Monday, September 30, 2019

Islamic Art Essay

Islamic art is perhaps the most accessible manifestation of a complex civilization that often seems enigmatic to outsiders. Through its brilliant use of color and its superb balance between design and form, Islamic art creates an immediate visual impact. Its strong aesthetic appeal transcends distances in time and space, as well as differences in language, culture, and creed. Islamic art not only invites a closer look but also beckons the viewer to learn more. â€Å"The term Islamic art may be confusing to some. It not only describes the art created specifically in the service of , but it also characterizes secular art produced in lands under Islamic rule or influence, whatever the artist’s or the patron’s religious affiliation. The term suggests an art unified in style and purpose, and indeed there are certain common features that distinguish the arts of all Islamic lands. â€Å"1 Although this is a highly dynamic art, which is often marked by strong regional characteristics as well as by significant influences from other cultures, it retains an overall coherence that is remarkable given its vast geographic and temporal boundaries. Of paramount concern to the development of this singular art is Islam itself, which fostered the creation of a distinctive visual culture with its own unique artistic language. Calligraphy is the most important and pervasive element in Islamic art. It has always been considered the noblest form of art because of its association with the , the Muslim holy book, which is written in Arabic. This preoccupation with beautiful writing extended to all arts including secular manuscripts; inscriptions on palaces; and those applied to metalwork, pottery, stone, glass, wood, and textiles and to non-Arabic-speaking peoples within the Islamic commonwealth whose languages such as Persian, Turkish, and Urdu were written in the Arabic script. Another characteristic of Islamic art is a preference for covering surfaces with patterns composed of geometric or vegetal elements. Complex geometric designs, as well as intricate patterns of vegetal ornament (such as the arabesque), create the impression of unending repetition, which is believed by some to be an inducement to contemplate the infinite nature of God. This type of nonrepresentational decoration may have been developed to such a high degree in Islamic art because of the absence of figural imagery, at least within a religious context. Contrary to a popular misconception, however, figural imagery is an important aspect of Islamic art. Such images occur primarily in secular and especially courtly arts and appear in a wide variety of media and in most periods and places in which Islam flourished. It is important to note, nevertheless, that representational imagery is almost invariably restricted to a private context. Figurative art is excluded from the decoration of religious monuments. This absence may be attributed to an Islamic antipathy toward anything that might be mistaken for idols or idolatry, which are explicitly forbidden by the Qur’an. In Islamic cultures the so-called decorative arts provide the primary means of artistic expression, in contrast to Western art, in which painting and sculpture are preeminent. Illuminated manuscripts, woven textiles and carpets, inlaid metalwork, blown glass, glazed ceramics, and carved wood and stone all absorbed the creative energies of artists, becoming highly developed art forms. These works include small-scale objects of daily use, such as delicate glass beakers, as well as more monumental architectural decoration, for example, glazed tile panels from building facades. Such objects were meticulously fabricated and carefully embellished, often with rare and costly materials, suggesting that the people for whom they were made sought to surround themselves with beauty. Royal patronage played an important role in the making of Islamic art, as it has in the arts of other cultures. The construction of mosques and other religious buildings. including their decoration and furnishings, was the responsibility of the ruler and the prerogative of high court officials. Such monuments not only provided for the spiritual needs of the community but often served educational and charitable functions as well. Royal patronage of secular art was also a standard feature of Islamic sovereignty, one that enabled the ruler to demonstrate the splendor of his court and, by extension, the superiority of his state. Evidence of courtly patronage is derived from the works of art themselves, but an equally important source of information is the extensive body of historical texts that attest to royal sponsorship of the arts almost throughout the Islamic period. These historical works also indicate that only a fraction of such court-sponsored art has survived; objects made of precious materials are particularly rare. From the fourteenth century onward, especially in eastern Islamic lands, the arts of the book provide the best documentation of courtly patronage. Of course, not all works of Islamic art were sponsored by the court; in fact, the majority of objects and manuscripts in museum collections originated elsewhere. Such works of art including pottery, base metalware, carpets, and textiles have often been viewed as the products of urban, middle-class patronage. These objects nonetheless frequently reflect the same styles and make use of the same forms and techniques employed in courtly art. Whether produced in a courtly or an urban setting or for a religious context, Islamic art is generally the work of anonymous artists. A notable exception is in the sphere of the arts of the book. The names of certain calligraphers are well known, which is not surprising given the primacy of the written word in Islam, as are those of a number of painters, most of whom were attached to a particular court. The identification of these artists has been based on signed or attributed examples of their works and on textual references. Given the great number of extant examples, comparatively few signatures are found on metalwork, pottery, carved wood and stone, and textiles. Those signatures that do occur, combined with rare evidence from contemporary textual sources, suggest that families of artists, often over several generations, specialized in a particular medium or technique. Some of the famous Arts are in the Building and Architecture. They build mosques to worship and praise in. In the mosques they built gates which â€Å"is a monumental, highly decorated structure set into a usually plain facade (front) facing the street. â€Å"2 You can find some of these gates in such building as the The Dome of the Rock and in the most famous tomb of the Taj Mahal. Now only few buildings are still around, but the cities still rank the highest in beauty. The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem signifies and serves as a perfect example of the brilliancy behind Islamic art. The Dome of the Rock contains all the major characteristics throughout the whole architectural building, which includes calligraphy, patterns of visual and geometrical elements, figural imagery, and illuminated manuscripts. † The Dome of the Rock is often called the first work of Islamic architecture, and if it is the building must be the finest first effort in the history of architecture. â€Å"3 The Dome Of The Rock, Jerusalem 692 and later The interior view of The Dome of the rock. Where many believe Abraham offered to sacrifice Isaac The gates of Taj Mahal 2003 The Taj Mahaul was built for the empire and his wife. It is one of the most formal themes that a building can contain. â€Å"Its refined elegance is a conspicuous contrast both to the Hindu architecture of pre-Islamic India, with its thick walls, corbeled arches, and heavy lintels, and to the Indo-Islamic styles, in which Hindu elements are combined with an eclectic assortment of motifs from Persian and Turkish sources. â€Å"4 With all the beautiful structures and elements of Islam, you would never know how strict the region was. In Islamic cultures the so-called decorative arts provide the primary means of artistic expression. They showed their beautiful creativity in all their work such in the buildings, books, and the carvings.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Intro to Chicano Studies

