Marriage and Taxes free essay sample

Marriage and Taxes Introduction: Bill and Mary plan to marry in December of 2012. Bills salary is $32,000 and he owns a residence. His itemized deductions total $12,000. Marys salary is $39,000. Her itemized deductions total only $1,600 as she does not own a residence. Assume that 2013 tax rates, exemptions, and standard deductions are the same as 2012. Task(s): Answer the following questions: a. What will their tax be if they marry before year-end and file a joint return? The file joint of returns will be $12,000. b. What will their combined taxes be for the year if they delay the marriage until 2013? The combined taxes will be $13,600 if they delay the marriage. $12,000 + 1,600 = 13,600. c. What factors contribute to the difference in taxes? Some of the factors that can result a difference in the taxes would be based on your itemized deductions. Examples a itemized deductions are mortgages that you own, have done any charitable donations, medical expenses, Long-term care services, and relocating for new employment. We will write a custom essay sample on Marriage and Taxes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page For a marriage case they can us the marriage penalty, Examples of a marriage penalty: (1) Both of the earns $80,000 a year mas two single individuals, the marginal tax rate will be 25% However, if you are a married couple, the marginal tax rate on a $160,000 annual income is 28%. 2) If you are married you are allowed to write off a total of $3,000 in losses, if filing separately, each only has a $1,500 limit; whereas two single individuals can write off a total of $6,000. (3) When it comes to IRA contributions, they are phased out at income levels between $178,000 – $188,000 for married couples versus a range of $112,000 – $127,000 for single taxpayers. Ingenuity. Empathetic.

Free Essays on Change

how has your understanding of the consequences of change been shaped by the techniques used by various composers? My opinion has been shaped by the texts that I have read in my class text â€Å"Away† by Michael Gow, â€Å"The Door† by Miroslav Holub, â€Å"Now you see me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  by Maggie Alderson, â€Å"Sensory Overload† by Casey Goldberg, and â€Å"American History X† by Tony Kay through the techniques they have used to get their point of view across. I have learned that change is usually a good thing but you can have bad aspects of change. In â€Å"Away† by Michael Gow, because it’s a play he used the technique of first person to give you a more personal view of how the characters are feeling and what they are thinking when they react to the change which has occurred. One example of this is Coral, Coral is married to Roy who is a headmaster at a school, Coral and Roy’s son had died in Vietnam and they are both upset about it, but Coral starts to become depressed and isolated from society. Roy get annoyed by this because of his position at the school and asks her to get better or he will have her committed, Coral says that she cant help it because she cant think of anything to say to people, but she is made to by Roy. Roy and Coral go to holiday at a gold coast hotel where Coral tries to change by talking to people and getting to know them. She talks to a woman called Leonie who tries to politely stop their conversation but Coral keeps forcing it onto her until the Leonie confesses to Coral that her husband has been cheating on her. Coral then meets Rick who is on his honeymoon but is having problems with his wife, Coral is fascinated by Rick because he reminds her of her dead son, Coral continues to talk to Rick during her vacation, to the dislike of her husband. Roy tells Rick to leave his wife alone and threatens again to have his wife committed. Coral leaves Roy because of this and goes to a beach where she meats one of her hu... Free Essays on Change Free Essays on Change â€Å"The Comparison of Occurring Change† Change occurs in many different forms and is carried out in many different ways. People often want to reject change but must realize it is a never ending cycle which occurs daily. It must be overcome to live life and be content. This explains the essay, â€Å"Once More to the Lake,† written by E.B. White. In this essay the author and his son travel to a camp located in Maine. This was a place White was taken to as a child. The author wanted his son to experience this place the same way he did growing up, but change in the camp had occurred. My experience is similar to E.B. Whites. In 1992, I was taken to a favorite spot of my mother’s childhood. This was a cottage, owned by my great grandparents. It was located in Port Colburne, Canada. Many changes had occurred here also, in comparison to Whites situation. My mother traveled to Canada twice a month with her family. The cottage, along with four other houses, was located on a circular piece of property facing a lake. The land was very open and spacious, not like the camp in Maine being heavily wooded; these cottages were not in this type of setting. The cooking took place at home. There were no restaurants or farmhouses nearby for dining. My mother remembers the smell of dead fish on nights of fish frys and the horrible stench of Lysol that came from the outhouse. As years passed, a bathroom was built inside, and my mother experienced this new feature at our time of visit. The two places were alike in many ways but also different. White remembers this place as â€Å"remote and primeval† (p75), while my mother spoke of the cottage as being quite and undisturbed, a perfect place to spend family time. The cottage in Canada sat right on a lake. My mother remembers playing in the sand and water each day with cousins. Usually everyone spent the same weekend together at this home. During this time the lake was very wide. Old car tires were bough... Free Essays on Change how has your understanding of the consequences of change been shaped by the techniques used by various composers? My opinion has been shaped by the texts that I have read in my class text â€Å"Away† by Michael Gow, â€Å"The Door† by Miroslav Holub, â€Å"Now you see me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  by Maggie Alderson, â€Å"Sensory Overload† by Casey Goldberg, and â€Å"American History X† by Tony Kay through the techniques they have used to get their point of view across. I have learned that change is usually a good thing but you can have bad aspects of change. In â€Å"Away† by Michael Gow, because it’s a play he used the technique of first person to give you a more personal view of how the characters are feeling and what they are thinking when they react to the change which has occurred. One example of this is Coral, Coral is married to Roy who is a headmaster at a school, Coral and Roy’s son had died in Vietnam and they are both upset about it, but Coral starts to become depressed and isolated from society. Roy get annoyed by this because of his position at the school and asks her to get better or he will have her committed, Coral says that she cant help it because she cant think of anything to say to people, but she is made to by Roy. Roy and Coral go to holiday at a gold coast hotel where Coral tries to change by talking to people and getting to know them. She talks to a woman called Leonie who tries to politely stop their conversation but Coral keeps forcing it onto her until the Leonie confesses to Coral that her husband has been cheating on her. Coral then meets Rick who is on his honeymoon but is having problems with his wife, Coral is fascinated by Rick because he reminds her of her dead son, Coral continues to talk to Rick during her vacation, to the dislike of her husband. Roy tells Rick to leave his wife alone and threatens again to have his wife committed. Coral leaves Roy because of this and goes to a beach where she meats one of her hu...

Advanced HealthCare Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Advanced HealthCare Management - Essay Example Although similar in scope and nature, the support team and the management team fulfill vastly different aspects and requirements. Specifically a support team seeks to enable others to perform their own work. Such teams can be specifically focused upon aspects such as strategic planning, promotion, steering committee development and quality improvement. Within such a manner, the overall goal of such a team is to promote synergy within the compliment parts of the organization that they are responsible for upholding. The main differential that exists between such a team and a managerial team is necessarily with regards to the differential of control (Buljac et al, 2013). Although suggestions are able to be made and key levels of decision-making fostered, the actual manager of control of a support team is quite limited and merely works in a symbiotic manner to promote the needs of the entity as a whole. On the other hand, management teams actively participate within the process of project and human resource development by actively engaging and providing direction to the individuals under their purview (Burns et al, 2012). A further differential that exists between management teams and support teams is with regards to the hierarchical nature that management teams necessarily reflect. Whereas a support team is usually one die mentioned all in structure, management teams can exist from the very lowest levels of management, extend into middle management, and be evidenced within the very highest levels of management within a firm. More specifically, managers within this structure have defined responsibilities that they are tasked with carrying out as a means of furthering the specific interests and goals of the individual organizations and subunits that they are ultimately responsible for. It is important to consider that although management teams are defined and behave in a manner that is relevant to their purpose, they are nonetheless

