Software Piracy Essay Example

Software Piracy Essay Technology in the 21st century possesses the ironically unique ability to simultaneously bring out the best that the human mind can conjure, as well as the worst.   A perfect example of this is the software industry.   Because of the infinite intelligence and skill of software developers, combined with a bit of creativity and ambition, computer software is constantly being engineered to assist us in business, education, medicine, and much more.   Conversely, this same software has led to the advent of a more sinister, yet equally intelligent and ambitious individual, known as the software pirate, which is to say that this individual’s main goal is to use what others have created, without the creator’s permission, for their own ruthless gain.Software piracy is likewise unique in the way that it is viewed by the general public; while most people would be outraged and appalled at the prospect of entering someone’s home or business without permission and steali ng the contents, these same people often times feel that software piracy is not a big issue, and see nothing wrong with it.   This may be a social phenomena or simply a skewed view of a very real crime, but whatever the case, the fact remains that the crime exists, is growing, and has specific penalties for its violations.With the issue of software piracy in mind, the key aspects of the topic will be presented and discussed in this paper, and ultimately, the paper will conclude with a summary and thoughts on this highly volatile topic.Software Piracy Defined and ClassifiedBefore anyone can truly appreciate exactly what is involved in software piracy, as well as its effects, it is important to first have a basic definition of what software piracy is, as well as the basic classifications of software piracy.   Loosely defined, software piracy is the use, copying, distribution, and/or sale of software without the permission of the owner of that software, which is to say the person o r persons who own the licensing rights to the software (Software Piracy and its Impact on Social Welfare).   This broad definition includes several classifications of software pirate; on the lowest level of piracy, and indeed the most innocuous, are those who purchase software legitimately and perhaps install it on more than one of their own computers, for personal use, as well as the person who buys an illegal copy knowingly and does the same.   More serious are the business buyers who make unauthorized copies of software and use it for commercial purposes, or buy illegal copies of software in the full knowledge that the software is in fact illegal.   The most harmful, and unlawful software pirate is the individual who knowingly produces many illegal copies of software and sells them to others, which of course is done mostly for the sake of the tremendous profit potential of software piracy itself (Marshall, 1993).The basic types of software pirates can become involved in a v ariety of pirate activities as well; the first and most common method of software piracy is called End-user Copying, which is essentially the deliberate copying of a program and distributing it. Additionally, many pirates are quite fond of the practice of   Hard Drive Loading, or the illegal copying of software onto a computer that a   computer dealer or company is selling, in order to make the machine more marketable to the customer, who may not even realize that a crime has occurred.Internet popularity has given rise to yet another kid of software piracy, when software is unlawfully sold or given away for free online; in either case, this is being done so without the consent of the owner of the software intelligence, and therefore is highly illegal and unethical.  Ã‚   Counterfeiting is also very popular, in the sense that logos, packaging, and all of the other attributes of the original software packaging can now be cleverly duplicated so that the buyer has truly no idea th at what they are buying is in fact false software, making the consumer an unwitting victim to the crime of the pirate.One thing is very clear in regard to the means and types of software piracy; it is growing in occurrence, complexity and volume as technology develops and software is created that is more desirable for thieves to steal, and the crimes do vary in damage and commonality. While the classifications of software pirate vary in detrimental effect, they all do have a measurable effect in one way or another.   Because of this, it is also important to understand how the piracy has a sort of compound effect throughout society, as well as how society responds to it overall.How Pirated Software Can be IdentifiedEven with the latest techniques that software pirates use to dupe innocent consumers into buying pirated software without their knowledge, there are some classic characteristics that pirated software can exhibit, thereby alerting the buyer of this fact and helping them t o avoid a bad buying decision: §Ã‚      Programs (including the operating system) were preinstalled on the computer but there aren’t any accompanying original CDs. §Ã‚   No official looking documentation accompanies the packaging. §Ã‚   Your tech person seems to be able to provide you with any program you need, but you never actually have to pay for it. §Ã‚   Different people are using software on different computers that were installed from the same CDs. (Ahoy Matey-Are You a Software Pirate?)Issues from Consumer and Developer ViewpointsThe knee-jerk reaction of the average person may be that software piracy is a harmless, even victimless crime, and that the companies such as Microsoft that develop and sell software are profitable enough to handle a bit of pilferage.   In reality, neither of these assumptions could be further from the truth.The consumer is hurt by software piracy from several standpoints, whether they are involved in the purchase of pirated softw are or not.   The sad reality is that when software is pirated, the legitimate consumer pays more for the licensed software copies because the developers need to recoup their lost revenue, via piracy, somehow.   Beyond this, if a consumer knowingly or unknowingly buys pirated software, in many cases, the copied software contains errors or viruses that will damage the consumer’s computer equipment, or cause the software to malfunction.   This will become painfully obvious to the consumer when they are faced with an infected computer or serious calculation errors in homework, business reports, etc. Likewise, it is not hard to imagine what would happen if pirated software malfunctioned in a piece of industrial machinery, an aircraft, or medical equipment- in this instance, piracy becomes deadly.Developers, at the very least, are victims of crime at the hands of the software pirates, for quite literally, their property has been stolen from them, and they are not reaping any of the financial benefits of their creation.   This can be quite disheartening to a developer who has dedicated a great deal of time, talent, and treasure to a software development project, only to see their product being counterfeited and sold on a widespread basis, while they fail to realize any gains from those sales.   Reflecting back to the consequences of inferior software copies as well, a developer’s reputation could be improperly harmed if a pirated copy of software was assumed to be the genuine article, and someone was harmed by it.The bottom line is that software piracy is not a victimless crime, and in some instances, life is actually on the line as well as quite literally billions of dollars and the life’s work of some very intelligent people.   Realizing this, law enforcement has taken some definite steps to prevent software piracy, as well as punish those who choose to do so.Laws Against, and Penalties for, Software PiracyWithout a doubt, there is a general consensus by most of the civilized world that software piracy is a serious crime, and as such, should carry with it serious consequences for those who break the law and choose to deal in pirated software products.   In the United States, laws have been enacted to punish individuals in the criminal, as well as civil, courts when they engage in software piracy.Criminally, software piracy is essentially theft and copyright infringement; of course, the degree to which the piracy has been undertaken will determine the amount of the theft, and therefore the severity of the criminal penalty.   Without authorization from the copyright owner, title 18 of U.S. Code prohibits duplicating software for profit, making multiple copies for use bydifferent users within an organization, downloading multiple copies from a network, or giving an unauthorized copy to another individual. All are Federal crimes, and penalties for these crimes can   include fines up to $250,000 and jail ter ms lasting many years, clearly showing that software piracy will not be tolerated and is being viewed as the highly serious crime that it is, with specific consequences and undoubtedly scores of innocent victims.Enforcement and Deterrents/New Protections and TechnologiesClearly, law enforcement and the legislative communities have united to fight the plague of software piracy, but in the estimation of many, the tremendous amount of piracy that has taken place, and will take place in the future, makes enforcement of laws and punishment of lawbreakers all but useless; therefore, new methods of deterrent against piracy have emerged in recent years, and software companies have stepped up to address the growing problem.   Just as sharp minds have created software, likewise, they have created protections for that software against copying.   Examples of this include the integration of programming code within software that will not allow it to be copied from its original media source, t he use of registration codes that need to be registered on the creator’s Website for the software to function, making replication impossible, and the like.   From the packaging standpoint, the use of complex holograms as labeling for the packaging, serial numbers, barcodes and such have made counterfeit packaging very difficult to facilitate.One of the leaders in the fight against piracy has been Microsoft, an organization that has always been at the forefront of the technological boom.   Because of Microsoft’s success through unique innovation and an unending supply of creativity, the firm has been one of the most victimized in terms of imitators and outright criminals such as software pirates, who have realized a great deal of ill gotten money at the expense of Microsoft, via the piracy of popular software such as Windows.   However, Microsoft has fought back in a variety of ways, many of which were mentioned earlier in this paper.   For example, the packagin g of Microsoft software products now features tamper-proof seals, holograms that are very difficult to copy, and so forth; once the package is opened, the software features the online registration codes that are being utilized by many software companies to avoid unauthorized copying.   Also widely used by the company is an advanced and widespread enforcement division, which is well known for enforcing software violations and taking legal action against those who violate Microsoft’s intellectual properties (Microsoft Cracks Down on Software Piracy, 2006).   What this clearly illustrates is that software piracy will not be tolerated, and is in fact a crime of the most serious type.Response of the Educational and Business SectorsFollowing Microsoft’s example, the business sector in general is doing all that it can to combat software piracy; as technology progresses, so too does the ability of software producers to keep one step ahead of the criminals.   Taking it a step further as well, the fight against piracy has likewise gone global, as it is estimated that billions of dollars in revenue is lost every year from the piracy that takes place in Asia alone (Marshall, 1993).   While international infringement is by its very nature quite difficult to enforce, there is an awesome responsibility on the part of the software owners to make every attempt to protect their property from outright theft.The educational world, too, has moved forward in efforts to prevent the unauthorized copying of software, be it proprietary software created by a given college, school or university, or the software purchased from an outside vendor, for both represent potential liability for the educational institutions and expose the computer networks of the institutions to potential malfunction and virus exposure (Moores, 2006).   Furthermore, integrity is the backbone of any reputable educational institution and must exist in order to set an example for its current and prospective students, which will help to ensure the long term viability of the institutions themselves.   In this instance, the importance of protection from software piracy is absolutely key.Software Piracy as Economic and Social PhenomenaUp to this point, the emphasis in analyzing and discussing software piracy has admittedly been from the economic point of view, and indeed that needs to be considered anytime the topic is discussed, for as the old adage goes, money is truly the root of all evil and indeed the driving force behind much of the crime that occurs in the world today.   Whenever something valuable, and as easy to steal as software exists, there will always be someone around who is more than willing to take the risk to steal it.   Likewise, or perhaps as an underlying factor in the motivation for committing software piracy, are the social factors surrounding the crime (Bagchi, et al, 2006).First, the previously stated myth that stealing software is not a crimin al issue because there is so much of it in circulation, and if someone takes a copy or two from someone else, the developers will make up the loss somewhere else, is absurd.   Within modern society, in large part due to the proliferation of movies, television programs, and yes software, that portrays criminal acts as exciting and desirable creates a feeling in society that crime overall is acceptable and a â€Å"small crime† like piracy of software matters little in the big scope of all of the major crimes that occur in society.   However, the piracy has within it the potential to collapse the whole software industry.   To understand this better, one must realize how and why software creators exist and continue to produce.The reason that software is created, and is able to continue to be created, is because the legitimate sale of the software by its creators generates financial benefits for those creators, thereby giving them the means to create new software products an d continue to make meaningful contributions to the technological community and enhance the lives of others.   If they do not realize these gains, they are likely to cease producing said software.Socially, and economically, the average person must come to grips with the fact that software piracy is illegal, dangerous, and unacceptable.   Once this happens, the average person will be able to vigilantly refuse to buy illegal software, and be good citizens by reporting the sale of illegal software to law enforcement for proper action to be taken.Summary and ThoughtsThis paper has discussed software piracy from a variety of angles and points of view, but what it has not done, which is important nonetheless, is make a comment on the effect of technology on our lives, for better or worse, and how technology holds the power to create or destroy the human experience.   While it is difficult for many people to grasp how an intellectual property, lacking the concrete attributes of a car or diamond ring, can in fact be stolen from an owner and unlawfully used by another, that same person can undoubtedly realize that if technology is jeopardized by criminals and opportunists, their future will be quite bleak as well.   Software production employs millions of Americans, and generates billions of dollars in revenue, and perhaps that is where the best understanding can be found.   If economic collapse can be brought about by software piracy, it must be stopped, for the good of all of humankind, before it is too late.