David E. Dominguez April 21, 2013 ECC RM 169 Introduction to Chicano Studies Midterm Have you ever noticed the numerous similarities between you and your peers? No? Perhaps the way you speak upon one another, the tone, maybe the diction, or even the syntax of your voice can all be apart of ones culture. However, communication is only one of the very many key elements when taking in and digesting the term, ‘Culture’ along with its eclectic and widespread meaning.Now, when I say, â€Å"take in and digest†, I simply am referring to act of embracing and understanding the complete meaning of the word and its effect on our everyday life. Many professionals such as Anthropologist, Doctors, Psychologist, Economist and many more Scientist have their own definition of what culture may be, as well as your regular neighbors, classmates, co-workers, and even teachers. So why is this measly word so important?Well figure this, there is only one race everything else is culture, h ere in the United States of America we are what is defined as a multi-cultural society, nationwide. This means that within our country resign many different ways of life, entertainment, appearance, language, social classes, and even many deaths due to disease, thus resulting in a grand amount of what are called cultural clashes.Categorized as conscious and unconscious, these confrontations have an enormous effect on our civilization. Culture is an essential part of conflict and conflict resolution. Cultures are like underground rivers that run through our lives and relationships, giving us messages that shape our perceptions, attributions, judgments, and ideas of self and other. Though cultures are powerful, they are often unconscious, influencing conflict and attempts to resolve conflict in imperceptible ways.In other words, there are many circumstances in which these types of conflicts are in a sense, uncontrollable, meaning our regulatory system of life may have been pre-judged, now bare with me here, to my understanding due to my research, cultures are more than language, dress, and food customs. Cultural groups may share race, ethnicity, or nationality, but they also arise from cleavages of generation, socioeconomic class, sexual orientation, ability and disability, political and religious affiliation, language, and gender- nd this just to call upon a few. There are also very many theories to this term, culture. For example, The Resource Pot defines culture as mutual adaption of diversity in life, also as respect and celebrated diversity. On the other hand, the concept and theory of The Salad Bowl reveals another meaning to culture, such as acculturation, acculturation is when two or more cultures come into psychological, physical, or even environmental contact and begin to alter their original customs to further adapt to that in which they have discovered.This theory also reads that this part of culture is â€Å"color blind†, not literally of cour se but symbolically, towards race and ethnicity. Lastly there is the theory of The Melting Pot, which is a more assertive and aggressive form of acculturation, in which the dominant of the two cultures will succeed and overthrow, if you will. This particular theory also portrays the word Ethnocentrism. This is the act of judging ones culture based upon your own cultures’ ways and or beliefs.Emic and Etic are terms used by anthropologists and other social scientists referring to two different types of data collected on human behavior. Often used by cultural anthropologists, an â€Å"emic† point of view is one where the analysis of behavioral and cultural systems is defined in terms that are meaningful to the individual who is a participant within that culture, also known as an â€Å"insider's view†. The emic perspective arises from the participant of the culture being observed.Now, the Etic point of view is which comes from the â€Å"outsiders† of the part icular culture in which is being observed. In a comparison, the Etic perspective is used if the representations are in accord with scientific observers. The etic perspective employs a more logical, analytical and anthropological analysis of one who does not participate in the cultural that is being observed. However, despite any differences between these two perspectives, and due to my educational research, anthropologists agree that any ethnographic work ought to be represented using both the emic and etic views.To fully understand a culture, anthropologists must be able to understand the culture empathetically and scientifically. The two approaches build off one another and allow for a wider understanding of culture. Also, there are many elements in which may influence ones social and personal behaviors/identity as well as their mentality and psychological judgment or comprehension. Just to point out a few- life experiences, environment, personal choices, and Adversity†¦ erso nally, I believe you have to give back to those more in need to fully understand who you are as a person, in today’s society it is a â€Å"give me all about me† society and the more you give the more you gain as an individual and the more you grow and develop your own genuine not manufactured characteristics. Yes, I said manufactured characteristics, believe it or not but people are many times shaped and formed into who they are due to what they watch or see on the television screen or from what they hear on the radio stations, even within our children, its an epidemic.The mentality of the youth in any community as well as anywhere else across the globe, is very gullible and vulnerable. For instance, I observe the television shows on the Disney Channel that my four year old, soon to be five year old little sister watches, and I have learned that in each showing there is constant affectionate and loving relationships between young boys and girls. Now although it is port rayed as humor and may seem completely innocent, it makes me wonder how this will effect my baby in the future, along with the sexual and intimate lyrics played both on the radio stations and at home.I feel that the media contributes to the epidemic of pregnancy in young women now a days. That is just one personal opinion of observation from my perspective as an older brother as well as a young Chicano. I have come across these connections between Disney Channel’s young affairs, the radio stations, and the epidemic of pregnancy through my own personal experiences and visualizations of the youth in my family and across the city. My theory goes on much more into depth but lets stay on topic.The media is only another element in which may influence ones identity; another involves the environment, the habitat, and the beings all around the individual. When we enter the world we enter naked physically, socially, and culturally. Unlike other living creatures humans need social exper ience to learn their culture and survive. Only humans rely on culture rather than instincts to ensure the survival of their kind. The natural thing to humans is to create culture. Culture has to be learned it is not apart of a biological make up; but our biological make up makes culture possible.We as humans do not inherit habits and beliefs we acquire them during the course of social experiences. We come into this life without a language, social class, values, morals, religion, race, we do not even know how to love or hate. It is through human contact that people learn to become members of the human community. Culture is the values, beliefs, behaviors, and materials that form the way of life for humans. Culture interprets our surroundings for us and gives us meaning and allows us to express ourselves.To learn any culture is to learn a person’s values, ideas and of what is desirable in life. Values underline or preferences, guides or choices, indicate what we hold worthwhile in life. Values help define the character of a culture, but it does not provide specific courses of actions. Without any morals or values in life there is no culture, and once again, without culture what is life? What is the point of life without Culture? Without Culture life would be meaningless and boring, I think it is an extraordinary craft to learn ones culture who differs from you.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Threat and Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Threat and Risk Management - Essay Example In most instances, such an action is followed by a wave of terror attacks on key western institutions (Sanchez, Smith-Spark & Almasmari 2015). The United Kingdom has been a vocal supporter of freedom of speech. As a result, its leaders have led the world in condemning the outrageous actions. In addition, they have called for an immediate and strong international response to the issue. The situation has worsened an already volatile working environment in the Middle East. The rise of ISIS has destabilized the region. The group wants to create a new nation that includes part of Iraq and Syria. As expected, the United Kingdom has been a part of an international effort aimed towards defeating the group. Another reason that has altered the risk landscape involves the drone strikes by the United States against terrorist leaders in Iraq. The United Kingdom and the United States have enjoyed a close relationship as key allies. President Barack Obama has pursued a strategy that involves target ed drone attacks against key terrorist targets. Although the strategy has been successful, it sometimes results in the death of young children and other civilians (Coll 2015). Consequently, a significant increase in anti-western sentiments in a region that was already hostile to the West has been witnessed. In addition, the reversal of a military strategy in the country has changed the risk landscape. The Western coalition of forces had started to withdraw from Iraq only for them to be pulled back in by the increasing threat of ISIS. The organization is feared to be planning an aggressive siege of Baghdad (ABC 2015). However, Iraq remains a volatile environment due to an unstable government and political climate. Furthermore, the British Embassy in Iran was attacked in 2011 (BBC 2015). As a result, there is always the need to conduct risk assessments regularly. The methodology of evaluating the risk involves a multi-pronged strategy. Firstly,

Friday, September 27, 2019

Port And Shipping Logistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Port And Shipping Logistics - Essay Example Shipping is also not restricted to the availability of infrastructure on the seas as ships ply on shipping lanes on the seas that are merely imaginary lines drawn on the seas. Air transportation is also free from any infrastructure requirements, but the volume of freight that can be handled is extremely limited. In essence, the difference between shipping and other forms of transport is the flexibility that shipping offers in that it can carry small and very large volumes of freight across all seas and oceans. In these times when pollution and global warming come to the fore, the comparison of the various forms transportation in this regard is also useful. Road transport is the most polluting and the largest contributor to global warming of any form of transportation. Air transport is next in line with regard to pollution and contributing to global warming, while rail transport is the least polluting. It is only shipping that contributes to global cooling because the gases that emitt ed by shipping like SO2 and NOX are positive coolants. Therefore increased shipping does not pose pollution or global warming issues. The hub and spoke logistic model is cost-effective for moving small volumes of goods to and from locations through consolidation and transshipment. Short shipping offers the means of reaching goods to any port in a region by the use of small shipping vessels, thereby creating new opportunities for shipping to minimize road haulage, with the difficulties, are faced in the transportation of goods by road.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Collective culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Collective culture - Essay Example With this much understanding, there emerges in each of us a real heart towards the significance of a cultural heritage even beyond national boundaries as well as the history which took to account the many remarkable struggles which its beauty and prominence had been founded by. If each citizen of our nation is made to realize the essence of ancestral efforts in several aspects, building on trust, goodwill, and pride with shared humanity, it would be spontaneously possible to take responsibility of individual actions and possess the initiative to align one’s behavior with a sense of patriotism and selfless interest. This way, respect and the value of dignity are gradually established and a citizen in this position develops profound level of communication and confidence from which to radiate genuine concern to fellow countrymen. Interdependence results in the process instead of indifference so that this enables our culture to prosper to a considerable degree which extends to the aspect of economy and diplomatic relations abroad. It then creates a picture of effortlessly dealing with cross-cultural endeavors and supporting cultural heritage beyond this nation, eliminating conflicts that arise when negative motives are rather perceived in not understanding the meaning of origins in a continuum where potential unseen similarities may gather various cultures together to a point of empowering the stewardship intended for culture well-being (LeBaron, 2003). Besides the character which an academic institution aims for each learner to acquire in breaking unhealthy misconception regarding differences among cultures, one may further assume such role based on a chosen field or profession. For instance, Nova Scotians of Canada are found capable of determining businesspeople to pay special attention for the welfare of cultural heritage through financial contributions, rendering services to or adapting a

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The impacts of oil spills on marine and terrestrial ecosystems Research Paper

The impacts of oil spills on marine and terrestrial ecosystems - Research Paper Example In this case, the paper will focus on discussing effects of oil leaks on marine and terrestrial ecosystems. The Impacts of Oil Spills on Marine and Terrestrial Ecosystems World's marine and terrestrial ecosystems are better understood through the subject of increasing use and efforts aimed at protecting specific marine species and habitats. In fact, these efforts entail designation of certain marine habitats with greater limitations applying to the activities being permitted (Viscusi, 2006). There is also increasing effort to learn about the sources of pollution in marine environment and the measures for the reduction of the amount of pollution. Marine and terrestrial ecosystems pollution refers to the contamination of the lakes and other water bodies by substances that are harmful to the living things. The pollution is associated with many issues among them being deaths of living things like the fish, birds and other animals that use water source (GLIN, 2010). Nevertheless, the pape r will focus on discussing the impact of oil spills on marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Oil spills occurs from the ships, leaky underground storage tanks, pipelines and track tankers that consist of petroleum products, which are harmful when ingested by the living organisms in marine and terrestrial ecosystems (World shipping council, 2012). ... Numerous oil spills have been documented through various literatures in both technical and scientific field (Lounsbury, 2003). However, this documentation does not guarantee complete understanding of the effects of oil pollution to marine and terrestrial ecosystems. In fact, indication of the scale and durations regarding these effects is obtained from available information. On the other hand, there is a substantial difficulty presented in the process of balancing the perception and realities involved in the impacts of oil spills. Moreover, this has resulted to polarization of the scientific communities due to their differentiated perceptions concerning the nature of the oil spills impacts. There are groups of scientists who oppose the camps with a side that focuses on quantification of aspects of damages. Other scientists focus on the capacity of the environmental recovery from the adverse impact of these oil spills (University of Michigan, 2006). Nonetheless, the reality relates to the significance of the damages that occur on marine and terrestrial ecosystems due to these oil spills, and ways to derive general information concerning the spills and their effects and longevity. There is a high complexity in the marine and terrestrial ecosystems, which is caused by the fluctuation in species composition, profusion and distribution. However, there is a substantial understanding of the significance of damages caused by the impact of the oil spills (University of Michigan, 2006). For instance, these oil spills can cause a reduction of the breeding success, productivity, diversity and functions of the marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Therefore, there

