internal Environment Description of the Internal Environment is based on strengths and weaknesses. First, regarding the strengths, one of the essential assets that Ferrero possess is the quality of the chocolate. Quality remains the same over the years. Ferrero knows its customers and is able to perfectly meet the demand. Also, regarding RD, continuous researches are done aiming at developing new and original products by Soremartec (Marketing Consulting Agency). Ferrero invest every year in bringing technical and organizational innovation to the production line. Indeed, the uniquely shaped components of Ferrero required the design and construction of unique machinery, not available on the market. On the other hand, Ferrero has a strong dependence on its suppliers (cocoa suppliers for instance). This strong dependence result that the company may have to interrupt its production if the providers do not supply raw materials. This could result to a lack of control then. External Environment The external environment consists of Opportunities and Threats. The main opportunity is the easy access of the product. Customer can find at least one Ferrero products wherever he goes. Ferrero products are considered as an ideal product for gifting (Christmas or Eastern). It is a kind of tradition that will not change soon. However, the introduction on new flavors will help in gaining more market share. Finally, the emergent countries such as China or India are more and more willing to eat as the Western World. On the other hand, new health regulations such as anti-obesity campaigns for instance can have an impact on the chocolate consumption. Also, even if Ferrero is a leader, there are some strong competitors on the market. Some of them are working with the same technology and high quality end products; there is a risk of imitation. MARKETING STRATEGY Target Market For next Christmas 2010, our objective is to put together all our previous segmentations. This trial will last only for a short time (1month). Kinder Surprise and Ferrero Rocher are the top Christmas chocolate gifts. We decided to first target the young audience with children, who will have an impact on their parents decision making process. But we will still target adults and parents (especially mothers), as the price will not be affordable by young people. Marketing Mix Product For next Christmas 2010 the main preoccupation is to assemble people together. The product will a limited edition of Christmas tree made in Kinder chocolate around 1.4 feet height. The tree will be decorated with six Ferrero Rochers and six Moncheri chocolates, by way of ornaments and baubles. The offer will start on the 1st December and will end on the 27th. We will hide 10 little Golden Stars in the whole English production trees. Each Golden star offers a family trip to Dominican Republic for New Years Eve. Price Looking at the competition and our other prices for example during eastern, we will set our price at  £22/Christmas tree. Place Customers will be able to find this product in everyplace where Ferrero already is (Hypermarket, Supermarket, Convenience stores). Also, we will organize in every point of sales within the supermarkets, a special display stand where the trees will be exposed. The offer will be visible on a promotional banner. Promotion In order to promote the tree, we will first use mass media such as television and radio. As we do not have a lot of time, we need to be quick with our communication. On TV we will create a special advert in a Christmas spirit. But we will put together all the three worlds in the ad (the young Kinder, the gourmand Ferrero Rocher, and the subtle Monchà ©ri). We could adapt the famous catchphrase Christmas isnt Christmas without Ferrero by adding together. Together define the Christmas atmosphere, a kind of love one for family and friends. At the end a special flash will announce our special Sunny Christmas offer. On radio, a special short spot will be broadcasted explaining the offer. Positioning brand The positioning must be done according to competitive offers. It is important to differentiate its product or service in the minds of consumers especially in such busy period. According to Kotler et al 2009 matrix (Appendix 3) our Ferrero product is a high quality product with a quite high price. The positioning must be as a premium brand. Indeed the brand is quite expensive in comparison with other chocolates that customer can find. Implementation and Control Budget We will produce 100  000 Christmas trees for the UK market. Our cost of production are estimated at  £150  000. We assume another  £150  000 in order to distribute the product on the whole market. We will need a total  £400  000 for the all the promotion. In order to launch on the radio the advertisement  £25000 are required. The same amount will be necessary to publish the our newspapers campaigns. The display stands will have a cost of  £40  000. Or TV advertisement will cost  £300  000. Finally our special 10 sunny trips offered will cost  £40  000. If all stars are not discovered before the 26th of December, trips will be offered to a children care association. (See appendix 3) Roll on time table Our product manager Dave Tucker and his team will be in charge of the design of the product Our marketing manager Nell McIntosh will be in charge of distribution and promotion of our all concept. Our financial services in collaboration with the production and marketing department will manage the price strategy. Our product will be advertised 15 days before the launching. The