Globalization on the people of Belize. Essay

Local and regional tensions have increased while the prospects of conflict with regional states have increased. In certain cases globalization has become a disruptive force by fragmenting the state of Belize. Some groups inside Belize have opposed globalization because of their strong nationalism and sense of identity (Barnett 69, 2000). Trade agreements with larger countries has allowed for the removal of all obstacles to corporate infiltration of Belize. Companies extend their businesses to Belize where labor force allows them to accumulate high profits at the expense of local workers and government. They also exploit Belize as they employ person outside the country work in the higher paying jobs. Most of the profits made by these corporations is sent outside the region and not spent inside Belize. The trade of Belize has also been affected because corporations have the technology and financial resources to produce goods and services at cheaper prices and bulk quantities as compared with the domestic market. Some local business organizations in Belize have lost their identities in the global trade (Barnett 68, 2000). Globalization also creates a strong sense of nationalism because it restricts the ability of Belizean government to control its policies. It has allowed free access to markets which were once protected. The country has found itself open to unfair competition with vastly larger neighboring countries. The economy has been vulnerable to the world price of commodities like sugar cane, bananas and other agricultural products. Globalization has a negative impact on the culture of Belize. The people of Belize are exposed to the music, news, sporting events, television shows, and movies which come out of the United States of America. The younger citizens of Belize are attracted to the culture of the US. They have marginalized the traditional music and arts of their country. Cultural events of the country have been ignored by the youth of Belize. Since American media has a culture of violence, these negative aspects have been transferred to the youth of Belize. There have been rise in crime and violence in the country. Health and environment also have negative repercussions from the advent of globalization. Transportation technology has made communications more efficient and less time consuming but it has also contributed to the spread of deadly and infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS (Neuman 30, 2003). The country is also at risk of global warming which is a negative byproduct of globalization. Global warming has occurred because of the burning of fossil fuels and creation of nuclear waste. Industrialized countries produce and exchange goods rapidly which forces the environment to become more lethal and toxic. Small countries like Belize have been affected by the rise of global warming. They are at threat because of the changes in weather patterns, increased costs in fuels, inflation, and potential environmental disasters (Neuman 30, 2003). The environmental degradation of Belize has been one of the negative aspects of globalization. Many animal species are at threat because of environmental pollution in Belize. Recommendations Belize has witnessed the positive and negative impact of globalization. The opening of its economy and markets has helped to increase the level of social spending in the country. The health and education indicators have also improved. The economy has also registered moderate economic growth. Globalization has helped the country to increase the standard of living. Belize has a robust economy which is dependant on financial services, sugar cane, shrimp, tourism, and oil reserves. The economy however faces challenges because of the substantial foreign debt. The political system is open and tolerant as compared with regional states. But it is recommended that Belize continue to focus on political transparency and accountability. The political system must be enhanced by ensuring that policy making is strong. The institutions of the country must also be strengthened which would assist the country in making better policy decisions. The Belizean government must strive to limit the negative affects of globalization. The culture of violence, crime, disease, environmental pollution is severe threats to the country. Belize Telemedia must continue to expand its network and deploy technologies in the rural areas. It must decrease its reliance on fixed telephone services which have witnessed declining revenues. It must improve the coverage and range of cellular services which is the fastest growing sector in the country. It is also recommended that BTL continue to enhance its services by promoting efficiency and reliability. BTL should increase its fixed line, cellular, and internet services to the rural areas which would benefit the local economy. Conclusion Globalization is a controversial topic which has sparked fierce debates in the world. Belize is a small country located in Central America. It has been the recipient of the positive and negative aspects of globalization. On the positive side, the economy is liberal, open, and private. It has reduced its tariffs and duties on several goods. Globalization has helped the country to link with international markets. International corporations have invested in the country which has led to the development of infrastructure and business. The country also has a robust domestic private sector which has advertised the services and goods of Belize. Tourism has substantially increased with the advent of globalization. It is a major source of revenue in the country. Tourists can now use cheap and less time consuming modes of transportation to travel to the country. The economy of Belize is still vulnerable to the external shocks of commodity prices in the world. The increased role of multinational corporations has also reduced the ability of the government to control its policies. The youth of Belize have been influenced by the culture of the US. There has been an increase in crime and spread of diseases like HIV/AIDS. Belize Telemedia has also been successful because of globalization and trade liberalization. It has increased its network coverage and provision of various services. The company now provides cellular, fixed line, internet, and data communication services to urban and rural areas. It has also deployed wireless networks for rural residents and business organizations. References: Kalinina, Olga. (2008). Belize. Standard Poors. 1 (2), 1-24. Neuman, Stephanie G. (ed. ). Small States and Segmented Societies. New York: Praeger, 2003 Furtado, Celso. Economic Development of Central America. (2d. ed. ; trans. , Suzette Macedo. ). (Cambridge Latin America Series. ) London: Cambridge University Press, 2005 Jeffrey, Henry B. , and Colin Baber. Belize: Politics, Economics, and Society. Boulder, Colorado: Rienner, 2006. Barnett, Carla Natalie. â€Å"The Political Economy of Land in Belize: `Machete Must Fly’. † (Ph. D. dissertation. ) Mona, Kingston Jamaica: University of the West Indies, 2000. Barry, Tom. Belize: A Country Guide. Albuquerque, New Mexico: Inter-Hemispheric Education Resource Center, 2005 Bolland, O. Nigel. Land in Belize. Kingston, Jamaica: Institute of Social and Economic Research, 2006. Broad, David. â€Å"Belize: On the Rim of the Cauldron,† MonthlyReview, 2007, 38-42. Fernandez, Julio A. Belize: Case Study for Democracy in Central America. Brookfield, Vermont: Gower, 2006 Brock, Gerald (2005) Telecommunication Policy for the Information Age: From Monopoly to Competition. Harvard University Press Mansell, Robin (2007). The New Telecommunications: a political economy of network evolution. London, SAGE Publications Calabrese, A. and D. Jung (2007). Broadband telecommunications in Central America. Telecommunication Policy 16 BTL. (2008). Belize Telemedia Limited. Available: http://www. belizetelemedia. net/directors-report-2007. php. Last accessed 2 Aug 2008 Cronin, F. J. , E. B. Parker, et al. (2007). Telecommunication Infrastructure investment and economic-development. Telecommunication Policy 17 Fox, W. F. and S. Porca (2007). Investing in Rural Infrastructure. International Regional Science Review 24.

Food Adulteration Essay

A) Adulterated food: a serious public health problem in Bangladesh Adulteration of food with toxic chemicals harmful to health has reached an epidemic proportion in Bangladesh. The newspapers have dubbed it as the ‘silent killer’. It is very difficult to find a sector of food industry which is free of adulteration. From raw vegetable and fruits to milk and milk products to fish, meat and processed food–every food item is contaminated. Almost every day in the news papers, newer and newer methods of adulterating newer and newer types of foods are reported. Carbide, formalin, textile colors, artificial sweeteners, DDT, urea etc. are used rampantly for this purpose. Contamination of foods with toxic chemicals pose a serious threat to public health, especially in a country like Bangladesh where due to poor health literacy, level of awareness is very low. Immediate effect of ingestion of such foods may be severe forms of diarrhoea (food poisoning), threatening life. Ironically, people from all walks of life is aware of the hazards of taking foods adulterated with toxic chemicals, but this knowledge is not translated into practice. There is no paucity of laws and regulations to contain adulteration of food in Bangladesh such as Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute (BSTI) Ordinance of 1985, and the Pure Food Ordinance of 2005. Under the purview of these rules come the following offences: fake licenses, poor quality of food, substandard infrastructure and lack of maintaining hygiene, food adulteration, food impurity, incorrect information on food packages, selling products whose date have expired etc.. B) GM Food in Bangladesh Bangladesh takes to GM food crops [DHAKA] Bangladesh has become the first South Asian country to approve commercial cultivation of a genetically modified (GM) food crop — brinjal (also known as eggplant or aubergine) spliced with a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis . On 28 October, Bangladesh’s National Committee on Biosafety (NBC) approved cultivation of four indigenous varieties of brinjal incorporating a gene from the B.thuringiensis (Bt) to make it resistant to attacks by the fruit and shoot borer (FSB), a common pest in South and Southeast Asia. â€Å"We will make seeds and distribute them among the farmers. Hopefully, the vegetables will be available in the market next year,† Mohammad Rafiqul Islam Mondal, director-general of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), tells SciDev. Net. According to BARI scientists, the Bt protein in GM brinjal disrupts the digestive systems of the FSB pests, causing them to die within three days of ingestion. The approval comes in the teeth of protests from a section of health, agriculture and environmental activists, accusing the government of ignoring the possibility of negative impacts on public health from consuming the GM version of a popular vegetable. http://www. scidev. net/south-asia/agriculture/news/bangladesh-takes-to-gm-food-crops. html ?Who should and can be held accountable for uncontrolled food adulteration in Bangladesh. ?What are the main ethical issues of massive food adulteration in Bangladesh? ?What are the corruption interfaces of uncontrolled food adulteration in Bangladesh What are the ethical issues related to unbridled rise of GM food in Bangladesh and how government can play role to face the challenge rising GM food in relation to of food security and food safety? ?How best ethical practices of the civil servants can play vital role to curb food adulteration and meet the challenge of GM food. Please write down a comprehensive essay of about 1250 words (Word ranges between 1125-1375) addressing the above questions in your own work. You c Instructions 1. Use your own thinking and ideas and learning from the course. 2. Should be hand written. 3. Use A4 size paper. With margin 1. 0 top and bottom margins; 1. 0 to 1. 25 left and right and about 100-150 words per page. Use both side of the paper. 4. Use Given assignment cover page format . 5. Do not any spiral binding and extra binding 6. Use at least 6 references from different scholarly books, articles, journals or other sources. 7. Standard apply to evaluation. 8. Follow standard referencing system. Individual Assignment: Structure and Content: 40% Language, Style, Logical Flow, Referencing: 20% Consistency and Relevance: 20% Analytical Capability: 20%.