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

The goal of an artist is to express his vision regardless of the Essay

The goal of an artist is to express his vision regardless of the publics reaction - Essay Example The first point that comes to mind is that the purpose of art is to give pleasure. At this juncture, a look in to ‘The nature of Art’ by Cothey will be useful. According to Cothey (21), a commonly used analogy is that ‘art is the food for the mind’. Now, one has to read the explanation provided by Tolstoy, the greatest artist of all times. In ‘What is Art?’, he says that ‘the satisfaction of our taste cannot serve as a basis for our definition of the merits of the food†¦. In the same way, beauty, or that which pleases us, can in no sense serve as a basis for the definition of art’. (Cothey, 21 ). Now, it becomes easy to have a clear idea about the purpose of art. It is evident that the quality of art cannot be measured by the extent to which it is pleasing to the general public. Instead, its nutritional value might lie somewhere else. To illustrate, the work â€Å"Loose Lips Sink Ships† by Peter Langenbach portrays forme r President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky in a bathtub. It is an admitted fact that neither Clinton nor his admirers would be able to enjoy the art though the artist hugely succeeded in creating humor, having both aesthetic and nutritional value. At this juncture, it seems beneficial to incorporate the Aristotle view that tragedy can result in a catharsis of emotions. Now, if someone analyses the controversial art works of the past, one can identify the fact that each of them, though presented in the most erratic, insane and inhuman way, has a social reality to say, either presented in a direct way or indicating to the issue subtly. To illustrate, Renee Cox, in â€Å"Yo Mama’s Last Supper† presented a nude African-American portraying Jesus. Though many find this highly offensive, for the sake of argument, one can say that the artist wanted to show the attractiveness of the Church, the alluring nature of Jesus, and so on. In other words, the beauty of art really lies in the eyes of the beholder. One cannot forget how Leonardo da Vinci still creates confusion in the ‘Last Supper’ through the presence of Mary Magdalene and how Dan Brown wrote ‘The Da Vinci Code’. Now, it seems evident that the beauty of art lies in vivid imagination that knows no boundaries. Erecting barriers in the name of social norms, religion, culture and ethics can only kill the essence of art. In other words, had there been strict imposition of rules on art, many of the masterpieces of the history would not have been developed. They all had their birth because of the intellectual freedom enjoyed by the artists. As V. S. Ramachandran and William Hirstein observe, â€Å"all art is caricature† (Ramachandran and Hirstein, 18). Their study points towards the purpose of art, according Hindu view, as conveying ‘rasa’ or ‘essence’ (17). To achieve this purpose, the artists often amplify the features they observe. As an exam ple, the researchers point out how artists amplify the feminine features of a female while portraying a female, and how they overemphasize the masculine features of a male to convey ‘essence’. In addition, the researchers point out the fact that if the purpose of art is to merely present a reality directly, it could be more easily done using a camera (Ramachandran and Hirstein, 16). Thus, the essence of art lies in enhancing, transcending, and even distorting reality. Artists, throughout history, were well

Monday, September 23, 2019

Starting a Computer Retail Business Overview Assignment

Starting a Computer Retail Business Overview - Assignment Example The corporate structure that the company selected is corporation. The company selected the corporate business structure because the firm plans to establish retail establishments across the United States. The corporate business structure can be used to raise capital faster. The customers the firm plans to target are computer enthusiasts of all ages. The firm will be competing against large and small computer vendors. To achieve the company’s goals the company plans on becoming a publicly traded corporation listed in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The firm plans on using a customer intimacy model to increase the customer retention of the firm. Customer retention is important because based on Pareto’s 80/20 rule 80% of a firm’s sales comes from 20% of its customers (Reh, 2012). The firm will also maintain good working relationships with other stakeholder groups such as employees, lenders, and suppliers. The long term plan of the company is to become one of the industry leaders in the computer

Sunday, September 22, 2019

How Does the Film “the Breakfast Club” (1985) Perpetuate Teen Stereotypes Essay Example for Free

How Does the Film â€Å"the Breakfast Club† (1985) Perpetuate Teen Stereotypes Essay â€Å"The Breakfast Club† shows the typical stereotypes of before, specially the 80s. The snob girl that thinks she shouldn’t be there, the popular sports boy, the rebel that is not understood, the nerd that doesn’t want to be in trouble, the outcast that is ignored, and the teacher that thinks to highly of themselves and thinks that teenager equals problem. In the 80s â€Å"The Breakfast Club† became really popular. This could be because the teenagers that saw it found themselves identified with the characters. It also made adults and teenagers see from the outside what was happening, and that stereotypes did exist. Nowadays these stereotypes still exist in a way, but not as marked as before. Now teenagers could communicate with other people from different groups, not like in the film, were the â€Å"popular† girl doesn’t think the rebel, nerd or outcast should be with her there. She thinks to highly of herself. Internet has also helped people not label others as much. Now people sometimes meet though internet, and this makes the first impression useless in what it refers to appearance. Teenagers get to know each other more, so they don’t fall for the stereotypical appearance of others. I find that what has also changed between the 80s and now, is that studies have become more important. It is true that we still think a lot about our appearance, clothes, etc. but the society has made us more aware of the fact that without studies we maybe wouldn’t be able to go far. More information on TV has also influenced, now people are informed better on what’s happening around the world. Teenagers now know there is more apart from school and friends, and are more worried about their future and world-wide problems, than to belong to a group. We are more understanding on what is around us, we are less narrow minded. Know we know there are people the same as us, so we give more opportunities. However, are stereotypes still giving problems? Many adults stereotype teenagers as being lazy, unmotivated, and undetermined individuals. Loud, obnoxious, rebellious, out of control, and up to no good†¦ Many people in different generations sincerely believe that all teenagers are guaranteed trouble no matter where they are. I am not arguing that teenagers like that don’t exist, because there are plenty of them out there, but it is bothering that one type of teenager has been able to spoil the image of all the others. Things like long or coloured hair, black clothes, heavy make-up, ect. Create a wrong idea of the person. Things like saying that a teenager is bad just because they are trouble makers is wrong, someone could be just having fun and act serious somewhere else. People, specially teachers and parents, think that all teenagers are always ready for the battle, that they are not capable of reasoning, listening, or saying something interesting. In an external point of view, I personally find teenagers more interesting than any other group of ages. We are in the middle of children and adults, our view of the both is split into two and our exposure between them is different, this creates a wider point of view. Therefore, a different opinion. In conclusion, Stereotypes have changed throughout the years, people don’t label as much. However, it’s still there, and is still harmful.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Reflective Analysis Essay Example for Free

Reflective Analysis Essay In my short story entitled, ‘Words Haunt Me,’ the language registers and variations in the short story as well as attitudes to language and communicative behaviour of the characters will be discussed. Throughout the story, an intimate register was used between Romain and Rae-Ann. This is because they are very comfortable with each other. Additionally, it is the language marked by specialized words and expressions as seen when Rae-Ann says â€Å"It’s going to be alright babe.† However, a more formal tone is exchanged between Romain and Mr. and Mrs. Carmino. This is level of formality may have been adopted because Romain was meeting them for the first time. This is apparent as Romain declares â€Å"Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Carmino, a pleasure to meet you!† Mr. and Mrs. Carmino spoke Standard English using theacrolect variation as seen in this example â€Å"So what are your intentions with my daughter young man.† Their choice of language may have been because of their ‘upper class status’. However, Romain spokecreole at intervals throughout the passage and at some intervals even exclaiming inbas ilect as he was emotionally aroused. The comfort at which he spokebas ilect leads one to believe that this is his first language of choice and he is very comfortable with it as evident in the many features of the creole structuring such as the use of ‘mi’ as a subject adjective and the replacement of the ‘th’ with the‘d’ as seen in the example ‘Dere is nuting wrong wit de way I speak!’ Theattitudes formulated to language vary given a person’s perception. In the extract, Mr. Carmino despises the creole used by Romain. He considers acrolect/ Standard English superior tocr eole. He indicates this by saying â€Å"â€Å"You speak the language of the underdogs.† Romain on the other hand, defends his language as he sees nothing wrong with it. He also, associates Standard English with a higher class†¦ ‘Corporate world.’ An example of a communicative behaviour which was exhibited throughout the passage is gestures. Romain wiping his hands showed his nervousness while Mr. Carmino’s stern handshake is interpreted as a sign of authority. Other communicative behaviours included facial expressions as seen when Mr. Carmino’s ‘eyebrows frowned together which illustrates his anger and also through vocalics when Romain raised his voice to show his frustration. In attempting to analyse my second reflective I have looked at the relationship between a person’s dialectal variations, choice of register, attitude to language and communicative behaviours, all of which are important in communication.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Effect of Electromagnetic Field of Mobile Phones

