Marketing Plan Proposal for Blancpain Brand

Executive Summary Blancpain is well recognized watch-making brand that has dominated this market for approximately 400 years. Being part of the influential swatch group, the company has always pride itself with the ability to uniquely create mechanical watches. However, changes in both the internal and external business operating environment has called for marketing strategy adjustments.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Marketing Plan Proposal for Blancpain Brand specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore after successful analysis of the current market situation, this report suggests that the brand should target a single market segment. The decision to singularly focus on high-end consumer was arrived through the application of demographic segmentation. Since the above group of customer are very specific in what they desire, a concentrated target strategy is proposed. This strategy allows Blancpain to focus m ore on the need of the consumer while at the same time utilizing the limited resource. Also very important to note is that all promotion effort should be directed towards fostering great client relationship. Therefore sufficient effort should be placed on public relationship. Finally at all time Blackpain should act as a quality leader. Unique product feature, rich history and heritage, high craftsmanship, are some of the factors marketers of this Brand should use to justify the high prices. Introduction Blancpain is global reputable brand that was founded by Jehan-Jaques in 1735. The company that is own by the Swatch group, a respected industry leader, pride itself with an experience of about 400 years in creating mechanically watches (Blancpain). However, technology has enabled creation of gadget such as cell phones and laptops which already have in-built clocks. Similarly, electronically made watches are considered cheaper and accurate in telling. As result consumers no longer ne ed to buy additional time telling machines. However, the need to create a desirable status quo has lead to a certain group of consumers searching for a status symbol. Wristwatch is one of gadget that is proving to satisfy this need (Bewes Andreasen 17). If Blancpain is to retain its market position, it has to find ways appealing to this consumer need. Current Market Situation A marketing audit was conducted to establish the situation currently in the market. Important tools of analysis and auditing such as SWOT and PESTLE were employed. External (Macro) Environment SWOT is an acronym of Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats.Analysis of opportunities and threats shed some light on the external business operating environment. Similarly, the understanding of this environment was further enhanced by conducting the PESTLE analysis. A pestle analysis involves scrutinizing the external environment paying particular attention to the Political, External, Social, Technology, Legal an d finally Environmental factors (Kats Shapiro 60).Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Political Factors Political development affecting the watch-making industry particularly wrist watch can act either as threats or opportunities. Blancpain produces wrist watches with a global appeal. The brand is especially popular in Russia, Asian, USA and other European markets (Blancpain). Therefore, any political aspect in these markets that is affecting the performance of the company is considered. After the Global financial crisis, Governments were pressurize by citizens to put strict regulations that would check the personal spending habits of executives and other prominent persons holding public offices. This in turn has affected the uptake of luxury goods in markets such as the USA (Bewes Andreasen 16). Although Blancpain is yet to be adversely affected, if the trend continues there is a potential threat of losing out on sales volume. On the other side, Asian markets were not adversely affected and therefore have been providing diversifying opportunity. The political governance and structure of China for instance did not only insulate the country from the adverse effect of the crisis but also ensured economic growth. Currently, the country’s economy is the second largest in the world. As result, the purchasing power of the consumers has increased. The country is now an important wrist watch export destination as indicated by figures from the Swatch group. To be precise, export sale of wristwatch in the country increased by 58.8 %(Bewes Andreasen 18). However, allegation of political interference and manipulation of the Chinese yen act as threat (Bewes Andreasen 18). This factor coupled with another threat of increase competition from china domestic watch makers could result in making Blancpain less competitive. Nonetheless, Blancpain can still ca pitalize on the opportunity created by political goodwill in Russia. The current prime minister is recognized for setting fashion trend when it comes to wearing of wristwatch (Blancpain). Evidently he prefers Blancpain brand and as result the brand is experiencing sufficient demand in this region. Another important fact is that this nation is somewhat shielded from the pressure associated with luxury spending. Despite 17% of the citizen living below the poverty line, luxury spending on watches is more acceptable especially when compared with the USA and other European countries (Bewes Andreasen 23) Economical Factors A strong economy creates an opportunity for the brand while a weak economy poses potential threats. As mentioned earlier, the global financial crisis has been the greatest challenge to luxury makers. Even without government interventions, most consumers opted to abandon their extravagant spending.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Marketing Pl an Proposal for Blancpain Brand specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The influential Swiss watch industry, which more often than not act as a global indicator of the situation at hand, experience a 22.3% drop in sales revenue. However currently there have been some sign of recovery, but still things have not returned to way they used to be prior to the crisis (Bewes Andreasen 33) Additionally, the current Europe financial crisis poses a significant threat. Even though the most affected countries are Spain, Greece, Ireland and Portuguese, there are fears that it might spill over to other European zones. Possibly it might eventually destabilize the frail global economy. Even the Asian continent and particularly China has shown some signs of being susceptible to this particular crisis. Some of its market indices lost some points due to the release of negative news. Consumers are now more caution and therefore such news result in reduced spe nding (Bewes Andreasen 38) The strengthening Swiss currency is also another threat that is affecting negatively the sale revenue. Since most transactions are transacted in US dollar, a stronger Swiss Franc is a major disadvantage. However, the brand has the opportunity of riding on the reputation of Switzerland as a global and almost monopoly in making luxury watches. The economic policies, such as the monetary and fiscal policies are very conducive. A good example is the tax policies which is one of the lowest among the OECD nation (Bewes Andreasen 17). Sociological Factors Most purchases of Blancpain wristwatch are physiological driven. The consumer always aims at fulfilling a certain social need. That is the reason most board members of high-profile organization are most likely going to choose this Brand over others. Therefore, this Brand has the opportunity of increasing it market share by focusing on such factors (Blancpain). For example, political goodwill in Russia is not t he only reason why the Brand appears to be doing well in the market. Also, the cultural tendency of showing off one’s wealth through purchasing of luxury item, has contributed significantly (Bewes Andreasen 22).Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Similarly, for over two century it has been the culture of the rich and elite Chinese citizens to purchase expensive luxury. Predominantly, the most elegant gift that the rich of this country offer during weddings is wristwatches. This has propelled most wristwatch makers to fasten their effort of increasing the market share in the region. With the era of cheap labour coming to an end in this country and most Chinese expected to enjoy an increase disposable income, there is a high probability most will turn to luxury spending. In fact, already the country is experiencing a 30% annual increase in demand for luxury goods (Bewes Andreasen 23) Technological factors For a company that boast on its ability to develop and maintain traditional mechanical watches, advancement in technology can prove to be a threat. The early 1930 gave birth to a new technology which enabled the development of quartz watches. Electronic quartz watches pose great challenge since they are considered to be more accurate, relatively easy and cheap to produce. As result their sale price is relatively cheaper. On the other hand, mechanical are complicated and expensive to produce. In addition, they are considered to be less accurate and it is only natural for them to enjoy relatively smaller market share (Blancpain). A case in point is the comparison between the Japanese quartz wrist watch and Swiss, which Blancpain belong to, mechanically luxury wrist watch. The Japanese wrist watch is more accurate and can retain battery charge for over ten years, it still command relatively minimum retail price of approximately 50$. On other hand, the Swiss is less accurate, it power reserve