offer starts on the first of December and stops the 26th. The aim is to urge people to buy the Christmas tree to introduce all the Ferrero worlds within families. Monitor and Evaluation We will first analyze sales and financial results and comparing them to our projections. If results are positive we will improve the idea next year. If not, we will undertake corrective actions. But analysis the sales is not enough to reveal how well a company is performing among the competitors. Then we will analyze the market shares Then, we will check either the advertising had a catching impact on our customers by post marketing survey and researches. Finally, we will organize some store checks enquiring about the customers satisfaction. These surveys will be conducted in 10 stores asking for their feelings regarding the product, the allocation of shelf space, the price and the promotions underway. BIBLIOGRAPHY Anderson E. and Simester D. (2003) Mind your pricing cues, Harvard Business Review, September. Berger W (2003) Thats advertainment, Business 2.0, March. Brown S. (2001) Torment your customers (theyll love it), Harvard Business Review, September-October. Codol J.P, Tap P.(1988) Revue internationale de psychologie sociale, n ° 2. Dhar R and Glazer R. (2003) Hedging customers, Harvard Business Review, May. Dubois B. (1998) Lart du Marketing, Village Mondial. Drucker P. (1975) Management-Tasks, Responsabilities and Practice. Eliott S. (2006) Letting customers control marketing  : priceless, New York Times, 9 October. Johnson M.D. (2004) Customer portfolio management, Journal of Marketing. Kapferer J.N. (1995) Les marques, capital de lentreprise, Les Editions dorganisation. Kotler Ph.(1967) Marketing Management  : Analysis, planning and control, Prentice Hall. Kotler, Philip (2003) Marketing Management, Prentice Hall. Lendrevie J, Lindon D, (2006) Mercator, 8à ¨me à ©d, Dunod. Malcolm McDonald (2007) Marketing Plans: How to Prepare Them, How to Use Them. Mintel (2010) Chocolate Confectionary, UK. Mintel (2010) Seasonal and Boxes chocolate, UK. Nagle T.T. and Holden R.K. (2002) The strategy and Tactics of Pricing, 3rd edition. Nohria N. (2003) What really works, Harvard Business Review, 81. Pieters R; and Wedel M (2004) Attention capture and transfer in advertising: brand, pictorial, and text-size effects, Journal of marketing. Sangera A. (2005) Too many mission statements, Financial Times, 22 July. Tellis G.T (2000) Which ad works, when, where, and how often? Modeling the effects of direct television advertising, Journal of Marketing Research. Tellis G.T. (2006) Modeling marketing mix, Handbook of marketing research. Underhill P (2000) La Science du Shopping, comment le merchandising influence lachat, Village Mondial. Vettraino-Soulard M.C. (2000) Luxe et publicità ©, Retz. Appendix 1: Western Europe: Consumer expenditure on chocolate confectionery by country (2007)

My Philosophy of Teaching Essay -- Educational Educating Teaching Essa

Philosophy of Education As Malcom Forbes once said, â€Å"Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.† As a future teacher and educator, I heartily agree with the quote from Mr. Forbes, a successful businessman. Because I have been a student in school since I was five years old, I have had many opportunities to look at my education and assess what I have truly learned. Honestly, I can say that the most important part of my past and current education has been being exposed to the many ideas and concepts of our world today. Aside from learning about the all important â€Å"classic† subjects, I have been fortunate enough to be educated by individuals who truly wanted to teach me, as well as other students, to make a difference in the world. Due to the condition our world is in today, I feel it is extremely important to teach my future students about such issues as racism, gender inequality, war, legal matters and environmental issues, just to name a few. In order to be a successful person in the world today, it is imperative that all citizens are aware of the many non-educational issues surrounding them. It is vital that every person is capable of making rational decisions on his or her own. These ideas and skills are not something that parents alone can teach their children, simply because so many children do not have parents that are involved in their lives. Therefore, it is the school’s responsibility to teach the students about all areas of life. Every student, regardless of background, race, sex, and ethnicity will be educated on how the become a more worldly person. No one, thanks to a free public education, will be denied the right to learn. Because I hold these views, it is clear that I embrace a So... ...e, as well as observation hours and lessons to teach. Yet I know that deep down inside, I am making a good decision for my life. Teachers may not make the most money or have the most respected profession, but it is a job that is always needed. Teachers have helped encourage so many of the world’s brightest people; so many people have admitted that they wouldn’t be where they are today without the support from that one special teacher. I want to be that special teacher, the one who goes the extra mile for her students and pushes them to be the best they can be. But most importantly, I want to be able to teach my students to be worldly and independent. For Robert Hutchins once said, â€Å"It must be remembered that the purpose of education is not to fill the minds of students with facts†¦it is to teach them to think, if that is possible, and to always think for themselves†.