Effect of Electromagnetic Field of Mobile Phones Introduction Mobile phones have become indispensable as communication tools in the present world. From 1990 to 2013, worldwide mobile phone subscriptions grew from 12.4 million to over 6.8 billion, penetrating more than 95% of the global population and reaching the bottom of the economic pyramid to cater to the lower socioeconomic groups as well (International Telecomunication union, Geneva). The Indian telecom industry has undergone market liberalization at a very rapid pace and grown since 1990. Today, India has become one of the fastest growing telecom markets in the world. India is the world’s second largest mobile phone user base with over 929.37 million users in the year 2012 (Mittal Anuj 2013) (TRAI). Widespread mobile phone ownership and usage has aroused public concern over possible harmful biological effects of their use. Electromagnetic frequencies of mobile phones emit radiations between the 800 MHz and 2000 MHz, which causes excitation and rotation of water molecules and some other organic molecules, hence causing thermal and non-thermal effects on humans (Frey AH, 1998). Effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) transmitted by mobile phones over human health, is a matter of public and scientific concern. Burning sensation and sensation of warmth around the ear (Oftedal G 2000), headache (Frey AH, 1998), sleep disturbance (Borbely AA, 1999), changes in the cognitive functions and neural activity (Preece AW,1999) (Hamblin DL, 2004), as well as changes such as decrease in the cerebral blood flow and alteration in functioning of blood brain barrier has been reported as the effects of mobile phones use. (Fritze K) (Haarala C, 2003). The potential carcinogenic effects of radiations emitted from mobile phones is controversial (Repacholi MH, 1997) (Moulder JE, 1999). Therefore, any biological effect related to mobile phone use, should be considered as a high-priority health issue. The hearing system is in the close proximity to the mobile phone so hearing system is potentially the most affected target for thermal and non-thermal effects. The external ear provides the route by which electro-magnetic frequencies from mobile phones reach the peripheral and central auditory system, which leads to relatively high energy deposition in the ear. The auditory system and particularly the cochlear outer hair cells (OHC) are known to be highly sensitive to a variety of exogenous and endogenous factors. Externally applied electrical and magnetic fields are known to produce some hearing sensation in the ear (Watanabe Y, 2000). Proximity of ear to electromagnetic source may lead to even larger damage and side effects such as hearing loss. One report, released from researchers at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India, revealed that people who talk on a cell phone for more than an hour a day were found to have suffered losses of hig h-frequency hearing (Panda NK, 2010). However, little attention has been paid to the effects of electromagnetic field (EMF) of mobile phones on hearing. Till date, the interaction between electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by mobile phones and auditory function is not well established. Clear conclusions cannot be drawn from studies available, about the presence or absence of effects because of the limited sample sizes and short duration of studies. Despite of all these evidence, only recently, some studies have analyzed the effects of mobile phones on the human auditory system. However, the results are not consistent and are variable among different study designs. Only limited research data concerning interaction between EMF emitted by mobile phones and auditory function and possible impact on hearing, are available in the literature. The animal experiment, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) did not show statistically significant changes on the outer hair cells functionality of adult as well as developing rats exposed to EMF at 900-1800 MHz frequencies for 1–2 h per day for 30 days(Parazzini M,2002) (Kizilay A, 2003). No appreciable change was seen in evoked otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) and none of the subjects reported a deterioration in hearing threshold level after 10 minutes exposure to the EMFs emitted by mobile phones in a recent human experiment to study the effects of the EMF of mobile phones on hearing status(Ozturan O, 2002). Other studies based on the brainstem evoked audiometry response (BERA) concluded that 30 minutes of mobile phone use has no adverse effect on the human auditory system(Arai N) (Gà ¡bor Stefanics, 2007). These small number of publications show that there is a big gap in the knowledge of potential biological effects of cellular phone use on hearing. Mobile phone is based on the two way radio communication between a portable handset and closest base station. Cellular system divides the city into small cells, which vary from hundreds of metre in densely populated areas, to kilometres in the sparsely populated areas. Each cell has abase stationthat consists of a tower and a small building containing the radio equipment. A cell phone is aduplexdevice, which means that there are two different frequencies, one for talking and another separate frequency for listening. Therefore, both persons can talk on the call at the same time. Mobile phones operate withincells, and they can switch cells as from one cell to another as we move around from one place to another. This gives cell phones this incredible range, because the call is transferred between the base stations (cell) without interruption. The radio communications utilizes electromagnetic waves at frequency around 900 MHz to carry information via small change in the wave’s frequency. A base station antenna typically radiates the radiations of about 60 Watts and a handset emits the radiations of 1-2 Watts. The antenna of a mobile phone emits radiations equally in all directions but a base station, unlike cell phone, produces a beam that is much more directional. There are two common technologies used by mobile-phone networks for transmitting information: TDMA [(Time Division Multiple Access) also known as GSM(Global System for Mobile communications)] does it by chopping the signals into sequential time frames. Each user of the channel takes turns to transmit and receive signals. In reality, only one person is using the channel at a given point of time. One of the important features of GSM system is theSubscriber Identity Module (SIM card). The SIM is a small, detachablesmart card, which contains the users subscription information (i.e. validity and talktime) and phone book. This allows the user to retain his or her information while switching mobile phone handsets. Alternatively, the user can also change service provider while retaining the handset, by changing the SIM card. GSM is currently the market leader in mobile phone industry (Michel Mouly, 1992). CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) The CDMA is based on spread spectrum technology which uses the whole bandwidth available. This allows each user to transmit frequency to the entire spectrum at all the time. CDMA uses a type of digital modulation called spread spectrum. CDMA spreads the voice data over the channel in a random fashion. The receiver undoes this randomization and collects the bits together to produce the sound. CDMA is an example ofmultiple accesses, in which several transmitters can send information over a single communication channel at the same time. This allows several users to share a band of frequencies (Andrew J, 1995). GSM phones emit continuous wave pulses, so there is a great need to reduce the exposures to electromagnetic fields emitted from the cell phones with â€Å"continuous wave pulses†. On the other hand CDMA cell phones do not produce these pulses. GSM phones emit about 28 times more radiation when compared to the CDMA mobile phones. Therefore, GSM phones are more biologically harmful as compared to CDMA. Subtle deleterious effects to hearing can be assessed by modalities such as BERA, otoacoustic emission (OAE) and Pure tone audiometry, which measure the cochlear and retrocochlear , outer hair cochlear cell and middle ear functions respectively. In the evaluation of the functional status of auditory nerve and brainstem auditory sensory pathway Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response is a simple and effective method. It is a noninvasive and reproducible method that requires less cooperation of patient and measures the specific part of the auditory pathway. It is not significantly affected by state of consciousness, drugs and variety of environmental factors including other sensory inputs to cortex. BERA is an objective diagnostic tool widely used in modern neurophysiology. It represents the electrical events generated along the auditory pathway which is recorded from the scalp. These responses include several waves related to the specific areas of auditory pathway. Latencies of these waves reflect the neural conduction velocity at corresponding levels of auditory brainstem. Pure tone  audiometry  (PTA) is the keyhearing testused to identifyhearing threshold levels of an individual, enabling determination of the degree, type and configuration of ahearing loss. Thus, it provides the basis for diagnosis and management. PTA is a subjective, behavioral measurement of hearing threshold, as it relies on patient response topure tonestimuli. Therefore, PTA is used on adults and children old enough to cooperate with the test procedure. The initial laboratory exploration of OAEs coincided with, and contributed to, the rapid development of a new understanding of cochlear function. Numerous experiments have demonstrated that OAE are intimately associated with a key feature of the cochlear mechanism that has become known as the â€Å"cochlear amplifier†(Cooper NP, 1997). With OAEs it is possible to demonstrate cochlear mechanical frequency selectivity and nonlinearity and to observe the depression of cochlear activity caused by noise, drugs and medial olivocochlear stimulation. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This study is designed to evaluate the potential effects of electromagnetic field of mobile phones on human ear. Assessment of hearing threshold by pure tone audiometry and there comparison in users and non-users. Assessment of auditory pathway by Brainstem Evoked Response Auditory (BERA), and there comparison in mobile phone users and non-users. Assessment of cochlear function by recording the otoacoustic emissions produced from outer hair cells of inner ear, and there comparison in mobile phone users and non-users.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Perception of McDonald’s Essay -- Business, Unhealthy Food

Perception of McDonald’s McDonald’s has expanded globally into 31,000 worldwide outlets and employed more than 1.5 million people in more than 119 countries (Kulkarni, Lassar, Sridhar & Venkitachalam, 2009). Nevertheless, McDonald’s always faces negative perception and commonly related in serving unhealthy and junk foods amongst its customers around the world (Currie, Dellavigna, Moretti, & Pathania, 2009). It is not only the negative perception of public, but McDonald’s have been attacked and accused of selling unhealthy food in several countries, including the US, China, Belgium, Holland, India, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom (Wilson, 2009). Meanwhile, the core of the current problem is that customers’ still buy fast foods, even though they have negative perceptions on McDonald’s as regards to unhealthy foods. At this point, customers are confused about fast food nutrition messages provided by McDonald’s, while it is still perceived as bad images (Deng, 2 009). In order to overcome this issue, there are changes in McDonald’s marketing and communication strategies as they have started to plan strategic action with two objectives; first, to change the image of McDonald’s from junk food restaurant to a healthy food restaurant, as this will attract health conscious customers and at the same time can enlarge the market scope. Secondly, to change behavior of the existing customers who keep on taking only junk foods, and to persuade frequent fast food users to change their lifestyle by buying balanced meal with McDonald’s new healthy foods (Deng, 2009). ). Perception of McDonald’s Icon-Based Nutrition Label The increasing number of developments in the nutrition field and technologies give a great contribution and invol... ... protein, fat, carbohydrates, and salt (Hoffmann, 2007). Illustration in the Table 1 below shows the icon-based nutritional label used by McDonald’s on their food wrapper, pamphlet and restaurant website. Similar thought can be argued on the display area or position that McDonald’s present their nutrition label. For instance, McDonald’s posted their nutrition label through diverse medium such as in restaurant website, on tray liners, pamphlet, in-store displays and interestingly printed on the food wrappers. As compared to other fast food, McDonald’s take an active steps to create an awareness of nutrition label through different channel and this is explained by Hoffman (2007) that this different channel purposely to generate repeated exposure to the nutrition label, and customers should eventually grasp their meaning, with or without printed labels presented.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Siobhan Somerville’s essay Passing through the Closet in Pauline E. Hop