The Public Sees the World not as It Is,but through the Filters of the Essay

The Public Sees the World not as It Is,but through the Filters of the Media - Essay Example The question, then, becomes—manufactured by whom? Also relevant is the question of what is being manufactured. Reality, as some thinkers would say, is what is being manufactured and is being done so by the media, which developed countries are increasingly reliant upon for information about the world. The purpose of this paper is to find examples and principles regarding how media constructs reality, with particular emphasis on the construction and imposition of gender, and how this construction interferes with the notion of a real reality. First, however, it is important to start with definitions of important terms; the first of these terms is â€Å"culture.† In saying that a culture is responsible for manufacturing truth, one is suggesting that shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices of a group are creating an integrated pattern of symbols to represent its beliefs, knowledge, and ideas. In other words, a culture is a set of shared attributes of a group, which ha s the capability of creating a symbolic system that represents those shared attributes. Language is the keystone example of how groups transcribe concepts and abstract ideas into symbols and signs representing its shared reality. A culture is a tool toward this social symbolic thought. Another important definition to clarify is that of media. To say that media assists in the construction of reality, one is suggesting that the tools or instruments that store and deliver information are actually responsible for giving meaning to the information they communicate. McLuhan (1964) coined the phrase â€Å"the medium is the message,† meaning that the form of a medium embeds itself in the message, creating a mutual relationship in which the medium influences how the message is perceived. As applied to gender, a message delivered by a scantily clad woman on a television about the best tasting beer is likely to have a different meaning than the same message delivered by an old woman tal king on the radio about the same topic. Media, then, is any medium by which information is stored and delivered to the public. This is a very wide-ranging definition of media that captures the essential point that media is a broader instrument to communication than simply speaking or acting in a certain way. Media is also goal-directed, whether that goal consists of inspiring action in its recipients, making a profit, or informing certain people of events happening in the world. Lastly, a third relevant definition to be considered is for gender. The idea of â€Å"gender† is conceptually distinct from sex, which is tied more fundamentally to the biology of an individual’s body. What is relevant here, then, is not the identification the individual can make of himself or herself with regard to what is anatomically true about his or her body, but rather the kind of individual he or she identifies with as a person. To the extent that cultures are capable of creating their o wn systems of symbols to represent their own beliefs and attitudes, so too can individuals form beliefs and attitudes about personally relevant issues such as which groups in society he or she identifies with. According to the sex and gender description, one social identifier open to individual choice is

Isle of wight ventnor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Isle of wight ventnor - Essay Example In addition, the seabed forms a ridge rising to 15 meters of the surface that causes the sea to rush in between the ridge created and the Island. Due to this, there exists a narrow deep channel called the St Catherine’s Deep. The problem Study of the geotechnical situation in Ventnor indicates that the town has experienced landslides subject to ground movements. These landslides cause damage to property and interrupt the delivery of services mostly done through pipelines. The under-cliff of the Isle of Wight is 12 kilometers long. In 1988, the Department of Environment in Ventnor commissioned a study to come with ideas for dealing with the land instability problem. To understand the problems of stabilizing the town of Ventnor properly, it is important to consider; 1. The nature of the landslips 2. Study the strategies used to reduce negative impacts in the future and their applicability 3. Investigate the previous cases of instability It is very crucial to note that only some areas in the town of Ventnor experience landslips. In fact, various developed areas do not get affected even by main events. Consider the Bonchurch Old church which is over 1050 years old and still exists. Researchers tend to misinterpret the extent of the landslides since they include buildings and property that crumble due to poor foundations. Consequently, the problem appears great and non-manageable. (Griffiths, 2001). Location map The location of the town of Ventnor creates a problem in the stabilization of the area. The town faces a sea with various activities among them sea bed movements. Its open side facing the sea presents the problem of vulnerability due to lack of protection from sea tides and strong winds. Instability due to ground movements Ground movement continues to be a problem in the stabilizing of the town of Ventnor. The worst period occurred in 1961 where cliff falls and collapsed settlements were rampant following heavy autumn rainfall. Although the records da te as far back as 1781, it is not easy to get a clear picture of the problem of ground movements. 91% of the town has had minimal movement annually and short term major movements are attributed to long run movements. In the last 100 years, ground movement has become a challenge to the local community. This problem is independent of financial influence since it is a natural occurrence. The continued development of the area based on urbanization increases human traffic; thus, adds to the initial ground movement activity. Sir William 1997 argues that ground movements result from slope instability, ground compression and subsidence. Initially, the under cliff was a result of various phases of landslides due to climate and sea level influences. Landslides in Ventnor appear in the cretaceous rocks which consist of Gault clay overlain by big sandstones and chalk. The thin clay layers and the Gault clay determine the stability of the area. It is evident that the geotechnical design of the t own of Ventnor is itself a problem to the stability of the area. Landslides The images above show the occurrence of landslides which create a challenge in stabilizing the town. Mostly, landslides in Ventnor occur due to planes of weakness that come beneath impermeable clay surfaces. Water seeps through layers of sand leading to instability due to erosion. This image above represents the anatomy of the landslides. Landslides occur at the under-cliff of Ventnor located to the south of

