Marketing Principles and Practices - (2013_14) Essay

Marketing Principles and Practices - (2013_14) - Essay Example It also started to employ more designers who made up an efficient production line that produced Apple II computers (Lusted, 2012.p.100). Apple II computers were one of the most successful micro PCs. In 1984, Apple released the Macintosh. The next flagship product was launched in 1998, the iMac, which remains the fastest-selling PC in history. Since then, the company has released other technology dictating products such as the iBooks and PowerBooks. At the turn of the century (early 2000s), Apple shifted its focus to design and production of mobile electronic devices. In 2001, the first mobile electronic device was released, the iPod. The iPod which was a palm sized music player became the best selling portable music player in history. Another defining moment came in 2007, besides the change of name to Apple Inc. the company also released the cutting edge iPhone and the iPod Touch. Shortly after, in 2010, Apple launched the iPad. By 2012, Apple had become an iconic brand and one of th e most popular cool brands (Gogerly, 2012.p.21). It is important to note that the success of Apple Inc. has not been without major challenges. It is documented that after the success of the Apple I and the Apple II home computers, Apple struggled to remain a viable company, especially after the resignations of its founders. After financial failures such as the Apple Lisa and the Newton PDA, it was not until Steve Jobs rejoined the company that it found its niche, both with computers and other electronic products (Lusted, 2012 .p.100). Presently, Apple’s products have changed the way people all over the world access technology, communicate, and entertain themselves. These aspects have become synonymous with the company that it becomes hard to think of them and not think about Apple Inc. With the launch of the iPod that set up Apple Inc. in the 21st Century Apple became one of the hottest companies in youth culture. According to cool hunters, these are researchers who track buy ing trends among young people, Apple has continually surfaced in their conversations (Kahney, 2005.p.62). One of the major reasons explaining the appreciation of Apple was the fact that most celebrities whom the young perceive as cool use its products. The company’s slick advertising has also helped raise its profile and contribute to the cool image. Besides the cool image to the youth, Apple Inc. has been able to produce products for everyone. What Apple ‘means’ to most people is a combination of ever-advancing technology and a certain elegance of design and function (Middleton, 2012.p.16). In return, Apple products are pleasing to the eye and to the touch, as well as being simple and generally intuitive in the way they work (Middleton, 2012.p.16). Apple has a reputation for leading-edge technology and attention to detail, particularly style detail. Very few other brands generate such interest and inspire the number of brand ambassadors that Apple does. Apple cu stomers believe that the company really cares about the way the use the technology and about the way people look while using the technology (Masterson & Pickton .p.431). Brand Concept-Apple Inc. The concept of a brand leaves its own mark-a signature-that imparts its own meaning. It is this concept which is generally the force behind brand creation. A brand without its own unique signature would just not

Should animals be used for research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Should animals be used for research - Essay Example There are many medical practitioners who argue that animal testing is based on a false premise since the results from animal experiments may not necessarily be significant to the effects on the human body; human beings, as certain a species, surely react differently to chemicals that are applied to these experimental animals. This makes it difficult for such experiments to be successful. Two of the most famous cases of this type of experiment are the ones involving Thalidomide and Clioquinol. Thalidomide came clean in the animal testing stage, involving thousands of animals, and it was deemed safe to be released to the public even to pregnant women and breastfeeding women. At least 10 000 children had been born with serious birth defects because their mothers had taken Thalidomide when they were pregnant, even if the animal testing proved it to be safe. Another drug is the Clioquinol, which was also tested on thousands of animals successfully but failed when it was used by humans. It was marketed as a drug against diarrhea and it worked well in animals. In humans, though, it actually caused diarrhea. As a result, more than 30 000 cases of paralysis, blindness and deaths occurred to those who took Clioquinol (Archibald). Another drug that was deemed safe for public use was Vioxx, which was used to treat arthritis. It was perfectly fine on the animal testing level, and was even proved to be beneficial for the heart but the results indicated otherwise in humans. It actually induced about 140 000 heart attacks and strokes in the US. Hormone replacement therapy is another thing, which was proven to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke in monkeys but increases the risk in humans. The Lancet reported that more than 20 000 British women acquired breast cancer as a result of taking HRT, in addition to cases of heart attacks and stroke. These are not

