Merchants of Cool-Movie Review Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Merchants of Cool- - Movie Review Example This is indeed a very conservative approach. Quite often, the product being promoted is not in the best interest of the children or the society at large, but Merchants of Cool indicates, â€Å"in order to remain cool, you have to keep ahead of the curve† (Sine, 2008, p. 85). The Merchants of Cool portrays both media and corporations negatively. This is so because it reveals a disturbing scenario, depicting how many corporations see teenagers, not as persons with real life, issues and problems, but as talking and walking dollar signs and as possible marketers of their products. There are many other tormenting issues in the movie if not somewhat unreasonable ideas. For example, the idea that individuals are made to look trendy are just ‘plants’ by corporations to influence peers to have a sensation that they should buy something for them to look like the person is extremely disturbing. This is because they can be found anywhere. This aspect does not perpetuate a sen se of unity among the youth who should feel with each other rather a very strong sense of jealousy and suspicion. It is undoubtedly evident from the documentary film that it is attempting to portray corporations and media negatively so as to reveal the truths (Sine, 2008). However, the most disturbing question that one may ask is, â€Å"How truthful is this?† Just like the anthropologists, the cool hunters search for teenage cultures and employ the early teen trendsetters to design new products and develop new marketing strategies, to hook the teenagers (Sine, 2008). These teenage cultural studies are seen through interviews held with some marking gurus drawn from big corporations, and MTV. The first encounter is with Todd Cunningham of MTV who narrates how MTV engages in research so as to be able to understand teens, including their sources of Gold studies and Ethnography. The other is Sharon Lee and Dee Dee Gordon, the co-founders of Look-Look, which is a research corporati on that specializes in youth culture. They outline how their company is searching out teen trendsetters searching for what is cool, how the corporations use the information they gather and challenges in their guest. Sine (2008) notes that increasingly, the merchants of cool find new stealth technique to persuade and encircle the teenagers. He notes that they use acquaintances, friends, buzz, sleepovers, and at times youth groups to show example of the latest glam fashions, technologies and cosmetics. It is then that they pay cool teenagers to persuade their friends to become cool insiders by buying the cool products. The documentary reveals that marketers at times resort to using rebellion and anarchy to sell their products. By watching the ad, one can clearly notice that the merchants of cool not only market the opportunity to be an insider, but they also communicate that the youths can find their sense of self-worth, identity, life purpose and spirituality by living in the fiction al stories that the company storytellers of cool create for them (Sine, 2008). The movie also depicts the popular media culture of trying to use issues that they feel the audience like most to sell their agenda. For instance, marketers know very well that â€Å"sex sells.†

The Use of Imagery as a Literacy Device Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Use of Imagery as a Literacy Device - Essay Example The purpose of this paper is to analyze a single literary device depicted in Poe’s story. In as much as the story has a number of literary devices irony as imagery remains a dominant element of the work. It is quite ironical at the beginning of the story with a description of Roderick. Since he believes most of his family members are suffering from hyper reactivity he also believes to be suffering from the same disease. This is ironical as he concludes to be suffering from Hypochondriac according to family history. For instance, the narrator says, â€Å"I was forced to fall back upon the unsatisfactory conclusion, that while, beyond doubt, there are combinations of extremely simple natural objects which have the power of thus affecting us, still the analysis of this power lies among considerations beyond our depth.† (Poe 06) This was in support of the fact that he believed with no doubt the sickness was a family sickness. Consequently, the story reveals irony, which mak es the story fascinating as a disease, is only accorded one family. Despite Roderick and Madeline being a brother and a sister they are involved in an intimate relationship. For instance in the story, â€Å""Her decease," he said, with a bitterness which I can never forget, "would leave him (him the hopeless and the frail) the last of the ancient race of the Ushers." (Poe 16)This was a depiction of the relationship, which existed between the two, who were from a family of the ushers. It was, therefore, ironical for the two to engage in intimate relationship as this represented incest. This is evidenced in the book when he says,† And thus, as a closer and still closer intimacy admitted me more unreservedly into the recesses of his spirit,† In addition, a sulphureous lustle is displayed among the characters who perceive themselves as sister and brother. From this perspective, irony manifests itself clearly leaving readers wondering what type of characters the two were (Po e and Lanier 36). The house of usher is full of ironical happenings, for instance, Roderick buries her sister alive to fulfill his prophecy. According to his prophecy, the people suffering from hyperactive reactivity like his sister are supposed to get buried alive. This is ironical as to how one can bury another alive just because he feels she is sick. This is also ironical considering the incestuous relationship between Roderick and Madeline we expected him not only to show love to his sister as a lover, but also as someone passionate. It is expected when a person dies he does not resurrect; however, this is a common event in the story with Madeline resurrecting to meet his brother Roderick. This is an ironical representation of unnatural characters who portray a bizarre of menacing events. Distress and agitation fills the bizarre occurrence of events as Madeline struggles out of the vault full of her, own blood, this is a horrifying scene (Poe 56). Vampirism of the last part of t he story relays many messages to the readers who remain guessing what happened to the last duo of the family. In conclusion, irony becomes a major literary device used in the story dominating almost all the narration. The fall of the house of usher manifests a disappearance of the family, which mainly suffers from a disease, aroused hyper reactivity. Several instances depict irony staring with the intimate relation