Challenges of teaching and learning in inner city

Every kid deserves the right to an instruction that will help them to accomplish accomplishments and makings used throughout their lives. For many old ages now, this has been a cardinal purpose across Englands Government system, foregrounding the demand for a alteration in the quality and handiness of services, back uping all kids in the procedure of get the better ofing possible obstructions, enabling them to carry through their possible. â€Å" All kids deserve this sort of good start in life, irrespective of where they live, where they go to school, or their household background. † ( DCSF 2009 p.2 ) For many kids, school provides an array of rich and rewarding experiences, leting them the chance to boom in their acquisition and win to their possible. This nevertheless does non happen for all kids, with old grounds foregrounding that pupils from poorer backgrounds achieve less than their equals. Nevertheless, turn toing this issue has become a cardinal mission among Government leaders, school senior direction and instructors, taking to interrupt the nexus between disadvantage and low educational accomplishment. To ease these ambitious purposes, the Government implemented through the Children ‘s Act ( 2004 ) , a legislative programme that would use a reform within the Education system. Every Child Matters: Change for kids ( 2004 ) outlined a national model that would set up programmes of alteration, edifice services around the demands of all kids and immature people, taking to maximize chance and minimise hazard. Through five cardinal results: being healthy, remaining safe, basking and accomplishing, doing a positive part and accomplishing economic well being, the aspiration for the national model was to contract the spread between kids ‘s attainment degrees and purpose to advance positive good being in childhood and subsequently life. The primary focal point was to sketch a national model for alteration, designed to better and incorporate services, working together more efficaciously to run into the demands of kids and immature people. The results for the bringing of concerted services were to guarantee that all kids and immature people be safeguarded from injury, have better chances to develop and make their possible and receive effectual support, where necessary, from targeted services. Furthermore, parents and carers would hold better entree to services they require, having advice and support where necessary. The Every Child Matters ( 2004 ) model set out a vision for a individualized and high quality, integrated service, available for all to entree. In order to interrupt the nexus between disadvantage and low accomplishment, and have every kid successfully attain the five specific results, those that work closely with kids and immature people need to understand the effects of deprived upbringings and what barriers they can show. The causes behind hapless upbringings are diverse and varied, but must be noted that money may non be the exclusive ground. Poor lodging and unequal diet are important factors ; nevertheless, cultural barriers to larning can besides hold a dramatic affect on kids, particularly for those that live in disadvantaged communities, preponderantly within the interior metropolis. Parental sentiments of the value of schooling act as a cardinal factor as low aspirations and agnosticism about instruction can act upon kids ‘s beliefs. The impact of this can go more evident when kids start go toing full clip schooling, as the scope of their educational experiences can change dramatically. Some kids, from more advantaged places, may hold had entree to a greater assortment of educational experiences such as books, visits to interesting topographic points like museums and theaters, every bit good as the wider universe, advancing acquisition at an early phase. Unfortunately, nevertheless, other parents may non hold the money, resources, accomplishments or assurance to supply their kids with such experiences, perchance impacting their acquisition development. The significance of this is huge, act uponing a kid ‘s future educational experiences unless tackled at an early age. In the study Interrupting the nexus between disadvantage and low attainment: Everyone ‘s concern ( 2009 ) , it is expressed that ; â€Å" When kids start school already behind their equals, this can set up a go oning rhythm of under – public presentation. They find it difficult to maintain up and so may larn more easy, hence falling even further buttocks. † ( DCSF 2009 p.18 ) Interrupting this rhythm of under accomplishment requires Government, schools and wellness attention bureaus to seek to advance ways to battle the effects of poorness as kids from disadvantaged backgrounds can be at increased hazard of being unable to entree the course of study, and lose assurance in their ability to win. Within the Enjoy and achieve result of Every Child Matters ( 2004 ) , it is outlined that kids should be ready for their school experience, and attend and bask their acquisition through active engagement. Children should play an active function in accomplishing national instruction criterions, fostering this with their personal and societal development. Previous research has shown that it is paramount that instructor ‘s identify those who are falling behind early on through appraisal, conveying about a individualized attack to learning and larning. Harmonizing to Gilbert ( 2006 ) , personalisation should be a cardinal characteristic of instruction, later raisi ng the outlooks for students, guaranting the intended results match their outlooks. As it is believed that students from disadvantaged groups within our society are least likely to accomplish good, the Every Child Matters ( 2004 ) docket emphasises the importance of every kid, irrespective of their societal background, holding an impregnable instruction: â€Å" Children and immature people learn and thrive when they are healthy, safeguarded from injury and engaged. The grounds shows clearly that educational accomplishment is the most effectual manner to better results for hapless kids and interrupt the rhythm of want. † ( DCSF 2004 p.8 ) This farther physiques upon Gilbert ‘s ( 2006 ) accent of individualized instruction and acquisition, as cut downing the persistent and unacceptable spreads in mean attainment, between different societal groups, requires focus upon what indispensable cognition and accomplishments kids require in order to boom in our changing universe. This lays farther accent on the importance of instructors geting cardinal qualities in order to help all kids, irrespective of their background, on both an educational and societal degree. Although an outstanding pedagogical attack to instruction is cardinal, instructors must chiefly understand why some kids fail to entree instruction and make their possible. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds, frequently populating within an interior metropolis environment, could see an array of barriers to their acquisition, encouraging schools and local governments to implement and follow schemes to turn to them. Within Interrupting the nexus between disad vantage and low attainment ( 2009 ) it was expressed that the effects of disadvantage can be cumulative and relentless, typically taking to hapless students doing slower advancement, frequently attributed to assorted factors. As antecedently outlined, spreads within kids ‘s cognitive ability, before the age of five, could put the foundations for low accomplishment, farther stressing the demand of multi bureau cooperation. The Every Child Matters ( 2004 ) , model emphasises the impression that supplying support for households is imperative, advancing the benefits of early acquisition experiences and the importance of the place acquisition environment. Lack of parental support could take down kids ‘s aspirations, act uponing their behavior and attending at school, therefore making personal barriers to get the better of. Reacting to this, harmonizing to Balls ( 2009 ) , requires schools and instructors to work closely with parents and households, using cardinal behavior and absence policies. With add-on to these societal barriers, kids from deprived upbringings are frequently more likely to be recognised as holding Particular Educational Needs ( SEN ) . Balls ( 2010 ) expressed that the designation of Particular Educational Needs ( SEN ) should non be confused with the belief of underperformance or non meeting possible. Through actively turn toing particular educational proviso, instructors should convey about individualized instruction and acquisition attacks, implementing appropriate intercessions where necessary. This farther builds upon a old Government study, Quality Standards for Special Educational Needs ( SEN ) support and Outreach services ( 2008 ) . The criterions outlined aimed to steer the development of proviso and support, helping local governments and others in finding appropriate resources and rating procedures. Furthermore, the study highlighted how choice Special Educational Needs proviso can lend straight to the five Every Child Mat ters ( 2004 ) results. Understanding the societal and educational barriers that kids populating within the interior metropolis can see allows instructors to, as the Every Child Matters ( 2004 ) docket highlighted, support students wider good – being, and take a individualized attack to larning. One important undertaking that aimed to convey about alterations to battle the disadvantage and low attainment nexus was that of The Extra Mile: How schools win in raising aspirations in disadvantaged communities ( 2008 ) . The undertaking aspired to research in item the barriers that kids from deprived communities face, seeking ways to better their opportunities to win at school. The focal point of the undertaking was non entirely on kids from utmost poorness, but more on kids whose households have been hapless for coevalss, frequently populating within communities with high offense degrees and low skilled, ill paying occupations. The impact of this generational poorness can foster construct upon kids Ã¢â‚¬Ë œs barriers to larning and influence accomplishment at school, as parental cynicism about the importance of instruction, can be made more evident: â€Å" Parents may hold had bad experiences of their ain at school, and this rubs off on their kids. Sometimes, the emphasiss of their state of affairs are reflected in the behavior of their kids, who come to school troubled and wary, and non mentally prepared for larning. † ( DCSF 2008 p.3 ) With the purpose of raising aspirations for all kids, the undertaking leaders investigated, through sing first-class schools within disadvantaged countries of England, the features that instructors and school administrations require so to convey about alteration within instruction. Research showed that dynamic leaders bring a committedness, thrust and finding, actuating staff and making a ‘can bash ‘ ethos across the school. Furthermore, the schools visited aimed to guarantee that staff and students have an array of chances to turn and come on, bring forthing quality schoolroom experiences, orienting the course of study to the demands of their students intake. This builds upon the Every Child Matters ( 2004 ) docket, emphasizing the importance of individualized instruction and acquisition, easing all kids, irrespective of their background or start in life. Furthermore, through following a individualized teaching method, instructors can help kids to achieve their possible, constructing formidable foundations for future acquisition. Pedagogy and Personalisation ( 2007 ) highlighted that ; â€Å" Personalised acquisition agencies that kids and immature people, whatever their starting point, are able to carry through their possible as scholars. † ( ibid 2007 p.7 ) For all instructors, it is imperative that they engage their students in larning through a positive and motivative ethos ; nevertheless, within the interior metropolis environment it is apparent how this encouraging attack to learning and larning can significantly contract the attainment spreads between kids. Balls ( 2009 ) expressed that the success of this really much relies upon a cardinal scheme that would advance equality and inclusion within every school. Through developing a universal system, Balls ( 2009 ) aimed for all schools and instructors to put high aspirations for kids ‘s accomplishments, orienting larning experiences to specific demands and guaranting that every kid has person within the school that can back up their development. This specific result builds upon a antecedently implemented scheme intended to advance first-class instruction and acquisition within the interior metropolis. Excellence in Cities ( 2001 ) identified the benefits of single support for k ids, presenting Learning Mentors to better chances for deprived students. Working aboard learning staff and within the school ‘s pastoral support system, larning wise mans help kids to acquire the most out of their school experience, working with parents to enable them to foster back up their kid. Teaching, as a profession, is one of the most demanding occupations ; physically, emotionally and intellectually, nevertheless learning within the interior metropolis environment, can convey about farther challenges for both established and developing instructors. Meeting the demands of interior metropolis kids requires difficult work and dedication, constructing upon established partnerships to convey about alteration. Quality acquisition experiences are imperative ; nevertheless, within the interior metropolis these experiences can alter kids ‘s future chances. Interrupting the low attainment and disadvantage nexus, through understanding barriers to acquisition, requires instructors to guarantee that all kids have the chances to boom and develop, obtaining the Every Child Matters ( 2004 ) , outcomes, and lay the foundations for future acquisition.