The Marketing Strategy Of Apple Inc And Its Effectiveness

The Marketing Strategy Of Apple Inc And Its Effectiveness After reviewing the list of available topics for the 2012 Oxford Brookes Research and Analysis Project, I was most drawn to the topic A review of the Marketing Strategy of an organisation and its success because this relationship between the marketing strategy and organisational success is an area of high interest to me. I believe that undertaking this project will expose me to the real life interplay of the marketing models in the implementation of the business strategy of an organisation and help me to understand how a good marketing strategy can result in the success or otherwise of an organisations business strategy. Being much aware of how between 1995 and 1997 Apple Incorporated (then Apple Computers Incorporated) almost went bankrupt with $1 billion in backorders (California Digital Library, 1998); I believe that Apple Incorporated will be a fit candidate for this project analysis to show how an effective marketing strategy turned a failing company into the most valuable corporate body in share prices in under a decade (BBC UK, 2012). 1.2 Brief historic overview of Apple Inc. and its development: Apple Inc. wholly-owned subsidiary involved in the design, manufacture and marketing of mobile communication devices, computers and portable digital devices, including related software solutions and peripherals. Apple was established in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and Incorporated on January 3, 1977 in Cupertino, California (California Digital Library, 1998). Initially a success, infighting and a power struggle between founder Jobs and CEO John Sculley on which products to develop and market led to Jobs resigning from Apple in 1985 (California Digital Library, 1998). Misguided product development, poor research into consumer products and a failure to understand consumer needs led to a fall in market share, profits and faced near bankruptcy in 1996 after huge losses and unfulfilled backorders (California Digital Library, 1998). A restructuring of products and a strategic partnership with Microsoft to invest $150 Million in non-voting Apple shares and making available Office, Internet and development tools on Apples Macintosh computers, helped keep Apple afloat (CNET News, 1997). Apple currently is a market leader in the Mobile Computing industry with a much diversified range of products; including the iPod, iPhone, iPad, Macintosh Computers. 1.3 Project Objectives: The objectives I aim to achieve by undertaking this project work include: To understand how the ANSOFF and Marketing Mix models are applied to the market/product relationship and the overall development of a marketing strategy for an organisation. To review the marketing strategy of Apple using the ANSOFF and Marketing Mix models and access how the market/ products of Apple are developed effectively marketed to their consumer base. To access the contribution(s) that the application of these models by Apple Incorporated has made to their financial performance. This assessment will include: The contribution to net sales from their main market products. Access the effectiveness of their marketing costs to net sales. 1.4 Overall Research Approach The research is centred on the analysis and review of the marketing strategy of Apple Incorporated by evaluating their product development and marketing strategies from the ANSOFF and Marketing Mix models. The research approach which will enable me meet the outlined objectives will include a mix of theoretical models and making inductive conclusions from their practical application by Apple. Deductive assessment from qualitative and quantitative contributions to the success of Apple by their applications of the functions of these models will be made from the financial statements of Apple and from Industry and Media publications. Chapter 2 Information Gathering In this research and analysis project there were mainly two sources of information I considered; primary and secondary. 2.1 Sources of Information Primary Sources Primary sources are the first hand information gathered by the researcher directly in the research field from his subjects and are usually in their crude form (Yale University, 2008). Methods for obtaining primary data include: Questionnaires and Oral Interviews I will not make use of the primary data sources due to constraints including: Financial constraints, time limit, subject location and the non-response of the subject to my request for information. Secondary Sources Secondary sources of information are that which is available to a researcher as a result of other research work or publications in a relevant field; this necessarily will not mean similar or same research objectives; but does make the relevant fact and data available to a secondary researcher (University of Illinois, 2011). Sources of secondary data include Industry related and media publications, Textbooks, Financial reports, etc. I will make use of secondary data sources as they were more convenient to the constraints I faced. My sources of secondary data included: Industry and Media Publications: I will make use of publications and tools from experts in the computing industry including reports from C.Net, Web Archives Organisation and The Car Phone Warehouse. References will also be made to major events and activities of the Apple in media and news publications and some of which include the Financial Times, The Guardian, The New York Times, The BBC and CNN. This enabled me to access independent views on the success or otherwise of Apples marketing strategy. Library research: During the research I frequented my local library in Leyton, the library of the London School of Economics (LSE) and the Library of the London School of Business and Finance. This facilitated me on my understanding of the ANSOFF and Marketing Mix models and their theoretical development. Electronic Research: I also made use of the internet to gather the majority of information I needed to analyse the history, development and current strategic position of Apple Incorporated, to which the website of the SEC, www.sec.gov, provided me with financial publications and reports. I also found information on the prices of relevant competitive products including the Samsung, HTC and VIM (Black Berry) from industry participants like the Car Phone Warehouse, www.carphonewarehouse.com. 2.3 Ethical Considerations of the Project: As an ACCA student and having written the Ethics and corporate governance module I do understand clearly the ethical situations that can arise from analysing an organisations strategies. I have as such made no attempt to obtain or disclose any top level information or data that might jeopardise the long term strategic position of my subject of study: Apple Incorporated. All the information that I will use in my analysis are publicly available from Apples financial reports and from various other industry and media outlets. References will be made to these media outlets, news events and such relevant information in the financial statements of Apple and all such sources will be disclosed as due and correctly attributed to. To the best of my knowledge neither myself nor any close relative hold any form of financial instrument, shares or stock in Apple or any competitor in the mobile electronics industry and as such I do not seek to profit from this research for any effects it might have on such instruments. 2.4 Theoretical base and definition of Models The ANSOFF Model developed by H. Ansoff (Johnson et al 2005) is a product/market growth matrix that allows an organisation to generate alternative directions for its strategic development. Alternative strategic directions are options of products and market coverage that are available to an organisation taking into account their strategic capability and the expectations of stakeholders (Johnson et al, 2005). Protect / Build Product Development Consolidation With existing capabilities Market Penetration Beyond current expectations With new capabilities Market Development Diversification New segments With existing capabilities New territories With new capabilities New uses with new capabilities Beyond current expectations Beyond current expectations Source: H. Ansoff (1988) as cited by Johnson et al (2005). An organisation typically starts from the position of building or protecting their market presence with its existing products in their existing market (Box 1). The organisation then has the choice of pushing further the same product in that very market or moving to developing new products in that market (Box 2). The organisation can also bring their existing products into new markets (Box 3) and finally the last and most radical option of diversifying into a new market with a new product (Box 4). (Box 1) Protect / Build: According to Johnson et al (2005) this involves consolidating and strengthening their current market status with their current products. This may require just increasing the efficiency of their processes by downsizing some activities. This approach is much preferred stagnant markets and requires much competitive advantage or edge to win over customers from competitors. Box 2 Product Development: A business resides in an environment and changes in that environment will demand new products or services at the expense of an established product. An organisation then delivers these modified or new products to existing markets. Product development is most utilised by industries with short product life cycle software and consumer electronics (Johnson et al, 2005). Box 3 Market Development: This is the case where existing products are offered to new markets which may include exploiting into other market segments, developing new users for existing products and advancing on the geographical stage both nationally and internationally. In all cases, it is prudential that market development strategies are based on products or services that meet the critical success factors of the intended new market. As simply on offloading traditional products or services into new markets are likely to fail. Market development also requires a degree of product and capability development (Johnson et al, 2005). Box 4 Diversification: This is a strategy that removes an organisation away from their current markets and products; that is their established comfort zone of domination as one may put it (Johnson et al, 2005). Diversification increases the market power that the head office must oversee and may be in response to a market decline, an attempt to spread risk or as a corporate response to the expectations of powerful stakeholders. Diversification can be understood in two ways; Related and Unrelated. Related diversification is seen as a strategic development beyond current products and markets; but within the capabilities or value network of the organisation. Unrelated diversification has to do with developing beyond the current capabilities or current value system and this is often referred to as conglomerate strategy (Johnson et al, 2005). An organisation can make a choice as to which of the function(s) of the model to apply in its strategic options. When this option has been made an organisation then has to develop a marketing approach to gain the advantage over their competitors. Marketing Model (Marketing Mix): Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably; it is widely used as a concept or a process and to cover a series of techniques (CIM, 2012). Marketing strategy therefore reflects a companys best options as to how it can most profitably apply its skills and resources to the chosen product and segment market Consumers have needs and wants, and are placed into segments based on those needs, but understanding the nature of customers and their needs is only just but the first step in implementing a business strategy. An organisation needs to communicate to the consumer why their product fulfils these needs and the tools used in this communication form the basis of the marketing mix model; being the Product, Price, Place and Promotion, also known as the 4Ps. The 4 Ps model was developed by McCarthy (Kotler et al, 2008) but modern scholars have identified 3 more Ps, People, Processes and Physical evidence that are more at play in the service sector, Booms and Bitner in (1981), as cited by Brassington and Pettit (2006). Product: This is what the customer receives from the organisation or manufacturer; totality of goods and services that the company offers the target market. (Kotler et al, 2008:49). A product goes beyond just the item sold, and is not only what to make, but how, when and its life span of feasible production. In marketing terms a product is split between the actual product and the augmented product. The actual product in its simple terms must satisfy the basic needs of the customer; and thus can be termed as the threshold product. However if an organisation seeks to survive in a changing market, it must provide more than the basic product. Price: The price is the amount of money the customer parts with in order to acquire the product; and may involve more than just the basic and straightforward calculation of costs and expected profit margins of the organisation (Brassington and Pettit, 2006). A common trait with price; regardless of the basis of calculation; is that it must reflect the value the customer holds to the product. This is a customers individual behaviour trait as Brassington and Pettit (2006) noted; and is a judgemental perception of what they are getting for their money, what options their spending power held for them and how much the amount relatively means to them. External factors that affect price include competitors and the general economy. The influence of pricing on the success of the overall marketing mix approach can be established with Bowmans Strategic clock model which shows the link between the perceived value of product, the price and its chances of success. A product that fails to communicate the appreciable value / price ratio to consumers will fail. The Strategic Clock Model, (C. Bowman and D. Faulkner 1997) Brassington and Pettit (2006), notes that within a given economic situation price sends all sorts of messages to the customers; it indicate quality and desirability and in the eyes of competitors it is seen as a challenge as low pricing can indicate a price war and high pricing leaves room for a competitor to undercut. Internal factors that may affect pricing include required return or shareholder expectations, cost of manufacture. Pricing is the most flexible element of the marketing mix but it is also quite a dangerous element to play with (Brassington and Pettit 2006). Place: Once the product and the price have been determined, the customer must be able to purchase the product. This can be directly from the manufacturer or from an intermediary or distributor. There are various modes of distribution in order to transfer the product to the customer; from simple mail