Evaluation and Control on Network Acquisition Essay

Evaluation and Control on Network Acquisition - Essay Example process, the results of which are brought together into a status report, forwarded to the authorities responsible for the cost, budget, and schedule of the project. Risk mitigation strategies are used to analyze and report unplanned changes. Without effective risk mitigation strategies, a project will collapse or will lead to unexpected results because of the unanticipated changes (Royer, 2001, p.77; Adam, 2007, p.140). To handle change control issues, I plan to rank risks according to priority. Each risk should be ranked according to significance and likelihood (Dorian, 2011, par.3). I plan to take into consideration these common mitigation strategies: avoidance, acceptance, transference, and control. I would apply effective controls over risks if they are worth taking and are a part of my core project. To handle change control issues, I will measure the impact of the change in terms of my project’s cost, resources and schedule. I will accept or reject the change after reviewing what will happen if I do not allow the change to occur. I will document the change and will update the project plan

Business story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business story - Essay Example Jose found the carcass of the second dog, which had been killed subsequent to being run over by a car. Jose took the carcass to Ahmed who refused to pay for the carcass. Fatima, Ahmed's sister, found the third dog and gave it to Ahmed, who refused to pay her anything whatsoever. Since, one of the dogs was dead and as two dogs would be unable to pull the cart, Ahmed placed posters around the city cancelling the promise of a reward. Susan not noticing the leaflets of revocation returned the dog she found to Ahmed, who refused to pay her anything. The relevant legal position in this respect is that unilateral contracts are one-sided contracts where someone makes a promise in return for an act. In Balfour v. Balfour there was no intention, hence there was no contract though they lived together1; further, in Merritt v. Merritt there was no intention and the parties were not living together, hence, there was no valid contract2. The facts of this case are that The Carbolic Smoke Ball Co placed an advertisement in a newspaper, which stated that a 100 reward would be paid by it to any person getting infected by influenza, colds or any disease resulting from the common cold. After having used the ball three times daily for two weeks according to the printed directions supplied with each ball, an amount of 1000 would be deposited with the Alliance Bank, Regent Street. Mrs Carlill bought the ball and duly caught flu. The company refused to pay, stating that it was not an offer, but a mere advertising publicity stunt. The Court held that the advertisement was a genuine offer, which could be accepted by using the Smokeball and catching flu. Intention was demonstrated by the deposition of money in the bank4. However, if the offeree has commenced performance of the act then the offer cannot be revoked without providing a reasonable opportunity to complete the offeror's requirements. In Abbott v Lance it was held that acceptance must rely upon the offer5. The Cases Williams v Carwardine6 and R v Clarke7, also illustrate this point. The advertisement indicated the promisor's intention to commit himself legally. Susan incurred expenditure and expended her valuable time in searching for these dogs. The first issue to be determined is the effect of Ahmed's advertisement. The decision in Carlill v Carbolic Smokeball Company was that the offer of a unilateral contract can be made by an advertisement and to revoke it the offeror must use a method of communication, which reaches most if not all of the people who had viewed this offer8. The law generally insists on identifying an offer and acceptance as the basis for the existence of a contract. An offer indicates the terms on which an offeror intends to be bound. Offers must be distinguished from invitations to treat or deal, negotiations and auctions. Offers can be made to individuals, a number or class of people or to the world at large. An offer to the world at large usually takes place in reward contracts which are a major application of the concept of unilateral contracts. An offer can be terminated by rejection, counter offers, revocation - unless required conduct has begun - , lapse of a reasonable period of time or in the event of death of the offeror. To prevent revocation of an offer, an