Business innovating Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business innovating - Coursework Example ry passage point is referred to as a single locus that is able to shape and mobilize the local network and develop control over all transactions between the local and the global networks in market innovation context. Local network is the relationship between various agents in market setting in which optimization of gains is the central focus within the local market while global is the international perspective of the business innovation diffusion in regard to Actor-Network theory. Intermediaries can be defined as entities which make no difference and so can be ignored as they merely transport the force of some other entity more or less without transformation and so are fairly uninteresting. On the other hand, mediators are entities that multiply difference and so should be the object of study as their outputs cannot be predicted by their inputs. The two concepts are derived from actor-network theory. A typical example is silk and nylon and how they are defined in different societal

Psychology research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Psychology research paper - Essay Example (Bruens 1998, 25) Charlotte Perkins Gilman is also believed to have described herself and her own psychopathic state in her story The yellow wallpaper. Many eminently creative individuals have been retrospectively diagnosed with mood disorders, suggesting relationships between creativity and affective disorders. Jamison (1989) described several research paradigms used to study relationships between mood disorders and creativity. A common approach uses historical and biographical studies to provide anecdotal evidence for high rates of affective illness in eminently creative individuals, suggesting artists and writers may have a 2-3-fold more psychosis, mood disorders and suicide compared to people in less creative professions. (Simeonova et. al 2005) Basing on the research conducted by Andreasen who studied for over fifteen years the members of the writing workshop at the Iowa University, K. Jamison who studied 47 British writers and artists, A. M. Ludwig who had done a biographical survey of 1,005 important 20th-century writers, artists and other creative people, etc. M. Ingram states that '[t]he writers had a substantially higher rate of mental illness, predominantly affective, with a tendency towards bipolar attacks'. (Ingram 2001) The study of Guastello et. al showed that cyclothymia is extremely highly represented among creative people. (2004) Different studies have demonstrated "relationships between creativity and bipolar disorder (BD) in individuals, and suggested familial transmission of both creativity and BD". (Simeonova et. al 2005) Hershman and Lieb researched "the often turbulent lives and careers" of talented people, linking their psychological state and manic depression they suffered from to their creativity, and demonstrating "how manic-depressive disorder often becomes the essential difference between talent and genius and offers insights into the obstacles and problems this illness posed for highly creative people in all fields". (Hershman & Lieb 1998) As it can be clearly seen, there are two basic approaches to investigating the psychic states of writers establishing the connection between their creativity and mood disorders, one being based predominantly upon their biographies and other records of their lives, and another - on assessing living creative people. Yet, we presume that one more approach might prove effective as far as researching the link between bipolar disorder and creativity is concerned, and namely - textual analysis of the works of writers. In our research we are planning to concentrate on the works of Virginia Woolf. Modern science being anthropocentric, literary text should be studied taking into account social and psychological peculiarities of its author. Thus, we presume that the evidence for the writer's state can be collected from her texts, above all novels and essays. Manic-depressive disorder is a disease that usually reveals itself in periodic changes of manic and depressive phases separated from each other by

AGM -an ineffective forum for shareholder democracy Essay

AGM -an ineffective forum for shareholder democracy - Essay Example Corporate governance - an awkward phrase with several definitions among which the simplest and effective is the one that describes corporate governance as a system by which companies are directed and controlled (Committee on the Financial Aspects of Corporate Governance, 1992)1. Corporate Governance supports businesses that are well managed, well directed, and well controlled. Indeed one of the functions of good corporate governance is to help ensure that good management is in place. Nevertheless, some of the most conspicuous failures in recent years have stemmed from a failure of the control function or from poor direction.All systems of corporate governance have to be considered against the social, economic, legal, and political background of the country in which they developed. A study of the relevant laws governing corporations does not reveal enough in any country unless they are understood on the basis of attitudes and patterns of behaviour to make sense of them. Examples are t hat of the company laws of Japan and the UK that are not too dissimilar in structure, but the results are poles apart. When we examine remuneration we find a marked difference in approach between the USA and Germany, where exorbitant share schemes have in the one become common and barely exist in the other. According to Charkham & Simpson (1999) "The impact upon competitiveness appears irrelevant, however other differences tell us that banks play a much larger part in Germany and Japan, not because of any deliberate policy, but because their economies happened to develop in ways in which this occurred and by the same token the stock market has a bigger role in the UK and USA"2 (Charkham & Simpson, 1999, p. 28). Reforms on both sides show that no system is immune to pressure for change, be it domestic or international. One purpose of good corporate governance is to reduce this accident rate, because unnecessary collapse is so damaging to all concerned; and where it occurs in a major company may be catastrophic. Another purpose is to encourage management to seize opportunities, and we can only speculate on how many have not been taken in the UK over the years. Corporate governance as a subject therefore is as broad as life itself, because it touches upon fundamental elements in the economy and society at large. The Role of AGM The reason for considering AGM ineffective might be the choice of a year as the period between company meetings appear a reflection of the world of nature and the tyranny of the seasons, rather than any particular logic dictated by the needs of any organisation that is not subject to them. Shareholders recognised this in the political world by having elections at various intervals and, even the UK has itself varied and to this day does not have a uniform period between elections for all levels of government. This means AGM does not support shareholders in terms of democratic elections and as far as companies are concerned, there is no particular reason, especially in these days of overflowing information, why the annual AGM cycle should be a year long. Sometimes it might be a half-year, or a quarter, for that matter eighteen months or two years, there is no particular timings for conducting regular elections. On the other hand taxation has a bearing on the choice of period and most governments raise taxes on an annual cycle but even this is not necessarily immutable and the accounting period does not have to be twelve months either; indeed

Discuss the relevant issues which surround Directors' Remuneration Essay

Discuss the relevant issues which surround Directors' Remuneration Packages and actions which have been taken to solve these issues of contention - Essay Example ty has been demanding for institutional investors to support an autonomous call for companies to either reconsider the payment of top level management or face harsh actions on the corporate governance policy by the government. Thus, the definition of directors’ remuneration has emerged as a major issue of academic interest which is the objective of the study (Prasanna, 2005). Correspondingly, the issues discussed within this study include regular increase of directors’ remuneration as compared to the stagnant pay scale of the workers. It also oversees at the situation where directors’ remuneration has been continuously increasing even when the company is suffering losses. The study also delineates the actions that have been taken to solve these issues which include enhanced transparency of directors’ remuneration in the financial data provided by the company. In the recent years, it has been observed that the shareholders, workers, general public and the media have increased their concerns relating to the remuneration packages paid to the directors. This issue involves poorly organised remuneration report which fails to exactly demonstrate the linkage between the pay and the performance, inappropriate transparency of the companies to report the remuneration package and excessive payments for exit of director’s who depart from the company. In addition, the issues also surround the changes in the structure and level of the directors’ remuneration from the last era which has been ever-increasing irrespective of the company’s size and performance. Director’s remuneration issues often arise due to the market failure that occurs in the heart of corporate governance system. Moreover, shareholders do not maintain any control on the director’s pay which increases the possibility of director’s pursuing a s trategy that would reward them personally instead of contributing to the company’s long-term value (Crown, 2012). It also has been observed that due