Siobhan Somerville’s essay â€Å"Passing through the Closet in Pauline E. Hopkins’s Contending Forces† In Siobhan Somerville’s essay, â€Å"Passing through the Closet in Pauline E. Hopkins’s Contending Forces†, the tacit allusion to homosexuality within Hopkins’ story is argued to be a resource used to question the dominance or implicit strength of heterosexuality in the African-American community over Black women. While I do believe Hopkins may have intended for the novel to raise questions about the institution of marriage in relation to the African-American female, I do not believe the argument is as polarized as a difference between homosexual and heterosexual attraction in relation to politics between the sexes. Instead, I would argue that the very ambiguity of sexuality within the text serves to comment on a larger issue of what makes a woman female and the importance of intimate bonds between women in society. The most important piece of textual evidence in Somerville’s argument is the attic scene between Dora and Sappho. In this scene Sappho begs Dora to spend the morning with her after a snowstorm from the previous night makes it impossible for her to go to work. The two lock themselves away in Sappho’s attic apartment and commence to have a tea party and â€Å"play ‘company’ like the children† (Hopkins 117). In her essay, Somerville describes this as a highly sexualized scene, in which the intimacy between the two women hints at a possible homosexual attraction between the two, given the homoerotic description of their affection towards one another (Somerville 149-152). While I do believe the scene does have a certain element of homoerotic tension, I would not go so far as to polarize the scene as clearly â€Å"homosexual† as â€Å"a pot... ...al Economy' of Sex." Toward an Anthropology of Women. Ed. Rayna R. Reiter. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1975. 157-210. Hopkins, Pauline E. Contending Forces: A Romance Illustrative of Negro Life North and South. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. Levi-Strauss, Claude. The Elementary Structures of Kinship. Ed. Rodney Needham. Trans. James Harls Bell and John Richard von Sturmer. Boston: Beacon Press, 1969. Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. Between Men: English Literature and Homosocial Desire. New York: Columbia University Press, 1985. Smith-Rosenberg, Carroll. â€Å"The Female World of Love and Ritual: Relations between Women in Nineteenth-Century America.† Signs, Vol. 1, No. 1 (1975). 25 Oct. 2005 . Somerville, Siobhan. â€Å"Passing through the Closet in Pauline E. Hopkins’s Contending Forces† American Literature, Vol 69, No 1, (1997). 19 Oct. 2005

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Dansk Minox Case Study Essay