Macro Economic Policy in both the UK and the Europe area Research Proposal

Macro Economic Policy in both the UK and the Europe area - Research Proposal Example According to the classical point of view, the business cycles are the result of disturbances in the production and spending. The Real Business Cycle theory is the extended version of the classical theory, which sees business cycle as the result of the productivity shocks. According to the Real business cycle theory, the reduction in the productivity at temporary basis creates a declining effect on the real wages, employment level, and output and increase the interest rate and the prices. The RBC theory finds a positive relationship between the business cycle and the level of real wage, prices and the overall productivity level of Labour. On the other hand, the theory asserts a negative relationship between the price level and the business cycle. The anti-cyclical trend of the price level is taken as a failure by many of the critics of the theory. Except the productivity shocks the increase in the Government purchase also increase the employment level, the interest rate, and the price level. Hence the classical model undertakes the study of both fiscal factors and the productivity shocks. Although the fiscal policy can play its part in order to improve employment level and output the classical economists do not support the role of Government action and state that the invisible hand can adjust the market to the most efficient level. In order to understand the practical applications of all these above theories, we will undertake the comparative study of macroeconomic policy in both the UK and the Euro area.... The RBC theory finds a positive relation ship between the business cycle and the level of real wage, prices and the overall productivity level of Labour. On the other hand the theory asserts a negative relation ship between the price level and the business cycle. The anti-cyclical trend of price level is taken as failure by many of the critics of the theory. Except the productivity shocks the increase in the Government purchase also increase the employment level, the interest rate and the price level. Hence the classical model undertake the study of both fiscal factors and the productivity shocks. Although the fiscal policy can play its part in order to improve employment level and output but the classical economists do not support the role of Government action and states that the invisible hand can adjust the market to the most efficient level. In order to understand the practical applications of all these above theories we will undertake the comparative study of macro economic policy in both the UK and the Euro area. 2- Aim: The aim of this research is to examine the role of the Classical, Keynesian and Real Business Cycle theory by undertaking a comparative analysis of the macro economic policy in UK and Europe. 3-Objectives To review the literature about this issue up till now. To improve the presentation of different economic indicators. To help common people understand the importance of macroeconomic policies. To assess and evaluate the gaps in the macroeconomic policies of UK and Europe by implementing the three major theories. Provision of suitable recommendations to undertake improvement in the macroeconomic policy area. Two views about the