Free Essays on Huckleberry Finn

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain designates Huck as an outsider in order to supply him with an honest perspective on the early nineteenth century American society’s position on issues involving slavery. Twain initially reveals society’s stance on slavery through the outcast by presenting Huck’s misgivings about assisting Jim to freedom. Therefore, Huck’s convictions reveal that society instilled the notion that slaves were property and should not escape to freedom. Also, Huck comments that he would rather go to hell than turn Jim over to the authorities, furthermore revealing the idea promoted by civilization that helping a slave was a moral issue resulting in eternal damnation. Additionally, Huck has difficulty humbling himself and apologizing to Jim after the separation in the fog. This dramatic scene highlights the early 19th century doctrine that slaves were foremost property and subsequently human beings. Moreover, as Huck apolo gizes to Jim, he breaks every societal code or standard regarding the treatment of slaves by humbling himself before a nigger. Also, Huck is surprised by Tom’s willingness to aid him in the rescue and release of Jim. Huck’s reaction continues to display the societal beliefs pertaining to slavery, because Huck expects from Tom as from the rest of civilization to receive condemnation for his actions. However, it is later revealed that Tom committed to aid Huck based on the knowledge that Jim was already a free man by Miss Watson’s will, thus demonstrating that society would disapprove of Huck’s assistance to Jim. Twain uses Huckleberry Finn’s interactions with Jim on the Mississippi River to reveal society’s perspective on slavery.... Free Essays on Huckleberry Finn Free Essays on Huckleberry Finn Essay 1. Huck was raised in the south where blacks aren’t free and racism is taught, but despite all this Huck turned out to be a boy who doesn’t fully believe in racism, because his friendship with a black man, Jim let him look past race. 2. Quotes a. â€Å"It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed his foot to get him to take it back. It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger – but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry afterwards, neither. I didn’t do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn’t done that one if Id known it would make him feel that way,† (pg. 95). b. Jim warn’t on his island†¦the raft was gone! My souls, but I was scared! I couldn’t get my breath for more than a minute. Then I raised a yell†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Good lan’ is dat you, honey? Doan’ make no noise.’ It was Jim’s voice – nothing ever sounded so good before. I run along the bank a piece and got aboard, and Jim he grabbed me and hugged me,† (pg. 128). 3. Explanation a. â€Å"It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed his foot to get him to take it back. It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger – but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry afterwards, neither. I didn’t do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn’t done that one if Id known it would make him feel that way,† (pg. 95). i. Huck thought that playing tricks on a black man was funny, but he didn’t take into account that blacks are human too, and they have feelings that can get hurt like anyone else. In this passage Huck feels horrible because he played a really bad trick on Jim; he made Jim think that he was lost and dead. When Jim realizes that it was all a joke he gets upset because Jim really cares for Huck, he loves him like a son. Because of the way that Huck was brought up, it takes a lot for him to get enough courage to apologize to a black person. After he does apologi... Free Essays on Huckleberry Finn In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain designates Huck as an outsider in order to supply him with an honest perspective on the early nineteenth century American society’s position on issues involving slavery. Twain initially reveals society’s stance on slavery through the outcast by presenting Huck’s misgivings about assisting Jim to freedom. Therefore, Huck’s convictions reveal that society instilled the notion that slaves were property and should not escape to freedom. Also, Huck comments that he would rather go to hell than turn Jim over to the authorities, furthermore revealing the idea promoted by civilization that helping a slave was a moral issue resulting in eternal damnation. Additionally, Huck has difficulty humbling himself and apologizing to Jim after the separation in the fog. This dramatic scene highlights the early 19th century doctrine that slaves were foremost property and subsequently human beings. Moreover, as Huck apolo gizes to Jim, he breaks every societal code or standard regarding the treatment of slaves by humbling himself before a nigger. Also, Huck is surprised by Tom’s willingness to aid him in the rescue and release of Jim. Huck’s reaction continues to display the societal beliefs pertaining to slavery, because Huck expects from Tom as from the rest of civilization to receive condemnation for his actions. However, it is later revealed that Tom committed to aid Huck based on the knowledge that Jim was already a free man by Miss Watson’s will, thus demonstrating that society would disapprove of Huck’s assistance to Jim. Twain uses Huckleberry Finn’s interactions with Jim on the Mississippi River to reveal society’s perspective on slavery.... Free Essays on Huckleberry Finn Superstitions in Huckleberry Finn In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, there is a lot of superstition. Some examples of superstition in the novel are Huck killing a spider which is bad luck, the hair-ball used to tell fortunes, and the rattle-snake skin Huck touches that brings Huck and Jim good and bad luck. Superstition plays an important role in the novel Huck Finn. In Chapter one Huck sees a spider crawling up his shoulder, so he flipped it off and it went into the flame of the candle. Before he could get it out, it was already shriveled up. Huck didn't need anyone to tell him that it was an bad sign and would give him bad luck. Huck got scared and shook his clothes off, and turned in his tracks three times. He then tied a lock of his hair with a thread to keep the witches away. "You do that when you've lost a horseshoe that you've found, instead of nailing it up over the door, but I hadn't ever heard anybody say it was any way to keep of bad luck when you'd killed a spider."(Twain 5). In chapter four Huck sees Pap's footprints in the snow. So Huck goes to Jim to ask him why Pap is here. Jim gets a hair-ball that is the size of a fist that he took from an ox's stomach. Jim asks the hair-ball; Why is Pap here? But the hair-ball won't answer. Jim says it needs money, so Huck gives Jim a counterfeit quarter. Jim puts the quarter under the hair-ball. The hair-ball talks to Jim and Jim tells Huck that it says. "Yo'ole father doan' know yit what he's a-gwyne to do. Sometimes he spec he'll go 'way, en den ag'in he spec he'll stay. De bes' way is tores' easy en let de ole man take his own way. Dey's two angles hoverin' roun' 'bout him. One uv'em is white en shiny, en t'other one is black. De white one gits him to go right a little while, den de black one sil in en gust it all up. A bo... Free Essays on Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Homework Assignment Chapters I to IV 1. Even though Tom feels that Huck is not â€Å"respectable,† Huck is likeable, even admirable in many ways. We get certain impressions of Huck’s character in the opening chapters of the book. It seems Huck is used to caring for himself most of the time, but is now living with Widow Douglas. Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson, try to â€Å"civilize† Huck, and educate him. Yet almost from the beginning of the book, Huck clearly doesn’t seem to have any interest in education, religion, or being civilized in general. Another important trait of Huck‘s that we learn about quickly is that he is superstitious. â€Å"’I got into my old rags and my sugar hogshead again, and was free and satisfied.’† and â€Å"’I didn’t need anybody to tell me that that was an awful bad sign and would fetch me some bad luck†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬  are examples of his rejection to â€Å"civilization† and his beliefs in supe rstitions. 2. Jim is Miss Watson’s slave. My first impressions of Jim are that he is completely uneducated, very easily fooled, and extremely superstitious. Also, when he can’t explain things that’s were his ability to embellish his stories come from, but they make for entertainment to the rest of the slaves that he tells his stories too. Examples: When Jim hears the noise he‘s determined to make sure he hears it again but he falls asleep in just a short 10minutes, that shows that he‘s easily fooled and not that bright. 3. Although we do not meet Huck’s father in these chapters, we do hear some things about him. Pap isn’t a reliable person, and hasn’t been around for over a year. Ben Rogers tells us that â€Å"’He used to lay drunk with the hogs in the tanyard†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬ , which obviously tells us he is a alcoholic with a poor reputation. 4. When Huck wants to smoke, the widow forbids him, saying it is a mean and unclean practice. ... Free Essays on Huckleberry Finn Summary The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn opens by familiarizing the reader with the events of the book that preceded it, Tom Sawyer. In the town of St. Petersburg, which lies along the Mississippi River, Huckleberry Finn, a poor boy with a drunken bum for a father, and his friend Tom Sawyer, a middle-class boy with an imagination a little too active for his own good, found a robber's stash of gold at the end of the earlier book. As a result of his adventure, Huck gains quite a bit of money (held in a sort of trust for him at the bank) and is adopted by the Widow Douglas, a kind but stifling woman who lives with her sister, the self-righteous Miss Watson. Huck is none too thrilled with his new life of cleanliness, manners, church, and school, but he sticks it out at the bequest of Tom, who tells him that in order to take part in his new "robbers' gang" Huck must stay "respectable." All is well and good until Huck's brutish father, Pap, reappears and demands Huck's money. Judge Thatcher and the Widow try to get legal custody of Huck, but the well-intentioned new judge in town believes in the rights of Huck's natural father and even takes the old drunk into his own home in an attempt to reform him. This effort fails miserably, and Pap soon returns to his old ways. He hangs around town for several months, harassing his son, who in the meantime has learned to read and to tolerate the Widow's attempts to improve him. Finally, outraged when the Widow Douglas warns him to stay away from her house, Pap kidnaps the boy, holding him in a cabin across the river from St. Petersburg. Whenever he goes out, Pap locks Huck in the cabin, and when he returns home drunk, he beats the boy. Tired of his confinement, and fearing the beatings will worsen, Huck escapes from Pap by faking his own death. Hiding on Jackson's Island out in the middle of the Mississippi River, he watches the townspeople search the river for his body. After a few days on t...