order to long and complex distribution chains. Place in the modern era of marketing has also taken the electronic edge and includes the internet and telephone orders. The Place function is not just about the movement and transfer of goods, it is about manipulation, competitive advantage and power of bargain between the consumer and the manufacturer (Brassington and Pettit 2006). Promotion: Product promotion is about communicating to the consumer or customer. An organisation has a product that may be competing with several others to satisfy a customers need. The act of convincing consumers on why an organisations products are the best in fulfilling their need is what promotion is all about. Often seen as the most active and glamorous part of marketing, it does demand a daunting amount of artistic endeavour and can be used to overcome setbacks an organisation may have in the other aspects of the marketing mix. Promotion in totality however contains two main acts: pull promotions that attempt to attract the consumer to purchase the product and push promotions that aim for retailers or intermediaries, encourage them to purchase the product and promote them to their own consumers. Promotion involves not just advertising but also discounts or sales promotions, personal selling, branding and public relations (Brassington and Pettit 2006). People, Processes and Physical Presence: Booms and Bitner (1981), as cited by Brassington and Pettit (2006), added 3 more Ps (People, Processes and Physical Presence) to the initial 4 Ps model to reflect the extra activities in the marketing of services. People reflect the human aspect of rendering a service to a consumer. A customer that feels comfortable with a particular service provider trusts them and has a rapport with them; forms a relationship with that provider that a competitor will find hard to break into. People add value to the service package that goes beyond what the service aims to offer (Brassington and Pettit 2006). Process concerns the live provision and consumption of a service; which is much different to the hidden processes of manufacturing sectors. A service provider has to maintain consistency with the consumer this involves specific quality controls, training, manuals of service, time of service and a professional level of quality (Brassington and Pettit, 2006). Physical Evidence has to do with how an organisation maintains an ambience of their principal locality of rendering services for the consumer. This is a premises from which their service is sold or delivered and includes how appealing it is in terms of maintenance, design and accessibility. This can include the airplane one boards when they book a flight, the room they sleep in when they book a hotel (Brassington and Pettit 2006). 2.5 Limitations of the report This report has limitation due to the constraints it was subject to and the intrinsic limitations of the theoretical models. The unavailability of primary data has restrained this reports view of scope to the secondary data and the financial statements of Apple Incorporated. Constraints that limit the scope and dept of the report also include the number of words which as underlined in the project outline is a maximum of 6,500 words. Time has also been a constraining factor limiting the extent to which the research could be carried out. The location of the study subject, Apple Incorporated has also made it impossible to study the cultural influences and other market factors, apart from marketing strategy, that could and can affect the success. The nature of the theoretical models ANSOFF and the Marketing Mix model restrains their exact application and thus analysing their real life application. These models like all theoretical models may not necessarily be reflected in their totality when applied and certain assumptions need to be made in order to analyse their effectiveness. Chapter 3 3.1 Application of Models and Analysis An assessment of the current marketing strategy of Apple Incorporated using the ANSOFF and 7 Ps Marketing Mix modules will set a point out on what exactly Apple does and how this has been effectively reflected in their success. Outline of ANSOFF Model as Applied By Apple: Market Penetration: Apple from its period of incorporation had been focused on gaining a market share in the computer and I.T industry and although they had a reflection of research into other I.T based products; their main focus was on a limited product spectrum which included the Apple II, Lisa and Later the Macintosh computers (California Digital Library, 1998). They based this market penetration strategy on their style and brand appeal, and sought to grow their market share the more. This clearly fitted into the ANSOFF model function of market penetration and market consolidation strategy. This approach however begun to recede in the 1990s as their strategic competitors Microsoft and IBM outgrew Apples market share with much cheaper and more innovative computers which in addition capitalised on the inability of Apples computers to integrate with other industry standard software and computers (Jim Carlton, 1998). Market Development Function: Apples market spans across the globe and is segmented on a regional and product basis including consumer, business, education, enterprise and government organisations that make use of the power and productivity of Apples products. This market has been developed with focus on product differentiation and enhanced knowledgeable sales persons, which allows the easy conveyance of value of products to consumers (Apple Inc, 2011). Apple is also active in the reseller and third-party locations market including Apple Premium Reseller Program which allow high level integration and support services to their products (Apple Inc, 2011). This high value market development is directly linked to their products which are developed on value, ease of use and integration. Product Development Function: Being involved in the mobile computing industry which is highly characterized by frequent product introductions and rapid technological advances requires strategic application of the product development function of the marketing mix model. iPod: This is a portable digital music player introduced in 2001as a niche product it clearly struck a nerve with a new generation of electronic users. With the traditional PC being regarded as my parents computer or the official business computer, Apple identified a market that desired the portability of an electronic music player and the storage prowess of a computer for that music data. It includes the iPod touch, iPod nano, iPod shuffle and iPod classic all of which work with iTunes and related accessories both Apples and third-party compatibles. Apple sold more than 15 million units in the last three months of 2005 and helping double the quarterly profits of Apple from $255 Million in 2004 to $565 Million in 2005 (BBC UK, 2006). The graph 3.1 shows how this product dominates the mobile music devices industry. Graph 3.1 Source: IDC, 2006 as cited CNN Money, 2006. Apple US Electronics Music Player Market Share iPhone: Developed in early 2007, the iPhone combines a smart mobile phone, an iPod and an internet communications device; as then CEO Steve Jobs put it a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary phone and a break through internet communicator (Anthony Imbimbo, 2009). It also includes accessories that allow it to communicate with other Apple products and tools that elaborate on ease of use, value and user friendliness. Within three months Apple had sold 270,000 iPhone devices and generated $5 Million of net revenue for the 3rd quarter of 2007, (Apple Inc, 2007). Graph 3.2 Sources: Apple Incorporated Financial Statements, 2010 2011, Growth in Net iPhone Sales Between 2008 2011. Graph 3.3 Sources: Apple Incorporated Financial Statements, 2010 2011. Percentage Growth Net iPhone Sales to Net Sales 2008 2011. Graph 3.2 and 3.3 above indicate how the iPhone product grew rapidly and its net contributions to sales. Mac: This is the personal computing product which includes desktop and portable computers, related devices and third party hardware products. They are designed to target high end business and professional customers. iPad: In the first quarter of 2012 Apple introduced the iPad which like the iPod touch and iPhone is based on the multi-touch technology, showing how using their existing capabilities Apple develops products to fulfil market needs (Apple Press Info, 2010). Described as a multi-purpose mobile device for browsing the web, reading and various other functions, the market reception of the iPad was so successful that Apple sold 300,000 within the first twenty-four hours of its launch (Ars Technica, 2010). Graph 3.4 shows the accelerated growth of net sales contribution from the iPad product. Graph 3.4 Sources: Apple Incorporated Financial Statements, 2011. Percentage Growth in Net iPad Sales to Net Sales Between 2010 and 2011. This simultaneous implementation of the product and market development functions of the ANSOFF model clearly follows in line with Johnson et al (2005) observation that market development requires a degree of both products development and capability development. Chart 3.5 Sources: Apple Incorporated Financial Statements, 2011, Percentage of Products to Net Sales. Chart 3.5 above shows the net contribution to net sales from the most recent products from Apple Incorporated. iTunes and iCloud: The iTunes offers a tool for organising digital files on apples devices on both Windows and Mac platforms it is integrated into the iTunes Store which allows the rental and purchase of digital products from Apple accredited sellers, including the App Store and iBookstore with one account (Apple Inc, 2011). The iTunes interface provides an integration platform for all devices one may own allowing files to be wireless pushed to all devices (Apple Inc, 2011). Extending on the iTunes digital hub integration, Apple introduced the iCloud in October 2011, which allows consumers to store and share all their files across all Apple devices they own, perform backups and various other functions including managing mail and contacts. This digital hub ideology allows Apple to provide the augmented services that make their products value stand above those of their competitors. Software Products and Computer Technologies: Apple offers a range of computer softwares for education, enterprise and government customers including the Mac OS X, iLife 11, iWork 09, server software and professional application software including Final Cut Pro, Logic Studio etc (Apple Inc, 2011). Apple also builds software for their mobile devices supported by the iOS architecture and offers these augmenting products to enhance the customer use and value of their products. Display Peripheral Products: Apple has a range of peripherals and display devices including the Apple LED Cinema Display, AppleTV and Thunderbold Display, Apple also offers several third-party augmenting devices that add value to their products (Apple Inc, 2011). Diversification Functions: When Apple introduced the iTunes and iTunes Store product they created a completely different product line that strays from their electronics products lines and yet offers more augmented value to their mobile devices. This online music store can be seen as a concentric or related diversification that provided a platform where the music industry could sell its products easily to the rapidly growing market of iPod and iPhone users. This diversification has been so successful that Apples online music store the iTunes overtook the largest music retailers in number of songs sold in 2008, (Apple Press Info, 2008). Source: ArsTechnica 2008, Apple iTunes Store Music Sales by % Volume. A more detailed analysis shows how Apple changed the way consumers purchase music from buying a whole album to allowing selection of a particular track or set of tracks. This lies in related horizontal diversification as Johnson et al (2005) pointed out as activities that are complimentary to the parents core activity network. Apple clearly uses a combination of the ANSOFF product, market development and diversification functions to effectively contribute to its success as a mobile I.T manufacturer. Application of the 7P Marketing Mix Model by Apple Incorporated Apple applies the 7P marketing model by either identifying a specific markets needs or by creating a market by defining products that address the needs of their target segment consumers. Product: Apple defines their products with the final consumer in focus and does not seek to gain all the consumers in the market; rather they focus on the Value seeking consumers and thus all of Apples products are designed to satisfy the needs of these value consumers. Products are designed with each aspect specifically detailed to achieve an advantage over equivalent competitor products including; superior ease of use, seamless integration and innovative design (Apple Inc, 2010). As Kotler et al (2008) describes, Apple provides augmenting services and peripherals for almost all of their product lines including maintaining compatibility to older generations and other third-party devices and software. These services, which are additional to all Apple products as basic packages at no and extra packages at extra costs allows consumers to continuously add more value to their products to fulfil their evolving needs. Currently as I write this report, Apple has launched several series of product upgrades and differentiation within the iPhone, iPod and iPad for other value consumers identified in their market segment whose needs the current products do not meet; including the iPhone 5, iPod Touch, iPad Mini and the Mac Book Pro and iMac (Apple Online Store, 2012). Pricing: One other aspect of the Marketing mix model which Apple applies effectively is the pricing of their products. Apple markets itself as a high end product manufacturer with a high-quality buying experience for their target consumers, and this is reflected in their pricing. Apples products are higher in prices in a comparison to their market competitors but this it leverages with its unique ability to design and develop its own operating systems, hardware, application software and services and provide its customers with new products and solutions of superior ease of use, seamless integration and innovative design. Apple believes in high quality sales and after sales support experience and ensures that although their prices are higher than any competitor; the final end consumer knows that the quality of product, sales and after sales support is second to none (Apple Inc, 2011). From C. Bowman and D. Faulkners (1996) strategic clock model, Apple Incorporated can be seen to be solely concentrated on a high value high price relationship which they also described as focused product differentiation. A samples analysis of the current UK mobile phone market prices ranges between the major market competitors and Apples iPhone product belo

