Installation Art Essay

Out of the many ways in which we can view Installation Art, the term itself is not clearly defined. There are, however, different characteristics of it, and within this essay I will discuss the two most prevalent from my own point of view, and support my thoughts and opinions with examples from information we have encountered throughout this past semester. Although Installation Art has many qualities that it can be associated with, I believe that one which stands true above most is the fact that it Installation Art often casts the spectator as the protagonist. As we have seen throughout the semester, many different artist’s have employed their own ideas of what makes art Installation Art, yet from my own vantage point, it is only Installation Art if we create something for the spectator to walk into and ‘do’ something within the piece itself, as opposed to viewing it from a more museum like way, in order to create a more ‘authentic’ form of art. Lucas Samaras’s creation of ‘Room’, is a direct example of my thoughts on this characteristic of Installation Art. He wished to accommodate the viewer in his work. In this piece, he wished that the space of the piece become â€Å"a wholly immersive environment in which the space existed for the viewer to activate as an engaged and absorbed participant† (Bishop, 27). Installations should be geared toward first hand, real experiences by the viewer, and not illustrate simply a situation. Samaras’ ‘Room’ created this by having the items in the piece ‘fluid’, and not ‘glued-down’. ‘Room’, was a conglomeration of the artist’s own personal belongings reconstructed to mimic his own bedroom, in which the viewer could walk in, sit down on, and actually interact with the items, which, according to Samaras, created the ‘authentic’ quality of the art itself. As we view the characterstic of Installation Art as the spectator casted as the protagonist, we can now realize that, once again looking at Samaras’ ‘Room’, it addressed itself directly to the viewer, whose experience was not that of a detached onlooker, but was indeed the actual focus of the work itself. Samaras created a state of mind more than anything, in which the viewer was essentially in the first-person, and the subject actually will see things through their own ‘daydream’, which is nothing less than escape from a reality that is not completely suspended (in contrast to dreams while we are sleeping, in which we are suspended). According to Freud, a daydream is initially the expression of an unconscious fantasy, as a sort of ‘hallucinatory’ sense and is an escape from reality, which centers the viewer as the protagonist in the piece, because they are the one’s creating the art in which they see.

Bench Strength

Any thriving business is cognizant of the fact that their success hinges significantly upon the services and loyalty of key personnel, as well as the ability to attract, retain and motivate qualified staff. Of course it does not stop with hiring and retention, the most important aspect of human resources is to be able to recognize potential leaders and train them accordingly so as to prepare them for more responsibilities and leadership roles as they grow with the company. The term bench strength refers to the depth of any given company’s pool of qualified and potential executives and managers.These short-listed people are being groomed to go up the corporate ladder, in a seamless succession of leadership that will bring stability and increased growth for the company. To make sure that the potential leaders will be up to the task, every company must invest in the training and development of their personnel. This training and development program is so designed in such a way tha t will harness the skills and strengths of these people, in the hopes that they will be able to steer the company through rough waters and towards higher grounds.Potential leaders must be identified, mentored, and exposed to all levels of the company’s operations. This way, these people are able to gain a broader and deeper insight of how the business functions, and as such, be able to contribute in all the levels of operation of the business. According to Conger (2004), â€Å"Succession management must be a flexible system that is oriented toward developmental activities, and not just a rigid list of high-potential employees and the slots they might possibly fill.† An effective bench strength strategy is to create a program that successfully marries succession planning and leadership training and development. This way, the company knows the skills required for leadership positions, and training will be aligned in such a way that these skills are successfully developed . Conger (2004) further maintains that the companies that have the most success in bench strengthening programs are â€Å"those that merge succession planning and leadership development in order to create a long-term process for managing the talent roster across their organizations. †Of course a company cannot develop a succession program if its fails to institute a hiring and retention program that would ensure the appropriate fit of employees to their respective job responsibilities. Human resources must be able to attract and hire the right people the first time. If a company fails in this regard, staffing will eat into the company’s resources, and cause disruption in the business because there is frequent change in personnel, leaving the business without any real sense of succession. (Burkholder, 2003, p. 150) In such cases, some companies are forced to hire outsiders for leadership roles.While this is not necessarily bad, personnel who have been groomed for sensit ive and executive positions are will require less adjustment both from subordinates and higher-ups alike. Companies must first look within and find potential leaders among the ranks. The sense of opportunity and career growth will inspire people and motivate them to work harder and give their best performance in every endeavor. Employees who know that their efforts are noticed and recognized have no reason to leave in search of greener pastures and better opportunities.A company with loyal and hard-working personnel will also have the pool of leaders that they need for a seamless succession of leaders. This internal development program not only saves on cots in terms of cost in time and additional compensation to attract and hiring outside people, but more importantly, boosts the morale of the personnel and ensures the stability of the company in terms of human resources. Therefore before any successful succession and leadership development can be designed, an effective staffing pro gram must first be put in place.Burkholder (2003, 151) maintains that staffing â€Å"must be aligned with the rest of the organization. † This means that staffing must take a proactive role in the company, and not just act on a need basis. There are many techniques to ensure an effective staffing program. One method is called the Baldridge process. This program requires a company to take self-assessment. This self-assessment is designed to help companies align their business processes and operations with fluctuating business needs and with the highly fickle labor market. By so doing, this recognizes the strategic role of the staffing group in the business.(Burkholder, 2003, 152) The main advantage of using the Baldridge process is that it empowers the staffing group and acknowledges their value in the business. Knowing that they have full support of the company, an empowered staffing group is thus able to create better and more efficient hiring and recruitment programs that w ill ensure the best matching of people to their spheres of responsibility. The entire business must operate as a single entity, with each department geared towards forwarding the business’ core values and achieving financial success for the company.When designing or implementing any type of staffing and retention programs, it is important to involve all the employees. It is a good idea to solicit their ideas and feedback. A cross-section of all departments must give their suggestions, this is to ensure that staffing and retention practices will be highly aligned with the needs of the company. After the programs have been implemented, there must be a system that will regularly monitor and evaluate the programs.Such a system allows dfor continued improvement; buttressing the good points and working on the not-so-good aspects of the program. (Harris & Brannick, 1999, p. 206) Every organization, regardless of its size will benefit from competent people. The issue that every compa ny must address is how to invite these people and keep them once they have been hired. The next step once you have retained these leaders, is to provide them with growth opportunities that would harness their skills and competencies to the benefit of the entire business.As the company grows, your key personnel should be made capable to handle decision-making responsibilities. To achieve this, your staffing group must be explicitly involved in the planning and implementation of the company’s business plan. By being aware of the objectives of the company, the staffing group has a framework by which to design its own hiring and retention procedures and programs in such a way that contributes to the realization of these goals. (Becker, 2001, p.29) Indeed when a department knows what is expected of them and how they can help the organization, all their energies will be focused towards the attainment of that common goal. Every company must endeavor to encourage a sense of community and participation across all levels of the organization. Only then can a business ever have a chance at carving a niche for itself in the highly competitive world of the free market. References: Becker, B. E. , Huselid, M. A. (2001). The HR Scorecard: Linking People, Strategy, and Performance.Harvard Business School Press. Brannick, J. & Harris, J (1999). Finding & Keeping Great Employees. NJ: AMACOM Div American Management Association. Burkholder, N. C. , Edwards, P. J. , Sartain, L. (2003). On Staffing: Advice and Perspectives from HR Leaders. NJ: John Wiley and Sons. Conger, J. A. & Fulmer, R. M. , (2003). Bench Strength: Grooming Your Next CEO. Developing Your Leadership Pipeline. Harvard Business Review. Vol. 81, No. 12. Retrieved on August 5, 2007 from http://hbswk. hbs. edu/archive/3855. html

Winter’s Bone

Essay Assignment 2 October 7th, 2012 Draft 2 (Final) Winter's Bone I would like to start off saying I really enjoyed this book so far. I really like the text, and description it shows. There is a lot of realistic experience in the book that helps me create my visual of the book. â€Å"They didn’t do nothin’! They didn’t do a goddamned thing! What the hell’re you tryin’ to pull? † Most books are cheesy written, and worded. This book was different, and really fit into my interest. I usually find it hard to get into a book, an reading a lot of the time makes me sleepy.I was able to adapt to this book quickly to gain a lot of questions an wondering what was going to happen next. The Ozarks is a interesting place that helps shape the lives of anyone who lives there. Ree finds herself, her family, all on the bad side of the law since illegal activities are done to support themselves in such a harsh environment. These illegal activities of her fathe r start Ree on a journey. She has to find her father with only the help of family to save her family’s house and land. Jessup, Ree’s father, is the most important cause of her journey.He comes home and leaves â€Å"promising he’d be back soon as he could with a paper sack of cash and a trunkload of delights. † Ree is left with the tasks of chopping wood and making sure there is food on the table for everyone, which is usually the man of the house’s job. He had told her to not even look for him until â€Å"you see my face. † (Chpt 1) Then, when the kids get home from school riding in Sheriff Baskins’ patrol car, the sheriff asks her if she has seen Jessup and informs her that he put the land and house up for the bail.If Jessup didn’t show up for court, they would be poor and homeless. Ree also has to be a mother to the kids, because her mom is pretty much useless. Something happened, whether it was drug or her lifestyle while Je ssup had been imprisoned before, and the medicine that she is on is not helping. Ree had to get Sonny and Harold ready for school even if the clothes were dirty and there was no butter to go with the grits. The kids show up home having hitched a ride from the deputy up to the Dolly’s house for which they were reprimanded by Ree to not ven associate with â€Å"the law. † Ree later makes sure to put them under her wing so that they could learn to hunt and cook if there was ever a need for them to take care of themselves. She starts showing them how to make deer stew and how to shoot and clean squirrels. The next day, when they got home. Teardrop came over. When he realizes he needed to help his brother’s family. He lets Ree know that the police found Jessup’s car burnt, but he wasn’t in it. He also gave them more money to help out.He then also gave her the advice of selling of the timber on their land before the bail bondsman came to throw them out o f the house, but Ree still thinks that it won’t happen. Teardrop starts talking about times before when things were good and family all got along. Ree goes to town to get some groceries and is getting to the point of believing her father is dead but trying to figure out why. â€Å"Either he stole or he told. Those are the things they kill you for. † Gail told her. Chpt 15) Bringing back to my thoughts, where I had a dead beat father who ran off, and never came back home. Which made my mom have to do everything for us alone. It's always weird how the books you read can sometimes relate back to you in ways you never thought they could. I then know I'm not the only one who had that experience. Which then as well helps me cope with my issues an understand better. I really like that about a book when I can relate to some of the things going on in the story.