Organizational Philosophies and Technology Paper Essay - 2

Organizational Philosophies and Technology Paper - Essay Example 1). A company's approach to the use of technology to help set and manage ethical standards and guidelines can have a tremendous influence on the type of work environment or culture a company promotes. The extent to which there is an overall laid back attitude toward ethics, or a serious one, or the extent to which employees feel trusted and comfortable in their work environment, all has a lot to do with a company's decisions about how it chooses to deploy technology to establish and maintain ethical behavior. Businesses must tread carefully when making these decisions, for they risk unintended repercussions that might result from an overly zealous attempt to manage employees' ethical behavior, such as low morale and job satisfaction that lead to reduced productivity and costly turnover. In addition to managing ethical guidelines, companies today are increasingly turning toward technology in order to perform human resources functions. Many of the administrative aspects of human resources have become automated and transformed into self service functionality by technology. These include management of such routine HR activities as benefits and leave management. This too can have an impact on company culture by forging an atmosphere of high efficiency and cutting edge capabilities, or else can lead employees to feel isolated without personal HR service. Ultimately, whether a company chooses to deploy technology as a means of monitoring employee activities and behavior, or to facilitate their execution of routine functions, the potential repercussions must be weighed against to anticipated benefits of such technology. Unfortunately, the former are often not as easy to predict as the latter. Setting Ethical Standards via Technology "The need to address ethics in companies that deal with information technology has increased over the past several years as more and more transactions are handled using information systems" (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2001, para. 2). Technology has raised employee ethical concerns in the areas of property rights and obligations, policies pertaining to company proprietary as well as customer information, and employee privacy and monitoring (para. 5 - 9). Companies today are leveraging technology more than ever before to communicate expectations for performance and behavior to employees. Most companies have intranets containing a wealth of information regarding policies and procedures to which employees can refer when they have questions. For example, workers can often retrieve employee handbooks, review HR procedures and processes, view and make changes to tax information, benefits elections, and so forth. Online learning has become another key venue for communicating with employees about appropriate behavioral and performance expectations. In the wake of the corporate accounting scandals of a few years ago, many companies have required employees to take e-learning classes on how to ensure legal compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley. These types of courses often provide guidance on what to do when presented with various types of ethically challenging scenarios, and give the company an opportunity to clearly communicate ethical standards and guidelines to every employee. Technology has also given companies the ability to track

Essay 2, Comparative Politics Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

2, Comparative Politics - Essay Example The IRGC in iran has incredible influence through military, political and economic power. They have the right to refuse government contracts, and the level of corruption is incredible. Their tax-exempt foundations have monopolized much of the economy, and freedom of expression is extremely limited. The government controls all televsion and radio broadcasts, satellite dishes are illegal, as anyone caught in ownership of one faces confiscation and huge fines. Authorities have successfully hammed dissident satellite stations, and have banned Persian channels. They also cut communication lines to prevent â€Å"illegal international contacts.† Freedom of the press is severely limited. Any publication of books and the distribution of foreign books must be inspected and approved by the Ministry of Culture first. The Press Court has pervasive power over the prosecution of journalists, editors and publishers for â€Å"insulting Islam† or â€Å"damaging the foundations of the Is lamic Republic.† according to Ahmadinejad, the media is to support the government through reporting, not commenting. The penalites for inference is so severe that there is little public criticism of the president and any source that criticizes the government cannot be used in journalism. The Association of Iranian Jounralists (AIJ) was accused by the labor minister as being an illegal organization in 2008. Jopurnalists who supported women’s rights, suspicion of international connections or speak against the government can potentially face the death penalty. Internet use has exploded in iran, thus causing the government to intervene and block immoral or politically charged sites. This occurrence has also moved he parliament to allow the death penalty for â€Å"the creation of web logs and websites promoting corruption, prostitution and apostasy.† Religious freedoms are limited, and anyone perceived as straying from the â€Å"official† interpretation of Isla m face dire consequences. Academic pursuits are also restricted. Scholars are often arrested for voicing their political opinions, students who protest are attacked and arrested as well. According to the 1979 constitution, public demonstration that â€Å"violate the principles of Islam† are used to justify the violence that disbands assemblies. Similarly, the government is also allowed to disband private assemblies, under the facade of â€Å"countering immoral behavior†. the only organizations that are allowed are those that do not violate â€Å"freedom, sovereignty and national unity†. The judicial system is dependent, and in practive trials are closed, and there is no legal council. The penal code is based on Sharia law and allows flogging, stoning, amputation and hanging, depending on the social or political offense. Arbitrary detention is a common method of silencing dissidents, although the laws call for equal rights. Freedom of movement is also highly rest ricted. Political activists are not allowed to leave the country, and often, people who are retruning are often interrogated upon their return. Women are especially targeted in their freedoms. They cannot get a passport without her husband’s permission, her court testimony is only given half the weight of a man’s, and any blood money giben to a dead woman’s family are also half of a man’

Answer the three questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Answer the three questions - Essay Example The new EPA rules, like the Clean Air Act, will enforce regulations of gas emissions for businesses like plant, refineries and factories (Milbourn 2010). Its new policies will focus on requiring them to increase their efficiency regarding cleaning fuels, controlling emissions, and reducing GHG pollution (Walsh 2011). Businesses will also be required to include green house gases when trying to obtain permits for pollutants. The government has to take an active role in controlling green house gas emissions. It is responsible for the safety of its country and citizens for the years to come. Voluntary actions by individuals do help but no rules and regulations are enforced this way. The government should review its policies for GHG emissions and pollutants and introduce better regulations for their control (Milbourn 2010). These policies should be evaluated by leading experts before being implemented. Also, required safety permits, strict regulations and rules should be put into place fo r the leading industries causing emissions like power plants and automobile factories. Educational programs should also be developed in schools and for the public at large to create more awareness of this looming crisis. Works Cited Cathy, Millbourn. EPA Sets Thresholds for Greenhouse Gas Permitting Requirements/Small Businesses and Farms Will be Shielded.

A critical overview on Innovation and knowledge processes Essay

A critical overview on Innovation and knowledge processes - Essay Example Lately, knowledge processes have been identified as an integral input towards innovation dynamics. The following is a discussion on how knowledge management influences the innovation dynamics. The gurus of the subject proclaim knowledge management as a provider of strong roots for higher efficacy level in innovation dynamics. In particular with the ever rapidly changing dynamic and competitive markets that exist today, Dalkir (2005) states that the businesses have to look forward for technological advancements, embedded with experiences of the past ‘grey-hair’ individuals, holding experience of decades. The innovation dynamics existing today in the present century are bound to affect the current business outlook, and some of the most influential factors are as follows: Therefore, it can be safely assumed that technology would have a significant impact on the way managers in the future entertain a situation. Innovation does not apply to the product but to the processes as well; many a times an innovative move in the process gives a big boost to the product features and entitlements. Innovation, at its grass roots is supported by knowledge management, and its description is discussed as follows. In accordance with the Harvard Business Review (1998), knowledge really defines the basis of innovation, leading in turn towards developing a competitive advantage, which is critical for sustainability in the markets. As illustrated from experiences and extracted from various literature, for survival and sustainability in a cut throat competition that exists today, it is critical for a firm to develop a competitive advantage; though one would really want this to be un-replicable but today due to the existing advances in technology, spying and other advancements, it is not possible to retain a competitive advantage for a longer period of time – technologies and

Devise a Marketing Strategy to present to the Marketing Director Essay Example for Free