Economics :: essays papers

Economics2 CLASSICAL THEORY -The classical theory of employment is grounded in Say’s Law, the classical interest rate mechanism, and downwardly flexible prices and wages. -The aggregate supply curve is vertical at the full-employment level of output; the aggregate demand curve is stable if the money supply is constant. -Government macroeconomic policies are unnecessary and counter-productive; automatic, built-in mechanisms provide for full-employment output. KEYNESIAN THEORY -Keynesian analysis unlinks saving and investment plans and discredits downward price-wageflexibility, implying that changes in aggregate spending, output, and employment, are likely. -The aggregate supply curve is horizontal; the aggregate demand curve is unstable largely because of the volatility of investment. -Active macroeconomic policies by government are necessary to mitigate recessions or deppressions. -Say’s Law is the disarming notion that the very act of producing goods generates an amount of income exactly equal to the value of the goods produced. -Supply creates its own demand. -Saving would constitute a leakage in the income-expenditure flows and would undermine the ffective operation of Say’s Law. -Saving is a withdrawal of funds from the income stream which will cause consumption expenditures to fall short of total output. -Investment spending by businesses is a supplement to the income-expenditure stream which may fill any consumption gaparising from saving. -Keynesian economics hold that there ar etwo other sources of funds which can be made available in the money market: 1)the accumulated money balances, 2)lending institutions. -The Keynesian position is that saving and investment plans can be at odds and thereby can result in fluctuations in total output, total income, employment, and the pricelevel. -The amount of goods and service produced and therefore the level of employment depend directly on the level of total or aggregate expenditures. -A consumption schedule indicates the various amounts households plan to consume at various possible levels of disposable income which might prevail at some specific point in time. -Because disposable income equals consumption plus saving (DI=C+S) you need only subtract consumption from disposable income to find the amount saved at each level of DI. -Break-even income is the level at which households consume their entire income. -APC= consumption/ income -APS= saving / income -APC + APS= 1 -MPC= change in consumption/ change in income -MPS= change in saving / change in income -MPC + MPS = 1 -Nonincome determinants of Consumption and Saving are wealth, price level, expectation, consumer indebtedness, taxation. -Consumption spending and saving both rise when disposable income increases; they fall when disposable income decrases. -The average propensity to consume is the fraction of any given level of disposable income which is consumed; the average propensity to save is the fraction of any given level of disposable income which is saved.