is only for a week and therefore requires continuous maintenance, yet still it command a huge retail price of approximately $ 25,000. As mention in the Blancpain philosophy, there are so many complications involved in creating mechanical wrist watch. Perhaps this is the reason 2003 figures indicate that annually Switz erland only produced 2% of globally produced wristwatches. However when it comes to the values, the country earned approximately EURO 9 billion which is equivalent to 65% of the total value. Definitely new technology, such as quartz watch and in-built clock in electronic media such as laptops and phones, pose a threat. Nevertheless the brand can capitalize on the appeal associate with its year of experience and traditional craftsmanship (Bewes Andreasen 25). Legal Factors The fact Blancpain operates in a global arena makes it susceptible to a number legal factors and regulations. To begin with it must comply with the watch certification of the countries it focuses on. This regulation are aimed at ensuring that the watches are of high quality and do not present any risk to the consumer. Blancpain must also complain with the Swiss law in order to be labelled as Swiss made watch. From thereon it can capitalize on good reputation of Switzerland craftsmanship. The global directive towar ds the restriction of any unsafe manufacturing material has resulted in increasing the cost of manufacturing by approximately 16%. This cost is incurred during the process of testing whether the finished product comply with this directive (Bewes Andreasen 24). Environmental Factors Since Blancpain produces mechanical wristwatch, it has been able to avoid environmental degradation that is a society with electrical gadgets. It does not depend on electrical power, a factor that is currently playing a big part in affecting the environment adversely. The price tag that come with Blancpain wrist brand ensure customers are attached to it and therefore can not carelessly dispose it, hence reducing that amount of un-recycled waste in the environment (Blancpain). Internal (Micro) environment Strength and Weakness part of the swot analysis were used to analyse the internal factors affecting the organization (Kats Shapiro). Strength and Weakness Blancpain is a reputable and well known brand, it belong to the swatch group which is a Swiss company and a favourite of the high end consumer. Similarly it has a heritage of approximately 400 years and therefore it credited with having vast experienced in its specialized field. Another important factor is its team of qualified workers. Its top management are well renowned for their contribution in the industry (Blancpain). However one major weakness surrounding this company its inability to produce a large volume of products to satisfy the customers need. In addition the cost of manufacturing its products is relatively expensive as compared to electrical quartz watch. Similarly, ultra flat style which is a feature of Blancpain products is very delicate and requires handling with extra care. Also the negative publicity that followed major top management change did little justice to this brand. Allegations were that these changes were as result of hard economic times and an effort to maintain family control within the business (B lancpain). Competitive edge To achieve a competitive advantage a company can either adopt a cost leadership strategy or take a differentiation approach (Kats Shapiro 68). Blancpain cannot adopt the first strategy since it is difficult for it to cut down cost and still produce the exact product features it wishes. Therefore the organization has adopted a differentiation strategy by formulating more than one unique selling preposition. The prepositions are found on the company philosophy and emphasize on; the years of operation, traditional and unique method of manufacturing the clock, attentive to details, and inclusion of high craftsmanship (Blancpain). Market Segmentation After conducting a situation analysis the next step involved market segmentation. This is the process of identifying and classifying markets portion depending on various attributes that differentiate them (Kats Shapiro 79). The cost of manufacturing a mechanical watch is tedious and expensive and therefore Blanc pain should only focus on high-end consumer segment. Demographic attributes such as consumer life cycle stage, income, Gender, lifestyle and social class should be given special attention while identifying this group of consumers. The possibility of enjoying increase profitability and high rate of return, the capability of the Brand to satisfy the needs of this group, and the fact that these consumers have a common needs and therefore react to marketing messages in same way, confirmed the choice of the segment. This segment considers wristwatch to be more of a fashion statement as oppose to time telling device. As result Blancpain will be able to avoid competition from quartz watches. Target Market Strategy Concentrated target market strategy is the most appropriate in this situation. This is because this strategy allows the organization to focus on a single selected segment and hence apply only a single marketing mix (Kats Shapiro 81). With this strategy Blancpain will now be able specialize in creating mechanical watches more efficiently, focusing on needs and desires of its sophisticated consumers. Considering the human talent required to create the desired watch is limited, this approach allow for effective utilization of this scarce resource. Positioning As established the targeted buyers value sophistication and excellence, they want to differentiate themselves from the rest of the crowd. Therefore, Blancpain should never be tempted to position itself as an impressionist. Therefore very little change is proposed here since its unique selling preposition creates a positive perception on the minds of the consumer. However the fact that consumer has to read almost the entire company philosophy in order to establish these preposition is a weakness by itself. For that reason this position strategy that focuses on the features and benefit of the product, can be improved by developing a single statement that describe the unique selling preposition. Marketing G oals and Objectives Blancplain profitability is not through increase sale volume but rather by emphasizing on the quality of its wristwatch. Therefore the objectives should be driven towards justify the high sale prices. As a result, the goals and objective of this Brand should be: To increase its quality leadership by 20% annually. To increase product awareness by 30% annually. To strengthen the business to customer relationship within the first 4 month of the implementation of the plan. Marketing Strategies and Programs The above goals and objectives can only be achieved by adopting an appropriate marketing programs and strategies. Choosing the right strategies and programs involves making fundamental marketing decision relating to the marketing mix (Kats Shapiro 88). Marketing Mix decision The first decision is to define the product by emphasizing that it is a highly sophisticated mechanically wrist watch brand. Secondly, customer should be well aware that it is a refined luxu ry product and as result it is expected to charge premium prices. Over the four P’s in the market strategy, the price will be very important to this brand. This is because the company aims to maintain quality leadership by using high prices to signal the quality of its product. A skimming strategy therefore would be appropriate for such a segment which is relatively less price sensitive (Kats Shapiro 96). The prices will psychologically stimulate the targeted market to purchase the product. To achieve our third objective, channel of distribution are going to be minimized as much as possible. Only retailers who are licensed by Blancpain as result of meeting specified qualification should be allowed to sell this Brand. However, middle men are going to be reduced considerably through the use of internet. Auctioning through the internet will provide the consumer with a number of benefits including sufficient time to bid, gauge demand for product and set reasonable bid price. The adopted promotion strategy will aim to create a good public relation. Media releases are going to be used to tell the story about the company’s heritage and culture of excellence. They shall be followed by events which are organized with the aim of pointing out the unique product features. In addition these events are expected to create good networks that are going to be maintained through follow-ups for future promotions. Conclusion Definitely by narrowing down its focus to particular specified segment, Blancpain is bound to enjoy a number of benefits. First and foremost, it will be able to utilize it resources more efficiently and manage the cost of manufacturing. Secondly, it is most likely going to tackle the weakness of being unable to meet the current demand. Also very important is the fact that it will stand a chance of building an effective customer relationship. Hence in the process point out to the unique product features that justify the high selling price. Works Cited Bewes, Gilligan Andreasen Richard. â€Å"The luxury Watch Industry, Swiss watch Domination† industry watch report 19.32 (2008): 15-40. Print. Blancpain. Blancpain Manufacture, 2009. Website. 10th December 2009. Kats, Gabriel, Shapiro Hollans. Principles of Effective Strategic Marketing. Burlington: Elsevier, 2008. Print. This assessment on Marketing Plan Proposal for Blancpain Brand was written and submitted by user Journee Cash to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Toll, Knell, and Tocsin