Social factors effecting educational attainment Essay Example for Free

Social factors effecting educational attainment Essay This essay will attempt to examine the extent to which home factors may affect social class differences in educational attainment, looking at factors such as culture, income and the nature of the curriculum with reference to sociological theories. The essay will consider these factors, mainly focusing on home factors, and attempt to conclude which if any factors have the largest impact on educational achievement. The first part of this essay will look at the home factors and how they affect educational attainment, home factors essentially define our social class, aspects like income, space per person and effective money earned per year all amount to our class in society. For the purpose of this essay we define class as â€Å"A set or category of things having some property or attribute in common and differentiated from others by kind, type, or quality† and in reference to how this is being used in this essay we have three classes in the UK, the upper class which has the highest net worth and will often contain a family legacy of money, the middleclass who are people with higher level jobs such as managerial positions in company’s and the working class which consists of people working manual, often unskilled jobs which results in the lowest net worth of the three. Highlighting the difference in terms of educational attainment when it comes to social class is important as it allows us to focus on the working class and what affects their children in school. The Youth Cohort Study found that in 1998 children who had parents working in a managerial or professional position on average would achieve a 69% rate of 5 or more GCSE’s at A*-C level compared to children with parents working unskilled manual jobs only achieving a 20% rate. (Youth Cohort Study 2002, 2006, 2008). From this figure we can see how your class affects your level of educational attainment. This essay will now look at the home factors effecting social class and thus educational attainment. Feinstein conducted research into how educational attainment was based around parental attitude and support; this was often times measured by teacher’s assessments of how much interest the parents showed. This would mean that working class children would receive less help , support and encouragement with their school work when compared to a middle class child, Feinstein argued this was a major factor in educational attainment and pointed out that working class people who are earning less in unskilled manual jobs may have to work more hours and because of the physical nature of the job may be more tired and thus not have the time or energy to attend which would give the teachers a negative perception of the parents. Douglas, Gerwitz and Halsey all argued that home factors such as poor diet, lack of privacy and lack of school resources could all play a role in determining what social class a family would be classified as and thus how it would effect educational attainment. Douglas believed that a number of factors such as size of the family which would mean less space to work in, students health; which would be affected by the diet they could afford which would be poorer in working class family’s and the amount of support they could afford would all effect educational attainment. These are all areas which will be worse off when comparing working class family’s to middle class family. Bourdieu’s cultural capital theory builds upon this idea of class effecting educational attainment and states that the education system is systematically based on the culture of the most dominant social class and thus values knowledge and ideology’s that middle class parents may enforce upon their kids and devalue the skill sets and values which a working class child might have. Bourdieu argues that the major role of education is cultural reproduction of the dominant classes which would mean that the things that a working class child brings to the education system would not be of as much value as that of a middle class child and thus they are indirectly discriminated against in terms of how teachers see their skills. This could result in students preforming poorer simply because home factors determine their social class and thus their educational attainment. We can see how home factors can radically change the educational attainment of a child when we look at Hymen’s theory that even when IQ is held constant throughout the class, the working class children will do worse than the middle class children. Hyman theorizes that this is down to the values and morals of the different classes and they would be dictated these classes by the home factors mentioned earlier so there is a strong argument that home factors drastically change the level of educational attainment that a child might get. When comparing one sphere of influence to another, for example out and in school factors to home factors we can see that they all influence students educational attainment based on class. When looking at in school factors Hallum theorized that the curriculum was written by middle class people for middle class people, this obviously leaves the working class people, who have different values and morals, at a disadvantage. When the curriculum favors a certain skill set both in terms of values, morals and general ideology’s the group which don’t have this set of skills are going to lag behind and not be valued as much, as an example this could result in a working class child who performs academically in a set which can only achieve a max grade of D at GCSE when the child is perfectly capable of attaining a B+ grade. In this example we would see the middle class child be kept in a higher set because of the values and morals in place and the lack of recognition of the strengths of the working class child. Another in school factor would be speech codes. Bernstein thought that different classes had different modes of speaking which were valued differently in a middle class school environment. Bernstein said that working class children were limited to restricted speech codes which were characterized by shorthand speech, grammatically simple structure, meaning often conveyed by gesture and slang. This is in stark comparison to middle class children who have command over both elaborate and restricted speech codes which gives me a massive advantage as they can use the restricted speech code when necessary but also use the elaborate in situations such as exams or writing practices which are looking for the elaborate speech code usage. To conclude we can see that home factors affect social class massively and thus affect educational attainment and success massively as well. Theory’s such as cultural deprivation, parental attitude and speech codes have critics but they have elements of truth which highlights how a middle class curriculum and often times middle class teachers favor middle class students and their moral and value systems they have in place, this can lead to working class children who have to deal with a home environment which isn’t as well suited to learning and education also having to cope with being given less opportunity’s despite a similar level of IQ which can result in a lower level of educational attainment.