Devise a Marketing Strategy to present to the Marketing Director Essay In this case study, I have been given a number of roles and my task is to consider and provide appropriate answers in the relevant business context where you apply learning from my course of study so far and my own work experiences. Question 1 I am the supervisor in the marketing department and I believe that there is scope for gaining more sales in the standardised sector of the market because of quality differences between my product and those of larger competitors. Devise a Marketing Strategy to present to the Marketing Director designed to achieve this objective Corporate Objectives The Furniture Company, based in a small town in Lancashire, develops, manufactures and markets quality furniture. The firm has a very good reputation throughout the entire region for all its products. The Furniture Companys Supervisor of the Marketing Department is at present pursuing a strategy to grow its market share in the standardised section of the market because of quality differences between their product and those of larger companies. Marketing Audit Internal Product High quality standardised products targeted at C1/C2 segments. Considered to be higher quality than those of larger competitors. The firm has a very good reputation for quality products. Pricing -Currently sold to up market retail outlets and on all sales are there is a very high profit margin on a relatively low turnover. Prices are higher than for similar type products in the large retail outlets due to economies of scale in purchasing. Place Customers mainly consist C1/C2 for the standardised furniture. Potential customers visit the companys display showroom, fully manned by an accounts clerk, a salesperson, both of whom are full-time and two part-time salespersons at weekend. Promotion Very little advertising is done. Current advertising is mainly done via local press, and via direct mail all aimed locally. Advertising spend tends to be about 3% of revenue, with higher marketing spend within peak months. External Social Since consumer trends are always changing, as are several of the products. With the traditional furniture, trends have small effect on sales. Economic Figures to be confirmed. There is a spend of over à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½750,000 within East Lancashire in the furniture market. The predicted growth for next year is 2% due to current consumer spend (interest rate currently stands at XX, and inflation 2.6%). Competitive The Furniture Company faces many competitors, on its retail side are many, and on local scale there are approximately 10 similar sized companies, although, the firm has a very good reputation throughout the entire region for all its products. Customer Audit Standardised products are aimed at C1/C2 segments. The competitions products were viewed as inferior to those of The Furniture Company, due to highly skilled craftsmanship. SWOT Analysis Strengths * Availability, either via local showroom, situated just off motorway or via retail outlet * Access, Full showroom with manned staff * Established, very good reputation throughout the region * Established up market retail outlet supplier * Higher quality than those of larger competitors * Innovation, constantly designing new furniture for changing market Weaknesses * Prices are slightly higher than for similar type products Opportunities * Market Development * Selling to mid-market retail outlets Nationwide * Expanding product into Europe worldwide Threats * Prices are higher than for similar type products in the large retail outlets * Unable to keep up with supplier demand Marketing Objectives and Strategies Market Development Ansoffs Matrix is a well-known Marketing Tool for deciding upon strategies for growth. First published in the Harvard Business Review (1957) in an article called Strategies for Diversification (see below example). Market Penetration By marketing our existing products to our existing customers, thus increasing revenue, by promoting the product, repositioning the brand. The aim is to encourage people to switch from other furniture manufacturers. Market Development Marketing the product in a new market/target audience. By introducing the product into a new region and also exporting the product. Market Extension/Product Development Selling the existing standard furniture into new markets, nationwide and worldwide, as the product already has a strong marketing competence. Diversification Not required Example of The Ansoff Matrix Product Life Cycle (see diagram below) Launch/Introduction The product is introduced into new markets and heavily promoted to create awareness. High costs. Due to success in the current markets, risk is fairly low. Growth Higher volume of sales enables The Furniture Company to benefit from economies of scale. Products become more profitable as sales rise and costs fall. Advertising spend is still high and focuses on building upon a brand name, ready for the maturity and decline stage to introduce new furniture after the brand has been established. Maturity Sales grow at a decreasing rate and then stabilise. Brand awareness is crucial in continuing success. The company retains its share of the market by capturing sales from weaker rivals by ensuring consistently quality furniture. Decline At this point there is a downturn in the market for this particular product. Sales and profit decline. New products are introduced or consumer tastes have changed. Product can be removed from the market at this stage and replaced by new furniture or profits can be improved by reducing marketing spend and cost cutting. Elimination/Withdrawal (or extension) When faced with decline in sales, the company will need to decide whether the decline is Temporary, Terminal and Irreversible or Capable of being reversed by an adjustment in the marketing mix Extension To rejuvenate the product to prolong its life by changing the product, the brand, the way it is promoted or the distribution channel. Question 2 As supervisor in the marketing department one of my roles is to devise expansion strategies as question 1. I believe, however, that the high quality hand crafted furniture could sell to a national and ultimately international market especially if at some future point the U.K. joins the single currency. At present these products sell to a regional market and I have already put this idea to the Marketing Director and received a positive response to the extent that he wants you to do a presentation to the full board of Directors on this idea Devise a promotional campaign to be presented to the Board that would reach a national market for the higher quality products. Marketing is defined as the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying the requirements of customer profitably. Product Introduce the standardised range and also high quality furniture into mid-market and up-market retail outlets nationwide. The standardised range is higher quality than those of competitors. The handcrafted furniture provides high quality furniture aimed at the higher end of the market. Price Cost for the standardised product is slightly higher than its competitors. This can stand being higher due being higher quality than the products of competitors. Place The standardised products and the high quality furniture both sell currently to larger retail outlets and also to individual order. Introduction of the furniture into a national market and also international market. Promotion Offer trials to nationwide retail outlets, both mid-market and up-market with the relevant products, with trial offers. Pay for advertising spend to promote the product within the area via local media, and also promote product and brand via in-store advertising and display stands. Brand awareness is very important at this stage. The Promotional Plan * Description of products available * A description of target audience * Identification of the price * Information on where the product will be sold * Methods to be used o Posters placed at locations in store and places frequented by your target audience o Press Release Informing of the product to be selling locally o Local Newspaper Advertising Advertising within locality using established media within the area promoting brand and product o Radio Advertising Informing of product and brand launch, aimed at prime time listening, selecting stations geared to 35+ and homeowner audience. Question 3 I am employed as the supervisor in the Personnel Department and am responsible for the overseeing of the day-to-day tasks of the department. I am currently studying for the Institute of Personnel Management qualification and have become more familiar with the concept of human resources. Present a paper to the Personnel director outlining the benefits of introducing a HRM approach to the management of people and in particular how this would improve both productivity and motivation. Motivation (Definition) a set of processes concerned with the force that energises behaviour and directs it towards attaining some goal. A strategic, coherent and comprehensive approach to the management and development of the organisations human resources in which every aspect of that approach is wholly integrated with the overall management of the organisation. HRM is essentially an ideology, quote M. Armstrong, taken from Handbook of Human Resource Management, Kogan Page, 1999. Human resources management activities relate to employees pay, welfare, conditions of employment and training. HRM is based on four principles * Employees must be seen as valued assets in which to invest. It is human capability and commitment, which, in the final analysis, distinguishes successful organisations from the rest, Storey. * HRM is of strategic importance and, therefore, needs to be considered by top management in the formulation of the corporate plan. * Commitment not compliance. The key levers (the development of human resources; evaluation of performance and the rewarding of it) are to be used to seek not merely compliance but commitment. In other words, employees should not be forced to work grudgingly, but by obtaining their wholehearted commitment * Strategic implications of HRM. HRM is therefore, seen to have long-term implications and be integral to the core performance of the business. It must be the intimate concern of the line managers. Line managers have the responsibility of managing their staff. The role of personnel function is to enable the line managers to fulfil their HRM responsibilities effectively. Soft and Hard Approach to HRM The soft approach can be closer than the traditional personnel approach. Soft HRM is an integrated strategic function that is concerned with nurturing people because they are human beings whose feelings should be considered and, developing this valuable resource is the best way to achieve results. The Hard approach is based on the belief that human resources are the key assets, with emphasis placed on * Getting more out of people * Using them in a more productive way The aims of HRM are the same whether hard or soft and as follows * Enable management to achieve organisational objectives via its workforce * Enable people to utilise their full potential * Foster commitment * Integrate human resources policies with business plans * Establish an environment to unleash the creativity and energy of the workforce * Encourage flexibility in the interests of an organisation that is able to adapt to the environment and achieve excellence The main areas of management activity associated with the HRM philosophy * Organisation, design and effectiveness especially in relation to teamwork, communications, customer service and change management * Resources providing human resources required by means of recruitment, retention and training programmes. * Performance management improving performance by means of appraisal * Reward management for example, linking pay to performance * Motivation redesigning jobs and devising rewards to motivate employees * Commitment The integration of the needs of the individual with those of the organisation * Employee Relations Policies and procedures to encourage cooperation to the mutual benefit to all * Flexibility by means of mulitskilling redesigning jobs and new patterns of work * Quality as a way of life * Culture management influencing behaviour and thereby attitudes by means of resourcing, performance management and reward strategies Leadership and Motivation In the HRM school, Leadership should be democratic rather than authoritarian, managers should consult employees on matters that affect them, important in gaining respect of both the manager and the company, motivation rewards of social and psychological, not just financial. Motivation is defined as in influence that cases people (employees) to want to behave in a certain way, and combined with ability can result in performance. The motivated worker will be keen to work, take pride in their work, will not display negative attitude towards the company, display high level of commitment and get satisfaction out of work, benefiting the organisation with higher productivity levels, lower labour turnover, lower absenteeism, improve quality with less waste, greater willingness to accept change, willingness to contribute ideas and take on additional responsibility, allowing the company to overall reap the benefits of even greater financial gain. In production department, for example, possible financial reward could be brought into place looking at Hertzbergs Hygiene factors of Pay and Benefits, Working Conditions, Company Policy, Status, Job Security, Supervision, Office and Personal Lift all set to motivate Achievement, Recognition, Job Interest, Responsibility and ultimately Advancement. HRM could look at setting up motivating factors with the sales department by setting targets based on achieving sales to new retailers nationwide with additional financial gain based on and over achieving rewards. The key concepts to adapting a HRM approach to the company would provide the following Competition advantage Aspects of the company that give it an advantage over its rivals Human Resource Management A strategic, coherent and comprehensive approach to the management and development of the companys human resources Personnel Management Management/administration of recruitment, welfare and training of the employees McGregors Theory x and Y (1960) McGregors Theory X and Y (1960) about managerial behaviour had a profound effect on management thinking and practice. His Theory Y principles featured in management training courses for a decade or more. They influenced the design and implementation of personnel policies and practices. The legacy today permeates the axioms of participative and total quality management and the continued practice of staff appraisal. McGregor defined assumptions that he felt underpinned the practices and stances of managers in relation to employees. These were evident from their conversations and actions. Two sets of propositions were dubbed Theory X and Y. He was saying that what managers said or showed in their behaviour revealed their theories-in-use. Their predisposition led managers to pursue particular kinds of policies and relationships with employees. McGregors Theory Y was interpreted and promoted as a one-best-way, i.e. Y is the best. Managers or aspects of their behaviour became labelled as Theory X, the bad stereotype and Theory Y the good. McGregor ideas were much informed by Maslows need satisfaction model of motivation. Needs provide the driving force motivating behaviour and general orientation. Maslows ideas suggested that worker dissatisfaction with work was due to poor job design, managerial behaviour and too few opportunities for job satisfaction. On the basis of these ideas about drives Maslow suggested a classification of needs related to the development of the person lower level needs giving way developmentally to higher order needs. Thus a hierarchy is suggested although not claimed by Maslow. Example of Maslows Hieratchy Benefits If we introduced a HRM approach to the company ultimately employees at all levels will feel motivated and productive as quoted by carrot stick philosophy acceptance, and produce the most productivity. Employees will feel more worthy with a much easier line of communication with everyone feeling a valuable part of the organisation. The company needs to introduce a leadership mentality rather than management leadership and nurturer a new leadership approach. At present the organisations communications systems are mostly paper and telephone based Present a discussion document to the Personnel director explaining the concept of this electronic office, including explanation of the relevant technologies and their potential benefits You should also point out any potential drawbacks from this innovation and conclude with an evaluation of whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks or vice versa While predictions of the paperless office have yet to be fully realised, modern business now relies on a vast array of electronic equipment to function efficiently and effectively. The concept of a paperless office is to ensure productivity improvement and to use time more efficiently. At present most of the organisations communications are paper and telephone based. Initially, by utilising e-mail (electronic mail, which is the main use of the internet) the following advantages are gained by replacing paper telephone communication * Speed of movement and data * Paperless office * Accessible via any modem line * Delivery is faster than snail mail (post, especially useful when dealing overseas) * It overcomes the problems of timezones. The recipient does not have to be there to receive it * Like fax, it is possible to send messages to more than one person * E-mail addresses are portable * It enables users to exchange information with people * The cost is not dependent on the distance travelled * It is cheaper than fax or telephone * Cuts out general chat on the telephone * Less formal than a letter * The message will remain in the recipients e-mail account until it is collected * Can be sent with document or picture attachment * E-mails can be stored until recipient discards information Installing computerised systems with each department will also benefit from enabling all staff to access shared data from different departments computerised filing systems, e.g. access into word documents, spread sheets and other programme files. With transportable laptops, the office can be taken anywhere and even used worldwide, to assist in presentations and retrieving documents on a more global scale. Document Management System Another new form of the Electronic Office is the Document Management System offering solutions from the standalone scanner to a whole enterprise solution. E-Business solution companies analyse and advise on new business solutions. The Document Management System is a small step in the way forward for the paperless office, the benefits of incorporating the system is * Reduce office staff non-productivity rapidly locating folders and documents * Retain corporate knowledge and know where it is * Access paper documents within your business application * Scan your cabinets full of documents to secure them in case of Fire, Flood, Burglary or damage * Enable multiple people access to the same document or folder * Safely secure your documents for archival * Reduce boxes of stored paper * Automatically recognise forms and characters on incoming documents and locate them based on their content * Fax and receive documents directly from your desktop * Establish document privacy Electronic Office Manager It is a Human Resources and Process Management System that focuses on the internal operations of your business. The EOM provides businesses with a computerised Office Manager, with everything defined as a procedure, checklist or form. Job Descriptions become daily to do lists. To help manage time with automated reminders covering everything from training events to holiday management. EOM also provides Electronic Human Resource and Training Departments with employee files, applicant databases, and pre-written and editable employee handbooks and job descriptions. It also includes a system for creating and scheduling training. EOM even helps with financial forecasting and business planning features and point-to-point web navigation and link management. Operative Procedures, HRM, Business Development, Scheduling and Education Training are all available via EOM programme. Electronic Drawbacks Training and monitoring of training will be required at each stage to ensure competence and understanding of new system. With regular meetings required, and management of the change in system. Staff may be dissatisfied with the paperless office, and reluctant to the change. System failure. Without the adequate after support service and/or training there could be potential problems with system errors, which may result in non-productivity if staff rely on PCs when there is a breakdown. A recent example pf a paperless office is one department of Glasgow Borough Council, who recently had a computerised system developed solely for the use. Originally, each site manager called into an office each morning to collect information on various sites requiring repair assessment visits (approx 20 throughout the day) followed by a visiting to each site and manual completion of an in-depth form, and followed by manually inputting information on the computer for someone else then to call out to complete the repair work. The Borough Council have now developed a computerised system to enable them to receive the site information via electronic organiser, input the repair requirements, and return information upon completion for repairs to be carried out. Not only did this save much time on paperwork, but also time is more effectively managed by receiving full details of jobs throughout the day, which may be in areas the site manager is already working in. BIBLIOGRAPHY Jewell Bruce R, An Integrated Approach to Business Studies, Longman, [2000] ISBN 0582 40542 4 Ansoffs Matrix, www.marketingteacher.com/lessons/lesson_ansoff.html [accessed 31/05/02] How do I market My Inventions, http://www.montanaedu/wwwcxai [accessed 20/05/02] The Electronic Office, www.walters.co.uk/brochure/elecoffice1.htm [accessed 06/06/02] Imaging and Document Management Solutions, www.cabinetng.net/paperlessoffice.htm [accessed 05/06/02]