Toll, Knell, and Tocsin Toll, Knell, and Tocsin Toll, Knell, and Tocsin By Maeve Maddox The following headlines lead me to assume that the bride or groom or both did not survive the ceremony: Wedding Bells Toll For A Bride From Camelot- Philadelphia news site, 1986 Wedding bells toll for Tiger- Cape Cod Times, 2004 Wedding bells toll in Conn. for gay couples- Boston Globe, 2008 Wedding bells toll for Richard Marx, Daisy Fuentes- Business Standard, 2015 However, each of these headlines appeared over articles about weddings that- at the time anyway- did not go awry. There was a time when â€Å"to toll a bell† just meant to pull on a rope attached to a really big bell. Since at least 1620, however, when John Donne wrote his famous devotional, the verb toll in connection with the ringing of bells has been associated with death. Bells toll at funerals. At weddings, they peal. I suspect that headline writers reach for the word toll because they associate it with the title of the Hemingway novel  For Whom the Bell Tolls. Unfamiliar with Hemingway’s source, they imagine that toll goes with any kind of bell, including wedding bells. Hemingway took his title from a meditation on death by John Donne (1572-1631). Donne lived in London during a plague epidemic. Every time someone died, the church bells tolled. Lacking online news updates or Twitter, people would send a messenger to find out the identity of the latest victim. Donne tells his readers not to bother. The bell is tolling for everyone: Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. Another gloomy word for ringing a bell is knell. knell verb: To ring slowly and solemnly, as for a death or at a funeral, to toll. knell noun: The sound made by a bell when struck or rung, especially the sound of a bell rung slowly and solemnly, as immediately after a death or at a funeral. In modern usage, the noun is more common than the verb. The phrase â€Å"death knell is a figurative expression that indicates something is on the brink of extinction. Unmodified, knell is a synonym for end. Here are recent examples of usage: Sound the Knell for Free Cell Phone Games Super Bowl the Knell for TV Sports? Does New House Bill Sound the Death Knell for Estate Tax? China’s Communist Party Sounds Death Knell for Arrest, Conviction Quotas Does Election Outcome Ring Death Knell for Religious Freedom? Greek, French Elections Sound Death Knell for Austerity Bells have long been associated with religious ceremony, but church bells have also served as community alarm signals because the sound of them can be heard across great distances. The word for a bell rung as an alarm signal is tocsin. The word is often used figuratively as a synonym for alarm or warning: Two stories about British dental care sound a tocsin about government involvement in health care Representative Buyers comments and widespread reports in the press that basic training has gone soft should sound a tocsin for policymakers concerned with the institutional integrity of the armed forces.   A tolling bell denotes sorrow. Unless your intention is to imply that getting married is the equivalent of a death sentence, better say that wedding bells are  pealing,  chiming, or simply ringing. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Examples of Passive Voice (And How To Fix Them)What to Do When Words Appear Twice in a Row7 Sound Techniques for Effective Writing

Global Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global Operations Management - Essay Example Additionally, this discussion is going to weigh the demerits of various supply chains of the beverage company and the necessary solutions. Furthermore, the paper discusses the importance of quality management and measurement while considering the significance of enterprise processing planning system. Background Coca Cola Company was founded in 1892 and is Beverage Corporation that deals in manufacturing, retailing and marketing of its non-alcoholic products globally (Pendergrast, 2000). These products include Coke, Dasani Nutriwater, Bacardi and Minute Maid among others. Similarly, the company provides its numerous products totaling over 500 brands in over 200 nations with servings exceeding 1.7 billion. Additionally, Coca Cola Company with an employee base of about 139, 600 spread in various parts of the world accrues revenue amounting to $11.809 annually. Besides doing business, this global corporation participates in charity ventures as a gesture of its corporate missions. For ins tance, it offers scholarships to students in America to acquire quality education and become better citizens. Furthermore, the company participates in environmental awareness programs by planting trees and offering support in the reduction HIV/AIDS menace, in Africa. Components The beverage company has six major components that are involved in its supply’s chain. ... In addition, they use Demand Management, which involves balancing the needs of clients in terms of the strength of the supply chain. Alternatively, there is the Return Management tackles the field of returns, gate keeping and reverse logistics among others of the supply chain. Furthermore, there is the Manufacturing Flow Management that assists Coca Cola in evaluating its activities that are paramount in exercising supply flexibility. There is also Customer Service Management (CSM) that works on solving problems that can affect customers directly. Potential Problems and Solutions There are various potential problems that are related to the above components of Coca Cola’s supply chain. For instance, unexpected demands from customers may affect the effectiveness of CRM. Therefore, the company should make their missions and values clear to clients. Additionally, in (SRM), the reduction of stock because of inadequate capital may cause supply problems. This means the company always has sufficient capital to re-stock (Lambert, 2008). On the other hand, in Demand Management, the problem lies constant customer complains because of limited supply. In this case, the company should increase its distribution channels to satisfy its customers. Alternatively, in Return Management, ineffective reports about returns and logistics may cause an imbalance in correct assessment. Therefore, it is imperative for the company to conduct a thorough analysis of its reports. Similarly, in Manufacturing Flow Management, the challenge lies in causing supply inflexibility and the solution is to employ more staff to carry out the supply. Finally, in (CSM), the challenge is when the company fails to attend to all complaints of customers, and