Research Method Essay

1. What is the problem statement in the following situation? Employee Loyalty Companies benefit through employee loyalty. Crude downsizing in organizations during the recession crushed the loyalty of millions. The economic benefits of loyalty embrace lower recruitment and training costs, higher productivity of workers, customer satisfaction, and boost the morale of fresh recruits. In order that these benefits may not be lost, some companies, while downsizing, try various gimmicks. Flex leave, for instance, is one. This helps employees receive 20% of their salary, plus employer-provided benefits while they take a 6-12 month sabbatical, with a call option on their services. Others try alternatives like more communication, hand-holding, and the like. Problem statement. How can employee loyalty be maintained during periods of downsizing? 2. For the following case titled Sleepless Nights at Holiday Inn (published in Business Week and adapted here): a. Identify the problem b. Develop at least four hypotheses. Sleepless Nights at Holiday Inn Just a few years ago, Tom Oliver, the Chief Executive of Holiday Hospitality Corp., was struggling to differentiate among the variety of facilities offered to clients under the Holiday flagship – the Holiday Inn Select designed for business travelers, the Holiday Inn Express used by penny pinchers, and the Crowne Plaza Hotels, the luxurious hotels meant for the big spenders. Oliver felt that revenues could be quadrupled if only clients could differentiate among these. Keen on developing a viable strategy for Holiday Hospitality which suffered from brand confusion, Tom Oliver conducted a customer survey of those who had used each type of facility, and found the following. The consumers didn’t have a clue as to the differences among the three different types. Many complained that the buildings were old and not properly maintained, and the quality ratings of service and other factors were also poor.  Furthermore, when word spread that one of the contemplated strategies of Oliver was a name change to differentiate the three facilities, irate franchises balked. Their mixed messages did not help consumers to understand the differences either. Oliver thought that he first needed to understand how the different classifications would be important to the several classes of clients, and then he could market the heck out of them and greatly enhance the revenues. Simultaneously, he recognized that unless the franchise owners fully cooperated with him in all his plans, mere face lifting and improvement of customer service would not bring added revenues. Problem Statement: How can brand awareness be brought about to increase the revenues of Holiday Inn? Hypotheses 1. The more differentiated the building facilities, the more the brand awareness. 2. The more differentiated the maintenance of the facilities, the more the brand awareness. 3. The more differentiated the services to the clients, the more the brand awareness. 4. Differentiated building facilities, maintenance, and service will influence brand awareness only if the Franchise owners cooperate and actively promote the idea of differentiation. If they don’t, no amount of differentiation of the three independent variables will help clients to understand the differentiation (increase brand awareness).

Trade Unions and the Industrial Revolution

Trade Unions had struggled to achieve the freedom to exist in the early stages of the industrial revolution. Provide a critical account of their early developments, noting some of the major changes in their formation and character. A trade union can be described as an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas and working conditions. They were established around the early eighteenth century and membership was low and most were from within crafting industries but as the success of trade unions became apparent, workers in other industries began to see the benefits of unions to allow them to go from strength to strength and establish themselves in a wider variety of sectors. However, up until the late eighteenth century trade unions were mainly illegal, â€Å"unions were forbidden by special statutes, and they could be proceeded against at common law, for ‘conspiracy in restraint of trade’. † (Derry and Jarman, XXXX, p. 41). Since then, memberships levels, mergers, formations, dissolutions and breakaways, have all had an impact resulting in changes in union formation and character, these can be seen largely through the parliamentary acts that have been passed in relation to it. By examining the various historic triumphs of workers over their employers such as the Match-girls and the London Docker s, it is possible to establish the changes in formation and character and how trade unions managed to pull through the industrial revolution to become such an influential part of society today. One of the first noteable changes was an increase in membership levels because as the employment sector grew with the industrial revolution, workers began to see the opportunities available to them, to improve the quality of their working life by joining trade unions and thus made the effort to form specialized organisations that would protect their interest against exploitive employers. However, in 1799 and 1800 William Pitt, the Prime Minister, passed Combination Laws which made it illegal for workers to join together to pressure their employers for shorter hours and more pay or prevent employers from choosing whom they wish to employ selectively. This made it increasingly difficult for trade unions to even form and as a result they were effectively made illegal. One could say that towards the end of the eighteenth century, tat the journeymen's societies had developed into trade unions. The Combinations Acts were used infrequently and combinations