Living and Working in a Hypermedia World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Living and Working in a Hypermedia World - Essay Example Living and Working in a Hypermedia World What this means is that we will be living in a hypermedia world, and this will affect every corner of every aspect of our lives. The connection of billions of sites with social networks has been going on for some time now. Every commercial site wants to leverage the access to social networks and asks visitors to â€Å"like† them or log in using their FaceBook or other social network logon. The next step is to connect devices beyond smartphones and tablets, such as embedded chips in home appliances, automobiles and building systems (Research ). Social and machine data will be travelling the same routes synchronizing and upgrading the world. Literally every working machine will sport a chip to send and receive data over the Internet. Devices that control home environments and appliances will only be part of the mix. The media giants are planning to converge with their audiences. Voice controls will be everywhere, and libraries of books, magazines, videos and movies are already stored in the cloud for universal access. These are all available on home computer, tables, laptops, smartphones and smart TVs. Virtually anything equipped with a screen can be streamed to and listened to on Bluetooth headsets or speakers attached or wireless. Onstream Media CEO Randy Selman boasts that more than half of the Fortune 1000 are their customers (Kleinmann 87-87)(Kleinmann 87-87). Virtually all financial institutions are gearing up to offer total remote service via smart devices for their highly mobile populations. Paying for vending machine goods and various entry and travel tickets have been set up to connect with smart devices for some time now, and banks, S&Ls and brokers are jumping in not to be left behind by more cutting edge organizations, such as ING Direct and Netbank (Kleinmann 87-87). Other businesses are either in the second round of rethinking their Internet use, after initial dotcoms and second wave interactive sites they are all moving into social ne tworking, and social networking is mushrooming out of control. Maybe that’s a good thing. One cannot be certain at this point. People tend to prefer order to chaos, but chaos is also much more anonymous. So people flocked to what they thought was an anonymous medium due to the very vastness of the resources stored there. However, search engines are getting better and people who want to make money are getting craftier about sorting through it. The Internet represents ordered chaos, as it changes every nanosecond, but everything on it seems to be immortal. We have more knowledge (data in human usable form) available today on our little smartphones than existed in all the world’s libraries a century ago. The most valuable skill for the future will be the ability to find what one needs in this planet of data. The Internet not only survived 9/11, but it was the best available communications network in the US at that time. TV and radio news was â€Å"filtered†, phone and cell phone networks crashed, but the Internet stayed up and running, routing and rerouting around every bottleneck and crashed server . The messages all went through, even to recipients who could no longer receive them. The Internet has shown it is robust due to its wide dissemination and connected isolation. Each node on the Internet is separate, running on a different physical server and part of thousands of backbones. However, they are also all connected when running.

The Human Resource Function of Harrison Brothers Corporation Assignment

The Human Resource Function of Harrison Brothers Corporation - Assignment Example They also want to convert the empty spaces into selling spots and want to stock and sell the in demand brands. Moreover, they are also looking to better forecast their sales and maintain better inventory records by using computer systems. Also, they want to increase the productivity of their staff. Ans 3: Harrison is headed by an Executive Vice President and General Manager. The Branch Store Manager works under him. Within the branch, Harrison has divided it’s human resources into three departments: HR, Sales and Operations. The sales department is itself divided into three departments each headed by a Sales Manager. Each Sales Manager looks after the sales of a number of sales categories. The HR manager has four people working under him responsible for assistance, training and payroll processing. The Operations Manager oversees five employees responsible for receiving, maintenance, supplies, security and accounting. Ans 4: Exhibit 1.4 presents a summary of the responses made by HR and Store Managers on how much importance they give to the various HR functions. In some of the functions, both of them have given equal importance, which means that they will support and approve the HR department’s activities in these areas. Store Managers give more importance to areas such as compensation and training and development, while Ans 5: At Harrison Brothers, the HR department was not up to the mark in its performance. However, since McCain has joined she has taken measures to reorganize the HR department and upgrade its performance. Given the strategic objectives of Harrison Brothers, I believe they need to hire a more educated and trained workforce. Rather than hiring sales people in general which they can place in any category, they should hire sales people who can perform well in specific areas, such as women clothing, furniture, house wares etc. This would make the sales force more focused and allow them to specialize in

Life as a Teenager in 2014 Essay Example for Free

Life as a Teenager in 2014 Essay When I was younger, I always thought my parents knew everything and were never wrong. I believed that they never made mistakes, they were too old and wise. The same went for my teachers, older members of our extended family and just adults in general. I felt so safe, comforted by the fact that they knew and were in control, so I didn’t have to be. The older I became, the more I realized how faulty my ideas were. I never did become any wiser as I grew up; I had information and data that bombarded my brain and knowledge on how I must act to be socially accepted. I was told what I could do and what I mustn’t do. Perhaps I do know more about life and the world, but I don’t understand it; perhaps that is for the better. I remember when I first heard the song ‘Teenagers’ by My Chemical Romance, and I began to think about the meaning behind it. ‘Theyre gonna clean up your looks†¨With all the lies in the books†¨To make a citizen out of you†¨Because they sleep with a gun†¨And keep an eye on you, son†¨So they can watch all the things you do Because the drugs never work†¨Theyre gonna give you a smirk†¨Cause they’ve got methods of keeping you clean†¨Theyre gonna rip up your heads†¨Your aspirations to shreds†¨Another cog in the murder machine They say that teenagers scare the living s*** out of me†¨They could care less as long as someonell bleed†¨So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose†¨Maybe theyll leave you alone, but not me The boys and girls in the clique†¨The awful names that they stick†¨Youre never gonna fit in much, kid†¨But if youre troubled and hurt†¨What you got under your shirt†¨Well make them pay for the things that they did’ The song did change my view on how teenagers are seen by society, but not in a way that I expected. I think that the singer, Gerard Way, is exploring how society wants to change teenagers to make them do as they are told and fit in and do well at school. However, the more they do this, the more teenagers rebel. In the chorus, Way expresses his fear of teenagers, of their tendency to perhaps be unpredictable and violent. ‘So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose Maybe they’ll leave you alone, but not me’ I  think he is trying to put forward the idea that society might ignore them or leave them alone if they act threatening and imposing, but as he is an adult, he is expected to stay in line and meet the expectations of society. I think it’s difficult being a teenager. People don’t seem to realize or might have even forgotten. I am at the age where I am too old to rely on others and make mistakes but not old enough to take control of my life and look after myself. This time in my life that makes up my teenage years is important, and I want to make the most of that but I find myself overwhelmed by set backs and a severe lack of control. There are so many aspects of my life the government wants to control. They want to cram so many exams and so much work into these few short years of our lives that we find ourselves snowed under it all. It seems that these years of our lives are the most important. They define us and decide what our future holds. The pressure is on: if you fail your science G.C.S.E then you won’t be able to take it for A level. If you can’t take it for A level, you won’t be able to study it at university, or get a PHD, or ever become a doctor. The government has decided that exams mean everything. An A and an A* could mean the difference between your dream job and being unhappy for the rest of your life, stuck with a boring job that perhaps pays decently, becoming miserable and dying a failure. It’s too much. This has to be the reason why we find that more and more teenagers each year are turning to drugs, self harm, eating disorders and depression. Why does everyone question the rise in the number of these cases? Is it not obvious? Iâ€℠¢m sure it also has something to with the rise of the internet and everything that we are being exposed to. Quite frankly, we can’t cope with it. It seems that no one understands but teenagers themselves. Of course, it’s all quite a cliche to say that no one understands teenagers, but it does seem to be true. I wouldn’t say that all teenagers can’t cope and I realize that some cope better than others, but I know that our system isn’t working. Not the corrupt government with its exams and heavy pressure on students, and the not the corrupted internet with its social networking sites and pornographic images that seem to be everywhere. The adverts that tell us what a perfect person looks like are crushing and I find them insulting. There is a silent reminder that lingers in the air telling us to be normal, a clone of everyone else and to fit in. Some people come to a point in their life when they decide that enough  is enough and they wear what they want and act how they like. I have a theory that people are like sling shots: the more they are pulled back and restrained, the further they go when they are let go. They get to a point where they cannot be pulled back any further. This is when people pierce and tattoo their bodies or wear socially unacceptable clothing to show the world that they are not going to be told what to do. There are also the quiet ones who starve themselves to be in control, take drugs to take away the pain or self harm to prove that the pain they are feeling is not just in their heads, its real and they can control it. There are even people who work themselves sick to be in control of their future. What I find interesting is that every generation is different: each has its own pressures that differ from the last. Not long ago, I would have been expected to get married not too soon from now and raise a family, possibly with a man I didn’t even love. Only recently has homosexuality become socially and legally acceptable. So before, teenagers would have had trouble fitting in, or would have had to pretend to be heterosexual. We as teenagers never really have been in control and with a personality like mine, that can be extremely overwhelming. It seems now we are finding our voice and are able to express ourselves. I can see that there are positive aspects about being a teenager in this day and age: some of us turn to positive hobbies to take our minds off the stress of exams. More and more teenagers are relying on their great passion in life and developing it to take their mind off their diffic ulties. This might be music, cooking, writing, designing, drawing or sport. I still remember the first time I played the drums and I’ve never looked back. They made me love music even more and I started playing the guitar as well. I wrote songs and started to sing. Music became my obsession and it is one aspect of my life that I can control. I can do it myself without having to listen to the people who tell me what I should be listening to, what I should be playing or what I should be writing. I do believe that if nothing is going to change, then we all need something to turn to in life that reminds us we can cope. I know that it wouldn’t work for everyone, but perhaps people who take drugs could start drawing or painting. Instead of people focussing on their body weight they could start to cook their own food and be in control of that instead. People who self harm could write down their feelings or express it through music, or even go out and run off  their sadness. I think people need to remind themselves what makes them happy and if nothing does then they should find something. I know nothing will change for some time, but in the meantime we need to find a way to make the most of our teenage years.