Similarities and Differences between Baboon and Human Being Term Paper

Similarities and Differences between Baboon and Human Being - Term Paper Example Based on social behavior studies, psychological and physical stress levels remain exceptionally higher amongst individuals within the lower hierarchy. The social behaviors results include high blood pressure, suppressed immune system and increased stress hormones. It is imperative to note that due to the social behaviors baboons can differentiate real menace and neutral factor in a similar manner as behaviors of neurotic persons. In addition, both human beings and baboons believe that violence control implicates less stress and good health. Mostly, the highly sociable baboons normally have a healthier lifestyle and with minimal stress in a similar manner to human beings. Minimize social stress directly relates to reduces mental and physical torture with consequent comfort in health. The social build up is indispensable in a realization of least social stress, and it begins at birth amongst both baboons and human beings. Besides health-related stress similarities, baboons also have a strong tendency towards competition and aggression just like human beings. In a similar way as human beings, baboons develop inherent competitive urge when relating to each other. In addition to competitiveness aggression, baboons also directly get involved in decision-making processes in a similar way as human beings. Typically, baboons develop thinking and take sides during discussions both emotionally and rationally just like human beings. However, human beings slightly differ with baboons mainly because their decisions may surpass the immediate situation and environment. Furthermore, both the baboons and humans manifest wickedness and envy friendship in all their social associations. Another important social behavior relates to the unique personality developed by an individual and baboons.  

Drug policy in Mexico and Colombia Research Paper

Drug policy in Mexico and Colombia - Research Paper Example South America, in stark contrast to its other counterpart North America or U.S.A, the world of riches as we know it, has long being plagued with the curse of poverty and deprivation coupled with alarmingly low levels of overall development. It is known that poverty, chronic unemployment and underemployment and illiteracy often give birth to crimes and Latin America has been no different. In Mexico, unemployment is around 20% while underdevelopment is just the double of unemployment (Gilbert 22). Drug trafficking, with all its vices in this context has been alleged as the prime concern spreading its â€Å"wings† with each passing day not only in Latin American nations but also in the U.S and the whole world. Countries like Mexico and Colombia have been the main architects of drug trafficking throughout the American sub-continent. In the early’80s Colombia used to be the main exporter of drugs and narcotics throughout the world, but with the Colombian government policy ge tting more stringent, Colombian drug-lords started using Mexico, mainly due to its suitable geographic locations to export drugs through Mexico to the U.S. (Rosin, 2). Mexico One prime social policy taken by the Mexican government towards curtailing the drug trafficking is to decrease violence in the Mexican drug market and reduce increasing crime frequency to controllable levels (Venda Felbeb-Brown,1). The ongoing drug war in Mexico is mainly an armed conflict among the several drug cartels fighting each other for market control and also with the Government armed forces installed to fight drug trafficking. Mexico is the main supplier of heroin in U.S. ... ijuana DTO, the Gulf DTO and the Juarez DTO, the smaller organizations being the La Familia(Venda Felbeb-Brown, 5).Further actions taken by the Presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderon pitted the DTOs against the government as well as raised the competition in the market thereby destabilizing it even more. According to the Government data, this drug related violence has till date resulted in the death of more than 34,000 people in the last four years since President Felipe Calderon took charge. The president has used his army troops to combat the drug cartels. Mexican government said that the figures are proofs of desperation of the mafia getting pressurized by the security forces (â€Å"Mexico's drug war: Number of dead passes 30,000†, Dec 16, 2010). Now, the policy taken by the Government to reduce drug trafficking should be constitutional in a way that it should try to bring in some organization in the drug market which is otherwise very unorganized with high transaction costs that undermines the drug market itself. The illegal Mexican drug market really needs an intermediary or regulator to control the frailties of the market. The form of the stabilizer will depend on several factors, one of which is the state itself. There are various possibilities that can be discussed: With the surfacing of one or more DTOs having sufficient control over their territories so as to be able to secure their domains if need be. They should be having adequate control and can impose regulations to carry on their businesses, decrease transaction costs and reach a point of common agreement with newly acquired controls and new-formed boundaries so as to reduce violence. Such territorial division was predominant in Mexico prior to the early 2000s.Such an aspect of evolution is missing