Radio Propaganda during World War II :: Essays

Radio Propaganda during World War II Propaganda played an important role before and throughout World War II. It helped accelerate the development of the war and hastened actually fighting. It also played a crucial role in individual countries in increasing production and helping the war effort. Without propaganda, it is doubtless that the war would have taken a different course. I. American radio propaganda during WWII The radio has had a huge impact on bringing information to the public about war and other government issues. Advertising and broadcasting on the airwaves was a major step in bringing war propaganda to a level where people could be easily touched nationally. Broadcasting around the clock was being offered everywhere. Before there was television people relied on the radio as a way to be entertained, the means of finding out what was going on in the world, and much more. During the World War II time period, 90 percent of American families owned a radio, and it was a part of daily life. So it was an obvious means of spreading war propaganda. During this time period, propaganda was spread throughout the radio by means of news programs, public affairs broadcasts, as well as through Hollywood and the mainstream. The average person had not even graduated high school at the time, and the average reading level of the American was somewhat low. The radio made it possible for stories and news to be delivered to everyone in plain simple English. The radio served as a medium that provided a sense of national community. Although it took time, the radio eventually rallied people together to back up the American war effort. Propaganda in the Pre-World War II time period was very unpopular with the American people. Before WWII, the American people were getting tired of propaganda efforts put on by the government. Government propaganda reminded Americans of the war propaganda tactics used in earlier in World War I and now FDR was putting tons of effort into radio propaganda to support the new deal. FDR and his administration worked hard to convince people, politicians, and the media that the government was NOT trying to censor up information about what was going on. However the government still increased the radio informational network under the cover of the emergency defense network.