continued to spread across a variety of occupations and the Acts were repealed in 1824, however, this was followed by an outbreak of strikes and as a result the 1825 Combination Act was passed which again imposed limitations on the right to strike. As a result of this, trade unions were forced to use debate and other more cerebal methods to achieve their goals rather than immediately resorting to violent strikes. Another noteable change in formation amongst trade unions became apparent in 1834 when there was an attempt to establish a Grand National Consolidated Trades' Union bringing together all the unions but it never attracted general support. From 1830 onwards, attempts were made to set up national general unions to try and widen the movement and increase awareness and involvement, most notably Robert Owen's Grand National Consolidated Trades Union (GNCTU) in 1834, which gained 250,000 members. Unfortunately it collapsed due to internal strife and lack of funds. Around the same time there was the case of the Tolpuddle Martyrs from one of the GNCTU’s sub divisions, the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers who were sentenced to seven years transportation but a campaign launched for their release had their sentence remitted in 1836. This was the first of its kind and now people were beginning to see a real change and workers interests were being represented more in society and now a large majority of employees belonged to trade unions. More permanent trade unions were established from the 1850s, based on â€Å"new aims and a better organization for the new Unions of better-paid workers. † (Derry and Jarman, XXXX, p. 146). In 1851 the Amalgamated Society of Engineers was formed after sever local and sectional engineering unions merged together (Blackboard, 2008). This society formed a new organisation of trade unionism which was followed by Carpenters and Joiners and other trade unions. These unions were â€Å"respected by employers because they hand money in the bank and prudence as their first principle†. They had a cautious industrial policy and used strikes as a last resort. (Derry and Jarman, XXXX, p. 146). The new Liberal government headed by William Gladstone saw The Trade Union Congress campaigning for the Minority Report, the campaign was successful and the 1871 Trade Union Act was based largely on the Minority Report. This act secured the legal status of trade unions. As a result of this legislation no trade union could be regarded as criminal because â€Å"in restraint of trade†; trade union funds were protected. Although trade unions were pleased with this act, they were less happy with the Criminal Law Amendment Act passed the same day that made picketing illegal. Trade unions also went through many amalgamations and legal changes, for example, until 1850, unions had been involved primarily in local affairs (with the exception of the miners) but from the middle of the century, the growth of railways meant that communications were easier and amalgamations began to take place. The engineering industry was in the lead and the Amalgamated Society of Engineers (ASE) was established in 1850. It modelled itself on the friendly society, providing unemployment, sickness and disablement benefits and a funeral allowance. Certain other merging unions – for example in woodworking and tailoring – followed the ASE's model but others kept their friendly society and trade sections separate. And many local societies remained; even the national unions still gave much autonomy to branches and districts and there was a constant danger of breakaways. The model was still predominantly about the protection of craft status, with the aim of limiting entry and even when technological change took place, of preserving jobs for their members and although women were entering the labour market in increasing numbers, there was hostility to women penetrating new areas of work and unions were exclusively male. Alongside the growth of national unions came the development of trades councils from around 1858 in major towns and cities. Bringing together unions locally, their aim was to co-ordinate support in disputes and to help create a climate of opinion more favourable to the unions. In 1868, the Manchester and Salford Trades Council called what is usually taken as the first meeting of what was to become the Trades Union Congress (TUC), an annual meeting to encourage collaboration between unions and put pressure on the government. By the 1870s, the TUC had a full-time general secretary and by 1895 representation at the TUC was restricted to unions, and trades councils were excluded altogether to avoid dual representation. The TUC's Parliamentary Committee took a growing role in representing the union view to government. Industrial disputes continued, unsurprising at a time of rapid change when new working practices and technologies were being introduced. The major strikes were almost always about how work should be carried out and who could be employed on particular tasks; entry and preservation of craft status (which implied having served an apprenticeship) remained predominant aims. Most strikes began as unofficial affairs, later ratified by a sometimes reluctant national leadership; this feature was still evident a century later. But most union leaders had an interest in stability; apart from other considerations, strikes were a threat to their funds, and unions have never been well-funded. From the late eighteen hundreds, trade unions began to grow steadily, by the beginning of the 1880s, the number of trade unionists has been estimated at around three-quarters of a million, most in skilled trades although the majority of the workforce was unskilled. In the 1880s, led by seamen, dockers and gas workers who held notably successful strikes, serious organisation of the unskilled