Youth Fitness And Obesity Levels Physical Education Essay

Youth Fitness And Obesity Levels Physical Education Essay The figure of obesity children is rapidly increasing due to their unhealthy lifestyle and eating habit such as addicted to fast food, video games, and online games which occur in most of the children community nowadays. Unhealthy lifestyle caused most of the children dislike physical bodily movement and lack of physical fitness. A number of researchers involved in teaching physical classes always emphasize the relationship between decreasing of participation in physical activity towards increasing of health-related risks such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease (Domangue, 2009). We as physical teachers have to understand factors leading to children physical inactivity. It is very important to understand why youngsters withdraw themselves from physical activity as they get matured. In physical education classes, fitness testing act as a very crucial component which help to create awareness of health concerns on physical inactivity cases especially among children (Domangue, 20 09). Physical activity is defined as any type (mild, moderate, vigorous) of bodily movement for instance jumping rope, soccer, weight lifting, running, walking, taking stairs and others which can be our daily routine activities, recreational activities, as well as sport activities. Literally, health-related physical fitness means physical activity that involved mild or adverse physical body movement that contribute to their general body health (Karinharju, 2005). School-based physical class explains when participant is physically active, heart pumping rate increases and produces heavier breathing than normal breathing. Unfortunately, a lot of schools neglected physical education class and only focus on physical class. In fact, physical education and physical activity are equally important elements that contribute towards children health development. In Silverman et.al. (2008) paper stated youth fitness testing was designed to embarrass those children who are less capable in physical activity. Those children who cannot perform well especially those obese children will be insulted by their peers and eventually they will withdraw themselves from involving in physical activity. We should not turn children down in physical activity by right as a school teacher we should help children to cultivate interest in physical activity. For instance, a plump children will feel embarrass while doing stretching. They might unable to reach the desired point and will be laughed by their peers. Girls might not like to play soccer, running around the field fighting for a ball. They might prefer jumping rope. So while designing fitness testing, more consideration should be taken such as gender, body size and fitness. As a physical teacher, we should help students to learn more about fitness and physical activity in order to promote positive attitudes on physical activity. I further belief if fitness testing was used in positive and appropriate ways it will enhance students physical educational experience as well as promote good attitudes and interest. There is few discussion on fitness testing has been done in recent years and the discussions were basically taken in three forms. First, some researchers suggest discontinuing school-based youth fitness testing in physical education program. Because school teachers are more focus on students activity performance instead of health-related fitness (Silverman, 2008; Rowland, 1995; Corbin et al., 1995). Second, researchers suggested that school-based physical classes should emphasize on educational aspects. Tests and teaching should carried out together to help to improve students fitness and knowledge (Silverman, 2008; Cale Harris, 2002; Corbin Pangrazi, 1993). Lastly, thorough examination of student fitness achievement testing is needed before designing and making decision on the future of physical class context and tests. (Silverman, 2008; Cale et al., 2007; Corbin et al., 1995; Keating Silverman, 2004). To be physically fit, one has to be physically active. Definition for physical fitness is an adaptive state that varies with the individuals growth and maturity status and with habitual activity and lifestyle (Domangue, 2009; Malina, Bouchard Bar-Or, 2004). Furthermore, physical fitness can be categorized into two categories which is health-related fitness and performance-related fitness. Health-related fitness is fitness that everyone needs which contributes to maintain and improve health status of our body. Performance-related fitness refers to skilled athletes or performers who need to be success or excel in their performance in sports activities. Basically, health-related fitness is assessed by measuring cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, muscular endurance, strength, and body fat content or body mass index (BMI) (Hale, 2005; Corbin, 2005). Rowland, 1995 drew a conclusion that physical teachers should not stop fitness testing, but should implement fitness tests in the physical education curriculum. Children and adults have different used of fitness test. So, while planning physical activities, this should be taken in concern. Children cannot decide whether to participate in fitness testing or how to use the results of those physical assessments. Whereas, adults are able to decide and choose whether to use fitness testing as a summative assessment to check their current health-related fitness levels of how fit they are at the period of time or as formative assessment to continuously assess health-related fitness level in order to modify fitness program as part of program planning. Adults who decided to go for either formal (with trainers) or informal training (self-training) already ready and have some commitment to do physical activity. But children do not have such commitment and do not know how to make decision. There fore, youth fitness testing can have opposite result if it is not perform appropriately, and will have consequences to develop negative attitude and patterns of physical activity among children. But, youth fitness testing should play an important role in school physical education setting in order to enhance students fitness (Silverman, 2008; Bar-Or, 1993; Cale Harris, 2002; Whitehead, Pemberton Corbin, 1990), and implementation of fitness testing should be examined often to prevent any deviation that will result in the misuse of fitness tests (Silverman, 2008). In order to have positive impact of physical testing in school, silverman has suggested some guidelines to implement a positive impact fitness test. First, youth fitness testing should be integrated as a part of fitness instruction in curriculum. Although assessment is important goal of teaching but without a solid curriculum it is merely testing (Stewart, Elliot, Boyce Block, 2005). Second, fitness testing result should be used by teachers to assess their fitness instruction and enhance students learning (Corbin, 1981) while physical classes. Long-term and short-term outcomes of fitness testing of children should be taken into concern by teachers and curriculum planners planning for future activities. Third, the point of having physical class is for students to improve their body fitness and towards meeting their healthy zone standard. We should teach students not to assume that fitness testing will automatically increase their physical activity levels but it is just to test their body fitness. It is important to understand their body fitness and help to design future activities. If fitness testing was used appropriately and used as an educational tool, it has the potential to promote physical activity and also help to improve health-related fitness. In many schools in Malaysia, students are only required to be tested on fitness test once in a year. Compare to academic tests physical test is far lesser. During fitness tests, Instructional time spent on fitness testing should not be ignored. Without positively increasing youngsters physical activity levels and health-related fitness does not make sound use of fitness tests. Health-related fitness testing should be carried out in school, and it is important to include both physical activity and also health-related fitness in physical education class so that student will able to understand the difference and complementary nature of the concepts (Silverman, 2008). Health-related fitness has to be taught as part of curriculum so that student able to understand the concept and the purpose of the test. Health-related fitness testing also can be used as a tool to examine concepts and components of health-related fitness and physical activity. For example, while teacher introducing the sit-up test, teacher can discuss on the anatomy of the body and the function of the muscles involved and how the body perform the activity and how to improve their strength and endurance. Provide important information and knowledge while doing the activity, student can understand better the purpose of having each test and also prevent to get injured. Without proper knowledge, stu dents are more tend to get injured, due to lack of knowledge of proper posture undergoing particular activity. Teacher has to educate students the correct posture and way to perform those activity to protect our body muscle and anatomy. Lacking important knowledge might influence students performance, motivation and interest as well. Eventually, they will cultivate negative attitude and their bad experiences in physical education will influence their attitudes towards future assessment and physical activity and eventually cause them to withdraw from physical activity. Another reason why teaching both health-related fitness and physical activity is important, because the current examination of physical activity assessment program may mislead students into thinking that regular participation in any mild to moderate physical activity for 30-60 minutes is sufficient to maintain their health. NASPE recommends those children aged 5 to 12 years should be physically active for at least 60 minutes to several hours of per day (Domangue, 2009). As children get matured, the recommended duration for physical activity varies. Adolescents need lesser hour to be physically active compare to children. They need only 30-60 minutes daily (Yesalonia, 2009). Unfortunately, many school-aged students have too little opportunity to participate in these recommended physical activities during school hour. In this situation, students are required to balance their physical activity levels outside the school as extra-curriculum. Outside the regular school hours, many children could be physically active in sedentary activities such as homework, computers and video-games which children only required to sit on chair. This can affect activity levels of school-aged children. Perhaps the most important time for children to be active is after school is between three and six p.m. But often children nowadays are not, they will rather spend time on sedentary activities or their academic curriculum. Parents have press more on their academic rather than