Quality Physical Health Education Programme in Nigeria Essay

ABSTRACT The paper focused on the Need for Quality Physical Education (PE) Programme in the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme in Nigeria. It began with an observation on the inadequacy of precious educational systems which gave birth to UBE. Therefore, the paper attempted to answer the question – why there should be quality PE in the school. Furthermore, the paper examined roles of quality PE in the three Education Domains of Motor domain, cognitive domain and affective domain. The challenge of Quality Physical Education in the UBE programme was equally reviewed. The paper concluded that it is only the full implementation of its recommendation that would provide a lasting solution to the challenges of ensuring quality physical education programme in the UBE in Nigeria. INTRODUCTION The previous systems of education that were operated in Nigeria were inadequate to meet the needs for self reliance and rapid economic growth. It was this inadequacy that gave birth to a new one. The Universal Basic Education, Basic education is foundation for sustainable lifelong learning. it provides reading, writing and numeracy skills. The programme provides a wide variety of formal/non-formal educational, activities designed to enable the learner to acquire functional literacy. Basic education in Nigeria context, according to Awosika (2005), includes primary, junior secondary, nomadic and adult literacy education, which focuses on enabling the recipients to live meaningful and fulfilling lives, contribute to the development of the society, and derive maximum social, economic and cultural benefits from the society and discharge their civic obligations competently. WHY QUALITY PHYSICAL EDUCATION? The need for quality Physical Educational Programme offered in the Universal Basic Education (UBE) cannot be over-emphasized. Physical education programme which aims at developing a sound body in readiness for a sound moin has been described by many authors (Adedeji 1998, Ajisafe 1980, Anyanwu 1981, Awosika 1986 and Oyewusi 1992) as education through movement with the body as a vehicle. For several years, one of the goals of all concerned with the physical activity of children has been quality physical education offered daily in our nation’s schools. It is the right of the Nigerian child to be offered quality physical education. According to UNESCO 1978 in Awosika (2005), the International Charter of Physical Education and Sports declares that physical education and sports are fundamental rights for all, and specifically, that: i.Every human has a fundamental right to access physical education and sports which are essential for the full development of personality. The freedom to develop physical, intellectual and moral powers through physical education and sport must be guaranteed both within the education system and in other aspects of social life. ii.Everyone must have full opportunities, in which national traditions of sports, for practicing physical education and sports developing physical fitness and attaining a level of achievement in sport which corresponds to inherent gifts. iii.Special opportunities must be made available for young people, including children of pre-school age, for the aged and for the handicapped to develop their personalities to the full through physical education and sports programmes suited tot their requirements. For these reasons, the physical education curriculum must facilitate achieving National content standards for physical education. To accomplish this, Gallahue and Donnelly (2003) opined that the curriculum should include the following elements: 1.Fitness education and assessment to help children understand, improve, and/or maintain their physical well-being; 2.Instruction in a variety of motor skills that are designed to enhance the physical, mental, social and emotional development of every child; 3.Development of cognitive concepts about motor skills and health enhancing levels of fitness; 4.Opportunities to develop social and cooperative skills and gain a multicultural perspective. 5.Involvement of all children activities that provide maximum amounts of appropriate physical activity. QUALITY PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND THE EDUCATIONAL DOMAINS Any educational programme that does not contribute meaningfully to the educational domains is considered deficient and needs to be restructured. Physical education is sensitive to the motor, cognitive and affective domains and should be viewed as a subject, like any other that makes meaningful and measurable contributions to all three domains. Each of the domains will be looked at briefly in the following paragraphs: MOTOR DOMAIN The motor domain is the basis for the motor skill themes of the physical education programme. Motor development, according to Ayodele (2005), is a progressive change in one’s movement bahaviour brought about by interaction of the movement task with the biology of the individual and the conditions of the learning environment. In other words, one’s unique hereditary make up, along with specific environmental conditions combined with the requirements of the task itself to determine the rate and extents of the movement skill acquisition and fitness enhancement. Quality physical education programme, therefore, will help all children make adaptive change toward increased motor control and movement competence. This is achieved by involving the children in movement activities that are both appropriate to their age and development. COGNITIVE DOMAIN Physical education does not only make unique contribution to the acquisition of movement skills and physical fitness enhancement; it also makes meaningful contributions to the cognitive aspect of children’s development. Cognitive learning is a progressive change in the ability to act Bredenkamp, 1992 in Ayodele, 2005). Cognitive concept of learning can be effectively taught through movement, that is, active participation in activities. Usually, participation in most, if not all physical activities, begins in mind. The participants must first have a concept of the action, think and reason it out before the action. Considering the swiftness with which most physical education activities are performed, one can only imagine the beneficial tasking effect on the cognitive development. It is interesting to note too, that, movement often meets the needs and interest of children more than classroom activities that are less active. When a child is actively participating in a game that is teaching academic concepts, her attention is not easily diverted by extraneous stimuli (Ayodele, 2005). Also, many of today’s children under value academic achievement but have high regard for physical performance. AFFECTIVE DOMAINS An important outcome of any quality physical education programme is enhancement in the affective domain. Affective growth is learning that increased the ability of children to act, interact and react effectively with other people as well as with themselves. Affective growth is often referred to as â€Å"social – emotional development†. Physical education programme provide ample opportunity for interaction and the development of feelings (emotion) for others. CHALLENGES OF QUALITY PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN THE UBE PROGRAMME Quality physical education uses the gymnasium, playing fields as learning laboratory and numerous consumable equipment and supplies that calls for adequate funding. These are lacking in most of the schools. Quality physical education calls for teachers who are dedicated to children’s learning. it is not a â€Å"throw out the ball† programme or some form of glorified recess period. Gallaheu and Donnelly (2003) opined that if children are to realize the full potential of physical education, then, the physical education must continue to strive for quality physical education programmes offered daily. It has been also observed that Nigerian children are frequently unable to take advantage of the many benefits of vigorous physical activities because of poor or non existence of physical education programmes, sedentary life style and erroneous assumption that children by the very nature of being children get plenty of physical activity. As a result, low levels of physical fitne ss and movement skill attainment are all common. Pate (1995) opined that schools should offer physical education programmes, which provide and promote physical activity at every opportunity. Physical education and the school curriculum is another area of challenge. Though physical education has been formally entrenched into the UBE curriculum, effective teaching still leaves much to be desired. Findings have shown that many schools do not teach physical education as it should be taught, while some do not even teach it at all. Ajisafe (1991) attested to this claim that the periods of physical education are often used by children to work outside the class room either to clean the school premises or school farm. Lack of qualified physical education teachers is another challenge. Qualified Physical Education teachers have a lot of role to play in the school PE programme. They teach physical education, organize and administer intramural and extramural sports and they form the cream of the administrators of school sports. If physical education teachers are not adequate, non specialists in physical education cannot properly carry out these functions. Lack of motivation of physical education teachers and athletes; irregular intra-mural and extra-mural sports at school levels and many other challenges need to be urgently addressed to ensure quality PE programme in the school. RECOMMENDATION The following recommendations are put forward towards ensuring quality physical education programme in the Universal Basic Education in Nigeria. More so, school sports (intra-mural and extra-murals) is a forum to practicalize what has been learnt during physical education lessons, it is then imperative that the UBE programme should ensure that PE is properly taught in every school by: (i)Adequate funding of PE and sports programmes; (ii)Employment of adequate and qualified Physical Education teachers for the schools; (iii)Provision of sports and PE facilities, equipment and other supplies; (iv)Resuscitation of the annual intra-mural sports and the extra-mural sports; (v)The PE specialists should be abreast of the latest research, issues and trends in the field through ongoing professional development; (vi)Physical education classes should contain about 25 students per class in order to enhance effective teaching. CONCLUSION Every human being has a fundamental right to participate in sport and physical activity of their choice (UNESCO, 1978). For the children and youth, physical education should be taught in the schools by qualified teachers (Eoulon, 1994). It is only the full implementation of these and lasting solution to the challenges that would ensure quality physical education programmed in the Universal Basic Education in Nigeria. REFERENCES Adedeji, J.A. (1998). Physical Education in Educational Institutions in Nigeria. International Journal of Physical Education. (15) 4 Ajisafe, M.O. (1980). Teaching Physical and Health Education, Macmillan Nigeria Publishers Ltd. Yaba, Lagos. Ajisafe, M.O. (1991). Physical Education in the Service of Mankind (unpublished manuscript). Anyanwu, S.U. (1981). Secondary School Physical Education: Implications for the Development of Sports In Nigeria. The JONA PHER, (2), 2. Awosika, Yomi (1986). It pays to play: With Recreation During Economic Recession. In Afisafe (Ed) Recreation and National Awareness. 73-77 Awosika, Yomi (2005). Collaborative Roles of Physical Health Education and Sports in the Effective Implementation of Universal Basic Education Programmmme. In Omolawan, K.O (Ed) Journal Of Sports Management and Education Research (1), 2:1-20. Ayodele, I.R. (2005). Need for Quality Developmental Physical Education Offered Daily in the Programme. In Omolawam, K.O. (Ed); Journal of Sport s Management and Educational Research (1), 2 121-127. Coulon, S.C. (1994). Elementary Physical Education: A Rural School Districts Perspective Rural Educator, (3) 15: 13-17. Gallahue, D.L. & Donnelly, F.C. (2003). Developmental Physical Education for all Children (3rd), China: Human Kinetics Oyewusi, J.A. (1992). Using Physical Education as a Therapeutic Weapon. Sports Science and Medicine, (2), 1; 307-328. Pate, R.R. (1995). Recent Statements and Initiatives on Physical Activity and Health Question 47:304-310. UNESCO (1993). International Charter of Physical Education and Sports. UNESCO, Paris, France: Eric Document: 370-901.