and semi-skilled began. Women too formed separate trade unions. The predominant ideology behind the craft unions had been Non-Conformism and self-help. During the period of the growth of new unions, socialism began to play a part and many young activists were inspired by it. But the climate tended towards the anarchic: these so-called ‘new unions' competed with each other, often with intense inter-union rivalry. This was not confined to the new unions: new processes were blurring traditional patterns of working, and in engineering and shipbuilding there were demarcation disputes between the craft unions, refusals to support semi-skilled workmates in disputes, and even industrial action against them. There were growing demands for closed shops, in which only union members could be permitted to be employed, and blacklisting of employers not recognising unions increased. The result was a spate of legal actions in the 1890s, culminating in the Taff Vale Judgment of 1901 which held that trade unions could be held liable for wrongful acts committed by their officials. A further judgment, Quinn v Leathem, ruled that a strike could be regarded as a conspiracy to injure, and once again unions could be held liable for the damages. These judgments had the further effect of making the leadership of unions realise that a voice in Parliament was needed to protect their funds, and by 1904 over half the unions affiliated to the TUC were also affiliated to the Labour Representation Committee, the forerunner of the Labour Party. Legal developments aside, from the 1880s and up to the First World War, unions were increasingly recognised as having a legitimate place in society. Governments generally wanted social stability, which meant seeking to reinforce moderate union leaders against more militant elements. Many employers had concluded that seeking to exclude unions would be counter-productive, and employers' associations like the Engineering Employers' Federation developed to deal with unions and to provide assistance to their members in national and local bargaining. (Some employers, like those on the railways, did resist however and it is probably no coincidence that both the Taff Vale and Osborne Judgments involved railway companies. ) The terms â€Å"industrial relations† and â€Å"collective bargaining† entered the language, although it is difficult to say precisely when. Amalgamations of unions continued and membership grew rapidly: there were 4. 1 million trade unionists in 1914, as against 1. 5 million in 1894. By the 1860s the main industrial towns and cities of Britain were establishing many small Trade Councils. In 1886 trade unionists in Sheffield were accused of using arson and murder to intimidate non-unionists and this spurred the 34 leaders of these Councils to meet together in Manchester to consider forming a single large organisation that would provide a united voice in the defence of all Trade Unions and hence the Trade Union Congress (TUC) came to be. It was agreed an annual meeting would be held to discuss issues of importance to the labour movement. The legal status of trade unions in the United Kingdom was established by a Royal Commission in 1867, which agreed that the establishment of the organizations was to the advantage of both employers and employees. Unions were legalized in 1871. In 1871 Trade Unions were no longer considered to be unlawful and full legal protection was given to union funds and the year when the Criminal Law Amendment Act was passed which prohibited picketing and placed restrictions on the right to strike. Anybody who sought representation or felt they were subjected to poor working conditions, now knew where to go and who to go to. The Bryant & May dispute was the first strike by unorganized workers to gain national publicity with 1400 women at Bryant and May going on strike, gaining support from many significant people in society. It was also successful as it helped inspire the formation of unions all over the country. However it is important not to over exaggerate the success of trade unions as by 1888 only 5% of the labour force were members of trade unions. Another turning point in history for trade unionism was the London Dockers Strike, where workers wanted better pay and shorter working hours and even gained financial support from trade unions in Australia which led them to a victory over their employers. Over the next few years a large number of unskilled workers joined trade unions. Between 1892 and 1899 membership of trade unions increased from 1,500,000 to over 2,000,000 as explained by McArthy (XXXX) Throughout the century, trade unionism went through many significant changes that widened its membership and allowed the movement to flourish. It is because of these changes and development within individual movements that more and more of society’s needs were being represented via trade unions. It was difficult though for unions to be largely representative at any one given point though due to big political movements that were also going on at the time and also because there still wasn’t quite the feeling of collectiveness amongst workers and unions weren’t largely representative of the majority of society until workers began to realise that grouping together against tyrannical employers could lead to change. For the most part, people have belonged to trade unions because they offer protection – in the early days to provide help in the absence of a welfare state, and then to counteract the greater economic strength of employers, to provide legal and other support to members who believe they suffer injustices, and to campaign for reform. They are products of their times, and like other institutions reflect the political and social atmosphere of their day, as well as their own histories. No doubt this will continue to be so in the future.