The Issues Of Fresh Water In Singapore Environmental Sciences Essay

The Issues Of Fresh Water In Singapore Environmental Sciences Essay Singapore is an island and urban city state with no rural hinterland and hence, it has been depending on Malaysia for nearly forty percent or more of its water supply. However, Singapore is not short of fresh water as it receives an average of around 2,400 mm of rainfall annually. The only constraint faced by the country is capturing and storing as much of this rainfall as possible, on limited amounts of land areas, so as to achieve self-efficiency in water issues. Recycling efforts in Singapore started in 1966 when the Jurong Industrial Water Treatment Plant was commissioned to supply industrial water to the Jurong Industrial Estate (JIE). This water comes from treated sewerage effluent and is meant for industrial use in the Jurong area as well as by several oil refineries. The Singapore government encourages industry and private enterprises to recycle water. Also, tax rebates have been provided for factories that install water-saving plants. Bottles of NEWater Singapore has also developed NEWater, a three-stage process which brings waste-water to a quality that is better than that produced by the Public Utilities Board (PUB). Treatment begins with Microfiltration to remove suspended solids, colloidal particles, bacteria and viruses. The next process is Reverse Osmosis, which involves applying of pressure for water to flow from the concentrated side to the less concentrated side through a semi-permeable membrane to remove inorganics like heavy metals, such as nitrate, chloride, sulphate etc. The third process, Ultra-violet disinfection, is a safety back-up to remove any bacteria or viruses that cannot be removed by Reserve Osmosis. Desalination is a process of removing excess salt from water (eg. seawater) to enable it for drinking purposes. It has been used to augment water for some time, but it was not adopted as a matter of policy until recent years. This method is considered successful, as this source of supply produce 12% of Singapores daily water needs. Although desalination costs under current improved technology are higher than traditional means of treatment, Singapore has decided to go ahead in the belief that new technologies will reduce the costs further. 3. Impoundments and reservoirs Singapore has several impounding reservoirs inland including Seletar, Peirce and MacRitchie etc. To increase storage capacity, seven reservoirs have been developed by damming the river mouths. It was in that context that a plan to maximise collection of surface resources by extending the present 24.3 square miles of collection grounds to 156 square miles (about 75% of the islands total area) was proposed. However, geological conditions limited the availability of groundwater, hence the plan focused on retrieval of stormwater and water recycling instead. Another reservoir which was built in the recent years was Marina Barrage, which was officially opened on 30th October 2008. Marina Barrage is a dam built across the Marina Channel. Water flows into the reservoir from some of Singapores most well-known waterways, including the Singapore River, Stamford Canal, Rochor Canal, Geylang River and the countrys longest river, Kallang River. Marina Barrage was envisioned by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in 1987, after the great clean-up of the Singapore and Kallang Rivers. Building the barrage on the soft sea bed amidst changing currents and constantly moving marine traffic was a major challenge. From the air, the pump house of the barrage looks like that number 9, which signifies longevity in Chinese. This major engineering achievement is symbolic of Singapores development as a City of Gardens and Water. How Marina Barrage works? The Barrage acts as a physical barrier to separate the reservoir from the sea. The steel crest gates of the Barrage will act as a tidal barrier to keep the high tides out. Under normal conditions, the crest gates will remain in an upright position to isolate the reservoir from the sea. During heavy rains that collide with low tide, the steel crest will be lowered to release excess storm water into the sea. During heavy rains that collide with high tide, the steel crest gates remain erect, hence storm water cannot flow out to sea naturally. Instead, large drainage pumps will be operated to pump water out to sea. With the Barrage in place, the pockets of low-lying areas in the city will no longer be prone to flooding. 4. Stormwater run-off Harnessing stormwater at minimum cost requires proper land-use planning and pollution control to ensure that stormwater run-off can be efficiently collected and that pollution levels are low. Stormwater harvesting from urban land was consistent with the overall policy of land use in this land-scarce republic, in which land was seen as too valuable for its use to be restricted to a single purpose such as for housing. In the words of the Minister for National Development: If we designate more land for water catchments, there will be less land for housing and other developments. The reverse is also true. Optimising and maximising the use of land and water helped the country to overcome constraints to a certain extent. (Adapted from: The Straits Times,1996) Singapore was the first country in South-East Asia (SEA) to develop viable stormwater run-off schemes. Among the various schemes, the Bedok and Lower Seletar Schemes are the largest. Surface water for these schemes comes mainly from the housing estates and new towns of Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Tampines and Yishun and the area near Changi International Airport. Water is conveyed to the storage reservoirs of Bedok and Lower Seletar. One important feature of this scheme is the emphasis on close co-ordination between several agencies, such as the Housing Board Development (HDB), the Ministry of the Environment (ENV) and the Planning Department, in order to ensure that water collected from urban surfaces is low in pollutants. In addition, the drainage system designed in such a way that it channels water through concrete channels to suitable collection ponds situated at topographic low points. An automatic monitoring system ensures that only discharges produced by heavy storms resulting in run-o ff above a certain volume are collected. One example of the innovative approach to stormwater collection is making use of the empty space under the interchange of the Seletar and Bukit Timah expressways for a water collection pond. 5. Conservation of water In addition to developing and diversifying water resources, water conservation is also key to ensuring a sustainable water supply. Through our various water conservation initiatives, Singapore has managed to reduce domestic water consumption from 172 litres per capita per day in 1995 to 157 litres in 2007.(Adapted from Conserve, Values and Enjoy by Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, 08 July 2008) It is a difficult task to keep looking for new sources of water, but the situation can be improved if we can control our ever-increasing demand of water. To provide water for all, PUB calls on all Singaporean to play our part in water conservation and to keep our water catchments and waterways clean so that we can enjoy our water resources. One way to discourage excessive use of water is to impose water conservation tax on the amount of water used. This additional tax is added to the price of the water consumed by households and varies according to the amount of water they use. A household that consumes more water will pay higher taxes compared to household that used less water. Additionally, there are varieties of activities organised to teach Singaporeans to view water as a scarce and precious resource, and to use it wisely. Water conservation talks are conducted in schools and leaflets on water conservation are distributed to households. Water-rationing exercises, where the supply of water to some homes is temporarily cut off, are also carried out in housing estates. Effectiveness of the solutions implemented by government So far, Singapore has been able to tackle the problem of a limited supply of fresh water with the introduction of water reclamation, desalination of sea water and impoundments. Technological innovations in modern society have enabled us to have larger catchment areas, to build dams and to obtain fresh water from sea water and used water. Policies aimed at water conservation have also produced certain positive results. Based on the research conducted by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, the domestic water use per person has generally fallen between 1995 and 2007, from 172 litres per day to 157 litres per day. This means that Singaporeans are more aware of the challenge they are to face nowadays. Introduction of water conservation taxes and activities about water conservation also help to spread awareness about the importance of water conservation. Recommendations regarding the current policies from our committee Government can introduce fine of a certain amount of money for over-usage of water. This means that if the households use unusually large amount of water every months, the government could send down the letters to inform them that they have used too much water compared with the national average, and they should manage their usage well from now on or the authority would have to take action in order to save water. In case if the household owners do not take mind of the warnings, they would be fined. Similarly, households have done well in controlling the water usages should be rewards for their effort put in. For example, tax-relief can be introduced to residents who use water-saving devices at home. Measures like this can encourage the people to install water-saving devices in their houses, hence the overall usage of water would gradually drop to an acceptable level, and the people can be satisfied with rewards given by government for their well-being as the citizens. Examples of water-saving devices: Shower head Water-saving tap Toilet stop Such water-saving devices help reduces water usage at our homes. We uses 9 litres of water whenever we flush the toilet. A toilet stop can be used to cut down the usage of 9 litres. It is added to the toilet flushing mechanism to stop the flushing when the handle is released. Thus if used wisely it allows people to save up to 20% of their total water bill.