Multicultural Issues For Malaysians

Multicultural Issues For Malaysians Malaysia is a country which consists of multiracial culture, ethnics, and races. Malaysia is made up of three main races: Malay, Chinese and Indian. Ethnic races consist of Iban, Dayak, Kadazan and many other minorities. Even the Chinese in Malaysia comes from different ethnic groups and speak different dialects. Similarly, the Indians in Malaysia come from different parts of India and they speak different languages and even have different culture. The fact that Malaysia consist of so many races and ethnic group makes it a gastronomical paradise. Different races and ethnic groups have their own way of serving food and their own eating culture. Tourists who come to Malaysia will experience a multiracial and multicultural country first hand. Furthermore, if you were to take a look into Malaysian history, Malaysia has been colonized by many western countries, such as the Portuguese, Dutch, Siam, Japanese and also British. They leave behind not only war traits but also various culture an d buildings. However, when it comes to formal dinners, usually traditional Malay food or western food are served. In some occasions where the government tends to promote unity in the country, fusion of food from the three races might be served at the same time. If we were to attend Chinese wedding dinner, we realized that most of the time, the dishes that are served are almost the same. That is called the Chinese set menu. Each itinerary in the Chinese set menu has its own distinct meaning behind it. Each dish has a history behind it. The first course of the Chinese set menu is often an even-numbered selection of cold dishes; eight or ten are traditionally served. After the cold course comes a showy soup such as sharks fin soup or birds nest soup. The guests help themselves to the dishes at a banquet, but the soup is served by the host, and much drinking and toasting accompanies it. Following the soup comes a decorative meat dish, more courses follow lobster, pork, scallops and chicken. Between the courses, a variety of sweets are brought out. Peking duck with scallion brushes, hoisin sauce, and thin pancakes are often served in the middle of the festivities. Traditionally, the final course is a whole fish, which is placed on the table with its head pointes towards the guest of honor. Throughout the meal, the guests pay elaborate compliments to the food. Enjoyment of the food offered is much more important than sparkling dinner table conversation. At a banquet, the food itself is the medium communicating the host s good wishes and the hoy of the celebration. Noodles are often served in a Chinese set menu during wedding dinners or birthday celebration dinners. Noodles occupy an important position in Chinese cuisine. Actually, the Chinese were the inventors of noodles, and they were brought to the European noodle country, Italy, by Marco Polo in the 13th century. The Chinese do have a seemingly very logical reason why the longer noodles are better. To the superstitious Chinese race, long noodles mean long life or longevity. Making noodles the traditional Chinese way is an acrobatic art. The dough is pulled and whirled through the air in order to stretch it through centrifugal force; but today other techniques or machines are being used. In Chinese cuisine, noodles can be served in three ways: in a clear coup with meat and some vegetables, or mixed with meat and with a thickened sauce poured over or without sauce; whereas for noodles with sauce egg noodles (mien) are commonly used, its bijon noodles if served without sauce. Egg noodle dished with sauce appear on Chinese menus with English translation often specified as fried. This is grossly misleading as they are mostly just barely sauted. There is nothing crisp in such a fried dish, and the rather tasteless cornstarch sauce gives the dish a porridge texture. Another important part in the Chinese set menu is soup. Often in Chinese wedding dinners, sharks fin soup is being served as the second menu after the cold dish. Soups in Chinese set menu differ from western soups as Chinese soup uses cornstarch as a thickening agent unlike western soups where they use cream. The two famous Chinese soups, shark fin soup and the birds nest soup appear to be thickened but the glutinous texture does, in neither case, result from the addition of cornstarch but from the two main ingredients, shark fin and birds nests which are simmered for many hours. Soups in Chinese set menu are dated back as long as the history of noodles does. Chinese in China use drink soup to warm themselves up during winter. Nowadays if we were to look in to common house cooking dishes, there must be at least a dish which is made of soups. Soups are considered to be one of the seasonings in Chinese cooking. Even noodles, are served in soups. Fish is considered as a must in Chinese set menu or Chinese wedding banquet. Fish has symbolic significance in Chinese culture. In Chinese, the sound of fish is yu which sounds like the word for riches or abundance. Hence, Chinese people believe that fish is a symbol of abundance and prosperity. Serving fish in a Chinese wedding banquet is to wish the people have an abundant and prosperous life in future. Fish can either be steamed or deep fried. However, fish in Chinese wedding banquet is normally steamed and served with a specially prepared sauce which consists of soy sauce and oil. As said earlier, according