Comparing Different Versions Of Batman Film Studies Essay

Comparing Different Versions Of Batman Film Studies Essay My aim for this essay is to analyse and compare different versions of the Batman film. Ive decided to compare the 1966 Batman to the 1989 Batman and The Dark Knight, which was released in 2008. I wish to look at how these films have been made, how Batmans reputation has changed over the years and how they compare to the original comic books. Batman made his first appearance in Detective Comics in 1939; he was the caped crusader who went against the criminals of the underworld who killed his parents. In the early comics, the drawings showed a grim tone and nourish use of bold blocks of black ink (Sabin, 1996, p.61). However, later on the comics were progressively lightened in order to draw a younger relationship; a trend which culminated in the 1960s where the comics became camp comedies to reflect the amazingly successful television series (Sabin, 1996, pp. 61-62). Wikipedia (2008) Man Who Laughs [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Manwholaughs.jpg (Accessed: 3rd December 2010) BD Comics (1999) Batman- No Mans Land [Online] Available at: http://bdcomics.bdgamers.net/2007/06/13/batman-no-mans-land/ (Accessed: 3rd December 2010) The 1966 Batman was a film adaptation of the 60s TV series; it had budget of $1,377,800. In the film, there are no shots of skyscrapers or any buildings that resemble the scenery in the comic books. The costumes in this film are basic; the villains are all dressed in suits and Batman and Robins costumes look cheaply made, compared to the most recent film; this shows the difference in budget. The make-up is very basic; the Joker has a ghostly white face and red drawn on smile; no prosthetics are used on him. The Penguin has a prosthetic nose to make it freakishly long and pointy, however the rest of the characters have normal day to day make-up on. The fight scenes in the film are unrealistic, fake punches are thrown between characters, with words such as URKK and OUCH entering the shot is big letters: The TV show was definitely dopey, comedy and slapstick substituting for anything remotely violent or suspenseful. It even offered the surreal bonk/zap title cards to amplify the fun. (Gibron, 2008) This makes the fighting look comical and amusing. However it does match the comic book style of fighting and was what was acceptable to be shown in the film and TV series at the time. Still from TV 1960s series Batman (1966) Batman Generation : Batman 1960s TV Series [Online] Available at: http://movie-collections-on-dvd.blogspot.com/ (Accessed: 10th November 2010) The sidekick Robin appears in this film. I think his presence makes Batman look less macho, it implies that he needs back up, this may have been the reason he wasnt written into the series of films that followed decades later. In comparison to films today; it is very naive, in one scene a very toy looking shark is used as a prop and in the Bat cave every machine or piece of equipment is labelled. Heath, R (2008) The Dark Knight 2010 [Online] Available at: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?m=200807 (Accessed: 3rd December 2010) Clara, H (2010) Entertainment [Online] Available at: http://www.mylifetime.com/lifestyle/entertainment/lewis-wilson-michael-keaton-and-val-kilmer-batman (Accessed: 3rd December 2010) In 1989 Batman was released, it was the first of a series of feature films starring Batman which were produced by the Warner Bros; it had a budget of $35,000,000. This film strayed away from the 1966 camp version, Beyond Hollywood emphasises this point by saying: Before 1989, unless you were an avid comic book reader, you probably viewed Batman as a clownish superhero, trading punches and quips with bad guys with his youthful assistant Robin faithfully at his side. He was campy, a bit dull, and never dangerous. That is, until the summer of 1989, when Tim Burton arrived to changed all that. (Beyond Hollywood, 2004) Gotham City is dark and gothic looking; the buildings are dingy and old. The shapes of the buildings resemble the comic book images; they dont look like any usual American city. Lots of smoke is used in the setting, it reminds me of backdrops in a theatre production. The joker also matches very well with the comic book illustrations; the make-up cleverly allows the actor to have a fixed smile. He puts on a show and prides himself on being theatrical, using joke shop type gags, i.e. a flower that squirts poisonous gas and a buzzer which he attaches to his hand to electrocute his victim. The music, which is often played as a backing to the joker, is almost the same as you might hear in the circus, everything about it is comical. Neumaier, J. (2008) Jack Nicholson warned Health Ledger on Joker role[Online].Available at: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/01/24/2008-01-24_jack_nicholson_warned_heath_ledger_on_jo.html (Accessed: 31 October 2010) Newsrecord. (2008)Heath Ledger Was Changed by playing The Joker'[Online]. Available at: http://www.inoutstar.com/news/Heath-Ledger-Was-Changed-by-Playing-The-Joker-6583.html#nimg_16437 (Accessed: 31 October 2010) The Dark Knight (2008) was directed by Christopher Nolan and had a budget of $185,000,000. When writing the film, screenwriter David S. Goyer took influences from a few comic books rather than just one. In an interview he said: I think that there are elements from The Dark Knight, elements from The Long Halloween, elements from The Killing Joke. But its not like we were specifically adapting one specific comic book or comic book arc. (Goyer, 2008) In this film the joker has apprentices who are masked like clowns. These masks are very eerie; they allow the characters to be emotionless and cold; only showing the single expression that is drawn on their mask. Batmans fight scenes are bold and highly choreographed; this is a big contrast to the jokers style of fighting, which is very rash. This film is dominated by the Joker character; his scarred face is messily covered with make-up giving him a clown-like persona. This persona is confirmed by his greasy, green tinged hair, black eyes, smudged roughly outwards and his red creepy smile. His drawn on smile is covering thick badly raised scars. The white make-up which covers his face is uneven and always looks worn. His costumes are odd, purple velvet suits with a green shirt; this allows him to stand out against others, who mainly wear classic suits. Costume Designer, Lindy Hemming, wanted to create a younger trendier look, in order to represent Ledgers generation(Hemming, 2008). This costume also matches the comic books. His character is fearless and chillingly calm; I think this creates a great atmosphere and carries the film. Sound has a huge impact on this version of the film; dramatic music is played in the background, ticking noises are also frequently used, symbolising the rapid passing of time. However there are a few shots in the film which have no backing music or noise for that matter; this is a big contrast to the rest of the film and cleverly creates a maximum impact. One particular shot is of the Joker hanging himself out of a stolen police car that he is driving, I find this scene very chilling. After watching a documentary about the composers thoughts behind some of the music, I learnt that the sounds are based on the Joker character: Shots and clips were used to produce music that matched the jokers movements and personality. Punk influences were used and tones and noises were produced using two clashing notes of the cello, to give the feel of razorblades. (Zimmer, 2008) The sounds are unsettling and the composer wanted to create a sound which demonstrated rising tension. Uhlich, K (2008) Trickster Heaven, Two Face Hell: The Dark Knight [Online] Available at: http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/2008/07/trickster-heaven-two-faced-hell-the-dark-knight/ (Accessed: 3rd December 2010) Another hugely important character is Harvey Dent. He is Gothams golden boy who, by the end of the film, thanks to the Jokers words; I took Gothams white knight and brought him down, has been turned into a villain, Two Face. The effects for Two Face were created using digital make-up, in other words high use of CGI. A lot of shots in the setting are of buildings, the camera pans high above lots of skyscrapers as a link between scenes. The villains seem to always be lit darkly, where the lighting has a blue tinge. In conclusion, as the decades pass, technology improves and the budget for the films increase, which I think is due to the increase in film popularity. Each film stays true to the comics in different ways; the 1966 Batman is most like the comics in the fight scenes where they are quite graphical, with sounds entering the screen in text. However the make-up and costume doesnt match up and doesnt give enough of an impact. The 1989 Batman does match very well to the comic book images, make-up and costume-wise. It also has a great set which matches the buildings of Gotham city and really gives a feel that they are living in the comics. The Dark Knights special effects are by far the best and in my opinion I think the acting is best in this film. The joker is a crucial character in all three versions, particularly 1989 Batman and The Dark Knight. It is a matter of personal opinion which version is the best, however I agree with Slant magazine in preferring Health Ledgers chilling version: Eighteen years after Jack Nicholsons over-praised, distinctly Jack-ish personification of the dastardly purple-clad jester in Tim Burtons Batman, Ledger returns the character to his demented The Killing Joke graphic novel roots, conjuring up a transfixing, indelible portrait of our worst terrorist-extremist nightmares. (Schager, 2008) The Dark Knights acting and gothic feel matches well with the original comics, before they were made more camp to match the 1960s audience. The make-up takes a different direction to avoid copying Tim Burtons film, this however meant they needed to steer away slightly from the comic books. Overall, in order to achieve the perfect film version of the batman comics, you would need to combine, 1989s make-up, costume and set with The Dark Knights music, special effects and acting.