Has UK Anti-Discrimination Legislation Succeeded in Providing Equality Essay

Has UK Anti-Discrimination Legislation Succeeded in Providing Equality in Workplace - Essay Example 202-18). This paper discusses whether UK anti-discrimination legislation succeeded in providing equality for all in workplace or not in a concise and comprehensive way. This research is based on the premise that the implementation of the provisions of these laws on employment falls largely in the area of operation of professionals in human resources (HR). These professionals responsible for recruiting, selecting and perform other labour practices affecting the recruitment and retention of workers with and without disabilities. The purpose of this investigation has been to identify how HR professionals have responded to date to this legislation and what more can be done to support the critical role they play in minimizing discrimination against the disabled in workplaces. Sparrow (2000, pp. 202 18) mentions that workplace diversity appears to have a rather short history as a field in organisation studies if one locates its emergence only within contemporary scholarship. Issues that commonly fall within the study of workplace diversity have always existed. ... Yet, early conceptualisations of organisations were rooted in universalistic approaches that largely ignored race, ethnicity, gender, culture, sexuality, and other social identities. Race and gender in organisations gained some attention after the passage of equal employment legislation in the United States during the 1970s as well as in the UK (Sparrow, 2000, pp. 202 18). This work appeared under the rubric of women in management and in studies of the effects of affirmative action and workplace discrimination (Sisson, 1994, pp. 123-131). Substantive attention to workplace diversity in organisations is attributed primarily to the publication of Workforce 2000. This report forecasted a radical increase in the number of women and racial/ethnic minorities entering the United States workforce. It seems this forecast was largely on target although some changes in the profile of the workforce were unforeseen, including an increase in the number of workers with disabilities and growing religious diversity. Women constitute 48 percent of the United States workforce. By 2020, 32 percent of the US labour force is projected to be ethnic minorities, and four of every ten people entering the workforce from 1998 to 2008 will be members of minority groups. Hispanics are now the largest minority group in the United States, surpassing African Americans. Sisson (1994, pp. 123-131) urged organisations and decision-makers to identify ways to "manage" this growing diversity. Consequently, the field was initially practitioner-driven with scholarly attention lagging. Some would argue this accounts for the frequently lodged criticism that much of the literature on workforce diversity is atheoretical. However, in the last ten

Capstone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Capstone - Essay Example Accordingly, the organization’s mission statement also addresses the establishment of prosperous and beneficial relationships with both internal and external groups that are associated with the activities of the business such as its employees, suppliers and other partners (FedEx Corporation 2013a). Not only does the mission statement of the company depict the organization’s commitment towards its primary stakeholders but it also provides a roadmap for the management and the employees as to how FedEx Corporation aims to conduct its business activities. As indicated by the formulation of the organization’s mission statement, the vision statement and mission statement of a company often represent messages or meanings that are one and the same while in other scenarios; the vision statement portrays a company’s aspirations or what it hopes to achieve in the future (Secord 2003). According to FedEx Corporation (2013a) the organization intends to serve its custom ers in the best manner possible by identifying the exclusive requirements of each market segment. The presence of this clause in the organization’s mission statement has been the driver of FedEx Corporation’s successful service to its global clientele which displays varying needs. For example, the initiation of takeovers in countries such as Brazil, Mexico and India in the recent years has been prompted by the organization’s dedication to â€Å"accommodate evolving customer needs† (FedEx Corporation 2012). 2. Analyze the five (5) forces of competition to determine how they impact the company. Porter’s Five Forces model operates as an effective and comprehensive framework for identifying, analyzing and evaluating the possible opportunities and threats to a company which are posed by various competitive forces within the industry (Hill and Jones 2007). On the basis of this understanding, the framework outlines five key areas of competition that play a fundamental role in the formulation and execution of strategies to effectively address the outlined threats and successfully capitalize on opportunities. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The nature of FedEx Corporation’s activities and the scale of its operations demands regular interaction with several suppliers that are located across the globe. The company’s suppliers are identified as fuel suppliers, producers of shipping materials and airplane manufacturers (Berger 2011). Berger (2011) states that dominant fuel suppliers command strong bargaining power over the organization because of the unavailability of substitutes which greatly limits the organization’s ability to engage in successful negotiations in order to lower operating expenses. Similarly, the aircraft manufacturing industry displays an oligopolistic situation with Boeing and Airbus being the primary suppliers of aircrafts which lends significant bargaining power to the manufacturers (Berger 2011). Contrary to this observation, Berger (2011) identifies that producers of shipping materials exhibit only limited bargaining power because FedEx Corporation has the option of choosing its designated suppliers amongst several companies in a market that is highly competitive. Bargaining Power of Buyers Hill and Jones (2007) comment that bargaining power of buyers is subject to change as per the changes in the external environment. In the case of FedEx Corpora