Economic Development and Increasing Solution in Developing Countries Coursework

Economic Development and Increasing Solution in Developing Countries - Coursework Example Conclusion- This part of the paper summarizes the key findings that are contained in the body of the article. This summary includes a re-statement of thesis statement and findings. This section also offers a possible solution for the problem stated in the introduction and analyzed in the main body. The Links between Economic Development and Increasing Pollution in Developing Countries Introduction Economic growth and development are directly linked to environmental pollution. Research has shown that economic development acts as a catalyst for increased levels of pollution and vice versa (Faucheux & O'Connor, 2002, p. 115). However, the relationship between economic development and pollution in developed and developing countries is fundamentally different. This is because; this relationship/link is influenced by a different factors. This paper evaluates the factors that form the link between increasing pollution and economic development in developing countries. ... This scenario is slowly changing and developing countries such as Brazil and India have higher levels of environmental pollution. This shift is linked to the economic development of third world countries. Even though development countries are aware of the bio-diversity and climate repercussions that occur due to environmental pollution, they opt to prioritize their economic development so that they can be able to support their large populations. One of the key features of developing countries is large populations and high birth rates. Most developing countries decide to focus on economic growth in order to address the immediate challenge of feeding their populace. Since the repercussions of increased population are less immediate than starvation these countries make the choice to focus on economic development (Kramer, 2001, pp. 321-322). In contrast to developed nations, the economies of developing countries are still highly dependent on ‘heavy industries’. Such industri es contribute greatly to increased environmental pollution. In this era of globalization, developing countries often perceive any attempts to steer them away from reliance on such ‘heavy industries’ as interference which is aimed at derailing their economic development. This is because they are often economically weak and unstable, developed countries are often incapable of establishing industries that cause less harm to the environment (Schmandt & Ward, 2000, p. 184). In fact it is almost inconceivable for most developing countries to consider giving up profitable (but environmentally degrading) industries and establish new ‘green industries’. Due to globalization, most countries need to remain competitive in order to attain economic development.

Israel and Gaza Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Israel and Gaza - Research Proposal Example A Jewish state in the Middle East remains a divisive and controversial subject. In 2008 Jews around the world celebrated the 60 year anniversary of the establishment of the modern Israeli state but while people around the world celebrate its birth, others not only decry the policies of the Israeli government but also challenge the very existence of the state itself. Condemned by its neighbors as an unnatural colonial implant, Israel is frequently subject to international sanction and scrutiny. The status of the Palestinian people, seemingly on the cusp of statehood not long ago, remains increasingly complex and forever unresolved. The Palestinian community has also recently been fractured by the Fatah/Hamas split, adding a new and potentially explosive dynamic to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Despite decades of attempts at resolving this conflict, we are at an impasse and without a resolution in sight. What explains the persistence of conflict for more than a century? What role has Arab intransigence regarding a two-state solution – a persistent feature of the conflict since the days of the British Mandate in Palestine – played in the continuation of a conflict which seemingly could have been resolved years ago? Seeking to explore Arab intransigence and their continued rejection of a two-state solution to the conflict, this essay will chart and discuss Arab rejection of any solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The following will explore Arab intransigence chronologically and will argue that a legacy of unwavering rejection by the majority of the Arab countries in Middle East has been the major impediment to a resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains one of the most enduring and complex disputes of modern times. Although many believe that current fighting began with the creation of the state

The American empire Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The American empire - Personal Statement Example Previously, a good number of individual’s perspectives were totally on their families and the society, a certain neighborhood was used to form feasible and economical empires which ruled the others. The African and Asian empires which were acquired by the western authorities through the industrialized rebellion came to an end due to foreign law that tore apart the restricted as well as the provincial ways of uniqueness that held the imperial firmness and endurance. The organization wanted neighboring associates but the empire was already paralyzed since the input in the system became impossible. Furthermore, the dominated populations are equipped ready to frustrate the colonial imperative. This is strengthened by the simplicity at which everything is flowing in the regions and largely the globe (Parsons, 2012) In real sense, the Roman has extremely so minimal significances to the current America. The United States and the orthodox Rome have a common blissful and afflicted exce ptionalism. This was experienced in America when Winthrop uplifted his people who wanted to inhabit the Massachusetts Bay Colony to the seven hills. From this time, different head of states described America in a similar way as how Cicero described the Romans and the faultless urban in the leading seven hills. Rome defeated many countries irrespective of their mightiness in different perspective like, corporal power as portrait by the Gaul, unevenness of the Carthaginians, Spanish who had the numbers , Greeks who led in traditions as well as the Latin’s and Italy who astute the intelligence and got the empire (Isaacson, 2007). As cited by Isaacson (2007), the major thing that strengthened the Roman authority for so many years was its triumphant armed forces. Others included the enlargement of the most recent technology as well as the large statistics of the new born alongside a firm council and more assets to keep their expectations. They also had an excellent way of disposin g waste, good infrastructure, and good machines for plumbing which other counties including America lacked. In times of war, Rome had to select from its overwhelming list of choices. The defense forces were largely made of very powerful warriors. In addition, they were in possession of incomparable horses, thus the combination was used as a great aspect in war. Using their total strength, on their flanks they enclosed their enemies thus overpowering them (Isaacson, 2007). They progressed unto the time hi tech was used to wreak fatal destruction upon their enemies using blockade equipments. Any nation that was defeated by the Romans profitably increased the treasury and the funds were in turn used by their defense forces in purchase of newest arms as well in encouraging the soldiers. By these attacks they claimed so many countries including Spain, France, and Italy, just to mention but a few. The Roman Empire also brought into knowledge the Christianity religion to Europeans, a fact that makes it of great influence to many things that were set to happen afterwards and this altered the globe at large. They will forever be remembered and honored for their strong principles, way of life and inventiveness. In contrast to other states like the earlier Roman Empire, America fails to satisfy the ever rising discussion of whether it is a modern empire since the normal form of imperialism rule is no longer a consideration in the present

Choose from the attachment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Choose from the attachment - Essay Example A case in point is the Japanese philosophy of life; the Japanese history was mainly impacted by religion including Shinto, which is the primary religion of Japan, Buddhism from India and Confucianism the Chinese way of life. A significant number of modifications and transformations have been experienced in the world and to the manner in which individuals live and labor. It has established new opportunities and developed new impacts on the universe. Globalization is a great upsurge of transformation that has influenced the universe. The influences have been increasing over the world, particularly to the non-western region where the excessive transformations had occurred at least twice amid westernization and upgrading. Impacts of globalization rapidity are because of the fast advancements on technology, information, as well as on finances. This paper has main objectives of demonstrating the criticism of globalization and its impacts on the local diversity. Impacts of Globalization on Local Diversity Currently, people live in a world in which media; regulation, companies, markets, and research in sciences are global, cosmopolitan, as well as multiethnic. A significant number of individuals are becoming apprehensive of this present world order, fearing that it is being developed on the victories of one or another person, or culture or status. Certainly, the procedure of globalization interrupts delicate nations and interrupts customary identities, however, globalization does not essentially imply uniformity. Undeniably, in some reverences globalization promotes and permits differences. For instance, nearly each city of any size in the entire world currently provides residences the choice of food inclusive of French, Italian, Chinese, and Thai among others. Multiculturalism is all over the universe in all sectors including education, finance, and computer production business among others. It is stated that even a number of world`s ethnic individuals have linked to an international relationship that shares information by technology. The conception of multiculturalism pursues ways in which such values could get on with indulgent and identify one another. In addition, globalization has also had an impact on local politics, where they are being reconfigured along lines of local diversity. The new pattern of globalization will continue to be in existence. Nevertheless, in order to achieve this, it is vital to attain a new dimension, a worldwide agreement to implement controls, payments, and assessments while allowing the unrestricted movement of business. Therefore, every country must embrace a system that has excellent information and international collaboration in order to guarantee security that will be able to avert an international financial slowdown, and be in a position to defeat violence. Thus, globalization in some cases has resulted into insecurity within the local setting thus interfering with the local diversity. Accordingly, global tr ading and the radical expansion of global markets have massively affected the economy of the world, particularly in the user growth in the whole world affecting the values, dialectal and communication, as well as the standard of living of people. The forces of globalization are becoming a big threat to cultural variances in society and customary ways of life. Globalization or the increase in the scope and size of human connection, collaboration, and interdependency is inevitable.