their physical achievements and also safety issues parents stop letting children to involve in physical activities. . As a school teacher, we should encourage parents to allow their children to be physically active instead of filling all those active hours with tuitions, piano classes and homework. Children can have opportunity to be active after school hours by participating in extra-curricular activity programs, such as basket ball, soccer, as well as community-based a ctivity programs. Remember, physical activity and health-related fitness is both equally important. We should not too emphasize on physical achievement and ignore the basic understanding on health-related fitness. Through the health-related fitness testing, teacher is responsible to educate students the purpose of participating in a variety of physical activity form and methods to improve corresponding health-related fitness components as well as the recommended duration in performing physical activity. Health-related fitness testing is an excellent context to teach students to examine on both health-related fitness and physical activity concept. Students can understand health-related fitness not only improve their health level (Silverman, 2008; Simons-Morton et al., 1988) but also their cognitive skills (Hillman, Castelli, Buck 2005). School-based physical classes may not done an adequate job in teaching students on the importance of health-related fitness or have taught separately with physical activity. If health-related fitness testing is done separately, there is no way that student will develop the knowledge that can be developed from an understanding of both health-related fitness and physical activity assessment. Teacher should teach assessment skills to students. If student able to use fitness test for self-assessment, they are able to use the understanding of health-related fitness learned during physical class and able to plan their own physical activity programs according to their desired target. Students were taught that fitness testing can be used as formative assessment to develop and modify their physical activity routines to help them have the knowledge to start an appropriate level. Assessment skills also able to help students keep participating in physical activity if they know what their expected goal is. The formative testing experience will reinforce fitness gains and also enhance additional motivation for students to continue involved in physical activity (Silverman, 2008). Students learn to compare the scores with their previous performance and to design a suitable goals and activity according to their body level. Applications of appropriate use of fitness tests taught in clas s equip students with the knowledge and skills to participate and to select appropriate physical activity and help them to perform self-assessment. To incorporating health-related fitness assessment into fitness education, teacher should teach students the purpose of doing the fitness test or other fitness-based activity. Student should understand the instructional content before performing the test. Then, fitness testing should be formative. Teacher should plan the educational experience to use fitness testing results to design future activity for students while also teaching students that health-related fitness can be improved and assessment is integral to that process. Another way is to conduct fitness education by infusing fitness lessons into curriculum. This can be done by relating each activity done to fitness. So, student will have better understanding on how those activities related and improve their body fitness, why that aspect of fitness is important. With that knowledge, students are able to understand and eventually improve their performance on that activity. For example, students participate in school gymnasium sh ould know that gymnasium activity are exercising their heart and will help make them healthy and good for their heart. They should know the health-related fitness component is called aerobic fitness and helps to prevent heart disease. With this understanding, students were being more motivated on physical activity. The use of fitness test helps students to understand health-related fitness and how testing can be used to improve and enhance fitness. Infusing health-related fitness test in physical education can increase student knowledge, attitudes and fitness. In primary schools students, teacher will help students in assessment and plan their future physical activity, but in secondary school, after fitness testing, students could provide an analysis of their strengths and weaknesses and develop a fitness program suitable to them. Teacher could use variety of teaching strategies such as reciprocal teaching, self-check against predetermined rubrics and assessments such as using the analysis and plan for providing feedback to the students (Silverman, 2008) to help students to improve and also to monitor their program. Planning and assessment of physical activity is necessary in order to improve students learning experience and to meet the goals of instructions (Silverman, 2008). Without assessment, we are unable to know our standard and level. Teachers act as a reflection as a form of assessment to assess fitness education the result of the assessment is for the teacher to do self-assessment and reflect on the lesson. Teacher means act as a problem solvers (i.e., design the content or lesson to achieve goal and to assess achievement of the goal, and whether there are other better ways to enhance instruction). Second step is student learning. Fitness testing result is to examine student learning from multiple perspectives (increase various component of health-related fitness, increases in physical activity, attitude toward fitness and physical activity). This health-related fitness test may tell how fit students are, ignoring the fitness improvement, physical activity and attitude development. Next is the appropriate use of accountability for assessing fitness education. Principals should be aware that fitness testing may lead negative consequences. Always ensure that the test is use appropriately and must be used within the context and perform a complete fitness education program if we want students to live in physically active lives. Assessment and accountability program should design appropriately and examine from time to time being as one aspect of student assessment and physical grading. As a school physical education teacher, I strongly believe that health-related fitness tests that are used in an appropriate educational manner can be a useful tool to enhance student learning and also health level. Although there is wide variation in the capabilities of students, the main purpose of fitness instruction should be that every student can work towards being fit and reach healthy level. While designing the test, physical class teachers should consider those less capability students and help them to improve by educating health-related fitness. The main focus on physical education should be on evolving fitness process, students participation regardless on performance and result achieved. A well-planned physical fitness program with a positive classroom environment is very crucial to yield positive attitude, interest and motivation of students on physical activity especially for those less capability. Teachers should put more efforts on those students who may feel fitness t esting is an embarrassment. Silverman (2008) suggested that assessment methods can move from group administration of test to pairs testing or self-assess. It can help to utilize time better, develop self-assessment skills and less embarrassing for most students. In a nutshell, I agree to infuse health-related fitness in physical class. Both physical activity and health-related fitness is equaled important to enhance body fitness and health. In order to have positive outcome, physical educator should designed an appropriate program for students in order to improve their fitness and encourage them to participate in physical activity and not to emphasize on performance achieved. Educators have to alert those students who are less capable in physical activities and encourage them, support them to involve in physical activity and educate them on health-related fitness. So that they can understand why they need to do that particular activity and what is the benefits of doing that. Educators should stress more on health-related fitness rather than performance-related fitness. Cale, L., Harris, J. (2002). National testing for children: Issues, concerns, and alternatives. British Journal of Teaching Physical Education, 33 (1), 32-34. Cale, L., Harris, J., Chen, M.H. (2007). More than 10 years after The horse is deadà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦: Surely it must be time to dismount?! Pediatric Exercise Sciences, 19, 115-131. Corbin, C.B. (1981). First things first but dont stop there. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 52(1), 36-38. Corbin, C.B. (2005). Keynote address: Promoting active living: The key to shaping up for a lifetime. Vermont Association of Health, Physical Education, Dance, and Recreation Fall Conference. November, 2005. Killington, Vermont. Corbin, C.B., Pangrazi, R.P. (1993). Physical fitness: Questions teachers ask. Journal of Physical Education, Research and Dance, 64 (7), 14-19. Corbin, C.B., Pangrazi, R.P., Welk, G.L. (1995). A response to The horse is dead: Lets dismount. Pediatric Exercise Science, 7, 347-351. Domangue, E.A. (2009). A critical examination into motivation and gender in youth physical fitness testing (Doctoral dissertation), Louisiana State University, LA. Hale, D. (2005). An invitation to health. (11th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning, Inc. Hillman, C.H., Castelli, D.M., Buck, S.M. (2005). Aerobic fitness and neurocognitive function in healthy preadolescent children. Medicine Science in Sports Exercise, 37, 1967-1974. Karinharju, K (2005). Physical fitness and its testing in adults with intellectual disability. (Master dissertation), University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. Keating, X.D., Silverman, S. (2004). Teachers use of fitness tests in school-based physical education programs. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 8, 145-165. Malina, R.M., Bouchard, C., Bar-Or, O. (2004). Growth, maturation, and physical activity. (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Rowland, T.W. (1995). The horse is dead; Lets dismount. Pediatric Exercise Science, 7, 117-120. Silverman, S., Keating, X.D., Phillips, S.R. (2008). A lasting impression: A pedagogical perspective on youth fitness testing. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 12: 146-166 Simons-Morton, B.G., Parcel, G.S., OHara, N.M., Blair, S.N., Pate, R.R. (1988). Health-related physical fitness in childhood: status and recommendations. Annual Review of Public Health, 9, 403-425. Yesalonia, S. (2009). Understanding school students perspectives regarding physical activity and fitness (Doctoral dissertation), Available from Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3352936)