The operations of Basil Essay Example for Free

The operations of Basil Essay 1.1 The operations of Basil II Basel II was developed to ensure that there is less risk on capital allocation, unraveling operational risk from credit risk and quantifying both, and attempting to align economic and regulatory capital more closely to reduce the possibility of regulatory arbitrage. 1.2 The pillars used in Basel II The Basel II International Convergence of Capital Measurement and Capital Standards, the reviewed framework is based on three main pillars. 1.2.1 First Pillar – Minimum Capital Requirements The first principle of this revised framework comprises the minimum capital requirements necessary to cater for the three fundamental risks that a bank faces in business operations. These consist of Credit risk, Capital risk and Operational risk, which shall be further expounded below: A choice between two main methodologies is allowed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision for the determination of credit risk. These consist of the standardized approach and the internal rating based approach, which is further divided into the foundation and advanced internal rating based system.   Under the standardized scheme, a set of external credit ratings achieved from recognized agencies are utilized in the determination of capital risk.   A number of countries intend to authorize only this approach in credit risk measurement. The internal rating based model permits banks to develop their own experimental model to determine the probability of default for isolated clients or segmented customer groups.   Adoption of the regulator’s loss given default and other set parameter is necessary. As regards the Operational Risk, three approaches are suggested under the Basel II International Convergence of Capital Maintenance and Capital Standards revised framework, which consist of the Basic Indicator Approach, Standardized Method, and the Advanced Measurement Scheme. The standardized approach is similar to the same model applied for capital risk, explained in the previous bullet.   As regards the Advanced Measurement System, this entails the development of an empirical business model originating by the bank for the quantification of operation risk.   Section 664 of the original Basel demands that a minimum of a board of directors and senior management, a conceptually sound operational risk management structure and enough resources for the proper adoption of this scheme. Under the Basic Indicator Approach, banks are required to hold capital for operational risk corresponding to the average over a three year time frame of a fixed percentage of a positive annual gross income. For the Market risk there is on suggested approach, commonly known as the Value at Risk Method. The positioning of financial instruments should either be made with the objective of trading or hedging.   The three main parameters is this model are: The confidence level at which the forecast is made; The monetary currency unit that will be adopted to denominate the market risk; and The time horizon that will be examined. 1.2.2 Second Pillar – Supervisory Review Process The basic principles of this pillar of the Basel II International Convergence of Capital Maintenance and Capital Standards revised framework include the supervisory review and transparency, risk management direction and accountability of the adoption of the aforementioned revised concept. The supervisory review process is designed not only to ensure that targeted banks possess proper capital to sustain all the risks in their business, but also to induce banks to develop and maintain better risk management techniques in monitoring and assessing their respective risks.   There are the following four key principles of the supervisory review: A process for evaluating the overall capital adequacy of banks with respect to their risk profile and strategy. Supervisors assigned ought to review the banks’ internal capital adequacy assessments/strategies, and monitor to make sure compliance with regulatory capital ratios. Monitoring that banks operate above the minimum regulatory capital ratios. Supervisors are expected to arbitrate at an early stage to avoid banks’ capital from falling below the minimum levels set. The Committee has also identified the following vital issues that banks and supervisors are required to focus on:   interest rate risk in the banking book, credit risk and operational risk.   It is also recognized that since supervision of banks is not an exact science, discretionary measures and procedures ought to be adopted.   The importance of transparency, accountability and proper cross-border communication and cooperation arise in this respect. 1.2.3 Third Pillar – Market Discipline Disclosure requirements are highly focused in this final pillar in order to induce the market to perceive a better picture of the general risk position of the banks and thus sustain counterparties of the bank to price and deal correctly.   This last pillar is also aimed to compliment the previous two important areas discussed. The Committee recognizes the factor that the supervisor is a key player in the achievement of disclosure requirements.   Such market discipline is a vital feature for a safe and sound banking environment.   This safe environment arises from additional information disclosed in periodic and annual financial reports.   The methods that can be adopted in order to induce these disclosure requirements may vary depending on the countries legislation and present practices.   Examples that come to mind are through penalties, advices and more. The Basel II International Convergence of Capital Maintenance and Capital Standards revised framework also notes that such necessary disclosure requirements ought to be practical and in line with accounting standards and other relevant regulations.   For instance, management is allowed to use his discretion in the determination of the location and medium of these disclosures.   Materiality, frequency and proprietary and confidential information are also considered in order to minimize such reporting costs and ensure that organizations are not put in any competitive disadvantage with the application of such information requirement. The disclosure requirements demanded encompass a number of factors, such as: General qualitative disclosure requirements on each risk area. Capital structure. Capital adequacy. Brief description of different entities in case of business combinations. Aggregate amounts of firm’s total interest in insurance entities. References: Bank for International Settlements (2004). Basel II International Convergence of Capital Maintenance and Capital Standards: a Revised Framework (on line). Available from: http://www.bis.org/publ/bcbs107.htm (Accessed 16th April 2007). Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (2004).   International Convergence on Capital Measurement and Capital Standards. Switzerland: Bank for International Settlements