Buying a Whore by Anne Sexton

Buying a Whore by Anne Sexton Feminism is a movement that opposes women inferiority and promotes equality among men and women. It moves away from logo centrism and phallocentrism or seeing the world and its people from patriarchal lens. Feminists shed light upon womens contributions throughout history which were never taken account as significant and reject sexism in writings. Therefore they bring women from the position of invisibility to visibility through their works and protests. Feminist literary criticism deconstruct works by men which usually promotes the idea( ideology) of patriarchy and male dominance over women. Feminist criticism disturb the complacent certainties of patriarchal culture and crate a less oppressive climate for women writers and readers (Selden 128). Men wrote literary texts for example for themselves and on behalf of women as well. Thus, men hold power by strengthening the ideologies within literary texts to dominate women and prove men worthier than womenfolk . For an example women as objects whereas men are subjects. Feminists then deconstruct these texts to show readers that these were mere men made ideologies, which were not biological but socially constructed; and the dichotomous comparison between these two genders were created by men as well. Feminism movement was not confined within literary texts only but also, economics, politics and religion. The critical project of Feminist critics is thus concerned with uncovering the contingencies of gender as a cultural, social and political construct and instrument of domination Furthermore, through feminists critics like Simone De Beauvoir, we came to realize One is not born a woman one becomes one. Therefore femininity and masculinity are never natural but socially constructed. First wave feminism paid importance to the right to vote for women as equal as men (women suffrage movement). These were mostly middle class women who started to enter public domain for jobs due to World War I. The Second Wave feminism focused on not merely political rights. Their quests were much broader, for example womens right to vote, advancement in carrier, social and economical equality and their right to determine their own lives separate from men. However when the Third Wave Feminism rose up, they critiqued the second wave feminists as being not feminist enough for they universalized womens feelings, backgrounds and experiences. Thus out of Third Wave Feminism different groups of feminism were born discussing and shedding light on the various obstacles and experiences felt by women around the globe. Post feminism on the other hand did not stop from looking into feminism but also other genders as well such as men, lesbians, gays, bisexuals and so forth. When we examine the poem Buying the Whore by Anne Sexton using Feminism (Feminist Literary Criticism), we realize that the poem is about a whore also known as prostitute from the patriarchal lenses. A whore( prostitute) is a person, usually a woman who sells sex service for men to earn a living which is usually meager Whore means prostitute. And a prostitute is a woman who offers to hire her body for indiscriminate sexual intercourse, or so says The Concise Oxford Dictionary (Pheterson 39). Though the poet is a woman , the persona who degrades the whore is a man. Thus, from a feminist point of view it is true that majority men do look down upon women as the weaker sex. Throughout the poem Buying the Whore, from feminist perspective we can clearly see that whore was being objectified and was not treated as a subject with human feelings. For example the whore was compared to a roast beef, boat, glass, grate and finally the bra in the entire poem. The whore thus becomes an object of pleasure for men to satisfy their lusts and nothing more than that. Description of the whore in this poem, no doubt is from the view of phallocentrism. Phallocentrism means The privileging of the masculine (the phallus) in understanding meaning or social relations (cla.purdue.edu). Sadly, none of the whores point of view were given in the entire poem. Her thoughts, her feelings and her situation were all left out. According to French Feminsit Luce Irigaray, language is so gender bias and phallo centric that whatever characteristics that men think about women then leads women into mimicry and thus the position of mastery was formed(Rivkin and Ryan 795) and women objectified. Hence it is true through this poem that women( whores ) are treated as objects and described as things with no feelings to convey. Therefore Second Wave feminists, said that it is important to pay great attention or detail when reading any text that is soiled by patriarchal notions. By doing so, one can undo the phallocentrism within texts. For example Luce Irigaray stated that the retroactive impact of the end of each word, utterance or sentence upon its beginning must be taken into consideration in order to undo the power of its teleological effect, including its deferred actions (Rivkin and Ryan 797). Nevertheless, in my opinion, there is a flaw in the Second Wave feminists concept of undoing language that was contaminated by sexism. First of all it is very hard to reverse or change language that is dominated by male perspectives because we are all entrenched with patriarchal ideology for our entire lives. This is because from the past till now, writings in the literary world are dominated by men .Deconstructing patriarchal supporting texts and creating new feminists texts suggested by French feminist can be problematic as well. Producing text in gynocentric manner can lead to disagreement from feminists around the world as universalizing their experiences and their voices and even essentialize femininity. Second Wave feminism fail to take account the diversity of womens experiences all over world and their context. For example race, class, ethnography and geography of women.Non-sexist language and gynocentric language are criticized for underestimating the significance of gender asymmetry in language and for oversimplifying the relationship between language and corporeality (Bondi 245). Feminist reading, of the poem, Buying the Whore by Anne Sexton through tells us that the whore is commodified with having sign value attached to her. For example,The whore was purchased , rented, and paid by the persona for sexual services. According to Luce Irigaray in her article women on the Market , women were commodification exchanged by men among men to create a homosocial bonds between men. The exchange of women established relationships between men; the old family system was essentially homosexual (Rivkin and Ryan 800). However in the poem, the purchasing, renting and paying of the whore did not create a homosocial bond, yet the transaction of cash were indeed among men; pimp and the customer. You are a boat I have rented by the hour and I steer you with my rage until you run aground Besides that throughout the entire poem, there are no signs or words of the whore involving in the negotiation of price for the sexual service . This definitely strengthens the idea of the feminists that women indeed have no say in her own sign value and is invisible in literary world. Next, compared to a virgin or a wife, a whores value stoops way below for they are said to sell their honor in change for cash. Whores according to society fail to assume their role as the submissive, pure women or the Angel in the house.Whore dishonor is in part whore failure to fit the traditional wife role in marriage (Pheterson 53). So they face more chances of abuse through their customers and social stigmatization. A prostitute then becomes one who sells her honor by offering to hire her body for base gain or for an unworthy doing, specifically sexual intercourse( Pheterson 39). Women according to feminists are discriminated by the society for just being women. Husbands, fathers, society expect women to protect and guard their purity, chastity and honor. So, a whores honor thus fall and it is irreparable. . Therefore the persona( customer ) ill treats the prostitute in the poem. He even claims to have the right over her body and does as he wishes for he had paid for the whore;the object. You are the roast beef I have purchased and I stuff you with my very own onion You are a glass that I have paid to shatter and I swallow the pieces down with my spit He shatters her and even stuff her with objects without asking her permission or taking into account her physical pain. However her experiences are never important; what was more significant and was assumed was man must be pleased, but him to please/Is womans pleasure( Ryan and Rivkin 816). Since the whore was considered as impure woman, and assumed to have unattractive features, the persona describes her in negative term such as stink and goes on to vomit into her hands further emphasizing ,a whore is degraded being who deserves ill handling. Whores are usually dirty, base and pocky, but they are also bold, impudent and brazen faced(Gowing 10). Even his own mother, the persona abuses in his poem what more the whore. You stink like my Mama under your bra and I vomit into your hand like a jackpot its cold hard quarters From most Postfeminist point of view, Buying the Whore by Anne Sexton universalizes the experiences of sex workers. Anne sexton shows to us readers that whores suffer and have no voice in determining customers they allow into their quarters. In reality not all sex workers are so vulnerable or not in position of making a choice. For example not all whore have sexual intercourse with their customers but sexual related services only. The words sexual intercourse are also inadequate to describe the work of all prostitutes. Much prostitution does not include sexual intercourse (Pheterson 41). Whores have rights to deny the customers they doubt to have disease or that might ill treat them. One whore from the United States said, If I have the slightest doubt about a guy, I refuse him (Pheterson 40). Hence, it is clear that feminism, help in understanding the meaning and give constructive criticisms towards the poem. Power dynamics can also be seen in the poem Buying the whore using feminist literary criticism. When we deconstruct the text from feminist perspective, the client has power over the female (whore) who he had purchased to satisfy his sexual lust. He has the power to stuff her with objects he wishes; steer her like a boat with force till she runs aground and break her into pieces as if she were a glass. The persona has all the power over the whore for he had paid for her service. He is depicted as this powerful being forcing his might and dominance over the whore. The whore on the other hand for example was compared to a vulnerable glass that can be shattered and boat that had to submit to its owner to his directions and steering. She is portrayed as this meek, powerless person who submits to the atrocities her male client had forced upon her. The whore was shown in the poem of not having the right over her own body or the right to have sexual pleasure. Neither as mother nor as virgin nor as prostitute has woman any right to her own pleasure (Ryan and Rivkin 808).Thus it is clear through the poem that the whore unlike any other women are said to be powerless and are oppressed by man kind. Woman is riveted into a lopsided relationship with mean; he is the one, she is the other (Shelden 129). It is valuable that feminist shed light on the oppression or the powerlessness of women . Feminism is a great literary theory in showing readers how the world especially literary texts are laden with sexism and is mostly phallocentric. Yet again there is another weakness in feminist literary theory in my view point. Like many other Second Wave Feminists, Anne Sexton (American poet) in her poem Buying the Whore has brought forth the issue oppression of the whore( woman ) and the domination of men over women. She even made her whore voiceless and powerless throughout the poem. However, by portraying women as weak and men as strong and superior being in literary work , feminist are in fact strengthening the ideologies that are ingrained within society. Feminist then without realization , reinforce the dichotomous relationship between women and men created by society. Thus in feminist literary work and criticism, women are still being described as inferior to men. There is here a danger once again of slipping back into a phallocentric system which relegates women to the margi n (Selden 143). In conclusion, I do agree to an extent that Feminism does help in providing meaning to the poem Buying a whore by Anne Sexton. Feminist Literary Criticism without doubt brings womens oppression into light and celebrate women writers and their literary contributions. This movement tries its utmost best to decenter logocentrism and phallocentrism that oppressed and suppressed women throughout history. Furthermore Feminism tries to bring about equality and avoid sexism within discourses especially in the literary word. We (especially women) have benefited tremendously from this movement and its contributions. However there are weaknesses within the approaches of Second Wave which in my opinion were being rectified by the Postfeminists. Postfeminist takes into account of the diversity of experiences among women therefore avoiding generalization, universalizing and even essentialist point of view. Furthermore, Postfeminist movement pays great importance to standpoint theory which explains that peoples experiences differ according to their situations for example class, race, ethnicity, geography and ethnography. Therefore the poem Buying the Whore can best be explained through the latter part of Feminism which is Postfeminism without discrimination in meaning or experiences.