Myths In Human Civilization :: essays research papers

Myths In Human Civilization Throughout the history of human civilization, myths have been an integral part of human society. Myths have no cultural boundaries as they can be found in all cultural societies. The word myth can be referred to the classical Greek and Roman mythology or a contemporary myth. Regardless of the type of myth, they are stories used to give meaning to a phenomenon or symbolic manner to the natural cycles that surround humankind. Myths are used to explain and understand our existence in our world whether it is something that we can tangibly see or not. The saga of a myth is past down from one generation to the next. For the purpose of this assignment, I will be analyzing three articles that deal with a myth. With each of these articles, I will attempt to explain how the author uses the term within the context of the article. Finally, I will be concluding the analysis of the articles with reference to class notes on what we have learned to date. The first article is "Phyllis Burke: Exploding Myths of Male and Female." which is a book review. The author of the book, Phyllis Burke, writes of Gender Identity Disorder or GIS that effects both male and female children. A child labeled with GIS occurs when the child is not confirming to appropriate gender behaviour. For example, if a boy wants to play with dolls and dress up as the opposite sex. Burke reveals that at a young age all children in the gender socialization process are encouraged to play with gender appropriate toys and roles. If the child does not conform to these roles laid out by our gender conscious society, they are forbidden and discouraged to continue with their behaviour. Burke continues to write that GIS children may find themselves in play therapy or even in psychiatric hospitals. In analyzing the way in which myth is used in this article, it is found in the way our society has created gender roles for children, teenagers and even adults. There is no biological evidence that girls can not play rough with other girls and boys. It is the gender appropriate behaviour that has stereotyped our thinking that this activity is not appropriate. Most would rather see girls playing with dolls and boys being the ones who play rough. Burke analyzed GIS cases from the 1930s through to the early 1990s and found no biological evidence to support GIS. The behaviour that is deemed inappropriate is suppressed not by the child themselves but by others around them.

8 1/2 Federico Fellini

8 ? Federico Fellini Film 8 ? by Italian director Federico Fellini was one of the most influential film of the post-war 1960? s. Nevertheless, this film is an Italian comedy which was based on Guido Anselmi a famous Italian film director. Guido Anselmi has a mental block when it comes to his film, (â€Å"director‘s block†) and struggles with his flash backs, dreams, and reality. Guido desperately tries to find an inspiration to help him finish his film. However, with the wife, mistress, and friend’s pressure it becomes much harder for Guido to focus on his film production.This film was shot in black and white and yet of the depletion of technology and the un-discovery of color, Fellini still as a filmmaking director portrays the amusing and perplexing shots and scenes from the film in an engrossing way. Federico Fellini who directed the film gave the audience a new perspective of filmmaking and techniques. Fellini used several film techniques, but these two techni ques stood out. Mise-en-scene and camerawork which both helped make this film one of the best of its time.On the other hand, Fellini was also one of the many film directors who used reflexivity, which means he created awareness of itself as a process as well as a process. This gave the film and audience an impression of what and how Federico Fellini works on his films. The audience can in a way get into Fellini’s mind and try to understand what it is that he is thinking or struggling with. Federico Fellini made 8 ? in a non-chronological way, which means that the film has no shot order. Guido’s dreams and reality intertwined throughout the entire film.This throws the audience off track but Guido’s on and off dream, memory and reality shot’s in the end come to making sense. Fellini used mise-en-scene for 8 ?. Mise-en-scene is a French term which means â€Å"what is put into the scene/frame†. Fellini knows the importance of lighting, background, and location. This is what makes the audience more aware and also helps understand what is happening throughout the film. For example, in one of the scenes, Fellini shows Guido speaking to his father and the camera angles shows his father standing in the foreground. This makes Guido’s father look smaller in the background.This is a very good example of mise-en-scene because it’s defined as the articulation of cinematic space. In this film Fellini took very good advantage of the frame. His way of placing characters is quite fascinating he almost places them like if they’d been on a stage while filmmaking. Camerawork was the second of many techniques that Federico Fellini used for the production of 8 ?. The way Fellini used the camera to show close ups, long shots, images, frame within a frame, and montage were very eye catching to the audience. One example would be, the scene where Guido remembers when he was younger and how he was wrapped with sheets.Then suddenly h e starts to fantasize that all the women who live in the house with him, where carrying him. Fellini focused on that specific scene where Guido? s face is far beyond noticeable on the camera and the viewer can clearly see his face expressions. The audience can almost feel as if they where there with Guido in that same house. Another good example of Fellini’s great camerawork would be the scene where Guido is in some sort of sauna with many men and women, and the audience can clearly see Guido’s facial expressions when he sees the woman in some sort of bath robe walking to her side of the women? sauna. Guido rapidly, gets distracted and the viewers are able to see the close up on Guido’s face. Following the scene where Guido is called to speak to his eminence, the camera deep focus on the window that is opening and vapor is coming out. Guido’s eminence is being bathed by his helpers. Fellini really embraced the fact that Guido is very religious since he wa s very young. Despite his crazy fantasies, and memories, he still seeks for his eminence to obtain permission to do his film. However, the camera work is not the only technique that makes this film special.The shadows, dark lighting and the use of location are also, very important in 8 ?. Federico Fellini made the audience more aware of what was happening throughout the film. Location is where the moviegoers can connect with the film. To conclude Federico Fellini’s film 8 ? was very amusing despite the confusion it caused through the film. The audience struggles to see if it’s reality that is happening in Guido’s life or if it’s just another of his dreams. Now, Guido would dream and fantasize because that was a way for him to cope with his lost inspiration. ? was not only the greatest film during the post- war era, but it also influenced the making of a play, and musical named â€Å"Nine† (1980) which was a revival of the Fellini’s film 8 ?. Nevertheless, film director Federico Fellini and this film itself have made me understand much more of the various types of cinematography and filmmaking techniques there is. However, the film was confusing the surrealism of the film and Guido? s flashbacks, fantasies, and reality made Fellini? s film 8 ? quite an adventure to have seen.