Introduction My name is Kevin Chen and I am a senior consultant of the Boston Consulting firm. Per the request of the A/S Dansk Minox, a food products manufacturer, I am preparing this analysis to identify the existing problems within the business of A/S Dansk Minox and provide possible recommendations. As a consultant, I will present the analysis without bias and for the best benefits of A/S Dansk Minox. In the following analysis, I am going to answer the following question: Should A/S Dansk Minox bring the new product, complete meal, to the market?Company backgroundThis case is set in Denmark in 1967 when the â€Å"boom† in consumer food products was just beginning more working mothers, more disposable income, more choices in convenience food products. A/S Dansk Minox, a company in Denmark, specializes in manufacturing a variety of vacuum-packed meat and other products. DM has about 30 products and has a great position and brand in the market. A/S Dansk Minox provides the vacuum packed products and consumers combine the vacuum packed packages along with the homemade salad for their meal. Through consumer research, A/S Dansk Minox recently identifies that there is a huge market potential for vacuum packed complete meals. The meal contains a standard â€Å"sliced pork in gravy†, the product that A/S Dansk Minox is making, with 550 grams of red cabbage salad. Vacuum PackingVacuum Packing is a storage method that preserves variety of food. For example, pork, beef or vegetables. If properly refrigerated or frozen, vacuum packaging works well in keeping the food fresh for longer periods. The plastic bags are usually used to vacuum packaged. The air is removed creating a vacuum in the bag and the food is left in the bag. In order to maintain vacuum, the bag is sealed. By the researches from Fante’s Kitchen Wares Shop, there are a lot of benefits for vacuum packing:1. Longer storage life of foods. According to researches, foods maintain their freshness and flavor 3-5 times longer than with conventional storage methods, because they don’t come in contact with oxygen. Due to the elimination of air to absorb the moisture from the food, vacuum packing prevents dry out of moist foods,Because bacteria mold and yeast cannot grow in a environment without oxygen, foods maintain their original appearance. Insect infestation is eliminated because there’s no oxygen coming in the bag. The production process of vacuum-packed products can be illustrated by the flow chart 1) attached in appendix. Business environment:The current business environment that A/S Dansk Minox operates in can be analyzed as follows. Threat of New Entrants and Barriers to EntryAs the customer research done by A/S Dansk Minox revealed, there is still market opportunity for the vacuum packed products. In order to produce vacuum packed products, for example pork, vegetables, it is necessary for companies to purchase the production equipments for the procedure of vacuum packing, meat cutting, sorting and packaging. It is crucial to purchase the machines that reduce production time and cost, increase efficiency. Therefore, in order to enter into this market, the initial capital investment in purchasing equipment could be substantial and it creates barriers to entry. However, the equipments are relatively easy to operate, so the training cost and time to the workers could be minimal. Moreover, the food product manufacturing industry is not technology intensive and the equipment could be purchased in many distributors, this factor in turn makes the new entry easier. Also, once the initial machines purchased, it is relatively easy to introduce new product lines. Intensity of Rivalry Among CompetitorsThere are a number of vacuum-packed cooked products manufacturers also in the business. Certain competitors of A/S Dansk Minox are expanding aggressively and had already introduce the red  cabbage salad in vaccum-packed, canned or frozen form. There is low differentiation among competitors and price is the key factor in this particular industry. Due to the high initial investment, the potential exit barriers could be high in this diverse competitive industry. Product SubstitutesFor this particular product of vacuum-packed red cabbage salad, the Danish housewives very often make it on their own. Therefore, the family could choose make the salad or buy it from A/S Dansk Minox. The switching costs are fairly low and the family could have a choice of buying the products from other manufacturers if the price and quality match their standard. In term of food storing methods, the red cabbage salad could be in the canned or frozen form as well. They are the substitutes depend on the family’s preference and evaluation of price and quality. SuppliersThe suppliers of A/S Dansk Minox are the vendors that provide raw material of pork, cabbage and other possible material for the process of packaging. Since pork and cabbage are consumption goods, the price is affected by the demand and supply of the material. Luckily for A/S Dansk Minox, the suppliers will not have huge bargaining power since the material of pork and cabbage is wildly available in the market and the supply chain is considered to be relatively stable. BuyersSince the pork and salad are very popular food in Denmark, so the potential buyers of the product could be anyone in the country. Since people now have more disposable income to spend on food products, also the vacuum-packed products like pork and cabbage are wildly considered as more convenient products,More specifically, the women in the work force, working mothers, represent the increasing portion of the buyers. Since this salad is quite time-consuming to prepare at home, the working mother prefer to purchase pre-prepared vacuum-packed products. The complete meal products are the perfect products for them. Company Strategy:The strategy of the A/S Dansk Minox is Cost leader. A/S  Dansk Minox is operating in a large market and the potential customers could be any family in the country. The demand of vacuum packed product by is highly elastic, which means the demand of the products are highly influenced by the price. In order to maintain a competitive price and compete with the competitors, A/S Dansk Minox produces the products massively. Strength:Biggest strength of the organization is the brand loyalty that already exists. Having 30 products in the market, A/S Dansk Minox is wildly recognized by the consumers and is a trusted name. Once the new products introduced, it could enjoy the benefits of being a line of the company. Opportunity:By conducting a consumer research, A/S Dansk Minox recently identifies that there is a huge opportunity for vacuum packed complete meals, even the competitors already introduce the ready-made red cabbage salad to the market. The opportunity came from the facts that the disposable income of people increases, resulting in more spending on food products. More and more people prefer convenient food to making it by themselves. In addition, the ready-made combo of â€Å"complete meal† is especially to working mothers, who want to reduce their time on the time-consuming salad dish. The percentage of working mother in the work force is expecting to increase in the future, reflecting the great opportunity of introducing the new complete set product. The major problem that A/S Dansk Minox facing now is: Should A/S Dansk Minox bring the new product, complete meal, to the market? If yes, then how much the unit price should be?The price is uncertain due to the cost allocation problem raise by the new product, leading to long discussions between the marketing and finance departments. Company identifies the cost driver as ‘per kilogram’ of material and the new product price at D.Cr 8.20 is proposed by finance department. Marketing department suggests that the cost driver ignores the price of cabbage is way cheaper than pork, however allocating a similar overhead cost. Hence they proposed a price of D.Cr 6.85 for the combo pack. In order to find the solution for the problem above, I will examine the  following three alternatives:Summary of alternativesABCStatus Quo: Not introduce the â€Å"complete meal product†; abandon the new projectIntroduce the â€Å"complete meal product† at a consumer price of D.Cr. 6.85Introduce the â€Å"complete meal product† at a consumer price of D.Cr. 8.20Alternative A: Status QuoAlternative A is to abandon the new project of New Pack – not to introduce the â€Å"complete meal product†. As the new product will not be introduced, it will generate no additional profit to the company, i.e. the profit in 1966 will be the net profit without the introduction of the new product. Consequently, the pricing arguments between the marketing and finance departments of the Danish company will no longer exist. In addition, since the new product is not introduced into the market, the customers of the standard pack will stay with the products. Accordingly, th e sales of the old product will continue to rise in response to the increase in the market demand. Alternative A: Not introduce the â€Å"complete meal product† New PackSales:0Total variable costs0Allocated fixed costs0Profit0Alternative B: Introduce at a consumer price of D.Cr. 6.85Since there was spare capacity available for the production of the new â€Å"complete meal† product, the total amount of the fixed costs will not change due to the proposed production of the new product. Also because these fixed expenses are costs that have already been incurred and that cannot be recovered, they are considered as sunk costs. In business decision-making such as the decision to add or drop a product or service, only incremental costs (variable costs) are relevant to a decision. Therefore, the full costing method (the standard cost accounting) – the attempt to allocate the company’s fixed costs to the different products produced during a certain period of time, is not appropriate for this type of management decision making. The proper approach to support decision making to improve a company’s profitability is a contribution analysis:Revenue – Variable Costs = Contribution Margin per unit(Contribution Margin per unit x total units produced) – Total Fixed Costs = Incremental Profit/LossAs a result, the company’s profit in 1966 will be increased by $99,450 (See Table 1 for detail) if the new product is introduced at a consumer price of D.Cr. 6.85. Compared to Alternative A, A/S Dansk Minox is better off by the increase of $99,450 in profit. In the event that the company is not capable to produce 85 tons of new products, the profit increased above will not be achieved. From the table shown below, in order to achieve the profit by selling 30 tons new products at D. Cr 8.20, we need to at least sell 52 tons of new product at D. Cr 6.85. Contribution Margin for a consumer price of D.Cr. 6.85 x Minimum sales volume= incremental profit for introducing the product at a consumer price of D.Cr. 8.201.17X = 60,900 *X = 52,051* see alternative C for detailLong term decisionHowever, the contribution analysis is primarily useful for short-term decision-making. For the long-term purpose, the company still needs the full costing analysis to calculate the profit of each product. Within company’s capacity, the production Fixed Expense for the new â€Å"complete meal† will be the same as existing products as D.Cr. 0.54 per kilo. All other overhead will be the same as the existing product as well. In the event of exceed capacity, need to allocate additional Production Fixed Expenses. in order to get the correct number of profitability, A/S Dansk Minox needs to find an appropriate cost driver to allocate the production fixed expenses. As indicated by the marketing department, the total sales quantity (expressed in kilograms) may not be a proper way to allocate the fixed costs. A/S Dansk Minox could consider using the selling price of product as the allocation basis, since the consumer price is more relevant to the fixed overhead and better matching expense with profit. Therefore, from the following table, we proportional apply the Production Fixed Expense:new packStd.Pack6.854.85X0.54X=0.76Therefore, in the long run, 0.76 production fixed expense should be allocated to 1 Kg of â€Å"complete meal†. Please note that we assume selling price at D.Cr. 6.85. In the case of retail selling price as D.Cr. 6.85 and with an allocation of D.Cr. 1.20 for production fixed expenses, the total unit cost will be D.Cr. 5.22. Alternative C: Introduce at a consumer price of D.Cr. 8.20In spite of the marketing department’s arguments, company could decide to set the price at D.Cr. 8.20 so that the full fixed expense could be covered. In this case, the uncertainty of allocating fixed overhead is eliminated and the company ensure that the new product is making profit. However, the selling price is too high for the customer in turn decreases the competitiveness of the product. Therefore, the product could be sold at a lower volume than it is budgeted. In the following, we reasonably assume that the sales volume drop to 30 tons when the price is at D.Cr. 8.20. Please see table 2 at appendix for detail. The profit in 1966 will be increased by $60,900. Compared to Alternative A, A/S Dansk Minox is better off by the increase of $60,900 in profit. ConclusionsIn order to better evaluate and compare all the qualitative and quantitative alternatives we analyzed above, we need to take into consideration of certain key decision-making criteria:1.Improve profitability (measured by contribution analysis, short-term decision making)Increase profitability and improve shareholder equity is the primary goal of a company. By improving profit, the company’s cash flow is possibly increased, so that company’s ability of meeting liability is enhanced. In the event of possible investing opportunity arises, the company will be financially flexible enough to take it. 2.Consistent with the corporate strategyThe alternative we take should be consistent with the strategy of the company, so that the action will be towards the company goal and will be sustainable. 3.Lost of customers by the Standard PackTo better evaluate the alternatives, some important qualitative factors should be considered, potential lost of customer by standard pack resulting from the introduction of the new product is one of them. 4.Within capabilityAre the alternatives attainable? Or they are out of the capacity of the company and will not be able to achieve?The following table shows how we compare the different alternatives by applying these criteria:ABCStatus Quo: Not introduce the â€Å"complete meal product†; abandon  the new projectIntroduce the â€Å"complete meal product† at a consumer price of D.Cr. 6.85Introduce the â€Å"complete meal product† at a consumer price of D.Cr. 8.20Improve profitability using contribution analysis (short-term decision making) NoAssuming 85 tons of new products are sold at price of D.Cr 6.85, so the profibility will be improved by D.Cr. 99,450Assuming 30 tons of new products are sold at price of D.Cr 8.20, so the profibility will be improved by D.Cr. 60,900. Consistent with strategyN/AThe company’s strategy is cost leader, the price of D.Cr.6.85 is consistent with the company’s strategy and increase the competitiveness of the company.The company’s strategy is cost leader. the price of D.Cr.8.20 might be too high for certain customer, resulting in losing the competitiveness of the company. Lost of customers by the Standard PackNoIt is confirmed that there is still a great untapped potential for the new product so the customer will continue to buy both new and old products. Sales of standard pack will not be affected.Since there is still a great untapped potential for the new product so the customer will continue to buy both new and old products. Sales of standard pack will not be affected. Within capabilityN/AThere are spare capacity available for the company and the production will not exceed at this moment. If the new product keep increasing in the future, there is possibility of exceeding budgeted capacityThere are spare capacity available for the company and the production will not increase too much due to the high selling priceIn conclusion, by comparing the alternatives against the key decision-making criteria, alternative B, which introduces the â€Å"complete meal product† at a consumer price of D.Cr. 6.85 is the best option for A/S Dansk Minox. Since the main goal for A/S Dansk Minox is generating higher cash flow, improving profitability should be the primary criteria that we should consider in decision making. Alternative C improves profibility by D.Cr. 99,450, which is D.Cr 38,550 higher than alternative B and D.Cr 99,450 higher than alternative A. Moreover, alternative B is consistent with the company strategy. From the content that we demonstrated previously, the business strategy of the company is cost leader. A/S Dansk Minox produces the products massively in order to keep a low selling price and match with the competitors. Therefore, introducing the new product price at D.Cr. 6.85 does a better job in fitting in company’s strategy than the other alternatives. In addition, alternative B will not have huge impact to the existing products and it works within the capability of the company, comparing to other options. Recommendations A/S Dansk Minox is facing an exciting opportunity of introducing a new product line that could possibly increase the profit hugely. We highly recommend the company introduce the new â€Å"complete meal† at price of D.Cr. 6.85, also taking the following steps:1.Introduce the â€Å"complete meal† to the whole company and the public as soon as possible in order to let more people know about the new product. 2.Inform the production department and add the new product into production plan. Evaluate the difficulty of implementing the new product line. 3.Inform the marketing department. Ask for possible promotion theme and plan that could make the biggest sales impact. 4.Call retailers at each level of selling channel regarding the introduction of the new product. 5.after few months, conduct customer research in order to evaluate the success of the new product or possible commandsNot only alternative C is a solution that relatively easy to be implemented, it is also expected to generate highest cash flow to meet the company’s operating goal. By setting the price of new product at as low as D.Cr. 6.85, the demand of the product remains high and the company strategy of cost leader will be maintained. Introducing the new â€Å"complete meal† increase the competitiveness to utilize  the company’s strength and help company to survive in this highly competitive market. Appendices:Flow chart 1)Table 1Alternative B: introduce the â€Å"complete meal product† at a consumer price of D.Cr. 6.85New PackConsumer Price6.85Turnover Tax(0.76)Consumer Price Before Tax6.09Retailer’s Margin (1.31)Price to Retailer4.78Variable Costs:Material: Pork 1.67Labor: Pork 0.25Material: Cabbage 0.5Labor: Cabbage 0.25Packaging 0.26Transportation, Storage0.2Margins and Discounts to Wholesalers 0.38Sundry Variable Costs 0.1Total Variable Costs(3.61)Contribution Margin1.17Sales volume @ 85 tons 1x 85,000 kgIncremental Profit99,4501 Assume the actual sales volume of the â€Å"complete meal product† is the same as the sales budget when the â€Å"complete meal product† is introduced at a consumer price of D.Cr. 6.85. Table 2Alternative C: introduce the â€Å"complete meal product† at a consumer price of D.Cr. 8.20New PackConsumer Price8.20Turnover Tax(0.91)Consumer Price Before Tax7.29Retailer’s Margin (1.57)Price to Retailer5.72Variable Costs:Material: Pork 1.67Labor: Pork 0.25Material: Cabbage 0.5Labor: Cabbage 0.25Packaging 0.26Transportation, Storage0.2Margins and Discounts to Wholesalers 0.46Sundry Variable Costs 0.1Total Variable Costs(3.69)Contribution Margin2.03Sales volume @ 30 tons 1x 30,000 kgIncremental Profit60,9001 The actual sales volume of the â€Å"complete meal product† is 30 tons when the â€Å"complete meal product† is introduced at a consumer price of D.Cr. 8.20bibliographiesA/S Dansk Minox Gordon Shillinglaw, Columbia University ISBN 0-538-88967-5 to Accounting