Why Marjane Satrapi Graphic Form

Why Marjane Satrapi chose to tell her story Persepolis in the graphic form The graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi was written in the graphic medium to appeal to a wider audience. Literary critic, Manuela Constantino, proposes that â€Å"the combination of a visual representation and a child’s point of view makes the story easily accessible and therefore attracts a wide range of readers. † (Constantino, 2008: 2) Another plausible reason for Satrapi's choice to do the novel in this medium is the apparent popularity graphic novels enjoyed at the point of the memoir’s publication.Writing the novel graphically, brings the Middle Eastern novel closer to its Western readers. As Constantino wrote; Satrapi emphasizes â€Å"the universal qualities of her child narrator and the details of her experiences that would be familiar to her Western readers. † (Constantino, 2008: 2) Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi in the graphic form deems effective because it is writ ten in a form that is recognizable to her target readers, written in somewhat a ‘universal’ language. Satrapi chose to tell her story in the graphic form to better connect with her readers. It is apparent that Satrapi’s targeted audience are mainly Western Christians.Over forty percent of the world’s population who practice a religion are Christians. The religious stature of the main characters made the novel accessible to its non Muslim readers. Being able to observe Christians in a predominantly Islamic country, opens a window to a life Satrapi's readers could only dare to imagine. A world where u are told what to believe and what to think. It is therefore logical to target the sensitive majority of the population to educate about the Iranian political struggle and to get her story across. The novel in itself is about driving away the West from the conservative Iranian nation.Driving away the things her targeted readers consider their norm. Westerners an d others around the world try to â€Å"seek insight into a country and a nation that have been deemed â€Å"evil† and an imminent threat to Western society. † (Malek, 2006: 10) To aid the West in its quest to â€Å"seek insight† into the nation of Iran, Satrapi wrote the novel in a medium that is very closely related to and very familiar in the Western culture. As demonstrated in: â€Å"†¦ They found records and videocassettes at their place, a deck of cards, a chess set. In other words, everything that’s banned. The scene leads the reader to feel unwanted and driven off alongside Marji, an Iranian who embraces the reader’s culture as demonstrated in page one hundred and twenty six , from her Iranian world. The reader and Marji form a special bond – they become a unit. This common ground builds a stronger connection between Marji and the reader leading the audience to feel a stronger form of empathy towards the child, as they are now p art of the cultural issue.Satrapi also chose to relate socio-political issues, conflict and loss to Arabic writing; as demonstrated in page eighty seven, in the panel where in two women are arguing. Satrapi, 2003) Their banter is written in a language unfamiliar to her targeted readers leading the reader to classify fighting and arguments as foreign and that the very presence of these women and their conflict is alienating. Another instance is when Pardisse reads her letter to her dead father, a letter written in the same foreign writing – grief is then related to this alien language. (Satrapi, 2003: 86) And on page one hundred and thirty two, in the panel where The Guardians of the Revolution (women’s branch) were introduced, one will observe the same unreadable writing resembling Arabic on their vehicle. Satrapi, 2003) Her use of all these subtle details in the graphic aspect of the novel adds to the effectiveness of the medium in that it forces the reader to lose al l sense of familiarity with the antagonistic characters. The visual aspect of this novel aided in Satrapi’s depiction of Marji as someone who embraces the western culture, the reader's culture, with the familiar images of Nike sneakers, jeans, jean jackets, and chocolates, as well as Kim Wilde and Iron Maiden songs. (Satrapi, 2003: 126) This brings another dimension to the relationship between Marji and her readers.Writing the novel in graphic form brings the Middle Eastern graphic novel closer to its Western neighbours because it is in a medium that is recognizable in the West. In addition, Satrapi’s depiction of Muslim leaders as â€Å"uneducated, primitive, and narrow-minded brutes† strengthens her connection with her Western readers whose perception of Muslim extremists might indeed be quite similar to the one crafted in the autobiography. (Constantino, 2008: 4) The novel Persepolis is effective because it was written to please a specific type of community.I t uses language and cultural barriers in the illustrations and text to further separate the reader from the antagonists. â€Å"Satrapi’s Persepolis appeared, significantly, at a time when memoirs have been experiencing a great surge of popularity. † (Malek, 2006: 8) The time of the publication of the memoir deemed critical to its success. It was published around the time where graphic novels were coined â€Å"the most important narrative mode of our contemporary culture. † (Miller, 2000: 421) It shared the lime light with other graphic novels, the likes of Craig Thompson’s â€Å"Blankets† and Joe Sacco’s â€Å"The Fixer†. Time, 2003) Satrapi chose the perfect time to debut her graphic memoir as she was able to ride ‘the literary high’ comics were experiencing at that point in time. A probable reason why Satrapi chose to tell her story in the graphic medium is the effectiveness and popularity of graphic novels at the point of the novel’s publication. Writing the novel in graphic form and through the eyes of a child allows the issue to be digested with fewer objections by the reader. The novel written through the eyes of a child makes it easier for the reader to comprehend the situation.It gives the story a comedic approach to a devastating period in Iranian history. â€Å"Readers of all ages can identify with the child, feel for her, and learn with her about the complexities of national and international politics. †(Constantino, 2003: 4) The connection shared between Marji and the reader strengthens their bond and heightens the effectiveness of the story. It is a medium closely related to fun. Writing the novel in graphic form ‘dumbs down’ the brutality of the whole situation. A frame on page fifty two illustrates Ahmadi’s gruesome fate in prison: chopped into several pieces. Satrapi, 2003) Another panel depicting the same kind of ‘turned down' brutality is a s cene on page seventy six where a woman is being stabbed on the leg. These otherwise gruesome scenes can be better understood because the reader can look at it, take it as it is, and envy the child’s innocence and simplistic thought process. Constantino adds: â€Å"The text is easily accessible and seemingly transparent. It makes many people feel that they are educating themselves while they are being entertained.† Although the text might seem, in a way due to its graphic medium, juvenile, its purpose is to educate and tell an ‘untold story. Some might argue that depicting critical situations such as the Islamic Revolution in a form of graphic medium takes away the severity of the circumstances however; it can definitely be counter argued by the undeniable phrase ‘it’s so simple it works. ’ The visual element allows her to include the offstage action as part of the main narrative flow. Instead of having to impart information as separate inciden ts, where its impact is reduced by removing it from the context of the story, we see things as they happen, increasing the emotional mpact of the moment. The directness of her work allows her to do two things excellently: to distinguish between individuals easily with just small strokes of the pen and make her depiction of horrors, death, torture, and anguish, emotionally realistic without being graphic or gruesome. Persepolis was written in the graphic form to create a stronger connection with the material and its readers. Persepolis is a powerful story about a person’s struggle for self identity.The different occurrences in Marji’s life that define her for who she is was written in the graphic medium to make it easier for her audience to connect with her as people in search of who they are. Writing the novel in graphic form offers a sense of familiarity with Satrapi’s targeted Western audience. It brings the unfamiliar Iranian world, issues and their tradition s closer to the West’s classification of ‘normal’. It uses religion (specifically Christianity) in illustration and text to even deepen the connection between Marji and her audience. It forms a common ground, a sense of belonging to the same movement.It is also plausible that one of the reasons why the novel was written in the graphic form was to ride the growing popularity of comics at that particular point in time. Publishing the graphic novel to a community who openly accept comics as a form of sophisticated literature presented an opportunity for the novel to succeed. And lastly, it was written in graphic text to make it easier for the reader to comprehend the situation as these instances don’t usually happen to her targeted Western audience. It makes watching people die a little bit more bearable as it is depicted in a way that a child might perceive death.Satrapi choosing to tell her story in the form of a graphic novel not only shows us how far that medium has come as a means of expression, but allows us a glimpse into a world that few of us know anything about.Word Count: 1707 Citation Arnold, Andrew. â€Å"The Best and Worst: 2003. † Time. November 13 2010. Website. ;lt; http://www. time. com/time/bestandworst/2003/comics. html;gt; Malek, Amy. â€Å"Memoir as Iranian Exile Cultural Production: A Case Study of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis Series. † Iranian Studies: Journal of the International Society for Iranian Studies 39. 3 (2006): 353-380. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. Print. Manuela Costantino. â€Å"Marji: Popular Commix Heroine Breathing Life into the Writing of History. † Canadian Review of American Studies 38. 3 (2008): 429-447. Project MUSE. Cameron Library, Edmonton, AB. 17 Aug. 2010. Website. ;lt;http://muse. jhu. edu/;gt; Nancy Miller, â€Å"But Enough About Me, What Do You Think of My Memoir? † Yale Journal of Criticism 13, no. 2 (2000): 421. Print. Satrapi , Marjane. Persepolis. New York: Pantheon Books. 2003. Print â€Å"World Religions. † The World Almanac and Book of Facts  ©2010. 2010. Print.