Oz/Management Information Systems

Oz/Management Information Systems, 6th edition Part Case Projects Part 1, â€Å"The Information Age† 1. Review the Gardeners+ part- and chapter-opening cases. Make a list of the inputs, processing, and outputs the owners must do. Now, armed with your list, go online to research a computer system—computer, printer, and any peripheral equipment—that you think will meet Gardeners+’s needs. Place that information in a spreadsheet that could be attached to the â€Å"Financial† section of Gardeners+’s business plan.Remember, the banker will review the plan to determine the business’s funding needs. 2. Gardeners+ constantly needs to review its business to come up with new ideas to compete in the gardening business. Review Figure 2. 1 on page 43 of the book, which lists eight ways to gain a competitive advantage. You, Amanda, Mary, and Ed will be meeting to generate some strategic plans for maintaining Gardeners+’s existing business and expanding into new areas. Do some research online or in business magazines to see how technology is being used in the gardening industry.Brainstorm some new uses for technology, too. For example, restaurants could give customers electronic menus and allow them to check items off electronically on a tablet PC. Come up with two new ideas for Gardeners+ to remain competitive. 3. Chapter 3 focuses on the use of information technology in various business functions. Review the business functions that Gardeners+ needs to carry out and make a list. Go online to research an application that will support as many of Gardeners+’s functions as possible. Explain why you believe this application is a good choice.