Summary hardware, software findings Research Paper

Summary hardware, software findings - Research Paper Example This is a special information system that is procured differently from the rest of the software. This information system, however, is not fully owned by the Intel Corp company. This is because it is hired from the cloud service provider (Blundell, 2008). Another important feature of the architecture of hardware and software of Intel Corp is that it has adopted the latest technologies in their system. There is the use of cloud computing in their network. This technology helps to overcome the challenges of having servers and whole applications on the local site. This system and arrangement are seen in the way the company operates the CRM software. The CRM software is accessed from the cloud service provider. This means that the company does not own the software system in full (Hamlet, 2010). Another important aspect that can be seen in the software is that of using one vendor to procure the software. Most computers are installed with Windows Operating systems and Windows based software applications, like office suites and utility programs. The hardware components that are found in the company are seen to adopt client-server architecture in most of the structures that have been analyzed and presented so far. Most of the computer hardware is structured in such a way that the machines depend on each other to access the important server parts of the hardware. One deficiency that I find with the software is that they are from one vendor. As stated earlier, most of the applications are for Windows. In case there will be a need to have an upgrade so that there other applications from the other vendors, this could be a tedious and difficult task. This is because there is no arrangement that has been done to ensure that the future installations of different applications are well taken care of. Another deficiency is that of efficient

European Integration Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

European Integration - Research Paper Example The Second World War had ended in 1945 and the effects were devastating. The economies were shattered, there was resentment against the enemies, people died etc. Generally, the outcomes of the war were negative. Therefore, there was a need for reconciliation and this need was able to bring forth the idea of European integration. The national governments saw that the enmity that had taken them to war had to be buried with the end of the war and forge new relations through integration and union. This was a rational choice in deed. The idea of European integration, in turn, led to the formation of the European Council in 1949. The University of Zurich Speech offered by Winston Churchill in 1949 called for the creation of the United States of Europe through the institutionalization of the Council of Europe (Wendell, 1998). This speech called on the European states to make rational choices and integrate their efforts to the formation of the European Council. The Council’s main achi evement was seen in 1950, exactly one year after inception when it held the first European Convention on Human Rights where the European Court of Human Rights was formed and stationed in Strasbourg. This court was to be the major de facto Supreme Court for both the human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout the entire Europe. Other institutions that have since been conceived under the European Union have been the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and the European Social Charter which help protect the human right throughout Europe. (Cini, 2007: pp86-89). It is important to note that the European Council holds most of its conventions which are mostly focused on the achievement of legal integration. The legal integration is possible through conventions on legal assistance on issues such as corruption, doping in sports, money laundering and internet crimes among other legal issues. There has also been cultural cooperation under the council. For instance, the 1954 Cultural Convention and other subsequent conventions which focused on issues such as university studies and diplomas as well as the development of minority languages was a clear demonstration of Cultural integration and cooperation. The member state had to cooperate to support this initiative of cultural integration under the umbrella of the European Coun

PETA ( People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) Research Paper

PETA ( People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) - Research Paper Example PETA is often criticized for its radical and sometimes controversial approach towards social protest. Still even some of the avid detractors of PETA respect the validity and nobleness of its cause (Stevens, 2010). Introduction to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, popularly known as PETA, was founded in 1980, by the efforts and collaboration of two much experienced and dedicated animal rights activists, Ingrid Newkirk and Alex Pacheco. PETA is a not for profit organization with 300 salaried employees, backed by a committed pool of two million members and supporters, which includes some of the really famous celebrities and personalities (Stevens, 2010). PETA claims to be the biggest animal rights organization in the world. The motto of PETA is â€Å"animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment, on or use for entertainment (PETA: Online). The core issues regarding the cruelty towards animals that PETA focuses on are, fighti ng against the exploitation of animals for entertainment (circuses, fishing, buying animals as pets from pet stores or companies, dog fighting, cock fighting, bull fighting, etc), using animals for carrying out scientific experiments and tests, fur farming and organized factory farming (Stevens, 2010, p. 6). Framing of the Animal Rights Issue by PETA The animal rights groups that existed before PETA were predominantly conservative, whose approach towards the issue was at the best, mild and reconciliatory. In 1981, just a couple of months after its conception, PETA brought the issue of animal rights to the forefront of American socio-political platform, by creating a controversy around the issue of cruelty inflicted on a group of macaque monkeys by the researchers at the Institute of Behavioral Research in Silver Spring, Maryland, leading to the first ever police raid on an animal laboratory in America, followed by an amendment in the Animal Welfare Act in 1985 (Macionis, 2010: Steve ns, 2010). PETA, right from the start was well aware of the fact that the issue of cruelty towards animals was considered something not so important as to attract public attention, unless it is presented and highlighted with ample glitz, media coverage, drama and attention grabbing and disturbing visual content projecting cruelty on animals (Pace, 2005, p. 37). Considering the deluge of human problems facing the society, animal rights were not something that commanded a top priority on the public and political agenda. Thus, any approach towards challenging the existing status quo must need to have a SHOCK appeal. Therefore, every activity of PETA be it political lobbying, protests, media campaigns, undercover investigations, has this quintessential X factor that is unexceptionally always successful in grabbing public attention and jolting the mass conscience. This accompanied by a parallel strategy aimed at reaching out to and educating the people, pursuing a hot and cold approach t owards the targeted corporations and pressurizing the corporate managements by becoming a stockholder (Tkac, 2006, p. 6). PETA is an animal rights group that has been both famous as well as notorious for its innovative, wacky, controversial, disturbing and nerdy approach towards framing, campaigning and protest. One big success of

Valley of Saints Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Valley of Saints - Movie Review Example Movie reviewers have on various occasions assisted in guiding the audience to watch a movie or made the audience less interested especially when the reviewers discredits the plot and message of the film. Film Critic Roger Ebert ranks among the primary critics and the paper examines the review of Valley of Saints by Elbert and comparing it with that of the researcher. A focus on the critics by the researcher and Ebert is done on Valley of Saints movie. With Guzlar, Afzal and Asifa as the three main characters, Syeed purposively and successfully exposes the political situation and repercussions of India in Kashmir a poor Interior location. His background and experience plays a significant role in ensuring he delivers one of the best prose reflecting on bad politics and the consequences. As a result of poverty and war arising from political instability within the state of Kashmir, Guzlar with his friend Afzal who is more like a friend decides to free the city of Kashmir (Trigon-Film 2014). Although the two has love for their village as a result of friendly neighborhoods and the aspect of beauty possessed by the locals, the political tensions, and continuous wars force them to run away from home. Working as a boatman, Guzlar earns through crossing tourists across his lake Village Dal Lake.

The Impacts of Oil Spills on Marine and Terrestrial Ecosystems Essay Example for Free

The Impacts of Oil Spills on Marine and Terrestrial Ecosystems Essay Buy custom Impacts of Oil Spills on Marine and Terrestrial Ecosystems essay In this paper am going to examine the factors contributing to oil spills, and their effects on marine and terrestrial ecosystems. This addition of phytoplankton leads to depletion of oxygen levels in water, making it hard for survival of animal and plant population in the water. These oil spills do not only affect the marine system but also the chronic urban contamination and the economic loss. The oil spill has total effect on marine life despite the distance from the oil spill. The closer the oil spill is to the shoreline, the more damage it causes. The effects are also felt toward the offshore and the coastal environment. Oil spill is an accidental or intentional release of liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment. The environment is onshore or offshore leading to pollution. Mostly the key pathway of oil spills is through the marine oil spills. In this pathway, oil is released into the aquatic environment. The process is through spills from tankers drilling rigs and wells. Naturally oil may enter the marine life through oil seeps. The effects of oil spills are in many cases long-term effects. The short-term effects, though, can also be disastrous. Oil spills are dependant on wind and currents for faster spreading. When oil mixes with the water, it forms a sticky substance known as mousse. This substance clings to whatever it comes into contact with since it is sticky. Some marine animals mistake it for food. Birds usually have a hard time flying after coming into contact with the mousse. The mousse makes the birds’ feather heavier, making it impossible for the bird to fly thus drowning. The bird also becomes vulnerable to predators since it cannot fly. Predators that feed on these dead birds also end up dying due to poisoning by the mousse (McCoy Salerno, 2010). The oil enters into the plumage structure of the bird and reduces the insulation capability. The bird is thus exposed to temperature fluctuations and less buoyant in water. The birds ingest the oil on the feathers, and this causes kidney damage and malfunction of the liver. A very small percent of birds exposed to oil spills survives unless there is an intervention by a human (Peter Smithson, 2002). The marine mammals that are largely affected by oil spills consists of the Seals, sea lions, polar bears, sea otters, whales, dolphins, and manatees. This is due to their adaptation main power in fur and blubber. The mammals living in a cold environment are mostly affected by hypothermia. Other effects include organ malfunction due to toxic exposure. The organ malfunction consists of interstitial emphysema gastrointestinal ulceration. The mammals encounter a lot of stress due to restriction of diet and continuous exposure to oil. Seals are highly vulnerable to oil spills since they spend much of their feeding time near the surface of the water. Fur seals are exposed to oil adhering to the fur. The adhering leads to the fur loosing insulation ability. The oil coating on fur seals results also in reduction in swimming ability and a lowered mobility of the seals on land. The seals are also affected by poisoning caused by feeding on already contaminated prey and inhalation of oil droplets. Sea otters usually spend their time on the water surface and are totally dependant on fur for isolation and float ability. The famous Exxon Valdez disaster is blamed to be the main cause of 15,000 otters, due to ingestion of oil. Polar bears depend on blubber and a thick under fur for insulation. They often groom their fur. While grooming oil contaminated fur, polar bears may swallow oil, resulting to death due to intoxication. The intoxication damages the kidney and lowers the ability to produce red blood cells in polar bears. Whales are rarely affected by oil spills as they are always on migration. Baleen whales are the only whales affected as oil stick to the whales when they are filtering their feed. They take a large amount of water in order to select their catch. A dolphin is a smooth-skinned and hairless mammal. Therefore, there is less possibility of oil sticking to their skins. In this case, the dolphins are affected by the inhalation of oil vapor. The inhalation damages the dolphins’ airways and lungs. The other minor effect is the dolphins’ eyesight and unending stress. Manatees and dugong are found in areas with warm waters; also depend on a layer of blubber for insulation. Their effect by oil spills is similar to that of the dolphins. Oil spills damages the turtle airways when they surface on top of water contaminated by oil slick. Their feed is affected also affected by oil spills and thus poisons the turtles. The areas that the turtles nest in the beaches are sandy. Oil contamination on the nesting sites leads to contamination of the eggs inhibiting proper development. Fish, one of the largest populations in the marine life ingest oil through their gills. This ingestion often leads to enlargement of the liver and reproduction capacity. In the Gulf of Mexico, there is an alarming rate at which the fish are dying due to the effect of oil spills and contamination. The death of fish is due to skin lesions, fin rot and liver blood clots in the fish surrounding the environment (Margaret Judith, 2010). The only effect on shellfish is not direct. The effect is indirect, since the affected is the person feeding on the shellfish. Shellfish exposure to oil spills leads them to acquiring an extremely unpleasant taste and makes it impossible to be eaten. The effects of oil spills on plants vary with every species of plant. The most common effect in all the species is the coating effect. This is because almost all plants depend on their leaves for production of food. The coating of oil on the leaves makes it impossible for the plant to have proper exchange of gas with the environment and production of food. This effect leads to slower growth rate of plants and in some cases quick death of the plant. Oil spills contamination leads to the death of algae and plankton. The large number of plants dying leads to excessive addition of ammonia and nitrites in the water. Conversely, levels of dissolved oxygen lower just as the pH levels. The changes in water chemical composition lead to toxicity of environment as a whole. Oil spills contribute in extremely large portion of polluting the environment. Proper measure should be put in place to avoid such mess. The measure accounts from government policies proper and self-regulatory measures per each person. This can be achieved through proper education of the society on the dangers of oil spill pollution and strict government policy to ensure that person complies. The hotel industry should also be cautious with the type of sea food that they sell. Proper Seafood Sensory Training is recommended for them to enable them detect oil in seafood. Float oil barriers should be used around the affected area, especially the ones with strong currents. Any incidence of oil spillage leads to possible death of either the marine animal or plants. Therefore, the source of this pollution should be dealt with as it may take many years to clean the effect.