The 10 Deadliest Tsunamis of All Time

The 10 Deadliest Tsunamis of All Time When the ocean floor moves enough, the surface finds out about it - in the resulting tsunami. A tsunami is a series of ocean waves generated by large movements or disturbances on the oceans floor. The causes of these disturbances include volcanic eruptions, landslides, and underwater explosions, but earthquakes  are the most common. Tsunamis can occur close to the shore or travel thousands of miles if the disturbance occurs in the deep ocean. Wherever they occur, though, they often have devastating consequences for the areas they hit.   For example, on March 11, 2011, Japan was struck by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake that was centered in the ocean 80 miles (130 km) east of the city of Sendai. The earthquake was so large that it triggered a massive tsunami that devastated Sendai and the surrounding area. The earthquake also caused smaller tsunamis to travel across much of the Pacific Ocean and cause damage in places like Hawaii and the west coast of the United States. Thousands were killed as a result of both the earthquake and tsunami and many more were displaced. Fortunately, it was not the worlds deadliest. With a death toll of only 18,000 to 20,000  and Japan being particularly active for tsunamis throughout history, the most recent doesnt even make the top 10 deadliest. Fortunately, warning systems are becoming better and more widespread, which can cut down on the loss of life. Also, more people understand the phenomena and heed the warnings to move to higher ground when a tsunami possibility exists. The 2004 Sumatran disaster spurred UNESCO to set a goal to establish a warning system for the Indian Ocean ​like exists in the Pacific and increase those defenses worldwide.  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Ã¢â‚¬â€¹ The Worlds 10 Deadliest Tsunamis Indian Ocean (Sumatra, Indonesia)Estimated Number of Deaths: 300,000Year: 2004 Ancient Greece (Islands of Crete and Santorini)Estimated Number of Deaths: 100,000Year: 1645 B.C. (tie)  Portugal, Morocco, Ireland, and the United KingdomEstimated Number of Deaths: 100,000 (with 60,000 in Lisbon alone)Year: 1755 Messina, ItalyEstimated Number of Deaths: 80,000Year: 1908 Arica, Peru (now Chile)Estimated Number of Deaths: 70,000 (in Peru and Chile)Year: 1868 South China Sea (Taiwan)Estimated Number of Deaths: 40,000Year: 1782 Krakatoa, IndonesiaEstimated Number of Deaths: 36,000Year: 1883 Nankaido, JapanEstimated Number of Deaths: 31,000Year: 1498 Tokaido-Nankaido, JapanEstimated Number of Deaths: 30,000Year: 1707 Hondo, JapanEstimated Number of Deaths: 27,000Year: 1826 Sanriku, JapanEstimated Number of Deaths: 26,000Year: 1896 A Word on the Numbers Sources on death figures can vary widely (especially for those being estimated long after the fact), due to lack of data on populations in areas at the time of the event. Some sources may list the tsunami figures along with the earthquake or volcanic eruption death figures and not split out the amount killed just by the tsunami. Also, some numbers may be preliminary and are revised down when missing people are found or revised up when people die of diseases in coming days brought on by the floodwaters.

Reaching the Top Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reaching the Top - Case Study Example Churchill has successfully used the postmodern displacement of time to dramatize the sacrifices made by women in business and in the society. The first scene opens with a dinner party at a restaurant to celebrate the success of Marlene, the central character , in her profession. Many legendary women including Pope Joan, the world traveler Isabella Bird and the Japanese courtesan Nijo attend the party. Marlene is a highly successful career woman who has become the General Manager of an employment agency called 'Top Girls' Acutely ambitious, she has achieved power and prestige in a male dominated territory by abandoning her social responsibilities. In this, she is like Isabella, who is a world traveler in an age where traveling abroad was mostly a male prerogative. Traveling the world, Isabella too has sacrificed her social responsibilities. Isabella wears trousers because she "feels like it".(Churchill 29) , and refuses to "live the life of a lady".(Churchill 29) Marlene too does not' live like a lady' as her choice of food and her dominating attitude indicate. Marlene's story has a parallel with the stories of Pope Joan, Griselda and Nijo, all of whom had to give up or abandon their children. While Marlene does it voluntarily, the other women are forced to do it. Joyce is Marlene's supposedly sterile sister who has adopted Marlene's daughter Angie. There is a troubled relationship between Joyce and Angie, with the latter hating her supposed mother and the former nursing a resentment against Angie. Joyce thinks that she lost her unborn child because of the difficulties of raising Angie. Joyce can be compared to Pope Joan who was stoned to death with her child. In scene three of Act I, Angie is hiding from Joyce with her friend Kit when Kit says,"Do you want to watch the Exterminator'" (Churchill 45) The Exterminator can be linked to Joyce who is hated by Angie. Joyce's story has a parallel in the story of Nijo, who had to give up her own children to please the Emperor, whom she hated. Motherhood, which is the natural right of a woman,is sacrificed by these women. The sixteen year old Angie is a troubled adolescent . Both her adopted as well as natural mothers consider her to be less than intelligent. Marlene says, "She is not going to make it" (Churchill 66), while Angie idolizes her aunt Marlene. Angie can be compared to the inarticulate Dull Gret, who, clad in an armour and apron, leads an army of women to battle. Angie, though considered dull, manages to go to her aunt's office. This shocks Marlene, who asks in astonishment, "How did you get past the receptionist '" (66) Angie has sacrificed her whole career by giving up her intelligence. Success comes to woman only through sacrifice. Only those women who give up something very valuable can become 'Top Girls'. To achieve power and position, a woman might have to sacrifice her relationships, even her identity as a woman as evidenced in the case of Marlene and Isabella. A top girl might have to renounce her ability to procreate. She can achieve her goal in a negative way by sacrificing her intelligence . To accomplish anything, be it professional or social, the top girl has to give up a part of herself in a male dominated society. Works Cited Churchill, Caryl. Top Girls : London: Methuen Student Edition

Teachers should not get tenure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Teachers should not get tenure - Essay Example In New York, only ninety out of 70,000 teachers lost their jobs between 2007 and 2010 for poor performance. Such statistics are attributable to tenure. Therefore, tenure and performance generate a cause-and-effect relationship towards the performance of students. In addition, the process for awarding tenure is not as thorough as it used to be. Nowadays, tenure is granted depending on the time that a teacher has been in service. This means that all teachers will be awarded tenure after serving for a particular period. For example, in the United States, most states require a minimum of three years before a teacher qualifies for tenure. This means that all K-12 teachers receive tenure regardless of whether they have qualified or not. Teachers should not get tenure to ensure that job performance is not compromised for â€Å"job for life.† It will be easier to relieve ineffective teachers their duties if tenure is not awarded. The education sector will improve in the long-run if te achers are not granted