Introduction To Lever Brothers Pakistan Limited Essay

History Founded in 1897, Unilever has provided superior products for millions of people throughout the world. Generation after generation of satisfied customers have continued to maintain Unilever’s reputation as an innovative manufacturer and marketer of family and health care products. Today it is a multibillion-dollar company whose products are distributed in 140 countries worldwide. Vision â€Å"Unilever’s vision is to have its products available within an arm’s reach of every individual’s desire.† Mission Statement â€Å"Our purpose in Unilevers is to meet the everyday needs of people everywhere to anticipate the aspirations of our consumers and customers to respond creatively and competitively with branded products and services which raise the quality of life.† Marketing Objective Unilevers aims to interact directly with its consumers. Its goals are consumer satisfaction and making its consumers feel that the money spent is worth the product. In comparison, it distinguishes its sales objective as achieving greater penetration in terms of sales volume and market share. Unilever’s excellence in quality, image and distribution, the founding stones of any consumer goods company, is the main reason behind its thundering success and leadership in the market. The company has a clear emphasis on quality and wants to provide the best possible products of the highest quality to its customers. It wants to grow continuously and not stay stagnant. Lever Brothers Pakistan Limited Lever Brothers is the largest consumer products company in Pakistan; it belongs to Unilever group of companies, which makes up one of the largest transnational in the world. Lever Brothers Pakistan Ltd. was incorporated in Pakistan in 1948. The company markets almost 50 well known household brands, like Lipton, Surf, Vim, Supreme, LifeBuoy, Lux etc. Which record approximately Rs. 20 billion in sales. Mission Statement of Lever Brothers Pakistan Limited We are a leading Consumer Product Company in Pakistan, a multi national with deep roots in the country. We attract and develop highly talented people who are excited, empowered and committed to deliver double-digit growth. We serve the everyday needs of all consumers everywhere for foods, hygiene and beauty through branded products and services that deliver the best quality and value. We strive to remain an ever simple and enterprising business. We use our superior consumer understanding to produce breakthrough innovation in brands and channels. Our brands capture hearts of consumers through outstanding communication. Through managing a responsive supply chain, we maximize value from suppliers to customers. We are exemplary in our commitment to Business ethics, safety, health, environment and involvement in the community. The mission then translates into attaining a leading position in Pakistani market, by manufacturing and marketing high quality consumer products that benefit the customers. The aim is to be a lean, responsive and flexible organization, operating within a culture of innovation and enterprise. In addition, the primacy of the customer is a central value of the company. The marketing objective is to increase profitability by increasing sales. By maintaining quality of products, the sales are improving and consumer demand of Levers’ products is increasing. Thus, profits and sales are increasing every year. In this way, the company’s image is not only maintained, but also improved very successfully over time. Overview of the Beverage Market The trend in the beverage market of Pakistan of market value share/growth is depicted in the table given below: Pak. Rs. Mn As can be seen by the table given above tea is the market leader in the beverage market and is expected to retain its current position in the near future. However, the growth rate of the CSDs is much faster than tea whose expected growth rate has become stagnant. An interesting point to note here is that LBPL’s share of the tea market is expected to grow steadily in the near future despite the fact that the growth rate of the overall tea market is expected to decrease. The pie chart below shows the current 2000 value shares of the Pakistani beverage market. Total Value Rs. 47,950 billion or 548 billion Pound Sterling. Does not include one step preparation drinks (i.e. Energile, Squashes etc.), milk and non-commercial water. Total Value Rs. 54,475 million or 615 million Pound Sterling Does not include one step perpetration drinks. Overview of Tea Industry Tea is considered to be an essential consumption item in many countries of the world, including Pakistan. The history of tea drinking in the subcontinent can be traced far back. It is said, that tea was introduced with the arrival of the British in the Subcontinent and became popular in the region during the British rule. The British people were clever enough to use a powerful slogan, which remained in the minds of the people. They said, â€Å"In winters it provides warmth and in summers, it gives freshness.† Over a period of time, the quality and taste of tea was improved by the colonials. Mr. Thomas Lipton was the key person who introduced the aromatic soothing leaves, at prices affordable for the common man. This is one of the main reasons why â€Å"Lipton† even now occupies the place of the most well known brand of tea in this part of the world. At present there are two kinds of tea available in the market: branded and unbranded (loose) tea. Therefore, the importers are also of two types, though both import tea from the same countries. Bulk importers sell tea to retailers in loose form, while the second category of bulk importers sell packaged tea under brand names. All tea in Pakistan is imported. Therefore, tea, a traditional hospitality item in Pakistan, consumes a large amount of foreign exchange. Tea imports through legal route account for about 200 million US dollars per year and is growing. Another 60 million kilograms of tea or nearly half as much of total consumption of tea is smuggled, that is imported illegally.1 According to official sources, Pakistan consumed 148 million kg in 1996, 60% of which reached the consumer as branded products. Annual black tea consumption in Pakistan is 0.9 kilogram per head; slightly less than British consumption is 1.25 kilogram per person.2 Pakistan is the world’s second largest importer, after Great Britain, and may become the largest importer due the increase in population and unabated increase in tea consumption. Tea drinking, over time, has doubled mainly because other drinks, especially fresh milk, have virtually disappeared as dairy production was neglected. Another reason is high population growth a year. About 50% of tea imports is consumed in Punjab, 30% in the NWFP, 16% in Sindh and 4% in Baluchistan.3 Pakistan mainly imports tea from Kenya and other African countries like Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania, while multinational companies in Pakistan also import tea from Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Bangladesh. There are unlimited quantities of smuggled tea flooding the market. The main problem at present is that smuggled tea has now taken over the market, simply because of the high duty and taxes levied by the government on branded tea. Smuggled tea escapes all duties and levies, and therefore can be sold cheaply, as loose tea. The cumulative import duty on tea in 1991 was 60%, 66% in 1992, 76% in 1993, 88% in 1993, 102% in 1995 and rose to 107% in 1996. Sources in the market indicate that the smuggled tea is being sold about 30% cheaper than the legally imported variety and, therefore, holds a great lure for the wholesalers.4 According to one estimate, some 60 million kg of tea, representing nearly 50% of the total consumption, came into the market illegally in 1997.5 The quality of some of the tea flooding the market is admittedly high. But given that it is sold loose, there is absolutely no guarantee that adulteration is not rife in this unorganized sector. The branded tea industry has now successfully lobbied the government for duty reductions (78% cumulative duties on tea) to make smuggling unattractive. The above pie chart depicts the tea market according to pack forms. Assessment of Industry Attractiveness Threat of new entrants Major players enjoy significant economies of scale and have strong brand identity. Large capital requirements required for setting up distribution channels and heavy advertising for new entrants, to compete against major well established brands. Rivalry Among Existing Competitors Devaluation and import duties make domestically produced consumer goods, including tea, more expensive than smuggled products. Smuggling of tea has hampered development and growth in the local tea industry. There is an oligopoly as there are only a handful of local competitors in the tea industry. Bargaining Power of Customers Generally, retailers in Pakistan are not large volume buyers therefore they are not able to bargain for proper discounts. Upper class consumers have strong brand loyalty, while low-middle class has become increasingly price conscious and are therefore, not very brand loyal. Retailers are likely to stock smuggled tea due to higher margin on it, and for the same reason, consumers are inclined to buy it, as it is cheaper for them. Bargaining Source Of Suppliers High differentiation of input for the tea industry, due to consumer preference for East African tea. Pakistan is one of the largest consumers of tea and a major market for Kenyan tea exporters. Threat of Substitutes Coffee is a substitute for tea, but consumer propensity for it is low. Smuggling of tea products into Pakistan continues to depress Levers’ sales and profitability. Organizational Chart Brief History of Lipton 1948- Lipton launched in Pakistan in tin pack 1949- Lipton discontinued 1955- Lipton reintroduced in Pakistan 1974- Lipton was discontinued due to the government price embargoes 1984- Lipton re-launched in Pakistan with a big bang 1987-Tea bags were added to the Lipton portfolio 1989- Lipton merged with Lever Brothers 1995- Lipton introduces Danedar 1998- Lipton re-launched 1999- Lipton re-launched with improved blend in smaller pack sizes 2000- Re-launch scheduled of Leafier Blend Lipton was first introduced in Pakistan in 1948. Tea was sold in tin packs at the time. The year 1989 was a major milestone in Lever’s history. The tea giant Lipton was merged with Lever Brothers that year in Pakistan, five years after the international takeover of the Lipton company by Unilever. The most glorious era in LYL’s life was 1984-1992 with a record growth of 70% in 1989 and the highest ever brand volume achieved in 1992. This was due to an effective advertising campaign (Nazia/Zoheb), consistent with good quality tea, lower taxes and limited smuggling. The table below shows the volume of sales of LYL in Pakistan over the years. Year In 1997, Brook Bond, another leading player in the tea business in Pakistan, was merged with Levers, so that Lipton and Brooke Bond, once fierce competitors in the local market now belonged to the same company. Brooke Bond had long been part of Unilever globally but in Pakistan it remained a separate entity until 1997. Lever came to realize that it did not make sense to have two Unilever companies competing with one another. â€Å"A lot of synergies would be created if the two companies were merged,† in the words of the former MD of Brooke Bond. The solution to any potential cannibalizing was to position the two brands differently. This effort was successful and Supreme, with its distinctive red packaging, came to firmly represent the aspirations of the people of Pakistan. Supreme cuts across class, region and gender divide. Its success is also due to the brand’s catering to Pakistani tastes. Lever, now owns three tea factories of which two are situated in Karachi – one in SITE and the other in West Wharf area. The third factory is in Khanewal, Punjab. The SITE and Khanewal factories once belonged to Brook Bond, while the West Wharf tea factory was inherited from Lipton when it was merged with Levers. Efforts had been made to grow tea in Pakistan since 1950s, but the first major step was taken in 1982 by the government. The Pakistan Agricultural Research Center was set up near Manshera. In 1989, Levers also stepped in and a Tea Research Station was set up in Shinkiari, near Manshera. With Unilever providing the expertise, the Center aims to determine whether tea can be grown in the area. Lever also seeks to establish effective plant culture technology to help the government in its tea growing efforts. The company also intends to build a small black tea manufacturing factory near the site and will buy the harvested tea from the farmers. In June 1998, Lever signed an agreement with those farmers interested in growing tea. SWOT Analysis of Lipton Strengths Lever Brothers is a multinational company Powerful heritage of Lipton as presence in the Pakistani market since 1948 Familiar with psychographics and demographics of the local consumers Strong brand image and brand awareness in Pakistan Market leader as it has a 70% market share in branded tea. Larger sales force Strong and long-term relationship with distributors, wholesalers and retailers. Sound and experienced management. Excellent marketing department assisted by a highly regarded marketing research unit. R&D and financial support from parent Unilevers. The Lever-Brooke Bond merger made it possible to compete more effectively with loose tea. Weaknesses Loss of market share to Tapal in Karachi and Multan Low market share in N.W.F.P. Positioning of Lipton Yellow Label as a premium product to which consumers have weak emotional attachment Opportunities High rate of population growth Rising literacy Tea was added to the smuggled goods list in March 1998 and import duty was reduced from 45 to 25 percent. This has collectively placed the entire organized tea business in a more favorable position. Market opportunity of Lipton Yellow Label in rural areas Threats Threat from cheaper tea smuggled into the country via border areas of NWFP and Baluchistan, seriously affecting Levers’ sales and earnings. Possible increase of Tapal and loose tea market shares Rising inflation, which reduces disposable income of consumers. Increasing import duties since a lot of raw materials are imported would raise the price of its end products. Lipton’s profit margin is exposed to rupee devaluation. Current Market Situation Tea consumption remains unaffected by macro-environmental factors, as tea has inelastic demand. For example, the consumption of tea has not increased due to the ban on meals served at weddings. However, it must be noted that tea consumption falls in Ramadan. The range of various tea brands in the market varies due to quality and taste. Both taste and marketing go together in determining the consumer choice. Once a buyer likes a particular taste, he becomes brand loyal to it, no matter how expensive or cheap the brand is. Advertisements do influence consumers a great deal, when it comes to inducing trial of branded tea, or switching to another brand. The largest segments of consumers in the tea market are those who are shifting from un-branded to branded tea. Tea is no longer a luxury in this country; it has become part of our meals. Although Pakistan still imports a large amount of tea from abroad, tea still remains the cheapest form of beverage in the country. Competition in the tea industry is getting cutthroat. Loose tea, which is unbranded tea, has almost 40% of the total tea market in Pakistan. Lipton Yellow Label is the market leader in branded tea on pan Pakistan basis. Levers have embarked upon aggressive plans to regain the volumes and margins of the tea business. The main brands, Lipton Yellow Label (in hermetically sealed cartons) and Supreme were re-launched and to regain there lost market share together with improved margins. Lipton Yellow Label’s main competitor in branded tea is Tapal Daanedar, while in unbranded tea, loose tea provides competition. Tapal Daanedar is a very strong competitor because of several factors, The SWOT analysis is as follows: SWOT Analysis of Tapal Danedar Strengths Positive Consumer perception Advantage of being â€Å"Danedar†, (perception of being economical and easy to sieve) Strong brand loyalty Frequent trade offers Dedicated sales force Quick delivery and removal of damaged goods. Weaknesses Unattractive packaging (only soft packs) Availability (only urban) Technology (no international guidance) Negligible R&D Threats Emergence of other â€Å"Danedar† Brands Stiff competition from LBPL Brands Opportunities Rural Market penetration Capitalize on brands Entry in leaf segment Regional Sales The sales of Lipton Yellow Label are monitored region wise. The table below shows the six regions and the sales in percentages of LIPTON YELLOW LABEL and its main competitor Tapal. The total sales of Rs. 8,750 million have been divided for LIPTON YELLOW LABEL into regions with the following percentages. And we have also given Tapal Daanedar’s sales break-up. Seasonal Sales Lipton Yellow Label basically has two seasons, which is the summer and winter. The seasonal sales of both Lipton Yellow Label and Tapal are the same. 55% of the annual sales are derived in the winters, which is the peak season and 45% of the sales are derived in the summers. Where as sales of LIPTON YELLOW LABEL in Karachi remain more or less the same. Brand According to the Brand Manager, Lipton Yellow Label’s consumers have various attributes, among which are discerning, fun loving, outgoing, elegant, and have good taste. The master brand vision key has eight distinct portions, these are: 1. Competitive Environment Includes other hot drinks, soft drinks and branded water. 2. Target Young minded outward looking people. Focus on recruitment: those leaving home or entering the work force for the 1st time. 3. Insight People want the image and excitement of the soft drink world in drinks that are good for them 4. Benefits .Enjoying LYL together makes you feel great, revitalizing mind and body 5. Values and Personality The brand is bright, vital, sociable, contemporary and cosmopolitan. 