Strategic Decision Making In A Textile Company Information Technology Essay

Strategic Decision Making In A Textile Company Information Technology Essay The textile and apparel industry stands out prominently as one of the most globalized industries in the world today. It is different from producer driven supply chains led by multinational companies. The apparel industry is a Buyer-driven commodity chain led by a coalition of retailers, contractors, subcontractors, merchandisers, buyers, and suppliers. Each participating entity plays a role in a network of supply chains which span from fibers, to yarn, to fabrics, to accessories, to garments, to trading and marketing. Geographically, they span multi-continents and crosses regional and national boundaries. With the reducing profit margin and impact of modern computing communication networks, it is essential that any textile and apparel industry seriously consider establishing a cost effective IT infrastructure to maintain their competitive edge. Research will be carried out in small and medium scale apparel industries. The study of the research will be to identify; What information they require when making decisions The use of IT and IS when making decisions Recommendation of suitable IT infrastructure 1.3 Project Aim As the manufacturing industry becomes more globalized, the multi-factory supply-chain model has emerged. When several production lines are producing different products on one supply chain, it could generate loads of information and data to be exchanged, supplied and received. The garment-manufacturing industry always aims for new product development and efficiency improvement in production. In past years, advanced computer technologies already facilitate new manufacturing operation and build up management tools. Todays manufacturers are looking towards more advances and benefits with their focuses shifted to many different types of networking tools. These tools do enable them to seek better opportunities on more complicated areas working with RFID like inventory control and supply-chain management, as well as the B2B e-commerce transactions. However, while employing this latest technology, manufacturers are facing a long-standing problem how the new technologies and systems can brin g better coverage and practicality to the running of the companies. 1.4 Project Objectives The objectives of this project are in two folds notably research and experimental objectives. The research objectives focus on the identification of relevant techniques and knowledge that could possibly emerge during the conduct of this project. On the other hand the experimental objectives deal with specific processes, software or other materials including simulation models and programming codes that may be constructed to facilitate the smooth conduct of this project. Research will be carried out study how IT and IS supports to all the levels of decision making and the tools which is used by the companies. By identify what type of decisions and what information they represent suggest the use of certain analytical tools to enhance support measures for decisions in apparel industry. Techniques from operations research are applied to develop profit optimization and cost minimization models. Statistics and accounting methods are used for comparing costs of sourcing collaborations, and b asic math is used in cost estimates. The overall main and core research questions of this study is to analyze how the IS and IT influences the apparel trade when making decisions. More specifically, what are the pros and cons in tools and how that influences the apparel decision making process? In order to carry out the research further the main research question will be : What is the impact of IS and IT on strategic decision in an organisation using a textile company as a case study? Below are the objectives of this work. What are the strategic decisions What are the strategic decisions in Textile Company What are the factors which impact strategic decision What are the features of information required in strategic decisions How has IS/IT influenced strategic decision in the organisation under study What are future recommendation to use IS/IT to benefit strategic decision in textile organisation 1.3 Rationale Of Study Rationale of the study will be carried out to offers combination of fast growing IT IS which provides higher level of visibility and control to make decisions. For fashion professionals with a more usage-oriented approach, attempt to demonstrate the usefulness of available analytical and mathematical tools, which could benefit profits and support sourcing decisions. Most of the apparel companies devoted a huge amount of effort on decision making process using IT to improve efficiency. Information System (IS) and Information technology (IT) can be eventually lead to the development and creation of any kind of decision making and enhances the decision effectiveness in industry, using the data to decision model as a basis. In many respects, economy of any country in the world has been coordinated by the visible hand of the government decisions. The world economy is becoming a borderless one, which directly affects the economy of any country driving it into an open economy. The rising c ost of production factors, wage rates, interest rates, GDP, inflation rate, etc stalls economic growth. Both public and private sectors are looking for ways to maintain their competitive edge by improving economic efficiency, and one of those efforts is the use of Information Technology and Information Systems. They are making an utmost effort to build the information-communication infrastructure, and promoting to explore new business opportunities using IS and IT. Identify threats and opportunities: Chapter 2 Literature Review Introduction to the CASE study: The textile /apparel pipeline is a series of interrelates activities which originates with the manufacture of fiber and culminates in the delivery of a product into the hands of the consumer. Information Technology (IT): In the 1960s and 1970s, the term  information  technology  (IT) was a little known phrase that was used by those who worked in places like banks and hospitals to describe the processes they used to store  information. With the paradigm shift to computing  technology  and paperless workplaces,  information  technology  has come to be a household phrase. It defines an industry that uses computers, networking, software programming, and other equipment and processes to store, process, retrieve, transmit, and protect  information. Information Systems (IS): The largest growth in most economies is coming from information industries. The success of such knowledge-based organizations lies in their information systems. Also, forced by technological change and globalization of markets, many manufacturing industries are also placing increasing emphasis upon information systems. Information systems are more than just computer programs. Though information and communications technologies are playing an increasing role in meeting organizations information needs, an information system is a much more general concept. It refers to the wider systems of people, data and activities, both computer-based and manual, that effectively gather, process, store and disseminates organizations information. Information systems, as a discipline, focus on exploring the interface between management, information science and computer science. Computer Science focuses on information technology: software. Information Systems mediates the two opposing worlds of human activity systems and information technology. Strategic Decisions : In most businesses, a few decisions make the difference between superior performance and ordinary results. But strategic decisions are seldom easy. They call for high quality analysis and strategic thinking, in order to select the right decision from amongst the many possible options. They also depend on skills in managing the decision process, including sequencing activities, defining roles, effective teamwork and handling the people side. This practical and highly interactive programme will help you improve the quality of your strategic decision making, providing practical tools for addressing both the analytic and process management challenges. Strategic decision address the business of today and the future, not only markets and decision making but also social developments, implications of strategy on the organizational structure and climate (Hussey,1990). Examples of strategic decision problems can be found in the areas of marketing, pricing, investment, financing, production changes, production technology, etc.. Information systems are tools to assist executives in strategic management (Liu and Savolainen, 1994a-c, Partanen and Savolainen,1995,Walden,1992). They offer analytical facilities to assist in clarifying complex problems in behavioral thinking, competitor and enviormental analysis , value chains and performance ,etc., Strategic decisions should be well planned and well controlled. Strategic planning is a complex decision making process for the corporation that includes planning and modifying of organizational objectives, resources for implementing them and utilization of the resources (Ansoff ad McDonnell, 1990) Strategic decisions can be classified as Structured decisions : Semi- structured decisions : Unstructured decisions : Impact of IS and IT in Strategic Decisions : From new business models to new types of business, information technology has become a key driver of business and an essential component of corporate strategy. But simply acquiring technology is not enough; organizations must manage IT effectively to gain the competitive advantage. Henry Lucass Information Technology: Strategic Decision Making for Managers focuses on the key knowledge and skills you need to take an active role in managing technology and obtain the maximum benefits from investing in IT. Offering streamlined, up-to-date coverage, the text is ideally suited for MBA students or anyone who wants to learn more about how to gain the competitive advantage by successfully managing IT. Focuses on managerial issues: This text explores the many real technology issues confronting todays managers, such as what to do with legacy systems, when to outsource, and how to choose a source of processing and services. Shows how to evaluate IT investments: Two full chapters cover the value of information technology and how to evaluate IT project proposals using both net present value and real options approaches. Balances technical and managerial coverage: This balance helps you understand how diverse companies have developed their IT architectures and environments. Explains the various applications of technology: Concrete examples illustrate major IT applications, such as ecommerce, ERP, CRM, decision and intelligent systems, and knowledge management. Problems in which the stakes are extremely high, in which human perceptions and judgments are involved, and whose solutions have long-term repercussions, call for a rational approach to their solution. Various techniques are in use for decision making at the strategic level. However, at this level the problems are ill defined are usually presents in terms that are uncertain, fuzzy and confusing, while problem-solving techniques based on sound mathematical principles can only be applied to systematic and well-formed problems. This mismatch between problems and their solution methods leads to the frustration of top decision makers and their loss of confidence inn mathematical techniques. In todays highly uncertain world making a decision which has long term implications requires a thorough understanding of likely or possible future situations and also the ability to balance a large number of controllable and uncontrollable parameters. However, the time now given to decision makers to reach high risk long term decision is decreasing. The economic structure of an industry is not an accident. Its complexities are the result of long-term social trends and economic forces. But its effects on you as a business manager are immediate because it determines the competitive rules and strategic decisions which make. Learning about that structure will provide essential insight for your business strategy and it will help to make decisions. Every aspect of management in the modern age relies heavily on information and technology to succeed. It is an important reserve needed to develop assets. Strategic Decision making and planning has been a topic of considerable importance and interest to Information System professionals