to Chinese believe, fish is normally served in Chinese banquet with the fish head heading towards the host. Sea cucumber is another important ingredient in Chinese cooking. Sea cucumber is mostly found in Chinese New Year dishes as it is always cook with many other ingredients with special meanings behind it. Serving sea cucumber with other vegetable is a symbol of selflessness. This is because in Chinese, sea cucumber sounds like good heart. This course is to wish the newlyweds to think in a similar way and encourage them to avoid conflict by cultivating a good heart. Sea cucumber is also considered as one of the exotic seafood. As a highly graded sea cucumber may exceed the price of shark fins. In some expensive Chinese restaurants, a sea cucumber dish maybe as expensive as RM500. Finally, after all the mouth-watering dishes, comes the dessert. In Chinese set menu banquet, various kinds of fine desserts are served to customers. Here, we should discuss about sweet red bean soup and sweet buns. In olden days, red bean soup is considered as food for poor people. Red beans are relatively cheap and its filling. However, nowadays seldom people like to cook and eat red bean soup. Thats why, red bean soup is considered as a high-class dessert in Chinese set menu. In Chinese banquet menu, red bean soup and sweet buns are served to wish the newlyweds a sweet life. The sweet red bean soup contains lotus seeds and bark-like vegetables which signify togetherness. CONCLUSION (Q1) While most Chinese wedding menus are prearranged for you, you can of course change the menu to suit your liking. If you have a good handful of specific crowd that wish for something different than generic offerings, do request for some alterations to suit your guests requirements. Some might think that consumption of food is a vital part of the chemical process of life but to most Chinese, the consumption of food is far more than just vital. The only other activity we engage in that is of comparable importance to our lives and to the life of our species is sex. As Kao Tzu, a Warring States-period philosopher and keen observer of human nature, said, Appetite for food and sex is nature. In fact, the importance of food in understanding human culture lies precisely in its infinite variability -variability that is not essential for species survival. For survival needs, all men everywhere could eat the same food, to be measured only in calories, fats, carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins. But no, people of different backgrounds eat very differently. The basic stuffs from which food is prepared; the ways in which it is preserved, cut up, cooked (if at all); the amount and variety at each meal; the tastes that are liked and disliked; the customs of serving food; the utensils; the beliefs about the foods properties -these all vary. The number of such food variables is great. INTRODUCTION (Q2) A table setting in every country is important as it shows the way of how the food is served and consumed as well as their culture. For instance, for Chinese table settings, they put chopsticks and spoons instead of folks and knives like western table settings. The main reason is that the Chinese cuisine is more to be served and consumed with chopsticks whereas in Western cuisine, there are more foods like steaks, salads, breads or even pastas which are usually consumed with folks and knives instead of chopsticks. In other words, it shows the culture of the country itself as well as also shows partially of the way it is to be consumed. QUESTION 2 F:à «Ã‹Å"ËÅ"à ªÃ‚ ¾Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ ªÃ‚ ºÃ‚ ¼xDCOLLEGE=)SEM.4PRACTICAL KITCHEN AND SERVICEscan0001.jpg The picture above is an example of Chinese table setting. It consists of: Water or tea cups Napkins Chopsticks Chopstick stands Soup spoons Soup bowls Individual plates The picture below is the close up version of the above picture. F:à «Ã‹Å"ËÅ"à ªÃ‚ ¾Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ ªÃ‚ ºÃ‚ ¼xDCOLLEGE=)SEM.4PRACTICAL KITCHEN AND SERVICEscan0002.jpg F:à «Ã‹Å"ËÅ"à ªÃ‚ ¾Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ ªÃ‚ ºÃ‚ ¼xDCOLLEGE=)SEM.4PRACTICAL KITCHEN AND SERVICEscan0003.jpg The picture above shows the Chinese table setting, too but this is the for the VIPs. And it consists of: Tea cup Napkin Wine glass Sauce plate Individual plate Table folk Table knife Table spoon Soup spoon Chopstick Chopstick stand F:à «Ã‹Å"ËÅ"à ªÃ‚ ¾Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ ªÃ‚ ºÃ‚ ¼xDCOLLEGE=)SEM.4PRACTICAL KITCHEN AND SERVICEscan0005.jpg The picture above shows how and what is to be served or to be changed when it comes to serving Chinese cuisine by course by course and the table contains: Individual plates Soup bowls Soup spoons Table spoons Table folks Table knives Water or tea glasses or cups Round and rectangular trays Lastly, the picture below shows the overall environment of a Chinese table setting. F:à «Ã‹Å"ËÅ"à ªÃ‚ ¾Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ ªÃ‚ ºÃ‚ ¼xDCOLLEGE=)SEM.4PRACTICAL KITCHEN AND SERVICEscan0004.jpg CONCLUSION Through completing this assignment I got to have more time to look into the Chinese cuisine as well as the meaning of each and every Chinese cuisine especially when it comes to wedding dinner and also, I never thought that the table setting would be this important however after finishing this assignment I realized that the table setting actually shows and represents the culture.