6. Reasons to Believe The bright Lipton world, the revitalizing taste and that Lipton delivers the best natural goodness of tea. 7. Discriminator The excitement of soft drinks and the natural goodness of tea. 8. Essence Lipton People get more out of life. Consumption Per capita consumption in Pakistan is 0.9 kg per person per annum. This translates into daily consumption of 2-4 cups per day. Per capita consumption of tea is highest in Karachi, followed by NWFP, although neither Lipton nor Tapal are strong in NWFP, as loose tea has captured 90% of the market. However, Punjab is the most profitable province on the basis of total tea consumption and it is highest in Lahore because of its population size. In other nations the per capita consumption is 2 kg. Segmentation There are two clear segments of consumers in the market, branded tea consumers and un-branded tea consumers. In Sind, most of the cities consume branded tea, while in the rural areas both branded and unbranded are equally popular. In Punjab, the city dwellers as well as majority of rural areas is absolutely brand loyal while unbranded tea is only popular among the teashops and hotels. In NWFP and Balochistan, 90% of the population still prefer the unbranded form as it gives them the chance of seeing and smelling what they buy before paying for it. In addition, the mindset is such that now no other tea brand can compete because consumers are strongly brand loyal. Lipton’s consumers can be segmented on the basis of income strata. The income strata used by Levers have been developed by Levers’ own Marketing Research Department. A class consists of consumers who have disposable monthly incomes of Rs. 12,000. B class consists of consumers who have disposable monthly incomes between Rs. 8,000 and Rs. 12,000. C class consists of consumers who have disposable monthly incomes between Rs. 6,500 and Rs. 8,000. Marketing Mix Product Lipton Yellow Label is a fast moving consumer product that caters to the A 1, A 2, B and C socio-economic classes. The tea industry of Pakistan is in the â€Å"Maturity† stage of the product life cycle, but Lipton Yellow Label is in the â€Å"Growth† stage, as it still has market potential in Pakistan. Lipton Yellow Label’s main feature is that it is tea of the â€Å"finest blend† available. The benefits offered by Lipton Yellow Label to its consumers are â€Å"good quality and good taste† since it is an international brand. Brand image of Lipton is of a Discerning, Cosmopolitan, Elegant and Friendly person and this image is portrayed in all the advertising. Shelf Life Tea usually loses colors and fragrance over time. Lipton Yellow Label has a normal shelf life of one year and the shelf off-take is one week. Line Extensions Lipton Yellow Label is available in the following line extensions: Lipton Yellow Label, Finest Blend Tea Lipton Yellow Label, Danedar tea Lipton Yellow Label, tea bags They are available in the following sizes and prices: All these brands cater to consumers of different income levels. Lipton Yellow Label is targeted towards A, B and C income groups. Re-launch of Lipton Yellow Label During the recent re-launch of Lipton Yellow Labels several elements of the product were improved upon and a change in the image of the brand from a â€Å"premium† one to â€Å"subsistence† one, was brought about. The blend of the tea was made more superior. The sizes of the packets have also been reduced. Price Since Lipton Yellow Label has always emphasized being an international product, of the highest quality, Lipton Yellow Label is marketed as a â€Å"premium† or â€Å"top of the line† product. A premium of 2-5% is charged on every pack. The closest competitor of Lipton Yellow Label, which is Tapal Daanedar , has a price of Rs.49 for its 200 gms pack, whereas a 200 gms pack of Lipton Yellow Label is priced at Rs.50. Similarly, in all other sizes, Lipton Yellow Label has maintained almost identical price premiums compared to Tapal. Lipton Yellow Label is facing a problem, in that the consumers generally perceive that the prices of Lipton Yellow Label products are very high, since it is a premium product, as compared to other competing products. Therefore, they feel Lipton Yellow Label is out of their reach. However, Lipton Yellow Label has a price premium of 4-5%, which translates into not more than Rs.1 per packet in absolute terms. Lipton Yellow Label, in spite of being a premium product has a competitive price, which is not being realized by the consumers. Placement Placement is one area where Lipton Yellow Label outperforms all its competitors in tea industry, because of its association with Levers, which is the biggest FMCG Company operating in Pakistan. Lipton Yellow Label has a wide distribution network consisting of more than 600 distributors catering to around 140,000 outlets across the country. There are 140,000 outlets in Pakistan, which include superstores, department stores, general stores, medical stores, paan walas, grocery stores, merchants, etc. Grocery stores and merchants together provide 80% volume of Levers’ tea sales. Lipton has more than 600 distributors for tea. There are corporate distributors exclusively for Lipton and similarly exclusive Brooke Bond distributors. Distributors are offered a margin of around 4-5% and retailers are offered a margin of around 10-12%. The distributor and retailer margins vary from one product size to another. But retailers get a margin of 25% on smuggled tea, which is brought in through the Afghan transit trade. Hence, retailers naturally prefer to stock and sell smuggled tea. Promotion Mix Lipton Yellow Label is using Asiatic Advertising agency currently, due to international alignment of Unilever. Previously the advertising agency used was R-Lintas. The promotion mix for Lipton Yellow Label comprises of around seven main activities. Different media are used in combination to increase effectiveness of promotion mix. The promotion budget for these activities is calculated by the â€Å"percentage of sales method†. The promotion budget for the up-coming year is set in advance at the end of the current year. The budget is linked to a sales volume target. The budget is allocated according to various media and different promotion activities for every quarter. Sales volume is monitored primarily on a weekly basis to evaluate the result of promotional activities on sales volume. The budget might be reduced drastically, by as much as 10 to 40 % if it is observed that hypothetically 90 % of the budget has been spent, but only 70 % of the sales volume target has been met. We have described the various promotional activities on the basis of budget allocation, in order of importance. Television Advertising TV advertising for Lipton Yellow Label comprises of 55 % of the promotional budget. Television advertising is used mainly because its reach is higher than any other medium and hence, this acts as the most effective inducement to consumers to purchase the product according to the Brand Manager. Lipton Yellow Label is advertised through out the year on television. On an average yearly basis, Lipton Yellow Label advertises from one to two spots per day on TV. During the peak season i.e. winter (October to March) the number of slots increase to, six to eight slots per day. This is also true for the first week of a typical four-week consumer promotion. The duration of the advertisements is typically thirty seconds in the beginning of the advertising campaign. Then a shorter ten-second version of the same advertisement is aired on TV within a one-month period. The reasons for the change in the length of the advertisement are: Target consumers have viewed the complete 30-second advertisement within the one-month period. The consumer promotion usually lasts for about a month only. The cost of the ten-second advertisement is comparatively less than the thirty-second advertisement. Sometimes there are TV advertisements designed for different regions of Pakistan to achieve different advertising objectives in those geographic areas. For example, to achieve brand awareness in a new market segment or to advertise the launch of a consumer promotion, various advertisements would be aired keeping the target market in mind. In this regard, a 20-second advertisement will be aired on TV in Karachi and Hyderabad before the end of the year 1999 to advertise a new consumer promotion. The current advertisement theme emphasizes uses Ali Hiader and Hadiqa Kiyani. It is believed that the campaign clearly matches the personality of the brand with that of the celebrities. Also, the vital modern and colorful images reflect the Lipton brand world at its best. Adtrack monitors the Share of Voice for TV on a weekly basis for Lipton Yellow Label, according to time slots and the TV channels used. The result for Share of Voice for 1998 for Levers as a whole was 69% and 36% for Lipton Yellow Label specifically whereas, SOV for 1999 for Lever as a whole stands at 88%, and 46% for Lipton Yellow Label. In contrast, Tapal advertises on television only during the peak season between Octobers to March. For this reason, the brand awareness of Lipton Yellow Label and Tapal shows a gap which is in Lipton Yellow Label’ favor. This is also reflected in the SOV figures for Lipton Yellow Label and Tapal, as we assume that the research, which provided these figures, was conducted just before the peak season. Tapal’s SOV for 1998 stands at 31% and the SOV for 1999 stands at 12%. Outdoor Advertising Fifteen percent of Lipton Yellow Label promotion budget is spent on outdoor advertising. Outdoors are now being used more by Lipton Yellow Label for to increase out of home visibility in shops and in the streets. The various activities under the umbrella of outdoor advertising are: Billboards Pole signs Spectaculars Yellow Label has about 200 hoardings all over the country, and seven spectaculars, one in Rawalpindi, and six in Karachi. These spectaculars are located in Karachi at: Airport Area (90 feet x 30 feet) Nipa Chowrangi (60 feet x 20 feet) Guru Mander (60 feet x 20 feet) Sabzi Mandi (60 feet x 20 feet) Water Pump (60 feet x 20 feet) Clifton (60 feet x 20 feet) The rentals for these spectaculars vary. Although they differ among various cities, the costs incurred are inclusive of KMC taxes, maintenance, erection charges, etc. On an average, a 90 x 30-ft spectacular costs the company an approximate sum of Rs. 2 to 3 million annually, whereas a 60 x 20ft spectacular costs about Rs. 1 million per year. The average rental for hoardings on national basis is about Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 60,000, for a 20 x 10-ft hoarding. The charges per square footage are dependent on site rental, structure and what the content of the hoarding is. Print Ten percent of the promotion budget is spent on print media, which includes both newspapers and magazines. All types of local newspapers are used for various advertisements, depending on the purpose of the advertisement campaign. Similarly, different types of magazines are used for advertising. Point of Sale materials Five percent of the promotion budget is allocated to POS materials. The point of sale material is used primarily for launches or re-launches, and there are at least 10 rounds of every promotional campaign for Lipton Yellow Label. The company policy is to run certain promotions in a few territories only, to achieve different marketing objectives. This would mean that some of the promotions are restricted to one region, Karachi, while others are restricted to Lahore. For instance, the introduction of newer and smaller packs of Yellow Label was only meant for Karachi, whereas the provision of the free sachets of Surf Excel with every pack of Yellow Label was designed for Lahore. Thus, the material designed for point of sale for each promotion is different. Radio Five percent of the promotion budget is allocated to radio. The purpose of advertising on radio is to reach the rural population. Hence, Radio Pakistan is the most favored choice for advertising Lipton Yellow Label. Discounted Selling and Free Samples To familiarize consumers with the new blend of Lipton Yellow Label, five percent of the promotion budget is spent on discounted selling and free samples. In the words of the Brand Manager, it is used only if very confident that the promotion will be successful. It is used on a house-to-house basis in certain neighborhoods. Lipton Yellow Label is aware of the impact of good packaging in creating instant consumer recognition of the brand or product. Thus, Lipton Yellow Label’s distinctive yellow packaging makes the product stand out from its competition on store shelves. The primary container is the hermetically sealed pack, which offers the following benefits: It helps to keep the product safe from temperature changes and moisture, and thus, helps to maintain the product’s shelf life of one year. The sealed packing also helps in preserving the unique and superior taste of Lipton Yellow Label. This feature also helps preserve the taste for a longer period of time, during the usage of the product. The secondary container, which is the more important aspect of packaging, is distinctive yellow in color, with the Lipton label boldly emblazoned on all faces of the box. In this severe competitive environment, packaging has to perform many sales tasks – right from attracting attention to the product, to describing the product and making the sale. In the case of Lipton Yellow Label, the name of the product is also mentioned, along with the claim â€Å"International Quality No. 1†. The product weight is mentioned and on both the sides, there are directions for preserving the freshness of the product inside. On the top left hand corner, there is also a mention of the â€Å"newer and richer product†. However, there is no mention of the â€Å"best before† or expiry date anywhere on the pack. Two major changes have been introduced in the packaging of Lipton Yellow Label recently. The package size has been downgraded from 250 grams to 200 grams, and the 125 gram pack has been downgraded to 100 grams. The prices have also been correspondingly reduced. This is so because it caters to people with all sorts of income groups. Therefore, consumers with low levels of disposable income will find it cheaper to purchase a smaller packet, which now also costs less. History Of Lipton Yellow Label Television Advertising Themes A brief history of the advertising of Lipton Yellow Label since the merger with Lever Brothers Pakistan is given as follows. 1985: The purpose of the advertisement was to induce trial of Lipton Yellow Label. The advertisement showed different nationalities of different Lipton Yellow Label consumers to depict the international nature of the product. The tag line for advertisement was â€Å"aazmaiey, aap bhi maan jain gay.† 1986: The theme continued with the purpose of attracting new consumers. Taste and satisfaction were the two key words used in the advertisements with the added emphasis on Lipton Yellow Label being an international brand of high quality. The tag line â€Å"aazmaiey, yaqeenan aap bhi maan jain gay.† 1987: Quality number one was the slogan used, along with mention of taste and aroma being the best. The tag line was â€Å" quality number one chai.† 1988: Celebrity marketing concept was used with yesteryear film actress, Nayyer Sultana. Emphasis was on brand loyalty to Lipton Yellow Label due to consistency of quality standards and emotional attachment to Lipton Yellow Label. Emotional memories of good times were associated with Lipton Yellow Label for the first time. There was a shift in advertising theme from convincing consumers of quality, to emphasis on maintenance of quality standards. The tag line was â€Å" hamesha wohi zayka, acchi yaadon key tarha.† 1989: The shift in the advertising theme i.e. that Lipton Yellow Label has maintained its quality standards over time, which is why consumers prefer it was continued with the same celebrity. The tag line was â€Å" Lipton Yellow Label.â€Å" 1990: Nayyer Sultana appeared for the third time in the Lipton Yellow Label advertisement. The theme this time was that Lipton Yellow Label is not just for the celebrity but for everyone. The tag line this time was â€Å"Lipton key Yellow Label.† 1991-92: The celebrity-marketing concept was continued, but this time with Nazia Hassan and Zohaib Hassan. The choice for much younger celebrities was to appeal to the new generation of consumers. A total of three ads were made with the same celebrities in the same time period.Tag line was â€Å" sab say acchi hai.† 1993-94: For the first time the functional benefit was promoted as, double chamber tea bags were launched. The design of the tea bag was advertised to convey the message of more taste and flavor from a single tea bag. The tag line was â€Å" Simply the best.† 1995-97: A new first was that the advertisement was both in Urdu and English languages once again, the international consumption of Lipton Yellow Label from all walks of life was depicted. The tag line was â€Å" Sign of good taste.† The same tag is still in use since then. Lipton Yellow Label launched boil-o-bag, which conveyed convenience of use. A 300g plastic jar for introducing was introduced for the benefit of consumers as it had better packing than ordinary jars and would maintain the freshness of tea. 1998-99: The first advertisement focused on packaging of Lipton Yellow Label, specifically the improved seal of Lipton Yellow Label tea packets that results in better quality, taste and smell and therefore, more satisfaction. Joint promotion was advertised on regional basis, example; with Surf Excel, click and everyday. An advertisement comparing the attributes of Lipton Yellow Label and other teas showed that consumers overwhelmingly preferred Lipton Yellow Label because of its taste. Another joint promotion of Lipton Yellow Label and Brooke Bond Supreme was advertised to convey the reduction in packet sizes, which represented lower prices for consumers. Problem Faced By Lipton Yellow Label Looking at the past history of Lipton Yellow Label and the current situation at hand, we believe that Lipton Yellow Label is loosing its market to competition. Thus the problem faced by Lipton Yellow Label for decline in sales especially in Karachi and Multan regions are: The image of Lipton Yellow Label in the eyes of the consumers is that it is too premium a brand for them thus the result being that the consumers can’t associate themselves with it. The main competition of Lipton Yellow Label is Tapal Daanedar. Tapal is a domestically based tea company and is gaining market share at the expense of Lipton Yellow Label in Karachi and Multan with sales being five times higher than Lipton Yellow Label in Karachi. Lipton Yellow Label has tried to penetrate the market of NWFP, but it has failed to do so as the locals prefer loose tea to branded tea. Although Lipton Yellow Label is advertising heavily, they are not able to generate the end-user demand. Tea advertising presently done by Lipton Yellow Label is not coming out as aggressively as it should considering the fact that Lipton Yellow Label is the market leader in branded tea market.