in both the business and academic communities since the 1970s. Decision making and planning is recognized as a critical competitiveness issue. Today, because information systems (IS) and information technology (IT) serve as the driver of many organizational transformations, there is increased pressure on organizations to leverage their investments in technology and information systems. Success usually occurs when an organization is able to achieve congruence between IS and IT with organizational decision making and planning, and this is achieved when the technical and general managers of an organization work collaboratively. The strategic decision making and planning process is intended to ensure that technology activities are properly aligned with the evolving needs and strategies of the organization. This paper will examine the research on this ever-important topic and suggest a process that will assist in the achievement of decision making and planning success. Over the years, many organizations have made technology decisions and acquisitions that impact organizational information systems (IS) on the basis of what they believe or recommendations from vendors or colleagues from other organizations. The end result of this approach toward decision making and expenditure of funds has been quite unpredictable. The pervasive nature of IS IT in todays organizations coupled with increased pressure to leverage technology assets has dramatically increased the importance of strategic information systems planning (Bechor, Neuman, Zviran and Glezer, 2009). Today, most organizations insist that technology and IS related decisions be made with a clear understanding of business and organization strategy and direction. Hoque, Sambamurthy, Zmud, Trainer, and Wilson, (2005) in Winning the 3 Legged Race define alignment as the situation in which a companys current and emerging business strategy is enabled, supported and unconstrained by technology. Piccoli (2008, p. 155) states that organizations achieve a high degree of fit and consonance between priorities and activities of the IS function and the strategic direction of the firm when they are able to achieve this so called strategic alignment. Alignment has become one of the top issues and concerns of IS management executives (Gutierrez, Orozco, and Serrano, 2009). A framework that helps to clarify the importance of information systems in todays organizations is the Information Systems Strategy Triangle. The message conveyed by the triangle is that it is important for the three elements of the triangle, namely Business, Organizational and Information Systems strategies to align with and complement each other. It is important to note that Business Strategy resides at the top of the triangle. The triangle is depicted as follows (Pearlson and Saunders, 2010, p.23). There are no shortcuts to the strategic decision making process. Preparatory steps that ensure that business, organizational and information systems and technology used are aligned in a complementary fashion, are extremely important. Internal and external assessments need to be addressed, and the overall role of technology and information systems within the organization must be determined. A sense of how much should be spent on technology initiatives is also mandated. The most important point to remember is that the decision making process for technology must be part of the overall business plan. Practically speaking, strategy states the direction we want to go and how we intend to get there, and a plan depicts a view of the future that guides current day decision making (McNurlin, Sprague, and Bui, 2009). Organizations need to develop a strategic planning process in order to provide a context for decision making. Deciding on the type of tools to use in the decision making process is neither straightforward nor simple. The process is complex, there is not a single best approach, and arriving at a single best methodology for a specific organization is nearly impossible. As a result, many organizations utilize a combination of approaches. Decision making using information systems and technology was previously the work of technology and systems professionals. It has now changed to be a collaborative planning challenge of parties including top managers, business unit managers, technology and systems professionals, and sometimes external stakeholders such as customers and alliance partners (Ruohonen, 1996). Thus, planning and decision making becomes a partnership among those with technical skills, the information systems group, and the general and functional managers of the organization. This process requires discussion, clarification, negotiation and the achievement of a mutual understanding (Piccoli, 2008; McNurlin, et al., 2009). With todays rapidly evolving technology advances, along with the somewhat unpredictable emergence of new competitors brought about by the Internet, organizations do not have a year to develop a plan, several years to implement the plan, and a three to five year useful life for the decision making plan. Everything that is technology-related moves at a rapid pace and change is inherent in the adoption of new technology and ISs. Due to the rapidly changing technology environment, many feel that a sense and respond approach to planning is appropriate. When apparent opportunities appear, organizations need to respond quickly in order to take advantage (McNurlin, et al., 2009). Some rapid responses may be viewed later as failed experiments, but that may prove to be better than a lost opportunity. In the preliminary planning preparation, those responsible for the planning process must decide which combination, if any, of the above planning techniques to employ as the process is designed. Generally as methodologies are developed, four elements for consideration emerge. They include an opinion of what needs to be solved, defined techniques on what has to be doneand when to do it, advice on how to manage the quality of deliverables, and a tool kit to facilitate process (Ishak and Alias, 2005). Most processes also include a situation analysis in the form of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT). This analysis addresses the organizations internal and external influences, strategy formulation, and specific goals along with tactical and operational plans for achieving the goals (Semiawan and Middleton, 1999). Technology and information systems play an ever-increasing role in todays organizational environment. Because of the rapidly changing nature of technology developments, it is sometimes difficult to employ standard planning processes. The primary guideline for information systems planning is that the planning process must be designed and conducted in alignment with organizational and business plans. Most organizations now agree that IS is an important strategic organizational resource that can provide strategic advantage and boost business performance (Brown, 2004). As part of their plan, many organizations have adopted a sense and respond position with regard to opportunities that may present themselves. Often, a scenario development approach that looks to possible future developments is essential to help combat the rapid rate of technology change. There are multiple planning tools available for the strategic information systems planning process. Choosing the tools that meet the needs of the organization and lend focus to the desired areas of emphasis is critical. Finally, organizations should consider the introduction of technology-driven approaches to planning to help with speed, efficiency, flexibility and communications. 2.1 Preliminary Literature Review: For the past 15 years, many apparel companies have been actively monitoring their supply chains. Throughout, the majority has looked to factory owners and managers to wants to make decisions to changes in factory conditions and operations to comply with local laws and meet brand compliance requirements. To meet requirements, demands were placed on suppliers to increase wages, minimize excessive overtime hours, secure freedom of association, and improve health and safety systems for workers. Simultaneously, brands were dictating lower and lower prices for products. Increasing demand for products at lower prices frequently prevents suppliers from having the resources necessary to abide by the standards laid out in codes of conduct. Information Engineering is a technique for extracting the meaning contained in information that is needed by a user to make a right decision. Information is the raw material of human thinking, but it is the meaning and understanding that is the raw material of decision thinking, and the human decision maker acquires this meaning and understanding from the message content of the information. The process by which raw data is translated into decisions is depicted in the Data-to-Decision Cycle model . This low information utilization occurs because the user does not have enough diagnostic time to acquire the vital information buried in the report. Therefore, the goal should be to optimize the quality of the messages transmitted through the interface from the information system to the human user. Information Engineering assists in this process. Chapter 3 3.1 Methodology: For the purposes of conducting this project, the quantitative methodology was adopted as it had stronger ties with the aims and objectives of this work compared to the other types such as the qualitative and ethnographic methodologies. With the quantitative methodology several quantities may need to be measured, analyzed and results presented as evidence to justify any conclusions that may be drawn. This contrasts with qualitative methodology which focuses on subjective matters like behavior and perception. It is however acknowledged that minor elements involving qualitative analysis such as observations may also need to be made to be made occasionally to help advance an argument. Other, two research approaches notably, descriptive and analytical approaches would be used in conjunction with the quantitative methodology to execute this project. The descriptive approach would be employed to help describe the usage of IT IS and how it is important to the strategic decisions making whil es the analytical approach would be useful in analyzing all secondary data collected for the purposes of this work as well as help to assess experimental outcomes. 3.2 Primary Research: Primary research is used to collect data for the case study. Types of primary data collection methods include: Qualitative research : There are four major methods used by qualitative researches such as observation, analyzing text and documents, interview and focus groups Quantitative research : Major quantitative research methods are using literature, using technology and statistics 3.3 Secondary Research: Secondary research was carried out to gather information of existing data   as well as evaluate and integrate the information from the various sources in order to answer specific research questions. During the secondary research will be looking forward to gather information about advertising and brands in books and periodicals by using library resources. Case studies will be used for gather additional information such as pros cons about the research topic .Case studies included the aims and objectives of several advertisements and a general critic of their design. Since case studies demonstrate examples from the real world, it will help to improve the deep understanding and analysis on real situations. 3.4 Data Collection: DZ Group Ltd, is an independent medium scale apparel garment which is based in London South Gate which is established in 1980s. The case study has been conducted in aid of said company. Prior to the initiation of the project following methods has been used for data collection.. Interviews : an interview was carried out by the author with the contact person at the sponsor company. Interviews are highly formalized and structured using standard questioners. The interviews were carried out as Structured interviews: used standard specified questioners and refer to each individual participant. This interview was documented and provided pertinent information used in the development of the Terms of Reference for the project. Semi structures interview: used standard specified questioners and additional questions has been asked of individual participants. Questionnaires or Surveys : A questionnaire is an enquiry tool that consists of a series of standard questions used for the purpose of gathering useful information from individual participant.