Monday, September 16, 2019

Pre Writing Skills

PRE WRITING TECHNIQUES Prewriting is the first stage of the writing process, typically followed by drafting, revision, editing and publishing. Elements of prewriting may include planning, research, outlining, diagramming, storyboarding or clustering etc. Prewriting is important because it helps you generate ideas for writing. Some of the prewriting techniques are: 1. Outlining 2. Free Writing 3. Thinking maps 4. Cubing 5. Directed Questioning 6. Note making and note taking 7. Brain storming 8. Clustering 9. Charting 10. ScanningThe detail of each skill along with its examples is given below. 1. Outlining An outline is a document that briefly summarizes the information that will be included in a paper, book, speech, or similar document. It shows the order in which the information will be presented and indicates the relationship of the pieces of information to each other. By making an outline of the document which we begin to write gives us inside of our document. Examples: 1. Suppose a general situation in which a person is given to write an article on a general topic, what should he do after selecting his topic?Of course he will begin to collect data for his article, now while collecting data, as he read through books and articles, he will create an index card. From each source the gathered information will be put in an index card. That index card will be his outline of that article and that process which he has adopted is outlining. 2. Consider another situation in which you are required to write an essay on your favorite personality (say Quaid-e-Azam). You will make an outline for the material you want to include in the essay. E. g. Birth, early education, higher education, interests, works, death etc. . Free Writing A strategy designed to â€Å"free† ideas from your subconscious mind and gets them down on paper. This kind of writing is â€Å"free† in another sense; you don't need to worry about punctuation, correct grammar usage, etc. Your main objective is to write for a sustained period of time (ten to fifteen minutes) without stopping. In this you are free to make mistakes and write whatever you want. Examples: 1. Suppose you are a student and your professor has just given you an assignment. You are required to write a paper about a specific topic, or to come up with a topic of your own.You begin to panic. â€Å"Where do I start? † you may ask yourself. â€Å"How do I begin? † There is just no need to be worried. Take your pen and start writing each and everything related to that topic. Once you have done this, now just organize the things and note them neatly. 2. Suppose you are an Electrical engineer and you work in an office and your BOSS has assigned you a task to estimate budget plan of constructing a building. Obviously it is not your job but order is order. As it is not your job, you don’t need to be panic and you can write anything that comes in your mind about the assigned task. . Thinking Maps Thinking maps are powerful tools to help you gather ideas and arrange information as you prepare to write for any occasion and purpose. It shows you how the parts of a subject are related. Once a person understands the essentials, â€Å"thinking maps† can be like completing a puzzle which is interesting. Examples 1. 2. Condensation Precipitation Evaporation Water vapor, a gas returns to liquid state Liquid water falls as rain, sleet, hail, or snow Liquid water becomes water vapours, a gas| 4. Cubing Cubing is the art of explaining any topic from different perspectives.Cubing is an excellent tool for rapidly exploring a topic. It reveals quickly what you know and what you don't know, and it may alert you to decide to narrow or expand your topic. These perspectives may include: 1. Describing to others. 2. Comparing with others. 3. Associating with others. 4. Analyzing it. 5. Its applications and usage. 6. Argue for or against it. Examples 1. If you produce a cosmetic item , you share your production with others, compare it with other cosmetic items, relate it to a good quality item, analyze it either it is costly or not, tell its benefits and at last give arguments in its favor. . If you are a mobile phone dealer, you go to different shops and tell them you sell Nokia or Samsung phones, you compare your items with other mobiles, relate your links that you are trustworthy dealer, you discuss its financial aspects and try to convince shop keeper to buy mobiles from you. Cubing helps you to write all this procedure in a good way. 5. Directed Questioning This technique works when you have a topic of your interest but you are not sure what and how to write it. It this kind of situation, you don’t need to expand your thoughts, rather you have to limit your ideas to the point.Also when you question yourself about the topic you are going to write, this mechanism of questioning makes it easier to write about the topic. Examples 1. If you are asked to w rite about educational services of Sir Sayad Ahmad Khan, you can discuss historic background of Sir Sayad but your focus should be educational services, and not the other aspects because it is not necessary to include all the things. 2. If you are given any project, you select it and then questions can make it easy to write about it†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦e. g. why you are interesting in this project?How you got this idea? What are merits of it? What are demerits of it (if any)? Is this project financially supportive? etc. 6. Note making and Note taking The storing capacities of human memory are limited. It is useful, therefore, to know how to efficiently make notes of what one wants to remember. Note taking is a technique which is used when a person is reading or hearing something for the first time and he is trying to jot down the key information so he can use it later. Note making is when you return to those notes and make notes on them.This means you just go through notes, put things into your own words or summarize them and highlight key points. This technique is useful while gathering information for a respective article from books and lectures etc. Examples: 1. This technique is helpful when you are going to study a language other than you mother tongue. Because it is not easy to remember a lot of knowledge and vocabulary of the secondary language in one attempt. So there will be a need to read it again to learn and remember more about new language. 2. If you are attending a technical lecture (e. g. elated to some machine or something else), it is a good practice to make lecture notes because you might need them to make comprehensive understanding of the topic. 7. Brainstorming It means thinking of as many ideas as possible in a short amount of time. Brainstorming involves capturing all of the thoughts, ideas, and fragments in your head and writing them down on paper. Brainstorming is an informal way of generating topics to write about, or points to make about yo ur topic. The important point about brainstorming is that there should be no pressure to be â€Å"excellent†. You should simply open their minds to whatever comes into them.Think of it as a kind of free association. When someone say â€Å"literacy† what pops into our mind? Most of us will come up with more useless ideas, but that's okay. Examples 1. If a person has a lot of money, he thinks what he can do with it. He can visit other countries, can give donations to charity, he can buy books and also he can give scholarships with this money. This is brainstorming because all these ideas come in a person’s mind n a short time duration. 2. If you are asked to write some memorable experiences of your life, your mind just click and many such moments will come in your mind.This is also brainstorming. 8. Clustering Clustering is a non-linear brainstorming technique whose results yield a visual representation of subject and organization. Clustering is a generative tool that helps us to connect thoughts, feelings, and ideas not connected before. It allows us to loosely structure ideas as they occur in a shape that allows for the further generation of ideas. It taps our associative powers in a self-organizing process, encouraging us to create personally meaningful patterns. Examples 1. What else caused the War? Was slavery really the main issue?Civil War Main Events Outcomes Causes People of Interest Slavery Pres Emancipation Poverty Gettysburg ? Atlanta Mobile phone 2. Phone calls, messaging Cost and comparison Media player specifications 9. Charting Sometimes you will want to organize your ideas in the form of a chart. This technique works very well for comparison or contrast writing or examining advantages and disadvantages ( that is also a comparison). You can make many kind of charts depending on your topic and also the king of writing you are doing. Examples 1. 2. | City | village|Advantages | More Job, health, education and transport faciliti es| Less job, health, education and transport facilities| Disadvantages | Noise, air, water pollution| Calm atmosphere, pure vegetables, no noise| 10. Scanning Scanning involves a process of quickly searching reading materials in order to locate specific bits of information. When scanning you don't start from the beginning and read to the end. Instead, what you do is jump around in the text, trying to find the information you need. Scanning can help you locate specific pieces of information and gain an overview of the main points in an article or text.Examples 1. Suppose you are searching the meaning of a word in dictionary. Easy way to do this is that you first look the first alphabet, then second and so on until you reach the desired word. It is easier than starting from the first word of the dictionary to look the meaning. 2. While looking a number in a telephone book, you simply jump to the starting word of the name or other information known to you. This saves time. In this way Scanning involves moving one’s eyes quickly down the page seeking specific words and phrases.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Corporate Identity Essay