Critical Analysis of El Grecos View of Toledo essays

Critical Analysis of El Grecos View of Toledo essays High atop a hill of granite, surrounded by the gorge and river Tagus sits the ancient and formidable gothic Cathedral and Moorish palace, Alcazar, of Toledo, Spain. Toledo's skyline has changed little since El Greco immortalized Spain's religious centre in 1597-9(Cardillac 28). El Greco's natural talents, his "schooling," and the flare of his adopted Spain, combined to produce an artistic genius. El Greco's ability to convey manneristic images that were so original in conception and color that the detail gives a miraculous conception of cohesion to the whole work(Wethey 61). When studying this canvas, however, one must examine the passionate, moonlit sky; the artistic license El Greco took in the placement of the city's salient landmarks; and what these liberties connote within the context of his time(Brown 244). View of Toledo is one of the earliest landscapes in Western Art; in addition, it is El Greco's only true landscape and the first in Spanish Art (Legendre 13). It is a romantic, yet stark dramatic view of his beloved city. Toledo was the centre of the secular and ecclesiastical Spanish world. El Greco was a deeply pious man and formed an instant affection for the city(joslyn.org). Of El Greco's two surviving landscapes, View of Toledo is essentially as mystical in composition as his religious canvases (Wethey 63). The painting seems to anticipate the impressionist movement 250 years away. Historically, the striking use of such rich tones of violet, azure, and emerald were dramatically different from the realist conception of nature. In fact, one could argue that El Greco mimicked the "almost psychedelic hues" from Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel(Web Museum). Today, these bold color schemes lose much of their impact; however, historically, they were a watershed in painting(Acton 82). The idea behind this landscape of Toledo was to announce the city's greatness. The painting was intended to propagate t...

Timeline of US-North Korean Relations

Timeline of US-North Korean Relations Take a look at the US-North Korean relationship from 1950 to the present. 1950-1953 WarThe Korean War was fought on the Korean Peninsula between the Chinese supported forces in the north and the American supported, United Nations forces in the south. 1953 CeasefireOpen warfare stops with a ceasefire agreement on July 27. The peninsula is divided by a demilitarized zone (DMZ) along the 38th parallel. The north is the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the south becomes the Republic of Korea (ROK). A formal peace agreement ending the Korean War has not yet been signed. 1968 USS PuebloThe DPRK captures the USS Pueblo, an American intelligence gathering ship. Although the crew is later released, the North Koreans still hold the USS Pueblo. 1969 Shot DownAn American reconnaissance plane is shot down by North Korea. Thirty-one Americans are killed. 1994 New LeaderKim Il Sung, known as the Great Leader of the DPRK since 1948 dies. His son, Kim Jong Il, assumes power and is known as the Dear Leader. 1995 Nuclear CooperationAgreement reached with the United States to build nuclear reactors in DPRK. 1998 Missile Test?In what appears to be a test flight, the DPRK sends a missile flying over Japan. 2002 Axis of EvilIn his 2002 State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush labeled North Korea as part an Axis of Evil along with Iran and Iraq. 2002 ClashUnited States stops oil shipments to DPRK in a dispute over the countrys secretive nuclear weapons program. DPRK removes international nuclear inspectors. 2003 Diplomatic MovesDPRK withdraws from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. So-called Six Party talks open between the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and North Korea. 2005 Outpost of TyrannyIn her Senate confirmation testimony to become Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice listed North Korea as one of several Outposts of Tyranny in the world. 2006 More MissilesDPRK test fires a number of missiles and later conducts a test explosion of a nuclear device. 2007 Agreement?Six Party talks early in the year lead to a plan for North Korea to shut down its nuclear enrichment program and allow for international inspections. But the agreement has still not been implemented. 2007 BreakthroughIn September, U.S. State Department announces North Korea will catalog and dismantle its entire nuclear program by the end of the year. Speculation follows that North Korea will be removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. More diplomatic breakthroughs, including discussion of ending the Korean War, follow in October. 2007 Mr. PostmanIn December, President Bush sends a handwritten letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. 2008 More Progress?Speculation runs high in June that President Bush will ask that North Korea be removed from the U.S. terror watch list in acknowledgment of progress in the six-party talks. Removed From ListIn October, President Bush formally removed North Korea from the U.S. terror watch list.

Relationship between Leisure Activity and Life Satisfaction Essay

Relationship between Leisure Activity and Life Satisfaction - Essay Example (Ragheb & Griffith, 1982). Although these two are distinct, life satisfaction is somewhat related to mind and leisure is related to physical aspect but they share a relationship. In this article I have focused on these few questions; (a) what leisure activities are taken by people (b) How different people participate in different activities (c) What is the relationship between life satisfaction and leisure activity (d) Are few leisure activities strongly related then others to life satisfaction The data is all related to the United States population and is taken from the census of the USA government. From all the data I have gathered, it's found out that frequency of participation in leisure activities also differ by sex, age and income levels. Furthermore there is a positive correlation between leisure activity and life satisfaction. The activity theory which states that the greater the frequency and intimacy of activity, the greater the life satisfaction; and the needs theory which refers to the theoretical frameworks which purport that when individuals satisfy their needs, this in turn has salutary effect on subjective wellbeing which leads to life satisfaction; (Diener and Lucas 2000) have been used in this article. Apart from the busy lives, people want leisure thus they engross themselves in different leisure activities. According to the US census of 2007 out of the total population, 1,255,897 million were attending and participating in various leisure activities. The table 1 below shows this; Activity Participants in the last 12 months/1 Number(000) % Adult educational courses 13462 6.1 Attend shows/art galleries/music & horse race 106796 48.4 Backgammon 3675 1.7 Cooking/baking/barbequing 125588 77.2 Billiard/pool/board games/chess/puzzles 97581 44.1 Bird watching 12498 5.7 Book club/reading books & comics 97390 44.2 Concert on radio 6997 3.2 Dining out 107456 48.7 Electronic games/computer games 63282 28.7 Entertain friends/relatives 90197 40.8 Sport league 6192 2.8 Fly kites 5219 2.4 Furniture refinish/ home decoration/wood work 44245 20 Go to bars/beach/theatre/museum 149346 67.7 Karaoke 9142 4.1 Model making 3501 1.6 painting/drawing 15146 6.9 Photo album/ scrapbook 17782 8.1 Photography 28340 12.8 picnic 22426 10.2 Play bingo/cards/musical instruments 77228 35 Trivia/video/words game 59737 27 Zoo attendance 27081 12.3 Source: Mediamark research. New York, N.Y, According to the table people are involved in different leisure activities; all indoor and out door. People have different moods which set up their way of choosing a leisure activity. Life satisfaction is attained by different people in different ways and so different leisure activity gives people different levels of life satisfaction. As shown, people are mostly interested in Cooking/baking/barbequing and then the priority is given to going to bars/beaches/theatre and museums. The least number of participants are in model making. Thus majority of the US population prefer indoor activity; staying at home and involving themselves in cooking/baking and barbequing which gives them satisfaction; out of the population second preference is given to outdoor activities which satisfy people. Indoor activities like model