The Mtc Touch Mission Marketing Essay

The Mtc Touch Mission Marketing Essay MTC touch is one of two mobile operators in Lebanon currently with more than 2 million subscribers. Since 2002 the mobile telecom sector is owned by the government and operated by 3rd party firms, thus MTC Touch is no anomaly, it is owned by the government and managed by Zain Group. As for competition MTC Touch is competing with its Rival Alfa the second mobile operator. MTC Touch mission Clearly defined missions can be managed better, to help assess MTC Touch business mission we will follow the four main points: Purpose, Strategy, Behaviors and Value (Campel Yueng, 1991) Purpose MTC Touch is committed to excellence and clearly states that Enhancing peoples lifestyle is one of its top missions through application and maintenance of Quality management system that is ISO compliant (Touch, n.d.) Strategy MTC Touch is embracing every opportunity to improve and optimize its products and services and be an active contributor to the community (Touch, n.d.) Behavior Standards MTC Touch is betting on its high level of professionalism and internal coordination by providing a special place to work (Touch, n.d.) Value MTC Touch believes in adding value to its Stakeholders and its customers through continuous innovation, performance and quality MTC Touch Marketing Lebanon was notorious for its slow internet, In Late 2011 MTC Touch launched its 3.9G network and offered five new data packages, ranging from 10$ to 99$, and three new blackberry services, ranging from 1.5$ to 4.5$ a week, urged by market forces to develop variety of marketing mixes (Borden, 1964) . Market Orientation MTC Touch operates domestically in a Business to Consumer marketing fashion; it is worth looking at the Market Orientation and its evolution within MTC Touch, and assess the main components: customer orientation, competitor orientation and inter functional coordination (Stanley Narver, 1994). To accommodate to its customer value chain which is evolving with time and to create superior value for its customers MTC Touch was urged to continuously improve current services and launch new services. By knowing its rival Alfa short-term weakness, which was in the process of launching 3G, and with the launch of more advanced and latest 3.9G technology, MTC Touch demonstrated well developed competitor orientation practices. MTC Touch knew that for successful release of the new products they have to build a swat team to coordinate internally which demonstrated strong focus on inter-functional coordination demonstrated by the launch of its products in sync with network upgrade, marketing campaign and distribution facilities. It is clear that the market orientation is serving the global strategy goal declared in MTC touch mission, This gives us how close to the customer they aim to be and how effective they are in responding to market changes (Baines, et al., 2011). Effective marketing strategy requires homogeneous segmentation of market in response to market heterogeneity, understanding the needs and providing the right products (Baker Hart, 2008). The following illustrates the segmentation and different factors known as the marketing environment affecting the MTC Touch marketing mix. The Marketing Environment Factors that affect the marketing mix are known as the marketing forces, this section will shed the light on those factors that affected MTC Touch marketing mix, in a differentiated marketing approach. The Socio-cultural environment pushed MTC Touch to release variety of products for business users, teenagers, light and heavy users, as failing to adapt to such changes through changes in products mix will ultimately have bad impact on companies (Baines, et al., 2011) , it is always good to understand the variation in income in individuals life time and its influence on buying trends (MarketingTeam, n.d.). The economical environment which has direct impact on consumer behaviors (Borden, 1964) where it identifies how much people can spend buying products, urged MTC Touch to release products at different prices. The Technological environment which is shifting more towards mail and web based marketing in current technology evolution era (Sclater, 2005) was demonstrated through MTC Touch advertisements utilizing Facebook, websites, tweeter and YouTube. The Legal and governmental environment in Lebanon of which companies have to follow strict regulations over pricing, promotions and advertising (Borden, 1964), The Dilemma here was to attack rivals network and products given that direct comparison is banned. The industrial environment represented by realizing the size, strength, motivations and attitudes of direct competitor (Borden, 1964) ,which is ALFA this case, as a result MTC touch rushed to upgrade its network and responded to the pressure of booming Smartphones and the incredibly data hungry applications to satisfy its customers. The Ecological environment puts more pressure caused by Government and MTC Touch being committed to be eco-friendly, as consumers are becoming more worried about the impact of products on the environment (Baines, et al., 2011);MTC touch green success comes in the form of replacing obsolete generators and use eco friendly ones to reduce pollution and also demonstrated by the launch of several green services such as ATM recharge, online recharge, credit transfer, bill e-pay and online provisioning (Touch, n.d.). Apart from external factors listed above another forces affected the marketing mix which are related to consumer behaviors. The consumer behavior factors of which we consider, the individual part where customers are in need for high speed internet to stay connected to work and social hubs in a world of smartphones, Roamers are in need and looking for high speed internet services that match with to their home countries, MTC Touch was missing huge amount of unidentified revenue, the sociological part presented through the influence of other consumers either friends or family members that are already aware of such products such as inbound Roamers (Baker Hart, 2008) Segmentation This section will examine the segmentation procedures used by MTC Touch which were based on profile, behavioral and psychological criteria, good segmentation identify the groups that are worth looking at, the underserved and the dissatisfied (Yankelovich Meer, 2006). Behavioral based on consumers usage of mobile internet, social, functionality and people being so attracted to technology Profile based on demographics such as age, income, occupation and education Psychological based on consumers interest, personality and their lifestyles. MTC Touch launched products targeting roamers and extensive consumption customers as marketing today is becoming more focused on smaller but profitable segments in a way to be more efficient and effective (Duncan, 2002). The Marketing Mix Marketing is a key management discipline (Marketing, n.d.) In which MTC Touch considers it as a philosophy for reaching new customers by offering different marketing mix to different segments, and to be a successful one it should have the four rights: product, place, time and price (Marketing, n.d.). Product Through this product mix offerings MTC Touch tried to enhance customer perception by maximizing the customer benefit of their offerings (Borden, 1964) , they were able to reach new business segment through their blackberry products, this launch was coupled with several intangible services such as Credit Transfer, online provisioning and free mobile app to manage and monitor usage Price By launching different products, MTC touch tried to target different market segments business and personal, they even launched same product in different prices but different consumption cap, which enabled them to reach both low and high income market segments. Promotion To promote their new products, MTC Touch covered different aspects advertisement, PR and branding where it made use of TV, Radio, website, creating weekly episodes to maintain online hype and interaction and billboards (Lynx, 2012).in conjunction with the launch MTC Touch had plenty of offers such as free prepaid to postpaid switch, Free night data usage, 40% discount on night voice calls and all day on Sunday. The Bati2 campaign, in English (too slow), won the first prize in Dubai international advertisement festival, MTC Touch challenge due to regulations was to communicate to customers that the new 3.9G network is faster than the rivals 3G network and the solution was speedy and amigo with a mission to find anything faster than 3.9G. Results were instantaneous, Bati2 was everywhere in tweets, jokes, comments on sports, politics and the latest news, on facebook, it was even on popular TV programs. As a result MTC Touch added over 200 000 new subscriptions within 6 weeks (Lynx, 2012) Place MTC Touch reaches everyone anywhere, recharge cards available in MTC Touch retail stores, market Shops, Fuel Stations, Mobile outlets, online charging is also another option, ATM recharge and even Credit transfer between MTC Touch customers. Packaging Aligning their branding strategy with packaging, MTC Touch stresses on the High Speed message, all recharge cards comes out with Speedy and Amigo on the cover People MTC Touch fell short in this area, They didnt have the competitive edge in both presales and post sales support, appropriate training was not provided for call center employees, there is no process defined for submitting a support ticket, The Retail employees dont have enough information about the released products and were not a help to customers to best select the product that fits Evolution of influencing Forces We are living in a dynamic world with continuous changes of behaviors, of which the successful firm has to adapt to those changes and shall predict consumers and competitors responses to its products, a firm that is always seeking opportunities and creating them, a firm that has foresight and observing market signals whether they are natural, economical, social, industrial or technological (Borden, 1964). The marketing mix is nothing but a solution to a problem at a given time and should never be constant or fixed, markets evolve and become more challenging, marketing mix should be as well in continuous motion responding to markets, to consumers, to competitors and to other external forces (Borden, 1964). MTC Touch and influencing Forces The economical factor; Lebanon is passing through difficult times and the mobile rates are still highest if compared to the region despite the current reduction in prices. Further reduction in prices may be faced with legal constraints from the government. The Technological factor; in the era of social media where people posting their bad perception of products online and in reach of everyone, The Legal, governmental and political factor; changing prices is limited by government, political issues continue to evolve in Lebanon and the whole region which will have impact as Leading political parties will always aim to have more control on the telecommunication sector through changing the management team , thus impacting the whole firm strategy. The government is planning to release a third license in Lebanon ,as a result this will redistribute the market share, another negative note would be low prices offered by the new entrant as it will be given a grace period in terms of offers and prices. The industrial factor; Telecom sector is dynamically evolving and todays technology could be obsolete by tomorrow, MTC Touch rival is in plan to upgrade their network to 3.9G by then MTC Touch will lose their technological edge, Data usage is surging due to the introduction of smartphones. Consumer behaviors are rapidly changing, high speed internet and being socially connected is becoming more a need not a demand, and Consumers are looking for services that fit their needs. Response to Changes MTC Touch should always be creative and innovative in terms of developing and adjusting its marketing mix, should follow the trend and respond to its customers by always being up-to-date in terms of technologies and offered products, should always target the underserved consumers by offering new products or by adapting its current marketing mix. MTC Touch should have more focus on Relationship marketing with consumers and distributors to increase their sense of loyalty, to engage consumers in developing or adjusting products; more focus on integrated marketing through communicating with consumers, try to answer their questions, get their feedback; more focus on Internal marketing through aligning the vision with stakeholders and employees, giving them sense of involvement. Marketing Research Marketing research is the process of gathering, analyzing and communicating information to provide the business with insight to assist taking marketing decision for future activities to successfully satisfy consumers through understanding their needs, motivations and ambitions (Baines, et al., 2011). Marketing research methodology process consists of different stages with a continuous feedback loops to help go back and assess work done or take corrective actions (MarketingTeam, n.d.). The process starts with defining a problem or an opportunity where the precise definition will aid shaping the market research objectives through better understanding of the needed information. Possible triggers are market conditions, competitor actions, market share or consumer behaviors. Research Approach development, decides how to proceed with the activities, what data is needed and how to collect it, how to coordinate internally or with the researcher to make the research more comprehensive. Research design development, selects the research method to be followed whether it is descriptive, exploratory or casual research, this stage also decides the selection of research agency, whether to go in-house or outsource. Data Collection and sampling, Data sources can be secondary or primary data and will be collected based on selected research method, this may include observational, Qualitative or Quantitative method, while Survey Methods can take any of the following forms: by telephone, interviews or by email (Malhotra Peterson, 2001). Analysis and presentation, analysis will be performed Depending on the nature of collected data and collection method used (Baines, et al., 2011) Reporting, this step is as important as the whole process as it is the communication method to convey the research message in a well interpreted and understandable format to decision taking people. Market Research in MTC Touch Marketing research in MTC Touch is triggered either by identifying a problem or an opportunity. MTC Touch utilizes two sources for marketing research activities, Internal marketing department or consultancy research Agents depending on the identified issue. Outsourced activities fall under the research agency responsibility with MTC Touch being a support. Case Study 1: Mobile market penetration is low (53%) MTC Touch in collaboration with Lebanese ministry of telecommunications (MoT) which is the owner of the telecom sector in Lebanon noticed that the market penetration is as low as 53 % end of 2008; they triggered a marketing research to address the problem and identify possible solutions (TRA, n.d.). Problem: Mobile market penetration is low at 53%, while neighboring countries are enjoying 100+% mobile penetrations Research Findings: The research aimed at understanding the behaviors of customers, the market structure, challenges and drivers. The research covered different categories such as mobile, internet and data. The main purpose was to shed light on issues such as penetration, usage habits, improvements and needs. Research was conducted by a consultancy market research firm which included surveys in face to face meetings and interviews fashion, with residential customers, corporate customers in a way to cover representative quotas for age, gender and socio-economic classes and different business sectors covering all Lebanese counties, also concluded interviews with providers covering topics like: objectives, plans, service offerings and regulatory implications. The data collected showed that 47% of the target group is non-mobile users and the reasons were either they dont need a mobile, evident among old people (55-64), or because of expensive call rates. Other issues were highlighted such as the short validity of prepaid cards, Very low awareness of value added services and calling rates among customers. As for areas of improvement the results came as follows, 89% of respondents were willing for reduction in costs whilst 43% for better service (TRA, n.d.). Main problem was related to product, price, promotion and customer satisfaction. Recommendations and Actions: Focusing on the research finding and recommendations, MoT in collaboration with MTC Touch decided to undertake a 40% discount on all calls in offpeak hours, introduced new prepaid cards at new rates and different validity time where cost of ownership is 55% cheaper and new packages are 27% cheaper than active packages, new recharge vouchers at different validity time, new SIM cards and codes, New postpaid cards at new rates up to 36% discount on local calls and 20% on local sms, discounted rates on international sms and calls up to 20%.Introduce new friends family plans at a 40% discount for two selected numbers. Apart from above recommendations, the research mentioned several service improvements and customer satisfaction recommendations. Things like permitting subscribers to recharge during validity period, Provide extensive training to employees, Point of Sale (PoS) and customer care centers to support new offerings, Enhance distribution agreements to expedite promotion of new offerings and launch marketing campaign to raise customers awareness for all new products. Results: Post execution results as of December 2011; shared by MoT and MTC Touch, showed tremendous success, a 28% increase in mobile penetration, increase in revenues as reported by ministry of telecommunication and increase in customer satisfaction, mtc touch maintained its leadership position at 59% market share. Analysis: The case study illustrates marketing research approach with MTC Touch and how it influence decisions related to marketing mix for new offerings. The study shows that the problem was related to Product, Price and promotion in specific, communication and awareness. The research started by defining the problem and then selecting best approach to tackle it and prepare the right mix. It gives evidence that a well designed market research addressing root cause of the problem will achieve splendid results; it shows how the segmentation of the problem helped to tackle it in different ways. Market Research Improvement The technology evolution and the globalization of markets introduced firms to new markets and new ways of conducting market research, information being available and in reach of customers urges the management to the need of hearing consumers, better understand their needs, ambitions and behaviors, thus marketing research became the mean to link management and consumers (Malhotra Peterson, 2001). Technology enhanced the effectiveness and efficiency of market research and led to increase dependency on it, The availability of huge data warehousing enhanced it through computer assisted techniques, The availability of industry and government research reports made it much easier to acquire information, The ability to save huge number of transactions increased the accuracy and The availability of internet and its nature being available to everyone and the amount of information reachable made execution faster, easier and at lower costs. (Malhotra Peterson, 2001) To improve its Market research and marketing mix, MTC Touch should be more active in the social media domain, as social sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are available to everyone, MTC Touch should listen to what customers say, understand their needs and behaviors and perceive feedback on its new products. MTC Touch should be more involved in analytical analysis methods, as Data often lends itself to statistical analyses to extract as much information as possible (Emblemsvà ¥g, 2005). The huge amount of data they possess including customers usage records, network trends and customer behaviors, the amount of tools they have to monitor customer experience and network performance, All this can play an important role in engaging customers passively in their market research, can help them understand the effect of all factors on the marketing mix and measure its efficiency to help model new marketing mix. They can use such data to find patterns, behaviors and correlations and use such correlations to optimize the marketing mix.