Explained by Balmer and Soenen (1999). The International Corporate Identity Group (ICIG), therefore, came up with a statement of corporate identity, The Strathclyde Statement, to describe it. Please refer to Appendix B for the ICIG statement. A commonality between all attempts to define corporate identity, as well as, The Strathclyde Statement, indicates its characteristics which are concluded to be: 1. Collective. 2. Central. 3. Enduring. 4. Identifying of corporate. 5. Manageable. 6. Manifested by corporate-level strategy (vision and mission). 7. Affecting corporate image and affected by corporate image. Can be a source of competitive advantage. In spite all the variations in defining the concept, a clearer image of what corporate identity is emerges after studying its constructs and dimensions. This will be explored in the next section. Corporate identity: The structure What meant by structure is the components that constitute the corporate identity. Regardless of the difference i n categorizations, researchers have more in common when it comes to studying the construct of corporate identity than they had in its definition. Different views were offered of the construct of corporate identity. From a orporate communication paradigm, Birkigt & Stadler (1986) in (Balmer, 1998) have introduced corporate identity mix that focuses on the means by which corporate identity is communicated. Their mix includes corporate personality, behaviour, communication, and symbolism. Birkigt & Stadler mix has been given a good deal of attention by many authors (van Riel, 1995; Balmer, 1998; van Rekom, 1997). Communication is considered an important factor in shaping corporate identity, where it is stated that messages are communicated through behaviour of organization members (Balmer & van Riel, 1997). In 1995, Schmidt’s mix was introduced; it adds external environmental factors and also includes corporate culture to the corporate identity mix. It is composed of corporate culture, corporate behaviour, market condition and strategies, product and services, and communication ; design. Melewar ; Karaosmangolu (2006) suggest a â€Å"seven dimensions† construct for corporate identity that is very similar to Schmidt’s mix. These are corporate culture, corporate behaviour, and corporate communication, corporate structure, corporate strategy, corporate design, and industry identity. Balmer and Soenen (1999) have proposed a corporate identity mix that is composed of three of the human senses; these are soul, mind, and voice, see figure 1. The mind is the vision and philosophy, strategy, products and services, corporate performance, brand architecture, and corporate ownership, the soul consists of values, cultures, employee affinity, and internal images, and the voice consists of the corporate uncontrolled communication, controlled communication, symbolism, personnel and corporate behaviour, and indirect (external/ third party) communication. Figure [ 1 ] [ 1 ] Corporate Identity Mix – Adopted from [ (Balmer & Soenen, 1999)] Corporate culture Corporate culture was devoted proper attention since the early stages in expanding the corporate identity concept beyond the visual identity (Baker & Balmer, 1997; Hatch & Schultz, 1997; Stuart, 1999; Dowling, 1986; Markwick & Fill, 1997; Stuart, 1999; Melewar & Karaosmangolu, 2006). Culture epitomises the consensus within a company about how activities should be accomplished and is conceived as a result of a group’s shared experience and learning with respect to atters of external adaptation and internal integration† (Schein, 1985) in (Melewar & Karaosmangolu, 2006). It is therefore, represented in the shared values and beliefs among corporate members and also includes corporate philosophy, mission, and subcultures (Melewar & Karaosmangolu, 2006). Baker & Balmer (1997) consider culture as the most important element in the corporate identity mix. However, in their explanation for corporate identity mix, Balmer & Soenen (1999) consider culture as a different concept from values but they place both of them in the Soul category in their organically inspired categorization. All researchers in the topic state that corporate culture is an important factor in influencing corporate identity. Dowling (1986) puts corporate culture on the same ontological level as corporate identity and argues that culture, identity, and image are related components of a system that defines organizations, while Markwick & Fill (1997) consider corporate culture as part of corporate personality, which directly influence the corporate identity. Bernstein (1984) considers corporate personality as the total characteristics that generate corporate identity. Abratt and Shee (1989) agree to the ame opinion and consider these characteristics as the totality of behavioural and intellectual characteristics of the corporate. Melewar & Karaosmangolu (2006) found that culture is usually communicated to stakeholders through employees’ behaviour. Therefore, culture can be considered as a context in which employees’ behaviour is formulated (Stuart, 1999). Corporate Behaviour Many commentators suggest that the actions of a corporation are a fundamental element of its identity (Balmer & van Riel, 1997; Hatch & Schultz, 1997; Kiriakidou & Millward, 2000; Topalian, 1984; Olins, 1995). While Balmer & Soenen (1998) consider behaviour as part of the voice in their categorization, Melewar & Jenkins (2002) gives more attention to the behaviour as described by â€Å"the body language†. Behaviour is one of the most important aspects in corporate identity since corporate identity is rooted in the behaviour of its members (Balmer & van Riel, 1997). This importance comes from the fact that behaviour can be an important media to communicate messages to different stakeholders (Melewar & Jenkins, 2002). Olins (1995) contends that everything that corporate does or ay communicates. Therefore, it is important to align employees’ behaviour totality or the corporate behaviour with the values, philosophies and communication to effectively contribute toward building the targeted identity. Van Rekom (1997) argues that actions that are deliberate are more important than spontaneous ones. Markwick & Fill (1997) argues that the visual cues can be misleading; they rely on other cues such as behaviour, communication, and values to understand corporate identity. It is important, then, to indicate that corporate behaviour has to e managed and aligned with the messages communicated by corporate to enforce its identity. Management behaviour is an important aspect of behaviour since the former are more exposed to stakeholders. Hatch and Schultz (1997) argue that identity and image are influenced by the management behaviour. Melewar & Jenkins (2002) argue that management behaviour should be consistent with the values and vision of the organization not to create confusion or communicate faulty messages. Van Rekom (1997) emphasizes the importance of centrality in corporate identity and suggests that employees’ efforts and behaviour should collaborate owards confirming the organization goals and objectives. Communication and design The purpose of creating a favourable corporate identity is to project a positive image to stakeholders and consequently a good reputation for the organization. Corporate identity has to be communicated in order to be able to take this advantage. Therefore, all communication media’s have to be aligned and coordinated in order to create a consistent corporate identity. Van Riel (1995) considers succession in communicating corporate identity as a factor to measure the effectiveness of corporate communication. Controlled Communication Ind (1992) describes corporate communications as the â€Å"process which translates corporate identity into image†. Where Ind include uncontrolled communication in his definition, van Riel (1995) distinguishes between controlled and uncontrolled communication in his definition of corporate communication as â€Å"an instrument of management by means of which all consciously used forms of internal and external communications are harmonized as effectively and efficiently as possible, so as to create a favourable basis for relationships upon which the company is dependent†. Controlled communication can be classified to include management communication, marketing communication, and organizational communication; which are controlled type of communication (van Riel, 1995). Management communication is vital in communicating the corporate objectives and goals to employees (Melewar & Jenkins, 2002). It is defined as an attempt to â€Å"communicate the vision and mission of the company in order to establish a favourable image and ultimately a good reputation amongst its internal and external stakeholders† (Olins, 1989). Marketing ommunication is generally associated with the 4Ps of product, price, place and promotion, and is aimed at supporting the sales of an organisation’s products or services. Marketing communication include, advertising, public relation activities and direct marketing. Van Riel (1995) puts organizational communication as the one with stakeholders that has an interdependent relationship with the organization; this includes internal and external stakeholders. Uncontrolled Communication Cornelissen (2000) contends that perceived corporate identity is formed by controlled and uncontrolled communication. Olins (1995) and Balmer (1995) agree on that everything the organization does or say communicates. Uncontrolled communication usually occurs by organization’s members dealing with external stakeholders (Moingeon & Ramanantsoa, 1997). It can be concluded that uncontrolled communication mainly occurs through behaviour; therefore, behaviour of corporate members should be aligned with corporate philosophies, values and strategies as mentioned earlier. Melewar & Karaosmangolu (2006) suggest that the corporate members’ commitment to the corporate values and goals will reduce the negative uncontrolled communication. A dynamic interrelationship between culture and communication (controlled and uncontrolled) can be concluded from the earlier argument. Corporate culture is usually communicated through employees’ behaviour (uncontrolled communication) (Melewar & Karaosmangolu, 2006). Corporate Design Corporate design is consisted of the organisation’s name, slogan, logotype and symbol, colour and typography (Melewar & Saunders, 1998). Bernstein (1986) and Dowling (1986) consider the messages communicated through the symbol have more value than the symbol itself. Therefore, it is the communication done by the ymbol that makes the visual identity important to corporate identity. Melewar and Saunders (1998) attest on the importance of visual identity of corporation in influencing purchase decisions by consumers due to the rapid change in technology. The visual manifestation of corporate identity can communicate the corporate values and support the other forms of communication (Baker & Balmer, 1997). Melewar & Karaosmangolu (2006) also found that the slogan has powerful effect on stakeholders’ perceptions of the organizations. Structure Corporate structure is fundamental component of corporate identity (Olins, 1986; Melewar & Karaosmangolu, 2006). Brand structure Organizations develop branding strategies in order to distinguish itself from competitors (Melewar & Karaosmangolu, 2006). Olins (1986) have introduced three different brand structures: 1 . Monolithic structure: in this structure, the corporate uses consistent design and name. 2. Endorsed structure: where the names and designs of the subsidiaries are associated with the parent corporate. 3. Branded structure: indicates that the design and name of the parent company is less exposed to customers and different products have separate brands. Organisational Structure Organizational structure refers to the hierarchy in the organization, lines of reporting and communication. The degree autonomy of the managers is determined by the degree of centralization within the organization’s structure. The more decentralize the structure is, the more autonomy managers have, (Melewar & Karaosmangolu, 2006) which may lead to the emergence of new brand structure (Olins, 1986). Strategy All literature reviewed has made a link between corporate identity and strategy. There are different views on the relationship between corporate identity and trategy. The first view indicates that strategy provides a context to encapsulate corporate identity (Markwick & Fill, 1997; Stuart, 1999). The second view argues that as corporate identity encapsulates corporate values and mission and vision, it makes a reference point for the corporate strategy (Balmer & Greyser, 2009). He (2006) suggests a dynamic interrelationship between corporate identity and strategy which can be bidirectional. He (2006) suggests that corporate identity and strategy should have a big enough gap to allow change and enough alignment to maintain onsistency. Melewar & Karaosmangolu (2006) have highlighted two strategy types that are: Differentiation Strategy Differentiation strategy is the aspect of the corporate strategy that focus on the corporate strength and competitive advantage which is linked to the basic identity of the corporate (Melewar & Karaosmangolu, 2006). Positioning strategy Positioning strategy which is, according to Melewar & Karaosmangolu (2006), linked to the desired identity for the corporate. Corporate identity management Several models were introduced by academics to manage corporate identity. In the following sections, some of these models are described and analysed. Kennedy (1977) Kennedys model has focused on the creation of a positive corporate image (See Figure 2). She has realised the ability to influence corporate image through behavioural projections of the company. Kennedy has realised that based on the reality behaviour, or as per her wording â€Å"policies operating within the company’, an enduring and robust positive image can be obtained. In this model, Kennedy has acknowledged the importance of the effect of employees perception of the corporate n their behaviour and consequently on the projection of the corporate image to other stakeholders. In other parts of her article she declares the importance of employees in the process of company image formation. Also, there was no mentioning of visual identity of the corporate, as we know it is part of the corporate identity mix. Although her model hasn’t handled corporate identity in its new shape, her model was a starting point for several further models. Kennedys model main contribution was her awareness of the ability to influence corporate image based on corporate reality and behaviour. Figure [ 1 ] [2] Kennedy model for managing corporate image – Adopted from Stuart (1999) Dowling (1986) As seen in Figure 3, Dowling has elaborated on the role of communication in forming image of the corporate. Dowling considered that interpersonal communication represents the images of the firm held by these groups, and that mass media communication represents the company’s perception of itself. His argument is in contrast with the later literature reviewed which distinguishes between corporate identity, which communication is part of, and the corporate image that can be influenced by communication. Van Riel (1995) suggests that corporate communication should be consistent with corporate strategy, corporate identity, and corporate image. Figure [ 1 ] [3] Dowling model for managing corporate image – Adopted from Stuart (1999) In the conception of corporate culture, Dowling has dealt with culture as a determinant where he placed it at the same level with identity (Hatch & Schultz, 1997). However, Hatch and Schultz didn’t share the same opinion with Dowling where they have considered culture as a context of identity rather than being a determinant. Also Dowlings model were criticised for his underestimation of the role f management communication in influencing employees’ behaviour and internal images. Abratt (1989) Abratt’s model has introduced the concept of corporate personality. He argued that from the corporate personality, corporate philosophies can be developed, where the latter include values and culture of the corporate. The strategy was also included in the corporate personality in the model as showed in Figure 4. However, Abratt has defined corporate identity as â€Å"an assembly of visual clues-physical and behavioural by which an audience can recognise a company and distinguish it from others and hich can be used to represent or symbolise the company’ (Abratt & Shee, 1989).