Two Bad Prefixes

Two Bad Prefixes Two Bad Prefixes Two Bad Prefixes By Maeve Maddox The English prefix caco- comes from a Latinized form of Greek kakos, â€Å"bad, evil.† The English prefix mal- derives from Latin malus, â€Å"bad, evil.† A familiar â€Å"caco† word in English is cacophony, which combines â€Å"bad† with phone, â€Å"sound.† One meaning of cacophony is â€Å"the use of harsh sounding words or phrases.† For example: â€Å"There are sounds in Gaelic which, though not guttural, are cacophony itself to English ears.† In the context of speech, the opposite of cacophony is euphony. Literally â€Å"good sound,† euphony is the quality of having a pleasant sound. Cacophony can also refer to a discordant combination of sounds produced in a musical context: â€Å"The song explodes into a grating cacophony of grimy analog synths.† Apart from speech and music, cacophony is used to refer to any unpleasant combination of noises or to a confused variety of anything. For example: [During the Nazi occupation of Paris] the cacophony of daily urban engagement - passersby, hawkers, street minstrels and performers, construction work, and especially traffic noise - was severely diminished. This [daily market] was a proper, brick, glass and wrought-iron hangar which stacked up the genuine southern France in a red-blooded cacophony of sensual abundance. Note: When the context relates to sound, the word cacophony is sufficient. Modifying the word with â€Å"of sound† in the following headline is unnecessary because the context clearly relates to musical sound: â€Å"Justin Timberlake’s New Song ‘Suit Tie’ is a Cacophony of Sound.† The main use of the prefix caco- in English is in the area of medical terminology. It’s combined with other Greek or Latin elements to create words to describe the bad state of bodily organs, for example: cacoglossia: putrid state of the tongue (glossia=tongue) cacophthalmia: malignant inflammation of the eyes (ophthalmos=eye) English words that begin with the other bad prefix- mal- (â€Å"bad, badly†)- are numerous. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, most Modern English words with this prefix are 19th century coinages. Here are just a few: maladroit: clumsy, the opposite of adroit. malapropism: the ludicrous misuse of words, especially in mistaking a word for another resembling it. The word is an eponym, derived from a character in a play. The character’s name, â€Å"Mrs. Malaprop,† is a combination of mal+appropriate. One of her lines is, â€Å"Illiterate him, I say, quite from your memory.† She’s reaching for the word obliterate. malaria: a disease spread by mosquitoes. The name originates from a belief that diseases were caused by bad air. Malaria is an Italian borrowing: mal+aria (air). malediction: a curse. Latin mal+dicere (to speak). maleficent: given to evildoing. Maleficent is the name of an evil Disney character. In the 1959 film Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent is unambiguously evil. I expect that in the new film, she’s just misunderstood. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What is the Difference Between "These" and "Those"?Flier vs. FlyerList of 50 Compliments and Nice Things to Say!

Hurricanes and Tornados essays

Hurricanes and Tornados essays Hurricanes and tornadoes are some of the most violent natural occurring disasters known to mankind. Some on the gulf coast see hurricane opal as a distance memory, but most are reminded of her every time they drive on highway 98 and see the sand dunes building back from nothing to that great statue that they once were. While there are many differences between the two, the stark similarities are as dramatic. Both are centered on gusting wind swirling around a center; however the diameters of the storms are quite different. While hurricanes can range from 100 to 300 miles wide, tornadoes usually have only a length of less than two miles. However, a tornado makes up for its small size with extremely high wind speeds, in excess of over 250 miles per hour. Hurricanes on the contrary have wind speeds from 74 to 160 miles per hour. To compare and to contrast hurricanes and tornadoes the main areas of interest are the creation of both disasters, and the destructive power that is associ ated with both tornadoes and hurricanes. Hurricanes get their start over the warm tropical waters of the North Atlantic Ocean near the equator. Most hurricanes appear in late summer or early fall, when sea temperatures are at their highest. The warm waters heat the air above it, and the updrafts of warm, moist air begin to rise. At that longitude in the tropics, there is usually a layer of warm, dry air that acts like an invisible ceiling or lid. Once in a while, the lid that prevents the hurricane from forming is destroyed. Scientists do not know why this happens; however, when it does, it's the first step in the birth of a hurricane. With the lid off, the warm, moist air rises higher and higher. Heat energy, released as the water vapor in the air, condenses. As it condenses it drives the upper drafts to heights of 50,000 to 60,000 feet. The cumuli clouds become towering thunderheads. From outside the storm area, air moves in ...

Global Perspectives on Innovation and Creativity Essay - 2

Global Perspectives on Innovation and Creativity - Essay Example The researcher states that EMC as a corporation is at the forefront has ensured that businesses provide competitive cutting-edge IT services. Through its transformation in cloud computing, EMC has achieved tremendous success in the way it handles information in its IT departments in a simple, secure and the most effective cost-efficient way. VMware Inc. is an American software company that provides virtualization and cloud software and services and in fact, it was the first that fruitfully virtualized x86 architecture. The company is based in Palo Alto, California. In 2004, it became a subordinate of EMC Corporation of which EMC sold15% of the company in a stock exchange in New York IPO and it operates under the icon VMW (Butler 2014). Customers are now dependent on VMware to help them solve their daily Information Technology needs. In 2012 alone, VMware revenues amounted to $ 4.61 billion with over half a million customers and more than 55,000 associates in addition to its many offi ces all over the world apart from its headquarters in Silicon Valley. The contribution from both sides is meant to reinforce a large group of the consumer by providing a software designed for storage in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and an easy way of recovering lost data. Geared towards optimization of consumer use, VMware Virtual SAN infrastructure will feature management based on storage and minimized and inexpensive server-side storage TCO. The geographical distribution of the incorporation facilities lab will ensure that product development of the VMware and EMC, also feature third-party technology that is compatible with its products.

Ryanair assignment ( new instructions to follow) Essay

Ryanair assignment ( new instructions to follow) - Essay Example However, before the airline looks further in different areas where services can be charged for, Ryanair needs to know the customer response to this strategy of charging for online check-ins. The impact of the economic crisis has hit all the carriers since 2008 which has prompted most low cost carriers to take stringent actions (Dunn, 2009). The low cost carriers thrive on the cost consciousness business passengers as people look for cheaper alternatives. Passengers become price sensitive, according to Ryanair while customer sentiment is focused on value, according to JetBlue. The smaller low cost carriers have closed shop while the larger ones can afford to charge for services, as they are the most sought after during such times. Airlines have started charging fees for additional baggage, for checked baggage or for bags that are heavy (Kahler, 2009). Ryanair admits that ancillary revenues made up 20% of its revenues in 2008 (Deprez, 2009). Ryanair does not have an impressive customer service record. Ryanair has been charged for fleecing money from its customers. While they may fly passengers even at  £ 1, passengers they do not offer refreshments for flight delays and nor do they provide a hotel for flight cancellations (HRIMD, 2007). Before deciding to charge for ancillary services, an airline has to take into account customer satisfaction, retention and loyalty. There is a difference between perceived quality and satisfaction. Perceived service quality is an attitude, an evaluation whereas satisfaction is a transaction specific measure (Baisya & Sarkar, 2004). Ryanair would have to decide on its objective based on whether they want customers that are ‘satisfied’ with their performance or they want to deliver the maximum level of ‘perceived’ service quality. Customer satisfaction has long-term benefits such as reduced failure costs and enhanced reputation of the airline. Personal service and going out of the way to serve the people in