Taking the Rap :: essays research papers

The role of rap as a music form and the perception of rappers as a whole has changed over the past ten years. It was a slow process for rap as a whole to be accepted as music and eventually be recognized by critics and award ceremonies. The advent of â€Å"gangster† rap brought about a new group of rappers with criminal histories and raunchy over the top lyrics. Many rappers today, like Eminem, have highly publicized criminal histories that overshadow the meaningful messages and damage the careers of otherwise model citizen rappers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eminem became the next hit in rap in 1999 with extremely violent and shocking lyrics that included descriptions of raping and killing his ex-wife and vicious slurs against homosexuals. I was a fan of the music simply for the shock factor like many teens of the time but I grew tired of it and moved on to more meaningful work. He followed this formula for two more albums which sold over a million copies just like his debut. He then backed up this image with drug, weapons, and assault charges in the following years. Then Eminem discovered the next â€Å"big hit† in rap when he signed 50 Cent, another convicted criminal who survived 9 bullet wounds. These are just a few cases of the media hyped crimes of a few rappers. All of these deliquent activities were used to stereotype rappers as a whole, while many other rapper’s positive activities and attempts for career advancement went unnoticed or were hindered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the same time Eminem released his controversial albums rap acts like Outkast, Goodie Mob, Mos Def, and The Roots produced albums with positive life morals, uplifting messages, and politically charged lyrics. I was displeased to see some of the albums sell well but gain none of the notoriety of the artists constantly in the news. Only rap fans and a few music critics were aware of these positive notes, while the rest of society only got the news story of the most recent rapper’s unlawful blunder. The effects were not fully realized until a large promotional deal between rapper Ludacris and Pepsi came to light.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ludacris signed a multi-commercial ad campaign with Pepsi in 2002 when the company began to look for a â€Å"hipper† image. Ludacris uses profane language and mature situations in his lyrics but it is humorous and so over the top it is obvious it is a persona that he knew would sell.

The Psychology of The Gambler Essay -- Fyodor Dostoyevsky The Gambler

The Psychology of The Gambler    In Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Gambler, we are presented with a novel whose protagonist is what we would call today a problem gambler.   The gambling mania of the story's hero, Alexei Ivanovitch, is a mirror of Dostoyevsky's own gambling compulsion.   The heroine, Polina Alexandrovna, represents a woman Dostoyevsky had as a real lover.   Polina is the stepdaughter of the General, who Alexei works for as a servant.   The General shows paranoia over gambling from the outset of the story.   He censures Alexei with respect to his care of the children, "I suppose you would like to take them to the Casino to play roulette?   Well, excuse my speaking so plainly, but I know how addicted you are to gambling.   Though I am not your mentor, nor wish to be, at least I have a right to require that you shall not actually compromise me" (Dostoyevsky 1-2).   The theme of gambling and its psychological impact on the characters pervades The Gambler.   Because of his own gambling addicti on and his intimate knowledge of the class-conscious casino society of his era, Dostoyevsky does an excellent job of showing the psychology that compels the problem gambler. BODY Using diary entries as his literary vehicle, Dostoyevsky takes us inside the minds of his characters in a way that makes us voyeurs because of his realistic portrayal and honest disclosure of human emotion and sentiments.   The story revolves around Roulettenberg, a German spa town where the rich gamble.   We get the inner life of Alexei as it is portrayed in his diaries.   He is poor but educated, and he is very aware of his class in society.   He is conflicted, however, because he both covets and ridicules the lifestyle of the aristocracy with all its pretensi... ...ostoyevsky 70).   Thus, Dostoyevsky does an excellent job at showing how individual consciousness and the environment in which it develops both lead to problem gambling. WORKS   CITED Anonymous.   Easy come, easy go...Maybe.   The Wager.   Vol. 5, No. 43, Harvard Medical School, Nov 1, 2000: 1-3. Dostoyevsky, F.   The Gambler, (1866).   Trans. By C. J. Hogarth.   Project Gutenberg.   Jun 30, 2000: 1-101. McKay, C.   The Gambler, (Review).   eGambling.   Available: http://www.camh.net/egambling/issue6/review, 1-5. Note:   All numbers, symbols, letters, etc. found within parenthesis are actual page numbers from the hard copy of the source.   Numbers following are the electronic page numbers from that source as it prints from the World Wide Web (WWW)   If there are no page numbers in parenthesis then only electronic page numbers are available at the Internet site.

Biological And Physical Process Of Aging Essay -- essays research pape

The aging process is difficult to analyze because of the way that the body’s organ systems work together. The breakdown of one structure will ultimately affect the function of others. The medical field of gerontology deals with examining the biological changes of aging, both passive and active, that occur at the molecular and cellular levels. This paper will seek to explore those changes, and the affect that they have on the process of aging. Aging as a passive process involves the breakdown of structures and the resulting slowing of functions. At the molecular level, passive aging is seen as the degeneration of the elastin and collagen proteins of connective tissues. These proteins are primarily responsible for the smoothness and firmness of young skin. Consequently, when these proteins breakdown, the skin will sag, and the muscle will lose its firmness. Another sign of passive aging is the breakdown of lipids at the biochemical level. As aging membranes leak during this lipid degeneration, a fatty, brown pigment known as lipofuscin accumulates. As this happens, the mitochondria, or the â€Å"powerhouse of the cell† begins to break down, thereby decreasing the amount of energy that is being supplied to the cell. This cellular degeneration may be set into action by highly reactive chemicals known as free radicals. These molecules have an unpaired electron in the outermost valence shell. This causes the molecule to grab electrons from other molecules, setting into motion a chai...