history and the novel 1984 Essay examples -- essays research papers

Totalitarianism is defined as a political system of government in which those in power have complete control and do not allow people to oppose them. Those in power are a single party dictatorship in which one party controls state, and all other parties are forbidden. Other important features that distinguish or help define totalitarianism include restricted or eliminated constitutional rights, state terrorism, and totalitarian rulers are known as ideological dictators. The government of Oceania, in the novel 1984, is an example of totalitarian society. Germany, under Adolf Hitler’s National Socialism is another example of totalitarianism. Orwell’s Oceania has both similarities and differences to the totalitarian states of the twentieth century. The government of Oceania is clearly a totalitarian state, which compares and contrasts with Hitler’s National Socialism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The state, society, and daily life in Oceania present obvious characteristics of a totalitarian state. In Oceania society, privacy and freedom to not exist. Citizens of Oceania are constantly monitored by telescreens, and subjected to a constant barrage of propaganda. With telescreens in everyone’s homes, it is very easy to broadcast the views and beliefs of The Party. Forms of propaganda include posters and slogans. In this society it is impossible to go anywhere without seeing a poster of Big Brother, reading slogans such as â€Å"BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU† and â€Å"War is Peace†¦Freedom is...

Media: A Strong Influence on Body Image and Disordered Eating Essay

It would be incredibly naive to believe that our American society is not extremely preoccupied with the quest for thinness. Everywhere you go, (i.e. grocery stores, bookstores, fitness centers, theaters) images of both men and women who society has deemed "beautiful" are deliberately posted in order to sell a product, entice an audience, or merely to gain attention. Even in an age where the rates for obesity are increasing at a rapid pace, it seems as though our society still idolizes the chiseled, lean man and the ultra thin woman. Many would argue that Hollywood and media has a definite force on creating a standard of beauty for its viewers. Many adolescents and young adults are feeling it very difficult to achieve and maintain this specific body and weight "ideal". It should make one wonder whether or not this emphasis on the external appearance has a played a part in the increasing numbers of men and women who are unhappy with their bodies and who as a result, decide to make extr eme changes in their dieting and exercise routines. It has been suggested that mass media may be partly to blame to the drastic increase in the prevalence of eating disturbances in our nation (Anschutz, Van Strien, & Engels, 2008). Many believe that there is an ever-widening gap between what the media portrays as the ideal body size and weight and what women's actual body size is. As a result, after continually viewing images of people whose size is almost impossible to achieve, both men and women are increasingly feeling bad about their bodies and report dissatisfaction. Thornton and Moore assert, "according to the social comparison theory, people tend to evaluate their own appearance more negatively after viewing highly attractive individuals" (as... ...m" women who appear on most of today's television media are very rarely is the size of the average American women. Instead, television most often portrays women who have had a number of children and yet still are maintain a very slim, size two wearing, frame. Certain communication theories state that exposure to various media outlets can lead viewers to begin to accept the media portrayals of beauty as reality. Some researchers believe that this constant exposure creates in women the belief that looking like the seen images is expected and central to attractiveness. Lavine and Harrison (2004) assert, "media presentations of women’s bodies are so skewed, showcasing an ideal that is out of reach to most, adopting this reality may lead to decreased satisfaction with one’s own and to behaviors aimed at meeting this ideal" (as cited in Grabe, Ward, & Hyde, 2008). Media: A Strong Influence on Body Image and Disordered Eating Essay It would be incredibly naive to believe that our American society is not extremely preoccupied with the quest for thinness. Everywhere you go, (i.e. grocery stores, bookstores, fitness centers, theaters) images of both men and women who society has deemed "beautiful" are deliberately posted in order to sell a product, entice an audience, or merely to gain attention. Even in an age where the rates for obesity are increasing at a rapid pace, it seems as though our society still idolizes the chiseled, lean man and the ultra thin woman. Many would argue that Hollywood and media has a definite force on creating a standard of beauty for its viewers. Many adolescents and young adults are feeling it very difficult to achieve and maintain this specific body and weight "ideal". It should make one wonder whether or not this emphasis on the external appearance has a played a part in the increasing numbers of men and women who are unhappy with their bodies and who as a result, decide to make extr eme changes in their dieting and exercise routines. It has been suggested that mass media may be partly to blame to the drastic increase in the prevalence of eating disturbances in our nation (Anschutz, Van Strien, & Engels, 2008). Many believe that there is an ever-widening gap between what the media portrays as the ideal body size and weight and what women's actual body size is. As a result, after continually viewing images of people whose size is almost impossible to achieve, both men and women are increasingly feeling bad about their bodies and report dissatisfaction. Thornton and Moore assert, "according to the social comparison theory, people tend to evaluate their own appearance more negatively after viewing highly attractive individuals" (as... ...m" women who appear on most of today's television media are very rarely is the size of the average American women. Instead, television most often portrays women who have had a number of children and yet still are maintain a very slim, size two wearing, frame. Certain communication theories state that exposure to various media outlets can lead viewers to begin to accept the media portrayals of beauty as reality. Some researchers believe that this constant exposure creates in women the belief that looking like the seen images is expected and central to attractiveness. Lavine and Harrison (2004) assert, "media presentations of women’s bodies are so skewed, showcasing an ideal that is out of reach to most, adopting this reality may lead to decreased satisfaction with one’s own and to behaviors aimed at meeting this ideal" (as cited in Grabe, Ward, & Hyde, 2008).