Social Time In The Life Of A Man And Society :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays Sociology

Social Time In The Life Of A Man And Society ABSTRACT: The subject of this paper is social time-the peculiarities of the Past-Present-Future in social processes, and their unbreakable connection. I also focus on the necessity of taking stock of time in human activities and in the societal development. The Past in progress of society signifies the Already-happened which has become the possession of history. This Past exerts an enormous influence on the Present, determining it both directionally and functionally. The Present includes the Present itself, a part of the Past, and some elements of the Future. It represents the only reality for human beings as life is lived in the Present only. The Present creates the material and spiritual preconditions for the Future. Resolution of contemporary global problems is crucial for our Future which runs sequentially in three stages: immediate Future, visible Future and distant Future. All three exert influence on the Present by providing ideological and informational images. Time disciplin es our minds and wills, organizes our actions and promotes our cognitions of the Past, the Present and the Future. All the scientific philosophical systems, worked out in the history of mankind, have a big methodological and educational meaning. Separate categories, like social time, having attributive qualities are not an exception. Everyone: a scientist, a politician, an ordinary person, the whole mankind can't help taking into account the factor of time in their life and activities. We can say that they need it like the air to breath. That is why time was investigated in the theoretical systematized form by well-known philosophers and scientists of the past centuries - Aristotle, Augustine, Kant, Newton, Hegel, Marx, and ones of the Modern Age - Einstein, Russell, Heiddeger, Spirkin, etc. Each of them contributed to the understanding of time and its qualities. The most important issues of the past can be summarized in the following statements. Time is an attribute of the matter, its integral quality; time is indissolubly connected with space and motion; there is no "absolute" time in the material world. Time in the form of category, being abstract, can exist only in the theory and be used in scientific purposes. Time has important qualities: objectivity, that is it exists as the matter irrespective of our will and consciousness; it is characterized by the eternity of its duration - it has neither begging nor end; and it is contradictory. The latter means: from the one hand, time is eternal, on the other hand, all objects and processes exist for a certain time and have an end.

Discuss How Art Can Be Used To Promote, Reflect Or Challenge :: essays research papers

Discuss how art can be used to reflect, promote, or challenge cultural beliefs. Art, throughout the times have reflected, promoted and challenged the cultural beliefs of many different societies. To reflect a culture or society the artwork must create or suggest a particular impression of that era. To promote the cultural beliefs of a society the artwork must encourage and support the beliefs. For the artwork to challenge the beliefs it must question tradition. Gislebertus and Michelangelo promote and reflected the society and religion in which they belonged whereas Kruger and Serrano reflected yet challenged their society and religion. Gislebertus was a "sculptor of genius" of the Romanesque period. His sculpture of the last Judgement in progress on the West Tympanum of St. Lazare, Autun, France in 1130, reflected and promoted the strong Christian beliefs of this society. This artwork is extremely detailed and reveals many Christian icons and symbols. In the middle of the artwork is Christ, who is the focus of the composition and on either side of him are devils and angles blowing their trumpets. The weighing of souls is depicted throughout the artwork and next to each scale, are angles and devils competing for each soul. Below Christ are the dead rising, one being "plucked" from the earth by giant hands. Here humanity’s pitiful weakness in revealed in these terror stricken people as the angles summon them to judgement. The devils have legs which end in sharp claws and lean from hell as they drag souls in and are accompanied by howling and roaring demons. Gislebertus’ sculpture was affective in influencing and inspiring the viewers of his artwork as he created a sense of terror and fear by revealing the awful consequences for the damned which encouraged the viewers to follow the Christian and as a result increased the power of the church. Gislebertus was commissioned to depict biblical stories as the majority of the population was illiterate and this was the only way which God’s message could be heard. Therefore, Gislebertus reflected the Christian dominated society and promoted the Christian religion. Michelangelo also reflects and promotes his Italian; Christian dominated culture and the religion itself through his artwork. Michelangelo’s fresco in the Sistine Chapel, Italy, was created between 1508 and 1512 and depicts the most solemn biblical story of the creation of man in the High Renaissance style. The large size of 18’18" X 9’22" reflects the grandness and power of the God and the church.