The Bra Boys

Bra Boys From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search The Bra Boys is an Australian gang founded and based in Maroubra, an eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. Dating back to the 1990s, the gang has gained notoriety through violent clashes with members of the public and police. The gang achieved national and international attention in 2007[1] with the release of a feature-length documentary entitled Bra Boys: Blood is Thicker than Water, written and directed by members of the gang. Contents 1 Origins Notoriety and violence 2. 1 Criminal matters 2. 2 General community activism 2. 3 Art imitating life 3 Documentary 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External links Origins The Bra Boys are held together by surfing as well as community ties. [2] The group is often linked with the Maroubra Surfers Association, with which a number of its members are associated. [citation needed] In an interview on Triple J radio, Koby Abberton pointed out the â€Å"Bra† is a reference to the gang's suburb, Maroubra,[3] and partly after the street slang for brother. 1] Some members of the gang tattoo â€Å"My Brother's Keeper† across the front of their chest,[4] â€Å"Bra Boys† and Maroubra's postcode â€Å"2035† on their backs. [citation needed] With a reputation of being territorial,[1] the group is known to have taken control of a Sydney reef break, known as ‘Cape Solander', located in Kurnell, and renaming the break ‘Ours'. In July 2007, The Sydney Morning Herald reported an altercation that took place between professional bodyboarder Mitch Rawlins and a group of several Bra Boys members, including Koby Abberton.Rawlins was allegedly approached by a Bra Boy member and told to â€Å"fuck off†. It is believed an argument broke out and then turned physical with Rawlins being punched in the head. A spokesman for the Bra Boys confirmed there had been â€Å"some sort of small incident† but denied any major vi olence. [5] Notoriety and violence Prominent Bra Boys members include rugby league players Reni Maitua, John Sutton, as well as the Abberton brothers, Sunny, Jai, Dakota, and Koby, with the latter being the most notorious of the brothers. 6] Criminal matters A syndicate with alleged links to members of the Bra Boys were caught smuggling cocaine following interceptions of conversations dating back to 1997. It was alleged that the syndicate was granted security passes to restricted areas within Sydney Airport, by-passing Australian Customs, enabling the prohibited narcotics to be smuggled from Los Angeles by being concealed in on-board catering refuse. [7] In 2005, Jai Abberton was acquitted of the 2003 murder of stand-over man Anthony ‘Tony' Hines. 8] However, his brother Koby was handed a suspended nine-month jail sentence after being found guilty of perverting the course of justice in the same matter. [9][10] In November 2008, Koby Abberton was jailed for three days by a US c ourt after being found guilty of assaulting an off-duty police officer in a fight outside a nightclub in Honolulu, Hawaii. [6] In November 2009 Jai Abberton was jailed for eight months for breaching a good behaviour bond. [11] General community activismIn late 2002, around 160 members of the gang attending a birthday party at the Coogee-Randwick RSL Club were involved in a brawl with off-duty Waverley police officers leaving a Christmas party on the same premises. News reports numbered the combatants in the incident at around 120, with 30 police officers left injured after the event. [12] In August 2005, the Bra Boys led a 100-person non-violent protest against plans by Randwick Council to introduce parking meters near the local beaches. [13]In the lead up to the 2005 Cronulla riots in Cronulla, Koby Abberton spoke to The Daily Telegraph about the assault of a lifeguard that sparked the incident, claiming: â€Å"The reason why it's not happening at Maroubra is because of the Bra Bo ys. Girls go to Cronulla, Bondi, everywhere else in Sydney and get harassed, but they come to Maroubra and nothing happens to them. I read all this stuff about kids getting harassed because they want to have a surf and I say ‘are you kidding? ‘ The beach should be for Aussie kids. But if you want to go to beaches and act tough in groups you better be able to back it up.If these fellas come out to Maroubra and start something they know it's going to be on, so they stay away. â€Å"[14] Following the riots, in which the Bra Boys did not claim any involvement, Maroubra was the target of retaliation by Middle Eastern gangs. The Abberton brothers then held well-publicised meetings with other groups to help ease tensions. [15] â€Å"I think that this is the start, the boys have agreed to come down and talk to us, to start some dialogue between the groups, you know, to try and ease some tension†, said Sunny Abberton in a group interview on The 7. 30 Report. [16] Art imi tating lifeThe Bra Boys were made the subject of satire by The Chaser's War on Everything, episode 29, aired on 11 April 2007. [17] In the skit Julian Morrow approached gang members while wearing a pill-filled brassiere and sporting a tattoo similar to Koby Abberton's saying â€Å"mybrothersalibi†. A gang member responded by slipping off one of his thongs and flinging it at Morrow. Long-running Australian television soap opera, Home and Away has produced a thinly veiled reference to the Bra Boys in the fictional storyline of the River Boys that was broadcast in Australia commencing 16 February 2011. 18] Inspired by the friendship and brotherhood codes instilled by the Bra Boys, the Abberton brothers created a clothing line to reflect the importance of solid bonds between friends and family entitled MyBrothersKeeper Clothing, sometimes referred to as MBK Clothing. MyBrothersKeeper is a reference to the unspoken motto of the Bra Boys and can be somewhat translated as the uncond itional love, respect and support of those close to you regardless of race, gender and age. [4] DocumentaryA 90 minute documentary film about the surf gang, entitled Bra Boys: Blood is Thicker than Water premiered in Sydney on 7 March 2007 and was released on 15 March 2007. The film details a story of the Bra Boys from the viewpoint of the gang, particularly the Abbertons. Sunny Abberton wrote and co-directed the film with Macario De Souza. Actor Russell Crowe provided narration. The film's official cast included 49 well known surfers from Bra Boys members Evan Faulks and Richie ‘Vas' Vaculik to ten-time world champion, Kelly Slater,[19] and surfing legends including Mark Occhilupo, Bruce Irons, and Laird Hamilton. 20] Australian reviewer Margaret Pomeranz gave the movie an overall positive review, while her At the Movies co-host David Stratton criticised Sunny's amateurish direction and questioned how objective a documentary can be when it is directed by its subject. [21] The documentary became Australia's highest-grossing non-IMAX documentary film[22] and won the Best Documentary at the 2008 Movie EXTRA Filmink Awards. [23] The movie saw a limited release in the United States that began on 11 April 2008, in 23 select locations in Southern California, New York and Hawaii. 20] The film was distributed in Australia by Hopscotch Films and internationally by boutique distributor, Berkela Films. [24] The film was released on DVD on 16 August 2007 with extras including the documentary, The Making of Bra Boys, extended surfing footage, coverage of the film's premiere, history of Australian surf culture, a fitness program presented by one of the Bra Boys, and music videos. [25] References ^ a b c Marks, Kathy (19 March 2007). â€Å"Sydney's notorious surf gang turns tide of violence into big-screen adulation†. The Independent (United Kingdom).Retrieved 16 November 2008. ^ Carroll, Nick (9 March 2007). â€Å"Bra Boys World Film Premier in Sydney, Austral ia – Movie review†. Surfing Magazine. Retrieved 6 February 2011. ^ Warhurst, Myf; Whalley, Jason; McDougall, Lindsay (7 May 2007). â€Å"Myf, Jay and the Doctor: Interview with Koby Abberton† (radio). Triple J (Australia). ^ a b Minion, Lynne (8 August 2009). â€Å"Brothers in Arms†. Canberra Times. Retrieved 6 February 2011. ^ Gilmore, Heath (15 July 2007). â€Å"Bra Boys say it's Ours and we'll fight for it†. The Sydney Morning Herald. ^ a b Hellard, Peta (21 November 2008). Guilty Bra Boy Koby Abberton in Honolulu jail for three days†. The Daily Telegraph (Australia). ^ McKenzie, Nick (24 September 2009). â€Å"Cocaine gang had security clearance†. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 February 2011. ^ Wallace, Natasha (6 May 2005). â€Å"Surf gang member cleared of standover man's murder†. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 February 2011. ^ â€Å"Bra Boys: The often maligned surf brotherhood's new movie†. Surfer M agazine. 22 July 2010. ^ Jones, Caroline (7 November 2005). â€Å"Sons of beaches† (transcript). Australian Story (Australia). Retrieved 6 February 2011. â€Å"Jail for Bra Boy Jai Abberton, Pussycat Doll Melody Jail for Bra Boy Jai Abberton, Pussycat Doll Melody Thornton dines with Sonny and Koby Abberton†. The Daily Telegraph (Australia). 12 November 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2011. ^ Kennedy, Les (24 December 2002). â€Å"Night the thin blue line ran into the Maroubra stomp†. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 February 2011. ^ Cuming, Angela; Munro, Catharine (7 August 2005). â€Å"Rage over 7000 meters for beaches†. The Sun-Herald (Australia). Retrieved 6 February 2011. ^ McIlveen, Luke (9 December 2005). â€Å"A beast surfaces†. The Daily Telegraph (Australia). Silkstone, Dan (14 December 2005). â€Å"When two tribes go to war: a culture clash†. The Age (Australia). Retrieved 6 February 2011. ^ â€Å"Emergency powers to crack down on riots† (transcript). The 7. 30 Report (Australia). 13 December 2005. Retrieved 6 February 2011. ^ â€Å"The Chaser vs. The Bra Boys – Hilarious Gags† (video). The Chaser. Australia. 11 April 2007. Retrieved 6 February 2011. ^ Casamento, Jo (6 February 2011). â€Å"Bra Boys amused by Home and Away homage†. The Sun-Herald (Australia). Retrieved 6 February 2011. ^ Howard, Jake. â€Å"Kelly Slater wins his 10th world title†. ESPN Action Sports (United States). Retrieved 6 November 2010. a b â€Å"Bra Boys†. Internet Movie Database. Amazon. com. 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2011. ^ Pomeranz, Margaret; Stratton, David (14 March 2007). â€Å"Bra Boys†. At the Movies (Australia). Retrieved 6 February 2011. ^ â€Å"Bra Boys breaks box office record†. ABC News (Australia). 27 March 2007. ^ â€Å"‘Bra Boys:’ Best Documentary at Movie EXTRA Awards†. Transworld Skateboarding (United States). 17 March 2008. Retrieved 6 Fe bruary 2011. ^ â€Å"Bra Boys: Blood is Thicker than Water†. Berkela Films. Retrieved 6 February 2011. ^ Idato, Michael (27 August 2007). â€Å"Bra Boys – DVD review†. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 February 2011.